National News

1. Delhi becomes 28th legislature to join National eVidhan Application Platform

The Delhi Legislative Assembly has signed a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs (MoPA) and the Government of NCT of Delhi for the implementation of the National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA), making it the 28th legislature to adopt this digital governance initiative.
NeVA aims to transition the Delhi Assembly to a paperless and transparent legislative system, aligning with the “One Nation, One Application” vision by digitizing legislative procedures, enhancing efficiency, and providing real-time access to documents.
The platform is hosted on Meghraj 2.0, India’s cloud infrastructure, ensuring scalability, security, and accessibility across various devices, while also offering multilingual capabilities to accommodate diverse users.
Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta emphasized the rapid implementation of NeVA, committing to making the Assembly fully paperless within 100 days, marking a significant step towards digital transformation in legislative governance.

2. A National Workshop on ‘Building Synergies in Indian Innovation Ecosystem’ was organized by NITI Aayog

On 22nd March, NITI Aayog organized the National Workshop on "Building Synergies in the Indian Innovation Ecosystem" at GIFT City, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, as a landmark initiative to strengthen India's innovation landscape.
NITI Aayog organized the National Conference, which was hosted by the Gujarat Council of Science and Technology (GUJCOST), Department of Science and Technology, Government of Gujarat.
The objective of the workshop was to facilitate dialogue and knowledge sharing among key stakeholders, including government officials, academic leaders, industrial experts, startup founders, and international delegates.
With an agenda designed to promote synergy across sectors, the workshop discussed important topics such as R&D investments, state policies on innovation, global innovation trends and grassroots entrepreneurship.
The workshop included several interactive discussions moderated by eminent leaders in the field of innovation and technology.

3. Govt. notifies 24% pay hike for MPs from April 2023

The Centre on Monday notified a 24% increase in the salaries of MPs with effect from April 1, 2023.
A Lok Sabha or a Rajya Sabha member will get *1.24 lakh a month, up from the 1 lakh they receive at present.
The daily allowance has been increased *2,000 to ₹2,500. from
The pension for former MPs has been increased from ₹25,000 a month to *31,000. The additional pension for every year of service in excess of five years has been increased from 2,000 a month to ₹2,500.
The increase in the salary has been notified in exercise of the powers granted under the Salary, Allowances and Pension of Members of Parliament Act on the basis of the Cost Inflation Index specified in the Income Tax Act of 1961, the Parliamentary Affairs Ministry said in a notification.
The salaries and allowances were last revised in April 2018. In the last revision, the base pay was set at 1 lakh a month.
During their term, MPs are provided with rent free housing in New Delhi.

International News

4. Oscar Piastri Wins Chinese Grand Prix

Oscar Piastri clinched his third career victory at the Chinese Grand Prix 2025, beating teammate Lando Norris by 6.3 seconds to secure first place.
McLaren dominated the race, with Piastri and Norris finishing first and second, respectively, marking the team’s first one-two result since the 2021 Italian Grand Prix.

State News

5. Delhi’s CM Rekha Gupta presented a budget of Rs 1 lakh crore for 2025-26

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta presented ₹1 lakh crore Budget for 2025-26, up 31.5% from the previous Budget.
Delhi government’s FY26 Budget is focused on areas like infra development, electricity, roads, and water.
The government has allocated ₹5,100 crore for Mahila Samridhi yojana, ₹2,144 crore for Ayushman Bharat and ₹1,000 crore for improving connectivity in Delhi-NCR.
The government has allocated ₹500 crore in the 2025 Budget for the cleaning of the Yamuna River.
The Budget allocated ₹500 crore for the repair and upgradation of sewage treatment plants and another ₹250 crore for the replacement of old sewer lines.
Delhi government allocates ₹9,000 crore for clean drinking water and sanitation.
The government allocated ₹100 crore to set up 100 Atal Canteens across the national capital.
The Delhi government will install 50,000 CCTV cameras for women’s safety.
The budget allocated ₹1,000 crore for improving connectivity in Delhi-NCR.

6. Telangana Assembly adopted the Human Organ Transplantation Act

The Telangana State Assembly adopted the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act (Central Act 42), 1994 and Rules, 1995, and the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues (Amendment) Act of 2011 (THOTA).
The Act regulates the removal, storage, and transplantation of human organs and tissues for therapeutic purposes and prevents commercial dealings.
The act also includes an advisory committee for organ donation and transplantation.
The State Assembly also passed the Telangana Municipalities (Amendment) Bill, 2025 and the Telangana Panchayat Raj (Amendment) Bill, 2025.
The objectives of the resolution are to regulate human organ and tissue transplantation to ensure ethical practices and prevent illegal commercialization.

7. The plan to conduct a caste-based census in the next financial year has been announced by Jharkhand government

The government made this announcement in response to a question from Congress MLA Pradeep Yadav.
The question was raised during the State Assembly Budget session.
Cabinet minister Deepak Birua assured that the survey would be carried out in the upcoming financial year.
The proposal for the caste-based census was approved by the state government in February 2024.

Defence News

8. India has achieved the highest-ever growth in indigenous defence production in 2023-24

India has reached an indigenous defence production value of ₹1.27 lakh crore.
The value of defence production has increased 174 per cent from 46 thousand 429 crore in 2014-15.
Defence exports have surged from ₹686 crore in FY 2013-14 to an all-time high of ₹21,083 crore in FY 2023-24.
The government has introduced several measures to improve the ease of doing business in the defence manufacturing sector.
65% of defence equipment is now manufactured domestically, a significant shift from the earlier 65-70% import dependency.
India targets ₹3 lakh crore in defence production by 2029, aiming to become a global defence manufacturing hub.
The private sector played a critical role, it contributes 21% of the total defence production.

9. India Navy announces maiden India-African exercise, IOS Sagar

Against the backdrop of massive inroads by China in Africa, the renewed threat of piracy and the continued threat from Houthi rebels to global shipping, the Indian Navy has announced initiatives. for bolder cooperation with the continent and the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). This includes a large-scale multinational exercise titled "Africa India Key Maritime Engagement", or "Al-KEYME", scheduled to be held with 10 African countries.
Another cooperation initiative with Africa is the Indian Ocean Ship (IOS) Sagar under which the offshore patrol vessel INS Sunayna is set to be deployed to the Southwest IOR from April 5 to May 8 with a combined Indian crew and 44 personnel
Vice Admiral Tarun Sobti from 9 African countries.
"IOS Sagar is an initiative towards continued cooperation with OR na-tions. INS Sunayna is being deployed to the Southwest 10R with a combined crew of India and nine Friendly Foreign Countries (FFC) -Comoros, Kenya, Madagascar, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, South Africa. The ship is planned to be deployed for over a month in April, and would be undertaking port calls at Dar-es Salaam, Nacala, Port
Louis, Port Victoria and Male and Joint surveillance of Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) of Tanzania, Mozambique, Mauritius and Seychelles," Deputy Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral Tarun Sobti said, briefing the media.
With the announcement of Mutual and Holistic Ad-vancement for Security Across the Regions (MAHA-SAGAR) by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his recent visit to Mauritius, the maiden initiatives of IOS Sagar and AIKEYME are aimed at consolidating Indian Navy's stature as the 'Preferred Security Partner' and 'First Responder' in Indian Ocean Region, he said.
The personnel from FFCs would undergo a training capsule of two weeks at various naval professional schools at Kochi, including training at sea, and would be engaged in wholeship activities, watch keeping and other events related to their respective branches/trade, according to the Navy. The participants of IOS Sagar are also set to witness harbour phase activities of Exercise ΑΙ ΚΕYME at Dar Es-Salaam, Tanzania.
Over the past decade, the Indian Navy has been extensively collaborating with Indian Ocean littoral states on various initiatives such as joint naval exercises, coordinated patrols, in-formation sharing, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) efforts, capacity building and other diplomatic engagements. The maiden edition of the India-Africa multilateral exercise 'Al-KEYME'is being co hosted by the Indian Navy and Tanzania Peoples' Defence Force (TPDF) and will be conducted at/off Dares-Salaam, Tanzania.

Economy News

10. Govt Scraps 20% Onion Export Duty to Boost Farmer Incomes Starting April 1

● The Government of India has withdrawn 20% duty on onion export, effective from 1st April 2025. A notification to this effect was issued by the Department of Revenue today on the communication of the Department of Consumer Affairs.

● To ensure domestic availability, the government had taken measures to check export by means of duty, minimum export price (MEP) and even to the extent of export prohibition for almost five months, from 8th December 2023 till 3rd May 2024. The export duty of 20% which now stands removed has been in place from 13th September, 2024.

● Despite export restriction, the total onion export during FY 2023-24 was 17.17 LMT and FY 2024-25 (till 18th March) was 11.65 LMT. Monthly onion export quantity had picked up from 0.72 LMT in September, 2024 to 1.85 LMT in January, 2025. The modal prices in Lasalgaon and Pimpalgaon on 21st March, 2025 were Rs.1330/qtl and Rs.1325/qtl, respectively.

Schemes and Committees News

11.On March 19, 2025, guidelines for the UPS under the National Pension System (NPS) were released by Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority

The new Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) regulations will come into effect from April 1, 2025.
Employees are required to choose whether to enroll in UPS within three months starting from April 1, 2025.
Once the employees make decision, it cannot be reversed.
Under new regulations, three groups of central government workers can opt for UPS. These groups include following:

Current NPS-covered employees
New hires after April 1, 2025
Retired employees or their spouses under specific conditions

● Eligible employees will get online forms for enrolment and claims starting from April 1, 2025.

● Monthly contribution for UPS participants is fixed at 10% of their basic salary and dearness allowance (DA).

● The central government will depositing an equal amount into employee's PRAN (Permanent Retirement Account Number) and match their contribution.

● Extra 8.5% of the total basic salary and dearness allowance will be contributed by the government.

● UPS guarantees a minimum monthly payout of Rs 10,000 if the subscriber completes minimum ten years of service.

Appointment News

12. Justice Harish Tandon takes oath as Chief Justice of Orissa High Court

Justice Harish Tandon has appointed as the next Chief Justice of the Orissa High Court. He is at present a judge of the Calcutta High Court.
The Supreme Court collegium had earlier this month recommended the elevation of Justice Tandon as the Chief Justice of the Orissa High Court.
The office of the Orissa HC chief justice fell vacant in January following the retirement of Justice Chakradhari Sharan Singh.
Justice Tandon was appointed as a judge of the Calcutta High Court in April 2010 and has been functioning there since then.

13. Ashok Singh Thakur elected as Chairman of INTACH

Ashok Singh Thakur has been elected as the new chairman of Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) for a period of three years.
Delhi-based INTACH, a premier heritage conservation body was established in 1984. It has chapters spread across the country.
The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of INTACH was held on March 22 at its head office in New Delhi. The elections were held successfully for the post of chairman and governing council members.

Recent Appointments

MD & CEO of IFCI Ltd – Rahul Bhave (for 3 years)
Joint Secretary (Director level) in UPSC – Anuj Kumar Singh
President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) – Zimbabwe’s Kirsty Coventry (replace Costa Navarino from Greece)
MD and CEO of Bajaj Auto – Rajivnayan Rahulkumar
CMD of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (HPCL) – Vikas Kaushal
Vice Chairman of Tractors and Farm Equipment Limited – Lakshmi Venu

14. Vikram Sahu to take over as the new Bank of America India Head

Vikram Sahu, head of global equity research of Bank of America, will take over as the new country executive, India.
He will replace Kaku Nakhate, who will complete 15 years as the CEO of Indian operations in June.
Sahu will relocate from New York in the second quarter of the calendar year to assume overall leadership of the India franchisee, according to an internal memo issued by Jin Su, president of Asia Pacific.

Important Day News

15.World Tuberculosis Day: 24 March

World Tuberculosis Day is observed every year on 24 March.
This year’s theme of World Tuberculosis Day is Yes! We Can End TB: Commit, Invest, Deliver.
It is observed to raise awareness about tuberculosis and to advocate more efforts to eliminate it.
World Health Organization celebrated the first World Tuberculosis Day on 24 March 1982.
India has recorded a 17.7% decline in TB incidence from 2015 to 2023.
This decline has been more than the global average reduction of 8.3%, as per WHO Global TB Report 2024.
TB-related deaths in India have declined by 21.4% from 2015 to 2023.
Tuberculosis is an infectious disease that mainly affects the lungs. It caused 1.3 million deaths in 2022.
It is caused by a bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It spreads through the air.
Tuberculosis can be treated by a combination of antibacterial medications for a period of six to 12 months.

16. 24 March – International Day for the Right to the Truth Concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims

The International Day for the Right to the Truth Concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims is observed annually on March 24, honoring those who have suffered from severe human rights abuses and recognizing the importance of truth and justice.
Established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2010, this day pays tribute to the legacy of Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero of El Salvador, who was assassinated on March 24, 1980, while advocating for human rights and dignity amidst widespread violations.

17.25 March – International Day of the Unborn Child

The International Day of the Unborn Child is observed annually on March 25 to honour the value and dignity of unborn children and to promote a culture that respects all human life from conception.
It was established in 1999 by Pope John Paul II, this day coincides with the Feast of the Annunciation, symbolising the moment of the Incarnation when, according to Christian belief, Jesus was conceived in the womb of the Virgin Mary.

Science and Technology News

18. The completion of genome sequencing of 10,000 TB isolates announced by Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh.

On 24 March, the completion of genome sequencing of 10,000 isolates of "Mycobacterium tuberculosis" was announced by Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh at a summit organized on the occasion of "World TB Day" in New Delhi.
This achievement represents a significant breakthrough in the fight against tuberculosis.
This achievement also marks a major progress in India's commitment to eliminate TB ahead of the World Health Organisation's (WHO) 2030 target.
Launched on March 24, 2022, the genome sequencing initiative is part of the Dare2eraD TB program (Data Driven Research to Eradicate TB), which focuses on data-driven research to eradicate TB.
A key component of this initiative is the Indian Tuberculosis Genomic Surveillance (INTGS) Consortium, led by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), CSIR, and ICMR in collaboration with leading clinical institutions.
The objective of the program is to sequence more than 32,000 TB isolates to identify drug resistance mutations and improve treatment outcomes..

Infrastructure and Energy News

7. BHEL Secures ₹7,500 Crore Order for 800 MW Thermal Unit at Ukai Plant in Gujarat

Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) has won a ₹7,500 crore order from Gujarat State Electricity Corporation Ltd (GSECL) to establish an 800 MW supercritical thermal power unit (Unit-7) at the Ukai plant in Tapi district, Gujarat.
The project, executed on an Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) basis, includes designing, supplying, and commissioning equipment like boilers, turbines, and generators, with commercial operations expected to commence within 54 months from March 21, 2025.
This order reinforces BHEL’s long-standing partnership with GSECL, dating back to the first thermal unit installed at Ukai in 1976, and highlights its significant contribution to India’s energy sector with over 1,70,000 MW of installed power capacity nationwide.

Miscellaneous News

8. Average monthly data consumption per user surged to 27.5 gigabytes in 2024

India’s average monthly data consumption per user reached 27.5 gigabytes in 2024.
It shows a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 19.5% over the past five years.
Nokia’s annual Mobile Broadband Index (MBiT) revealed that traffic across India has tripled and is projected to cross 4G traffic by Q1 2026.
This surge is led by Category B and C circles with 5G data usage growing by 3.4 and 3.2 times, respectively.
In metro areas, 5G now accounts for 43% of mobile broadband data.
The active 5G devices have doubled year-on-year to 271 million in 2024.
Nearly 90% of smartphones will be replaced in 2025 with 5G-capable phones.
The report also highlights the evolution toward 5G Advanced, which will enhance the business potential and pave the way for future technologies, including 6G.

Sports News

9. India won Bronze medal in the mixed quad at the ISTAF Sepak Takraw World Cup 2025

The Indian team won the bronze medal in the mixed quad category event in the ISTAF Sepak Takraw World Cup 2025.
The Indian team won the medal jointly with the Vietnam team.
In the final of the mixed quad event, Thailand clinched the gold medal by defeating Myanmar.
India won Silver in the Women's Doubles category. Japan and Iran clinched the bronze jointly in the doubles women’s category.
Indian men’s team won the bronze medal jointly with Malaysia.
The 2025 ISTAF World Cup was the fifth edition of the ISTAF World Cup, held from 20 to 25 March 2025 at the Patliputra Indoor Stadium, Bihar.

10. Billie Jean King Cup Asia-Oceania Group-1 will be hosted in Pune for the first time

The prestigious Billie Jean King Cup Asia-Oceania Group-1 tournament is set to be hosted in Pune for the first time in Indian tennis history.
The event, to be held at the Mhalunge Balewadi Tennis Complex from April 8-12, will mark Maharashtra hosting an international tennis tournament after 25 years.
Apart from hosts India, six teams from the Asia-Oceania region, including New Zealand, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Korea, and Thailand, will play in a round-robin format.
There will be three matches in all competitions—two singles followed by doubles.
Led by Ankita Raina, India will be aiming for one of the two qualification spots available, along with doubles specialist Prarthana Thombare.

11. . India won both men's and women's Kabaddi World Cup 2025

India has clinched both the 2025 men's and women's Kabaddi World Cups to be held in Wolverhampton, England.
The Indian men's team defeated the home team, England, 44–41 in the final match.
Whereas, the Indian women's team also defeated England by an impressive score of 57-34 in the final at the same venue.
For the first time outside Asia, the tournament featured top Kabaddi teams from the West Midlands, with matches played in Birmingham, Coventry, Walsall and Wolverhampton.
In 2019, India also won the title in both the men's and women's categories in the inaugural edition hosted by Malaysia.

12. Jaspreet Kaur from Punjab became first athlete in the Khelo India Para Games to breaking the national powerlifting record

She won gold medal by lifting 101 kg in the 45 kg category.
She broke her own national record of 100 kg. Sonam Patil won silver medal, while Kavipriya Raja secured bronze medal.
Ishwar Rampal Tak won the gold medal in the Men’s Javelin F12/F13 event.
Manjeet won silver medal and Akshay Kumar Meena won bronze medal in the Men’s Javelin F12/F13 event.
Khusbhoo Gill won gold medal in Women’s Shot Put F12/F20 event.
Muthu Meena secured silver medal, and Ananya Bansal won bronze medal in Women’s Shot Put F12/F20 event.
Sumedha Pathak won the gold medal in the 10M Air Pistol Women SH1 event.
Rubina Francis won silver medal in 10M Air Pistol Women SH1 event. Anita Kumari won Bronze medal in same event.
Sagar Balasaheb Katale won gold medal in the 10M Air Rifle Prone Mixed SH1 event.
Mona Agarwal secured silver medal and Deepak Saini earned bronze medal in the 10M Air Rifle Prone Mixed SH1 event.
In para archery, Sheetal Devi won gold in Compound Women Open category. Payal Nag secured silver medal and Jyoti won bronze medal.
Shyam Sundar Swami won gold in the Compound Men’s Open archery event. Toman Kumar won silver medal and Rakesh Kumar earned bronze medal.
Khelo India Para Games are being held in New Delhi from March 20-27.

Current Affairs | National | International | SSC | UPSC 25th March 2025