UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 29 December 2025
Kartavya Desk Staff
UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 29 December 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 & 3:
• India’s Research Deficit
India’s Research Deficit
GS Paper 4:
• Attitude beats aptitude in the modern workplace
Attitude beats aptitude in the modern workplace
Content for Mains Enrichment (CME):
• Flower Lady of Manipur – Chokhone Krichena
Flower Lady of Manipur – Chokhone Krichena
Facts for Prelims (FFP):
• 140th Foundation Day of Indian National Congress (INC)
140th Foundation Day of Indian National Congress (INC)
• Passenger Assistance Control Room (PACR)
Passenger Assistance Control Room (PACR)
• Industrial hemp
Industrial hemp
• Rare-earth elements (REEs)
Rare-earth elements (REEs)
• Alaknanda Galaxy
Alaknanda Galaxy
• Gandikota Canyon
Gandikota Canyon
Mapping:
• Kanger Valley National Park
Kanger Valley National Park
UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 29 December 2025
GS Paper 2 & 3:
India’s Research Deficit
Source: TH
Subject: Education / Science and Technology
Context: India’s chronic research and development (R&D) deficit has returned to focus following renewed debate on India’s global ambitions, low R&D spending (≈0.7% of GDP), and comparisons with countries—and even firms like Huawei—that far outspend India on innovation.
About India’s Research Deficit:
What it is?
• India’s research deficit refers to the systemic underinvestment, weak ecosystem linkages, and low output in scientific research, innovation, and high-end technology development, despite having one of the world’s largest talent pools and economies.
Key trends:
• R&D expenditure: ~0.6–0.7% of GDP (declining relative to GDP growth). China: ~2.4% | USA: ~3.5% | Israel: ~5.4%
• China: ~2.4% | USA: ~3.5% | Israel: ~5.4%
• Global research output: India has ~17.5% of world population but produces only ~3% of global research output.
• Patents (2023): Total filings: 64,480 (6th globally; fast growth from low base) Share of global filings: ~1.8% Resident filings per million people: 47th rank
• Total filings: 64,480 (6th globally; fast growth from low base)
• Share of global filings: ~1.8%
• Resident filings per million people: 47th rank
• Researchers density: ~255 researchers per million people Global average: ~1,198 | USA: 4,452 | China: 1,307 | South Korea: 7,980
• Global average: ~1,198 | USA: 4,452 | China: 1,307 | South Korea: 7,980
• Private sector role: Government contributes ~63.6% of R&D spend; private sector only ~36.4%.
• Global Innovation Index 2024: 39th rank.
Need for Strong Research in India:
• Economic competitiveness and value-chain upgradation: R&D enables transition from assembly to design-led manufacturing and intellectual leadership. Despite ₹1.6 lakh crore cleared under India Semiconductor Mission (2025), the absence of a commercial sub-28 nm mega-fab keeps India import-dependent for advanced logic chips.
• Despite ₹1.6 lakh crore cleared under India Semiconductor Mission (2025), the absence of a commercial sub-28 nm mega-fab keeps India import-dependent for advanced logic chips.
• Strategic autonomy and technology sovereignty: Indigenous research reduces exposure to external “technology vetoes” in critical sectors. Although 65% defence equipment is domestically produced, dependence on GE-F404 engines for Tejas Mk-1A reflects the long-standing aero-engine R&D deficit (Kaveri legacy).
• Although 65% defence equipment is domestically produced, dependence on GE-F404 engines for Tejas Mk-1A reflects the long-standing aero-engine R&D deficit (Kaveri legacy).
• Conversion of demographic dividend into innovation capital: High-quality research jobs prevent “brain waste” among India’s STEM youth. In 2024–25, 7.6 lakh students went abroad, with a 35% surge in AI and renewable-energy PhDs, driven by weak deep-tech lab infrastructure at home.
• In 2024–25, 7.6 lakh students went abroad, with a 35% surge in AI and renewable-energy PhDs, driven by weak deep-tech lab infrastructure at home.
• Societal problem-solving and contextual innovation: Indian challenges need India-specific scientific solutions beyond global models. The 47°C Delhi heat events (2024–25) exposed limits of global climate models, prompting Mission Mausam (2024) to develop indigenous, localised weather forecasting.
• The 47°C Delhi heat events (2024–25) exposed limits of global climate models, prompting Mission Mausam (2024) to develop indigenous, localised weather forecasting.
Initiatives taken:
• ₹1 lakh crore Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund: ₹20,000 crore allocated initially; focus on private-sector and deep-tech R&D
• ₹20,000 crore allocated initially; focus on private-sector and deep-tech R&D
• Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF): Strengthens academic research, labs, and basic science
• National missions: India Semiconductor Mission, National Quantum Mission, AI Mission, Green Energy & Hydrogen initiatives
Challenges Associated:
• Private-sector risk aversion in R&D: Indian industry underinvests in long-gestation “blue-sky” research. India’s GERD remains ~0.65% of GDP, with private contribution at 36%, compared to 70%+ in South Korea and the U.S.
• Academia–industry disconnect: Weak commercialization culture prevents lab-to-market transition. While IIT Madras scaled 5G RAN licensing (2024–25), over 80% patents from smaller colleges remain unlicensed due to absence of Technology Transfer Offices.
• Persistent brain drain due to ecosystem gaps: Talent migrates to stable innovation clusters offering funding continuity. GII 2025 ranks India 38th, yet top 0.1% STEM talent exits due to delays and uncertainty in grants like JC Bose Fellowship.
• Bureaucratic delays and funding liquidity crunch: Slow disbursal disrupts experimental continuity in labs. Even after ANRF operationalisation (2024), SERB-SURE and DST funds took 8–12 months in 2025, causing project stagnation.
• Weak intellectual property quality and enforcement: Filing growth is not translating into disruptive innovation. Though India became the 6th largest patent filer (2024–25), its GII Business Sophistication rank (64) shows dominance of incremental over frontier inventions.
Way Ahead
• Scale R&D investment decisively: Raise R&D spending to 2% of GDP within 5–7 years, ensuring ≥50% private-sector share through tax credits, co-funding, and outcome-linked incentives.
• Adopt mission-mode research governance: Focus on AI, semiconductors, quantum, green energy, advanced materials, with uninterrupted funding, strategic milestones, and national-security alignment.
• Reform universities into research engines: Build research-centric universities, expand PhD fellowships, recruit global faculty, and establish world-class experimental infrastructure.
• Institutionalise industry–academia integration: Mandate industry-funded chairs, joint labs, incubators, and professional TTOs to bridge the “valley of death” between research and markets.
• Strengthen IP and innovation incentives: Fast-track patents, improve enforcement, and ensure revenue-sharing models that reward inventors and institutions.
• Retain and attract top research talent: Offer globally competitive pay, mobility grants, and flagship national labs, ensuring career stability and scientific autonomy.
Conclusion:
India’s aspiration to become a global power cannot be sustained without a robust, well-funded R&D ecosystem. The current research deficit is not a talent problem but a structural and investment failure. Bridging this gap decisively in the next decade is essential for Viksit Bharat, technological sovereignty, and long-term economic leadership.
Q. Research and Development (R&D) plays a critical role in determining the productivity and economic growth of a nation, Discuss the relevance of harnessing private sector investments to improve the spendings on R and D in the country.(250 words)
#### UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 29 December 2025 GS Paper 4:
Attitude beats aptitude in the modern workplace
Source: NIE
Subject: Attitude
Context: An article highlights why attitude increasingly determines early-career success, even when skills are comparable. The discussion gains relevance amid AI-driven workplaces where adaptability, ownership and coachability matter as much as technical ability.
About Attitude beats aptitude in the modern workplace:
What it is?
• Attitude beating aptitude refers to the growing reality that mindsets and behaviours—such as openness to learning, accountability, resilience and collaboration—often determine professional growth more than raw technical skills, especially in the early years of a career.
Importance of attitude over aptitude in the workplace:
• Learnability over static knowledge: In fast-changing roles, openness to learning and experimenting enables employees to stay relevant, whereas fixed skill sets quickly become outdated.
• Ownership and accountability: Employees who take responsibility for outcomes rather than merely completing tasks build trust and are seen as reliable contributors.
• Ability to handle ambiguity: Work environments often lack perfect clarity, and those who remain calm, adaptive and solution-oriented perform better under uncertainty.
• Collaboration and interpersonal maturity: A positive attitude enables effective teamwork, respectful communication and conflict resolution, which are essential in interdependent workplaces.
• Coachability and growth mindset: Willingness to accept feedback and improve continuously signals maturity and long-term leadership potential.
Importance of aptitude in the workplace:
• Foundation of professional competence: Technical and cognitive aptitude ensures minimum standards of quality, accuracy and safety in professional work.
• Efficiency and problem-solving ability: Strong aptitude allows faster understanding of tasks and logical resolution of complex challenges.
• Credibility in specialised roles: In technical or regulated domains, aptitude builds confidence among peers, supervisors and stakeholders.
• Innovation and analytical depth: High aptitude supports structured thinking, experimentation and the creation of scalable solutions.
• Reduced training dependency: Employees with sound aptitude require less hand-holding, saving organisational time and resources.
Challenges to developing the right attitude in workplaces:
• Fear of making mistakes: Over-emphasis on perfection discourages questioning and experimentation, limiting behavioural growth.
• Rigid hierarchies: Power distance often prevents young professionals from seeking clarity or expressing ideas openly.
• Digital and remote disengagement: Limited human interaction reduces informal learning and emotional alignment with teams.
• Credential-based entitlement: Excessive focus on degrees and ranks can weaken humility and willingness to learn.
• Low feedback literacy: Many struggle to separate feedback on work from personal worth, leading to defensiveness.
Methods to instil attitude and aptitude in modern adults:
• Continuous learning culture: Integrating behavioural and technical learning encourages adaptability rather than one-time skill acquisition.
• Regular, structured feedback: Frequent feedback helps individuals reflect, correct course and build accountability.
• Experiential learning at work: Learning through real tasks strengthens both competence and confidence simultaneously.
• Ethics-based training: Emphasising integrity, responsibility and fairness shapes attitudes that sustain trust.
• Mentorship and role modelling: Observing senior professionals demonstrates how skills and attitude operate together in practice.
Conclusion:
Aptitude enables entry into the workplace, but attitude governs growth, trust and leadership. Ethical behaviour, accountability and openness to learning convert skills into sustained excellence. In the long run, character becomes the true multiplier of competence.
Q. Attitude is a major determinant of an individual’s behaviour; Analyse how Attitude can make or break an individual citing examples. (150 words)
#### UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 29 December 2025 Content for Mains Enrichment (CME)
Flower Lady of Manipur – Chokhone Krichena
Context: Prime Minister of India praised Chokhone Krichena, popularly known as the ‘Flower Lady of Manipur’, in Mann Ki Baat for transforming floriculture into a driver of self-reliance and inclusive growth.
About Flower Lady of Manipur – Chokhone Krichena:
Who she is?
• Chokhone Krichena is a woman entrepreneur from Senapati district, Manipur, who has successfully blended traditional agricultural knowledge with modern business practices to promote floriculture in the hill regions of the State.
Achievements:
• Founded Dianthe Private Limited (2021), a floriculture enterprise focused on decorative flower cultivation and marketing.
• Transitioned from traditional subsistence farming to commercial floriculture.
• Built a women-led farmer network in Senapati district.
• Enabled inter-State market access, with Manipur-grown flowers reaching multiple Indian States.
• Recognised nationally through Mann Ki Baat, bringing visibility to Northeast entrepreneurship.
Significance:
• Provides livelihood opportunities and leadership roles to rural women farmers.
• Promotes local production, value addition, and market linkage.
• Showcases the economic potential of hill agriculture and floriculture.
Relevance to UPSC Syllabus
• GS Paper I: Role of women in economic development Regional diversity and livelihood patterns in Northeast India
• Role of women in economic development
• Regional diversity and livelihood patterns in Northeast India
• Essay / Ethics (GS IV): Women leadership, self-reliance, and social transformation Values of innovation, courage, and community empowerment
• Women leadership, self-reliance, and social transformation
• Values of innovation, courage, and community empowerment
#### UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 29 December 2025 Facts for Prelims (FFP)
140th Foundation Day of Indian National Congress (INC)
Source: IE
Subject: Modern History
Context: The Indian National Congress (INC) marked its 140th Foundation Day on December 28, 2025, prompting renewed reflection on its historical role in India’s freedom struggle and post-Independence politics.
About 140th Foundation Day of Indian National Congress (INC):
What it is?
• The Indian National Congress is one of India’s oldest and most influential political parties, which spearheaded the national movement against British colonial rule and later dominated India’s post-Independence political landscape.
Founded in: 28 December 1885
• First session: Gokuldas Tejpal Sanskrit College, Bombay (Mumbai)
• First President: W. C. Bonnerjee
Origin:
• Founded by Allan Octavian Hume, a British civil servant, along with Indian leaders such as Dadabhai Naoroji, Surendranath Banerjee, Pherozeshah Mehta, and Gopal Krishna Gokhale
• Initially conceived as a platform to voice Indian grievances and influence British policy through petitions and constitutional methods
• Gradually evolved into a mass nationalist movement, especially under Mahatma Gandhi
Key features:
• Broad-based nationalist platform: Brought together Indians across regions, religions, and linguistic groups
• Ideological evolution: From moderate constitutionalism → mass civil disobedience → democratic socialism
• Mass mobilisation: Led movements like Non-Cooperation, Civil Disobedience, Quit India, and Purna Swaraj (1929)
• Post-Independence role: Advocated secularism, parliamentary democracy, planned economy, and non-alignment
• Organisational depth: Longest-running nationwide political organisation in India
Significance:
• Central force in ending nearly 200 years of colonial rule.
• Provided leadership in framing the Constitution, establishing democratic institutions, and shaping early economic and foreign policy.
Passenger Assistance Control Room (PACR)
Source: PIB
Subject: Miscellaneous
Context: The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has established a 24×7 Passenger Assistance Control Room (PACR) to fast-track aviation-related passenger grievance redressal.
About Passenger Assistance Control Room (PACR):
What it is?
• The Passenger Assistance Control Room (PACR) is a permanent, round-the-clock integrated control centre set up to monitor aviation operations and ensure real-time resolution of passenger grievances related to flights, airports and airlines.
Ministry: Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA)
• To place passengers at the centre of India’s civil aviation ecosystem.
• To ensure fast, transparent and accountable grievance redressal.
• To institutionalise a coordinated crisis-response mechanism during operational disruptions.
Key features:
• 24×7 real-time operations: Continuous monitoring of aviation operations, passenger calls and disruptions to enable immediate intervention.
• Integrated stakeholder hub: Officials from MoCA, DGCA, AAI and airlines work under one roof, enabling on-the-spot coordination and resolution.
• AirSewa integration: Complete integration with the AirSewa grievance platform for seamless handling of online complaints.
• Omni-channel grievance intake: Passenger inputs via calls, digital platforms and AirSewa are converted into actionable cases.
• Data-driven dashboards: Live dashboards track grievance type, response time and stakeholder action for transparency and accountability.
• Passenger Charter compliance: Grievances on delays, cancellations, refunds and baggage are handled strictly as per the Passenger Charter.
Significance:
• Over 13,000 grievances resolved and 500+ call-based interventions since December 2025.
• Enhances confidence in India’s rapidly expanding aviation sector.
Industrial hemp
Source: DD News
Subject: Miscellaneous
Context: Himachal Pradesh has legalised and initiated regulated cultivation of industrial hemp under the ‘Green to Gold’ initiative to promote a bio-economy–led growth model.
About Industrial hemp:
What it is?
• Industrial hemp is a non-intoxicating variety of Cannabis sativa cultivated for fibre, seed, and biomass, with tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content below 0.3%, making it unsuitable for drug use.
Origin:
• Native to Central and South Asia, with millennia-old use in textiles, ropes, paper, and medicine
• Now legally cultivated across parts of Europe, North America, and Asia under regulated THC thresholds
Key characteristics:
• Low THC (<0.3%) and high fibre/seed yield
• Climate-resilient: Requires ~50% less water than cotton and grows in marginal soils
• Fast-growing: Harvest cycle of 70–140 days
• Soil-friendly: Suppresses weeds and improves soil structure via deep roots
• High biomass yield: Suitable for fibre, oilseed, and dual-purpose use
Applications:
• Construction: Hempcrete is a lightweight, insulating material that absorbs more carbon than it emits, offering a carbon-negative alternative for sustainable building.
• Paper & packaging: Hemp provides a low-impact pulp source, requiring fewer chemicals and enabling recyclable, biodegradable packaging solutions.
• Pharmaceuticals & wellness: Hemp-derived oils and extracts are used in nutraceuticals and medicines for pain relief and anti-inflammatory applications without psychoactive effects.
• Cosmetics & personal care: Hemp seed oil is rich in essential fatty acids, making it valuable for skin-friendly creams, lotions, and hair products.
• Bio-energy & bioplastics: Hemp biomass can be converted into renewable fuels and biodegradable plastics, supporting a circular and low-carbon economy.
Rare-earth elements (REEs)
Source: TH
Subject: Economics
Context: Rare-earth elements are drawing global attention as essential inputs for green technologies, electronics, and defence systems, amid supply-chain vulnerabilities.
About Rare-earth elements (REEs):
What they are?
• Rare-earth elements are a group of 17 metallic elements comprising the 15 lanthanides (lanthanum to lutetium) plus scandium and yttrium, known for their unique magnetic, optical, and electronic properties.
Key characteristics:
• Physical features:
• Mostly silvery, soft metals with high density High melting points and good thermal stability Often used in oxide form due to reactivity
• Mostly silvery, soft metals with high density
• High melting points and good thermal stability
• Often used in oxide form due to reactivity
• Chemical features:
• Predominantly exhibit a +3 oxidation state Possess 4f electrons that are highly localised, giving rise to: Strong magnetism (high magnetic moments) Sharp, stable optical emissions (phosphors, lasers) Chemically very similar to each other, making separation complex and energy-intensive.
• Predominantly exhibit a +3 oxidation state
• Possess 4f electrons that are highly localised, giving rise to: Strong magnetism (high magnetic moments) Sharp, stable optical emissions (phosphors, lasers)
• Strong magnetism (high magnetic moments)
• Sharp, stable optical emissions (phosphors, lasers)
• Chemically very similar to each other, making separation complex and energy-intensive.
Distribution in the world:
• REEs are not evenly distributed and occur in minerals like bastnäsite, monazite, and ion-adsorption clays.
• Major global reserves (approximate): China: ~44 million tonnes (dominant in refining) Brazil: ~21 million tonnes India: ~6.9 million tonnes Australia: ~5.7 million tonnes Russia, Vietnam, USA, Greenland – smaller but strategic reserves
• China: ~44 million tonnes (dominant in refining)
• Brazil: ~21 million tonnes
• India: ~6.9 million tonnes
• Australia: ~5.7 million tonnes
• Russia, Vietnam, USA, Greenland – smaller but strategic reserves
• China controls ~90%+ of global refining and magnet production, making midstream processing the real strategic bottleneck.
Alaknanda Galaxy
Source: TH
Subject: Science and Technology
Context: Indian astronomers have discovered Alaknanda, an implausibly old and well-formed spiral galaxy dating to just 1.5 billion years after the Big Bang, using JWST data.
About Alaknanda Galaxy:
What it is?
• Alaknanda is a distant, fully developed spiral galaxy with a rotating disk, two symmetric spiral arms, and a central bulge—features thought to take billions of years to assemble.
Discovered in: James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) public data.
• Identified during the UNCOVER survey.
Origin:
• Formed when the universe was only ~1.5 billion years old.
• Observed at redshift z ≈ 4, placing it among the earliest known spiral galaxies.
• Name inspired by the Alaknanda river; paired symbolically with the Milky Way (Mandakini).
Key features:
• Clear spiral morphology: Two well-defined arms persist after disk/bulge subtraction
• Active star formation: ~60 solar masses per year along the arms
• Stable rotating disk: Indicates early dynamical settling
• Photometrically robust: Multiple independent redshift estimates agree
Significance:
• Current simulations rarely produce such structured spirals so early.
• Suggests accelerated disk formation via cold gas accretion or early interactions/mergers.
Gandikota Canyon
Source: TH
Subject: Geography
Context: Gandikota Canyon has drawn renewed attention as a spectacular yet underdeveloped natural–heritage site, despite recent state plans to boost tourism infrastructure.
About Gandikota Canyon:
What it is?
• Gandikota Canyon is a dramatic river gorge carved by the Penna (Pennar) River, often called the “Grand Canyon of India” for its sheer cliffs and striking geological formations.
Located in:
• Kadapa district, Andhra Pradesh.
• About 77 km from Kadapa town and ~300–380 km from Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Chennai.
• Lies within the Erramala Hills on the banks of the Penna River.
Historical origin:
• The canyon overlooks the Gandikota Fort, dating back to 1123 CE.
• The fort rose to prominence under the Pemmasani Nayaks, feudatories of the Kakatiya dynasty.
• Later ruled by the Vijayanagara Empire, Qutb Shahis of Golconda, Mughals, Nawabs of Kadapa, Kingdom of Mysore, and finally the British.
• Mentioned in historical records like the Mackenzie Kaifiyat and travelogues of Jean-Baptiste Tavernier.
Key features:
• Spectacular geomorphology: Steep red sandstone and quartzite cliffs forming a ~200-metre-wide gorge.
• Riverine landscape: Penna River flowing sinuously through the canyon, offering dramatic sunrise and sunset views.
• Architectural heritage: Gandikota Fort complex with Madhavaraya Temple, Ranganatha Temple, Jama Masjid, granary, jail, step wells, and gun foundry.
• Cultural significance: Linked to Vijayanagara art, Indo-Islamic architecture, and local folklore; associated with poet Yogi Vemana.
• Tourism potential: Panoramic viewpoints, heritage trails, and proximity to Tirupati make it ideal for integrated cultural–eco tourism.
#### UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 29 December 2025 Mapping:
Kanger Valley National Park
Source: DC
Subject: Mapping
Context: Kanger Valley National Park has come into focus as the Chhattisgarh government, with support from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), has initiated biodiversity surveys to seek its recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
About Kanger Valley National Park:
What it is?
• Kanger Valley National Park is a biodiversity-rich protected area known for its dense forests, limestone caves, waterfalls, and diverse ecosystems, making it one of the most ecologically significant national parks in Central India.
Located in:
• Bastar district, Chhattisgarh
• About 24 km southeast of Jagdalpur on the Jagdalpur–Darbha Road
• Lies within the Deccan biogeographical zone
• Named after the Kanger River, which flows through the park
Key characteristics:
• Area: ~200 sq km
• Terrain: Highly heterogeneous, ranging from flat plains to steep slopes, plateaus, valleys, and stream courses
• Hydrology: Network of seasonal and perennial streams joining the Kanger River
• Geomorphology: Famous for subterranean limestone caves such as Kotumsar and Kailash caves, among the most biologically diverse cave systems in India and South Asia
• Flora & fauna: Dense sal and mixed forests; habitat of the Bastar Hill Myna (state bird of Chhattisgarh), along with rich mammalian, avian, reptilian, and insect diversity
• Scenic features: Tirathgarh waterfalls, valleys, and undulating forest landscapes
Current status:
• Declared a National Park in 1982 (then Madhya Pradesh Gazette).
• Managed under Jagdalpur Wildlife Circle, comprising Kotumsar and Koleng ranges.
• Included in UNESCO’s Tentative List of World Heritage Sites.
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