UPSC Current Affairs Pointers brings you essential current affairs of the past week, every Monday, to aid you in your Prelims and Mains preparation of UPSC, State PCS, and other competitive examinations.If you missed the UPSC Current Affairs Pointers of the past week | December 15 to December 21, 2025, read it here.EventsVeer Bal Diwas— Veer Bal Diwas is annually observed on December 26. — This day commemorates the brave events that took place at Anandpur Sahib Fort, where Guru Gobind Singh, along with his family and disciples, were compelled to flee as the Mughal Army encircled the Anandpur fort.— During the chaos, Guru Gobind Singh’s youngest sons, Zorawar Singh and Fateh Singh, were captured by the Mughal forces and pressured to convert to Islam.— The two young boys courageously refused to abandon their faith, and consequently, Wazir Khan ordered them to be bricked alive around December 26, 1705. In 2022, December 26 was declared as Veer Bal Diwas to honour and remember their sacrifice. Union Home Minister Amit Shah speaks during the Anti-Terrorism Conference. (PTI Photo)Anti-Terror Conference— Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated a two-day ‘Anti-Terrorism Conference-2025’ in Delhi, where he said that the investigation into the Pahalgam terror attack will put Pakistan in the dock on international platforms.Story continues below this ad— The conference was organized by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) under the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India.— The event saw the launch of three major initiatives: An updated NIA crime manual, the Organised Crime Network Database, and the Lost/Looted and Recovered Weapon Database.Good Governance Day— Good Governance Day is observed annually on December 25, the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. It was announced in 2014 to observe this day as Good Governance Day.— This day aims to raise awareness among citizens about government accountability and effective administration while promoting the practice of “good governance” among civil servants. Story continues below this adPolityPersonality Rights— Recently, the Delhi High Court restrained the unauthorised commercial use of actor R Madhavan’s image and likeness, recognising the personality rights.— Personality Rights safeguard an individual’s name, image, likeness, voice, signature and other identifiable traits from unauthorised commercial exploitation.— India does not have a standalone statute defining these rights. Instead, courts have assembled them through a combination of intellectual property law and constitutional principles, with personality rights derived from the following:(i) Copyright Act 1957: Section 38A of the Copyright Act grants performers exclusive rights, once consent is provided for commercial use of their performances.Story continues below this ad(ii) Trademarks Act 1999: This act allows individuals to register distinctive attributes to their persona, such as names, signatures, catchphrases, as trademarks.(iii) Article 21: Courts also draw from constitutional law, where personality rights are located within the right to life. Personal liberty is enshrined under Article 21, which has been expansively interpreted to include dignity, autonomy and privacy.Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar 2025— 20 children are awarded the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar (PMRBP), which was conferred by the President of India, Droupadi Murmu, during a special ceremony on 26 December 2025 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.— Conferred annually, the award recognises exceptional achievements of children (aged 5-18) across six categories: Bravery, Social Service, Environment, Sports, Art & Culture, and Science & Technology.Story continues below this ad— The selection is made by the PMRBP Committee, constituted by the Minister for Women and Child Development and chaired by the Secretary, MWCD, with domain experts as members. Awards are conferred only on the Committee’s recommendation, based on the exceptional merit and societal impact of achievements, and are approved by the Minister for Women and Child Development.— A maximum of 25 awards are conferred annually. The PMRBP Committee can relax this limit in exceptional cases. Each award carries a Medal and a Certificate.— The award is generally not conferred posthumously. However, in rare and highly deserving cases, the PMRBP Committee may consider a posthumous conferment.Constitution in the Santhali language— President Droupadi Murmu has released the Constitution of India in the Santhali language, written in Ol Chiki script. This script was invented in 1925 by Raghunath Murmu. The release of the constitution in Santhali underlines the promise of a more inclusive India, where every community will be able to read, defend, and celebrate their enshrined rights in their own languages.Story continues below this ad— In 2003, the 92nd Constitutional Amendment Act added Santali to Schedule VIII to the Constitution of India, which lists the official languages of India, along with the Bodo, Dogri and Maithili languages. This addition meant that the Indian government was obligated to undertake the development of the Santali language and to allow students appearing for school-level examinations and entrance examinations for public service jobs to use the language.— According to the 2011 Census of India, there are over 70 lakh (seven million) people who speak Santali across the country, and the community is the third-largest tribe in India, concentrated in seven states in large numbers, including in West Bengal, Odisha and Jharkhand.— The Constitution in Santhali offers the Santhali people easier access to a document that enshrines the rights for which leaders like Munda fought.Guidelines on tunnel building— The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has released comprehensive guidelines for the prevention and mitigation of road tunnel collapses, almost two years after the Silkyara tunnel collapse.Story continues below this ad— According to the guidelines, the terms of reference (ToR) for detailed project report (DPR) consultants shall mandate the preparation of a geotechnical baseline report (GBR) and a risk register.— To produce the foolproof design of a tunnel, the new guidelines suggest investigating special ground conditions such as squeezing, swelling, rock bursts, shallow cover zones, sections beneath perennial streams/nalas, hot water ingress, and the presence of toxic or flammable gases (particularly in the case of long tunnels).— Tunnelling in India is done primarily based on two kinds of technologies: the new Austrian tunnelling method (NATM) and the use of a tunnel boring machine (TBM).— NATM works on the principle of a “design as you go” approach. It is deployed where the rock structure of a mountain is not uniform and behaves differently as the excavation progresses. It involves a controlled blasting method for tunnelling. Whereas, TBM is deployed in areas where the rock formation for a longer stretch is the same.Story continues below this ad— The Ministry’s guidelines say that there should be a clear procedure for incorporating NATM, defining how site observations will be used to optimise excavation sequences, and the required excavation and support sheet (RESS) shall be maintained for each round. A similar level of alertness shall be there in case the TBM tunnels as well. Environment The FSI had mapped 40,481 sq km as Aravallis in 15 districts of Rajasthan as areas above the minimum elevation with a slope of at least 3 degreesAravallis Hill— The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has directed states to impose a complete ban on granting new mining leases across the entire Aravalli range, stretching from Delhi to Gujarat, according to a press statement.— The statement came amidst the ongoing protest to save the Aravallis after the Supreme Court accepted the recommendations of a Union Environment Ministry panel on the definition of the Aravalli Hills to restrict mining.— New definition: Any landform that is at an elevation of 100 metres or more above the local relief will be considered as part of the Aravalli Hills, along with its slopes and adjacent land.— But the 100-metre benchmark and the use of local relief — the immediate surroundings of a hill — as the measuring base rather than a standardised baseline such as the state’s lowest elevation, would result in a very significant part of the Aravalli range not being counted as Aravalli anymore.— The new Aravalli benchmark does not exclude all landforms under a 100-metre elevation from the range. It identifies all landforms rising at least 100 metres from the local profile as Aravalli Hills. And it is only when two such hills are less than 500 metres apart that the intervening stretch — irrespective of its elevation — will also be counted as part of the range.— FSI 3-degree slope formula: The Forest Survey of India (FSI) has been using a 3-degree slope parameter in the Aravalli Hills since 2010. FSI has defined the Aravallis as follows:(i) slope >3°(ii) foothill buffer = 100m(iii) inter hill distance or valley width = 500m and(iv) the area enclosed by the defined hills from all sides.— The new parameters accepted by the SC will leave out large tracts identified as part of the Aravalli range under the FSI’s 3-degree slope formula— Aravalli extends from Delhi in the north to Gujarat in the south through Haryana and Rajasthan. Rajasthan accounts for nearly two-thirds of the mountain range.(Source: sci.gov.in)Secondary ammonium sulfate— According to a new analysis conducted by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), nearly one-third of Delhi’s annual Particulate Matter 2.5 (PM2.5) pollution is made up of secondary ammonium sulfate.— It is result of coal plants, industries and agriculture, with the chemically-formed pollutant— Ammonium sulfate is a secondary inorganic aerosol formed through the oxidation of sulphur dioxide (SO2) into sulfate. This reacts with ammonia emissions from agriculture and other sources.— Its formation is enhanced under humid conditions, linking coal-based power generation, industrial activity and agricultural ammonia to elevated PM2.5 levels in Delhi and across the National Capital Region (NCR). Source: Indian Express Instagram postTsunami-ready villages— India is set to have over 100 tsunami-ready villages, becoming the first country in the Indian Ocean region to reach the milestone. The certification is awarded by UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC).— Tsunami-ready is a voluntary community-based programme that facilitates tsunami preparedness by actively collaborating with the public, community leaders, local and national emergency management agencies.— A Tsunami-ready village is certified for those who have:* High awareness about tsunamis* Hazard preparedness and mapping* Public display of evacuation maps* 24-hour warning systems* Participation in mock drills, among others.— Indian National Center for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), Hyderabad, is the coordinating institute for implementing UNESCO-IOC ‘Tsunami Ready’ initiative. INCOIS operates the Indian Tsunami Early Warning Centre (ITEWC), which tracks earthquakes globally and issues tsunami warnings for the Indian Ocean region.— Tsunami Ready recognition does not mean that a community is tsunami proof; it is rather the acknowledgement and recognition that a community has adopted mitigation measures to cope with their tsunami risk. Science and TechnologyISRO launches LVM3-M6 into orbit from Sriharikota on Wednesday. (ANI)BlueBird Block-2— India’s heaviest launch vehicle LVM-3 placed the US communication satellite Bluebird Block-2 in a precise orbit on 24th December from Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.— Weighing around 6,100 kg, it was the heaviest satellite launched by an Indian rocket. This marked the sixth operational flight of LVM3.— BlueBird Block-2 is part of a new generation of satellites that enable space-based cellular broadband services. These allow direct connectivity to regular mobile smartphones without the need for specialised equipment.— The mission was undertaken as part of the commercial agreement sealed between NewSpace India Ltd (NSIL) — the commercial arm of ISRO — and US-based AST SpaceMobile (AST and Science, LLC).— LVM-3, earlier referred to as Geosynchronous Launch Vehicle Mark 3 or GSLV Mk 3, uses solid, liquid, as well as cryogenic-fuel based engines to put up to 8,000 kg in low Earth orbit (up to an altitude of 2,000 km from Earth’s surface) and up to 4,000 kg in geosynchronous orbit (about 36,000 km). DefenceUET of Akash-NG missile system— Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully completed the user evaluation trials (UET) of Akash-New Generation, also called Akash-NG, missile system, paving the way for its induction into the Indian Air Force (IAF).— The development cycle of systems from DRDO broadly consists of three phases:* Developmental trials* User-assisted trials in various conditions* User evaluation trials (UETs).— The successful UET clears the way for the induction of the system, and an acceptance of necessity (AoN) is issued by the user, which, in Akash-NG’s case, is the IAF.— Akash-NG is designed for the IAF to intercept high manoeuvring aerial threats with low radar cross sections (RCS). RCS or radar signature is a measure of how detectable an object is by radar.— Akash NG also boasts an extended range of up to 70 km, is sleeker and lighter, and has a much smaller ground system footprint. The missile is canisterised — it can be stored and operated from specially designed compartments — which improves shelf life and simplifies storage and transportation. President Droupadi Murmu undertook a submarine sortie onboard INS Vaghsheer at the Karwar naval base, becoming the second Indian President to do so. (Image via X: @rashtrapatibhvn)Submarine INS Vaghsheer— President Droupadi Murmu embarked on a sortie onboard Indian Navy’s frontline submarine INS Vaghsheer off the western coast, becoming only the second President of India to experience an operational submarine voyage.— Former Indian president APJ Abdul Kalam was the first to undertake such a sortie in February 2006.— The President, who is also the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, took off the Kalvari-class submarine from the Karwar naval base in Karnataka.— INS Vaghsheer is the sixth and final submarine inducted under the Project-75 Scorpene programme and was commissioned into the Navy in January this year.— The submarine is equipped with wire-guided torpedoes, anti-ship missiles and advanced sonar systems, enhancing India’s underwater combat capabilities. Vaghsheer is named after a type of sandfish found in the Indian Ocean. Persons in News(Just FYI: Noting historical personalities’ anniversaries aids UPSC prep. UPSC often includes such personalities in questions, so revisiting their lives refreshes your static syllabus.) Vinod Kumar Shukla’s most celebrated work, Deewar Mein Ek Khirkee Rahati Thi, which won the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1999, exemplifies his ability to make the abstract intimate. (File Photo, enhanced using Google Gemini)Vinod Kumar Shukla— The recipient of the 59th Jnanpith Award 2024, Vinod Kumar Shukla dies at 88.— The Jnanpith Award is the highest literary honour in India given to writers who have excelled in literature in different Indian languages.— Shukla becomes the first person from Chhattisgarh state who was awarded this honour. His first booklet of poetry ‘Lagbhag Jai Hind’ was published in 1971. His major novels include ‘Naukar Ki Kameez’. ‘Deewar Mein Ek Khidki Rahti Thi’ and ‘Khilega To Dekhenge’. Places in News(Just FYI: The location of the place is important, considering that UPSC has asked several questions about places that were in the news, such as Aleppo and Kirkuk, in the 2018 UPSC Prelims. The best way to remember them is to plot them on a world map.)Punjab’s 3 new ‘Holy Cities’— The Punjab government has granted the “Holy City” status to Amritsar, Anandpur Sahib, and Talwandi Sabo through a recent official notification.— These three cities are the host of Sikh Takhts: the Akal Takht (Amritsar), Takht Keshgarh Sahib (Anandpur Sahib), and Takht Damdama Sahib (Talwandi Sabo). Akal Takht, considered the supreme among the five, was set up in 1606 by Guru Hargobind.— “Takht” in Persian means an imperial throne. There are five takhts in Sikhism. The other two takhts are the Takht Patna Sahib in Bihar, and the Takht Hazur Sahib in Nanded, Maharashtra.— The new Holy City status will lead to a ban on the sale of liquor, tobacco and cigarettes, and meat within the cities. Additional facilities, such as mini buses and e-rickshaws, will be provided for devotees arriving in the cities to boost religious tourism.Harappan site of Rakhigarhi— The Central Government has allocated Rs 500 crore in the Union Budget for the development of Rakhigarhi, a site of the ancient Harappan civilisation, with an aim of elevating it “into a global landmark of historical and cultural importance”.— Rakhigarhi is the largest Harappan site in the Indian Subcontinent. It is situated in the Hisar district of Haryana and is located in the Ghaggar-Hakra river plain.— The site was first excavated by Amarendra Nath of ASI. Earlier Mohenjodaro (Pakistan) was considered to be the largest Harappan site until Prof. Vasanth Shinde and his team started fresh excavations at Rakhigarhi.Sokoto state, Nigeria— The United States carried out a strike against Islamic State(IS) militants in northwest Nigeria at the request of Nigeria’s government, claiming the group had been targeting Christians in the region. The strike was carried out in Sokoto state.— The Nigerian government has long been fighting an array of jihadist groups, including Boko Haram and IS-linked factions, but largely in the north-east. However, in recent years, a smaller group – known locally as Lakurawa – has sought to establish a base in north-western Sokoto state.— Note that Nigeria is officially a secular country. It consists of Muslims (53%), Christians (45%), and a small population that practices African traditional religions. Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in May 1991. (Somaliland Tours)Somaliland— Israel became the first country to formally recognise the self-proclaimed Republic of Somaliland as an independent and sovereign state on December 26, drawing swift condemnation from Somalia and its neighbours.— The present-day republic claims itself the legal successor of the erstwhile British Somaliland or the Somaliland Protectorate. It comprised self-ruled sultanates under British protectorate between 1884 and 1920 before coming under the Crown’s jurisdiction. It was formally established as a British colony in 1920.— British Somaliland gained independence and became the State of Somaliland, which existed for five days between June 26 and July 1, 1960. The state then voluntarily merged with the former Trust Territory of Somaliland, its Italian-administered neighbour, to form the Somali Republic (1960-69).— This nation collapsed after a military coup, and the Somali Democratic Republic formed, with General Siad Barre as the leader. The present-day Somaliland came under Somali National Movement (SNM)’s control and was formally established in 1991. Sports(Just FYI: With the unpredictability of the UPSC examinations and questions like the ICC World Test Championship question 2021, you can’t be sure of anything. It is wise to know what it is and not go into too much detail.) India’s Arjun Erigaisi claimed a bronze medal at the World Rapid Championship. (PHOTO: Anna Shtourman via FIDE)World Rapid Championship— The World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championship 2025 is taking place in Doha, Qatar, from December 26 to 30. The five-day event, which started with the Rapid Championship, ran for the first three days till December 28 and is followed by the Blitz Championship for the last two days on December 29 and 30.— The 2025 FIDE World Rapid Chess Championship is a 13-round Swiss tournament that crowns this year’s World Rapid Chess Champion.— Magnus Carlsen won the World Rapid Championship 2025, making his sixth World Rapid Championship title. GM Vladislav Artemiev won the Silver medal. India’s Arjun Erigaisi claimed a bronze medal at the FIDE World Rapid Championship in Doha, finishing on 9.5 points.— Arjun thus became the only male player from India to end up with a podium finish at a World Rapid Championship since five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand.— In the women’s section, the veteran Koneru Humpy also won a bronze medal. Aleksandra Goryachkina defeated Zhu Jiner to win her maiden world rapid championship.Test Your Knowledge(Note: The best way to remember facts for UPSC and other competitive exams is to recall them through MCQs. Try to solve the following questions on your own.)(1) Consider the following statements about the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar:1. It is given to children below the age of 20 years.2. No award is given posthumously.3. In 2025, there were 20 recipients of this award.How many of the above statements is/are correct?(a) Only one(b) Only two(c) All three(d) None(2) Consider the following statements:1. Constitution is launched in Santhali language.2. Santhali language uses the Ol Chiki script.3. The 94th Constitutional Amendment Act added Santali to Schedule VIII to the Constitution.Which of the above-mentioned statements is/are correct?(a) 1 and 2 only(b) 2 and 3 only(c) 1 and 3 only(d) 1, 2 and 3Prelims Answer Key1. (a) 2. 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