DAILY GK 1 DEC 2025

 DAILY GK 1 DEC 2025

1.       CHAIRMAN OF CBIC

·         The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), has approved the appointment of VivekChaturvedi, a 1990-batch Indian Revenue Service (IRS) (Customs & Indirect Taxes) officer, as the new Chairman of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC).

·         He succeeds Sanjay Kumar Agarwal, who superannuated on 28 November 2025.

·         As CBIC Chairman, he will oversee India’s indirect taxes, including Goods and Services Tax(GST), customs, and central excise, and guide policies on enforcement, compliance, customs modernization, and indirect tax reforms.

 


2.       DG OF BSF

·         The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) assigned Praveen Kumar, currently Director General (DG) of the Indo‑Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), the additional charge of DG of the Border Security Force (BSF).

·         He succeeds Daljit Singh Chawdhary, who superannuated on 30 November 2025.

 

3.       MD OF LIC

·         The Department of Financial Services (DFS), Ministry of Finance (MoF), Government of India (GoI) appointed Ramakrishnan Chander as the Managing Director (MD) of Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) with immediate effect until September 30, 2027.

·         LICEstablished – 1956.

·         Headquarters – Mumbai.

 

4.       EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF RBI

·         The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) appointed Usha Janakiraman as its new Executive Director (ED) effective from 1 December 2025

·         She will lead the Department of Supervision (DoS) as ED, focusing on risk assessment, data analysis, vulnerability monitoring, and strengthening the financial system’s oversight.

·         The RBI currently has 16 Executive Directors (EDs) who oversee and manage its various departments.

 

5.       UN RESIDENT COORDINATOR IN INDIA

·         United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appointed Stefan Priesner of Austria as the United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator in India.

·         He succeeds Shombi Sharp, who has completed a four-year term.

·         As UN Resident Coordinator in India, he oversees the UN Country Team, directs all UN development activities, represents the UN at the highest levels, provides policy guidance to the government, and drives progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

 

6.       GOVERNMENT APPROVES ‘TEX-RAMPS’ SCHEME

·         The Government of India (GoI) approved the Textiles Focused Research, Assessment, Monitoring, Planning and Start-up (Tex-RAMPS) Scheme, a major initiative aimed at strengthening research, innovation and overall competitiveness in the textile industry.

·         It will be implemented as a Central Sector Scheme (CSS), fully funded by the Ministry of Textiles (MoT) and aligned with the upcoming Finance Commission (FC) cycle.

·         The scheme is implemented with a total outlay of Rs 305 crores (cr) for the period FY2025-26 (Financial Year 2025-26) to FY 2030-31.

 

7.       INDIA SIGNS DEAL WITH USA FOR NAVY COPTER SUPPORT

·         The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has signed a five-year deal with USA for “follow-on support” of the Indian Navy(IN’s) fleet of 24 MH-60R Seahawk helicopters, boosting operational readiness.

·         The agreement, worth around Rs. 7,995 crore, was formalised via Letters of Offer and Acceptance (LOAs) under the USA Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme, in New Delhi.

·         India signed the original procurement agreement for 24 helicopters in February 2020, and the first three helicopters were delivered in 2021.

·         The MH‑60R Seahawk is a versatile naval helicopter developed by Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, which is part of Lockheed Martin.

·         It serves as the primary anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and anti-surface warfare helicopter for multiple navies worldwide.

 

8.       CBDT LAUNCHES PHASE 2 OF NUDGE CAMPAIGN

·         The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), under the Ministry of Finance(MoF), has initiated the second phase of its Non-Intrusive Usage of Data to Guide and Enable (NUDGE) campaign, designed to promote voluntary reporting of foreign assets and overseas income by Indian taxpayers.

·         NUDGE Phase 1: The initial campaign, launched in November 2024, prompted thousands of taxpayers to revise their returns, resulting in the disclosure of foreign assets valued at Rs. 29,208 crore and foreign‑source income totaling Rs. 1,089.88 crore.

·         Under NUDGE Phase 2, CBDT will begin sending Short Message Service(SMS) and Electronic mail (email) advisories from November 28, 2025, to taxpayers identified through Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI) data analysis for Financial Year 2024-25(FY25).

·         Taxpayers receiving these alerts must review their Income Tax Returns (ITRs) for Assessment Year 2025‑26 (AY26) and, if needed, file revisions by 31 December 2025.

·         The initiative follows CBDT’s PRUDENT (Professionalism, Responsibility, Understanding, Dedication, Effective enforcement, Non-intrusive administration, and Technology‑based compliance), emphasizing data-driven, transparent, and non-intrusive tax administration in line with the Viksit Bharat vision.

·         Taxpayers who fail to disclose foreign assets and income may face a flat penalty of Rs.10 lakh under the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) Act, 2015, along with income tax at 30% on the undisclosed foreign income.

·         In addition, an extra penalty of up to 300% of the tax payable may also be imposed.

·         The CBDT, the apex body for direct tax administration under the Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance (MoF), Government of India (GoI).

 

9.       C-DOT SIGNED MOU WITH IIT ROORKEE TO ESTABLISH COE 

·         The Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), a premier Research and Development (R&D) centre of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Ministry of Communications, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (IIT Roorkee), Uttarakhand to establish a Centre of Excellence (CoE) at the IIT Roorkee campus, Uttarakhand, for advanced communication technologies.

·         The partnership aims to accelerate indigenous research, support technological self-reliance, and enhance India’s telecom ecosystem through academia–industry collaboration.

 

10.    56TH IFFI HELD IN GOA

·         The 56th edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) was held in Panaji, Goa.

·         IFFI 2025 features Japan as the Country of FocusSpain as the Partner Country, and Australia as the Spotlight Country.

·         Theme: The festival highlights the “Convergence of Creativity and Technology”.

·         The film “The Blue Trail” by Brazilian Director Gabriel Mascaro was screened as the Opening Film.

·         A Thai film “A Useful Ghost” by Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke was screened as the Closing Film.

·         NandamuriBalakrishna, Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA), Andhra Pradesh (AP) received the Special Recognition for Contribution to Indian Cinema.

·         WAVES Film Bazaar: On November 20, 2025, Union Minister of State (MoS) Dr. L. Murugan, MIB, inaugurated the 19th WAVES Film Bazaar, South Asia’s premier global film market, at the Marriott Resort in Panaji.

·         CM of Goa PramodSawant released a commemorative postal stamp commemorating the 100th birth anniversary of K Vaikunth, a renowned cinematographer and filmmaker, in recognition of his lifetime contribution to Indian cinema.