Daily Current Affairs | 19 November 2025
Daily Current Affairs (19 November 2025) – India recognized significant contributions to water conservation through the 6th National Water Awards and the Jal Sanchay–Jan Bhagidari Awards. Additionally, the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents & Senior Citizens Act 2007 was highlighted due to India’s aging population. Reports emphasized the importance of the International Big Cat Alliance and the conservation status of dugongs.
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6th National Water Awards | UPSC CSE
Why in News: The President of India, Droupadi Murmu, presented the 6th National Water Awards on 18 November 2025, honouring outstanding contributions to water conservation and management across the country.
About the National Water Awards
- Introduced in 2018 to recognise, encourage, and promote exemplary work in water conservation, water resource management, sustainable practices, and community participation.
- Aim to highlight best practices that can be replicated across India to strengthen water security.
6th National Water Awards (2024 Edition)
- Launched: 23 October 2024
- Total applications received: 751
- Total winners selected: 46, including joint awardees
- Awards were presented across 10 different categories, covering a wide range of institutions, individuals, and sectors working on water management.
Best State Category (Top Rankings)
- 1st – Maharashtra
- 2nd – Gujarat
- 3rd – Haryana
These rankings highlight states that have demonstrated model practices in watershed development, groundwater recharge, participatory irrigation, and innovative water-saving initiatives.
Source: PIB
Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari Awards | UPSC CSE
Why in News: The President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu, presented the Jal Sanchay–Jan Bhagidari (JSJB) Awards in New Delhi on 18 November 2025, recognising exemplary community-led water conservation initiatives.
About Jal Sanchay–Jan Bhagidari (JSJB)
- JSJB is an initiative under the Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain (JSA: CTR) campaign.
- It promotes community participation, convergence of government and local resources, and adoption of scalable, replicable models for artificial groundwater recharge.
- The initiative aims to empower local communities to play an active role in water conservation and sustainable water management.
About the JSJB Awards
- Launched in 2024, the awards honour outstanding community-driven efforts in:
- groundwater recharge
- rainwater harvesting
- revival of traditional water bodies
- watershed development
- local-level water governance
- Recognises best practices that can be replicated across districts, villages, and states.
Best Performing State / Union Territory (2025 Awards)
- Rank 1 – Telangana
- Rank 2 – Chhattisgarh
- Rank 3 – Rajasthan
These rankings reflect strong community mobilisation, innovative recharge structures, and effective convergence of schemes such as MGNREGA, Jal Jeevan Mission, and local body initiatives.
Source: PIB
Maintenance and Welfare of Parents & Senior Citizens Act 2007 (MWPSC Act 2007) | UPSC CSE
Why in News: The Department of Social Justice & Empowerment, in collaboration with NALSA, organised a Special Session on the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents & Senior Citizens Act, 2007 (MWPSC Act 2007) — commonly known as the Senior Citizens Act.
The session highlighted the increasing need for legal and social protection of senior citizens in India.
Rising Senior Citizen Population in India
- India’s senior citizen population is projected to increase from 10.38 crore (2011) to 34 crore (2050).
- This major demographic shift underscores the responsibility of the government to ensure that the elderly live with dignity, safety, financial security, and social participation.
MWPSC Act 2007:
- Enacted to provide legal protection and social security for parents and senior citizens.
- Applies to all citizens aged 60 years and above.
- Recognised as a rights-based legislation ensuring responsibility of the family towards its elderly members.
Key Provisions of the Act
- Right to Maintenance:
- Senior citizens who are unable to maintain themselves through their own income or property can seek maintenance from:
- their children (sons, daughters, grandchildren)
- legal heirs of their property
- Senior citizens who are unable to maintain themselves through their own income or property can seek maintenance from:
- Maintenance Tribunals:
- Each State/UT establishes tribunals to ensure speedy and affordable resolution of maintenance claims.
- Monthly Maintenance Amount:
- The Act empowers tribunals to order monthly maintenance up to a prescribed limit (varies across states).
- Abandonment of Parents:
- Abandoning or neglecting parents is a punishable offence under the Act.
- Protection of Life and Property:
- The Act provides safeguards against exploitation, fraud, and forcible eviction of senior citizens from their property.
Source: PIB
National Industrial Classification | UPSC CSE
Why in News: The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) released the National Industrial Classification (NIC) 2025 on 18 November 2025 during the Culmination Ceremony of the 75th anniversary of the National Sample Survey (NSS) and World Statistics Day 2025.
What is the National Industrial Classification (NIC)?
- The NIC is India’s standardised classification system for categorising economic activities.
- It is widely used in:
- statistical surveys
- population and economic censuses
- administrative datasets
- economic research
- policymaking and regulatory frameworks
- It ensures uniformity, comparability, and consistency in collecting and analysing economic data across sectors.
Evolution of India’s NIC System
- India first introduced an industrial classification in 1962.
- It has been periodically updated to reflect structural economic changes and international standards.
- Past versions include:
- NIC 1970
- NIC 1987
- NIC 1990
- NIC 1998
- NIC 2004
- NIC 2008
- NIC 2025 is the latest revision, capturing modern industries, services, and emerging sectors.
NIC 2025 – Key Features
- Prepared by MoSPI in alignment with the International Standard Industrial Classification (ISIC) Revision 5, issued by the UN Statistics Division (UNSD).
- Represents India’s full compliance with the latest UN global statistical classification standards.
- Introduces a new 6-digit coding structure, replacing the 5-digit code used in NIC 2008.
- The expanded coding improves:
- granularity
- sectoral representation
- mapping of new-age industries (digital economy, renewable energy, platforms, logistics, etc.)
- cross-country comparability for global data reporting
Source: PIB
International Big Cat Alliance | UPSC CSE
Why in News: Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav addressed the High-Level Ministerial Segment on the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) at UNFCCC CoP30 in Belém, Brazil.
He announced that India will host a Global Big Cats Summit in 2026 in New Delhi.
Nature and Status
- IBCA became a treaty-based intergovernmental organisation and an international legal entity on 23 January 2025.
- Headquarters: India
- Set up through the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) under the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEFCC).
Launch and Approval
- Launched by the Prime Minister in 2023 during the 50th anniversary of Project Tiger.
- Formally approved by the Union Cabinet in February 2024.
Open Membership:
- Available to all UN member states—both:
- Range countries (where big cats naturally occur), and
- Non-range countries interested in supporting global big cat conservation.
Objective and Species Covered
- IBCA seeks to coordinate global efforts for the conservation of seven major big cats:
- Tiger
- Lion
- Leopard
- Snow Leopard
- Cheetah
- Jaguar
- Puma
- India hosts 5 out of these 7 species, except:
- Puma
- Jaguar
India’s Role and Contributions
- India is the host country and the location of the IBCA Secretariat.
- India has committed ₹150 crore (2023–2028) for IBCA operations and is exploring additional financing via bilateral, multilateral and donor partnerships.
Source: PIB
Macaulay | UPSC CSE
Why in News: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during the Sixth Ramnath Goenka Lecture, urged a 10-year national pledge to shed the colonial mindset that he said is rooted in Macaulay’s legacy.
He proposed a timeframe leading up to 1835–2035 (200 years) of Macaulay’s educational intervention to reverse its psychological and cultural impact.
Who Was Macaulay?
- Thomas Babington Macaulay was a British historian and politician.
- His most influential intervention in India was the Macaulay Minute on Education, submitted on 2 February 1835.
- He pushed for the replacement of traditional Indian education with English-based, Western-oriented learning, fundamentally reshaping India’s education system during colonial rule.
Macaulay’s Legacy – PM Modi’s Critique
- According to the PM, Macaulay’s goal was to create a class of Indians who were:
- “Indian in appearance, but British at heart.”
- The PM argued that Macaulay’s influence:
- broke India’s self-confidence
- created a belief that Western knowledge is superior
- invalidated thousands of years of India’s knowledge, culture, science, and traditions
- He called for India to consciously move away from colonial frameworks in education, law, governance and mindset.
Macaulay’s Minute on Education (1835)
- A landmark document in the history of colonial education.
- Advocated:
- introduction of English as the medium of instruction
- funding only Western-style education
- rejection of support for classical Indian languages like Sanskrit and Persian
- Purpose:
- to create a class of Indians educated in Western knowledge who would act as intermediaries between the British rulers and Indian subjects.
Downward Filtration Theory
- Proposed in the Macaulay Minute (1835).
- Key Features:
- Education should be provided only to a small upper-class elite.
- These elites would then “filter down” or “trickle down” Western knowledge to the masses.
- Outcome:
- Led to an educational and social divide, with benefits accruing mostly to upper classes.
- Most of the population remained uneducated or minimally educated, while English-educated elites gained prominence.
Source: Indian Express
Sentinel-6B | UPSC CSE
Why in News: Sentinel-6B, a U.S.–Europe collaborative satellite, has been launched to strengthen global sea-level monitoring, continuing a multi-decade satellite record of ocean height measurements.
About Sentinel-6B
- Joint Mission Partners:
- NASA (United States)
- NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S.)
- European Space Agency (ESA)
- Part of a long-running transatlantic partnership on ocean and climate monitoring.
- Mission Background:
- Continues a series of satellite missions (Sentinel-6A) that began in the 1990s (e.g., TOPEX/Poseidon, Jason series).
- These missions form the most accurate and long-term global dataset on sea-level rise, a key indicator of climate change.
Mission Objectives
- Provide highly precise sea-surface height measurements to monitor:
- global sea-level rise
- ocean circulation
- climate change impacts
- marine heatwaves and coastal flooding risks
- Supports both scientific climate research and operational systems such as weather forecasting and ocean modelling.
Source: Indian Express
Sea Cow | UPSC CSE
Why in News: A new report released at the IUCN Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi has highlighted the critical threats to India’s dugong (sea cow) population, warning that their long-term survival is highly uncertain in several Indian regions.
What are Dugongs?
- Scientific name: Dugong dugon
- Commonly known as sea cows due to their herbivorous diet of seagrass.
- Marine mammals related to manatees, with:
- a gentle disposition (source of ancient mermaid myths)
- a distinctive dolphin-like tail fluke
- Size: up to 10 feet long and around 420 kg in weight.
- They are exclusive seagrass feeders, making them crucial for the health of seagrass ecosystems.
Distribution in India
Dugongs are primarily found in:
- Gulf of Kutch (Gujarat)
- Gulf of Mannar–Palk Bay region (Tamil Nadu–Sri Lanka)
- Andaman & Nicobar Islands
Report Findings:
- Long-term survival is:
- “Highly uncertain” in the Gulf of Kutch
- “Challenging” in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands
- Population in Gulf of Mannar–Palk Bay is “much lower” than in the recent past.
Conservation Status
- IUCN Red List: Vulnerable (facing a high risk of extinction in the wild).
- India: Listed under Schedule I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, giving them the highest legal protection.
Ecological Significance
- Dugongs are keystone species essential for:
- maintaining seagrass meadows
- enhancing marine biodiversity
- improving coastal carbon sequestration (blue carbon)
- stabilising sediments in shallow waters
- Healthy seagrass beds also support fish nurseries, crustaceans, and nutrient cycling.
Threats to Dugongs in India
- Loss and degradation of seagrass habitats due to coastal development, pollution, and sedimentation.
- Entanglement in fishing nets, particularly gillnets.
- Boat strikes in shallow coastal waters.
- Poaching for meat, oil, and body parts (despite legal protection).
- Climate change impacts on seagrass and coastal habitats.
- Small isolated populations, increasing risk of local extinction.
Government Conservation Efforts
1. National Dugong Task Force (2010)
- Set up by MoEFCC to examine conservation issues and propose actionable plans.
2. National Dugong Recovery Programme
- Implemented jointly with:
- Tamil Nadu
- Gujarat
- Andaman & Nicobar Islands
Aims to restore seabeds, reduce threats, and improve monitoring.
3. Dugong Conservation Reserve, Tamil Nadu (2022)
- India’s first Dugong Conservation Reserve, located in Palk Bay.
- Covers 448 sq km.
- Focuses on:
- protecting seagrass meadows
- reducing fishing threats
- improving coastal ecosystem management
- involving local communities in conservation
Source: Indian Express
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