Current Affairs | National | International | SSC | UPSC 26th March 2025

 National News 

1. Baalpan ki Kavita initiative has been launched by Government 

•  This initiative has been launched to promote Indian languages in early education. 
•  The initiative has been launched by Ministry of Education, through the Department of School Education & Literacy. 
•  The initiative is aligned with the National Education Policy 2020. 
•  The aim of the initiative is to create a comprehensive compendium of nursery rhymes and poems in all Indian languages as well as in English. 
•  Its objective is to provide young learners with joyful and contextually relevant learning material. 
• Contributions to this initiative has been invited by the Department of School Education & Literacy in collaboration with MyGov.
•  Existing poems and rhymes from folklore or newly composed joyful poems and rhymes can be submitted by participants.

 2. Senior Citizens Commission has been established by Kerala 

•  Kerala becomes the first Indian state to establish a senior citizens commission. 
•  The commission will address the hardships faced by the elderly, including neglect, exploitation, and loneliness. 
•  The commission will take the lead in implementing initiatives to utilise the skills of senior citizens for the benefit of society. 
•  This new commission would focus on protecting the rights, welfare, and rehabilitation of the elderly. 
• The commission would act as a driving force in enhancing elderly welfare more effectively.
•   The Kerala Legislative Assembly passed the Kerala State Senior Citizens Commission Bill. 

International News 

3. A Letter of Intent (LoI) for a Green & Digital Shipping Corridor signed by India and Singapore 

•  On 25 March, a Letter of Intent (LoI) for the Green and Digital Shipping Corridor (GDSC), with a focus on digitalization and decarbonization, was signed by India and Singapore. 
•  The Singapore-India Green and Digital Shipping Corridor will enhance cooperation between the two countries. 
•  This corridor will help accelerate the development and adoption of zero or near-zero GHG emission technologies and the adoption of digital solutions. 
• R. Lakshmanan, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) of India, and Teo Eng Dinh, Chief Executive of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, signed the LoI. 
•  The signing ceremony was held during the Singapore Maritime Week, which is being held from March 24-28, 2025. 
•  Furthermore, the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership will deepen and broaden cooperation between the two countries. 
•  The Minister of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, is on a three-day visit to Singapore to attend the Maritime Week, which is expected to be attended by 20,000 delegates and exhibitors from across the world. 

State News 

4.CAG report tabled in Bihar Assembly flags flaws in govt. welfare plans, underutilisation

•   The Comptroller and Audi-tor General's (CAG) report for the year ended March 31, 2022, presented to the Bihar Assembly on Tuesday flagged significant flaws in several of the State's welfare plans. 
•  In the financial years 2017-2022, against a Budget provision of ₹22,576.33 crore, 18% or ₹4,134.21 crore was not utilised, and was surrendered to the State Education Department by the universities, indicating "unrealistic Budget proposals and inadequate financial control mechanism in the universities", the report said. It added, "In the 11 test-checked universities, 57% posts of teaching staff were lying vacant and this shortage ranged from 49% to 86%." 
•  On 'Welfare of Building and Other Construction Workers', the report said the Bihar Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board had been constituted after a delay of 28 months, and the Board and the State Advisory Committee had not been reconstituted after February 2015. 
•  From 2019-2022, ₹246.11 crore had been transferred to the board's head of account as the "treasuries has not been transferred in its bank account". "There was a large accumulation of funds amounting to ₹1,650.06 crore as on March 31, 2022," it said.
•   Flagging flaws in the implementation of the Neer Nirmal Pariyojana for im-proved piped water supply and sanitation services, the report said: the schemes were to be completed in three batches. However, none of the batches completed all its phases till December 2022.” 

5. More than 100 megaliths near Malampuzha dam in Palakkad, Kerala have been found by Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) 

• Megalithic structures were built for burials. They were built using large, frequently rough stones
• . They may be built without mortar or cement. They were common at the time of Neolithic and Bronze Ages. 
•  The excavations are ongoing at Ratnagiri at around 100 km from Bhubaneswar and buried world of ancient art, architecture and culture is being revealed. 
•  During these ongoing excavations, ASI found large collection of antiquities. 
•  The excavations are focused on development of the Vajrayana monastic complex in Eastern India at the time of early medieval period. 
•  A rectangular chaitya complex having brick and stone masonry has also been found. 
•  It has been found along with three colossal Buddha heads. 
•  It has been found along with monolithic stupas featuring Buddhist deities such as Tara, Chunda, Manjusri, Dhyani Buddha etc. 

Defence News 

6. Stealth frigate INS ‘Tavasya’ has been commissioned at Goa Shipyard by the Indian Navy 

•  Krivak-class stealth frigate INS ‘Tavasya’ has been commissioned at Goa Shipyard. 
•  Krivak-class stealth frigates are contracted from Russia and is constructed at Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL). 
•  The first of the two frigates, Triput, was launched at GSL in July last year. 
•  Triput and Tavasya have a large percentage of indigenous equipment, weapons, and sensors. 
•  As per schedule, GSL is set to deliver the first ship to the Indian Navy in 2026 and the second six months later. 
•  In October 2016, India and Russia signed an Inter-Governmental Agreement for four additional follow-on stealth frigates. 
• The second frigate, Tamal, is in advanced trials and is expected to be commissioned in June. 

Schemes and Committees News 

7. A social protection data pooling initiative for better coverage launched by the Labour Ministry and ILO 

•  A social security data pooling exercise has been initiated in the country by the Ministry of Labor and Employment in collaboration with states and the International Labor Organization (ILO). 
•  The aim of this exercise is to get a holistic picture of social protection coverage in India. 
•  n the first phase, the ministry has identified 10 states, including Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Odisha, for data consolidation at the central level. 
•  Over 200 crore records were processed to identify unique beneficiaries using encrypted Aadhaar as a unique identifier across 34 major central schemes such as MGNREGA, EPFO, ESIC, APY, and PM-POSHAN.
•   About 65% of India's population receives at least one social security benefit, both in cash and in kind, of which 48.8% receive cash benefits. 
• The objective of this data pooling exercise is to facilitate the Central Government, States and Union Territories to optimise welfare expenditure and move closer to sustainable financing of social security. 
• It also aims to assist states in identifying specific beneficiaries under state-specific social security schemes. 
• According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), India's social security coverage has doubled from 24.4% in 2021 to 48.8% in 2024. 
•  The unemployment rate has declined from 6% in 2017-18 to 3.2% in 2023-24, while female workforce participation has seen a significant increase from 22% to 40.3%. 

 International Labour Organization (ILO): 

• It is a specialized agency of the United Nations consisting of 187 countries. 
• It was formed in 1919 with its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. 
• It develops international labour standards and advances social justice. 
•  Current Director General of ILO: Gilbert F. Houngbo (11th DG of ILO)

Appointment News

8. Rajiv Gauba has been appointed NITI Aayog’s full-time member 

• He is former cabinet secretary and a 1982-batch IAS officer of the Jharkhand cadre. 
•  He served as the Cabinet Secretary for five years from 30 August 2019 till 30 August 2024. 
•  He has also served as Union home secretary. He has also served as secretary in the Ministry of Urban Development and chief secretary of Jharkhand.
•   PM has approved his appointment. He will serve as NITI Aayog’s full-time member under the same terms as other full-time members of the NITI Aayog. DEA Secretary Ajay Seth will replace Tuhin Kanta Pandey as the new Finance Secretary 
•  An official order issued by the Personnel Ministry confirmed that Ajay Seth, Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), has been appointed as the new Finance Secretary of India. 
•  He succeeded Tuhin Kant Pandey, who was appointed Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI). 
•  Currently, he is the Secretary of the Department of Economic Affairs. 
•  Earlier this month, the central government had announced that Ajay Seth has been given the additional charge of Secretary, Department of Revenue. 
•  Tuhin Kanta Pandey was appointed the 11th Chairman of SEBI in February this year for a three-year term.
•  He replaced Madhabi Puri Buch, who completed her term on February 28, 2025. 

9.Recent Appointment in Banking & Insurance Sector 

•  Head of Bank of America in India -Vikram Sahu (replace Kaku Nakhate) 
•  Independent Director of Fino Payments Bank – Deena Mehta 
•  Interim MD & CEO of Edelweiss Asset Reconstruction Company (EARC) – Mythili Balasubramanians 
•  Executive Director of RBI – Indranil Bhattacharyya (new role: Dept. of Statistics and Information Mgmt. and the FinTech Dept.) 
•  Chief Executive of Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) – Atul Kumar Goel.

 Banking and Financial News 

10. BAANKNET and e-BKray launched by the government to enhance PSU Bank e-auctions for asset sales 

•  A revamped e-auction portal named 'BAANKNET' has been launched by the Finance Ministry to further streamline the listing and auctioning of banks' assets. 
•  “BAANKNET” was launched on January 03, 2025. 
• On 28th February, 2019, the platform “e-BKray” was launched. 
• The BAANKNET portal is specially designed to enhance transparency and expedite the process of resolution of non-performing asset (NPA) cases. 
• By leveraging cutting-edge technology and integrating automated KYC tools, secure payment gateways, and bank-verified property titles, the platform ensures a high level of transparency in the property auction process.
•   It provides a quick and efficient way to apply for a loan and get approval based on digital evaluation of the applicant's data. 
• All 12 public sector banks and the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) are using the platform to list and auction properties across the country. 

Important Day News 

11. March 25 – International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Sta Members 

• The International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members is observed annually on March 25 to honor and advocate for the safety of United Nations (UN) personnel and associated staff who have been detained, abducted, or gone missing while carrying out their duties. 
• This day was established by the United Nations (UN) to draw attention to the risks faced by humanitarian workers, peacekeepers, and journalists working in conflict zones or unstable regions. 

Ranks and Reports News 

12. India to overtake Japan in 2025 and Germany in 2027: IMF 

•  According to International Monetary Fund (IMF) data, the Indian economy is likely to overtake Japan in 2025 and Germany in 2027 to become the world’s third largest economy after the United States of America and China. 
• The positive report of the IMF comes after a World Bank report which suggested that India needs to grow at an average annual growth rate of 7.8 percent to achieve the target of Viksit Bharat or a developed country by 2047. 
• The real gross domestic product (GDP) of India has doubled from $2.1 trillion in 2015 to $4.3 trillion in 2025. 
•  The growth rate of India was 105 percent which is the highest growth rate amongst the major economies. The growth rate of the United States during this period was 66 percent and China was 76 percent during this period. 
•  While Japan whose real GDP was 4.4 trillion in 2015 remained at 4.4 trillion in 2025, showing a growth rate of 0 percent. 

Sports News 

13. Sanjay Singh elected UWW-Asia bureau member 

• The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president, Sanjay Singh has been elected a Bureau Member of United World Wrestling (UWW)-Asia. 
• The election took place during the UWW-Asia General Assembly in Amman. 
•  According to WFI, Singh secured 22 votes out of 38, “demonstrating strong support from the Asian wrestling community.” Recent Appointments 
• Chairman of Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) – Ashok Singh Thakur (for three years) 
• Chief Justice of the Orissa High Court –Justice Harish Tandon 
• 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 (first female President in IOC history).

 Indian Polity News 

14. Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill 2024 has been passed by the Parliament 

• Rajya Sabha approved the Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill 2024 on 25 March 2025. 
• It was passed by the Lok Sabha in December 2024. The Bill amends the Disaster Management Act, 2005. 
•  Its main aim is to strengthen the efficient working of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the State Disaster Management Authorities (SDMA). 
•  The bill empowers the NDMA and SDMA to prepare the disaster plan at the national and state levels. 
•  The bill also empowers the state government to constitute a separate Urban Disaster Management Authority for state capitals and cities with a municipal corporation. 
•  The Bill also has a provision to create a disaster database at the national and state levels.
•   The bill will help in moving from a government-led response to a multi-dimensional response.