1. IS 1893:2025 Earthquake Code: New Zone VI Map
- BIS issued the revised earthquake code IS 1893:2025 with a new seismic zone map.
- The whole Himalayan arc is now in the new highest-risk Zone VI.
- 61% of India lies in moderate to high hazard zones.
Daily Current Affairs: 28 & 29 November 2025
Current affairs of 28 & 29 November 2025: G20 Johannesburg Summit 2025: Outcomes and Rifts; IMF ‘C’ Grade for India’s National Accounts Data; Samudrayaan Mission: Delay in MATSYA 6000 Foam from France, and 20 more topics. Key facts for every exam, with a quiz.
In this issue: 23 topics
National Affairs
- IS 1893:2025 Earthquake Code: New Zone VI Map
- PM Modi in Goa and Udupi: Rama Statue, Madhvacharya
- Blind Women’s T20 World Cup 2025: India Crowned First Champions
Government Schemes
Banking & Finance
- RBI 244 Consolidated Master Directions: What Changes for Banks
- Unified Portal for Unclaimed Financial Assets
- Bandhan Bank Plans ₹6,931 Crore Unsecured NPA Sale to ARCs
- RBI Final Digital Banking Channel Rules: Consent and Risk
- RBI Penalises HDFC Bank ₹91 Lakh for Norm Violations
- SEBI Social Media Rules: Registration Display for Regulated Entities
- Accredited Investors: SEBI’s AIF Rule Changes of Nov 2025
Economy
- IMF Rates India’s National Accounts Data ‘C’ in Article IV
- IMF Flags Zombie Firms and IBC Gaps in India
International Affairs
Agriculture & Rural
- India Seeks Mutual Recognition of Agri Testing Norms
- Indian Seed Sector: Seeds Bill, PPVFRA and Plant Treaty
Science & Technology
- Samudrayaan Mission: Delay in MATSYA 6000 Foam from France
- 37,000-Year-Old Thorny Bamboo Fossil Found in Manipur
- Skyroot Vikram-1: India’s First Private Orbital Rocket
Defence & Security
Reports & Indexes
National Affairs
2. PM Modi in Goa and Udupi: Rama Statue, Madhvacharya
- At Shree Samsthan Gokarn Partagali Jeevottam Math, the PM revealed a bronze statue of Lord Rama standing 77 feet high.
- At Udupi he honoured Jagadguru Madhvacharya.
- Madhvacharya founded Dvaita Vedanta in the 13th century CE.
3. Blind Women’s T20 World Cup 2025: India Crowned First Champions
- India won the first-ever Blind Women's T20 World Cup, beating Nepal by 7 wickets in the final.
- India and Sri Lanka co-hosted the event; the final was at P. Sara Oval Stadium, Colombo.
- India went unbeaten; Phula Saren was Player of the Final and Deepika TC captained the side.
Government Schemes
4. Tex-RAMPS: ₹305 Crore Textile Research and Data Scheme
- Tex-RAMPS is a fully Centre-funded Central Sector Scheme of the Ministry of Textiles.
- Outlay ₹305 crore for 2025-31, matching the next Finance Commission cycle.
- The Integrated Textiles Statistical System (ITSS) gives real-time analytics.
Banking & Finance
5. RBI 244 Consolidated Master Directions: What Changes for Banks
- RBI issued 244 Consolidated Master Directions after reviewing about 3,500 earlier instructions.
- They cover 11 types of regulated entities.
- Banks need recorded, explicit consent for digital banking; mandatory opt-in is barred.
6. Unified Portal for Unclaimed Financial Assets
- The Finance Ministry and RBI are building one portal to find and claim unclaimed financial assets.
- Banks move unclaimed deposits of 10+ years to RBI's DEAF.
- An account turns inoperative after two years without a customer-initiated transaction.
7. Bandhan Bank Plans ₹6,931 Crore Unsecured NPA Sale to ARCs
- Bandhan Bank plans to sell unsecured retail NPAs, including written-off accounts, worth ₹6,931.31 crore.
- Most are from its microfinance book.
- A loan turns NPA after 90 days of overdue payment.
8. RBI Final Digital Banking Channel Rules: Consent and Risk
- RBI's final instructions say digital banking cannot be made mandatory for other services such as debit cards.
- Banks need clear, documented customer consent before activating a digital channel.
- Transaction banking launches, fund-based or non-fund-based, need prior RBI approval.
9. RBI Penalises HDFC Bank ₹91 Lakh for Norm Violations
- RBI fined HDFC Bank ₹91 lakh after its Statutory Inspection for Supervisory Evaluation (ISE 2024).
- The inspection covered the position as on 31 March 2024.
- Lapses: multiple interest benchmarks in one loan category, KYC outsourcing, and a subsidiary's impermissible business.
10. SEBI Social Media Rules: Registration Display for Regulated Entities
- SEBI proposed social media guidelines for regulated entities and their agents.
- They must display registered name and SEBI registration number on profile home pages and with each content item.
- Posts must not promise guaranteed returns or carry misleading content.
11. Accredited Investors: SEBI’s AIF Rule Changes of Nov 2025
- On 19 November 2025 SEBI allowed AIFs to launch accredited investor-only schemes.
- The accredited investor framework dates from 2021.
- The 1,000-investor cap and investment threshold no longer bind AI-only funds.
Economy
12. IMF Rates India’s National Accounts Data ‘C’ in Article IV
- The IMF's Article IV review gave India's national accounts statistics a C grade.
- Overall data quality across all categories got a B grade.
- Weaknesses: base year 2011-12, WPI as deflator and sizeable GDP discrepancies between approaches.
13. IMF Flags Zombie Firms and IBC Gaps in India
- IMF says 15% of continuously operating Indian firms are zombie firms.
- Firm entry and exit rates are below 1%, against 8-13% elsewhere.
- Recovery rates for financial creditors fell from 43% in March 2019 to 33% in June 2025.
International Affairs
14. G20 Johannesburg Summit 2025: Outcomes and Rifts
- The 2025 G20 Summit in Johannesburg went ahead without the US, China and Russia, and South Africa pushed through a Leaders' Declaration.
- A Cost of Capital Commission was launched to tackle the Global South's USD 1.8 trillion debt burden.
- Mission 300 targets electricity for 300 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa by 2030.
- The G20 was founded in 1999 after the Asian Financial Crisis of 1997-98.
Agriculture & Rural
15. India Seeks Mutual Recognition of Agri Testing Norms
- India seeks Mutual Recognition Agreements on farm-goods testing with the US, EU, UK, Singapore, Switzerland, ASEAN and Australia.
- The goal is fewer SPS-related rejections and delays.
- 45-50% of India's agri export basket could be covered.
16. Indian Seed Sector: Seeds Bill, PPVFRA and Plant Treaty
- India's ₹35,000 crore-plus seed sector faces a draft Seeds Bill 2025, PPVFRA amendments and Plant Treaty talks.
- The Seeds Bill would replace the Seeds Act, 1966 and Seeds (Control) Order, 1983.
- Only 9 crops (26,563 accessions) are notified under the Plant Treaty's Multilateral System.
Science & Technology
17. Samudrayaan Mission: Delay in MATSYA 6000 Foam from France
- Samudrayaan, India's first crewed deep-sea mission, is delayed over syntactic foam cladding from France.
- The submersible MATSYA 6000 is designed to dive 6,000 metres.
- NIOT, Chennai leads the mission under the Ministry of Earth Sciences.
18. 37,000-Year-Old Thorny Bamboo Fossil Found in Manipur
- BSIP scientists found a 37,000-year-old fossil bamboo stem in the Imphal Valley, Manipur.
- It is the earliest evidence of thorny bamboo in Asia: Chimonobambusa manipurensis.
- It was found in Chirang River silt.
19. Skyroot Vikram-1: India’s First Private Orbital Rocket
- Hyderabad-based Skyroot Aerospace unveiled Vikram-1, India's first private commercial orbital rocket.
- Vikram-1 can launch satellites into Low Earth Orbit.
- PM Modi virtually inaugurated Skyroot's Infinity campus, a 2 lakh sq ft facility.
Defence & Security
20. S-500 Prometey: Russian Air Defence India May Seek
- Defence ministers were expected to discuss India possibly buying Russia's S-500 during the India-Russia Summit.
- S-500 can hit targets up to 600 km away and operates at altitudes up to 200 km.
- Its 77N6-N and 77N6-N1 interceptors fly at Mach 5-7 with hit-to-kill accuracy.
Reports & Indexes
21. IMF ‘C’ Grade for India’s National Accounts Data
- IMF rates India's national accounts statistics 'C', the second-lowest of four grades on its Data Adequacy Assessment scale.
- CPI is graded 'B', broadly adequate with some shortcomings; the 'C' has stayed for 2024 and 2025.
- India plans a new GDP series with 2022-23 base and a CPI series with 2024 base, expected in February 2026.
- IMF flagged the outdated 2011-12 base year, reliance on WPI as deflator and limited informal sector coverage.
22. Kerala Population to Peak Near 2041, Then Fall: IIMAD-PFI Study
- An IIMAD and Population Foundation of India report projects Kerala's demography up to 2051.
- Kerala's population is expected to peak around 2041 and then decline slowly.
- The State will keep ageing fast and become India's oldest State.
23. World Urbanisation Prospects 2025: Jakarta Overtakes Tokyo as Largest City
- UN World Urbanisation Prospects 2025 says Jakarta has overtaken Tokyo as the world's largest city.
- Jakarta has about 42 million people, Dhaka nearly 37 million and Tokyo about 33 million.
- Asian megacities, notably in South and Southeast Asia, are growing fast.
Test yourself
15 questions from the news of 28 & 29 November 2025, with answers and explanations.
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