NATIONAL NEWS

India Launches DRAP and UiWIN

The Government of India launched two major initiatives DRAP (Dumpsite Remediation Accelerator Programme) and UiWIN (Urban Investment Window) unveiled by Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar at the National Urban Conclave 2025.

Both initiatives form part of the ‘Viksit Bharat @2047’ vision, aimed at transforming India’s urban areas into clean, sustainable, and investment-ready cities.

DRAP focuses on remediating 214 major legacy landfills across 202 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), which together hold about 8.8 crore tonnes of legacy waste, representing nearly 80% of India’s remaining dumpsite burden.

Nationwide, 1,428 dumpsites are under remediation. Cities must prepare micro-action plans, ensure no fresh waste tipping post-clearance, and reclaim land for public/community use.

The target for complete clearance is September–October 2026.

The UiWIN (Urban Investment Window) will function as a centralised financing platform managed by HUDCO (Housing and Urban Development Corporation) to mobilise private and multilateral capital for urban infrastructure.

UiWIN aims to channel long-term concessional finance and attract funding from World Bank, ADB, and other institutions.

It will promote Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects in solid waste management, urban mobility, water and sewerage, and climate-resilient infrastructure.

UiWIN supports the government’s goal of creating self-sustaining, investment-friendly urban ecosystems.

Gujarat Becomes First Indian State to Launch Genome Sequencing for Tribal Communities

Gujarat has become the first Indian state to roll out a dedicated genome sequencing initiative for its tribal communities, marking a significant advancement in the application of biotechnology to public health.

The initiative is part of the Genome India Project and aims to create a genetic reference database to help diagnose, treat, and prevent inherited disorders such as sickle cell anaemia and thalassemia, which are prevalent among tribal populations.

The project has been launched by the Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre (GBRC) and focuses on sequencing the DNA of tribal individuals to identify genetic mutations and patterns linked to rising health issues.

A total of 4,000 biological samples will be collected, and 2,000 full genome sequences will be generated from individuals across 17 districts making it India’s first genome-mapping project with a tribal health focus.

Tribal communities in Gujarat’s eastern belt suffer from high rates of inherited diseases due to endogamous marriages, leading to reduced genetic diversity and increased hereditary conditions such as Sickle Cell Anaemia, Thalassemia, and G6PD deficiency.

Genome sequencing will help in:

Identifying gene mutations causing inherited diseases.

Developing targeted DNA test panels for early and affordable diagnosis.

Providing genetic counselling to families before conception or during IVF.

Supporting research on immunity, nutrition, and disease susceptibility among tribal populations.

Gujarat has reduced per-sample sequencing costs from ₹85,000 to ₹60,000 through local infrastructure and innovation.

 

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Denmark Moves to Ban Social Media Access for Children Below 15

Denmark’s government announced on November 7, 2025, a political agreement to ban social media access for children under 15 years of age.

The policy, led by the Ministry of Digitalization, allows parental consent for children aged 13 and above after a specific assessment.

The move aims to protect children and teens from harmful content, commercial pressures, and digital risks in online environments.

The measure is set to become one of Europe’s strictest social media regulations, following Australia’s 2024 ban for children under 16 years.

In Australia, platforms like TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X, and Instagram face fines up to 50 million AUD for permitting underage users.

 

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Google Unveils 7th-Gen ‘Ironwood’ TPU, Challenging Nvidia’s AI Hardware Dominance

Google launched ‘Ironwood’, its 7th-generation Tensor Processing Unit (TPU) in November 2025, marking a major challenge to Nvidia’s dominance in the AI infrastructure

Ironwood was first previewed in April 2025 and delivers 4× more performance than its predecessor (TPU v4) with the ability to scale up to 9,216 TPUs per pod for ultra-fast parallel processing.

It is designed for AI training and real-time inference, offering massive scalability, enhanced energy efficiency, and lower latency crucial for large language models (LLMs) and multi-modal AI systems.

Anthropic, the company behind the Claude AI models, plans to deploy up to 1 million Ironwood chips, showcasing strong commercial validation and confidence in Google Cloud’s TPU infrastructure.

This deployment by Anthropic marks a direct challenge to Nvidia’s GPU ecosystem, which has long dominated AI hardware, emphasizing Ironwood’s reliability, scalability, and compute efficiency.

The launch of Ironwood comes amid intensifying competition between Google, Nvidia, Microsoft, and AWS in the AI and cloud computing

 

BANKING

AU Small Finance Bank Launches ‘M Circle’

AU Small Finance Bank (AU SFB) has launched an exclusive women-focused banking programme called ‘M Circle’, aimed at promoting financial inclusion and empowerment of women.

The ‘M Circle’ initiative caters to the evolving financial and lifestyle needs of modern Indian women, focusing on wealth creation, legacy preservation, and holistic well-being.

The “M” in ‘M Circle’ stands for Money, Motivation, and Modernity, symbolising women’s growing role in financial management, entrepreneurship, and investment.

‘M Circle’ offers premium benefits beyond traditional banking, including financial, healthcare, and lifestyle privileges for women customers.

The key objectives of ‘M Circle’ include:

Financial empowerment through enhanced savings, investment, and loan options.

Health awareness via preventive health check-ups and consultations.

Lifestyle enhancement with exclusive offers and brand discounts.

Community building among financially literate and independent women.

The initiative aligns with AU SFB’s goal of transitioning into a universal bank, driven by innovation, inclusion, and customer-first service.

 

DEFENCE

Indian Naval Ship Sahyadri Joins Multilateral Exercise Malabar-2025 at Guam

Indian Naval Ship (INS) Sahyadri is at Guam in the Northern Pacific to participate in the multilateral Exercise Malabar-2025.

The participation of INS Sahyadri in Exercise Malabar-2025 reaffirms India’s enduring partnership, commitment to strengthening coordination, enhancing interoperability, and safeguarding regional security.

INS Sahyadri is an indigenously designed and constructed Guided Missile Stealth Frigate, representing the ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ vision.

The ship has taken part in several bilateral and multilateral exercises and operational deployments.

The Harbour Phase of Exercise Malabar-2025 includes operational planning, communication protocol alignment, familiarisation visits, and sports fixtures among participating nations.

After the Harbour Phase, all units will move to the Sea Phase, involving naval drills such as joint fleet operations, anti-submarine warfare, gunnery serials, and flying operations.

Thiruvananthapuram to Host Navy Day 2025

Navy Day 2025 will be celebrated on 4th December at Shangumugham Beach, Thiruvananthapuram, featuring a spectacular Operational Demonstration.

The celebration is part of the Navy’s initiative to organise events beyond major naval stations, with previous editions held at Puri and Sindhudurg.

The event will showcase indigenously built naval platforms, reflecting India’s self-reliance in defence manufacturing under the ‘Make in India’

Navy Day commemorates the Navy’s crucial role in the 1971 Indo-Pak War, particularly the successful Operation Trident on Karachi harbour.

 

BOOKS & AUTHORS

Sahitya Akademi Releases Hindi Translation of Lithuanian Novel “The Last Day” as “Antim Din”

Sahitya Akademi, under the Ministry of Culture, released the Hindi translation of the internationally acclaimed Lithuanian novel “The Last Day”, titled “Antim Din”, at Rabindra Bhawan, New Delhi, in collaboration with the Embassy of Lithuania.

The 250-page novel, originally written by Lithuanian-Ukrainian author Jaroslavas Melnikas, has been translated into Hindi by Dr. Poonam Tiwari to make it accessible to a wider Indian readership.

The novel delves into existential and philosophical themes such as human identity, change, and cultural transformation, encouraging deep reflection on society and life.

This marks the first-ever translation of a Lithuanian fiction work into Hindi, signifying a major step in literary and cultural cooperation between India and Lithuania.

Sahitya Akademi President Madhav Kaushik termed the event a historic milestone for Hindi literature and highlighted the Akademi’s mission to bridge linguistic and cultural boundaries by bringing global literature to Indian readers.

The book launch event was attended by literary figures, diplomats, and scholars, underscoring the role of literature in fostering cross-cultural understanding.

The initiative promotes global literary harmony, demonstrating how literature acts as a bridge between nations, encouraging readers to appreciate diverse cultures and shared human experiences.

Through such translations, the Sahitya Akademi continues to promote world literature in Indian languages, strengthening India’s cultural diplomacy and literary outreach.

 

IMPORTANT DAYS

National Education Day

National Education Day 2025 is observed on 11th November 2025 to commemorate the birth anniversary of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, India’s first Education Minister.

Maulana Azad was a senior leader of the Indian National Congress, a freedom fighter, and a key figure in shaping India’s modern education system after independence.

The observance of National Education Day was initiated by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (now Ministry of Education) in 2008.

The first National Education Day was celebrated on 11th November 2008 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, and was inaugurated by then President Pratibha Patil.

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad served as Education Minister for over ten years, during which he played a pivotal role in laying the foundation for India’s higher education framework.

He was instrumental in the establishment of key education bodies like the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).

The day is celebrated every year to honour his remarkable contribution to the development of education, scientific advancement, and cultural institutions in India.