Daily Insights December 3, 2025

Daily Insights December 3, 2025

1. Mandatory Pre-Installation of Sanchar Saathi App: Privacy Concerns Mount

Source: The Hindu | Indian Express

Key Points:

• The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) on November 28, 2025, directed smartphone manufacturers to pre-install the Sanchar Saathi app on all new devices within 90 days​​

• The app integrates tools for checking IMEI authenticity, blocking stolen phones, and reporting fraudulent phone calls​

• Opposition leaders termed it “dictatorial” and compared it to mass surveillance, citing Pegasus spyware concerns​​

• Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia clarified the app can be deleted if users choose, but the notification mandates it “cannot be disabled”​​

• Cybersecurity experts warn of “root access” permissions that pre-installed apps have within the phone’s operating system​

• Digital rights activists raised concerns about potential for malware delivery via over-the-air updates​

• Apple has reportedly refused to comply with the directive, citing global policy and privacy concerns​

• Legal experts note the mandate may fail the Supreme Court’s “three-fold constitutional test” laid down in K.S. Puttaswamy judgment (2017)​​

• Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge termed it “BJP’s attempt to strangulate people’s voice”​

• The app has so far helped detect 1.75 crore fraudulent mobile connections and recover 7.5 lakh stolen phones​

• The Telecom Cyber Security Rules, 2024 were amended in November to allow DoT to target a wide range of firms using mobile numbers for user identification​

• The directive raises questions about proportionality as less intrusive alternatives (web portals, SMS-based checks) already exist​​

2. Kerala’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) Plea: Supreme Court Intervenes

Source: The Hindu

Key Points:

• Supreme Court found Kerala’s plea for extending the SIR enumeration phase beyond December 13 as “entirely just and fair“​

• A Bench headed by CJI Surya Kant directed Kerala to make a representation to the Election Commission by December 3​

• Kerala is on the cusp of elections to 1,200 local self-government institutions comprising 23,612 wards​

• The EC had extended the deadline from December 4 to December 11 amid reports of Booth-Level Officers (BLOs) collapsing under work pressure​

• Multiple states including West Bengal and Tamil Nadu have separately challenged the Constitutionality of SIR in the Supreme Court​

• Kerala government cited an “administrative impasse” with both SIR and local body elections happening simultaneously​

• The State requires deployment of 1,76,000 personnel for election duties and 68,000 police personnel for security​

• In West Bengal, over 2,000 booths are under scanner for recording zero dead or duplicate voters​

• West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee announced ₹2 lakh compensation for families of those who died during SIR, including 4 BLOs​

• Petitioners argued this is the first time since 1950 that EC is preparing electoral rolls from a “clean slate”​

• SIR critics claim it shifts the burden of proof to voters and sets unrealistic deadlines for document verification​

• Opposition parties continue demanding urgent parliamentary debate on SIR exercise​

3. India’s Environmental Crisis: A Policy Failure

Source: The Hindu Editorial

Key Points:

• The Modi Government has declared hills below 100 metres in the Aravalli range exempt from mining strictures, potentially affecting 90% of the range​

• Aravalli range serves as a barrier against desertification from the Thar Desert to the Gangetic Plains​

• The Central Ground Water Board reported 13-15% of tested groundwater samples in Delhi contain uranium beyond permissible limits​

• Punjab and Haryana samples show even higher uranium contamination levels​

• Air pollution estimates attribute up to 34,000 deaths annually in just 10 cities​

• The Forest Conservation Amendment Act, 2023 exempted large categories of land from forest clearance rules​

• The CRZ Notification 2018 eased construction rules along India’s ecologically sensitive coastlines​

• The National Clean Air Programme remains largely underfunded with allocated funds underutilised​

• The National Tiger Conservation Authority called for eviction of 65,000 families from tiger reserves in June 2024​

• Proposed developments in Great Nicobar, Hasdeo Aranya (Chhattisgarh), and Dhirauli (Madhya Pradesh) threaten forests​

• The article calls for withdrawal of amendments to Forest Conservation Act, 1980 and restoration of the National Green Tribunal​

• Electoral bonds data revealed connections between environmental clearances and corporate donations to the ruling party​

4. Indian Ocean Security: Colombo Security Conclave Deepens Regional Cooperation

Source: The Hindu Editorial

Key Points:

• India hosted the 7th NSA-level summit of the Colombo Security Conclave (CSC) on November 20, 2025​

• Member countries include India, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Mauritius, and Bangladesh; Seychelles (observer) and Malaysia (guest) also participated​

• Seychelles was admitted as a full member at this summit​

• The CSC, initiated as a trilateral grouping in 2011, was reconvened in 2020​

• Focus areas include maritime security, counter-terrorism, trafficking, organised crime, and cybersecurity​

• For India, the CSC addresses concerns about growing Chinese presence in the Indian Ocean Region​

• Member countries do not view Chinese presence as a major security challenge due to their dependence on Beijing as a developmental partner​

• The summit underscores the importance of institutionalising cooperation beyond NSA-level structures​

• Domestic uncertainties in Bangladesh may affect the group’s future resilience​

• India continues to position itself as the “Preferred Security Partner” in the IOR guided by the MAHASAGAR vision​

• Malaysia’s participation as a guest may pave the way for further expansion of the group​

• The CSC aims to fill gaps in the fragmented Indian Ocean maritime security architecture​

5. Privacy in a ‘Fishbowl Society’: Surveillance Concerns

Source: The Hindu Editorial

Key Points:

• The article explores growing concerns about citizens living in a “fishbowl society” under constant surveillance​

• The Sanchar Saathi mandate represents a shift toward making mobile phones potential instruments of digital supervision​

• The Supreme Court’s K.S. Puttaswamy judgment (2017) established privacy as a fundamental right​

• Any state intrusion into privacy must satisfy tests of legality, necessity, and proportionality​

• Pre-installed apps typically have elevated permissions and root access within operating systems​

• The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 amended RTI provisions through Section 8(1)(j)​

• Concerns raised about government exemptions under DPDP Act shielding state-run applications from privacy regulations​

• The article references the Pegasus scandal where phones of 100+ Indians including Opposition leaders and journalists were allegedly targeted​

• Critics argue that compulsory pre-installation “undermines the principle of informed consent“​

• The app’s source code is not open, raising transparency concerns​

• Cybersecurity experts suggest the app could be a “Panopticon” rather than a simple verification tool​

• The government had opposed making citizen’s privacy a Fundamental Right in the Supreme Court​

6. Delhi Pollution: Farm Fires Not the Primary Culprit

Source: The Hindu Editorial | India Today

Key Points:

• Centre informed Parliament of 90% reduction in stubble burning incidents in Punjab and Haryana in 2025 compared to 2022​

• Despite this, Delhi-NCR’s AQI breached severe category (450+)​

• Supreme Court questioned the persistent focus on farmers, asking why clear blue skies were visible during COVID-19 despite stubble burning​

• A CSE report found vehicular emissions are the biggest contributors to Delhi’s winter pollution​

• Farm fires’ contribution stayed below 5% for most of early winter, peaking at 22% only briefly on November 12-13​

• Daily synchronised rise of PM2.5, NO2, and CO from vehicles and combustion sources creates a “toxic cocktail“​

• 22 monitoring stations recorded carbon monoxide above safe eight-hour limits on more than 30 of first 59 days​

• Delhi recorded 200 “good” air quality days (AQI < 200) in 2025, up from 110 in 2016​

• Very poor and severe days reduced from 71 in 2024 to 50 in 2025​

• Over 2.6 lakh crop residue management machines distributed to farmers​

• 31 CPCB flying squads deployed in hotspot districts for monitoring​

• Punjab recorded over 5,000 farm fire incidents (October-November 2025)​

7. Why Is There No Peace in Ukraine?

Source: The Hindu Editorial | Reuters

Key Points:

• Putin met with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner for nearly 5 hours at the Kremlin on December 2, 2025​

• Kremlin announced “no compromise” was reached on territorial issues​

• Russia demands Ukraine relinquish territories in Donbas, abandon NATO aspirations, and accept limits on its military​

• A leaked 28-point US peace proposal was seen as heavily favoring Moscow​

• Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy shifted demands from “just peace” to “dignified peace,” reflecting weakening position​

• Trump had initially set a Thanksgiving deadline for Ukraine to accept the peace plan​

• Putin visited India on December 4-5, 2025, his first since the Ukraine war began in 2022​

• Delhi has stake in stable peace as the war stresses India’s multi-alignment doctrine​

• Russia’s dependence on China has increased due to the war, creating an unfavorable environment for India​

• Trump imposed additional 25% tariff on Indian exports citing Russia oil purchases​

• India’s imports of Russian oil expected to reach lowest levels in three years this December​

• The conflict has lasted over three and a half years with no resolution in sight​

8. WHO Backs GLP-1 Drugs for Weight Loss: First Global Guidelines

Source: The Hindu | WHO

Key Points:

• WHO released its first global guideline on using GLP-1 therapies for treating obesity on December 1, 2025​

• Obesity affects more than 1 billion people worldwide and was associated with 3.7 million deaths in 2024​

• Without action, obesity cases are projected to double by 2030​

• The guidelines specifically cover three drugs: liraglutide, semaglutide (Wegovy), and tirzepatide (Zepbound)​

• WHO issued “conditional recommendations” due to limited data on long-term efficacy and safety​

• GLP-1 drugs mimic hormones that slow digestion and reduce appetite, leading to weight loss​

• Most people taking them lose at least 5% of their body weight​

• The guideline emphasizes medication alone won’t solve the obesity crisis​

• WHO recommends combining drugs with healthy diet, physical activity, and professional support​

• In September 2025, WHO added GLP-1 therapies to its Essential Medicines List for type 2 diabetes​

• WHO calls for urgent action on manufacturing, affordability, and system readiness​

• The guideline addresses potential equity implications of these expensive therapies​

9. Navy Day 2025: India Celebrates Maritime Might at Shanghumugham Beach

Source: PIB | News on AIR

Key Points:

• Navy Day 2025 celebrated with grand Operational Demonstration at Shangumugham Beach, Thiruvananthapuram on December 3-4​

• President Droupadi Murmu graced the occasion as Chief Guest​

• Event hosted by Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, Chief of the Naval Staff​

• Demonstration showcased indigenously built platforms reflecting Aatmanirbhar Bharat​

• Featured coordinated manoeuvres by surface, sub-surface, and aerial assets​

• Highlighted Navy’s preparedness demonstrated during Operation Sindoor​

• The event marks continuation of taking celebrations beyond major naval stations (earlier held at Puri and Sindhudurg)​

• Vice Admiral Sameer Saxena stated Navy has its “eyes on Chinese activities” in the Indian Ocean​

• Navy aims to be completely indigenous by 2027​

• A new naval detachment on Bitra Island (Lakshadweep) will be fully operational by next year​

• Navy Day commemorates the 1971 Operation Trident attack on Karachi harbour​

• Theme reflects Navy as “Combat Ready, Cohesive, Credible, Aatmanirbhar Force“​

10. Asom Diwas: Celebrating Assam’s Rich Heritage

Source: PIB

Key Points:

• Asom Diwas (also called Sukaphaa Divas) celebrated on December 2 annually​

• Day commemorates the arrival of Chaolung Sukaphaa in Assam in 1228 CE after crossing Patkai Hills​

• PM Modi extended greetings reiterating commitment to fulfilling the vision of Swargadeo Chaolung Sukapha​

• The NDA governments at Centre and Assam working to boost physical and social infrastructure​

• Steps taken to popularise Tai-Ahom culture and Tai language​

• Home Minister Amit Shah noted the Modi government ushered in an “era of peace” in Assam over 9 years​

• Assam being transformed into a “hub of development and education“​

• The day strengthens bond of unity and cultural connection​

• Chaolung Sukaphaa founded the Ahom dynasty that ruled Assam for nearly 600 years​

• The Ahom era is credited with resisting Mughal invasions and maintaining Assam’s independence​

• Government initiatives focus on benefiting the youth of Assam​

• The day celebrates Assamese identity and cultural pride​

11. NICRA: Building Climate Resilience in Agriculture

Source: PIB

Key Points:

• NICRA (National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture) implemented by ICAR studies climate change impact on agriculture​

• District-level risk assessment conducted for 651 predominantly agricultural districts per IPCC protocols​

• 310 districts identified as vulnerable: 109 as “very high” and 201 as “highly” vulnerable​

• Climate-resilient technologies demonstrated in 448 Climate Resilient Villages through KVKs​

• Technologies include: System of Rice Intensification, aerobic rice, direct seeding of rice, zero-till wheat sowing​

• Drought and flood-tolerant varieties of rice, wheat, soybean, mustard, chickpea, sorghum demonstrated​

• Village-level seed banks and community nurseries established under NICRA​

• Gramin Krishi Mausam Sewa (GKMS) provides 5-day weather forecasts at district and block levels​

• Meghdoot mobile app provides weather information in 13 regional languages​

• PMFBY has disbursed claims of ₹1,90,374 crore to approximately 2,301 lakh farmers since Kharif 2016​

• Organic farming promoted through PKVY covering 16.90 lakh hectares benefitting 28.24 lakh farmers​

• Information provided by MoS Agriculture Ramnath Thakur in Lok Sabha​

12. Digital Literacy Among Farmers: Bridging the Technology Gap

Source: PIB

Key Points:

• Government making digital applications available in local languages through Bhashini Platform integration​

• Farmers without mobile phones can access services through FPOs, Krishi Sakhis, and CSCs​

• Digital Agriculture Mission approved in September 2024 with outlay of ₹2,817 crore​

• AgriStack (Digital Public Infrastructure) comprises three registries: Farmers’ Registry, Geo-referenced Village Maps, Crop Sown Registry​

• Target: Creating digital identities for 11 crore farmers over three years​

• Digital Crop Survey (DCS) provides accurate, real-time crop area information​

• Krishi-DSS integrates satellite, weather, soil, and water data for evidence-based decision-making​

• AI methods employed to improve crop productivity and sustainability​

• Under FASAL programme, satellite-based crop estimates generated for 11 major crops​

• Space-based inputs used under PMFBY for Crop Cutting Experiments​

• Soil Resource Mapping at 1:10,000 scale being done by SLUSI​

• 19 states have signed MoUs with Ministry of Agriculture for AgriStack implementation​

13. Rupee Breaches 90-Mark: Currency Crisis Deepens

Source: Indian Express | Money Control

Key Points:

• Indian rupee crossed 90-mark against US dollar for the first time on December 3, 2025​

• Rupee fell to a record low of 90.14, down 18 paise from previous close​

• FPI outflows for Calendar 2025 stand at ₹1,48,010 crore – the worst ever calendar-wise​

• December FPI outflows already hit ₹4,335 crore (till December 2)​

• Rupee depreciated over 4.8% year-to-date in 2025​

• RBI’s Real Effective Exchange Rate (REER) at 97.47 signals rupee is now “undervalued”​

• The decline linked to stalled India-US trade deal and limited RBI intervention​

• IMF reclassified India’s forex framework as a “crawl-like arrangement” with rating ‘C’​

• RBI deployed $38 billion to defend rupee till September 2025​

• Analysts warn rupee might hit 91 levels if RBI support eases at 90​

• RBI MPC meeting underway (December 3-5); rate decision on December 5​

• A weak rupee makes imports costlier, potentially impacting inflation and EMIs​

14. Putin’s India Visit: 23rd Annual Summit Begins December 4

Source: MEA | Reuters

Key Points:

• President Vladimir Putin to visit India on December 4-5, 2025 at PM Modi’s invitation​

• This marks the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit​

• First Putin visit to India since December 2021 (before Ukraine war)​

• President Putin will hold talks with PM Modi and meet President Droupadi Murmu​

• Summit will review Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership​

• Expected discussions on S-400 missile system and Su-57 fighter jets purchases​​

• A mobility agreement may be signed enabling Indian professionals to work in Russia​

• Launch of Russia Today’s India operations expected​

• Kremlin stated they “understand pressure on India” from the US over Russia ties​

• India’s imports of Russian oil expected to reach lowest in 3 years in December​

• Trump imposed 25% additional tariff on India citing Russian oil purchases​

• Columnists suggest visit is opportunity to reinvent India-Russia ties beyond defence​

15. GPS Spoofing: A Growing Threat to Aviation Safety

Source: DGCA | News on AIR

Key Points:

• Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu confirmed GPS spoofing incidents near IGI Airport, Delhi​

• GNSS Interference reports being received from Kolkata, Amritsar, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, and Chennai airports​

• 465 GPS spoofing incidents reported between November 2023 and February 2025, mostly in Amritsar and Jammu areas​

• DGCA issued Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) on November 10 for real-time reporting within 10 minutes of occurrence​

• Wireless Monitoring Organisation (WMO) directed to identify sources of interference​

• GPS/GNSS spoofing refers to attempts to manipulate navigation systems with false signals​

• Spoofing is a key concern as false signals could bring aircraft closer than permitted separation​

• Contingency procedures used for GPS-spoofed flights approaching IGI Delhi’s Runway 10​

• Operations on other runways remained unaffected due to conventional navigational aids​

• DGCA issued advisory circular in November 2023 for addressing GNSS interference​

• Spoofing cases increase concerns about airspace congestion and flight safety​

• AAI requested WMO to track origin of interference using DGCA-shared location data

PIB

The Hindu

Daily Insights