Daily Current Affairs and GK | 17 December 2025

Topic: Important Days

1. Vijay Diwas: 16 December

• Vijay Diwas is celebrated every year on 16 December to comemorate Indian Army's victory over Pakistan during the 1971 war.
• This year marks 54th anniversary of the 1971 war.
• On 16 December 1971, East Pakistan was declared independent and Bangladesh was created as a new nation.
• The war began when Pakistan carried out airstrikes on 11 Indian airbases on 3 December 1971.
• India won the war against Pakistan after fighting for 13 days.
• During the historic war of 1971 between Pakistan and India, Indira Gandhi was the Prime Minister of India.
• Vijay Diwas is also celebrated in Bangladesh as 'Bijoy Dibos' or Bangladesh Liberation Day.

Topic: Environment and Ecology

2. Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve to become a cheetah habitat before the next monsoon.

• Madhya Pradesh’s Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve will become the new home for cheetahs in the state before the monsoon next year.
• The announcement was made by Chief Minister Mohan Yadav.
• This decision has been taken following the successful translocation of cheetahs from Africa to Kuno National Park.
• In-principle approval has been granted by the state cabinet for the development of the reserve.
• The reserve is located at Nauradehi in Sagar district of Madhya Pradesh.
• It will become the third cheetah habitat in the state.
• The first cheetah habitat was established at Kuno National Park in September 2022.
• The second habitat was developed at Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary in April this year.
• Kuno National Park is currently home to 28 cheetahs, and the Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary has two big cats.
• Eight more cheetahs are expected to be brought from Botswana in January 2026.

Topic: National News

3. Param Vir Dirgha inaugurated by President Murmu on Vijay Diwas.

• On 16 December, Param Vir Dirgha was inaugurated by President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan on the occasion of Vijay Diwas in New Delhi.
• The gallery has been created to display portraits of all 21 Param Vir Chakra awardees.
• The initiative has been undertaken to educate visitors about national heroes who displayed exceptional courage in defending the nation.
• The gallery has also been dedicated to honouring the memory of brave soldiers who laid down their lives in service of the motherland.
• The Param Vir Chakra is India's highest military honor, awarded for displaying exceptional bravery, courage, and self-sacrifice during wartime.
• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and senior military leadership were present during the inauguration ceremony.
• The corridors housing the gallery earlier displayed portraits of British ADCs during the colonial period.
• The replacement of colonial portraits with Indian heroes has been described as a step towards shedding the colonial mindset.
• The initiative reflects pride in India’s cultural heritage, military traditions and timeless values.
• Major Somnath Sharma was the first recipient of the Param Vir Chakra.

Topic: Sports

4. The gold medals won by Manu Bhaker and Simranpreet Kaur Brar at the 68th National Shooting Championship Competitions in New Delhi.

• The championships were held at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range.
• Manu Bhaker won the gold medal in the senior women’s 25m sports pistol event.
• Simranpreet Kaur Brar claimed the gold medal in the junior women’s 25m sports pistol event.
• Manu Bhaker scored 36 in the final to finish four hits ahead of her nearest competitor.
• Divya T.S. of Karnataka secured the silver medal, while Anjali Choudhary won bronze in the senior category.
• Simranpreet Kaur Brar delivered a strong performance by scoring 39 in the junior women’s final.
• Manu Bhaker is a double Olympic medallist, adding further significance to her victory.
• Simranpreet Kaur Brar is also an ISSF World Cup Final 2025 gold medallist.

Topic: International News

5. India–Jordan bilateral ties strengthened during Prime Minister Modi’s Visit.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on a two-day official visit to Jordan on 15 and 16 December.
• The visit coincided with 75 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
• It marked the first full-fledged bilateral visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Jordan in 37 years.
• One-on-one and delegation-level talks were held with Jordanian leadership.
• India and the West Asian country signed five MoUs in the areas of renewable energy, water resource management, cultural exchange, digital solutions, and twinning between Petra and Ellora.
• A twinning agreement between Petra and Ellora was signed to promote tourism and cultural exchange.
• The Prime Minister proposed that the two countries should aim to increase bilateral trade to $5 billion in the next five years.
• The Prime Minister also called for cooperation between Jordan's digital payment system and India's Unified Payments Interface (UPI).
• India is Jordan's third largest trading partner. Jordan is also a major supplier of phosphate and potash fertilizers to India.

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

6. The loan agreements worth over $2.2 billion signed between India and the Asian Development Bank.

• On 15 December, the agreements were finalised under the guidance of the Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance.
• The loans were signed to support five major development projects across multiple states.
• Funding has been allocated for skilling, renewable energy, healthcare, urban transport and sustainable livelihoods.
• The skilling programme will modernise 650 Industrial Training Institutes across 12 states and upgrading five National Skill Training Institutes into centres of excellence.
• The rooftop solar program will support the Pradhan Mantri Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, which aims to increase the adoption of rooftop solar and provide clean, affordable energy to 10 million households by 2027.
• In the healthcare sector, the Assam State Tertiary Health Care Augmentation Project aims to strengthen tertiary care services by modernizing the medical colleges in Guwahati, Dibrugarh, and Silchar.
• The Chennai Metro Rail project will expand climate-resilient urban transport infrastructure.
• Meghalaya’s project will promote ecotourism and climate-smart agriculture.
• The initiatives are expected to generate employment, improve services and support inclusive growth.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

7. The Indian movie ‘Homebound’ has been shortlisted for the Best International Feature Film category at the 98th Academy Awards.

• Homebound, directed by Neeraj Ghaywan, is among 15 films that have qualified for the final nominations in the International Feature Film category at the Oscars 2026.
• The International Feature Film shortlist represent cinema from different countries across the world.
• The shortlist determines eligibility for the final Oscar nominations.
• The official list of final nominations in the shortlisted categories will be announced on January 22, 2026.
• The 98th Academy Awards ceremony will be held on March 15, 2026.

Topic: Defence

8. Indian Navy commissioned its second MH-60R helicopter squadron on 17 December 2025.

• The squadron is designated as INAS 335 and is called the Ospreys.
• The commissioning ceremony took place at INS Hansa in Goa.
• The commissioning of second MH-60R helicopter squadron marks a key milestone in the Navy’s modernisation efforts.
• The MH-60R helicopter features advanced weapons systems fitted with modern sensors and avionics.
• These systems allow the helicopters to tackle conventional and asymmetric threats.
• The aircraft have been fully integrated into fleet operations.
• The induction of this squadron significantly strengthens the Navy’s aviation capabilities.

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

9. Three memoranda of understanding signed between India and Ethiopia in Addis Ababa.

• The agreements, concluded during PM Modi’s visit, aim to deepen bilateral cooperation.
• One agreement is focused on administrative assistance in customs matters.
• Another agreement is focused on the establishment of a data centre at Ethiopia’s embassy.
• The third MoU is on cooperation in United Nations peacekeeping operations.
• Prime Minister Modi held discussions with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on all aspects of India-Ethiopia bilateral ties.
• This is PM Modi’s first visit to Ethiopia. He will address a joint session of the Ethiopian Parliament.
• PM Modi visited the Science Museum in Addis Ababa. It showcases science, innovation and development.
• PM Modi also visited Friendship Park and Friendship Square.
• Prime Minister Modi was conferred Ethiopia’s highest civilian award, known as the Great Honour Nishan of Ethiopia.
• The award recognised PM Modi’s contribution to India–Ethiopia ties.
• During PM Modi's visit India and Ethiopia elevated their ties to strategic partnership.
• India and Ethiopia relations:

• India and Ethiopia share long-standing historical ties that go back 2,000 years of recorded history.
• India is one of Ethiopia’s important trading partners in Asia.
• Main Indian exports are pharmaceuticals, machinery, steel products, and textiles.
• Ethiopia chiefly exports pulses, oilseeds, leather, and coffee to India.

Topic: Indian Polity

10. The Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, 2025 has been introduced in the Lok Sabha.

• The Bill seeks to provide a legal guarantee of 125 days of wage employment each year to rural households.
• The Bill was tabled by Union Minister for Rural Development and Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shivraj Singh Chauhan.
• The Centre has pledged an expenditure of more than 95 thousand crore rupees for the new programme.
• The scheme aims not only to create jobs but also to promote comprehensive development of villages.
• The minister noted that earlier rural employment schemes suffered from uneven funding and limited impact.
• The Bill proposes grading panchayats based on development performance.
• More employment works will be assigned to panchayats that are less developed and underperforming.
• The minister compared the initiative with MGNREGA to highlight increased welfare spending.
• He said the previous UPA government spent about 2.13 lakh crore rupees on MGNREGA.
• The current government has spent over 8.53 lakh crore rupees on welfare schemes for the poor.
• The new Bill raises the employment guarantee from 100 days to 125 days.
• This enhanced guarantee is supported by a proposed allocation exceeding 1.51 lakh crore rupees.
• Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA):

• MGNREGA was enacted and notified in 2005, with the Act passed in September 2005.
• It guarantees 100 days of unskilled manual work for rural households to improve livelihood security and create productive assets.