1. PLI scheme
GS PAPER III- Economy
CONTEXT :DPIIT released its 2025 year-end review covering performance of PLI schemes, Startup India and ONDC.
- The review reports substantial investments, production, exports and employment gains from PLI, plus rapid growth of recognised startups and ONDC orders.
What are PLI schemes?
- Production Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes give incentives to firms on incremental sales of goods made in India over a base year.
- They target 14 key sectors with a total outlay of about ₹1.97 lakh crore to boost manufacturing and global competitiveness.
Key DPIIT year-end PLI data
- Actual investment realised under PLI: over ₹1.88 lakh crore by June 2025.
- Incremental production/sales generated: above ₹17 lakh crore across PLI sectors.
- Employment created: about 12.3 lakh jobs, including direct and indirect.
- Exports under PLI: exceeded ₹7.5 lakh crore, led by electronics, pharma, telecom, networking and food processing.
Startup India: DPIIT achievements
- DPIIT-recognised startups since 2016: about 2,01,335 as per the 2025 review.
- These recognised startups have created more than 21 lakh jobs across India.
- Separate DPIIT data show total recognised startups crossing around 1.97–2.0 lakh by late 2025, making India a leading global startup ecosystem.
ONDC growth (digital commerce)
- ONDC has processed over 326 million cumulative orders as of October 2025.
- In October 2025 alone, 18.2 million orders were processed on the network.
- Average daily transactions on ONDC have reached more than 5.9 lakh by October 2025.
Significance of PLI progress
- Strengthens domestic manufacturing base and reduces import dependence in strategic sectors.
- Supports vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat by integrating Indian firms into global value chains.
- Generates large-scale formal employment and creates spillover benefits for MSMEs and ancillary industries.
- Boosts exports, helping narrow trade deficit and earn foreign exchange.
Challenges and concerns
- Delays in project implementation, capacity creation and meeting localisation norms in some sectors.
- Risk of fiscal burden and uneven uptake, with a few large firms capturing most incentives.
- Need to align PLI with WTO rules, avoid protectionism and ensure long-term competitiveness without continuous subsidies.
- Infrastructure gaps, regulatory hurdles and skill shortages can limit the full realisation of PLI benefits.
2. Charting an agenda on the right to health
GS paper II-polity
Context :The two-day National Convention on Health Rights (11–12 December 2025) is underway in New Delhi, timed with Human Rights Day and Universal Health Coverage Day. Over 400 doctors, activists, community leaders, and health workers from more than 20 states have gathered to demand a complete post-COVID overhaul of India’s health policy, strongly opposing further privatisation and commercialisation while asserting health as an enforceable fundamental right.
Current Context
India’s health sector faces deepening privatisation, chronically low public funding, and persistent inequities — issues sharply exposed by the pandemic. The convention aims to shift the national discourse toward a strong, publicly funded, rights-based health system.
Growing Privatisation and Weakening of Public Health
- Rapid transfer of medical colleges, district hospitals, and diagnostic services to private players through PPPs
- Steep rise in treatment costs, pushing millions into debt or denying them care
- Strong grassroots resistance movements against privatisation in states like Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat
- Poor enforcement of the Clinical Establishments Act, leading to unregulated pricing and over-treatment (e.g., unnecessary C-sections)
Chronic Under-Funding and Over-Reliance on Insurance
- Public health expenditure stuck at ~2% of the Union Budget; per capita public spending barely ₹25 per day
- High out-of-pocket expenses remain the leading cause of impoverishment in India
- Schemes like Ayushman Bharat focus mainly on hospitalisation insurance instead of building primary and preventive care
- Insurance-led models fail to address root causes of inequity or strengthen public systems
Health Workforce Crisis and Worker Rights
- COVID-19 revealed the critical yet undervalued role of doctors, nurses, ASHA workers, and sanitation staff
- Persistent issues of low wages, contract employment, violence, and lack of social security
- Absence of strong legal protections and grievance redress mechanisms for health workers
- Poor working conditions directly affect quality and availability of care
Access to Medicines and Price Crisis
- Medicines account for almost 50% of total household health spending
- Proliferation of irrational combinations, aggressive marketing, and huge retail mark-ups
- Patent barriers, weak price controls, and GST on essential drugs reduce affordability
- Revival and expansion of public-sector pharmaceutical units highlighted as urgent need
Social Determinants and Discrimination in Health Care
- Caste, gender, tribal identity, disability, sexuality, and religion continue to restrict access
- Dalits, Adivasis, Muslims, LGBTQ+ communities, persons with disabilities, and people living with HIV face routine denial and stigma
- Hunger, pollution, occupational hazards, and climate change act as intersecting health risks
- Non-discrimination declared as a non-negotiable pillar of the right to health
Vision for Health as an Enforceable Fundamental Right
- Prioritise free, universal, high-quality public health services with community control
- Establish decentralised, transparent, and participatory governance structures
- Legally recognise health care as a justiciable right under Articles 14, 21, and 47 of the Constitution
- Push for cross-party parliamentary commitment to translate convention demands into policy and law
The National Convention on Health Rights presents a clear, people-centred alternative to profit-driven health care, insisting that strong public systems — not markets — are the only sustainable way to guarantee health, dignity, and equity for every Indian.
3. India gives tepid response to Russian push for Su-57,long -range drones and submarine
GS paper III-Science and technology
Context :Russia offered India a package including Su‑57 stealth jets, long‑range drones and submarines before and during Putin’s 2025 India visit.
- Despite expectations, India did not announce any big-ticket defence purchase or joint project on these platforms.
What is the issue
- Moscow wanted concrete commitments on Su‑57, Geran-type kamikaze drones, submarines and S‑500 air defence.
- New Delhi confined outcomes to trade and cooperation agreements, avoiding fresh large import‑heavy defence contracts.
Why India not keen
- Focus on indigenous fighters, drones and submarines under Atmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India.
- Concerns over sanctions, technology reliability, life‑cycle costs and diversification away from overdependence on Russia.
No big defence announcements
- Around 19 agreements mainly on trade, energy and connectivity were signed, but none on Su‑57 or S‑500 systems.
- Talks on advanced projects continue, yet both sides avoided headline‑grabbing procurement announcements.
India’s defence manufacturing shift
- Defence production has risen from about ₹46,000 crore in 2014 to roughly ₹1.51 lakh crore in 2024‑25.
- Exports have grown from under ₹1,000 crore to nearly ₹24,000 crore in a decade, showing movement from importer to exporter.
India‑Russia defence talks now
- The 23rd Working Group on Military‑Technical Cooperation in Moscow discussed tri‑service projects and R&D rather than big imports.
- Both sides are exploring joint production, tech transfer and support for Indian indigenous programmes like future fighters.
Strategic implications
- India signals strategic autonomy: partnership with Russia continues but without automatic acceptance of offers.
- Shift pushes Russia to offer deeper technology transfer, while India keeps space to engage Western suppliers and boost self‑reliance.
4. Swahid Diwas
GS PAPER I-Art &Culture
Context :Swahid Diwas was observed across Assam with Prime Minister Narendra Modi paying tributes to the martyrs of the Assam Movement. The day gained prominence due to the inauguration of the Swahid Smarak Kshetra, a grand memorial in Guwahati dedicated to the 860 martyrs, marking a historic tribute 40 years after the movement ended.
Overview of Swahid Diwas
- Annual observance in Assam on December 10 to honour the sacrifices made during the Assam Movement (1979–1985)
- Commemorates Khargeswar Talukdar, the first martyr killed in 1979, and all others who lost their lives
- “Swahid” translates to “martyr” in Assamese, symbolising those who died protecting Assam’s identity
Key Details of the Assam Movement
- Spanned from 1979 to 1985, sparked by fears of large-scale illegal immigration from Bangladesh altering Assam’s demographics
- Organised primarily by All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) and All Assam Gana Sangram Parishad (AAGSP)
- Main objectives included detection and deportation of illegal migrants, revision of voter lists, and safeguarding Assamese cultural, linguistic, and social heritage
- Ended with the signing of the Assam Accord in 1985 by movement leaders and the Government of India, promising safeguards against illegal immigration
5. Protected marine areas not part of offshore blocks. govt
GS PAPER I-geography
CONTEXT :Centre auctioned offshore mineral blocks off Kerala, Gujarat and Great Nicobar, triggering protests.
- Questions were raised in Lok Sabha on threats to Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and coastal livelihoods.
Background and core issue
- Government notified 23 offshore blocks for minerals like sand, lime mud and polymetallic nodules.
- Doubts arose that some blocks overlapped with MPAs and ecologically sensitive marine zones.
Government response in Lok Sabha
- Earth Sciences Ministry stated that all known MPAs and biodiversity‑rich areas were carved out of auction blocks.
- Minister Jitendra Singh said mining will start only after project‑specific environmental management plans.
Why people were protesting
- Kerala fisher communities feared loss of fishing grounds and depletion of marine life.
- Political parties and local groups opposed possible damage to coastal ecosystems and erosion.
Environmental safeguards under offshore rules
- Offshore Areas Mineral (Development and Regulation) framework requires a production plan before operations.
- Plan must include baseline studies, impact assessment and mitigation and be approved by authorities.
Offshore Areas Mineral Trust
- A statutory trust created to manage funds from offshore mining operations.
- Governing and Executive Committees include coastal States to oversee restoration and welfare works.
Significance of government clarification
- Seeks to reassure that MPAs and critical biodiversity zones will not be mined.
- Balances resource extraction with conservation and addresses political heat around coastal protests.
6. PM Modi, Goyal expected to travel to Oman next week to sign free trade pact
GS paper II-IR
Context :PM Modi and Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal set to visit Oman on Dec 17-18, 2025, to sign long-pending India-Oman CEPA.
- Marks culmination of negotiations started in Nov 2023, with five rounds completed by Jan 2025.
- Delegation composition awaits Union Cabinet approval this week.
Reasons for Earlier Delay (March 2024 Cabinet Deferral)
- Cabinet proposal on CEPA submitted in March 2024, leading to further renegotiations on key terms.
- Prompted fourth round in Sept 2024 and fifth in Jan 13-14, 2025, focusing on revised offers and approvals.
- Delay ensured comprehensive agreement on merchandise access and internal clearances.
Oman’s Importance to India
- Oldest Gulf partner with 70-year ties; bilateral trade hit $10.61B in 2024-25, up from $8.95B prior year.
- Key energy supplier for India’s oil needs; supports strategic interests via Duqm Port and defense cooperation.
- Hosts large Indian diaspora (pillar of people-to-people links); backs India’s UNSC permanent seat bid.
- Growing collaboration in space, investment, and regional security in the Gulf.
Why CEPA Matters Now
- Boosts India’s exports with tariff cuts in key sectors like gems, textiles, and agri-products amid 2025 global slowdown.
- Attracts Omani/Gulf investments into Indian infra (ports, energy) for job creation and value chain integration.
- Enhances energy security and trade diversification post-COVID; timely as Oman finalizes Shura Council approval.
- Strengthens strategic ties, unlocking $15B+ potential trade by 2030 per recent estimates.
