Daily Current Affairs

The fourth edition of the India Justice Report (IJR 2025), released on April 15, 2025, ranked Karnataka (score: 6.78/10) first among 18 large and mid-sized states (population over 1 crore) for justice delivery across police, judiciary, prisons, and legal aid.

• Karnataka is the only state to have fulfilled reservation quotas for SC, ST, and OBC communities in both police and judiciary
• The IJR is published by Tata Trusts (Mumbai); launched in 2019; evaluates all 36 states and UTs across four pillars: Police, Judiciary, Prisons, and Legal Aid

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of development projects worth Rs 10,000 crore in Yamuna Nagar district, Haryana, on the occasion of the 135th birth anniversary of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar (April 14, 2025).

• Haryana CM: Nayab Singh Saini | Governor: Bandaru Dattatraya | Capital: Chandigarh

In April 2025, the Government of Telangana notified the Telangana Scheduled Castes (Rationalisation of Reservations) Act, 2025, making it the first state in India to implement sub-categorisation of Scheduled Castes (SCs) — classifying 59 SC sub-castes into three groups.

• Supreme Court backing: A 7-judge bench upheld SC sub-classification on August 1, 2024
• Bill passed in Telangana Legislative Assembly: March 18, 2025 | Governor’s assent: April 8, 2025 | Gazette notification: April 14, 2025

• Of 59 sub-castes, 33 continue in their earlier groups; only 26 sub-castes (3.43% of SC population) reclassified
• Telangana CM: Anumula Revanth Reddy | Governor: Jishnu Dev Varma | Capital: Hyderabad

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum — Crown Prince of Dubai and UAE’s Deputy PM and Defence Minister — undertook his first official visit to India on April 8–9, 2025, at PM Modi’s invitation.

• PM Modi welcomed Sheikh Hamdan at his residence at Lok Kalyan Marg, New Delhi, presenting a replica of the traditional cloak worn by the Sheikh’s grandfather
• Sheikh Hamdan held meetings with EAM Dr. S. Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh; India formally offered the Akash air defence missile system to the UAE
• India and UAE signed 8 MoUs covering infrastructure, healthcare, higher education, maritime services, logistics, and private sector engagement
• UAE President: Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan | Capital: Abu Dhabi | Currency: Dirham (AED)

In April 2025, the Government of Odisha launched Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri–Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) along with the state scheme Gopabandhu Jan Arogya Yojana and the Ayushman Vaya Vandana Yojana, at an event in Cuttack, Odisha. Odisha became the 34th state to implement AB PM-JAY.

• Attended by Union Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda (MoHFW) and Odisha CM Mohan Charan Majhi

In April 2025, Madhya Pradesh declared its 25th Wildlife Sanctuary — named ‘Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar Abhyaran’ — covering 258.64 sq. km in Sagar district, MP. Notified under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and inaugurated on April 14, 2025.

• Located in the North Sagar Forest Division across Banda Tehsil and Shahgarh region of Sagar district
• Acts as a protected wildlife corridor between Panna Tiger Reserve (Bundelkhand) and Madhav Tiger Reserve (Gwalior-Chambal) — forming the longest and largest tiger corridor in North-Central India
• Corridor also connects Madhav Tiger Reserve → Ranthambore Tiger Reserve (Sawai Madhopur, Rajasthan), passing through Kuno National Park (Sheopur, MP) — home to African cheetahs
• Key wildlife: tigers, cheetahs, leopards, wolves, gharials, and vultures | MP = ‘Tiger State of India’
• Note: Andaman & Nicobar Islands has the highest number of Wildlife Sanctuaries — 97

In April 2025, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed that cricket will return to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics — its first Olympic appearance since the 1900 Paris Games, marking a gap of 128 years.

• Format: T20 (Twenty20) | 6 teams each in men’s and women’s tournaments | 90 athlete quotas per gender | 15-member squads per team
• IOC approved a record 351 medal events for LA 2028 (22 more than Paris 2024); total athlete quota: 10,500; additional 698 spots for new sports
• USA likely to qualify directly as host nation; other teams qualify via ICC rankings
• ICC: 12 full-member nations (including India, Australia, England) and 94 associate members

In April 2025, Mohun Bagan Super Giant (MBSG) won the 11th edition of the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024–25 by defeating Bengaluru FC 2–1 in the final at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan Stadium, Kolkata.

• MBSG’s second ISL title (first in 2022–23 as ATK Mohun Bagan); became the second team in ISL history (after Mumbai City FC, 2020–21) to win both the ISL Winners Shield and the ISL Title in the same season
• Official Sponsor of the Final: Pokémon | Title Sponsor: Hero MotoCorp

• ISL established: 2014 | Co-promoted by AIFF, Reliance Industries, and Star India | Recognised by FIFA & AFC as India’s top-tier league in 2019

In April 2025, Oscar Piastri (Australia, McLaren) won the Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2025 at the Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir, Bahrain — his 4th career F1 win and 2nd win of the 2025 season (after the Chinese GP).

• Piastri’s 50th career F1 race start; first McLaren driver to win at Sakhir since the circuit’s F1 debut in 2004
• Bahrain International Circuit: 5.412 km | First F1 race in the Middle East (2004) | Night race under floodlights
• Piastri moved to 2nd in 2025 F1 Drivers’ Standings (behind Lando Norris); next race: Saudi Arabian GP, Jeddah Corniche Circuit

Punjab National Bank (PNB) — India’s first Swadeshi Bank — launched 34 new banking products and services on its 131st Foundation Day (April 12, 2025) at its headquarters in Dwarka, New Delhi.

• 12 customer-centric deposit schemes targeting salaried professionals, women, defence personnel, farmers, NRIs, senior citizens, students, and youth
• 10 digital transformation products including a QR-based customer feedback system and a live-chat assistant named ‘Pihu’
• PNB MD & CEO: Ashok Chandra | Event also attended by M. Nagaraju, Secretary, Department of Financial Services (DFS), Ministry of Finance

In April 2025, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) introduced significant revisions to the UPI framework, effective April 4, 2025, to enhance security and curb fraud.

• NPCI MD & CEO: Dilip Asbe | HQ: Mumbai | Established: 2008

In April 2025, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) imposed a monetary penalty of Rs 3,20,000 on Citibank N.A. (New York, USA) for contravention of Section 10(4) of FEMA, 1999 — governing conduct of foreign exchange transactions.

• Penalty levied under Section 11(3) of FEMA for Citibank’s failure to conduct proper due diligence while processing inward remittances from a Foreign Currency Account
• RBI issued a Show Cause Notice; after Citibank’s written reply and oral submissions, RBI concluded the violations were substantiated

In April 2025, Godrej Capital Limited (financial services arm of Godrej Industries Group, Mumbai) signed an MoU with the Government of Telangana to enhance credit access for MSMEs in the state through digital-first lending solutions.

• Focus on underserved and first-time borrowers; special emphasis on women entrepreneurs via Godrej Capital’s women-centric initiative ‘Aarohi’
• Aims to bridge the credit gap, promote entrepreneurship, and drive economic growth across emerging business hubs in Telangana

In April 2025, the Ministry of Interior of the UAE was elected to chair INTERPOL’s Committee on Governance — making the UAE the first country to chair this newly formed standing committee, for a two-year term.

• Lt. Colonel Dana Humaid Al Marzouqi (DG, International Affairs Bureau, UAE) received 67% of votes during the committee session in Lyon, France
• Committee established in November 2024 via a resolution during INTERPOL’s 92nd General Assembly in Glasgow, UK; monitors reviews of INTERPOL’s statutes, regulations, and governance
• INTERPOL Secretary General: Valdecy Urquiza (Brazil) | HQ: Lyon, France | Established: 1923

In April 2025, the Ministry of Law and Justice (MoL&J) appointed former Supreme Court judge Justice Dinesh Maheshwari as Chairperson of the 23rd Law Commission of India (LCI), succeeding Justice (Retd.) Ritu Raj Awasthi.

• Advocate Hitesh Jain and Professor D.P. Verma appointed as full-time members; tenure extending until August 31, 2027
• The 23rd LCI was constituted from September 1, 2024 for a three-year term; the 22nd LCI’s tenure ended August 31, 2024
• Key objectives: recommend repeal of obsolete laws; examine feasibility of implementing the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) across India

In April 2025, T Koshy, MD & CEO of the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), stepped down after completing his three-year tenure. Last working day: June 30, 2025.

• The ONDC board temporarily assigned his responsibilities to an executive committee; Koshy will remain available for advisory support for three months
• Prior roles: Executive Director at NSDL and Partner at Ernst & Young (EY) for over a decade
• ONDC incorporated in 2021 as a Section 8 (not-for-profit) entity under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoC&I); a set of open specifications (not an app) enabling seamless digital commerce in India

World Art Day (WAD) is observed on April 15 each year to strengthen the connection between art and society, promote diverse artistic expressions, and acknowledge artists’ contributions to sustainable development.

• Theme for WAD 2025: ‘DNA — Do No Algorithm’ — emphasising human creativity as a counter to AI-generated art
• Declared in April 2011 at the 17th General Assembly of IAA/AIAP in Guadalajara, Mexico (proposed by the Turkish National Committee); inaugural WAD celebrated on April 15, 2012
• Organised by IAA/AIAP (Paris), a UNESCO-partnered NGO
• April 15 was chosen as it is the birth anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci

World Voice Day (WVD) is observed on April 16 to celebrate the significance of the human voice in communication, identity, and culture, and to raise awareness about vocal health.

• Theme for WVD 2025: ‘Empower Your Voice’ — chosen by the Voice Committee of the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS)
• Origin: Started as Brazilian Voice Day on April 16, 1999, initiated by the Brazilian Society of Laryngology and Voice (SBLV) under Dr. Nedio Steffen; in 2002, the AAO-HNS officially recognised and renamed it World Voice Day
• AAO-HNS President: Troy D. Woodard | HQ: Virginia, USA | Established: 1896

Historian Sriram V translated freedom fighter S. Ambujammal’s 1973 Tamil autobiography ‘Nan Kanda Bharatham’ into English as ‘The India I Saw: A Glimpse into the Life of S. Ambujammal’, published by Rupa Publications (New Delhi).

• Documents over 65 undocumented rebels of India’s freedom struggle, shedding light on lesser-known contributors
• Offers a subaltern viewpoint — a grassroots perspective on India’s path to independence — and explores challenges faced by women in 20th-century India