UPSC Daily Current Affairs| One Liners 19-12-2025

One Liners 19-12-2025

Polity & Governance

Drug-Laced Vape Devices

• E-cigarettes –
  • It also known as vapes, are battery-operated devices that heat a liquid and produce an aerosol.
  • An aerosol is a mix of small particles released in the air.
  • E-cigarettes typically contain nicotine, the addictive substance in cigarettes and other tobacco products.
  • Some e-cigarettes can also be used to deliver cannabis and other drugs.
• Banned under – Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act (PECA), 2019.
• Under this Act – The production, manufacture, import, export, transport, sale, distribution, storage and advertisement of electronic cigarettes is prohibited.
• Enforcement – It lies with the States/Union Territories through law enforcement agencies.
• Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has not investigated any case involving seizure of e-cigarette and vape devices with narcotic substances.

International Relations and Issues

Trade Pact with Oman

The Commerce Ministry said that sensitive products have been kept in the exclusion category by India without offering any concessions.

• Aim – To protected the interest of domestic farmers and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME).
• Exclusion category –
  • Agricultural products, including dairy, tea, coffee, rubber and tobacco products.
  • Gold and silver bullion, jewellery.
  • Labour-intensive products such as footwear, sports goods and scrap of many base metals.

Tariff-Rate Quota (TRQ)-Based Tariff Liberalisation

• Tariff Rate Quota (TRQ) Scheme –
  • It is a trade facilitation mechanism that allows eligible importers to bring in specified quantities of certain goods at lower customs duty rates.
  • Once the quota limit is exhausted, imports of the same goods are subject to higher (normal) duty rates.
• Export to Oman –
  • Oman has allowed Indian firms to import marble blocks, which is a banned export item in the Gulf nation.
  • As per the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), the annual quota for duty free dates will be 2,000 tonnes.

Agriculture

Increase in Sugar Production

Sugar production from October 1, 2025 to December 15 saw 28 % increase compared with the same period in 2024.

• According to the Indian Sugar and Bioenergy Manufacturers Association -
  • Sugar production – Touched 78.25 vs 61.28 lakh tonnes last year.
  • Operational sugarcane mills – Increased to 478 from 477 last year.
  • States – Sugar production is up in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Karnataka.
• Fall of sugar price – Dropped in all the major sugar producing States.

Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY)

• Implemented by – Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying.
• Aim – To focus on creation of fisheries and aquaculture infrastructure facilities.
• Support to fisheries infrastructure –
  • Fishing Harbours and Fish Landing Centres,
  • Ice Plants & Cold Storages,
  • Fish Markets both Wholesale and Retail Markets,
  • Integrated Aquaparks,
  • Feed Mills, Hatcheries, Brood Banks & Live Fish Vending Centres,
  • Climate Resilient Coastal Fishing Villages (CRCFV) & Artificial Reefs etc.

Environment

Easing of Underground Coal Mining Clearances

• Suggested by – Parliamentary panel.
• Concern – A complex clearance process, similar to large open-cast mines, leads to delays in projects that have low environmental impact.
• Target – To produce 100 million tonnes (MT) of coal from underground coal mines by 2030.
• Advantages –
  • Standing Committee on Coal, Mines and Steel’s report – To minimises surface disturbance, thereby preserving land, forests, and infrastructure while reducing land reclamation costs and indirect greenhouse gas emissions.
  • This method also allows access to high-quality, deep-seated reserves and ensures year-round operations regardless of weather conditions.
• Suggestion – Panel recommended exploring the feasibility of putting in place a standard terms of reference (ToRs) and standard operating procedures (SOPs) on a single-window clearance system for open-cast mining, on the lines of similar provisions for underground mines.
• Aim – To address the traditional challenges of high capital investment and longer gestation periods.
• Significance – To reaffirm the government's resolve to modernise the coal ecosystem while aligning with the broader vision of sustainable development.

“Bioresource Conservation & Prospection (CSIR-BioCap)”

• It is a CSIR Mission Mode project.
• Aim – To envisages the development of Vitamin-E enriched annatto oil for use in food and cosmetic applications, among others.
• CSIR–CFTRI has developed and successfully demonstrated following post-harvest technologies related to annatto.
  • Annatto Dye Preparation.
  • Annatto Seed Separator.

Annatto

• Annatto is an orange-red condiment and food coloring derived from the seeds of the achiote tree (Bixa orellana).
• Climate –
  • It is a moderately drought tolerant and requires less water.
  • Planting is done during the monsoon season (June to September).
• Plantation in –
  • Visakhapatnam, Srikakulam, Thiruvananthpuram, Malabar and Coromandal coasts.
  • In certain districts of west Bengal, Maharashtra, Assam, Karnataka, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh.
• Usage –   
  • It is often used to impart a yellow or orange color to foods, but sometimes also for its flavor and aroma.
  • It is also used in cosmetics, as a fabric dye, body paint, sunscreen, insect repellent, and medicine.
  • It is also a rich source of anti-oxidants.
  • Used as a spice in many types of food throughout the world.
  • Ground annatto seeds, often mixed with other seeds or spices, are used in the form of paste or powder for culinary use.

Security

Defence Ministerial Meeting

• Held between – India and Netherlands.
• Aim – To reaffirm the strong and steadily expanding defence partnership between the two nations.
• Key highlights –
  • Letter of Intent, provides an institutional framework for advancing defence collaboration.
  • To develop a defence industrial roadmap focusing on technology collaboration, co-production, and co-development of defence platforms and equipment for mutual benefit.

Science

Telecom Technology development Fund (TTDF) Scheme

• Launched on – 1^st October 2022.
• Objectives –
  • To bridge digital divide by developing and manufacturing the state-of the-art indigenous technologies for rural and remote areas.
  • To encourages collaboration between domestic companies/start-ups, academic & research institutions, and MSMEs.
• Approved project – For establishment of 6G test bed at SAMEER (Society for Applied Microwave Electronics Engineering & Research)- Kolkata, an autonomous R&D body under Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology.
  • 3 other consortium members – IIT-Madras, IIT- Guwahati and IIT-Patna.