13 December 2025 Current Affairs (With PDF)

Stay updated with 13 December 2025 Current Affairs on this page! We bring you the most relevant and important news updates from around the world and India, specially curated for competitive exams and different entrance exams. Today's Current Affairs cover all significant national and international headlines, legal updates, economic news, and environmental highlights to boost your preparation. With our crisp, to-the-point coverage, you can confidently tackle current affairs questions in your exams.

India’s First Indigenous Hydrogen Fuel Cell Passenger Vessel

India’s first indigenously developed hydrogen fuel-cell powered passenger vessel has begun operations in Varanasi, marking a major milestone in green inland water transport.

Key Features

• Powered by a hydrogen fuel-cell system for marine use.
• Uses a fully indigenous Low Temperature Proton Exchange Membrane (LT-PEM) fuel cell.
• Supports India’s goals of net-zero emissions and clean mobility in waterways.

Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) Fuel Cell

Working Principle

• Operates through an electrochemical reaction, not combustion.
• Hydrogen enters the anode, where a catalyst splits it into: Protons (H⁺), Electrons (e⁻)
• Protons pass through the proton exchange membrane.
• Electrons travel through an external circuit, producing electricity.
• At the cathode, protons, electrons, and oxygen combine to form: Water, Small amount of heat

Advantages of PEM Fuel Cells

• Zero Emissions: Only water as by-product.
• High Power Density: Compact, lightweight, suitable for transport.
• Quick Start-Up: Low operating temperature enables rapid start.
• Quiet Operation: No moving parts → low noise and vibration.
• High Efficiency: Direct conversion of hydrogen to electricity.

Associated Challenges

• High Cost: Dependence on precious metal catalysts like platinum.
• Hydrogen Availability: Clean (green) hydrogen production is energy-intensive.
• Durability Issues: PEM degradation under prolonged stress and operating conditions.

Significance

• Strengthens Atmanirbhar Bharat in clean energy technologies.
• Boosts green shipping and sustainable inland waterways.
• Demonstrates India’s capability in indigenous hydrogen and fuel-cell innovation.

Supreme Court Broadens Scope of PoSH Act, 2013

Why in News

The Supreme Court, in the Sohail Malik case, ruled that a woman facing sexual harassment at her workplace by a person belonging to another organisation can file a complaint before the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) of her own workplace, significantly widening the jurisdiction under the PoSH Act, 2013.

Key Takeaways from the Judgment

1. Expanded ICC Jurisdiction

ICC at the aggrieved woman’s workplace can inquire into complaints even when the respondent is employed elsewhere.

2. Access to Justice

Prevents denial of redressal due to jurisdictional gaps between different workplaces.

3. Victim-Centric Interpretation

Reinforces the objective of ensuring a safe and dignified work environment for women.

Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (PoSH) Act, 2013

1. Background

• Enacted based on the Vishakha Guidelines (1997) issued by the Supreme Court.
• Aims to prevent, prohibit, and redress sexual harassment at workplaces.

2. Coverage under the Act

(a) Beneficiaries

• Applies to all women, irrespective of employment status.
• Includes women working in dwelling houses or domestic settings.

(b) Nature of Sexual Harassment

• Encompasses unwelcome sexually coloured acts or conduct that create a hostile, intimidating, or offensive work environment.

3. Expanded Definition of Workplace

Covers:

• Government, private, and non-government establishments
• Educational institutions, hospitals, enterprises, and offices
• Any place visited during the course of employment
• Transportation provided by the employer

4. Redressal Mechanisms

• Internal Complaints Committee (ICC): Mandatory in every workplace employing 10 or more persons.
• Local Committee (LC): Constituted by the District Officer where an ICC is not available.

5. Penalties

Disciplinary action based on gravity of misconduct, including:

• Monetary fines
• Termination of service
• Other service-related penalties as prescribed

Significance of the Ruling

• Strengthens implementation of PoSH law.
• Addresses emerging workplace realities involving inter-organisational interactions.
• Reinforces constitutional values of dignity, equality, and safe working conditions for women.

Deepening India’s Corporate Bond Market: NITI Aayog Report

Why in News

NITI Aayog has released a comprehensive report outlining reforms to strengthen and expand India’s Corporate Bond Market (CBM), aiming to mobilise long-term finance for infrastructure, industry, and sustainable growth.

Understanding Corporate Bonds

• Definition: Corporate bonds are debt securities issued by public and private companies to raise capital for expansion, infrastructure creation, and business development.
• Role in the Economy: They serve as a key alternative to bank lending, especially for long-gestation and capital-intensive projects.

Current Status of Corporate Bond Market in India

• Size: Accounts for about 15–16% of India’s GDP.
• Global Comparison: Significantly smaller than South Korea (79%), Malaysia (54%), China (38%)
• Growth Trend: Expanded from ₹17.5 trillion in FY2015 to ₹53.6 trillion in FY2025.
• Represents an average annual growth of around 12%.

Key Challenges Identified

1. Regulatory and Institutional Issues

• Fragmented Oversight: Multiple regulators involved—SEBI, RBI, and Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA)—leading to overlaps and compliance complexity.
• Cumbersome Disclosure Norms: High compliance burden, particularly for low-rated and occasional issuers.

2. Market Structure Concerns

• Credit Rating Ecosystem Gaps: Conflicts of interest due to the issuer-pays model.
• Limited competition and high barriers to entry for new CRAs.
• Liquidity Constraints: Shallow secondary market, restricting price discovery and investor participation.
• Other Structural Issues: High issuance costs and persistent information asymmetry between issuers and investors.

NITI Aayog’s Three-Phase Reform Roadmap

Phase I: Regulatory Simplification

• Harmonise rules across regulators to reduce duplication.
• Standardise disclosure requirements.
• Simplify issuance procedures to improve regulatory certainty.

Phase II: Market Strengthening

• Enhance the effectiveness of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) for faster and predictable resolutions.
• Encourage innovation in debt products.
• Improve access for lower-rated issuers without compromising investor protection.

Phase III: Market Deepening and Integration

• Align India’s CBM with global best practices.
• Explore the feasibility of an independent bond market regulator.
• Develop a digital bond market ecosystem to improve transparency, efficiency, and participation.

Significance of the Report

• Supports infrastructure financing and economic diversification.
• Reduces overdependence on the banking system.
• Enhances financial stability by broadening sources of long-term capital.

World Development Report 2025: Standards for Development

Why in News

The World Bank has released the World Development Report (WDR) 2025, which examines how the expanding global system of international standards is increasingly shaping economic outcomes—often favouring advanced economies and large multinational firms, while marginalising many developing countries.

What are Standards?

1. Definition

Standards are shared rules and benchmarks that ensure consistency, compatibility, safety, and quality in products, services, and processes.

2. Scope

They apply across sectors such as manufacturing, healthcare, finance, digital technologies, trade, and governance.

Why Standards Matter

1. Economic Development

• Reduce transaction costs and facilitate cross-border trade.
• Enable interoperability of products and systems, supporting industrial scaling.
• Encourage innovation by providing common technical frameworks.

2. National Security

• Strengthen technological and industrial competitiveness.
• Mitigate risks related to technology dependence, financial instability, and environmental threats.

3. Social Development

• Improve service delivery in education, healthcare, and public welfare.
• Example: Standardised childbirth safety checklists in Indian hospitals helped reduce maternal mortality by nearly 47%.

4. Governance and Institutions

• Standards-based recruitment, auditing, and procurement enhance transparency.
• Help curb corruption and improve organisational efficiency.

Key Concerns Highlighted in the Report

1. Standards as Trade Barriers

• Increasingly used as non-tariff measures in global trade.
• Include technical specifications, labelling norms, and safety requirements.
• Now affect around 90% of global trade, compared to just 15% in the late 1990s.

2. Unequal Rule-Making Power

• Developing countries remain underrepresented in global standard-setting bodies.
• On average, they occupy less than one-third of technical committee seats in organisations such as the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

UNESCO Convention against Discrimination in Education (1960)

Why in News

UNESCO released a report titled “Right to Education: Past, Present and Future”, reviewing global progress and challenges since the adoption of the 1960 Convention against Discrimination in Education.

About the Convention

Origin and Nature

• Adopted: 1960
• Institution: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
• Core Objective: To eliminate discrimination in education and ensure equal educational opportunities for all individuals.
• Significance: First legally binding international treaty exclusively devoted to the right to education.

Key Rights and State Obligations

The Convention obligates State Parties to guarantee:

• Primary Education: Free and compulsory for all children.
• Secondary Education: Made generally available and accessible to all through appropriate measures.
• Higher Education: Equally accessible to all, based on individual merit and capacity.
• Non-Discrimination: Prohibits exclusion or preference based on race, sex, language, religion, political opinion, national or social origin, or economic condition.
• Equality of Standards: Ensures comparable quality of education across public institutions.

Legal and Normative Importance

• Establishes education as a fundamental human right.
• Serves as a foundation for later global commitments, including the Right to Education under international human rights law.

India’s Position

• India has not ratified the Convention, though it supports the right to education through constitutional and statutory measures.

Supernova

Why in News

• NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has observed one of the earliest supernovae ever recorded, offering insights into stellar evolution in the early universe.
• JWST is a joint mission of NASA, ESA, and CSA, operating at the Sun–Earth L2 Lagrange point and observing the universe primarily in the infrared spectrum, ideal for studying distant, early cosmic events.

About Supernova

A supernova is a catastrophic explosion of a star, releasing enormous energy and dispersing heavy elements into space. These explosions play a crucial role in chemical enrichment of the universe.

Major Types of Supernovae

1. Core-Collapse Supernova

• Occurs when a massive star (generally >8 times the mass of the Sun) exhausts its nuclear fuel.
• Loss of outward pressure causes the core to collapse under gravity.
• Results in: Neutron star, or Black hole (if the star is extremely massive, ~10+ solar masses).
• The outer layers are expelled, forming a supernova remnant (nebula).

2. Thermonuclear (Type Ia) Supernova

• Occurs in a binary star system involving a white dwarf.
• Triggered when: The white dwarf accretes excess matter from a companion star, or Two stars (at least one being a white dwarf) collide.
• Leads to a runaway nuclear fusion reaction, completely destroying the white dwarf.
• Important as standard candles for measuring cosmic distances.

White Dwarfs are dense stellar remnants formed when Sun-like stars exhaust their fuel.

Charaichung Festival

Why in News

Assam’s Majuli recently hosted the Charaichung Festival to revive awareness about Asia’s first protected Royal Bird Sanctuary, highlighting an early example of wildlife conservation in the subcontinent.

About the Charaichung Festival

• Purpose: Revival and public recognition of the historic Charaichung Royal Bird Sanctuary
• Theme: Conservation of birds, wetlands, and traditional ecological knowledge
• Cultural Significance: Blends environmental awareness with Assam’s indigenous heritage

Historical Background: Charaichung Royal Bird Sanctuary

• Established: 1633 AD
• Founder: Swargadeu Pratap Singha, Ahom ruler
• Uniqueness: Recognised as Asia’s first protected royal bird sanctuary
• Legacy: Demonstrates advanced environmental consciousness during the Ahom period, centuries before modern wildlife laws

About Majuli

• Location: Situated in the Brahmaputra River, Assam
• Distinction: World’s largest river island
• Cultural Importance: Centre of Vaishnavite culture and Satras
• Environmental Concern: Highly vulnerable to erosion and flooding

UN Champions of the Earth Award

Why in News

Tamil Nadu IAS officer Supriya Sahu has been awarded the UN Champions of the Earth Award for her pioneering leadership in addressing critical environmental challenges in India, particularly plastic pollution and wildlife conservation.

About the UN Champions of the Earth Award

• Nature: United Nations’ highest environmental honour
• Instituted: 2005
• Conferred by: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
• Frequency: Awarded annually

Purpose of the Award

1. UNEP recognises individuals and organisations that demonstrate:

• Exceptional leadership
• Innovative and scalable solutions
• Long-term impact in environmental protection

2. The award specifically addresses the Triple Planetary Crisis:

• Climate Change
• Nature and Biodiversity Loss
• Pollution and Waste

Project Suncatcher

Why in News

Google’s CEO has announced the launch of Project Suncatcher, a long-term research initiative to develop solar-powered data centres in space.

About Project Suncatcher

• Initiative by: Google
• Objective: To deploy solar-powered satellite constellations capable of performing large-scale machine learning and AI computations in outer space
• Core Technology: Satellites equipped with Google’s Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) for high-performance AI workloads

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