UPSC Prelims Current Affairs for 23 December 2025

Kuttanad Wetland Agricultural System

December 23, 2025

Kuttanad Wetland Agricultural System Latest News

Recently, the soil tests in Kuttanad paddy fields which are part of Kuttanad Wetland Agricultural System in Kerala showed increased level of aluminium concentrations in paddy fields.

About Kuttanad Wetland Agricultural System

It is unique and the only system in India that favours rice cultivation below sea level.
The Kuttanad system is a complex mosaic of fragmented agricultural landscapes divided in three structures:
Wetlands used for paddy activities and fish catching,
Garden lands used for coconut, tubers and food crops plantation
Water areas used as inland fishing and shells
Recognition: The Kuttanad Below Sea-level Farming System recognised under Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) of Food And Agriculture Organisation.

Impact of Aluminium on soil and Plants

Aluminium becomes more soluble and toxic as soil pH drops below five.
Excessive aluminium damages the plant root system and severely interferes with the absorption of essential nutrients such as phosphorus, calcium, potassium, and magnesium.

Key Facts about Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems

The Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) is a Food and Agriculture Organization’s programme launched at the World Summit for Sustainable Development in 2002.
It is aiming to strike a balance between conservation, sustainable adaptation and socioeconomic development.
India’s GIAHS Include
- Koraput region (Odisha): It is renowned for its subsistence paddy cultivation, predominantly on highland slopes.
- Kuttanad system (Kerala): It is a unique below-sea-level farming landscape.
- Saffron Park of Kashmir: It represents a rich agro-pastoral system characterized by traditional saffron cultivation.

Source: TH

Kuttanad Wetland Agricultural System FAQs

Q1: Kuttanad Wetland Agricultural System is located in?

Ans: Kerala

Q2: Kuttanad's farming involves cultivation in?

Ans: Low-lying wetland areas

GhostPairing

December 23, 2025

GhostPairing Latest News

Recently, the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) has issued an advisory about an active threat campaign which targets WhatsApp users by using a new technique called GhostPairing.

About GhostPairing

GhostPairing is a type of WhatsApp attack where hackers secretly link their own device to a victim’s WhatsApp account.
It gives hackers almost full access without the victim noticing.
GhostPairing' allows cybercriminals to take complete control of WhatsApp accounts without requiring passwords or SIM swaps.
The threat actors can take over WhatsApp accounts without authorisation by tricking potential victims into entering the pairing codes.

Modus Operandi of GhostPairing

GhostPairing begins with victims receiving a message from a trusted contact that reads: “Hi, check this photo”.
The message contains a link with a Facebook-style preview.
The link leads to a fake Facebook viewer that prompts users to “verify” to see the content.
Then, the attackers attempt to trick potential victims into entering their phone number and code.
By following a sequence of steps, victims unknowingly grant attackers full access to their WhatsApp accounts.

Source: IE

GhostPairing FAQs

Q1: What is the primary method used in the GhostPairing scam?

Ans: Exploiting WhatsApp's device-linking feature

Q2: How does the GhostPairing scam typically start?

Ans: Attackers send messages with links from "trusted contacts"

Anjadip Ship

December 23, 2025

Anjadip Ship Latest News

Recently, the ‘Anjadip’ Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft was delivered to the Indian Navy at Chennai.

About Anjadip Ship

It is the third of eight Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft.
It is indigenously designed and built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata.
The ship derives its name from Anjadip Island located off the coast of Karwar, Karnataka.
The ship is a reincarnation of the erstwhile INS Anjadip, a Petya class Corvette decommissioned in 2003.
- The ASW SWC ships have been designed and constructed as per the Classification Rules of Indian Register of Shipping (IRS) under a Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) of GRSE with M/s L&T Shipyard, Kattupalli.

Features of Anjadip Ship

Capacity: It has displacement capacity of 900 tons with a maximum speed of 25 knots and an endurance of 1,800 nautical miles.
It is the largest Indian Naval Warship propelled by Waterjets.
These are equipped with state of the art Lightweight Torpedoes, indigenously designed Anti-Submarine Rockets and shallow water SONAR.
The ship stands as a testament to the growing domestic defence manufacturing ecosystem and reducing dependency on imports.
Significance: The ship will strengthen Navy’s Anti-Submarine, coastal surveillance and mine laying capabilities.

Source: PIB

Anjadip Ship FAQs

Q1: Which is the first indigenous anti-submarine warfare shallow water craft in India?

Ans: INS Mahe

Q2: What is the meaning of Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Watercraft?

Ans: Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) involves operations aimed at detecting, tracking, and destroying enemy submarines.

Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) Mission

December 23, 2025

Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) Mission Latest News

NASA has lost contact with its Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft, the Mars orbiter that has worked for more than a decade to study how the planet’s atmosphere is escaping into space.

About Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) Mission

It is the first spacecraft mission dedicated to surveying the upper atmosphere of Mars.
It is part of NASA's Mars Exploration Program, an unprecedented, multi-decade campaign to comprehensively understand Mars and its suitability to host past or present life.
It aims to understand the role that loss of atmospheric gas to space played in changing the Martian climate over time.
It was launched in November 2013 and arrived at Mars in September 2014.
MAVEN orbits Mars every 3.5 hours and gets as close as 150 km to its surface.
It carries three packages of instruments.
- One package studies the solar wind and its impact on Mars’s ionosphere. (Since Mars has no magnetic field, its atmosphere would be slowly removed by interaction with the solar wind.)
- The second package is an ultraviolet spectrometer that studies the upper atmosphere.
- The third package is a mass spectrometer that studies the composition of the upper atmosphere.
MAVEN found that Mars lost about 2/3 of its early atmosphere to space.

Source: TH

Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) Mission FAQs

Q1: What is the primary focus of the MAVEN mission?

Ans: Studying the upper atmosphere of Mars.

Q2: Which space agency launched the MAVEN mission?

Ans: NASA

Q3: What does MAVEN aim to understand about Mars?

Ans: How atmospheric gases were lost to space and how it affected Martian climate.

Q4: When was the MAVEN spacecraft launched?

Ans: November 2013.

Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE)

December 23, 2025

Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) Latest News

The Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) will prepare a district-wise report on which hills meet the criteria to be considered part of the Aravalli Range, but strictly for the purposes of mining, the Union Environment Minister said recently.

About Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE)

It is the apex body in the national research system in the area of forestry.
It is an autonomous organization under the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEF & CC), Government of India.
Mission: To generate, advance, and disseminate scientific knowledge and technologies for ecological security, improved productivity, livelihood enhancement, and sustainable use of forest resources through forestry research and education.
Headquarters: Dehradun
History:
- The journey of ICFRE was initiated way back towards the end of the nineteenth century with the advent of scientific forestry in India and the establishment of the Forest School in Dehradun in 1878.
- It was on 5th June 1906, subsequently, that the Imperial Forest Research Institute was founded by the Government of India for taking forward forestry research in the country.
- In 1986 the ICFRE was formed as an umbrella organisation for taking care of the forestry research, education, and extension needs of the country.
- Finally, on 1st June 1991, the ICFRE was declared an autonomous Council under the then Ministry of Environment and Forests.
Presently, ICFRE, with its headquarters at Dehradun, has a pan-India presence with its 9 Regional Research Institutes and 5 Centers in different biogeographical regions of the country.
The regional research institutes are located at Jodhpur, Dehradun, Shimla, Hyderabad, Coimbatore, Ranchi, Bengaluru, Jorhat, and Jabalpur, and the centres are at Agartala, Aizawl, Allahabad, Chhindwara, and Visakhapatnam.

Source: TH

Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) FAQs

Q1: What is the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE)?

Ans: It is the apex body in the national research system in the area of forestry.

Q2: The Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) operates under which ministry?

Ans: Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change.

Q3: Where is the headquarters of Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) located?

Ans: Dehradun

Q4: How many Regional Research Institutes does Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) currently have?

Ans: Presently, ICFRE has a pan-India presence with its 9 Regional Research Institutes.

Financial Fraud Risk Indicator (FRI)

December 23, 2025

Financial Fraud Risk Indicator (FRI) Latest News

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) recently said that the financial fraud risk indicator (or FRI) has prevented potential losses of ₹660 crore across the banking ecosystem within six months of the rollout of this initiative.

About Financial Fraud Risk Indicator (FRI)

It was launched in May 2025 by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT’s) Digital Intelligence Unit (DIU).
It is a risk-based metric that classifies mobile numbers into three categories: Medium, High, and Very High Risk based on their likelihood of involvement in financial fraud.
The classification draws from a comprehensive analysis using inputs from various platforms, including the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre’s National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP), DoT’s Chakshu platform, and intelligence shared by banks and financial institutions.
By flagging high-risk numbers early, the tool enables banks, non-banking financial companies (NBFCs), and UPI service providers to take appropriate measures for customer protection and transaction validation.
How Advance Notification Helps Prevent Fraud?
- The DoT’s Digital Intelligence Unit (DIU) regularly disseminates the Mobile Number Revocation List (MNRL), which details mobile numbers disconnected due to involvement in cybercrime, failed verification, or exceeding permissible usage limits.
- These numbers often surface in financial fraud activities.
- Given that fraudulent mobile numbers are often short-lived and verification processes can take time, a preemptive indicator such as the FRI becomes highly effective.
- Thus, as soon as a suspected mobile number is flagged by a stakeholder, it undergoes multidimensional analysis, and classifies it into Medium, High, or Very High financial risk associated with it.
- It then shares this assessment about the number immediately with all stakeholders through DoT’s Digital Intelligence Platform (DIP).
- Banks and financial institutions can use FRI in real time to take preventive measures such as declining suspicious transactions, issuing alerts or warnings to customers, and delaying transactions flagged as high risk.

Source: ET

Financial Fraud Risk Indicator (FRI) FAQs

Q1: When was the Financial Fraud Risk Indicator (FRI) launched?

Ans: It was launched in May 2025.

Q2: Which department developed the Financial Fraud Risk Indicator (FRI)?

Ans: The Department of Telecommunications’ (DoT) Digital Intelligence Unit (DIU).

Q3: What does the Financial Fraud Risk Indicator (FRI) classify mobile numbers into?

Ans: It classifies mobile numbers into three categories: Medium, High, and Very High Risk based on their likelihood of involvement in financial fraud.

Q4: Which platforms provide data inputs for Financial Fraud Risk Indicator (FRI) analysis?

Ans: NCRP (National Cybercrime Reporting Portal), Chakshu platform, and intelligence from banks and financial institutions.

Q5: What is the purpose of Financial Fraud Risk Indicator (FRI) for banks and UPI providers?

Ans: To help them detect and prevent suspicious or fraudulent transactions early.

Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti

December 23, 2025

Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti Latest News

The Supreme Court recently declined urgent hearing of a plea against the practice of state-sponsored ceremonial honours or offering a 'Chadar' by the Prime Minister at the Dargah of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, in Ajmer.

About Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti

He was a very important Sufi saint.
People often call him Gharīb Nawāz, which means 'Benefactor of the Poor'.
He was born in 1141 CE in Sistan, a province in Persia (Iran) which borders present-day Afghanistan.
His deep inclination towards spirituality led him to study in Samarkand and Bukhara, the great centres of Islamic learning.
A follower of Sunni Hanafi theology, he became the disciple of Hazrat Khwaja Usman Harooni, who later declared him his spiritual successor at the age of 52.
He came to India around the year 1192 AD. He finally settled in the city of Ajmer during the reign of Sultan Iltutmish in Delhi and Prithviraj Chauhan in Ajmer.
He is famous for bringing the Chishti Order of Sufism to India.
He preached love, tolerance, charity, and detachment from materialism, and established a Khanqah in Ajmer to serve the poor.
After his death in 1236 CE, Moinuddin Chishti was buried in Ajmer.
His tomb became a very important place. It is now known as the Dargah Sharif, or the Ajmer Sharif Dargah.
- The architectural style of Dargah Sharif purely reflects the Mughal style of architecture.
- All Mughal rulers from Humayun to Shah Jahan have made modifications in the structure.

The Chishti Order's Beliefs

The Chishti Order is a group within Sufism.
Sufism is a way of life in Islam that focuses on finding a deeper, more personal connection with God.
The Chishti Order was started by a saint named Abu Ishaq Shami in Chisht, a town in Afghanistan.
The Chishti Order is mostly followed in Afghanistan and South Asia.
Moinuddin Chishti brought this order to India.
- The Chishti Order teaches several important things:
- Love for all people.
- Helping the poor and needy.
- Living a simple life.
- Being tolerant and peaceful.
- Listening to spiritual music, called Qawwali, to feel closer to God.

Source: ET

Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti FAQs

Q1: Who is popularly known as Gharib Nawaz?

Ans: Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti.

Q2: Around which year did Moinuddin Chishti come to India?

Ans: Around 1192 AD.

Q3: In which Indian city did Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti finally settle?

Ans: Ajmer

Q4: Which Sufi order did Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti introduce to India?

Ans: He is famous for bringing the Chishti Order of Sufism to India.

Q5: Where was Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti buried?

Ans: Ajmer, at the Ajmer Sharif Dargah.

Rapid Financing Instrument

December 23, 2025

Rapid Financing Instrument Latest News

Recently, the International Monetary Fund has approved emergency funding of USD 206 million under its rapid finance instrument to help Sri Lanka address urgent needs arising from the catastrophic Cyclone Ditwah.

About Rapid Financing Instrument

It provides prompt financial assistance to any International Monetary Fund (IMF) member country facing an urgent balance of payments need.
It is one of the facilities under the General Resources Account (GRA) that provide financial support to countries, including in times of crisis.

Types of Rapid Financing Instrument

Regular Window: It is for urgent balance of payments needs caused by sources including domestic instability, exogenous shocks and fragility.
Under this, access up to 50 percent of quota per year and 100 percent of quota on a cumulative basis.
Large natural disaster Window: It is for urgent balance of payments needs arising from natural disasters where damage is assessed to be equivalent to or exceed 20 percent of the member’s GDP.
It provides access to up to 80 percent of quota per year and 133.33 percent of quota on a cumulative basis.

Conditionality of Rapid Financing Instrument

Support provided without ex-post program-based conditionality or reviews (prior actions sometimes apply).
Economic policies should aim at addressing the underlying balance of payments difficulties.

Source: News On Air

Rapid Financing Instrument FAQs

Q1: What is the primary purpose of the IMF's Rapid Financing Instrument (RFI)?

Ans: Balance of payments support for economic crises

Q2: Under which IMF facility is RFI provided?

Ans: General Resources Account (GRA)

Paliyar Tribe

December 23, 2025

Paliyar Tribe Latest News

A total of 17 families belonging to the Paliyar Tribe in the Dindigul district have petitioned the Dindigul Collector, urging the district administration to recognise and develop their existing settlement as a formal village.

About Paliyar Tribe

They are an indigenous tribal community primarily found in the hilly regions of Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
They are and have been known by multiple names, such as the Paliyans, Pazhaiyarares, and Panaiyars.
Historically, the Paliyars were spread all over the Dindigul district and the Sirumalai Palani hills, adjacent to the Western Ghats.
As they inhabited the Palani hills, they were known as Panaiyars.
Language: They primarily speak a dialect related to Tamil, reflecting their Dravidian linguistic heritage.
Occupation:
- Traditionally, the Paliyars were hunters and gatherers, residing in the forests of the Western Ghats.
- Presently, they have transformed into traders of forest products, food cultivators, and beekeepers, with some working intermittently as wage labourers, mostly on plantations.
They are recognized for their extensive knowledge and traditional practices pertaining to the use of medicinal plants.
Palliyars have small communities called kudis, sometimes living in caves or mud shelters.
The Paliyar tribes never burned the dead bodies. They had the customary practice of burying the dead bodies in an area near to their residential area on the western side.
Their festivals involve nature-based rituals, dancing, and music.
They have a special ceremony to invoke rain and protect the forest spirits.

Source: TH

Paliyar Tribe FAQs

Q1: The Paliyar tribe is primarily found in which Indian states?

Ans: Tamil Nadu and Kerala

Q2: Traditionally, what was the main occupation of the Paliyars?

Ans: Traditionally, the Paliyars were hunters and gatherers.

Q3: How did the Paliyar tribe traditionally dispose of their dead?

Ans: Burial on the western side of the settlement.

Q4: What characterizes the festivals of the Paliyar tribe?

Ans: Nature-based rituals, dancing, and music.

Bhima River

December 23, 2025

Bhima River Latest News

Recently, the Karnataka government urged the central government’s intervention over Maharashtra’s excess use of Bhima river water.

About Bhima River

It is a perennial river and the largest tributary of the Krishna River.
Origin: It originates near Bhimashankar Temple in the Bhimashankar hills in the Western Ghats.
It flows through the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Telangana.
Confluence: It merges into the Krishna River in Karnataka’s Raichur district.
Drainage Area: The Bhima drainage area is defined by the Western Ghats (west), the Balaghat Range (north), and the Mahadeo Hills (south).
The total basin area of the river is 48,631 sq.km., out of which 75 percent lie in the state of Maharashtra.
It runs in a well-entrenched valley, and its banks are heavily populated.
Major Tributaries of Bhima River
- Right Bank: Indrayani River, Mula River, Mutha River and Pavana River.
- Left Bank: Sina and Nira etc.
Spiritual Significance: Pandharpur is an important pilgrimage centre located on the right bank of the Bhima River.

Source: TOI

Bhima River FAQs

Q1: The Bhima River is a tributary of which major river?

Ans: Krishna

Q2: The Bhima River originates in which state?

Ans: Maharashtra