News Summary · 6 minutes read
Union Minister of Commerce & Industry Piyush Goyal with his Nepalese counterpart Anil Kumar Sinha during the signing of a deal to boost rail trade connectivity between India and Nepal. Photo: X/@PiyushGoyal
Stay ahead in your UPSC CSE preparation with our daily News Summary. Designed to save time, it highlights key national and international events from leading newspapers and government websites.
National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) disburses funds to Odisha for Red Sanders conservation
- NBA has released over ₹29 lakh to the Odisha Forest Department for the conservation and protection of Red Sanders.
- The fund originates from the benefit-sharing payments received under the Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) framework, linked to the commercial use of Red Sanders wood logs sourced specifically from the Parlakhemundi Forest Division (Odisha).
- NBA has been disbursing such funds to various states where Red Sanders grow, including Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu → funds will be used to conserve and sustainably manage Red Sanders.
Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) framework in India
- ABS framework was launched in 2003 under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, and has been recently strengthened through Biological Diversity (Access to Biological Resources and Knowledge Associated thereto and Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits) Regulations, 2025.
- Aligned with the objectives of the global Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and its Nagoya Protocol.
- CBD originated from the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro.
- Nagoya Protocol is a supplementary agreement to the CBD → adopted in 2010 and entered into force in 2014.
- Biological Diversity (Access and Benefit Sharing) Regulation 2025.
- Ensures that when biological resources (such as plants, animals, and microorganisms) or the associated traditional knowledge are accessed and used, the benefits derived from their commercial or research utilisation are fairly and equitably shared with the communities, states, or stakeholders who are the custodians of these resources.
- Implemented through a 3-tier system:
- National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) at the central level
- State Biodiversity Boards (SBBs) at the state level
- Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs) at the local community level.
- Any individual, company, or organisation must obtain informed consent and enter into mutually agreed terms regarding benefit sharing before accessing biological resources.
Global Carbon Budget 2025
- Recently released by the Global Carbon Project (GCP).
- Key highlights
- In 2025, global carbon emissions are expected to rise by 1.1%, while India’s emissions are projected to increase by 1.4% (a decrease from 2024’s 4%).
- The slower rise in India’s emissions is, among other reasons, due to significant growth in renewable energy generation.
- 3 largest emitters in 2024: China > USA > India
- India’s per capita emissions are the 2nd lowest among the 20 largest economies globally.
- Total CO2 emissions have grown more slowly in the past decade (0.3% per year), compared to the previous decade (1.9% per year).
- Remaining carbon budget to limit global warming to 1.5°C is “virtually exhausted” → it is only 170 bn tonnes of CO2, equivalent to 4 years at the 2025 emissions levels.
Global Carbon Project (GCP)
- Established in 2001, GCP is a Global Research Project of Future Earth and a research partner of the World Climate Research Programme.
- GCP seeks to quantify global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and their causes → focuses mainly on 3 GHGs— carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O).
MSC Elsa 3
- A Liberia-flagged vessel, sank off the Kerala coast in May 2025, spilling oil, chemicals, and massive amounts of plastic nurdles that devastated marine ecosystems and coastal livelihoods → Kerala declared it a state-specific disaster.
- Kerala High Court directed MSC to pay ₹1.2k crore to compensate for damages.
- Recently, Greenpeace exposed how Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), which is world’s largest container carrier company, has been using aged vessels and exploiting regulatory loopholes that caused environmental disasters in South Asia.
Supreme Court directs Jharkhand to declare Saranda forest a wildlife sanctuary
- Jharkhand’s Saranda forest area:
- Hosts elongated tortoise or Sal Forest Tortoise (critically endangered), four-horned antelope (vulnerable), Asian palm civet, and wild elephants.
- Hosts Ho, Munda, Uraon and allied Adivasi communities, whose subsistence and cultural traditions are intrinsically tied to forest produce.
- Accounts for 26% of India’s iron ore reserves.
Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) in India
- AMR levels in India are among the highest globally, particularly for gram-negative pathogens.
- Global Antibiotic Resistance Surveillance Report 2025 (GLASS), released by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in October 2025, highlighted that:
- In 2023, nearly one in three bacterial infections in India were resistant to commonly used antibiotics.
- Globally, one in six confirmed infections were AMR, with India disproportionately affected due to factors like:
- High infectious disease burden
- Over-the-counter antibiotic access
- Overuse and misuse of antibiotics
- Self-medication
- Incomplete courses
- Environmental contamination (from pharmaceutical manufacturing and hospital waste)
- Gaps in surveillance and healthcare infrastructure.
- High AMR rates to major antibiotics have been noticed in hospital ICUs.
- India enrolled in the WHO’s GLASS in 2017.
- Slow progress in implementing India’s National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (NAP-AMR) is a key factor for increasing AMR in India.
- NAP-AMR, launched in 2017, set a strong vision, but only a few States have operationalised their State Action Plans on AMR.
- Apart from Kerala, no other State has done anything significant in terms of AMR → Kerala’s AMR Strategic Action Plan (2018) and AMRITH initiative (2024) helped it to contain AMR.
- World AMR Awareness Week (WAAW): organised by WHO annually from November 18 to 24 → 2025’s theme is “Act Now: Protect Our Present, Secure Our Future.”
Quick Picks
- Indian Govt has approved the Export Promotion Mission (₹25k crore) and the Credit Guarantee Scheme (₹20k crore) to enhance competitiveness of domestic goods in the global markets. It has already been covered HERE.
- Mekedatu multi purpose project: a balancing reservoir cum drinking water Project proposed by Karnataka on Cauvery River near its confluence with the Arkavathi River → recently, Supreme Court dismissed Tamil Nadu’s opposition to the project as premature.
- Tamil Nadu has emerged as a pioneer in transgender-inclusive healthcare, establishing Gender Guidance Clinics and integrating gender-affirming care into public insurance.
- Centre has brought draft Seeds Bill → replace the existing Seeds Act, 1966 and the Seeds (Control) Order, 1983.
- India and Nepal have amended the Treaty of Transit to facilitate the movement of rail-based freight between Jogbani (Bihar) and Biratnagar (Nepal), including bulk cargo.
- Al-Falah University (Faridabad): its membership was recently suspended by Association of Indian Universities → earlier, National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) issued a show-cause notice to it for displaying false accreditation on its website.
- Ministry of Defence has inked an agreement with Bharat Dynamics Limited under the ‘Buy (Indian)’ category for the procurement of INVAR Anti-Tank Missiles worth over ₹2k crore to enhance the lethality of T-90 tanks.
- 44th India International Trade Fair (IITF) will take place at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, from November 14 to 27, 2025.
- Theme: Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat.
- Partner States: Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and Bihar.
- Focus State: Jharkhand
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