🏛️ Polity & Governance

🔷 National Good Governance Day 2025

India celebrated Good Governance Day (Sushasan Divas) on December 25 to honor the 101st birth anniversary of former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
PM Narendra Modi inaugurated the Rashtra Prerna Sthal in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
The memorial features 65-feet tall bronze statues of three leaders: Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Syama Prasad Mookherjee, and Deendayal Upadhyay.
Built at a cost of ₹230 crore, it includes a lotus-shaped museum depicting the life journey of these stalwarts.

🪖 Defence & Security

🔷 DRDO Successfully Tests Akash-NG Missile

The DRDO completed User Evaluation Trials of the Akash Next Generation (Akash-NG) missile system.
Capability: It is a modern Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) designed to intercept high-speed, agile aerial threats.
The missile is much lighter than previous versions and uses an indigenous Radio Frequency (RF) seeker.
It was produced by Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) to protect vital Indian assets from air attacks.

🌐 International Relations & Agreements

🔷 India and New Zealand Conclude Landmark FTA

On December 25, both nations finalized the India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
Benefits: New Zealand will grant 100% duty-free access to all Indian exports, including textiles and pharmaceuticals.
Investment: New Zealand committed to investing $20 billion in India over the next 15 years.
Protections: India has excluded dairy products and sugar from the deal to safeguard its local farmers.

🔬 Science & Technology

🔷 ISRO’s LVM3-M6 Mission Details Released

Following the launch on December 24, ISRO confirmed that the BlueBird-6 satellite is operating normally in its 520 km orbit.
This mission carried a 6,100 kg payload, the heaviest commercial satellite ever launched by ISRO.
The satellite will provide direct-to-mobile 5G internet services globally.
It marked the 100th orbital launch attempt from Indian soil.

🌿 Environment & Ecology

🔷 New Soil Species ‘Neelus sikkimensis’ Discovered

Scientists from the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) discovered a new species of tiny soil-dwelling creatures in Sikkim.
Named Neelus sikkimensis, these are microscopic arthropods (Collembola) found in high-altitude regions.
This is the first time this genus has been recorded in India, bringing the global count of this species to eight.

🎭 Culture & Important Events

🔷 India Observes ‘Veer Bal Diwas’

December 26 is observed as Veer Bal Diwas across the country.
Significance: It honors the martyrdom of Sahibzada Zorawar Singh and Sahibzada Fateh Singh, the younger sons of Guru Gobind Singh Ji.
In 2022, the Government of India officially declared this date to commemorate their courage and sacrifice at ages 9 and 6.

👤 Personalities

🔷 Jnanpith Awardee Vinod Kumar Shukla Passes Away

Legendary Hindi writer Vinod Kumar Shukla passed away at the age of 88.
He won the Jnanpith Award (India's highest literary honor) and the Sahitya Akademi Award (1999).
His famous works include 'Naukar Ki Kameez' and 'Sab Kuch Hona Bacha Rahega'.

📌 December 26 General Knowledge

2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami: On this day in 2004, a massive 9.1 magnitude earthquake off Sumatra triggered a tsunami that killed over 2,30,000 people across 14 countries.
Birth of Udham Singh (1899): The great Indian revolutionary Sardar Udham Singh was born today. He later assassinated Michael O'Dwyer to avenge the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
Communist Party of India (1925): The CPI was founded on December 26, 1925, during its first conference held in Kanpur.
Death of Babur (1530): The first Mughal Emperor, Zahir-ud-din Muhammad Babur, passed away in Agra on this date.
Boxing Day: In many Commonwealth nations, the day after Christmas is celebrated as Boxing Day, traditionally a day to give gifts to the poor.