Daily Current Affairs: 10th November, 2025

National News

DRAP, UiWIN Launched to Clear Dumpsites by 2026

• India has launched DRAP (Dumpsite Remediation Accelerator Programme) and UiWIN (Urban Investment Window) to clear legacy dumpsites by 2026 and make cities cleaner and investment-ready.
• DRAP targets 214 high-load landfills, fast-tracking remediation, preventing fresh waste tipping, and reclaiming land for parks and community use, backed by ₹4,181 crore in funding.
• The programme follows a 5P framework: Political leadership, Public finance, Public advocacy, Project management, and Partnerships.

Mumbai Tops Asia’s Happiest Cities in 2025

• Mumbai has been ranked Asia’s happiest city in 2025 by a Time Out survey of 18,000+ residents, thanks to its culture, community, lifestyle, and street food.
• Key drivers include a high joy quotient (94%), strong sense of community (89%), growth in happiness (87%), vibrant entertainment and Bollywood scene, and iconic street foods like vada pav and bhel puri.
• Despite urban challenges, Mumbai surpasses cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Singapore, showing that social and cultural factors strongly influence urban happiness.

Centre Notifies New Deep-Sea Fishing Rules for EEZ

• India has notified new deep-sea fishing rules (Nov 4 2025) for its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) to boost sustainable marine exports and empower local fishers.
• The policy bans foreign vessels, prioritises fisher cooperatives and FFPOs, and introduces digital Access Passes via the ReALCraft portal for vessel registration and real-time tracking.
• It integrates with MPEDA and EIC for fish catch and health certificates, ensuring export traceability.
• The rules also ban LED, pair, and bull trawling, enforce ecological safeguards, and enhance safety via transponders and QR-coded IDs, supporting India’s push for a tech-driven, eco-friendly blue economy.

State News

Uttarakhand Turns 25: ₹8,000 Cr Boost from PM Modi

• On Uttarakhand’s Silver Jubilee, PM Narendra Modi inaugurated and laid foundation stones for development projects worth ₹8,000 crore across drinking water, irrigation, energy, urban development, technical education, sports, and skill development at Dehradun’s Forest Research Institute.
• Over ₹62 crore in financial aid was released to 28,000+ farmers under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, and a commemorative postage stamp was issued.
• PM Modi highlighted the state’s 25 years of progress, urged focus on untapped potential, and reaffirmed that the “double-engine government” is driving Uttarakhand toward new heights of development.

International News

Pakistan’s 27th Amendment: Will Pakistan’s Army Chief Become Constitutionally Untouchable

• Pakistan’s 27th Constitutional Amendment, introduced on November 8, 2025, seeks to expand military power, weaken judicial independence, and curb provincial autonomy, raising fears of a military-dominated state.
• It proposes a powerful Field Marshal/Chief of Defence Forces with control over military, intelligence, and paramilitary forces, while placing the judiciary under executive control and limiting provincial rights.
• Critics warn it threatens democracy, elections, and federalism, benefiting Army Chief General Asim Munir and undermining civilian governance, with serious implications for India, Afghanistan, and regional stability.

New Gas Discovery in Egypt’s Western Desert

• Egypt discovers natural gas in the Western Desert’s Badr‑15 area, targeting the Lower Bahariya formation, with initial production of ~16 million cubic feet/day and adding ~15 billion cubic feet to reserves.
• This find strengthens Egypt’s energy security, boosts domestic production, and enhances potential for power generation and exports, highlighting the Western Desert’s ongoing hydrocarbon potential.

Banking News

How “M Circle” by AU SFB Redefines Banking for Women

• AU Small Finance Bank has launched “M Circle”, a women-focused banking proposition offering financial, lifestyle, and health benefits.
• Key features include 25% discount on locker rentals, preferential loan rates, exclusive offers with lifestyle brands, and free preventive health check-ups with online and offline consultations.
• This move reflects AU SFB’s aim to provide personalised banking, promote wealth creation and wellness for women, and position itself as an innovative, inclusive financial institution, while adoption will depend on awareness, service consistency, and inclusivity.

Economy News

Can India’s Bioeconomy Hit $300 Billion by 2030?

• India’s bioeconomy reached $150 billion in 2024, driven by agri-biotech, climate-resilient agriculture, and frontier technologies, contributing to food security, rural employment, and green growth.
• With 3,000+ startups, exports growing 14–16% annually, and a target of $300 billion by 2030, the sector supports 10 million green jobs and aims for 5% of the global bioeconomy.
• Key challenges include low tech adoption (12% of farmers), small landholdings (1.08 ha), limited agri-credit (1.8%), import dependence, and slow regulatory clearances.
• Major government initiatives like BioE3 Policy, Digital Agriculture Mission, Gobardhan, and NMSA are driving growth while addressing these gaps.

India’s Forex Reserves Drop by $5.6 Billion in October

• India’s Forex Reserves Fall by $5.6 Billion in October 2025: India’s foreign exchange reserves dropped to $689.73 billion as of October 31, 2025, mainly due to declines in gold reserves ($3.8B) and foreign currency assets ($1.9B), according to RBI data.
• While SDRs slightly decreased and IMF reserve position rose, the overall fall reflects global market pressures and currency fluctuations.
• Forex reserves are crucial for stabilizing the rupee, ensuring import cover, boosting investor confidence, and managing external debt, and despite the decline, India maintains one of the largest reserve buffers globally.

Repatriation of India’s Gold: RBI’s New Strategy

• RBI Repatriates 274 Tonnes of Gold to Strengthen India’s Reserves: Between March 2023 and September 2025, the RBI has brought back 274 tonnes of India’s gold, raising domestic holdings to 575.8 tonnes out of a total 880 tonnes.
• This strategic move aims to enhance national sovereignty, reduce custodial risks and costs, mitigate geopolitical uncertainties, and improve reserve composition—with gold’s share in forex reserves rising to 13.92%.
• The repatriated gold is secured in high-security domestic vaults, allowing India greater control, flexibility, and financial resilience.

Defense News

INS Sahyadri in Guam for Key Quad Naval Drills

• INS Sahyadri, an indigenously built stealth guided-missile frigate, is representing India at Exercise Malabar 2025 in Guam, alongside the U.S., Japan, and Australia under the Quad framework.
• The drill—featuring harbour and sea phases with ASW, gunnery, and fleet manoeuvres—aims to boost interoperability, maritime security, and a rules-based Indo-Pacific order.
• Hosted at strategically vital Guam, the exercise highlights India’s blue-water naval strength, commitment to Aatmanirbhar Bharat, and growing role in the Indo-Pacific security architecture.

Summits & Conferences News

India Enters Global Forest Fund: What It Means

• At COP30 in Belém, Brazil, India joined the Brazil-led Tropical Forests Forever Facility (TFFF) as an observer, marking a key step in global climate diplomacy.
• The $125 billion fund rewards nations for tropical forest conservation through results-based payments.
• India backed the initiative while urging developed countries to honor their climate finance pledges and boost emission cuts, emphasizing equity and adaptation.
• With achievements like 36% emission intensity reduction and 200 GW of renewables, India reaffirmed its leadership in sustainable growth and forest conservation.

Science & Technology News

Google’s Ironwood AI Chip: A Game Changer?

• Google launches Ironwood, its 7th-generation TPU, delivering 4× performance, ultra-fast parallel processing, and scalability up to 9,216 chips per pod.
• Designed for AI training and real-time inference, it enables large language models and multi-modal AI efficiently.
• Anthropic plans to deploy 1 million chips, signaling a challenge to Nvidia and strengthening Google Cloud’s position in the AI compute market.

Inside India’s First Tribal-Focused Genome Project

• Gujarat has launched India’s first tribal genome project, led by the Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre (GBRC), to tackle genetic disorders like sickle cell anaemia, thalassemia, and G6PD deficiency using precision medicine and DNA sequencing.
• The initiative, part of the Genome India Project, will sequence 2,000 tribal genomes across 17 districts, create a genetic reference database, and enable affordable diagnostics, genetic counselling, and targeted treatments, addressing the high prevalence of hereditary diseases in tribal populations.

Important Days News

National Legal Services Day: Access to Justice for All

• National Legal Services Day (November 9) marks India’s commitment to equal access to justice under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987, implemented in 1995.
• The Act created a three-tier legal aid system—NALSA, State, and District Legal Services Authorities—ensuring free legal aid for the underprivileged.
• Key initiatives include Lok Adalats (23.58 crore cases resolved), LADCS (7.86 lakh criminal cases disposed), and DISHA (2.10 crore people benefited via digital legal services).
• Complemented by legal awareness programmes, fast-track and special courts, Gram Nyayalayas, and Nari Adalats, these measures promote justice accessibility, legal literacy, and speedy dispute resolution across India.

Unleash Your Inner Scientist: World Science Day 2025

• World Science Day 2025 on 10 November celebrates how science fosters peace and sustainable development, with the theme “Unleash Your Inner Scientist”.
• It encourages students and young minds to engage in curiosity-driven learning, innovation, and problem-solving to tackle global challenges like climate change, health crises, and resource management.
• The day highlights science’s role in building collaboration, promoting tolerance, and empowering youth to use scientific thinking as a tool for transformation and peace, showing that science is everywhere and essential for a better, sustainable world.