Current Affairs | National | International | SSC | UPSC 16th April 2025

 

1. Supreme Court directed to complete trials in child trafficking cases in 6 months. 

•  The SC Bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan directed High Courts to issue directions to lower courts to complete trials in child trafficking cases in six months. 
•  The SC also mandated that such cases need to be heard daily so as to ensure justice is delivered on time. 
• The directions are issued while hearing anticipatory bail pleased filed by the accused in a child trafficking case from Uttar Pradesh. 
•  The court said that any negligence in implementing the directions would be considered contempt of court. 
•  Contempt of Court refers to the power of the Supreme Court and High Courts to penalize for its contempt through Articles 129 and 215. There are two types of contempt- Civil and Criminal contempt. 

 Child trafficking in India: 

• According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), 3,466 cases of child trafficking were reported in India in 2019. 
• Children are trafficked in India for forced cheap labour, commercial sexual exploitation, begging and petty crimes, armed conflict, child marriage and even camouflaged sale of infants as inter-country adoption, etc. 
•  Government enacted various laws to deal with child trafficking and provide legal protection to children like POCSO Act 2012, Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act 1976, Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act 1956, Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2015. 

2. IMD forecasts ‘above normal’ monsoon 

•  India is likely to receive “above normal” monsoon rainfall, or 5% more than the historical average of 87 cm, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Tuesday. 
•  Were this to bear out, it would be a second year of “above normal” rainfall as India received 8% more than the historical average from June-September last year. 
•  While all forecasts have a4% margin of error, the IMD’s forecast could mean enough water for the kharif crop and improved storage in the country's reservoirs. However, it can also mean episodes of intense rain leading to devastating foods. 
•  The absence of an El Ni no, associated with the warming of the Central Equatorial Pacific and weak monsoon rain, is a major cause for optimism regarding surplus rain. Another factor is a parameter called the Eurasian snow cover, or snow cover areas of northern hemisphere and Eurasia from January March 2025.
•   These models were “below normal”, according to IMD meteorologists, and have an “inverse relationship” with the summer monsoon rainfall. An inverse relationship means that less snow corresponds to more rain. 
•  “For the monsoon forecast, we use a dynamical, coupled model,” said M. Ravichandran, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences, at a press conference. These are simulations of the oceans and the atmosphere and are fed into powerful computers to generate forecasts. 
• “We use five parameters (snow cover being one) for the April forecast and historical data suggest that it (Eurasian snow) has a 33% correlation with a good monsoon. But the exact causes can’t always be known. That’s how dynamical forecast systems work,” he said. 

3. Dhiraj Bommadevara won bronze for India in the Archery World Cup individual event. 

•  On April 14, India’s Dhiraj Bommadevara secured the bronze medal in archery at the 2025 Archery World Cup held in Florida, USA. 
•  Dheeraj defeated Andres Tamino Medial in the men's individual recurve event with a score of 6-4. 
• This was also Dheeraj's second medal of the tournament. 
•  With this victory, India wrapped up its Archery World Cup 2025 campaign with an impressive tally of four medals—one gold, one silver, and two bronze. 
•  The Indian team finished fourth in the overall medal tally. 
•  Mexico finished on top with six (three gold, two silver and one bronze) medals. 
• Archery World Cup 2025 medal winners for India: Event Athlete(s) Medal Compound Mixed Team Rishabh Yadav, Jyothi Surekha Vennam Gold Recurve Men’s Team Dhiraj Bommadevara, Tarundeep Rai, Atanu Das Silver Compound Men’s Team Rishabh Yadav, Abhishek Verma, Ojas Deotale Bronze Men’s Individual Recurve Dhiraj Bommadevara Bronze 

4. An MoU signed between Ministry of Labour & Employment and Swiggy. 

•  On 15 April, an MoU signed between the Ministry of Labour and Employment and Swiggy, the Indian online food ordering and delivery platform. 
• This marks a significant step towards strengthening employment relationships in the gig and logistics sector through the National Career Service (NCS) portal. 
•  The National Career Service Portal is an active platform to connect job seekers and employers across the country. 
•  It has been instrumental in bringing together more than 1 crore 25 lakh job seekers and 40 lakh registered employers as of January 31, 2025, and is playing a vital role in workforce mobilization.
• This partnership with Swiggy will expand the reach of the portal to the workforce and the connected economy, providing position-responsive and location-based employment opportunities to millions of youth. 
•  Under this MoU, Swiggy will integrate its job opportunities with the NCS portal, which includes jobs in delivery, logistics, and support roles. 
•  This platform with real-time integration will showcase job opportunities to NCS users, enabling workers to benefit from timely job opportunities across urban and semi-urban areas. 

Swiggy: 

•  Founded in 2014, it is an Indian online food ordering and delivery company. Swiggy is headquartered in Bangalore. 
• Apart from food delivery, the platform also offers instant commerce services called Swiggy Instamart, and same-day package delivery with Swiggy Genie. 

5. The 15th BRICS Agriculture Ministers Meeting at Brasilia, Brazil, will be attended by Union Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan. 

• Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan is leading the Indian delegation to the 15th BRICS Agriculture Ministers' Meeting (AMM), which will be held on 17th April, 2025.
•   The theme of the 15th BRICS AMM is “Promoting Inclusive and Sustainable Agriculture through Cooperation, Innovation, and Equitable Trade among BRICS Countries.” 
• The meeting is set to be attended by Agriculture Ministers and senior officials from BRICS countries, as well as delegations from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE, Ethiopia, Indonesia, and Iran. 
•  During his visit, Shri Chouhan will hold meetings with the Minister of Agriculture and Livestock of Brazil, Mr. Carlos Henrique Baquetta Favero, and the Minister of Agricultural Development and Family Farming, Mr. Luiz Paulo Teixeira. 
•  These meetings will focus on enhancing cooperation between India and Brazil in various sectors of agriculture, agro-technology, rural development, and food security. 
•  Shri Chouhan will meet agribusiness leaders and the Brazilian Vegetable Oil Industry Association in São Paulo to explore opportunities for partnership and investment in the agricultural value chain. 

 BRICS Agriculture Ministers' Meeting (AMM): 

•  The BRICS AMM began as part of the broader BRICS cooperation framework aimed at addressing common challenges in agriculture among member countries. 
• Since its inception in 2010, it has served as a premier platform for sharing best practices, promoting agricultural innovation, and ensuring food and nutrition security
• In 2024, the 14th BRICS Ministers of Agriculture Meeting was held in Moscow under the chairmanship of the Russian Federation. 

6. Himachal Pradesh celebrated its 78th foundation day on 15 April. 

•  On 15 April 1948, the state was formed by merging 30 small and large princely states.
•  Since then, every year 15th April is celebrated as 'Himachal Day'.
•  This year, the state-level main function was organized at Kilar, the headquarters of the remote and tribal Pangi Valley of Chamba district. 
•  Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu presided over the event. 
•  For the first time, state-level Himachal Day celebrations were held in Pangi Valley, leading to great enthusiasm among the local residents. 
• Vibrant cultural programs showcasing the rich heritage of the state were also presented on the occasion. 

 Himachal Pradesh: 

•  It is a North Indian state situated in the western Himalayas. 
•  It shares a boundary with Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh. 
•  The state capitals are Shimla (summer) and Dharamshala (winter).
•   Great Himalayan National Park, Pin Valley National Park, and Khirganga National Park are located in Himachal Pradesh. 
•  Nati is the most famous dance of Himachal Pradesh. 
•  On 1 November 1956, Himachal Pradesh became a Union Territory of India. 
•  The Himachal Pradesh State Act was passed by the Parliament on 18 December 1970, and the new state came into existence on 25 January 1971. 
•  It was the 18th state of India. 
•  Governor: Shri Shiv Pratap Shukla, Chief Minister: Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu
•  Lok Sabha seats: 4, Rajya Sabha seats: 3 

7. Severe rainfall and flooding have hit several provinces in Congo. 

• Kinshasa, capital of Congo, is among the worst affected. 
• Tanganyika and South Kivu have also reported serious damage. 
• They are in the eastern part of the country. 
•  Authorities have set up emergency shelters and care centers in stadiums across Kinshasa. 
•  Weather forecasts predict continued heavy rainfall in the coming days. 
•  This has raised fears of more destruction. 
•  Kinshasa, with a population of 17 million, is especially at risk. 
•  Rapid and unregulated urban growth has made it more vulnerable. 
•  Floods are caused by both meteorological, physical as well as human factors such as deforestation, unchecked urbanization, and faulty construction of dams. 
•  Flood mitigation techniques include flood barriers and levees, floodplain zoning and land use planning. 
•  Early warning systems, dams and reservoirs, reforestation and afforestation and flood-resistant construction are other flood mitigation techniques. 

8. Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has officially launched the Bhu Bharathi revenue portal in Hyderabad. 

• The platform is designed to boost land security and make land records more transparent. 
• The portal will help settle land disputes through a clear and consistent revenue system. 
•  Landowners will be given a Bhudhar card. 
• This card will carry complete information related to their land. 
•  The portal is currently being tested in four mandals. 
• These mandals are Khammam, Mulugu, Kodangal, and Kamareddy. 
•  Revenue officials will visit each village in these mandals. 
•  Their goal is to resolve all pending land issues by May 1. 
• From May onwards, one mandal from each district will be selected for the same process. 
• The system will be rolled out across the entire state starting June 2. 

9. Magnus Carlsen from Norway won the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam 2025 in Paris. 

•  He defeated American Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura in the final. 
•  Carlsen earned 2 lakh US Dollars for his victory. 
•  Nakamura finished second and received 1 lakh 40 thousand US Dollars.
•   Fabiano Caruana, an Italian-American, won third place by defeating German Grandmaster Vincent Keymer.
•   Caruana took home 1 lakh US Dollars and secured a spot in the Las Vegas Grand Slam. 
•  Indian Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi won over Maxime Vachier-Lagrave of France. 
•  Arjun claimed fifth place. He will participate in the Grenke Freestyle Open starting on April17. 

10. Cashfree Payments appoints Piyush Anchliya as CFO 

•  Payments company Cashfree Payments has appointed Piyush Anchliya as its chief financial officer. 
•  In his new role, Anchliya will be responsible for driving financial strategy, optimising operations, and supporting the company’s next phase of strategic growth, according to a statement issued by the firm.
•  Founded in 2015 by Akash Sinha and Reeju Datta, Cashfree operates a full-stack digital payments solutions platform that helps businesses collect online payments and make payouts. 
• The startup recently piloted cross-border payments in partnership with platforms like Swiggy, Zepto, Nykaa, BookMyShow, and Vedantu to enable overseas customers to transact in India using UPI. 

11. Mirabai Chanu named chairperson of IWLF Athletes’ Commission 

•  Olympic silver medallist Mirabai Chanu and Commonwealth Games gold medallist Sathish Kumar have been elected chairperson and vice-chairperson, respectively, of the Athletes’ Commission of the Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWLF). Their term will last four years.
•   Mirabai is one of India’s most decorated weightlifters, holding multiple national records and historic milestones to her name. Her personal best in the total lift is 205kg — 86kg in snatch and 119kg in clean and jerk — which also stands as the national record. 
• Sathish had clinched a gold medal in weightlifting at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast. Competing in the men’s 77kg category, he lifted a total of 317kg — 144kg in snatch and 173kg in clean and jerk. This marked his second consecutive Commonwealth Games gold, having won the title earlier in Glasgow in 2014. 

Recent Appointments 

•  Chairperson of the ICC men’s cricket committee – Sourav Ganguly 
• Chief Justice of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh HC – Justice Arun Palli 
•  Executive Director, President and Chief Operating Officer of TCS – Aarthi Subramanian 
•  CEO of Oman India Joint Investment Fund – Satish Chavva appointed 
•  President of Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) – SC Ralhan (replace Ashwani Kumar). 

12. Shreyas Iyer bags the ICC Men’s Player of the Month award for March 2025

•   The International Cricket Council (ICC) declared India batter Shreyas Iyer and young Australian batter Georgia Voll as ICC Men’s and Women’s Players of the Month for March 2025, respectively. 
•  Both wins extend Player of the Month winning streaks for their respective countries. Iyer makes it successive honours for India following Shubman Gill’s win in February, and Voll becomes the fourth consecutive Australian female to be named the Women’s Player of the Month. 
•  This is Iyer’s second ICC Men’s Player of the Month award after leading India’s run charts and playing a key role in their historic ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 triumph. 
•  Voll meanwhile celebrates her first ever ICC Women’s Player of the Month award, securing the accolade after explosive batting exploits in Australia’s victorious T20I sweep of New Zealand ICC Men’s Player of the Month 
•  December 2024 – Jasprit Bumrah (India)
•   January 2025 – Jomel Warrican (West Indies) 
•  February 2025 -W Shubman Gill (India) 
•  March 2025 – Shreyas Iyer (India) ICC Women’s Player of the Month 
•  December 2024 – Annabel Sutherland (Australia) 
•  January 2025 – Beth Mooney (Australia) 
•  February 2025 – Alana King (Australia) 
•  March 2025 – Georgia Voll (Australia) 

13. Dubai named host city for 2025 Asian Youth Para Games 

•  Dubai has been named the host city for the 5th Asian Youth Para Games, to be held from December 7–14, 2025, after Tashkent withdrew as the original host. 
• This is Dubai’s second time hosting the event, having first organized it in 2017. 
• An estimated 1350 athletes from 30–40 countries will participate across 10 para-sports, making it the largest edition of the Games in terms of athlete and country participation. 
•  The Dubai Club for People of Determination will host 6 out of the 10 sports, continuing the city’s strong record in organizing major para-sport events like the FAZZA Championships. 

14. Dhoni becomes first keeper to complete 200 dismissals in IPL history 

•  Chennai Super Kings captain M.S. Dhoni added another feather to his cap in his illustrious career by becoming the first player in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL) to complete 200 fielding dismissals. 
•  Dhoni achieved the feat during the Chennai Super Kings encounter against Lucknow Super Giants at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium. 
• Former wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik occupies the second spot with 182 dismissals under his belt. Royal Challengers Bengaluru icon AB de Villiers sits in the third spot with 126 dismissals to his name. 15. 

15 April – World Art Day 

•  World Art Day is celebrated every year on April 15 to promote awareness about creative expression and to highlight the importance of art and artists in society. 
•  Theme 2025 – Art for Unity and Transformation 
• The date April 15 marks the birth anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci (born in 1452), who is widely considered a symbol of creativity, freedom of expression, and innovation. 
•  The day was proclaimed by the International Association of Art (IAA) and first celebrated in 2012. Since then, it has grown into a global event involving museums, schools, artists, and art institutions around the world.