UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 20 November 2025
Kartavya Desk Staff
UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 20 November 2025 covers important current affairs of the day, their backward linkages, their relevance for Prelims exam and MCQs on main articles
InstaLinks : Insta Links help you think beyond the current affairs issue and help you think multidimensionally to develop depth in your understanding of these issues. These linkages provided in this ‘hint’ format help you frame possible questions in your mind that might arise(or an examiner might imagine) from each current event. InstaLinks also connect every issue to their static or theoretical background.
Table of Contents
GS Paper 2 : (UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 20 November (2025)
• Transgender Rights in India
Transgender Rights in India
• Supreme Court struck down key provisions of the Tribunal Reforms Act, 2021
Supreme Court struck down key provisions of the Tribunal Reforms Act, 2021
Content for Mains Enrichment (CME):
• 17 Nation Join Blue NDC Challenge
17 Nation Join Blue NDC Challenge
Facts for Prelims (FFP):
• Dugong
Dugong
• The Meerut Bugle
The Meerut Bugle
• BIRSA 101 Gene Therapy
BIRSA 101 Gene Therapy
• Kodaikanal Solar Observatory (KoSO)
Kodaikanal Solar Observatory (KoSO)
• Major Non-NATO Ally (MNNA)
Major Non-NATO Ally (MNNA)
Mapping:
• Ratanmahal Wildlife Sanctuary
Ratanmahal Wildlife Sanctuary
UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 20 November 2025
#### GS Paper 2:
Transgender Rights in India
Source: PIB
Subject: Vulnerable Section
Context: India has announced major reforms and welfare initiatives for transgender persons, alongside global attention shifting to India as the U.S. under Trump 2.0 rolls back transgender rights.
About Transgender Rights in India:
Status of Transgender Persons in India:
• India had 4.87 lakh self-declared transgender persons (Census 2011), though the actual population is estimated to be much higher due to stigma and under-reporting.
• India legally recognises a third gender, and has introduced protection laws, but social acceptance, healthcare access, and livelihood opportunities remain limited.
• Growing demand for gender-affirming healthcare, with India’s private sector witnessing rising medical tourism potential.
• Digital inclusion increasing through the National Portal, yet large regional disparities persist in legal documentation and welfare access.
Constitutional Provisions:
• Article 14: Right to equality applicable to “any person,” including transgender individuals.
• Article 15 & 16: Prohibit discrimination based on sex → interpreted to include gender identity.
• Article 19: Freedom of expression protects the right to express one’s gender identity.
• Article 21: Right to dignity, privacy, health, and personal autonomy.
• NALSA (2014): Recognised transgender persons as the third gender, affirmed right to self-identification, and directed affirmative action.
Initiatives Taken for Transgender Persons:
• Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019: Legal recognition, non-discrimination, inclusive education, healthcare obligations, complaint officers, and punishment for offences.
• Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Rules, 2020: Mandate Transgender Protection Cells, Welfare Boards, and simplified certification processes.
• National Council for Transgender Persons: Statutory body advising government, monitoring schemes, and redressing grievances.
• National Portal for Transgender Persons (2020): Online self-identification certificate, ID card issuance, and access to schemes in multiple languages.
• SMILE Scheme (2022): Livelihood, scholarships, skill training, Ayushman Bharat TG Plus health coverage, and Garima Greh shelters in 20+ states.
• Equal Opportunity Policy: Mandates equitable employment practices for transgender persons in public and private institutions.
Challenges Faced by Transgender Persons in India:
• Social Stigma & Violence: Transgender persons face routine discrimination, abuse, family rejection, and exclusion from schools and workplaces, which pushes many into unsafe environments and limits their social mobility.
• Healthcare Barriers: Lack of trained professionals, limited gender-affirming services, high medical costs, and poor insurance coverage prevent transgender persons from accessing safe, dignified, and continuous healthcare.
• Documentation Issues: Complex, inconsistent processes for updating gender in ID documents restrict access to welfare schemes, education, employment, banking, and housing, creating barriers across the life cycle.
• Economic Marginalisation: Low formal employment, limited skilling programmes, and exclusion from mainstream labour markets force many into informal or unsafe livelihoods such as begging or sex work.
• Housing & Safety: High homelessness, family abandonment, and discrimination in renting push many transgender persons into unsafe shelters or community-based living with minimal protection and dignity.
• Inadequate Funding: Budget allocations for transgender welfare remain low across ministries, resulting in weak implementation of schemes, poor outreach, and limited rehabilitation or skilling programmes.
Way Ahead:
• Strict Implementation of the 2019 Act & 2020 Rules: States must operationalise protection cells, welfare boards, grievance redressal systems, and anti-discrimination mandates to ensure uniform rights enforcement across India.
• Expand Ayushman Bharat TG Plus & Hospital Services: Full rollout of TG Plus with gender-affirming surgeries, hormone therapy, counselling, and post-operative care in government hospitals can drastically reduce medical and financial vulnerability.
• Integrate Transgender Healthcare into Medical Curricula: Mandatory LGBTQIA+ competencies and dedicated training for surgeons, endocrinologists, nurses, and counsellors will ensure sensitive, specialised, and evidence-based healthcare.
• Establish National Centres of Excellence & Promote Medical Tourism: Centres specialising in gender-affirmation, research, training, and community care can position India as a global hub for affordable, high-quality transgender healthcare.
• Create a Robust National Strategy with Greater Funding: A unified, well-funded policy with inter-ministerial coordination can address livelihood, health, housing, and social protection needs with long-term measurable outcomes.
• Strengthen Legal Frameworks for Documentation & Inclusion: Simplifying ID changes, enforcing anti-discrimination laws, and mandating inclusive hiring practices can ensure equal citizenship, workplace dignity, and social acceptance.
Conclusion:
India stands at a pivotal moment where legal recognition and welfare reforms must translate into real, lived equality for transgender persons. With robust policy implementation and investment in healthcare, skilling, and social protection, India can become a global leader in transgender rights. The opportunity now is to build a dignified, inclusive ecosystem where every transgender person can thrive with autonomy and respect.
What challenges does the transgender community in India face, and to what extent can The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2019 address these issues and deliver justice to the community?
Supreme Court struck down key provisions of the Tribunal Reforms Act, 2021
Source: TH
Subject: Indian Judiciary
Context: The Supreme Court struck down key provisions of the Tribunal Reforms Act, 2021 as unconstitutional for violating judicial independence and the doctrine of separation of powers.
• The Court also directed the Union Government to establish a National Tribunal Commission within four months and restored the earlier safeguards laid down in the Madras Bar Association (MBA) IV & V judgments.
About Supreme Court struck down key provisions of the Tribunal Reforms Act, 2021:
What is the Tribunal Reforms Act, 2021?
• Enacted on 13 August 2021, it sought to restructure and rationalise the tribunal system by abolishing several appellate tribunals and consolidating provisions on appointments, tenure and service conditions of tribunal members.
• It replaced the Tribunal Reforms Ordinance, 2021 and became the primary statute governing many central tribunals.
Aims of the Act:
• To reduce delay by shifting many appellate functions from tribunals to High Courts.
• To standardise appointments and service conditions across tribunals.
• To enhance administrative efficiency and accountability by giving the Centre a more central role in managing tribunals.
Key Features:
• Abolition of Tribunals: Dissolved bodies like the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal, Intellectual Property Appellate Board, Airport Appellate Tribunal, etc., transferring their jurisdiction to High Courts / other courts.
• Centralised Appointments: Chairpersons and Members to be appointed by the Central Government on recommendation of a Search-cum-Selection Committee chaired by the CJI or nominee.
• Tenure & Age: Chairperson – 4-year term or till 70 years (whichever earlier). Members – 4-year term or till 67 years. Minimum age for appointment fixed at 50 years, excluding younger practitioners.
• Chairperson – 4-year term or till 70 years (whichever earlier).
• Members – 4-year term or till 67 years.
• Minimum age for appointment fixed at 50 years, excluding younger practitioners.
• Executive Rule-Making Power: Centre empowered to frame rules on salaries, allowances and service conditions and to amend the Schedule (list of tribunals) by notification.
• Transitional Provisions: On abolition, members ceased office; pending cases shifted to High Courts/other courts.
Supreme Court Judgment On The Act (2025):
• The Court held that the Act violates constitutional principles of separation of powers and judicial independence and amounts to an impermissible “legislative override” of binding Supreme Court decisions (especially MBA IV & V).
• It struck down the impugned provisions that: Re-introduced a 4-year tenure, Imposed minimum age 50 years, Allowed a panel of two names per vacancy for the government to choose from, Tied service conditions to equivalent civil servants.
• Re-introduced a 4-year tenure,
• Imposed minimum age 50 years,
• Allowed a panel of two names per vacancy for the government to choose from,
• Tied service conditions to equivalent civil servants.
Key Reasoning:
• Parliament cannot re-enact, in slightly altered form, provisions already struck down, without curing the underlying constitutional defects.
• Judicial directions on minimum tenure, eligibility of advocates with 10 years’ practice, composition and role of selection committees are not “abstract principles” but constitutional requirements flowing from Articles 323A–323B, Article 14 and the basic structure (judicial independence).
• The Act tried to restore executive dominance over tribunals where the Union is often the largest litigant, undermining institutional autonomy.
Directions Issued:
• National Tribunal Commission to be constituted within 4 months as an “essential structural safeguard” for tribunal independence, appointments, administration and oversight.
• Till a new law consistent with earlier judgments is enacted, directions in Madras Bar Association (MBA IV & V) on tenure, eligibility, age limits, and composition of selection committees will continue to govern.
• Appointments already made pursuant to selections completed before the Act came into force are protected and governed by the parent statutes and MBA IV & V, not by the truncated tenure in the Act.
Arguments In Favour of the Tribunal Reforms Act:
• Streamlining & Rationalisation: Supporters argued that abolishing small, under-utilised tribunals and shifting work to High Courts would reduce fragmentation and improve consistency of judicial review.
• Uniformity & Administrative Clarity: A single law with common rules on appointments and service conditions was projected as bringing predictability and uniform standards across multiple tribunals.
• Executive Efficiency in Appointments: Greater Central control was justified on grounds of speed and coordination—a single nodal authority supposedly prevents delays caused by multiple ministries and bodies.
• Experience-Based Age Threshold: The 50-year minimum age was defended as ensuring that only mature, experienced candidates (often retired judges/bureaucrats) preside over complex technical disputes.
• Shorter, Fixed Tenure: A 4-year tenure was portrayed as enabling performance review and rotation, preventing tribunals from becoming a “permanent sinecure” for select individuals.
Arguments Against the Tribunal Reforms Act:
• Violation of Judicial Independence: Short 4-year tenures and heavy executive control over re-appointments were seen as creating dependence on the government, especially when the Union is a key litigant before these bodies.
• Re-Enactment of Struck-Down Provisions: The Act brought back, in tweaked language, the same tenure and age rules already invalidated in MBA IV & V, amounting to a direct challenge to the Court’s authority.
• Exclusion of Younger Talent: The 50-year age bar blocks capable lawyers and domain experts in their 40s, weakening diversity and dynamism in tribunal composition.
• Executive Dominance in Appointments & Service Conditions: Giving the Centre a decisive say in appointments, service rules, salaries and allowances undermines the arm’s-length distance required for neutral adjudication.
• Burdening High Courts, Weakening Specialisation: Abolishing specialised tribunals and offloading cases to already overburdened High Courts was criticised as hurting access to justice and diluting technical expertise.
Way Ahead:
• Enact a Fresh, Constitution-Compliant Tribunal Law: Parliament should legislate in line with MBA IV & V and the 2025 judgment—ensuring minimum 5-year tenure, reasonable age limits, and security of service.
• Establish and Empower National Tribunal Commission: The proposed Commission must handle appointments, evaluation, infrastructure and administration of all tribunals, insulating them from day-to-day ministerial control.
• Balance Between Specialisation and Court Oversight: Maintain core specialised tribunals where technical expertise is crucial, while ensuring High Courts retain judicial supervision through appeals/judicial review.
• Transparent, Merit-Based Appointments: Clear criteria, public notifications, short-lists, and reasoned decisions by selection committees can enhance legitimacy and public trust.
• Strengthen Infrastructure & Digital Systems: Better staffing, digital case management, and timelines will make tribunals genuinely effective forums for speedy and specialised justice.
Conclusion:
The Supreme Court’s verdict re-asserts that tribunal reform cannot be used as a backdoor to expand executive control over adjudication. By striking down the 2021 Act, the Court has reaffirmed constitutional supremacy and the centrality of judicial independence in our institutional design. Going forward, a robust National Tribunal Commission and a fresh, constitutionally aligned statute can turn tribunals into genuine instruments of speedy, specialised and impartial justice.
Tribunal design cannot be driven solely by executive convenience. Explain how recent judicial scrutiny highlights structural flaws in India’s tribunalisation. Analyse their impact on adjudicatory independence.
#### UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 20 November 2025 Content for Mains Enrichment (CME)
17 Nation Join Blue NDC Challenge
Context: 17 countries—including France, Brazil, Belgium, Canada, and Singapore—have joined the Blue NDC Challenge at COP30, signalling a major global push to embed ocean-based climate solutions into national climate plans.
About 17 Nation Join Blue NDC Challenge:
What is the Blue NDC Challenge?
• A global initiative encouraging countries to integrate ocean-based climate actions into their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement. It seeks to close the “ocean opportunity gap,” as oceans contribute only a small share of global climate finance and mitigation plans despite their massive potential.
Key Features:
• Expanded Membership: 17 countries now onboard, including new entrants like Belgium, Canada, Indonesia, and Singapore.
• Ocean Taskforce: Supported by France and Brazil to help governments embed ocean solutions into updated 2030 climate plans.
• Blue Package: A coordinated plan across five Ocean Breakthrough sectors—marine conservation, ocean food systems, offshore renewable energy, shipping decarbonisation, and coastal tourism.
• Focus on Mitigation & Adaptation: Recognises oceans’ potential to deliver up to 35% of global emission reductions needed for the 1.5°C target.
• Finance Mobilisation: Seeks to address chronic underfunding—ocean climate finance is <1% of global climate finance.
• Support for Blue Carbon Pathways: Mangroves, seagrasses, salt marshes integrated into national mitigation and adaptation strategies.
Relevance in UPSC Exam Syllabus:
• GS Paper 3 – Environment & Climate Change
• Ocean-based climate action, blue carbon ecosystems, coastal vulnerability, and marine conservation directly align with climate mitigation/adaptation topics. Important for questions on sustainable development, climate finance, and multilateral environmental cooperation.
• Ocean-based climate action, blue carbon ecosystems, coastal vulnerability, and marine conservation directly align with climate mitigation/adaptation topics.
• Important for questions on sustainable development, climate finance, and multilateral environmental cooperation.
• GS Paper 2 – International Relations / Governance
• Increasing role of climate diplomacy at COP summits, Brazil–France partnership, and global coalitions. Shows how international frameworks shape domestic climate policy.
• Increasing role of climate diplomacy at COP summits, Brazil–France partnership, and global coalitions.
• Shows how international frameworks shape domestic climate policy.
• Essay & Ethics
• Useful as an example of global environmental ethics, intergenerational equity, and multilateral climate governance.
• Useful as an example of global environmental ethics, intergenerational equity, and multilateral climate governance.
#### UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 20 November 2025 Facts for Prelims (FFP)
Dugong
Source: IE
Subject: Species in News
Context: A new global report released at the IUCN Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi has warned that India’s dugong (sea cow) populations in the Gulf of Kutch, Gulf of Mannar–Palk Bay, and Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
About Dugong:
What it is?
• Dugong (Dugong dugon) is a large herbivorous marine mammal, closely related to manatees and more distantly to elephants.
• They are slow-moving, gentle sea-grazers that inspired ancient myths of mermaids due to their appearance and behaviour.
Habitat (Indian & Global):
• Found in warm, shallow coastal waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
• Major Indian habitats: Gulf of Mannar–Palk Bay (TN), Andaman & Nicobar Islands, and Gulf of Kutch (Gujarat).
• Globally distributed from East Africa to Australia, with the largest stable population near northwestern Australia.
Conservation Status:
• IUCN Red List: Vulnerable (declining populations since 1982).
• Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 (India): Schedule I – highest level of legal protection.
Key Features of Dugongs:
• Grow up to 3 m long and weigh 300–420 kg: Dugongs are large, streamlined marine mammals whose considerable size supports slow movement and constant grazing in shallow coastal waters.
• Have a whale-like tail fluke and paddle-shaped flippers: Their tail fluke enables gentle, rhythmic swimming, while broad flippers help in manoeuvring through seagrass meadows where they forage.
• Exclusively herbivorous, feeding mainly on seagrass meadows: Dugongs rely entirely on seagrass for nutrition, making them one of the few strictly plant-eating marine mammals and tightly linking them to coastal ecosystems.
• Consume 30–40 kg of seagrass daily, acting as “ecosystem engineers”: Their heavy grazing naturally trims seagrass beds, preventing overgrowth and encouraging healthy regrowth, which sustains diverse marine life.
• Seagrass habitats maintained by dugongs are excellent blue carbon sinks: By promoting seagrass productivity and turnover, dugongs indirectly support the storage of large amounts of carbon in sediments, aiding climate regulation.
• Long lifespan (up to 70 years) but very low reproductive rate: Female dugongs give birth only once every 3–7 years, making population recovery slow and increasing vulnerability to environmental and human pressures.
Major Threats to Dugongs:
• Habitat Loss & Seagrass Degradation: Coastal pollution, sedimentation, turbidity, dredging, and port development destroy seagrass meadows—the dugong’s only food.
• Fisheries Bycatch: Accidental entanglement in fishing nets is the biggest killer across Tamil Nadu, A&N Islands, and Gujarat.
• Marine Pollution & Heavy Metals: A recent study detected arsenic, cadmium, chromium, mercury & lead in dugong tissues, entering through wastewater discharge and agricultural runoff.
The Meerut Bugle
Source: NIE
Subject: Miscellaneous
Context: The Meerut bugle, traditionally used in India’s military parades, ceremonies, and regimental bands, has received a Geographical Indication (GI) tag.
About The Meerut Bugle:
What it is?
• The Meerut bugle is a brass wind instrument used in military drills, parades, ceremonies, and signals across the Army, paramilitary forces, and police units in India.
• It is known for its commanding sound and cultural association with Indian military tradition.
Origin: Meerut’s bugle-making tradition dates back to the late 19th century, during the British era, when the instrument became integral to battlefield communication. Over time, the craft evolved into a specialised local industry, making Meerut one of India’s main centres for handmade bugles.
Key Features:
• Handcrafted workmanship using high-quality brass, known for durability and tonal accuracy.
• Used extensively in regimental bands, military academies, and ceremonial events nationwide.
• Represents a living military heritage linking colonial-era communication tools to modern ceremonial functions.
About GI Tag:
What it is?
• A Geographical Indication (GI) tag is a legal certification identifying goods that originate from a specific region and possess qualities, characteristics, or reputation attributable to that place.
Launched under:
• The Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999.
• Implemented from September 2003.
Organisation Responsible:
• Geographical Indications Registry, Chennai
• Under the Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs & Trade Marks, Ministry of Commerce & Industry.
• To protect traditional products, crafts, and agricultural items tied to specific regions.
• To prevent misuse or imitation of regional products.
• To enhance market value, livelihood opportunities, and global recognition of authentic local goods.
Key Features:
• Grants exclusive rights to authorised producers from the region.
• Ensures authenticity, making counterfeits legally punishable.
• Boosts rural development, preserves traditional craftsmanship, and promotes sustainable local economies.
• Helps GI products gain visibility in global exhibitions, trade fairs, and export markets.
• India currently has 605 GI-tagged products across handicrafts, agriculture, food, manufactured goods, and natural products.
BIRSA 101 Gene Therapy
Source: PIB
Subject: Science and Technology
Context: India has launched its first indigenous CRISPR-based gene therapy for Sickle Cell Disease, named BIRSA 101, marking a major milestone in affordable genomic medicine.
About BIRSA 101 Gene Therapy:
What it is?
• BIRSA 101 is India’s first indigenously developed CRISPR gene-editing therapy designed to cure Sickle Cell Disease (SCD)—a severe hereditary blood disorder disproportionately affecting India’s tribal communities.
Developed by: CSIR–Institute of Genomics & Integrative Biology (IGIB)
• In partnership with the Serum Institute of India (SIIPL) for technology transfer, scale-up, and affordable national deployment.
• Named in honour of Birsa Munda, whose 150th birth anniversary was recently observed.
Objective:
• To support India’s mission of becoming Sickle Cell–Free by 2047, as envisioned by the Prime Minister.
• To make cutting-edge gene therapy affordable, replacing global treatments costing ₹20–25 crore with indigenous, low-cost solutions.
How It Works?
• BIRSA 101 uses CRISPR technology like “precise genetic surgery” to edit defective genes inside the patient’s cells.
• It corrects the mutation responsible for producing sickle-shaped red blood cells, thereby enabling normal haemoglobin production.
• Once edited, the corrected stem cells are infused back into the patient, offering a potential one-time, lifelong cure.
Key Features:
• Fully indigenous CRISPR platform (enFnCas9) engineered by IGIB.
• Low-cost alternative to global therapies costing crores.
• Developed under India’s Atmanirbhar Bharat push for medical self-reliance.
• Backed by a public–private partnership ensuring scalability, safety, and regulatory readiness.
• Supported by a new advanced translational research facility at CSIR-IGIB.
Significance:
• Positions India among the global leaders in advanced gene-editing therapies.
• Major step toward eliminating a debilitating disease common in Gond, Munda, Bhil, Santal, and other tribal groups.
• Enhances India’s capability to produce world-class therapies at a fraction of international prices.
Kodaikanal Solar Observatory (KoSO)
Source: DD News
Subject: Science and Technology
Context: Scientists from ARIES, IIA and global collaborators have reconstructed over 100 years of the Sun’s polar magnetic history using archival data from the Kodaikanal Solar Observatory (KoSO).
About Kodaikanal Solar Observatory (KoSO):
• What it is? KoSO is one of India’s oldest and globally renowned solar observatories, conducting continuous solar observations for more than 120 years.
• KoSO is one of India’s oldest and globally renowned solar observatories, conducting continuous solar observations for more than 120 years.
• Location: Situated in the Palani Hills, Tamil Nadu, KoSO functions as a field station of the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bengaluru.
• History:
• Established in 1899. Systematic solar imaging in the Ca II K wavelength began in 1904, creating one of the world’s longest solar data archives.
• Established in 1899.
• Systematic solar imaging in the Ca II K wavelength began in 1904, creating one of the world’s longest solar data archives.
• Key Features:
• Continuous solar observations for over a century — among the longest consistent solar records globally. Multi-wavelength imaging of the chromosphere capturing plages, sunspot groups, magnetic networks. A digitised database now publicly available, enabling global scientific access.
• Continuous solar observations for over a century — among the longest consistent solar records globally.
• Multi-wavelength imaging of the chromosphere capturing plages, sunspot groups, magnetic networks.
• A digitised database now publicly available, enabling global scientific access.
About Sun’s Magnetic Future:
• What it is? The Sun’s magnetic future refers to the predicted behaviour of its polar magnetic fields—key drivers of the 11-year solar cycle, sunspots, flares, and geomagnetic storms.
• The Sun’s magnetic future refers to the predicted behaviour of its polar magnetic fields—key drivers of the 11-year solar cycle, sunspots, flares, and geomagnetic storms.
• Breakthrough:
• ARIES-led researchers reconstructed the Sun’s polar magnetic fields from 1904 to 2022 by analysing KoSO’s Ca II K images. They used Rome-PSPT data, AI-based feature recognition, and Polar Network Index (PNI) to identify faint bright structures near the poles. These structures act as proxies for magnetic field strength before direct polar field measurements began in 1976.
• ARIES-led researchers reconstructed the Sun’s polar magnetic fields from 1904 to 2022 by analysing KoSO’s Ca II K images.
• They used Rome-PSPT data, AI-based feature recognition, and Polar Network Index (PNI) to identify faint bright structures near the poles.
• These structures act as proxies for magnetic field strength before direct polar field measurements began in 1976.
• Significance:
• Offers the first reliable, century-long reconstruction of solar magnetism. Helps predict the strength of ongoing Solar Cycle 25 and future solar activity. Crucial for forecasting solar storms that can disrupt GPS, communications, satellites, aviation, and power grids.
• Offers the first reliable, century-long reconstruction of solar magnetism.
• Helps predict the strength of ongoing Solar Cycle 25 and future solar activity.
• Crucial for forecasting solar storms that can disrupt GPS, communications, satellites, aviation, and power grids.
Major Non-NATO Ally (MNNA)
Source: TOI
Subject: International Relations
Context: The United States has officially designated Saudi Arabia as a Major Non-NATO Ally (MNNA), signalling a major upgrade in defence ties after Trump’s meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
About Major Non-NATO Ally (MNNA):
What it is?
• MNNA is a special U.S. strategic designation that grants close defence partners military, financial, and technological privileges—without offering formal NATO-style security guarantees.
History:
• Created under U.S. law in the 1980s.
• Intended to strengthen America’s global alliance network outside NATO.
• To promote defence collaboration, advanced weapons access, joint training, and security coordination.
• To reinforce U.S. strategic partnerships in geopolitically sensitive regions.
Current MNNA Countries:
• 20 nations across Asia, Africa, South America, and Oceania.
• Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Morocco, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia, and now Saudi Arabia.
Key Features of MNNA Status:
• Priority Defence Access: MNNA countries get priority delivery of U.S. Excess Defence Articles and easier access to advanced military equipment.
• War Reserve Stockpiles: They can host U.S. War Reserve Stockpiles on their territory, enabling rapid joint military response.
• Joint R&D Collaboration: Eligible to conduct cooperative research, development, testing, and evaluation of defence technologies with the U.S.
• Training & Contracting Benefits: Can enter bilateral/multilateral training agreements and MNNA firms can bid for U.S. DoD repair and maintenance contracts abroad.
• Counter-Terror & Special Tech Funding: Eligible for U.S. funding for counter-terrorism technologies and advanced security research projects.
India’s Status:
• India is NOT an MNNA.
• India is designated as a “Major Defence Partner” (MDP) since 2016— a unique category created specifically for India, granting access to high-end U.S. defence technology.
#### UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 20 November 2025 Mapping:
Ratanmahal Wildlife Sanctuary
Source: NIE
Subject: Mapping
Context: A wild tiger has permanently settled in Gujarat’s Ratanmahal Wildlife Sanctuary for the first time in decades, staying for nine continuous months—an unprecedented wildlife milestone for the state.
• This marks Gujarat as the only state in India hosting all three big cats—Asiatic lion, Indian leopard, and now the tiger—within a shared natural landscape.
About Ratanmahal Wildlife Sanctuary:
What it is?
• A protected wildlife sanctuary known for its rich biodiversity and Gujarat’s stronghold of the sloth bear, now gaining attention as the state’s newest tiger habitat.
Location: Situated in Dahod district, Central Gujarat, along the Gujarat–Madhya Pradesh border; the sloth bear habitat extends deep into MP’s Jhabua district.
History:
• Declared a Wildlife Sanctuary in March 1982, covering forests that once belonged to the former Devgadh Baria princely state.
• Encompasses 65 sq km of reserve forests spread across 11 villages, with an interaction zone of 41 surrounding villages.
Key Ecological Features:
• Diverse forest types: dry teak forest, mixed deciduous forest, Sadad & Timru patches, and extensive dry bamboo brakes.
• High density of mahuda trees, providing crucial food to sloth bears.
• Habitat for leopard, palm civet, four-horned antelope, langurs, sunbirds, green barbets, junglefowl, pit viper and more.
• Dense sloth bear population—highest in Gujarat—making it a prime area for behaviour studies.
• Rugged topography giving a hill-station-like environment attractive to wildlife and visitors.
Ecological Significance:
• Forms the catchment of the Panam River, a major lifeline for Dahod and Panchmahals districts.
• Critical for water conservation, with an irrigation dam and reservoir downstream near Godhra.
• The sanctuary’s improving prey base, water sources, and vegetation created conditions stable enough for a tiger to establish territory—a powerful indicator of ecosystem recovery.
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