📊 Index & Rankings
Deepinder Goyal, founder of Eternal (formerly Zomato), topped the Hurun India Top 200 Self-Made Entrepreneurs 2025 list.
He overtook Radhakishan Damani of DMart.
| Rank | Entrepreneur | Company |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Deepinder Goyal | Eternal (Zomato) |
| 2 | Radhakishan Damani | DMart |
Eternal’s valuation surged 27% to ₹3.2 lakh crore. The ranking reflects strong startup-driven wealth creation, rising entry thresholds for entrepreneurs, and India’s expanding technology-led business ecosystem.
🇮🇳 National News
The Lok Sabha has approved the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) [VB-G RAM G] Bill, 2025, which replaces the long-standing MGNREGA framework to overhaul rural employment delivery.
The legislation increases the guaranteed employment days from 100 to 125 days annually for rural households. A 60-day agricultural pause has been introduced to align employment provisions with peak farming seasons.
Technology-Led Governance Features:
- Biometric attendance systems
- AI-based fraud detection
- GPS-enabled worksite monitoring
The Bill brings in state-wise expenditure ceilings along with a revised cost-sharing mechanism between the Centre and states. It focuses on creating durable rural assets, enhancing climate resilience, and faster wage disbursals.
Concerns Raised:
- Increased financial burden on states
- Potential digital exclusion of vulnerable groups
- Risks to landless labourers dependent on continuous wage employment
Parliament has passed the SHANTI Bill, 2025, with final approval from the Rajya Sabha on 18 December 2025.
The Bill grants statutory status to the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), strengthening nuclear safety oversight in India.
Key Provisions:
- Enhanced regulatory mechanisms for nuclear installations, radiation safety, and emergency preparedness
- Formal recognition of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and Bharat Small Reactors
- Expanded definition of nuclear damage to include environmental harm
- Limited private sector participation in nuclear energy under strict supervision
- Reinforced cybersecurity and digital safeguards for nuclear facilities
India has set an ambitious target of achieving 100 GW of nuclear power capacity by 2047.
India will establish its first-ever Forest University in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, marking a major advancement in environmental education.
The university will be spread across 125 acres, located near the Jatayu Conservation and Breeding Centre.
Academic Programmes:
- Forestry and Agroforestry
- Social forestry
- Wildlife conservation
- Environmental sciences
The institution will emphasize hands-on, field-based training. Key objectives include developing skilled forestry professionals, promoting research and innovation, supporting sustainable forest management, and strengthening India’s climate action and biodiversity conservation efforts.
Bannerghatta Biological Park (BBP) near Bengaluru has imported eight black-capped capuchin monkeys (Sapajus apella) from South Africa.
The import was conducted under a formal animal exchange programme.
Initiative Aims:
- Improve genetic diversity
- Promote scientific zoo management
- Strengthen ex-situ conservation practices
The animals are currently undergoing mandatory quarantine and medical examinations.
The import was approved by Central Zoo Authority (CZA), Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), and Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB). The move reflects India’s adherence to international conservation norms and standards.
Jharkhand has approved the Platform Based Gig Workers (Registration and Welfare) Act, 2025, with Governor Santosh Gangwar granting assent.
The Act creates a formal welfare and social security framework for gig and platform-based workers.
Workers Covered:
- Delivery services
- Transport platforms
- On-demand digital services
A Gig Workers’ Welfare Board will be constituted to register workers, issue identity cards, and implement welfare schemes.
Mandated Provisions:
- Minimum wages
- Medical insurance
- Social security benefits
Aggregators violating the Act may face penalties of up to ₹10 lakh. Jharkhand becomes one of the early states to regulate the gig economy comprehensively.
Exercise Desert Cyclone II, the second joint military exercise between India and the U.A.E., is being held in Abu Dhabi from 18 to 30 December 2025.
A 45-member Indian Army contingent is participating in the exercise.
Key Focus Areas:
- Interoperability enhancement
- Urban warfare tactics
- Sub-conventional operations under UN mandates
Exercise Components:
- Joint operational planning
- Heliborne operations
- Integration of UAVs and counter-UAV systems
The exercise highlights growing defence cooperation, strategic trust, and military diplomacy between India and the UAE.
Odisha will host the Regional AI Impact Conference, aligned with the India AI Impact Summit 2026.
“Planet, People, Progress”
Key Focus Areas:
- Sustainable development
- Inclusive economic growth
- AI applications in health, education, disaster management, and social welfare
The event will showcase Odisha’s AI vision and policy roadmap along with the state’s innovation ecosystem.
Bhasha Dham, an AI-driven initiative to promote the Odia language, will be launched at the conference.
The conference aims to position Odisha as a major AI innovation hub.
Jharkhand won their first-ever Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) title in the 2025–26 season.
In the final held at Pune, Jharkhand defeated Haryana by 69 runs.
| Player | Score | Balls |
|---|---|---|
| Ishan Kishan | 101 | 49 |
| Kumar Kushagra | 81 | 38 |
Jharkhand posted 262/3, the highest total ever in a T20 final. The duo stitched a massive 177-run partnership. Jharkhand became the 12th team to win the SMAT, marking a historic milestone.
💼 Business & Economy
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has permitted the issuance of zero-coupon bonds in denominations as low as ₹10,000, announced on 18 December 2025.
Earlier, such bonds were largely inaccessible to retail investors due to the absence of periodic interest payments.
Move Aims To:
- Encourage greater retail participation
- Improve market liquidity
- Enhance portfolio diversification
The reform aligns with SEBI’s objective of deepening India’s corporate bond market and offering more flexibility to issuers.
🌐 International News
Brazil officially transferred the BRICS presidency to India on 12 December 2025 during the 4th BRICS Sherpas Meeting.
The handover ceremony featured the Amazon gavel, symbolizing sustainability and institutional continuity.
India will assume the BRICS leadership in 2026.
India’s Priorities Will Include:
- Climate disaster risk reduction
- Responsible and ethical AI
- Scientific and technological cooperation
- Reforms in global governance institutions
The transition underscores strong cooperation among BRICS nations and a shared commitment to Global South development issues.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was awarded The First Class of the Order of Oman, the highest civilian honour of Oman, during his visit to Muscat.
This is the 29th international state honour received by PM Modi.
The award has previously been conferred on global leaders such as Nelson Mandela and Queen Elizabeth II.
PM Modi held talks with Sultan Haitham bin Tarik and witnessed the signing of the India–Oman Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).
CEPA Aims To:
- Boost trade and investment
- Strengthen supply chains
- Generate employment
- Promote Ayush and traditional Indian medicine exports
👔 Appointments
Bharti Airtel announced key leadership changes on 18 December 2025.
| Name | New Role |
|---|---|
| Shashwat Sharma | MD & CEO, Airtel India |
| Gopal Vittal | Executive Vice Chairman |
| Somen Ray | Group CFO |
| Akhil Garg | CFO, Airtel India |
| Rohit Krishan Puri | Company Secretary & Compliance Officer |
| Pankaj Tewari | Group Company Secretary (continuing) |
Shashwat Sharma will assume charge from 1 January 2026, for a five-year term, subject to shareholder approval.
🔬 Science & Technology
An Indian team won a top global award at the NASA Space Apps Challenge 2025.
The Chennai-based team Photonics Odyssey received the Most Inspirational Award.
The team proposed a sovereign phased-array satellite internet system aimed at providing broadband connectivity to over 700 million people in India lacking internet access.
The NASA Space Apps Challenge, launched in 2012, is the world’s largest global hackathon.
The 2025 edition saw participation from over 1.14 lakh individuals across 167 countries.
🕊️ Obituaries
Peter Arnett, Pulitzer Prize–winning war correspondent, passed away at the age of 91 in California.
He was battling prostate cancer.
Born in New Zealand, he won the 1966 Pulitzer Prize for his reporting on the Vietnam War.
He gained global recognition for his live CNN broadcasts from Baghdad during the 1991 Gulf War.
Major Conflicts Covered:
- Vietnam War
- Gulf War
- Iraq War
He is remembered for his fearless frontline journalism and lasting contribution to conflict reporting.
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