NATIONAL NEWS

‘Rythanna Meekosam’ Programme Launched by Andhra Pradesh Government

The Andhra Pradesh government launched a large-scale farmer-centric initiative titled ‘Rythanna Meekosam’ to provide long-term support under a Five-Point Formula.

The programme was inaugurated by Agriculture Minister K. Atchannaidu in Krishna district and will run from 24 to 29 November 2025, with workshops scheduled on 3 December 2025 at Farmer Service Centres.

The Five-Point Formula focuses on: Water Security, Demand-Based Cultivation, Agri-Tech Adoption,Food Processing Expansion and Comprehensive Government Backing

These measures aim to modernise agriculture, enhance resilience, increase farm-level profitability, and alleviate financial stress on farmers.

The government has invested ₹1,000 crore over the last 18 months to aid farmers directly, particularly to strengthen agriculture against natural disasters along the state’s 1,100 km coastline.

Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu’s leadership focuses on providing permanent solutions to agricultural challenges and mitigating market volatility.

The initiative promotes modern agricultural practices, including:

Drone technology for pest control and precision spraying

Farm mechanisation to reduce manual labour

Agri-tech solutions at the grassroots level
The aim is to increase productivity while reducing costs and physical strain.

The programme also strengthens market linkages through food processing units, enabling value addition and better access to domestic and international markets. Price protection is ensured through government procurement of crops like tobacco, mango, onion, and coconut.

Under the Pradhan Mantri-Kisan Annadata Sukhibhava scheme, the state has disbursed over ₹3,200 crore to more than 68 lakh farmers, supporting rural livelihoods.

 

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Indian Space Research Organisation to Launch US Communication Satellite

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch a US communication satellite in December 2025 using the LVM3 (Launch Vehicle Mark-III) on a commercial basis.

The mission is a purely commercial launch involving an American satellite, with no bilateral collaboration between the two countries.

India currently has 57 satellites in orbit, and this number is expected to triple in the next three years to strengthen national services.

India’s space programme, which began in the “cycle era,” is projected to be on par with leading spacefaring nations by 2040 in terms of launches, satellites, communication, applications, and capabilities.

 

BANKING

Nepal Releases New ₹100 Note

Nepal issued new ₹100 currency notes featuring a revised map that includes Kalapani, Lipulekh, and Limpiyadhura, territories India claims as its own.

The new note was released by the Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) and bears the signature of former Governor Maha Prasad Adhikari with the issue date 2081 BS (2024).

The map was already present on the old ₹100 note and has now been revised as per the government’s decision.

Among denominations like ₹10, ₹50, ₹500, and ₹1,000, only the ₹100 note carries Nepal’s map.

Nepal’s move traces back to May 2020, when the K P Sharma Oli government unveiled a new political map showing the disputed regions as Nepal’s territory, later endorsed by Parliament.

India rejected Nepal’s claim, calling it a “unilateral act”, an “artificial enlargement”, and “untenable”, maintaining that Kalapani, Lipulekh, and Limpiyadhura are Indian territories.

In 2024, when Nepal announced printing the revised ₹100 note, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar announced that the act would not change the reality on the ground and reiterated India–Nepal boundary talks continue through an established mechanism.

Design features of the new note include Everest on the left, a Rhododendron watermark, a faint green Nepal map, the Ashoka Pillar with “Lumbini – birthplace of Lord Buddha”, and on the reverse, a horned rhino, along with a security thread and embossed black dot for the visually impaired.

Nepal shares an 1850 km border with Indian states: Sikkim, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand.

NPCI BHIM App Introduces Full Delegation Feature Under UPI Circle

Bharat Interface for Money (BHIM), developed by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), launched a new Full Delegation feature under the UPI Circle to attract new users.

The feature allows a primary account holder to authorize up to five trusted individuals (family, dependents, staff) to make UPI payments directly from the primary user’s bank account.

It includes Primary Users (account holders) and Secondary Users (trusted individuals) designated by the primary user.

Secondary Users must have a BHIM UPI ID / VPA, even if they do not have a bank account.

The primary user can set a monthly spending limit of ₹15,000 and may also define a per-transaction limit.

Delegated users can make payments without using the primary user’s UPI PIN, while all transactions remain visible to the primary user.

The delegation period can be set between 1 month to 5 years by the primary user.

A primary user can link up to five secondary users, but each secondary user can be linked to only one primary account.

UPI Circle, launched in 2024, supports partial delegation (needs primary user approval) and full delegation (no approval needed).

UPI has 450 million registered users and is operated by NPCI.

NPCI BHIM Services Ltd. (NBSL) was incorporated in 2024 as a wholly owned subsidiary of NPCI.

RBI Grants Certificate of Authorisation to Paytm Payments Services Limited to Operate as a PA

Paytm Payments Services Limited (PPSL), a subsidiary of One97 Communications, received the Certificate of Authorisation (COA) from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to operate as a Payment Aggregator (PA) under the Payment and Settlement Systems Act (PSSA), 2007.

Certificate of Authorisation (COA) is a standard regulatory approval granted to most major fintech companies for operating as PAs.

The RBI had imposed restrictions in November 2022 on PPSL due to FDI compliance issues. PPSL later fulfilled the requirements and received in-principle approval in August 2025, leading to the final licence.

The RBI has lifted the restrictions imposed on November 25, 2022, enabling PPSL to onboard new merchants

With the COA, PPSL can now onboard new merchants, process digital payments, and expand its payment ecosystem.

Payment Aggregator (PA): A fintech service that allows merchants to accept digital payments without creating their own payment gateway or direct bank integration.

World Bank Sanctions USD 776 Million for Education Reform in Punjab and Climate-Resilient Agriculture in Maharashtra

The World Bank approved USD 776 million (around ₹6,467 crore) for two India projects—one to improve education in Punjab and another to support climate-resilient agriculture in Maharashtra.

The Punjab project, POISE (Punjab Outcomes-Acceleration in School Education Operation), received a USD 286 million loan with 19-year maturity and a 5-year grace period.

The POISE project aims to improve school education quality through technology-enabled monitoring, learning-outcome tracking, and strengthening SCERT and Assessment Cell

The project will build digital infrastructure, provide teacher training, and supply educational resources through state-level systems.

The Punjab initiative will benefit 59 lakh early-childhood students, 13 lakh primary students, and 22 lakh secondary students.

The Maharashtra project, POCRA Phase II (Maharashtra Project on Climate Resilient Agriculture), received USD 490 million with a 24-year maturity and 6-year grace period.

POCRA Phase II aims to enhance agricultural productivity and climate resilience using precision-farming technologies, AI, remote sensing, and improved soil, nutrient, and water management.

The Maharashtra project targets a 30% income increase for smallholder farmers and will benefit 20 lakh small and marginal farmers in 21 districts, including 2.9 lakh women farmers.

POCRA (Nanaji Deshmukh Krishi Sanjivani) was originally launched in 2018–2024 as a ₹4,000 crore joint initiative of Maharashtra government and World Bank, with Phase I covering 5,220 villages across 16 districts.

Punjab National Bank Unveils Digital Solution for PM SVANidhi Scheme

Punjab National Bank (PNB) launched a digital solution for the PM Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar NIDHI (PM SVANidhi) scheme, along with several other new products.

PM SVANidhi, implemented by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, provides affordable working capital loans to street vendors affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

PNB also introduced end-to-end digitisation of its staff accountability portal and rolled out a conduct risk framework for employees.

The new products were launched by Central Vigilance Commissioner Praveen Kumar Srivastava, in the presence of PNB MD and CEO Ashok Chandra, ED Bibhu Prasad Mahapatra, and CVO Raghvendra Kumar.

State Bank of India Partnered with SBI Payments

State Bank of India (SBI) and its subsidiary SBI Payments Services plan to complete the modernisation of their core banking infrastructure within two years.

SBI is upgrading hardware, shifting from Unix to Linux, externalising functions such as vendor and government payments, and adopting microservices for processes like inquiries and accounting.

The bank is developing its own private cloud infrastructure to improve scalability, regulatory compliance, and data security.

To foster innovation, SBI has set up a sandbox and innovation hub, providing access to nearly 300 APIs for fintechs to test and integrate their solutions with SBI’s systems.

 

DEFENCE

India Deploys INS Vikrant and INS Udaygiri for Sri Lanka’s International Fleet Review 2025 in Colombo

India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant and the indigenously built frigate INS Udaygiri are representing the Indian Navy at the International Fleet Review (IFR) 2025 in Colombo, Sri Lanka from 27–29 November 2025.

The IFR 2025 is part of the Sri Lanka Navy’s 75th anniversary and includes naval ships, delegations, and observers from multiple countries.

This marks the maiden overseas deployment of both INS Vikrant and INS Udaygiri, highlighting India’s focus on regional maritime cooperation.

The participation of INS Vikrant, India’s Nation’s Pride, emphasises India’s commitment to peace, stability, and security in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) through enhanced collaboration and interoperability.

The deployment of INS Udaygiri showcases India’s advancing indigenous shipbuilding capabilities and its expanding naval presence in the IOR.

During the Colombo visit, the ships will join the ceremonial fleet review, city parade, community outreach events, and professional naval exchanges.

 

SPORTS

Ten-Year-Old Bodhana Sivanandan Shines at UK Women’s Blitz Championship

Bodhana Sivanandan, aged ten, from Harrow, north‑west London, won eight consecutive games at the UK Women’s Blitz Championship held in Royal Leamington Spa, defeating experienced adult players.

Her performance has earned her a spot among the top 50 women in the world for blitz chess.

Earlier in 2025, she became the youngest person ever to earn the Woman International Master (WIM) title, the second-highest rank in women’s chess.

At age nine, she became the youngest individual to represent England internationally in any sport.

Bodhana aspires to become the youngest Grandmaster in history, a record currently held by a 12-year-old.

Chess experts describe her as a “generational talent”, with exceptional skill and maturity for her age. Bodhana states: “I don’t mind who I compete against, I only care about the game.”

Her achievements extend beyond chess, supporting development in mathematics, art, and music at school.

 

OBITUTARY

Renowned Bharatanatyam legend Kumari Kamala

Renowned Bharatanatyam dancer Kumari Kamala (Kamala Laxmi Narayanan) passed away at age 91 in California, USA.

Kumari Kamala was born on 16 June 1934 in Mayuram (Mayiladuthurai), Tamil Nadu.

She trained in Vazhuvoor-style Bharatanatyam, Kathak, and Hindustani Music at a young age.

She acted in over 100 films across Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Hindi

She debuted as a child artist in Tamil films like Valibar Sangham (1938) and Rama Nama Mahimai (1939).

She appeared in Hindi films such as Jailor (1938), Kismet, and Ram Rajya (1943).

Her dance sequences like Paampu Attam (Snake Dance) in Jagathalapratapan (1944) made her widely popular.

She performed in well-known films including Sri Valli (1945), Meera (1945), and Nam Iruvar (1947). She received the Padma Bhushan (1970), the third-highest civilian award of India.

She was honoured with Kalaimamani (1967) by the Tamil Nadu government and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1968).