Current Affairs | National | International | SSC | UPSC 14th March 2025

 

International News 

1. India took part in the 69th Session of UN Commission on Status of Women 

• A delegation of the Government of India led by Annpurna Devi participated in the 69th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).
•  This session was dedicated for the promotion of gender equality, the rights and the empowerment of women. 
• Annpurna Devi, Union Minister, Women and Child Development (WCD), highlighted the progress of India on gender equality. 
• She highlighted the transformative impact of flagship schemes to improve health, nutrition, education, and economic opportunities for women and children. 
• A functional commission of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) will also held from March 10- 21. All UN member states, intergovernmental organizations, the private sector, philanthropists, academia, civil society, women's collectives, and UN agencies participated in the meeting. 

Infrastructure and Energy News 

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2. Indian Railways will dig ponds under the Amrit Sarovar mission to fight water scarcity 

•  As part of the Union government’s Mission Amrit Sarovar, the Indian railways will dig ponds to address the critical issue of water scarcity. 
• Amrit Sarovar's mission was launched in April 2022 with an ambitious goal of constructing or rejuvenating 75 ponds in each district. 
• As of October 2024, more than 68,000 ponds have been completed. 
•  Phase two of the mission was launched with a renewed focus on ensuring water availability. 
•  Its main aim is to strengthen climate resilience, foster ecological balance, and deliver lasting benefits for future generations. 
•  As part of these initiatives, the government inked a pact with the Railways for desilting, excavating identified waterbodies or constructing new ones at suitable sites near railway lines. 
•  Railway authorities will identify possible sites for the creation of new waterbodies near railway worksites. 
• The excavated material would be used in railway embankments. 
• The Railways would work in close coordination with the Rural Development Ministry. 

3.T.N. opts for Tamil letter ‘’ instead of ‘₹’ in budget logo 

• Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Thursday released a promotional logo for the State budget for 2025-26, replacing the Indian currency symbol, ₹, used in the previous financial year’s Budget with the Tamil letter ‘Roo’ (‘’ ) to denote ‘Roobai’ (the Tamil word for the currency). The budget will be presented on Friday. 
•  The logo, shared on the official X page of the Chief Minister, carried the slogan ‘Ellarkum Ellam (everything for everyone)’ conveying the idea of inclusiveness. The promotional video produced by the Information and Public Relations Department has included the Sangam period Purananooru verse in praise of the Chera King Cheraman Palli Paadiiya Perumkadungo. 
•  Official sources said the Tamil Nadu government, in its budget document, was using ‘’ and the English word “rupees” and had not opted for the symbol ₹ in the text. “The Chief Minister has used Tamil, one of the 15 languages in the Indian currency. It is not against the Constitution,” an official source said. 
• BJP State president K. Annamalai criticised the DMK government for replacing the rupee symbol ₹, which is a blend of the Devanagari ‘Ra’ for rupiah and the Roman ‘R’ for rupees in English. In an X post, he said, “The DMK government’s State budget for 2025-26 replaces the rupee symbol designed by a Tamilian, which was adopted by the whole of Bharat and incorporated into our currency”. 
• The symbol ₹ was designed by D. Udaya Kumar, the son of a former DMK MLA, who won a national contest to design a symbol for the rupee in 2010. At a press conference, J. Jeyaranjan, the Executive Vice-Chairman of the State Planning Commission, claimed the Tamil letter ‘’ was used only to “avoid using Devanagari”. 

4.₹200-crore scheme for one-time settlement of loans to give big relief to farmers: Rajasthan govt 

•  A one-time settlement scheme for agricultural land development loans announced by Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma is set to give “big relief” to farmers with a proposed expenditure of ₹200 crore on the programme, Minister of State for Cooperatives Gautam Kumar Dak said on Thursday. 
•  These loans are disbursed in the State by the Rajasthan Rajya Sahakari Bhoomi Vikas Bank. Mr. Sharma had said in the Assembly while replying to the debate on the 2025-26 State budget that the one-time settlement formed part of the government’s continuous measures for welfare of farmers. 
•  Land development loans comprise financial assistance given to farmers for carrying out farm development activities — such as land reclamation, soil development, on-farm development work, and soil and water conservation — that help them earn income. Mr. Dak said the decision would bring the overdue borrowers of the bank back into the mainstream. 
• “This announcement will not only provide relief to over 36,000 loanee members associated with the primary land development banks, but will also improve financial conditions of these banks,” he said. The long-term land development loans disbursed to farmers and small entrepreneurs have played an important role in the agricultural and economic development of the State. 
• Recovery of loans However, several of the 36 primary land development banks are running in losses and also lagging behind in the recovery of loans from farmers in the State. 

5. Over ₹2,500-crore financial liabilities to be transferred to Ladakh, says J&K CM Omar 

•  Financial liabilities amounting to ₹2,504.46 crore are to be transferred to the Union Territory of Ladakh and the matter has been taken up with the Ministry of Home Affairs and the administration of Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said on Thursday. 
•  Mr. Abdullah told the Legislative Assembly that a committee had been constituted to ensure the transparent distribution of assets, liabilities and Budget between the Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh following the reorganisation. Responding to a query from member Qaysar Jamshaid Lone, the Chief Minister stated that the process is being carried out in accordance with Notification SO-339 of GAD, dated October 30, 2020. 
•  “The apportionment was to be conducted in a manner to ensure a fair transfer of assets, liabilities and Budget between the two U.T.s. 
• After completion of the process, an official gazette notification was issued on October 31, 2020,” he said. Mr. Abdullah, who also holds the portfolio of Finance, informed that most of the committee’s recommendations have already been implemented. 

6. Auction of licences to explore critical minerals launched 

•  Union Coal and Mines Minister G. Kishan Reddy on Thursday launched the country’s first-ever auction of exploration licences (ELs) for 13 exploration blocks for critical minerals. 
• Mr. Reddy launched the ELs in the presence of Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant in Dona Paula near here, a major reform aimed to unlock India’s untapped critical and deep seated mineral resources. 
•  The licences are for the exploration blocks for minerals such as REE (rare earth elements), zinc, diamond, copper, PGE (platinum group minerals) and others. Mr. Reddy said that in the last 10 years, India’s mining sector has achieved many milestones and emerged as one of the fastest and most dynamic sectors. “We are laying the foundation for a new era in mineral exploration,” he said. 
•  “We have established ourselves as a serious player in the global mineral landscape, it has also opened floodgates of opportunities for the private sector,” he said. Mr. Reddy added even greater milestones will be achieved in the coming years and it will pave the way for the rise of India as a global leader.
• The exploration access would be granted exclusively, which would empower private companies to explore up to 1,000 square metres per licence, Mr. Reddy said. This new framework will encourage transparency, efficiency, innovation, ensuring that only the most promising areas remain for a detailed exploration, he said. 

7. ISRO undocks SpaDex satellites in first attempt 

•  Nearly two months after the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) carried out the docking of the two satellites which are part of the Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX) mission, the space agency on Thursday accomplished their undocking. The space agency said that it had accomplished the feat in its very first attempt .The undocking operation was executed at 9.20 a.m. “The undocking of the satellites took place in a 460 km circular orbit with 45-degree inclination. 
•  The satellites are now orbiting independently and their health is normal,” the agency said. “With this, ISRO has now successfully demonstrated all the capabilities required for rendezvous, docking and undocking operations in a circular orbit.” It said that the in-orbit performance of the docked satellites was extensively analysed and an immediate opportunity was found to be feasible from March 10 to 25. “All operations were monitored through ground stations located in Bengaluru, Lucknow and Mauritius. 
• Having accomplished this major milestone of undocking, further experiments with satellites are planned for the coming days,” the ISRO said. It further said that exhaustive ground simulations and analysis were the cornerstones of achieving the undocking in the first attempt itself. “Various tests replicating on-orbit conditions were meticulously planned and carried out in preparation for the earliest opportunity for undocking operations,” it said. 
•  On January 16, the ISRO successfully executed the SpaDeX docking experiment, making India the fourth country after the U.S., Russia and China to achieve this historic feat. The two satellites SDX01 (Chaser) and SDX02 (Target), which were launched by the PSLV C60 on December 30, were successfully docked on January 16. 
•  Following this historic feat, the space agency had said that the undocking would be carried out in the coming days. The SpaDeX mission is an important project by the ISRO. It is designed to develop and demonstrate the technology needed for spacecraft rendezvous, docking and undocking using two small satellites. 
•  Objectives of mission The demonstration of this technology is essential for futuristic missions such as sending an Indian astronaut to the moon, returning samples from the moon, and building and operation of an Indian Space Station. 
• The other objectives of the SpaDex mission include demonstration of the transfer of electric power between the docked spacecraft, which is essential for future applications, such as in-space robotics, composite spacecraft control and payload operations after undocking. 

8.INA veteran celebrates 99th birthday by paying tributes to Netaji and fallen soldiers

•   Lieutenant Rangaswamy Madhavan Pillai, a veteran of the Indian National Army (INA), celebrated his 99th birthday on Thursday by laying wreaths at the National War Memorial and the statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on Kartavya Path. 
•  The wreath-laying ceremony organised by the Army was attended by senior military personnel and the public. Lt. Pillai was born on March 13, 1926, in the Suryan township of Rangoon district in Burma (now Myanmar). 
•  He joined the Indian Independence League as a civilian in 1942 under Rash Behari Bose. When Netaji arrived in Singapore, Lt. Pillai formally enlisted in the INA, also known as the Azad Hind Fauj, on November 1, 1943, at the age of 17. 
•  Serving as a recruiting officer and fundraiser, he mobilised support for the INA across 32 locations in Burma, including Hanthawaddy, Sawbwagale, Ywadanshe, Swryan, Yangon, and Mayongone. 
•  His active involvement in the freedom struggle led to his imprisonment for eight months in the Rangoon Jail from May to December 1945, officials said. Later, he served in the administrative branch at the INA headquarters in Rangoon under Major General K.P. Thimayya (elder brother of former Army chief General K.S. Thimayya). He was officially recognised as a freedom fighter by the Government of India on August 1, 1980.