{"id":88572,"date":"2026-11-12T18:32:00","date_gmt":"2026-11-12T13:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=88572"},"modified":"2026-11-12T18:33:51","modified_gmt":"2026-11-12T13:03:51","slug":"news-in-brief-12-11-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/12-11-2026\/news-in-brief-12-11-2026","title":{"rendered":"News In Brief 12-11-2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><strong>Stand-Up India Scheme<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS2\/Governance; GS3\/Economy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Union Cabinet, has approved the continuation of <strong>Stand-Up India Scheme for a period of 5 years upto 2031.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Aim: <\/strong>To promote entrepreneurship among Women, Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) and to provide financial assistance to an additional 2.5 lakh entrepreneurs in a span of five years.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Since its launch in April 2016, the scheme has<strong> facilitated loans to more than 2.75 lakh Women\/SC\/ST entrepreneurs.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Salient features of the scheme:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Eligible borrowers:<\/strong> Women, SC and ST entrepreneurs for setting up new\/green field enterprises<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Quantum of Support:<\/strong> The loan can be in the form of either Composite (Working Capital and Term Loan) or Term loan for amounts above Rs.10.00 lakh and upto Rs.1.00 crore (upto 85% of the project cost).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Eligible Sectors:<\/strong> Manufacturing, Services, Trading and Agri allied activities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Credit Guarantee coverage:<\/strong> 85% of the loan amount.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Guarantee Fee:<\/strong> Standard guarantee fee of 0.50 %.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pib.gov.in\/PressReleaseDetail.aspx?PRID=2334978&amp;reg=48&amp;lang=1&amp;_gl=1*13ceyw1*_up*MQ..*_ga*ODAwMDA2NjE1LjE3OTQ0NTc4Mjg.*_ga_Q414Y0X6EE*czE3OTQ0NTc4MTQkbzEkZzEkdDE3OTQ0NTc4MjYkajQ4JGwwJGgw*_ga_QJJ6LZ8LHV*czE3OTQ0NTc4MjgkbzEkZzAkdDE3OTQ0NTc4MjgkajYwJGwwJGgw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>PIB<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><strong>Govt. Bans Lithium-ion Battery Waste Export<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS2\/Governance<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), Department of Commerce, has <strong>prohibited the export of Lithium-Ion Battery Black Mass.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The export policy of the item has been amended <strong>from \u2018Free\u2019 to \u2018Prohibited\u2019 with immediate effect.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>ITC(HS) Code 85491400 covers<\/strong> waste and scrap of primary cells, primary batteries and electric accumulators, as well as spent cells, batteries and accumulators.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The export prohibition is <strong>intended to ensure that Black Mass<\/strong> generated in India is recycled and refined within the country.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Black Mass<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Black Mass is the <strong>powdery material obtained from shredding end-of-life lithium-ion batteries<\/strong> and battery manufacturing waste.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>It contains<\/strong> recoverable quantities of critical minerals, including lithium, cobalt, nickel and manganese.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Critical minerals<\/strong> are essential inputs for electric mobility, advanced chemistry cell batteries, energy storage, electronics and renewable energy.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India depends substantially on imports for several of these minerals.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Recycling battery waste is among the <strong>quickest and most sustainable ways of developing a domestic supply of these resources.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pib.gov.in\/PressReleaseDetail.aspx?PRID=2335019&amp;reg=6&amp;lang=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>PIB<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><strong>INS Betwa refit contract<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/Defence&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>In News<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Defence Ministry sealed a \u20b9498-crore contract with state-run Cochin Shipyard Ltd. for &#8220;refit and re-powering&#8221; of the Indian Navy&#8217;s guided-missile frigate INS Betwa.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>INS Betwa<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It is the second indigenously built Brahmaputra-class guided-missile frigate and was commissioned into the Indian Navy in 2004.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The 3,600-tonne warship measures 125 metres in length and is capable of speeds exceeding 30 knots.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It is equipped with a range of guns, surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missiles, torpedo launchers and maritime surveillance sensors.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Latest Developments<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Ministry of Defence signed a Rs 498.58 crore contract with Cochin Shipyard Limited for the refit and re-powering of Indian Navy warship INS Betwa.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Under the agreement, the Brahmaputra-class frigate will undergo a major transformation, with its existing steam-based propulsion system being replaced by a diesel-engine-based system.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The refit will also involve upgrading the warship&#8217;s combat capabilities through the installation of a modernised weapons suite, aimed at improving its operational effectiveness.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Importance<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The project is expected to strengthen India&#8217;s indigenous ship repair and maintenance capabilities, particularly in carrying out complex propulsion system upgrades and modernisation of naval platforms.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The initiative would provide a boost to the government&#8217;s vision of \u2018Aatmanirbhar Bharat\u2019 and \u2018Make in India\u2019, while reinforcing domestic capabilities in naval ship maintenance and modernisation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pib.gov.in\/PressReleaseDetail.aspx?PRID=2334945&amp;reg=48&amp;lang=2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">PIB<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><strong>Persian Gulf\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS1\/Places In News&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>In News<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A Liberia-flagged crude oil tanker, carrying six Indian seafarers, was hit by a projectile while transiting the Persian Gulf.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Persian Gulf<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Persian Gulf is a shallow marginal sea of the Indian Ocean located in the Middle East, lying between Iran to the northeast and the Arabian Peninsula to the southwest.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It is bordered by <strong>eight countries<\/strong>. Iran lies along its northern and eastern coast, while Iraq lies to the northwest. The southern and western shores are bordered by Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It covers about 93,000 square miles (241,000 square km) and extends roughly 615 miles (990 km) from northwest to southeast, with a width ranging from about 210 miles (340 km) to 35 miles (55 km) at the <strong>Strait of Hormuz<\/strong>, where it opens to the<strong> Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/economictimes.indiatimes.com\/news\/india\/crude-oil-tanker-carrying-six-indian-seafarers-hit-by-projectile-while-transiting-the-persian-gulf\/articleshow\/135722938.cms?from=mdr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>ET<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><strong>Swachh Survekshan Awards 2025-26<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Syllabus: Miscellaneous<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The President of India conferred the Swachh Survekshan 2025-26 Awards at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, marking the 10th edition of the world\u2019s largest urban cleanliness survey.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About the Awards<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The <strong>Swachh Survekshan Awards<\/strong> were instituted in <strong>2016<\/strong> under the <strong>Swachh Bharat Mission \u2013 Urban<\/strong>, by the <strong>Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA)<\/strong>, starting with <strong>73 cities<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The 2025\u201326 edition assessed <strong>4,751 cities <\/strong>on 43 indicators across 10 domains, including waste management, sanitation, visible cleanliness, sanitation workers\u2019 welfare and citizen feedback.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Key Highlights<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Among <strong>million-plus cities<\/strong>, <strong>Visakhapatnam secured the first position<\/strong>, followed by Jabalpur and Lucknow. In other population categories, <strong>Ujjain ranked first in the 3\u201310 lakh category<\/strong>, while <strong>Dewas topped the 50,000\u20133 lakh category<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The <strong>Super Swachh League<\/strong>, which recognises previous top-performing cities, was topped by <strong>Navi Mumbai<\/strong>, followed by Surat and Vijayawada.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Three new categories<\/strong> were also introduced to recognise cleanliness in different geographical settings:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Cleanest Riverfront Town: Rewa<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Cleanest Coastal Town: Puri<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Cleanest Himalayan City: Rudrapur<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Another new initiative,<strong> Swachh Shehar Jodi<\/strong>, pairs high-performing cities with those needing improvement. <strong>Ahmedabad\u2013Sanand topped<\/strong> this category.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pib.gov.in\/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=2335207&amp;reg=48&amp;lang=2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>PIB<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><strong>Exercise Naseem Al Bahr<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/Defence<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Indian Navy and the Royal Navy of Oman have conducted the 15th edition of their bilateral maritime exercise, Naseem Al Bahr (Sea Breeze).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Initiated in 1993, <\/strong>the exercise was conducted in <strong>two phases<\/strong>: the harbour phase and the sea phase.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The exercise reinforces the Indian Navy\u2019s engagement with regional maritime partners in line with the Government of India\u2019s vision of <strong>MAHASAGAR <\/strong>(Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Do you know<\/strong><strong>?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Oman is a crucial pillar of <strong>India&#8217;s West Asia Policy<\/strong> and its oldest regional strategic partner.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Also, Oman is the <strong>first Gulf country<\/strong> with which all the three wings of India\u2019s defense forces hold joint exercises.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The exercise <strong>Eastern Bridge<\/strong> is conducted between the <strong>Air Force <\/strong>of the two countries, while the exercise <strong>Al<\/strong>&#8211;<strong>Najah<\/strong> is conducted between the <strong>Army<\/strong> of the two countries.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/newsonair.gov.in\/indian-navy-royal-navy-of-oman-conclude-15th-edition-of-bilateral-maritime-exercise-naseem-al-bahr-sea-breeze\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>AIR<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><strong>Yug Yugeen Bharat Museum<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS1\/Culture<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the development of the Yuge Yugeen Bharat Museum (YYBM) at an estimated total project cost of \u20b93,230 crore.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Objective:<\/strong> To establish a landmark civilisational museum that showcases India\u2019s cultural heritage, diversity and historical continuity through an integrated presentation of its tangible and intangible heritage.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Location: <\/strong>The museum will be developed by reusing the historic <strong>North and South Block buildings<\/strong>, New Delhi, preserving their architectural character.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Implementing Ministry: <\/strong>Ministry of Culture.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Features: <\/strong>The museum will incorporate contemporary museum practices, immersive technologies and visitor-centric facilities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The project will be implemented in phases between the financial years <strong>2026-27 and 2030-31.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/ddindia.co.in\/2026\/11\/cabinet-approves-rs-3230-crore-yuge-yugeen-bharat-museum-at-north-south-block-complex-in-new-delhi\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>DD News<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong> Context <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">  The Union Cabinet, has approved the continuation of Stand-Up India Scheme for a period of 5 years upto 2031.\u00a0<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong> About <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> \u00a0Aim: To promote entrepreneurship among Women, Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) and to provide financial assistance to an additional 2.5 lakh entrepreneurs in a span of five years. <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> Since its launch in April 2016, the scheme has facilitated loans to more than 2.75 lakh Women\/SC\/ST entrepreneurs. <\/li>\n<p><a href=\" https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/12-11-2026\/news-in-brief-12-11-2026 \" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-88572","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88572","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=88572"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88572\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":88576,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88572\/revisions\/88576"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=88572"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=88572"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=88572"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}