Daily Current Affairs

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved three major proposals on April 9, 2025, spanning irrigation, road infrastructure, and railway expansion.

• M-CADWM is a sub-scheme under Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY), India’s flagship irrigation mission
• The Zirakpur Bypass addresses congestion on one of North India’s busiest road corridors
• Railway doubling will ease capacity constraints on the South India rail network

The Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) released the inaugural Panchayat Advancement Index (PAI) baseline report for FY 2022–23 in April 2025, marking the first systematic measurement of Gram Panchayat performance against the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

• The PAI evaluates Gram Panchayats (GPs) across nine thematic areas of Localised SDGs (LSDGs), including good governance, poverty alleviation, and livelihood enhancement
• Of 2,55,699 GPs nationwide, validated data was submitted by 2,16,285; only 699 (0.3%) qualified as ‘Front Runners’
• Gujarat led with 346 Front Runner GPs, followed by Telangana (270); Tripura was also among top performers
• MoPR Union Minister: Rajiv Ranjan Singh (Lalan Singh), Constituency: Munger, Bihar

On April 9, 2025, the Investor Education and Protection Fund Authority (IEPFA) under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs and India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) under the Ministry of Communications formalised a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) to launch Phase 2 of the ‘Niveshak Didi’ financial literacy initiative.

• Concept: Trains women postal workers and community leaders as financial educators — known as ‘Niveshak Didis’ — in their localities
• Phase 1 outcomes: Over 55,000 individuals attended literacy camps; 60% of participants were women; 2 in 3 were from deep rural areas
• Phase 2 targets: Over 4,000 financial literacy camps pan-India; ~40,000 women postal workers to be certified as Niveshak Didis
• IEPFA CEO: Anita Shah Akella | IPPB MD & CEO: R. Viswesvaran

The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) and the World Economic Forum (WEF) jointly launched the ‘India Skills Accelerator’ — a cross-sector public-private collaboration platform — at Kaushal Bhawan, New Delhi, in April 2025.

• Addresses a skills shortage flagged by 65% of Indian organisations as a barrier to growth; targets sectors including AI, robotics, cybersecurity, and cloud computing
• Three Pillars: (i) Awareness about future skill needs; (ii) stronger government-industry upskilling partnerships; (iii) policy modernisation for adaptive skilling
• Co-Chairs (Government): MoS (IC) Jayant Chaudhary (MSDE) & MoS Dr. Sukanta Majumdar (MoE)
• Co-Chairs (Private sector): Shobana Kamineni (Apollo HealthCo) & Sanjiv Bajaj (Bajaj Finserv)
• WEF President & CEO: Børge Brende | WEF HQ: Cologny, Switzerland | Founded: 1971

On April 10, 2025, Union Minister Ram Mohan Naidu (Ministry of Civil Aviation) inaugurated the Digital Flight Data Recorder and Cockpit Voice Recorder (DFDR & CVR) Laboratory — popularly called the ‘Black Box Lab’ — at the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), Udaan Bhawan, New Delhi.

• Set up at a cost of Rs 9 crore with technical support from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Bengaluru
• Enhances India’s capability to independently decode flight recorder data from aircraft accidents, reducing dependence on foreign labs
• The Minister also launched a Career Guidance Programme in Aviation at the Indian Aviation Academy for Class 11 & 12 students
• AAIB Director General: Godaba Venkata Gouri Yugandhar | Established: 2011

Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal (Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways) launched a new digital portal developed by the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) in April 2025, enabling private entities to apply online for No Objection Certificates (NoCs) to construct and operate jetties and terminals on National Waterways.

• National Waterways (Construction of Jetties/Terminals) Regulations, 2025 introduced — a unified framework for all terminal types (new/existing, permanent/temporary)
• First private NoC recipient: Mumbai-based Marina India Infrastructure Private Limited (MIIPL) — plans a 16-berth yacht jetty at Malim on the Mandovi River (NW-68), Goa, at an investment of Rs 8 crore
• IWAI Chairman: Vijay Kumar | HQ: Noida, UP | Established: 1986

In April 2025, Union MoS (IC) Dr. Jitendra Singh inaugurated India’s first — and the world’s second — Himalayan High Altitude Atmospheric and Climate Research Centre at Nathatop, Mandlote village, Udhampur district, Jammu & Kashmir, at an altitude of 2,250 metres.

• Research focus: climate forecasting, aerosol studies, cloud microphysics, and weather pattern analysis for the North-Western Himalayas
• Established through collaboration between Ministry of Earth Sciences, J&K Forest Department, Central University of Jammu, and Switzerland’s National Science Foundation (SNSF)
• Will contribute data to the WMO’s Global Atmospheric Watch (GAW) Programme
• ICE-CRUNCH Project: Indo-Swiss joint research on ice-nucleating particles and cloud condensation nuclei, in partnership with ETH Zürich
• J&K LG: Manoj Sinha | J&K CM: Omar Abdullah | Switzerland President: Karin Keller-Sutter

On April 10, 2025, Tahawwur Hussain Rana — a Pakistani-origin Canadian national accused of providing material support in the 2008 Mumbai 26/11 terrorist attacks — arrived in New Delhi following his extradition from the United States.

• The 26/11 attacks claimed 166 lives and remain one of the deadliest terrorist strikes on Indian soil
• The US Supreme Court had earlier rejected Rana’s bid to block extradition to India, paving the way for his transfer
• Rana’s extradition marks a major milestone in India’s long-standing effort to bring all perpetrators of 26/11 to justice

Maharashtra’s Social Justice Minister Sanjay Shirsat announced in April 2025 that Khuldabad in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district will be officially renamed ‘Ratnapur’, reverting to its pre-Mughal historical identity.

• Located about 25 km from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Khuldabad is the resting place of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb and houses tombs of his son Azam Shah and Asaf Jah I (founder of the Hyderabad Nizam dynasty)
• The renaming is part of Maharashtra’s ongoing programme to restore place names changed during the Mughal period
• A memorial honouring Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj is also planned in the town

A total of 340 Indian Star Tortoises were rehabilitated and reintroduced into Jogapur Reserve Forest, Chandrapur, Maharashtra — a landmark milestone under the state’s Turtle Rehabilitation Project (TRP), launched in late 2024.

• Indian Star Tortoises inhabit arid and semi-arid zones of Northwest and South India, as well as Sri Lanka — found in thorn scrub forests, grasslands, and lowland dry forests
• The species is heavily targeted by the illegal exotic pet trade
• Listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List

In April 2025, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) granted final authorisation to Resilient Payments Private Limited, a subsidiary of BharatPe Group, to operate as an Online Payment Aggregator (PA). The platform will launch under the brand name ‘BharatPe X’.

• In-principle approval was first issued in January 2023; now converted to final authorisation
• Focus: expanding digital payment services to merchants in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities
• PA authorisation enables e-commerce transaction facilitation, early merchant settlements, and collaboration with NBFCs/banks for term loans
• Triple-licence distinction: BharatPe now holds an NBFC licence (via Trillion Loans), a stake in Unity Small Finance Bank, and an Online PA authorisation — making it the only Indian fintech with all three simultaneously
• As of April 2025: 41 companies authorised as online PAs; 28+ more hold in-principle approvals

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) revised India’s GDP growth projection for FY 2025–26 downward to 6.7% (from 7.0%) in its Asian Development Outlook (ADO) April 2025 report, citing uncertainties from US tariff policies.

• Growth anchored by robust domestic demand, rising rural incomes, and moderating inflation
• ADB President: Masato Kanda (Japan) | HQ: Manila, Philippines | Members: 69 nations | Founded: 1966

Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Limited (GRSE), Kolkata, signed a strategic MoU with Swan Defence and Heavy Industries Limited (SDHI), Gujarat, in April 2025 to advance commercial shipbuilding and offshore infrastructure under the Atmanirbhar Bharat framework.

• Scope: facility sharing, co-development of standard vessel platforms, joint vessel trials, and coordinated vendor-supply chain development
• SDHI (formerly Reliance Naval and Engineering Limited) operates India’s largest shipbuilding and heavy fabrication yard on the west coast
• GRSE: Under Ministry of Defence | HQ: Kolkata | Established: 1884

Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) and IIT Hyderabad (IIT-H) signed an MoU in April 2025 to integrate Artificial Intelligence and Digital Twin technologies into maritime and shipbuilding operations — described as Asia’s first AI-driven maritime security project.

• Technologies: Geospatial AI, Object Detection AI, Generative AI, and Digital Twin models aligned with Industry 4.0
• IIT-H’s Centre for Geospatial AI and Digital Twins (CGDT), led by Director Prof. BS Murty, will develop virtual replicas of shipbuilding environments
• Collaborating entities: Neer Interactive Solutions Pvt. Ltd. and Andhra Mahila Sabha Arts and Science College

Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) signed an MoU with the Odisha government at the Odisha Investors’ Meet, New Delhi in April 2025, committing Rs 61,077 crore — its largest single-site investment — for a petrochemical complex at Paradip, Odisha.

• Complex will feature a dual-feed cracker and downstream units for Phenol, Polypropylene (PP), and Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA)
• Petronet LNG Limited (PLL): Rs 6,500 crore LNG import terminal at Gopalpur port
• ISRPL: Rs 8,743 crore for a 4 MT underground oil storage facility at Chandikhol
• India’s petrochemical demand projected to grow from 30–35 MT currently to 80 MT by 2040

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) cleared the following deals on April 8, 2025:

• Shriram AMC Stake Acquisition: Approved acquisition of equity in Shriram Asset Management Company Limited (SAMC), Mumbai, by Sanlam Emerging Market (Mauritius) Limited (SEMM) and Shriram Credit Company Limited (SCCL), Chennai
• Multiples GIFT Fund Acquisitions: Cleared GIFT City-based Multiples Plenty Private Equity GIFT Fund‘s plan to acquire stakes in Vastu Housing Finance Corporation, APAC Financial Services Limited (both Mumbai), and Quantiphi Inc (India)
• CCI Chairperson: Ravneet Kaur | HQ: New Delhi | Established: 2003

Poonawalla Fincorp Limited (PFL), Pune, promoted by the Cyrus Poonawalla Group, launched its Shopkeeper Loan Business in April 2025, offering tailored credit to small retailers and kirana stores across India.

• Activated at 44 initial locations, prioritising semi-urban and rural markets
• PFL registered with RBI as a non-deposit-taking NBFC, operating across 18 states and 2 UTs
• Assets Under Management (AUM): nearly Rs 35,550 crore as of March 31, 2025

On April 9, 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Navkar Mahamantra Divas at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi — a global spiritual gathering promoting peace, non-violence, and inner harmony through collective chanting of the Navkar Mahamantra, Jainism’s most sacred prayer.

• Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel released a special philatelic cover at GMDC Ground, Ahmedabad to mark World Navkar Mahamantra Day

World Homeopathy Day (WHD) is observed every year on April 10 to mark the birth anniversary of Dr. Christian Friedrich Samuel Hahnemann, the founder of homeopathy. In 2025, the world commemorated his 270th birth anniversary.

• The term ‘homeopathy’ derives from Greek: ‘homeo’ (similar) + ‘pathos’ (suffering) — core principle: like cures like
• Since 2016, the Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy (CCRH) under the Ministry of AYUSH organises annual WHD events
• WHD 2025: MoS (IC) Prataprao Jadhav (AYUSH) inaugurated a two-day convention at Mahatma Mandir Convention Centre, Gandhinagar, Gujarat (April 10–11, 2025)
• CCRH DG: Dr. Subhash Kaushik | HQ: New Delhi | Established: 1978

April 11 marks the 198th birth anniversary of Mahatma Jyotirao Phule (born 1827, Pune), a pioneering social reformer who dedicated his life to eradicating caste discrimination, untouchability, and gender inequality in India.

• Revered as the ‘Father of the Indian Social Revolution’; first leader to use the term ‘Dalit’ for oppressed communities
• Founded India’s first school for girls in Pune in 1848; his wife Savitribai Phule became India’s first female teacher
• Established the Satyashodhak Samaj (Society of Truth-Seekers) in 1873 to promote social equality and rationalism