Current Affairs | National | International | SSC | UPSC 20th March 2025

 

National News 

1. 'Shishtachar' squads for women's safety will be launched by Delhi Police, following the UP model 

• ‘Shishtachar’ squads, also known as ‘anti-eve teasing’ squads, are set to be launched by Delhi Police to improve women’s safety in the national capital, inspired by the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh model.
•  The initiative will “focus on enforcing the law rather than imposing personal or cultural morality on individuals.” 
•  This decision has been taken in line with the promise made by the Bharatiya Janata Party in its election manifesto before the Delhi Assembly elections. 
•  In this, it had promised to form an 'Anti-Romeo Squad' and install CCTV cameras at public places.
•   These squads will comprise trained personnel who will focus on preventing and responding to such crimes on a real-time basis. 
• Each district will have two anti-Romeo squads headed by an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP). 
• These squads will also conduct surprise checks on public transport and interact with Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) drivers, conductors, and passengers and encourage them to report incidents. 
•  According to Delhi Police data, 4,273 cases of rape, molestation, and eve-teasing were registered in the city till December 15 last year. 
• Of these, 1,971 cases were registered in various police stations in Delhi. 

2. A high-level committee has been formed to resolve regulatory challenges in the fintech sector in India 

•  It will be chaired by chaired by the secretary of the Department of Financial Services (DFS). 
• The high-level committee has senior officials from key ministries, regulators, and startup founders. 
•  The panel will assess the current framework and suggest policy changes to support industry growth while ensuring financial stability.
•   Regulators such as the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) are also part of this panel.
•  The government has also included fintech leaders from companies like Billdesk, Acko General Insurance, Groww, and Jupiter in this panel. 
• The panel is expected to submit its report within three months of its first meeting. The panel will shape the next phase of fintech regulation. 

International News 

3. India and Maldives will settle bilateral trade in local currencies 

•  Bilateral trade transactions between India and Maldives will be settled in the local currencies of Indian Rupee and Maldives Rufiyaa in addition to the existing Asian Clearing Union mechanism. 
•  On March 17, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has issued a circular in this regard. 
•  The Asian Clearing Union (ACU) is a payment arrangement whereby participants settle payments for intra-regional transactions between participating central banks on a pure multilateral basis. 
•  This initiative is expected to provide great help to Maldives, as India is the largest trading partner of Maldives, and the bilateral trade between the two countries is over US$548 million. 
•  The decision follows the signing of the MoU between the RBI and the Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA) in November 2024. 
•  This agreement establishes a framework to facilitate trade settlement in local currencies.
•  This initiative is an important step towards enhancing trade and financial relations between Maldives and India. 

4. RBI and Bank of Mauritius sign pact on use of local currencies for bilateral transactions

•   Reserve Bank and the Bank of Mauritius (BOM) have signed a pact for establishing a framework to promote the use of the Indian Rupee and the Mauritian Rupee (MUR) for cross-border transactions. 
•  The MoU was signed by RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra and BOM Governor Rama Krishna Sithanen G C S K. 
• The MoU aims to promote the use of INR and MUR in bilateral trade. The MoU covers all current account transactions and permissible capital account transactions as agreed upon by both the countries. 
• The framework would enable exporters and importers to invoice and pay in their respective domestic currencies, which in turn, would enable the development of a market in the INR-MUR pair. 
•  Use of local currencies in bilateral transactions will eventually contribute to promoting trade between India and Mauritius as well as deepen financial integration and strengthen the historical, cultural, and, economic relations between India and Mauritius. 

State News 

5. Telangana presents ₹3.04 lakh crore Budget for 2025-26 

• The Telangana government has presented a massive ₹3.04 lakh crore Budget for the financial year 2025-26. The Budget, crossing the ₹3 lakh crore mark for the first time since the formation of Telangana State, encompasses revenue expenditure of ₹2.26 lakh crore and capital expenditure of ₹36,504 crore. 
•  The total outlay is 5% higher than the current year’s ₹2.91 lakh crore, a moderate rise compared with the Budgets introduced in the Assembly in the past. The Budget, however, respects the State’s continued dependence on borrowings estimated at close to ₹70,000 crore, including open market borrowings of ₹64,539 crore during the next fiscal. 
•  The welfare-oriented Budget presented in the Assembly by Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, who holds the Finance portfolio, projects a surplus of ₹2,738 crore and a scale deficit of ₹54,009 crore, mainly on account of borrowings, while the primary deficit is pegged at ₹34,640 crore. ₹11,405 cr. Major allocations have been made to agriculture (₹24,439 crore), panchayat raj (₹31,605 crore) and education (₹23,108 crore). 
•  Welfare of the Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, however, garnered the lion’s share of allocations, with outlays for BCs accounting for ₹11,405 crore, SCs ₹40,232 crore and STs ₹17,169 crore, taking the total allocations to close to ₹69,000 crore. Another priority area was the six poll guarantees of the Congress, which were given ₹56,084 crore. 
•  The Rythu Bharosa got ₹18,000 crore and Cheyutha ₹14,861 crore while Indiramma houses received ₹12,571 crore. The Mahalakshmi scheme providing free bus travel to women received ₹4,305 crore. The Energy department got ₹21,221 crore. 

Business News 

6. SEBI partnered with Digilocker to resolve the issue of unclaimed financial assets 

•  Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) joined hands with DigiLocker to address the issue of unclaimed financial assets. 
• This initiative will enable investors to store and access information on their demat and mutual fund holdings through DigiLocker. 
•  Under this initiative, SEBI and DigiLocker are committed to enhance investor protection.
•   It will help in providing seamless access to financial records. 
•  This mechanism will help in minimizing unclaimed assets and ensures the identification of assets that might get unnoticed. 
•  Access to securities holdings, a nomination facility for seamless access, automated notification to nominees and the role of KYC registration agencies (KRAs) will be the main features of this initiative. 

Economy News 

7. India's goods trade deficit fell to a 42-month low due to a decline in imports of gold, silver, and crude oil 

•  According to Commerce and Industry Ministry data, India's merchandise trade deficit fell to a 42-month low of $14.05 billion in February 2025 due to a decline in imports of gold, silver, and crude oil. 
•  In January 2025, the difference between imports and exports of goods was $22.9 billion. The merchandise trade deficit was $19.5 billion in February 2024. 
• India's gold and silver imports stood at $2.7 billion, the lowest since June 2024, when it was valued at $2.5 billion.
•  As far as crude oil and petroleum are concerned, imports stood at $11.89 billion, the lowest since July 2023, when it was valued at $11.81 billion. 
•  India exported goods worth $36.9 billion in February 2025. However, imports fell to a 22-month low of $50.9 billion. 
• The trade deficit was also much lower than the average of over $23 billion during the first 10 months of FY25.
•   In February 2025, India exported services worth $35.03 billion and imported services worth $16.55 billion. 
•  In February 2024, these numbers were $28.33 billion and $15.23 billion, respectively. 

8. Cabinet approves ₹1,500-crore UPI incentive to banks 

•  The Union Cabinet on Wednesday announced an incentive scheme for Unified Payments Interface (UPI) payments of less than ₹2,000 for 2024-25 with an outlay of around ₹1,500 crore. Banks will get a 0.15% incentive, one-fifth of which will be incumbent on adequate performance of their infrastructure over the year. 
•  The incentive will be paid out in the case of payments to small merchants. For payments above ₹2,000, no incentive will be offered by the government. The incentives are being offered to urge banks and merchants to broaden their UPI acceptance, as unlike with debit and credit cards, there is no merchant fee on UPI payments currently.
•   The incentive encourages merchants in particular as card transactions typically involve a small fee that have to be borne by retailers, and this incentive allows smaller merchants to accept small payments for free. 
• The Union government in a statement cited the “balance of both the growth of UPI transactions and the minimum financial burden on the Government exchequer,” an allusion to the fact that the outlay has gradually reduced as digital payments grow. 
•  The government is targeting ₹20,000 crore in total transaction volumes in FY 2024-25. For financial year 2023– 24, the incentive paid out to banks has been ₹3,631 crore, higher than the previous two years combined. This figure includes incentives offered to banks for transactions on RuPay debit cards, the National Payments Corporation of India’s response to Visa and Mastercard. 

Schemes and Committees News 

9. Cabinet approved the implementation of the Revised Rashtriya Gokul Mission 

• To boost growth in the livestock sector, the Union Cabinet approved the Revised Rashtriya Gokul Mission (RGM) with an additional outlay of ₹1,000 crore for 2024-25 and 2025-26. 
•  Under the Revised Rashtriya Gokul Mission, two new activities have been introduced. 
•  It will help in creating 30 housing facilities with a total of 15,000 heifers.
•  The scheme will continue its core activities, including strengthening semen stations and artificial insemination networks, implementing bull production and accelerated breed improvement programs. ● After the implementation of the Rashtriya Gokul Mission, the milk production has increased by 63.55 percent over the last decade. 
• Rashtriya Gokul Mission has also helped in introducing advanced breeding technologies to farmers.
•  Gau Chip and Mahish Chip genomic chips have been created by the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) and the ICAR National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources (NBAGR).

 10. Cabinet approves revised ₹2,790 crore dairy development scheme to boost infrastructure 

• The Union Cabinet has approved the Revised National Programme for Dairy Development (NPDD), aimed at modernizing India’s dairy sector and ensuring its long-term growth. 
• The scheme, classified as a Central Sector initiative, has been allocated an additional ₹1,000 crore, taking the total budget outlay to ₹2,790 crore for the duration of the 15th Finance Commission period from 2021-22 to 2025-26. 
•  The revised programme is focused on strengthening the dairy infrastructure across the country. It seeks to boost milk procurement and processing capacity, improve quality control systems, and ensure better market access for dairy farmers. 
• The initiative is designed to encourage value addition in the sector, streamline supply chain efficiency, and ultimately raise rural incomes, particularly benefiting women, who represent 70% of India’s dairy workforce. 
•  The revised NPDD is structured around two key components. The first focuses on developing essential dairy infrastructure, including the establishment of milk chilling plants, advanced milk testing laboratories, and certification systems. It also prioritizes the formation of new village-level dairy cooperative societies and aims to bolster milk procurement and processing capacities, particularly in the North Eastern Region, hilly areas, Union Territories, and other remote regions. This component also includes financial support for the formation of two new Milk Producer Companies (MPCs). 
•  The second component, known as “Dairying through Cooperatives (DTC),” continues efforts to sustainably develop dairy cooperatives. This component is being implemented in partnership with the Government of Japan and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) under existing agreements. It targets improving dairy production, processing, and marketing infrastructure in nine states: Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Telangana, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal. 
•  Under the revised NPDD, the government aims to establish 10,000 new Dairy Cooperative Societies and form two new Milk Producer Companies. The initiative is projected to generate an additional 3.2 lakh employment opportunities and further promote the use of advanced technology and quality testing infrastructure in the dairy sector. 

11.Cabinet approves implementation of Revised Rashtriya Gokul Mission with enhanced allocation for 2024-25 and 2025-26 

• The Union Cabinet has approved the Revised Rashtriya Gokul Mission (RGM) to boost growth in the livestock sector. 
• The revised mission will be implemented as a Central Sector component of the Development Programmes scheme, with an additional outlay of ₹1,000 crore, bringing the total allocation to ₹3,400 crore for the 15th Finance Commission cycle from 2021-22 to 2025-26. 
•  Two new activities have been introduced under the revised RGM. The first is a one-time assistance of 35 percent of the capital cost for the establishment of Heifer Rearing Centres, which will help in creating 30 housing facilities with a total of 15,000 heifers. 
• The second initiative aims to encourage farmers to purchase High Genetic Merit (HGM) IVF heifers by providing a 3 percent interest subvention on loans taken from milk unions, financial institutions, or banks for such purchases. This will facilitate the systematic induction of high-yielding breeds. 
• With the implementation of the Rashtriya Gokul Mission and other government efforts, milk production has increased by 63.55 percent over the past decade. The availability of milk per capita, which stood at 307 grams per day in 2013-14, has risen to 471 grams per day in 2023-24. Productivity has also improved by 26.34 percent in the last ten years. 
•  The Nationwide Artificial Insemination Programme (NAIP) under RGM provides free artificial insemination at farmers’ doorsteps in 605 districts across the country where baseline AI coverage was below 50 percent. To date, over 8.39 crore animals have been covered, and 5.21 crore farmers have benefitted. 
•  RGM has also been at the forefront of introducing advanced breeding technologies to farmers. A total of 22 in vitro fertilization (IVF) labs have been set up under State Livestock Boards or universities, leading to the birth of 2,541 high-genetic-merit calves. 

Appointment News 

12. Bajaj Auto Reappoints Rajiv Bajaj as MD & CEO 

• Bajaj Auto has reappointed Rajivnayan Rahulkumar Bajaj as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer for a five-year term starting April 1, 2025. 
• The company’s board also approved a Rs 1,500 crore fund infusion into its wholly-owned subsidiary, Bajaj Auto Credit Ltd (BACL), to be disbursed in phases during FY 2025-26, aimed at boosting BACL’s assets under management. 

Banking and Financial News 

13. RBI will establish an 'on Tap' cohort focused on climate change risks and sustainable finance within its regulatory sandbox framework. 

•  RBI will also host a 'Greenathon' event centered on climate change and related topics. 
•  As per RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra, there are two main aspects of climate change risks. 
•  They are facilitative and prudential aspects. 
• The facilitative aspect includes capacity building and funding the green transition. Prudential aspect deals with risk management. 
• Climate change risks impact key financial risk categories. These categories include credit, market, and operational risks. 
• RBI’s role is to facilitate the promotion of green and sustainable finance. 
•  The impact of climate change risks extends beyond the financial system. 
• The climate change risks affect industries like corporate businesses, MSMEs, and agriculture. 
• Addressing these risks requires strong coordination and alignment involving financial regulators, entities, and various government bodies. 

14. Canara Bank becomes the first bank to introduce Online Digital Balance Confirmation Certificate 

• In a significant step toward digitisation and operational efficiency, Canara Bank has become the first bank in India to introduce an Online Digital Balance Confirmation Certificate through the PSB Alliance Pvt. Ltd portal. 
• This initiative reduces the time required for auditors to complete the auditing process by replacing the traditional manual approach with a seamless digital solution. 
• Previously, auditors had to approach banks individually with authority letters to obtain Balance Confirmation Certificates, a time-consuming process. With this digital service, confirmation will flow directly to auditors through the online portal after obtaining online consent from the customer, eliminating the need for manual intervention. 

About Canara Bank 

•  Founded – 1906 
•  Headquarters- Bengaluru, Karnataka 
•  MD & CEO – K Satyanarayana Raju 
•  Tagline – Together with Can 

Important Day News 

15.15 March – International Day to Combat Islamophobia 

•  The International Day to Combat Islamophobia is observed annually on March 15. 
•  This day was established by the United Nations (UN) in 2022 to address and raise awareness about Islamophobia, discrimination, and violence faced by Muslims worldwide. 
• The UN General Assembly declared March 15 as the International Day to Combat Islamophobia in response to the 2019 Christchurch mosque attacks in New Zealand, where 51 people were killed. 
• The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution sponsored by 60 Member-States of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which designated 15 March as the International Day to Combat Islamophobia. 

16. 20 March – International Day of Happiness 

•  The International Day of Happiness is celebrated every year on March 20 to recognize the importance of happiness and well-being in people’s lives worldwide. 
• Theme 2025 – CARING AND SHARING 
•  The General Assembly of the United Nations passed a resolution 66/281 of 12 July 2012 announcing March 20 as the International Day of Happiness, recognising the relevance of happiness and well-being as universal goals. 

17.20 March – World Oral Health Day 

•  World Oral Health Day is celebrated annually on March 20 to raise awareness about the importance of oral hygiene, dental care, and overall oral health. 
•  The day encourages individuals to adopt healthy oral habits and emphasizes the impact of oral health on overall well-being.
•  Theme 2025 – A Happy Mouth is… A Happy Mind 

18. World Sparrow Day 2025: 20 March 

• World Sparrow Day is celebrated every year on March 20th.
•   “Nature Forever", a bird conservation organization, has initiated World Sparrow Day in 2010. 
• The main aim of the day is to raise awareness about the declining sparrow population. 
• Sparrows are small but significant birds that play an essential role in maintaining ecological balance. 
• Sparrows play an important role in maintaining ecological balance. 
•  They control insect populations by feeding on various bugs and pests.
•   Sparrows are key players in pollination and seed dispersal. Their presence enhances biodiversity. 

Awards and Achievements News 

19. President Murmu presented Ramnath Goenka journalism awards

•  The President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu presented the 19th Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award at New Delhi. 
• The awards has been presented to 27 people across 13 categories, including investigative journalism, politics, sports, and regional languages, honouring journalists from print, digital, and broadcast media. 
•  This award recognises outstanding stories, including a ground report from Israel and the West Bank amid bombings. 
•  President Murmu highlighted the contributions of Ramnath Goenka.
•   She addressed the growing challenges of misinformation, deep fakes, and the misuse of artificial intelligence in media. 
•  She also appreciated the inclusion of regional language journalism in the awards. 

Science and Technology News 

20. MeitY and Drone Federation India launched National Innovation Challenge for Drone Research (NIDAR) 

•  Under the SwaYaan initiative, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and Drone Federation India launched the National Innovation Challenge for Drone Research (NIDAR). 
• The challenge was formally inaugurated by Shri S. Krishnan, Secretary, MeitY. 
•  NIDAR under the Swa Yaan aims to inspire and engage India’s student and research communities to develop collaborative autonomous drones. 
• The challenge offers a total prize pool of INR 40 Lakhs along with opportunities for startup incubation, cloud credits, software support, and internships. 
•  This initiative is part of the Government effort to enhance entrepreneurship in academia and encourage applied research in drone technology. 
•  The competition will be conducted in multiple phases, including technology presentation, business case presentation, and final operations.
•  The SwaYaan initiative was approved in 2022 to focus on the capacity building for human resource development in Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS).

S.No.	Award Category	Full Name	Publication/ Channel
1.	Hindi	Mridulika Jha	Aaj Tak
2.	Regional Languages	Jisha Elizabeth	Madhyamam
3.	Environment, Science and Technology Reporting	Sibu Kumar Tripathi	India Today
4.	Uncovering India Invisible	Satyasundar Barik	The Hindu
5.	Business & Economic Journalism	Twesh Mishra	The Economic Times
6.	Reporting on Politics And Government	Maitri Porecha	The Hindu
7.	Sports Journalism	Shahab Ali, Amarnath Kashyap	Hindustan
8.	Investigative Reporting	Nihal AP Koshie, Mahender Singh Manral, Mihir Vasavda	The Indian Express
9.	Feature Writing	Shubhajit Roy	The Indian Express
10.	Foreign Correspondent Covering India	Nilesh Christopher	Rest of World
11.	Prakash Kardaley Memorial Award for Civic Journalism	Jeet Mashru, Somita Pal	Hindustan Times
12.	Photo Journalism	P. Ravikumar	The New Indian Express
13.	Books(Non-Fiction)	A.R. Venkatachalapathy	Penguin Random House

Broadcast:

1.	Hindi	Siddhant Mohan	The Lallantop
.2.	Regional Languages	Mandar Gonjari	ABP Majha
3.	Environment, Science & Technology	Joel Michael, Rohini Krishnamurthy	Down To Earth
4.	Uncovering India Invisible	Vishnukant Tiwari, Athar Rather	The Quint
5.	Politics and Government	Ashutosh Mishra	India Today TV
6.	Sports Journalism	Tejas Vaidya, Enakshi Rajvanshi	BBC Hindi
7.	Investigative Reporting	Anurag Dwary	NDTV

21. NDTL 2025: pioneering innovations and tackling challenges in anti-doping science inaugurated by Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya 

•  On 19 March, the National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL) Annual Conference 2025 inaugurated by Union Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya. 
•  The conference focused on the theme “Anti-Doping Science: Innovations and Challenges.” 
•  During the conference, he emphasized India's unwavering commitment to promoting clean and fair competition in sports. 
•  He advocated early education on doping awareness, including it in school curriculum, and suggested awareness campaigns in rural areas.
•   Key topics discussed at the conference included innovations in doping detection methods, the evolving nature of banned substances, and strategies to address emerging threats such as the rise of untraceable substances.
•   The event included interactive sessions, panel discussions, and knowledge-sharing initiatives aimed at strengthening anti-doping measures in India. 
•  The NDTL Annual Conference 2025 reaffirmed India's commitment to upholding global anti-doping standards and represented an important step towards creating a doping-free sports culture. 

Infrastructure and Energy News 

22. Construction of a urea plant in Assam has been approved by the government 

•  The plant is having total cost of Rs 10,601.40 crore. It will produce 12.7 lakh tonnes of urea annually. 
•  The plant will be constructed on the grounds of Brahmaputra Valley Fertilizer Corporation Ltd (BVFCL) in Namrup. 
•  Namrup-IV Fertilizer Plant is estimated to be completed within 48 months. 
•  National Fertilizers Ltd (NFL)’s 18% equity participation has also been approved by the Cabinet. 
•  This approval is more than usual limit of Department of Public Enterprises. 
•  In proposed JV for plant, Assam government will hold 40%, BVFCL 11%, Hindustan Urvarak & Rasayan Limited (HURL) 13%, NFL 18%, and Oil India Limited 18%. 

23. Cabinet approves ₹4,500-crore greenfield highway to boost connectivity of JNPA Port 

•  The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the construction of a six-lane access-controlled greenfield high-speed National Highway to connect JNPA (Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority) Port (Pagote) with Chowk (29.219 km) in Maharashtra at an investment of ₹4,500 crore. 
•  According to an official statement, the project will be developed in build, operate and transfer (BOT) mode. “The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the construction of a six-lane access controlled Greenfield High-Speed National Highway starting from JNPA Port (Pagote) to Chowk (29.219 km) in Maharashtra,” it said. 
•  The development of road connecting infrastructure to major and minor ports in India is one of the main focus areas of integrated infrastructure planning under PM Gatishakti National Master Plan principles, it added. 
•  “With the increasing container volume at JNPA and the development of the Navi Mumbai International Airport, a need was identified for augmenting National highway connectivity in the region,” the statement read. Currently, it takes 2-3 hours for vehicles to move from JNPA Port to the arterial Golden Quadrilateral (GQ) section of NH-48 and Mumbai–Pune Expressway due to heavy congestion in urban areas like Palaspe Phata, D-Point, Kalamboli junction, and Panvel. After the operationalisation of Navi Mumbai Airport in 2025, the need for direct connectivity is expected to increase further. 
•  Accordingly, the statement added, this project is designed to address these connectivity requirements and to improve the logistic efficiency of connecting JNPA Port and Navi Mumbai International Airport. 
• The project alignment starts at JNPA port (NH 348) (Pagote village) and ends at Mumbai-Pune Highway (NH-48) while also linking Mumbai-Pune Expressway and Mumbai-Goa National Highway (NH-66). 
• Two tunnels passing through Sahyadri are provided for ease of movement for commercial vehicles instead of a ghat section in hilly terrain, ensuring high speed and ease of movement for large container trucks.