News In Short 4-12-2025

WHO Backs Use of GLP-1 Drugs For Weight Loss

Syllabus: GS2/Health

In News

• The World Health Organization (WHO) has released its first guideline on the use of Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) therapies for treating obesity.
  • The WHO added GLP-1 therapies to its Essential Medicines List for managing type 2 diabetes in high-risk groups.

Obesity 

• It is a chronic complex disease defined by excessive fat deposits that can impair health. 
• It can lead to increased risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease, it can affect bone health and reproduction.
• It increases the risk of certain cancers and influences the quality of living, such as sleeping or moving.
• It is a chronic disease affecting over 1 billion people and causing 3.7 million deaths in 2024. 
• Obesity rates are rising rapidly and could double by 2030, with global economic costs projected to reach US$3 trillion annually.
  • As per NFHS-5, 24% of Indian women and 23% of Indian men are obese.

Source :TH

Samagra Shiksha Scheme

Syllabus: GS2/Welfare Schemes

In News

• Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan reiterated that States must meet the Samagra Shiksha scheme’s conditions to receive Central funds. 

Samagra Shiksha

• The Department of School Education and Literacy has implemented an Integrated Centrally Sponsored Scheme for School Education- Samagra Shiksha from 2018-19
• It is an integrated centrally sponsored programme to provide equitable, inclusive, and quality education from pre-school to class 12.
• It supports States and UTs through interventions such as composite school grants, libraries, sports, free uniforms and textbooks, ICT initiatives, remedial teaching, and leadership development. 
• Financial assistance is extended for expanding access, including Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Avasiya Vidyalayas, and hostels under PM-JANMAN, with special provisions for children with disabilities (aids, Braille kits, stipends, etc.). 

Importance 

• The scheme is aligned with NEP 2020, focusing on new curricular structures, Early Childhood Care and Education, Foundational Literacy and Numeracy, competency-based learning, and improved student assessment to enhance overall quality of education.

Source :TH

Indian Statistical Institute

Syllabus: GS2/Institutional Bodies

Context

• Academics held demonstrations in Kolkata to protest a Central government plan to repeal the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) Act, 1959 and replace it with a Bill.
  • It will significantly alter the functioning of the institute  “severely stripping it of its academic autonomy”.

About

• The Indian Statistical Institute was founded by Professor P.C. Mahalanobis in Kolkata on 17th December, 1931. 
• The institute gained the status of an Institution of National Importance by an act of the Indian Parliament in 1959.
• It is headquartered in Kolkata with centres in Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, and Tezpur.
  • The institute offers courses including those in statistics and math, and has several research divisions.
• Its highest decision-making body is the 33-member council — including an elected chairman, six representatives of the Centre, scientists not employed at the institute, a representative of the University Grants Commission, and ex-officio members including the director and heads of academic divisions and centres.
• Some of India’s leading statisticians, mathematicians, and economists have been on its faculty, and its training programs enjoy worldwide repute.

Source: TH

Malaria Parasites Corkscrew Their Way Through Skin

Syllabus: GS2/ Health

Context

• A recent Nature Physics study reveals that malaria sporozoites, the infectious forms injected by mosquitoes, move through human skin using right-handed helical (corkscrew) paths.
  • This corkscrew motion helps them travel long distances in a noisy biological environment to locate a blood capillary leading to the liver. 

What is Malaria?

• Malaria is a life-threatening disease spread to humans by some types of mosquitoes. It is mostly found in tropical countries. 
• Transmission: It is caused by plasmodium protozoa. The plasmodium parasites spread through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. Blood transfusion and contaminated needles may also transmit malaria. 
• Types of parasites: There are 5 Plasmodium parasite species that cause malaria in humans and 2 of these species – P. falciparum and P. vivax – pose the greatest threat. The other malaria species which can infect humans are P. malariae, P. ovale and P. knowlesi.
  • P. falciparum is the deadliest malaria parasite and the most prevalent on the African continent. P. vivax is the dominant malaria parasite in most countries outside of sub-Saharan Africa.  
• Symptoms: Fever and flu-like illness, including chills, headache, muscle ache and fatigue.

Source: TH

PM Internship Scheme

Syllabus: GS2/Schemes

Context

• The PM Internship Scheme’s pilot project has exceeded its target of providing 1.25 lakh internship opportunities in a year but only one in five candidates accepted PM Internship Scheme offers, and 20% of them quit early. 
  • Candidates cited locations, roles, and duration as reasons for declining offers.

PM Internship Scheme 

• Announced in: Union Budget 2024-25.
• Aim: To provide 12-month internships for one crore candidates in the age group of 21 to 24 years, for five years.
  • To provide real-life work experience to job seekers in top companies.
• Implementing Agency: Ministry of Corporate Affairs.
• Vacancies: 1,25,000 positions in 500 top companies for FY – 2024-25.
• The top companies have been identified based on the average Corporate Social Responsibility expenditure of the last three years.
  • Participation of the companies in the scheme is voluntary.
• Eligibility: 
  • Do not have a family member earning over ₹8 lakh per annum.
  • 18 to 24 years (relaxation for OBC/SC/ST).
  • ITI: Matriculation + ITI in relevant trade.
  • Diploma: Intermediate + AICTE-recognized diploma.
  • Degree: Bachelor’s degree from UGC/AICTE-recognized university.
• Stipened: 
  • ₹5,000 monthly stipend.
  • One-time payment of ₹6,000.

Source: TH

Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) Gets Navratna status

Syllabus: GS3/Economy

Context

• Numaligarh Refinery Ltd (NRL) has been accorded ‘Navratna’ status.
  • It becomes the 27th Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) to be accorded the status.

About

• The 3 million metric tonnes per annum (MMTPA) capacity petroleum refinery is situated at Numaligarh in Golaghat district of Assam. 
• It had an annual turnover of ₹25,147 crores, housing net profits of ₹1,608 crores for FY 2024-25.
• India’s central public sector enterprises (CPSEs) are classified into three major categories – Miniratna, Navratna and Maharatna CPSEs.
• The main aim of assigning the “ratna” statuses was to give operational freedom and decision-making power to the state-run entities. 

Classification 

• Miniratna Status: CPSEs are put in two sub-categories under the Miniratna status – Miniratna-I and Miniratna – II.
  • Category-I status: CPSEs which reported profits in three consecutive years, have a pre-tax profit of ₹30 crore or more in at least one of the three years, and have a positive net worth are classified as a Miniratna-I PSU.
  • Category-II status: PSUs with a profit for the last three successive years and have a positive net worth are classified as Miniratna-II companies.
• Navratna status: PSUs that have a Miniratna-I status and have obtained an “Excellent” or “Very Good” MoU rating in three out of the last five years and have a composite score of 60 or more in six selected performance indicators are eligible.
• Maharatna status: A PSU is eligible for being granted a “Maharatna” status, in case it meets the following criteria:
  • Should have a “Navratna” status
  • Should be listed on the Indian stock exchanges
  • Should be compliant with minimum shareholding norms
  • Average annual turnover of more than ₹25,000 crore and average annual net worth of over ₹15,000 crore in the last three years
  • Average annual net profit of over ₹5,000 crore in the last three years along with significant global presence.
  • BHEL, BPCL, Coal India, GAIL, HPCL, Indian Oil, NTPC, ONGC are some of the Maharatna PSUs.

Source: TH

Indian Navy Day

Syllabus: GS3/Defence

Context 

• Navy Day is celebrated on the 4th of December every year to recognise the achievements and role of the Indian Navy.

About

• It was on this day in 1971, during Operation Trident, that the Indian Navy sank four Pakistani vessels, including PNS Khaibar. 
• This year, the Navy Day is being celebrated with a spectacular Operational Demonstration at Shangumugham beach in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.

Do you know?

• The Indian Navy operates as a modern blue-water force with over 67,000 personnel and about 150 ships and submarines.
• Before 1972, Navy Day shifted multiple times, first observed on the Royal Navy’s Trafalgar Day (October 21), then on 1 December, and later on 15 December. 

Source: AIR

State of the World’s Land and Water Resources for Food and Agriculture (SOLAW 2025)

Syllabus: GS3/Environment

In News

• The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations recently released The State of the World’s Land and Water Resources for Food and Agriculture (SOLAW 2025).

The State of the World’s Land and Water Resources for Food and Agriculture (SOLAW) 

• It is FAO’s flagship report on land and water management, aimed at promoting sustainable use to achieve food security and rural development. 
• First published in 2011, it bridges scientific knowledge with communication and outreach to guide coherent national and international policymaking.
• By examining trends in sustainable land, soil, and water management at the landscape level, SOLAW strengthens FAO’s work on natural resource management. 

Latest Findings 

• The report warns that agriculture must produce 50% more food by 2050 to meet global demand, but this will intensify pressure on already strained land, soil, and water resources. 
• Since 1964, production has tripled mainly through intensification—higher-yield crops, irrigation, and technology—while farmland expanded only 8%. 
• Agriculture now covers one-third of Earth’s land and uses 72% of global freshwater, leading to water scarcity, groundwater overuse, and degradation of over 1.6 billion hectares of land, much of it farmland. 
• This cycle of degraded soils, declining water, and deforestation is undermining agriculture’s foundations and weakening food system resilience.

Suggestions 

• The report stresses that expansion is no longer viable; future gains must come from sustainable intensification—closing yield gaps, diversifying into resilient crops, and adopting resource-efficient, locally tailored practices. 
• Integrated systems such as agroforestry, rotational grazing, forage improvement, and rice-fish farming are highlighted as pathways to feed up to 10.3 billion people by 2085 while safeguarding ecosystems.

Source :DTE

Dr Rajendra Prasad

Syllabus: GS1/ Famous Personalities

Context

• The President of India, paid tributes to Dr Rajendra Prasad, the first President of India, on his birth anniversary.

Early Life and Education

• Birth: He was born in 1884 in the Siwan district of Bihar.
• Education: He joined Presidency College, Calcutta, where he pursued his undergraduate studies. In 1915, he completed his Master of Law (LLM) with Honours.

Role in the Freedom Movement

• Champaran Satyagraha (1917): Gandhiji’s call brought him to Champaran. This marked a turning point, inspiring him towards national service.
• Non-Cooperation Movement (1920–22): Gave up his successful law practice and founded the National College in Patna (1921).
  • Stood firmly with Gandhiji after the Chauri Chaura incident.
• Salt Satyagraha (1930): Led the Salt Satyagraha in Bihar at Patna’s Nakhas Ponds, where volunteers made salt and courted arrest.
• Congress President: He presided over the Bombay session of the INC in 1934. Following the resignation of Subhash Chandra Bose as the President of the Congress in 1939, He was elected as President.
  • In July 1946, when the Constituent Assembly was established to frame the Constitution of India, he was elected its President.
• He was awarded the Bharat Ratna in 1962 for his exemplary service.

Committees of Constituent Assembly chaired by Rajendra Prasad

• Committee on the Rules of Procedure
• Steering Committee
• Finance and Staff Committee
• Ad hoc Committee on the National Flag

Literary Contributions

• He documented his experiences and political insights in several influential works:
  • Satyagraha at Champaran (1922)
  • India Divided (1946)
  • Atmakatha (1946)
  • Mahatma Gandhi and Bihar, Some Reminiscences (1949)
  • Bapu Ke Kadmon Mein (1954)

Source: PIB