Legal Current Affairs for 12 December 2025

Celebrated on Kartik Amaavasya, in October/November symbolising prosperity, renewal, and abundance for all individuals.
It is an annual festival, spanning over 5 days.
It includes Dhanteras (buying metalware as a symbol of prosperity); Naraka Chaturdashi (lighting lamps to dispel negativity); sacred Lakshmi-Ganesha Puja; Bhai Dooj (brother-sister bond).
Legends Concerning Deepavali
Ramayana: Signifies return of Lord Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana to Ayodhya after 14 years of exile and their victory over Ravana.
Mahabharata: Marks the return of Pandavas after exile.
About UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) of Humanity
Genesis: Adopted on 17th October 2003, during UNESCO’s 32nd General Conference in Paris.
Purpose: Safeguard ICH, referring to practices, representations, expressions, and knowledge, transmitted over generations within communities.
ICH as defined in the Convention includes oral traditions and expressions; performing arts; social practices, rituals and festive events; knowledge and practices concerning nature and universe; traditional craftsmanship, etc.
General Assembly of the State Parties: Sovereign body that meets every two years in ordinary session.
Responsibility of State Parties: Safeguarding of ICH is the prime responsibility of the State.

Global Wealth Concentration: Top 1% control 37% and top 10% share 75% of all global wealth.
India: Top 1% holds about 40% and top 10% hold around 65% of total wealth.
Global Income Concentration: Top 10% share 53% of global income.
India: Top 1% earns around 23% and top 10% capture 58% of national income.
Wealth Growth: Since the 1990s, the wealth of billionaires has grown (at 8%) nearly twice the rate of bottom half of the population.
Climate Inequality:Top 10% account for 77% of carbon emissions, while the poorest half accounts for only 3%.
Structural Imbalance: Each year Global South transfer more than 1% of world GDP to Global North through debt service, profit repatriation, and financial flows (3 times more than development aid).

Enhanced Cognitive skills: AI can help provide personalized education as opposed to “one-size-fits-all” education.
E.g. AI-powered toys like COSMO help boost children’s creativity and problem-solving skills.
Reduces parent’s burden: As AI can share parenting responsibilities (e.g. language learning, story-telling) alongside their household and job commitments.
Child’s monitoring: including physical safety and digital well-being.
E.g. Cubo Ai smart baby monitor, sends alerts on the parent’s phone about the baby.

Location: Coast of Queensland, Australia, in the Coral Sea.
Biodiversity: It contains the world’s largest collection of coral reefs (visible from space), with 400 types of coral, 1,500 species of fish and 4,000 types of mollusc.
It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Including species such as the dugong (‘sea cow’) and the large green turtle, which are threatened with extinction.

About: The NCM is a statutory body set up under the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) Act, 1992 to safeguard the rights and interests of minorities and ensure their protection and development.
The first Commission was constituted on 17th May 1993.
Origin: The Minorities Commission (MC) was set up in 1978 by a Ministry of Home Affairs Resolution and moved to the Ministry of Welfare in 1984. In 1988, linguistic minorities were excluded from its jurisdiction.
Composition: The NCM consists of a Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, and 5 Members, all nominated by the Central Government from persons of eminence, ability, and integrity.
At least five members, including the Chairperson, must belong to notified minority communities (Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist, Parsi, and Jain).
Mandate and Duration: It has quasi-judicial powers, and each member serves a 3-year term from the date of joining.

Objective: To create a unified, digital identity (Sujal Gaon ID) for every rural water scheme, enabling real-time monitoring and management of infrastructure from source to household under JJM.
Technological Backbone: It has been developed with the support of Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Applications and Geo-informatics (BISAG-N).
It is integrated with PM Gati Shakti GIS for precise geospatial mapping of water networks, asset inventory, water quality data, and community feedback.
Governance Transformation: Aims to shift governance by placing comprehensive information in the hands of citizens and Gram Panchayats, promoting community ownership and accountability of water service providers.
Significance: The app is envisioned as the “Aadhaar for rural water systems,” forming the backbone of a transparent, accountable, and citizen-centric water delivery ecosystem.