17^th December 2025

1. Exercise EKUVERIN: Recently, the bilateral military exercise EKUVERIN between the Indian Army and the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) concluded at Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.

• About Exercise EKUVERIN: A regular bilateral military engagement
• Aims to: Enhance interoperability, strengthen operational synergy and improve tactical coordination.
• Focused on sub-conventional conflict scenarios: Training tailored for modern battlefields, prioritising precision, speed, and seamless coordination.
• Amphibious operations for coastal/island security, intelligence-led missions, and real-time decision-making.
• Integrated mission planning to enhance effectiveness in combined and coordinated operations.
• Significance: Strengthens India–Maldives defence partnership
• Enhances joint capability to address: Terrorism, insurgency, maritime and coastal security threats
• Contributes to peace, stability, and security in the Indian Ocean Region
• Aligns with India’s SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) vision

2. Bharat Ranbhoomi Darshan: Recently, under the “Bharat Ranbhoomi Darshan” initiative, the Chief Minister of Sikkim declared Cho La and Dok La, two strategically important border locations, open for tourists.

• About Bharat Ranbhoomi Darshan Initiative: A flagship programme jointly launched by the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Tourism.
• Objective: To encourage border tourism while improving infrastructure, connectivity, and livelihood opportunities in remote border regions.
• Aims to promote socio-economic growth of border villages alongside tourism expansion.
  • Features: Offers virtual tours, interactive content, and curated information on major battlefields and border areas.
  • Includes historically significant sites such as Galwan Valley (Ladakh) and Doklam, the India–Bhutan–China tri-junction.
  • 77 additional forward areas have been identified to showcase the bravery and sacrifices of Indian Armed Forces.
• Strategic Coverage: Most locations lie along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China and the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan, regions marked by past wars and recent military standoffs.

3. Sahakar DigiPay and Sahakar DigiLoan: Recently, the National Urban Cooperative Finance and Development Corporation (NUCFDC), established as an Umbrella Organisation (UO) for Urban Cooperative Banks (UCBs), launched two landmark digital platforms—Sahakar DigiPay and Sahakar DigiLoan.

• About Sahakar DigiPay: Acts as a UPI switch connecting UCBs to the national UPI network
• Equipped with: Advanced fraud prevention mechanisms and robust risk control systems
  • Benefits: Accelerates digital payment adoption among UCB customers
• Enhances competition in service pricing
• Improves customer convenience and transaction security
• About Sahakar DigiLoan: Simplifies the loan application and approval process
• Improves transparency and turnaround time
• Strengthens risk assessment and credit monitoring
• Impact: Faster and more efficient loan disbursement
• Better portfolio management for UCBs
• Improved borrower experience

4. Alzheimer’s Disease: Recently, researchers at the Institute of Nano Science and Technology (INST), Mohali, under the Department of Science and Technology (DST), have developed a multifunctional nanoparticle-based therapy with the potential to revolutionize Alzheimer’s disease treatment.
   • About Alzheimer’s disease (AD): A progressive neurodegenerative disorder marked by memory loss, cognitive decline, and behavioral changes.

• It is the most common cause of dementia, primarily affecting older adults.
• Existing treatments usually target only one pathological factor, such as amyloid plaques or oxidative stress, resulting in limited clinical benefits.
• AD is multifactorial, involving amyloid aggregation, oxidative stress, inflammation, and neuronal degeneration—requiring a comprehensive therapy.
  • The therapy uses EGCG-Dopamine-Tryptophan Nanoparticles (EDTNPs):
• Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG): Antioxidant polyphenol from green tea, combats oxidative stress.
• Dopamine: Neurotransmitter essential for cognition, mood, and neural signalling.
• Tryptophan: Amino acid supporting cellular and neuronal functions.
• To enhance effectiveness, researchers incorporated Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) into the nanoparticles, forming B-EDTNPs. Promotes neuron survival, growth, and regeneration.

5. Ekam AI and SAMBHAV Project: Recently, as part of Vijay Diwas celebrations, the Indian Army highlighted indigenous defence technologies such as Ekam AI and the SAMBHAV project.

• About Ekam AI: A fully indigenous, secure artificial intelligence platform designed for use in sensitive defence environments.
• Key Features: Enables data analysis, document management, and decision-making support without reliance on foreign software or external cloud services.
• Designed for easy use across all levels of personnel, without the need for specialised technical skills.
• Significance: Ensures data security and digital sovereignty, strengthening India’s trusted national digital ecosystem.
• About SAMBHAV Project: A portable satellite-based communication system providing mobile connectivity.
• Key Features: Can be rapidly deployed in remote, border, or disaster-affected areas.
• Enhances communication capabilities for both military personnel and civilians.
• Significance: Demonstrates how defence-led innovation can contribute to strengthening national communication infrastructure.

6. Nitrofurans: Recently, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) initiated a nationwide surveillance and testing drive to detect residues of banned veterinary drugs, especially nitrofurans, in eggs.

• About Nitrofurans: A group of synthetic, nitrofuran-based antimicrobial agents used as chemotherapeutic antibacterial drugs.
• Common Compounds: Nitrofurantoin, furazolidone, nitrofurazone, and furaltadone.
• Previously employed in veterinary medicine to treat bacterial and protozoal infections in animals.
• Banned in food-producing animals in India, the European Union, and several other countries due to health concerns.
• Key Characteristics: Broad-spectrum activity against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria; mainly bacteriostatic, bactericidal at higher doses.
• More effective in acidic conditions; slow resistance development but complete cross-resistance within the group.
• Human Health Impacts: Associated with carcinogenic risks, neurological effects, gastrointestinal problems, and hypersensitivity reactions.
• Long-term, low-level exposure may lead to cumulative health risks.

7. Diabetic Retinopathy (DR): Recently, the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW) launched India’s first Artificial Intelligence–driven community screening programme for Diabetic Retinopathy (DR).

• About Diabetic Retinopathy: Strengthen early detection of diabetic eye disease and build a real-time national health intelligence framework.
• Programme is anchored by MadhuNetrAI, a web-based AI tool developed by RPC, AIIMS.
• Enables automated screening, grading, and triaging of retinal images using handheld fundus cameras.
• Allows trained Medical Officers, nursing staff, and healthcare assistants to conduct screenings.
• Provides real-time data on disease prevalence and geographic distribution for policy and planning support.
• Implemented at seven sites—Pune, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Dharamshala, Gaya, Jorhat, and Kochi.
• Future Scope: Envisioned as a scalable and replicable AI-enabled public health model.

8. Green Hydrogen: Recently, a study published by IIT Madras revealed that electrolyser design choices can reduce the life-cycle emissions of green hydrogen by up to 25%.

• Key Highlights: Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) electrolysers with coated bipolar plates produce cleaner hydrogen over their operational life.
• Coated systems have higher manufacturing emissions but lower overall lifetime emissions due to better durability and efficiency.
• India’s Context: Net-zero target: 2070
• 50% non-fossil electricity by 2030
• 5 million tonnes/year green hydrogen target under the National Green Hydrogen Mission
• Material Risks Highlighted: Heavy dependence on critical raw materials—platinum, iridium, ruthenium—which are mostly imported.
• Supply Chain Concern: Potential material bottlenecks could constrain large-scale hydrogen deployment.
• Policy Recommendation: Secure and diversify supply of critical minerals for electrolyser manufacturing.
• Innovative Proposal: Introduction of a tiered green hydrogen classification system—Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze—based on life-cycle emissions.
• Standards & Transparency: Calls for life-cycle–based hydrogen standards, not limited to electricity source.

9. Carbon–Fluorine (C–F) Bonds: Recently, scientists have developed a sunlight-driven method to break extremely strong carbon–fluorine (C–F) bonds.
   • Key Highlights: C–F bond activation is crucial for recycling fluorinated compounds, drug design, and industrial chemical transformation.

• Conventional C–F cleavage requires harsh conditions, expensive metal catalysts, and energy-intensive processes, making it unsustainable.
• The study uses heterogeneous photocatalysis under mild, recyclable, and sunlight-driven conditions, offering an eco-friendly solution.
• Researchers employed covalent organic frameworks (COFs)—stable, porous, and highly tunable crystalline materials.
• Key Modification: A simple methylation step converted bipyridine-based COF (Tp-Bpy) into a cationic Tp-Bpy-Me COF.
• Methylation made the COF electron-deficient, enhanced visible-light absorption, and improved photocatalytic efficiency.
• Under blue light and natural sunlight, the catalyst enabled C–F bond activation and formation of C–N bonds via amine nucleophiles.
• Significance: Resulting products are valuable for pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and natural product synthesis.
• The method combines renewable sunlight, recyclable catalyst, and low energy demand, aligning with green chemistry goals.