21 November 2025 Current Affairs (With PDF)

Stay updated with 21 November 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.

Supreme Court Strikes Down Key Provisions of the Tribunals Reforms Act, 2021

The Supreme Court has invalidated several provisions of the Tribunals Reforms Act, 2021, holding them unconstitutional because they were substantially identical to clauses of the Tribunals Reforms Ordinance, 2021, which had earlier been struck down in the Madras Bar Association case.

What the Supreme Court Held

Reason for Striking Down the Provisions

• The impugned provisions dealt with the appointment process, tenure, and service conditions of tribunal members.
• The Court observed that these provisions undermined: Judicial independence, and Principles of separation of powers
• Since the executive frequently appears as a litigant before tribunals, it cannot be allowed disproportionate influence over their functioning or appointments.

Key Highlights of the Judgment

1. Provisions Declared Invalid:

a. Minimum Age Requirement (50 years)

• Held arbitrary and violative of Article 14.
• Excluded highly qualified young advocates and experts from tribunal appointments.

b. Four-Year Tenure

• The Court struck down the provision fixing the tenure of Chairpersons and Members at four years.
• Reaffirmed its earlier ruling that a minimum five-year tenure is essential to ensure: Stability, Institutional continuity and Security of service.

2. Direction to Establish National Tribunals Commission

a. Supreme Court reiterated its earlier direction requiring the Centre to set up a National Tribunals Commission (NTC) within four months.

b. The proposed NTC should:

• Oversee appointments to tribunals
• Supervise administration and functioning
• Address infrastructural and financial needs to ensure tribunals function independently

About Tribunals in India

1. Purpose:

Tribunals are designed to provide:

• Specialised adjudication
• Speedy disposal of disputes
• Expertise in technical matters outside traditional court structure

2. Constitutional Framework: 

a. Part XIV-A added through the 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1976.

b. Two key provisions:

• Article 323-A: Empowers Parliament to establish Administrative Tribunals for service matters.
• Article 323-B: Enables Parliament or State Legislatures to set up tribunals for subjects such as taxation, land reforms, industrial disputes, elections, etc.

India Launches First Indigenous CRISPR-Based Gene Therapy for Sickle Cell Disease

India launched its first indigenous CRISPR-based gene therapy for Sickle Cell Disease (SCD), named BIRSA-101, dedicated to tribal icon Bhagwan Birsa Munda.

The therapy has been developed by the CSIR–Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB).

About Gene Therapy

Gene therapy involves the use of functional gene(s) to treat, prevent, or cure a disease by correcting genetic defects.

Working mechanism:

• Introduces new copies of a broken gene, or
• Replaces a defective/missing gene with its healthy therapeutic version inside the patient’s cells.

About CRISPR Technology

CRISPR = Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats

It is a precise genome-editing tool that allows targeted modification of DNA sequences.

Key components:

• Guide RNA (gRNA): Binds to a specific DNA sequence to guide the editing machinery.
• Cas9 enzyme: Acts as molecular scissors, cutting DNA at the targeted location to enable correction.

About Sickle Cell Disease (SCD)

• SCD is a hereditary blood disorder affecting haemoglobin, which carries oxygen in red blood cells.
• Mutated haemoglobin causes RBCs to become rigid, elongated, and sickle-shaped, leading to: Pain crises, Blood flow obstruction and Organ damage.
• It disproportionately affects India’s tribal population: 1 in 86 births among Scheduled Tribes shows SCD prevalence.

Related Development - enFnCas9 Platform

A collaboration was announced between CSIR-IGIB and the Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd. to translate enFnCas9 into scalable and affordable therapies.

What is enFnCas9?

• A high-fidelity, engineered CRISPR-Cas9 system based on Francisella novicida Cas9 (FnCas9).
• Developed by IGIB.
• Offers improved precision, reducing off-target genome edits.

ISRO Conducts Boot-Strap Mode Start Test on CE-20 Cryogenic Engine Under Vacuum Conditions

ISRO successfully conducted the boot-strap mode start test of the CE-20 cryogenic engine in vacuum conditions - a first for India.
This achievement enhances the restart capability and mission flexibility of future LVM3 flights.

What Is Boot-Strap Mode Start?

1. It is a technique where a gas-generator cycle cryogenic engine starts without using any auxiliary start-up mechanisms (such as bottled gas systems).

2. Significance:

• Removes the need for an extra start-up gas bottle and associated hardware.
• Increases payload capacity by reducing dead mass.
• Enables multiple restarts and complex mission profiles (deep space, multi-orbit deployments).

About Cryogenic Engines

1. CE-20 Cryogenic Engine:

• Used in the upper stage of LVM3.
• Developed by the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), Valiamala, Kerala.
• India’s largest cryogenic engine.
• Fully qualified for Gaganyaan missions.

2. Cryogenics:

• Refers to the study of materials at extremely low temperatures (below −150°C).
• Cryogenic engines use propellants stored at ultra-low temperatures.

3. Propellants Used:

• Liquid Hydrogen (LH₂) – fuel
• Liquid Oxygen (LOX) – oxidizer

4. Advantages:

• Far more efficient (higher specific impulse) than solid or earth-storable liquid propellants.
• Provides higher thrust per kg of propellant, resulting in better payload capability.

About LVM3 (Launch Vehicle Mark-3)

ISRO’s heavy-lift launch vehicle, designed to launch 4,000 kg class satellites to GTO (Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit).

Three Stages:

• S200 Solid Strap-ons
• L110 Liquid Stage: Largest liquid stage ever developed by ISRO
  - Uses two high-thrust Vikas engines
  - Recently, Godrej Aerospace delivered the first human-rated L110 Vikas stage for Gaganyaan
• C25 Cryogenic Stage: Powered by CE-20 Engine

Global Methane Status Report 2025

The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) released the Global Methane Status Report 2025, assessing global progress since the launch of the Global Methane Pledge.

Key Highlights of the Report

1. Rising Methane Concentrations:

• Atmospheric methane levels have more than doubled since pre-industrial times.
• Reached ~352 million tonnes (Mt) per year in 2020.
• Projected to increase by ~5% by 2030.

2. Global Impacts of Methane Emissions:

• Expected to cause 24,000 additional premature deaths annually by 2030 (relative to 2020).
• Associated with 2.5 Mt of crop losses per year by 2030 due to reduced air quality and climate stress.

3. India’s Position:

• India is the third-largest methane emitter, after China and the United States.
• Annual emissions: ~31 million tonnes.
• Major source: Stubble burning, followed by livestock and waste.

About Methane (CH₄)

• A potent greenhouse gas (GHG) with ~80 times higher warming potential than CO₂ over a 20-year period.
• Major sources: Agriculture (rice fields, livestock), Waste decomposition, Fossil fuel extraction, Biomass burning

Major Initiatives to Tackle Methane Pollution

Global Initiatives

1. Global Methane Pledge (GMP):

• Voluntary commitment to reduce methane emissions by 30% from 2020 levels by 2030.
• Launched at COP26 (Glasgow, 2021) by CCAC.
• India has not signed the pledge.

2. International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO):

• Operated by UNEP.
• Collects and verifies methane emissions data using satellites and scientific monitoring systems.

India’s Efforts

1. National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA):

• Encourages climate-resilient practices that also help lower methane emissions.

2. Key Technologies for Methane Reduction in Rice Cultivation:

• System of Rice Intensification (SRI) - uses less water; reduces methane generation.
• Direct Seeded Rice (DSR) - avoids continuous flooding during transplanting.
• Crop Diversification Programme - promotes alternative crops to reduce paddy cultivation in water-stressed regions.

Supreme Court Directs Centre to Formulate a Uniform National Policy on Organ Transplantation

The Supreme Court has directed the Central Government to frame a uniform national policy on organ transplantation, citing delays caused by the absence of a consolidated national database for donors and recipients across states.

Key Directives of the Supreme Court

1. National Uniform Policy:

• Centre must prepare a single, standardized national framework for organ allocation.
• Policy should address inter-state inconsistencies and eliminate biases linked to gender, caste, or social background.

2. Establishment of State-Level Bodies:

• States such as Manipur, Nagaland, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, and Lakshadweep currently lack a State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (SOTO).
• Centre directed to constitute these bodies under the National Organ Transplantation Programme (NOTP) in consultation with respective states.

3. Guidelines for Live Donors:

a. SC asked the Centre to develop welfare guidelines for live organ donors.

b. Focus areas include:

• Post-donation medical support
• Ensuring donors are not exploited
• Preventing any form of commercialization

4. Change in Death Registration Process:

Death registration forms must be revised (in consultation with NOTTO) to include:

• Whether the deceased’s family was offered the option of organ donation
• Whether consent was obtained or declined

About Organ Transplantation

It is a surgical procedure where a failing or damaged organ is replaced by a healthy organ from a deceased or living donor.

Organ Transplantation Framework in India

1. Legal Framework:

• Governed by the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act (THOTA), 1994, amended in 2011.
• Regulates organ removal, storage, and transplantation while prohibiting commercial dealings.

2. National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO):

a. Apex national body under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

b. Responsibilities:

• National registry and database
• Coordination for organ procurement and distribution
• Standardization of transplant practices
• Training and awareness activities

3. National Organ Transplant Programme (NOTP):

• Aims to develop a robust and efficient mechanism for organ and tissue retrieval, especially from deceased donors.
• Promotes capacity-building, infrastructure support, and system-wide coordination.

Water Budgeting for Aspiration Blocks Released by NITI Aayog

NITI Aayog has released a new report on Water Budgeting for Aspiration Blocks, aimed at improving water management and addressing resource gaps in water-stressed regions.

About Water Budgeting

1. Concept:

a. Water budgeting provides a holistic assessment of water availability and usage within a defined region.

b. It quantifies:

• Sources of water (surface water, groundwater, rainfall, etc.)
• Patterns of water use across agriculture, domestic and industrial sectors
• Areas of surplus and deficit

2. Purpose and Utility:

• Helps identify the demand–supply gap, enabling evidence-based interventions.
• Supports water security planning and Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) by ensuring optimal, sustainable use of available resources.

3. Role in Atal Bhujal Yojana:

Water budgeting is a core component under the Atal Bhujal Yojana, which focuses on:

• Participatory groundwater management
• Preparing water security plans at the community level
• Promoting efficient water use and conservation techniques

World Urbanisation Prospects 2025

The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) has released the World Urbanisation Prospects 2025 Report, presenting updated global trends in population distribution and urban growth patterns.

Key Highlights of the Report

1. Global Urbanisation Trends:

• Urban areas now accommodate 45% of the world’s total population, which stands at approximately 8.2 billion.
• The number of megacities has risen significantly:
  - 1975: 8 megacities
  - 2025: 33 megacities
• Megacity Definition: Urban agglomeration with a population exceeding 10 million.

2. Most Populous Urban Agglomerations (2025):

• Jakarta, Indonesia - Ranked as the world’s largest city
• Followed by: Dhaka (Bangladesh), Tokyo (Japan), New Delhi (India)

India-Specific Findings

• Urban Population Share: 44% of India's population now resides in towns and cities, indicating rapid urban transition.
• Future Urban Growth: India, along with six other major countries, is projected to contribute to the addition of over 500 million new urban residents between 2025 and 2050.

Protected Area Permit (PAP) Regime

The Chief Minister of Nagaland has urged the Union Home Minister to reconsider the re-imposition of the Protected Area Permit (PAP) system, highlighting its impact on travel and engagement in the region.

About Protected Area Permit (PAP)

1. Meaning:

• The Protected Area Permit (PAP) is a mandatory authorization for foreign nationals who wish to visit designated sensitive locations in India.

2. Legal Basis:

• Governed under the Foreigners (Protected Areas) Order, 1958.

3. Geographical Coverage:

• Applies to regions located: Between the Inner Line and the International Border of a state.
• PAP requirements are operational in multiple northeastern states and Union Territories, including: Nagaland, Mizoram and Manipur, among others.

4. Issuing Authority:

• Permits are granted by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

Related Concept: Inner Line Permit (ILP)

• ILP is issued by the Government of India to regulate the entry of Indian citizens into certain protected areas for a specific duration.
• Unlike PAP (meant for foreigners), ILP applies exclusively to Indian nationals.

Indira Gandhi Peace Prize

Former President of Chile, Michelle Bachelet, has been awarded the Indira Gandhi Peace Prize for 2024 for her contributions to global peace, human rights, and social development.

About the Indira Gandhi Peace Prize

1. Overview:

• The Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development is a prestigious annual international award.
• It honours exceptional contributions toward peacebuilding, development, and disarmament.

2. Instituted By:

• Awarded by the Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust.

3. Eligibility:

• Open to individuals and organizations across the world.
• No restrictions based on nationality, race, or religion.

4. Purpose & Recognition:

The prize acknowledges outstanding work in:

• Promoting international peace and disarmament
• Strengthening racial and social equality
• Advancing development and human welfare
• Fostering goodwill and cooperation among nations

Kodaikanal Solar Observatory (KSO)

Researchers from the Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES) have utilized the century-old archival data of the KSO to reconstruct the Sun’s historical polar magnetic behaviour, offering insights into long-term solar variability.

About Kodaikanal Solar Observatory (KSO)

1. Operated by:

• Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) - an autonomous institute under the Department of Science & Technology (DST).

2. Location:

• Located in the Palani Hills, Tamil Nadu, Southern India.

3. Established:

• 1899, originally set up by the Madras Observatory.

4. Major Telescopes at KSO:

• WARM (White-light Active Region Monitor)
• H-Alpha Telescope - captures chromospheric features
• Twin Telescope System
• Historic spectrographs & photoheliographs

5. Key Scientific Contribution - Evershed Effect (1909):

• Discovered by John Evershed at Kodaikanal Observatory.
• It is a nearly horizontal radial outflow of gases observed in the penumbra of sunspots, located in the photospheric layer of the Sun.

Goldilocks Environment in India’s Economy

In its 2026 India Economics Outlook, Morgan Stanley projected a “Goldilocks Environment” for India, with real GDP growth expected at 6.8% in FY26, indicating balanced and sustainable economic growth.

About Goldilocks Environment

1. Meaning:

• Refers to an ideal economic scenario where growth is neither too fast nor too slow.
• The term is derived from the fairy tale “Goldilocks and the Three Bears,” implying conditions that are “just right.”

2. Economic Implications:

• Not too high: Avoids overheating of the economy, which can lead to inflationary pressures.
• Not too low: Prevents economic slowdown or recession, supporting employment and investment.
• Balanced growth: Supports stable policymaking, price stability, and sustainable expansion.

3. Relevance for India:

• A GDP growth of 6.8% in FY26 reflects a moderate but strong growth trajectory, allowing the government and RBI to maintain monetary and fiscal stability.
• Encourages long-term investment and confidence in macroeconomic fundamentals.

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