Daily Current Affairs

PM Modi visited Bikaner, Rajasthan (May 22, 2025) to dedicate projects worth Rs 26,000 crore. He inaugurated 103 Amrit Bharat Railway Stations across 86 districts, 18 states and UTs via video conference at a cost of Rs 1,100 crore.

• 100 MW Nawa Solar Power Project (Didwana, Kuchaman) and 300 MW Ground-Mounted Solar Project (Bikaner) inaugurated
• Foundation stones laid for 3 Vehicle Underpasses; dedicated 25 state government projects

MoHUA announced 4% reservation for PwDs in General Pool Residential Accommodation (GPRA) allotments up to Type 5, for officials from ASO to Director rank, under the Accessible India Campaign (Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan) and RPWD Act, 2016. UDID card is valid disability proof.

MoS Dr. Jitendra Singh (MoS&T) inaugurated Sagar Bhavan and Polar Bhavan at NCPOR, Vasco da Gama, Goa on NCPOR’s Silver Jubilee (25th Anniversary).

• Polar Bhavan — 11,378 sq. m, Rs 55 crore | India’s first Polar and Ocean Museum | Science On Sphere (SOS) 3D climate data visualisation | 55 scientist rooms
• Sagar Bhavan — 1,772 sq. m, Rs 13 crore | two -30°C ice core labs | Class 1000 metal-free clean room for trace metal and isotope research

Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh (MoFAH&D) laid the foundation for an Integrated Aquapark in Kailashahar, Tripura at Rs 42.4 crore under PMMSY (Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana).

• Tripura is 1 of 11 national aquaparks (4 in NE India); state target: 2 lakh tonne fish production
• Tripura has received Rs 319 crore under PMMSY and Blue Revolution in the past decade

Bihar’s first International Buyer-Seller Meet (IBSM) (May 19–20, 2025, Gyan Bhawan, Patna) was organised by MoFPI, APEDA, and TPCI. Featured 70+ international buyers from 20 countries and 500+ B2B meetings promoting GI-tagged products: Makhana, Shahi Litchi, Zardalu Mango, and Katarni Rice.

• MoU signed among APEDA, Government of Bihar, and Lulu Group International (UAE) to boost export and shelf life of Bihar’s litchi
• Chief guest: Chirag Paswan (MoFPI)

MHA introduced e-Zero FIR via I4C: automatically registers FIRs for cyber financial losses of Rs 10 lakh and above reported via NCRP or Helpline 1930. Pilot in Delhi; phased expansion to other states/UTs.

• FIRs registered at e-Crime Police Station, Delhi; complainants must visit within 3 days
• Integrates NCRP + Delhi Police e-FIR + NCRB CCTNS
• Aligns with BNSS 2023, Section 173

Kerala became India’s first state to mandate robotics for Class 10 from June 2025, benefiting 4.3 lakh students; implemented by KITE (Kerala Infrastructure and Technology for Education).

• Students build AI-powered smart doors and automated sanitizer dispensers using Arduino and IR sensors
• 29,000 robotic kits distributed | Pictoblocks software for face-recognition coding | 9,924 teachers trained
• Textbooks in Malayalam, English, Tamil, and Kannada
• AI integrated into ICT for Classes 8, 9, and 10 in 2025

Per Global Forest Watch (GFW) (WRI-USA + University of Maryland), India lost 18,200 ha of primary forest in 2024 (up from 17,700 ha in 2023). Total loss 2002–2024: 3,48,000 ha (5.4% of humid primary forest; 15% of total tree cover loss). GFW uses Landsat satellite imagery.

The NDB (New Development Bank, Shanghai, est. 2015) admitted Algeria on May 22, 2025. NDB President: Dilma Rousseff. Initial authorised capital: USD 100 billion.

• Non-founding members: Bangladesh, UAE, Egypt, Indonesia, Algeria (newest) | Uruguay is a prospective member

Henley & Partners World’s Wealthiest Cities Report 2025 (4th edition, with New World Wealth): Mumbai ranked 27th globally — 51,000+ millionaires, 25 billionaires; India’s wealthiest city; millionaire count up 69% over 10 years.

USA has 11 cities in top 50 (4 in top 10). Lisbon debuted at 50th, replacing Auckland.

President Trump unveiled Golden Dome — a USD 175 billion missile defence system — expected to be completed by 2029. Inspired by Israel’s Iron Dome.

• Integrates land- and space-based interceptors, AI tracking, and early-warning satellites
• Designed to counter hypersonic glide vehicles (HGVs), FOBS, cruise missiles, and drone swarms
• Lead programme manager: General Michael Guetlein (US Space Force, Vice Chief of Space Operations)

RBI issued three regulatory approvals:

• QuickPay (Quicktouch Technologies, New Delhi) — in-principle PA licence (PSS Act, 2007)
• Getepay (Jaipur) — final RBI authorisation as online Payment Aggregator
• CIFL (Mumbai, formerly Bhilwara Tex-Fin, est. 1994) — RBI approval for sale and change in control of subsidiary CIHL (Capital India Home Loans Limited)

IPPB (est. 2018; 11 crore customers, 5.57 lakh villages and towns, 13 languages) partnered with Aditya Birla Capital Limited (ABCL), Mumbai via referral arrangement to offer personal loans, business loans, and loans against property to rural/semi-urban customers via AI-powered digital platform.

SBM Bank India (State Bank of Mauritius subsidiary) signed a bancassurance alliance with ICICI Prudential Life Insurance (ICICI Bank + Prudential Corporation Holdings JV); offers term insurance, savings, and retirement products.

IndusInd Bank (Mumbai) + AIC STPINEXT (SPV of STPI, Bengaluru, under MeitY): provides no-QAB current accounts, ESOP/equity mentorship, free payroll management, and financial literacy workshops for early-stage startups and MSMEs.

NESFB (North East Small Finance Bank, Guwahati, est. 2011) rebranded to Slice Small Finance Bank after RBI approved renaming on May 14, 2025 (Gazette: May 16). Follows the October 2024 merger of fintech Slice (Bengaluru) with NESFB; now a scheduled bank under RBI Act 1934. MD & CEO: Satish Kumar Kalra. Account numbers and IFSC codes unchanged.

ICRA (Gurugram) projected Q4 FY25 GDP at 6.9% (up from 6.2% in Q3) and full-year FY25 at 6.3% (down from 9.2% in FY24). GVA Q4 FY25: 6.3% | Industrial GVA: 4.8% | Manufacturing GVA: 3.5%.

Fitch Ratings (New York) raised India’s 5-year medium-term GDP growth potential by 0.2 pp to 6.4%, citing higher employment rates and rising working-age population. Projections: 6.4% (2025), 6.3% (2026), 6.4% (2027). EM 5-year average revised to 3.9% from 4.0%.

PNB to sell its 20.90% ISARC stake (2.09 crore shares at Rs 16.29 each) to Authum Infrastructure and Investment Limited (AIIL), Mumbai for Rs 34.04 crore; expected by Q1 FY26. ISARC = first ARC backed by large number of PSBs.

CSIR-NAL (Bengaluru) completed pre-monsoon flight tests of its indigenous High-Altitude Platform (HAP) prototype at ATR, Challakere, Chitradurga, Karnataka (May 8–13, 2025). Reached 24,000 feet (FL240); fully autonomous.

• Subscale prototype: 12-m wingspan | under 22 kg | ~1 kg payload
• Full-scale HAP: 65,000 ft altitude | 10 kg payload
• Applications: border surveillance, disaster management, telecom, weather monitoring

JNCASR (Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bengaluru, DST) developed a NASICON Sodium-Ion Battery (SIB) that reaches 80% charge in 6 minutes and supports 3,000+ cycles. Led by Prof. Premkumar Senguttuvan and PhD scholar Biplab Patra.

• Anode material enhanced via nano-sizing, carbon coating, and aluminium doping
• Sodium is abundant and cheap in India — ideal for EVs, solar grids, drones, and rural electrification

ZSI (Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata, MoEFCC) discovered Pheronous jairajpurii on the Tamil Nadu coast — the 3rd species in the rare Pheronous genus (South Africa 1966, China 2015).

• Family: Ironidae | Order: Enoplida
• Acts as a bioindicator of coastal health; supports nutrient cycling; early warning indicator of pollution
• Named after Late Prof. M.S. Jairajpuri | Published in Zootaxa

FIFA lifted the suspension on FECOFOOT (Republic of Congo Football Federation), which was imposed in February 2025 due to government interference.

• The ban had delayed Congo’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers vs Tanzania and Zambia
• Suspension lifted after FECOFOOT’s HQ and facilities were returned to its Executive Committee

Observed annually on May 23. 2025 theme: “Her Health, Her Right: Shaping a Future Without Fistula”.

• Established via UNGA Resolution A/RES/67/147 (December 20, 2012) | First observed: May 23, 2013
• Root causes: poverty, malnutrition, limited healthcare, child marriage
• UNFPA (est. 1969) leads global efforts

World Turtle Day is observed annually on May 23 since 2000. 2025 marks the 25th anniversary.

• Theme 2025: “Dancing Turtles Rock!”
• Launched by American Tortoise Rescue (ATR), California, to promote conservation of turtles, tortoises, and their habitats