Current Affairs | National | International | SSC | UPSC 3rd February 2025

 Budget 2025-26: At a Glance 

1. Key reform areas as outlined in the Union Budget 2025-26

• Key reform areas include Taxation, Power, Urban Development, Mining, Financial Sector, and Regulations to enhance India’s global competitiveness. 

Engines in the journey to Viksit Bharat- 

• Agriculture, MSMEs, Investment, and Exports are identied as growth engines, with reforms as the driving force and inclusivity as the guiding principle. 

2. Budget 2025-26: Prioritizes Healthcare with ₹98,311 Cr Allocation

•  The healthcare sector received a total allocation of ₹98,311 crore, up by 9.8 percent from ₹89,287 crore in the previous scal year. The Budget prioritises expanding medical care and infrastructure. 
• The government has also allocated ₹2,445 crore for PLI for the pharmaceutical industry. The sector saw a 191% increase in budgetary allocation from ₹34,286 crore in FY14-15. 
• Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) got an allocation of ₹9,406 crore. The government has allocated ₹4,200 crore for the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PMABHIM). 
• The government allocated ₹37,226.92 crore crore to the National Health Mission (NHM). The National Tele Mental Health Programme was allocated ₹6 crore. The Union Budget allocated ₹20,046.07 crore for autonomous bodies. The allocation for All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, was increased to ₹5,200 crore. 
• During her Budget 2025 speech, Sitharaman said that 200 cancer centres in 2025-26. The government will facilitate the setting up of daycare cancer centres in all district hospitals in the next three years. 
• 36 life-saving drugs have been exempted from Basic Customs Duty, while six others will see a reduced 5 per cent customs duty, making essential medicines more aordable. 

3. Budget 2025-26: No income tax for upto ₹12 lakh in new tax regime 

• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that individuals earning up to ₹12 lakh would be exempt from income tax under the new regime. 
• With the standard deduction of ₹75,000, individuals can earn up to ₹75 lakh without incurring any income tax liability. 
• The new tax regime introduces revised income tax slabs: 
• Up to ₹4 lakh: No tax 
• ₹4 to ₹8 lakh: 5% tax 
• ₹8 to ₹12 lakh: 10% tax 
• ₹12 to ₹16 lakh: 15% tax 
• ₹16 to ₹20 lakh: 20% tax 
• ₹20 to ₹24 lakh: 25% tax 
• Above ₹24 lakh: 30% tax 
• Tax Savings for ₹12 Lakh Income – A taxpayer earning ₹12 lakh will benet from ₹80,000 in tax savings under the new regime. 
• Tax Savings for ₹18 Lakh Income – A person earning ₹18 lakh will receive ₹70,000 in tax savings. 
• Tax Savings for ₹25 Lakh Income – A taxpayer with ₹25 lakh income will get a tax benet of ₹10 lakh. 
• The revision in tax slabs is aimed at providing signicant relief to taxpayers and encouraging economic growth. 

4. Union Budget 2025-26: Railways allocation remains unchanged at ₹2.65 lakh crore 

• The Budget allocation for Indian Railways for FY 2025-26 stands at ₹65 lakh crore, the same as last year’s allocation. 
• The allocations for customer amenities in the Railways and investments in public sector units and joint ventures have been slashed. 
• The Railway Capex stands at ₹52 lakh crore from the total ₹2.65 lakh crore allocation that include(s) Public Private Partnership investments. 
• In FY 2024-25, of the allocated budget of ₹65 lakh crore, the expenditure till January 23 this year stood at ₹2.09 lakh crore (79.33%). The actual utilisation of the budget for FY 2023-24 stood at ₹2.45 lakh crore, Budget documents reveal.
• In the Union Budget 2025-26, Indian Railways (IR) has planned to redevelop more than 1300 stations during the next 4 years. These railway stations will be redeveloped under the prestigious Amrit Bharat Station Scheme (ABSS). The move will not only modernize and strengthen its infrastructure but also elevate the travel experience for millions of passengers. 
• The Rail Budget 2025 includes manufacturing of: 
• 100 non-AC Amrit Bharat trains 
• 50 NAMO Bharat trains (130 kmph for city connections) 
• 200 Vande Bharat trains (Sleeper and chair car versions) 
• 17,500 general coaches, of which 1,200 have already been manufactured 

5. Budget 2024-25: FM Sitharaman announces National Manufacturing Mission for Furthering ‘Make in India’ 

• A National Manufacturing Mission to cover small, medium, and large industries for furthering ‘Make in India’ was announced by Union Minister for Finance Nirmala Sitharaman while presenting the Union Budget 2025-26 in Parliament. 
• This will provide policy support, execution roadmaps, governance, and a monitoring framework for central ministries and states. 
• The National Manufacturing Mission will emphasize ve focal areas: ease and cost of doing business; a future-ready workforce for in-demand jobs; a vibrant and dynamic MSME sector; availability of technology; and quality products. 
• The scheme is expected to facilitate employment for 22 lakh persons, generate turnover of Rs. 4 lakh crore and exports of over Rs. 1.1 lakh crore. 
• The Union Minister further proposed National Action Plan for Toys to be implemented to make India a global hub for toys. The scheme will focus on development of clusters, skills, and a manufacturing ecosystem that will create high-quality, unique, innovative, and sustainable toys that will represent the ‘Made in India’ brand. 

National News 

6. Tata Steel becomes ‘India’s 1st’ to develop hydrogen transportation pipes 

• Tata Steel has become the rst Indian company to develop pipes for transporting hydrogen, contributing to India’s clean energy goals. 
• The company’s hydrogen-compliant API X65 pipes were processed at Tata Steel’s Khopoli plant using steel produced at its Kalinganagar facility. 
• Tata Steel managed the entire production process, from designing and manufacturing hot-rolled steel to producing the nal hydrogen transportation pipes. 
• India aims to produce at least 5 MMT of Green Hydrogen annually by 2030, with potential expansion to 10 MMT per year, requiring advanced transportation infrastructure like Tata Steel’s pipes. 
• RBI imposes monetary penalty on Equitas Small Finance Bank Limited 
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed penalties on Equitas Small Finance Bank and India Post Payments Bank for deciencies in regulatory compliances. 
• RBI has imposed a penalty of Rs 65 lakh on Equitas Small Finance Bank for non-compliance with certain directions on ‘Levy of Foreclosure Charges/Pre-payment Penalty on Floating Rate Term Loans’ and ‘Credit Flow to Agriculture — Collateral free agricultural loans’. 
• A penalty of Rs 26.70 lakh has been imposed on India Post Payments Bank Ltd for non-compliance with certain directions on ‘Customer Service in Banks’. 
• Further, a penalty of Rs 3.10 lakh has also been imposed on Aptus Finance India Pvt Ltd for contravention of certain provisions of norms related to non-banking nancial company. 
• The penalties are based on the deciencies in regulatory compliance and is not intended to pronounce upon the validity of any transaction or agreement entered into by the entities with their customers. 

7. Railway Ministry releases ‘SwaRail’ SuperApp for testing 

• The Railway Ministry has released an application called SuperApp, a one-stop solution oering multiple public-facing services. 
• The app provides easy access to services like reserved and unreserved ticket bookings, platform and parcel bookings, train inquiries, PNR inquiries, help through RailMadad and more. 
• The core emphasis of the app is to enhance user experience through a seamless and clean user interface. It not only combines all services in one place but also integrates several services to provide users with a complete package of Indian Railway services. 

State News 

8. After Manipur, Assam destroy poppy plantations 

• After Manipur, Assam has begun destroying poppy plantations. On Sunday, the police in Goalpara dis-trict of western Assam used tractors to destroy poppy plants on more than 56 acres of a sandbar in the Brahmaputra. The destroyed crop of the opium producing plant was worth *27.2 crore. 
• People living on some sandbars or chairs, which are usually dicult to reach, have been known to grow cannabis. Ocials said this was one of the rst instances that poppy cultivation was reported from sandbars. 
• Taking to social media platform X, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma equated the local poppy cultivators with Pablo Escobar, a Colombian drug lord 1 who was killed in 1993. "Dear Local Pablo Esco-bars, sorry to spoil your planned Udta Assam party! Because Goalpara Police destroyed 170 Bighas of poppy cultivation in the Char (sandbar) areas worth 27.20 crore in January. So next time you think of drugs, think of assam-police rst," he wrote. Manipur Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren Singh was quick to respond to the post. 
• "My deep appreciation for the decisive measures taken in Assam, under the leadership of Hon'ble Chief Minister Shri @hi-mantabiswa ji, in address-ing the challenges posed by the cultivation of poppy," he wrote. "We stand together and remain resolute in our shared goal of building a future where every northeast youth is protected, nurtured, and allowed to thrive free from the shadow of drugs," Mr. Singh added. 
• The anti-drug drive that entailed burning acres of cannabis and poppy plantations was said to be one of the factors behind the ethnic conict between the Kuki-Zo and Meitei com-munities since May 2023. 

Economy News 

9. Finance minister proposed to introduce identity cards for gig workers and UPI-linked credit cards for street vendors. 

• A range of initiatives aimed at empowering gig workers and street vendors were announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman during her Budget 2025 presentation, signaling a continued push toward inclusive development. 
• In a historic move, ID cards will be issued to gig workers by the government, granting them access to healthcare and other social security benets through a newly proposed welfare scheme. 
• The aim of this initiative is to assist urban and online platform workers by providing them with identity cards and facilitating their registration on the e-Shram portal. 
• To ensure eective implementation, a committee comprising representatives of various stakeholders has been constituted to prepare a framework for providing social security and welfare benets to gig and platform workers. 
• These workers were rst formally dened under the Code on Social Security, 2020, enacted by Parliament. 
• The Code mandates the creation of appropriate social security measures, including life and disability cover, health and maternity benets, accident insurance, and old age protection for gig workers. 
• Apart from this, a revised PM SVANidhi scheme was also announced by the Finance Minister. 
• It introduced UPI-linked credit cards with a limit of Rs 30,000, enhanced bank credit, and capacity-building measures to strengthen the nancial position of street vendors. 

Important day 

10. February – Indian Coast Guard Day 

• Indian Coast Guard Day is observed annually on February 1. India celebrating the 49th Indian Coast Guard Day this year. 
• It is a day to celebrate the institution that protects India’s coastlines and enforces laws in the nation’s maritime areas. 
• The Indian Coast Guard Day was declared by the Indian Parliament on August 18, 1978. The Indian Coast Guard was formed on February 1, 1977, to stop the smuggling of goods by sea that hindered India’s domestic economy. 
• Founded in 1977 with only 7 surface ships, it currently boasts a eet of 78 aircraft and 158 ships.
• The ICG department is the fourth largest Coast Guard in the world, according to the Comptroller and Auditor General of India. 

Award News 

11.Sachin Tendulkar received BCCI’s Lifetime Achievement Award 

• Legendary former cricketer Sachin Tendulkar honoured with the BCCI’s Lifetime Achievement Award at the Board’s annual gala in Mumbai. 
• Tendulkar become the 31st recipient of the prestigious award, which was instituted in 1994 in honour of India’s rst cricket captain, Col. C.K. Nayudu. 
• The 51-year-old Tendulkar, who played an incredible 664 international matches for India, holds the record for the highest number of Test and ODI runs in cricket history. He amassed 15,921 runs in Tests and a staggering 18,426 runs in ODIs.
• Tendulkar also holds the record for the most appearances in both formats, with 200 Test matches and 463 ODIs to his name. 
• In 2023, the Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to former India head coach Ravi Shastri and wicket-keeping legend Farokh Engineer. 

Recent Awards- 

• Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar 2025 – Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) (In the Institutional Category for its excellent work in Disaster Management) 
• Gates-Cambridge Impact Prize 2025 – Prof Urbasi Sinha 
• Singapore’ Honorary Citizen Award – Tarun Das (Former DG of Confederation of Indian Industry) 
• 14th PSE Excellence Awards by ICC – Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Limited (IREDA) 
• Sri Chandrasekarendra Saraswathi’ award for leadership – External Aairs Minister S Jaishankar
• Bhutan’s royal honour – Renowned Indian educationist Arun Kapur 

12. Chandrika Tandon has won the Grammy award for the album Triveni 

• In the Best New Age, Ambient or Chant Album category, Indian-American vocalist and entrepreneur Chandrika Tandon has won the Grammy award for the album ‘Triveni’. 
• Triveni' is a collaboration of three artists Tandon, Kellerman, and Matsumoto who represent diverse cultures. 
• It was released on August 30, 2024, each of the seven songs of ’Triveni’ tells its own story while contributing to its overarching theme of healing resonance. 
• The 67th edition of the Grammy Award ceremony was held at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. 
• She won the award along with her collaborator South African autist Wouter Kellerman and Japanese cellist Eru Matsumoto.
• She made history as the rst Indian-American woman to be named partner at McKinsey & Company. 

• Category	Winner
  Best Rap Album	Alligator Bites Never Heal by Doechii
  Best Pop Vocal Album	Sabrina Carpenter, Short and Sweet
  Best Country Album	Cowboy Carter, Beyonce
  Best New Artist	Chappell Roan
  Best Latin Pop Album	'Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran,’ by Shakira
  Best Pop Duo/Group Performance	Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga for Die With A Smile
  Record of the Year	Not Like Us, Kendrick Lamar
  Song of the Year	Kendrick Lamar's Not Like Us
  Album of the Year	Cowboy Carter, Beyonce

13. World Wetlands Day: 2 February 

• World Wetlands Day is celebrated on the second day of February every year. 
• This day marks the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on 2 February 1971. 
• World Wetlands Day 2025 theme is 'Protecting Wetlands for our Common Future'
• It is also observed to raise awareness about the importance of wetlands for humans and the earth.
• Wetland is an area of land that is either covered with water or saturated with water. It includes mangroves, deltas, oodplains, rice-elds, coral reefs, etc. 

Sport News 

14. R Praggnanandhaa wins Tata Steel Chess Masters 2025

•  In Chess, Indian Grandmaster R. Praggnanandhaa clinched the prestigious Tata Steel Masters 2025 title in a thrilling showdown, defeating reigning World Champion D. Gukesh in a nail-biting tiebreaker last night at Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands. 
• This victory makes R. Praggnanandhaa the rst Indian since Viswanathan Anand in 2006 to claim the prestigious title. 
• The 14-player round-robin event ended dramatically, with both Gukesh and Pragg tied at 8.5 points after 13 rounds. Gukesh, unbeaten throughout the tournament, lost his nal classical game to Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi, while Pragg was defeated by Vincent Keymer in a long battle. 

15.India Beat South Africa By 9 Wickets to Defend U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup Title 

• India has defended their ICC Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup title, beating South Africa by 9 wickets in the nal match at the Bayuemas Oval in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 
• Gongadi Trisha’s unbeaten innings of 44 runs helped Niki Prasad led Women in Blue to chase the target of 83 runs in the 12th over. She also got Player of the Match award. Earlier, South Africa got bundled out for just 82 runs.
• Indian batter Gongadi Trisha emerged as the leading run-getter in this World Cup, scoring 309 runs and becoming Player of the Tournament. On the other hand, Vaishnavi Sharma became the highest wicket-taker with 17 wickets in 6 matches, including a hat-trick. 
• India had won the title in the inaugural edition in 2023 after beating England by seven wickets in the nal.