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☕ India’s Morning Briefing: Fri, December 19
Hello, and welcome to the brief.
Good morning, or good night, depending on whether you’re fueled by ambition or insomnia. It’s Friday, 19 December 2025, and while you were (hopefully) sleeping, the world continued its chaotic spin. We’ve got a trade deal that makes Oman our new best friend, a parliament that’s still very much a shouting match, and a startup ecosystem that’s leaner but somehow meaner. Grab your caffeine of choice; we’ve got a lot of ground to cover before the weekend takes over.
Welcome to the 186th edition of The India Brief
Deep Dive: The Muscat Masterclass
Let’s talk about Oman. Usually, when we think of “The Gulf,” we think of the glitz of Dubai or the oil-heavy headlines of Saudi Arabia. But yesterday, India signed a massive trade deal (CEPA) with Oman, and it’s time you understood why this “silent” friend is actually our most important wingman in the West.
Think of Oman as the “Switzerland of the Middle East.” They don’t pick fights, they talk to everyone (even the people who hate each other), and they sit right at the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz—the world’s most important oil chokepoint. If that’s the door to the world’s energy, Oman is the guy holding the keys.
By signing this Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, India isn’t just making it cheaper to sell t-shirts and car parts. We are building a “dual-carriageway” for the future. On one side, India gets zero-duty access to a gateway that leads into the rest of the Arab world and Africa. On the other, we are inviting Oman to help us build our green hydrogen dreams. Why? Because Oman has a lot of sun and empty land—perfect for making clean energy—and India has the tech and the massive hunger for that energy.
This isn’t just a business deal; it’s a strategic marriage. While the world is shouting about conflicts, India and Oman are quietly building a corridor that bypasses the drama and focuses on the dollars (and the environment). It’s the ultimate “Signal” in a world full of noise.
The India Brief: Top Stories
Policy & Governance
🛂 India-Oman CEPA: The Muscat Handshake
🤝 Deal: Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement signed in Muscat.
🚢 Exports: Zero-duty access for Indian textiles, gems, and electronics.
🏗️ Investment: Strategic framework for Omani investment in Indian infrastructure.
⚡ Energy: Joint focus on green hydrogen and renewable technology.
🌱 Focus: CEPA includes a dedicated framework for green hydrogen.
The Wit: Finally, a “Free Trade” agreement that doesn’t just mean we get cheaper dates, but actually lets us export our shirts and gadgets.
The Lens: Oman is India’s oldest strategic partner in the Gulf. This CEPA isn’t just about trade; it’s a geopolitical anchor, securing energy lanes and providing a counterweight to regional volatility through deep economic integration.
✈️ Operation Sindoor: Air Power Reimagined
🚀 Event: IAF Commanders’ Conclave addressed by Rajnath Singh.
🎯 Capability: High-impact, short-duration strikes highlighted as the new doctrine.
🛡️ Modernisation: Integration of AI and indigenous tech into frontline squadrons.
The Wit: Operation Sindoor sounds like a dramatic TV serial, but the only thing it’s premiering is “Don’t Mess With Our Airspace.”
The Signal: The shift to “short-duration, high-impact” operations signals a move away from traditional attrition warfare. It’s a leaner, lethal strategy designed for modern, rapid-response border scenarios.
One Nation, One Election: The JPC Move
🤝 Committee: Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) holds crucial discussions.
👥 Members: Priyanka Gandhi & Kalyan Banerjee included in the 21-member panel.
📉 Focus: Consulting economists (Sanjeev Sanyal, Gita Gopinath) on economic impact.
The Wit: Nothing says "efficiency" like forming a massive committee to decide if we can vote efficiently. It’s a meeting about having fewer meetings.
The Lens: By involving high-profile global economists, the government is trying to frame ONOE as a fiscal necessity rather than just a political maneuver. The inclusion of vocal opposition members in the JPC is a strategic attempt to share the burden of the decision.
Economy & Tech
❄️ The Funding Winter: $10.5 Billion Reality Check
💰 Funding: Indian tech startups raised $10.5 billion in 2025, a 17% drop.
🌍 Ranking: India remains the 3rd largest tech ecosystem globally.
📈 Silver Lining: Early-stage funding actually grew by 7% year-on-year.
🦄 Unicorns: Five new unicorns created in 2025, up from two in 2023.
The Wit: Investors have stopped handing out money like it’s confetti. Now, you actually need a “business model” instead of just a “vibe.”
The Deeper Take: The “winter” is actually a healthy pruning. Capital is moving from “growth at all costs” to “profitable scale.” The rise in early-stage funding shows that the fundamental appetite for innovation hasn’t vanished.
Law & Society
🏛️ Supreme Court: Justice at Your Doorstep
⚖️ Ruling: SC rejected a plea against the plea challenging the decision to establish a Circuit Bench of the Bombay High Court at Kolhapur
🏛️ Vision: Upheld the decision to bring justice closer to the people.
📝 Context: Emphasised administrative ease over traditional centralisation of courts.
The Wit: The Supreme Court basically told lawyers, “If the people won’t come to the court, the court will go to the people.”
The Signal: This reinforces the decentralisation of the judiciary. High Court benches in smaller cities reduce the crippling travel costs and time for litigants, making “access to justice” more than a slogan.
🎄 Kerala: The Cancelled Christmas
⛪ Event: Official postal department Christmas celebration in Kerala called off.
🎶 Trigger: Disagreements over including an “RSS-associated anthem” in the programme.
📩 Protest: Staff objected, leading to the total withdrawal of the event.
The Wit: It’s impressive how we can turn a holiday about “peace on earth” into a debate about which song to sing.
The Lens: This incident highlights the growing friction between institutional cultural practices and ideological impositions. It’s a microcosm of the larger identity debates currently simmering across the Indian workforce.
🇵🇸 The Gaza Stance: A Joint Declaration
🕊️ Statement: India and Oman backed an “independent Palestinian state.”
📄 Plan: Both nations welcomed the first phase of the Gaza Peace Plan.
🤝 Diplomacy: PM Modi and Sultan Haitham bin Tarik call for immediate de-escalation.
The Wit: India continues its masterful tightrope walk—being friends with everyone while politely telling them to stop fighting.
The Chessboard: This joint statement reaffirms India’s traditional “Two-State” policy, balancing its deep strategic ties with Israel against its essential energy and diaspora interests in the Arab world.
World Watch: Top Global
🇿🇲 Zambia’s Lifeline: The IMF Deal
💰 Agreement: IMF staff reached a deal on the final review of Zambia’s credit facility.
📈 Goal: Eliminating macroeconomic imbalances and rebuilding reserves.
🗳️ Context: Critical reforms needed ahead of the 2026 elections.
The Wit: The IMF is like that strict gym trainer who makes you do burpees until your debt-to-GDP ratio looks better.
The Signal: Zambia is the “test case” for debt restructuring in Africa. Success here determines if the G20 Common Framework is actually a solution or just a fancy spreadsheet.
🏛️ France vs Mercosur: Farmer Protests
🚜 Conflict: French farmers continue to block roads against the EU-Mercosur trade deal.
🥩 Issue: Fear of “unfair competition” from cheap South American beef and soy.
🇪🇺 Stakes: The deal would create one of the world’s largest free-trade zones.
The Wit: Nothing says “European Unity” like a French farmer dumping a load of manure in front of a government building.
The Signal: This is the classic “Local vs Global” struggle. If the deal fails, the EU risks losing influence in Latin America to China.
Trump's Venezuela Threat
🇺🇸 Threat: Trump warns US not to make "fatal mistake" with Venezuela.
🛢️ Demand: Wants Venezuela to pay for seized US oil assets.
🚫 Tactic: Calls for a blockade if demands aren't met.
The Wit: Trump conducts foreign policy like a debt collector for a mob movie. "Nice oil fields you got there, shame if something happened to them."
The Lens: This signals a return to "Maximum Pressure" 2.0. Trump is setting the stage to weaponise US economic might aggressively, likely driving Venezuela further into the arms of Russia and China, complicating the very influence he seeks to restore.
The Good Stuff: Uplifting News
📖 Literacy Boost: Edmonton Public Library is receiving over 5,300 new picture books thanks to a massive community foundation investment.
🦁 Resilience: The global celebration of Holocaust survivors highlighted the incredible strength of the human spirit.
💊 Life Saver: WHO officially declares Brazil free of mother-to-child HIV transmission.
Kind Regards
Aditya S.