Daily Current Affairs

The Maharashtra State Cabinet, chaired by CM Devendra Fadnavis, approved the ‘Shipbuilding, Ship Repair and Ship Recycling Policy 2025’ — making Maharashtra the first state in India to introduce a dedicated maritime manufacturing policy.

The policy aligns with the Union Government’s Maritime India Vision 2030 and Amrit Kaal Vision 2047, supporting India’s national goal of entering the top five shipbuilding nations globally by 2047.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) launched an upgraded Health Management Information System (HMIS) under the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS), developed by C-DAC (Centre for Development of Advanced Computing, under MeitY), going live from 28 April 2025.

• Old System Retired – Former CGHS software in use since 2005; both cghs.gov.in and cghs.nic.in deactivated
• New Portal – All services now at cghs.mohfw.gov.in
• New Features – PAN-based beneficiary identification, real-time tracking, automated payment verification, fully online workflows
• Mobile App – CGHS app re-launched for Android and iOS with an upgraded interface

As per Survey of India (SoI) data, India’s coastline was officially revised to 11,098.81 km — an increase of 3,537.21 km (~50%) from the earlier figure of 7,516.60 km used since the 1970s.

The revision was led by the National Hydrographic Organisation (NHO), Dehradun, in coordination with SoI, using a precision scale of 1:2,50,000 versus the older 1:4,500,000 scale, alongside modern GIS software and satellite-based measurements.

• What was missed earlier – Coastlines of 1,298 offshore islands and islets (1,059 islands + 239 islets) were omitted due to scale limitations
• Formally Accepted – January 2024 at a meeting convened by the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS)

On 30 April 2025, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) constituted a High-Level Committee under Section 8B(2) of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, chaired by Union Minister Amit Shah.

Other members include:

• Shivraj Singh Chouhan – Union Minister, MoA&FW
• Nirmala Sitharaman – Union Minister, Finance
• Suman Bery – Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog

The committee will guide national disaster management policies, coordinate across ministries, oversee long-term risk reduction, and monitor States’ and UTs’ preparedness against natural and man-made disasters such as floods, earthquakes, pandemics, and industrial accidents.

India conducted its first human gene therapy trial for haemophilia — a collaboration between BRIC-inStem (Institute for Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine), Bengaluru and Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore. Announced by Union Minister Jitendra Singh (Ministry of Science & Technology).

India’s biotechnology sector has grown 16-fold to USD 165.7 billion in 2024, with a vision to reach USD 300 billion by 2030.

Telangana Governor Jishnu Dev Varma inaugurated Babuji Vanam — the world’s first Energy Transmission Garden — at Kanha Shanti Vanam, Hyderabad, developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture as part of the 125th birth anniversary of Pujya Babuji Maharaj, founder of the Sahaj Marg meditation system.

• Flora – Features 40 species of medicinal trees including Neem, Red Sandalwood, Tulsi, and Tropical Almond
• Design – Includes acupressure pathways, percolation pits, and sloped terrains for rainwater harvesting
• Purpose – Designed to radiate Pranahuti (yogic transmission)

Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu launched the E-Kalyan Portal, developed by the Department for Empowerment of Scheduled Castes, OBCs, Minorities, and Specially Abled (ESOMSA), to simplify applications for social security pension schemes.

• Integration – Connects with Him Bhoomi, Him Parivar, Aadhaar, and PDS ration card databases for seamless verification
• Access – Applicants can apply at himparivar.hp.gov.in/ekalyan or through Lokmitra Kendras
• Feature – Real-time digital updates on application status — errors, verification, and approvals — allowing tracking from home

The UNESCO Global Geoparks Council (UGGp) added 16 new sites across 11 countries to its Global Geoparks Network (GGN), announced during the network’s 10th anniversary.

• North Korea – Debut entry: Mt. Paektu
• Saudi Arabia – Debut entry: North Riyadh and Salma
• India – Did not feature in the new additions

Forbes India, in collaboration with France-based L’Oréal Paris, released its annual W-Power 2025 list, honouring 20 exceptional self-made women for leadership, innovation, and resilience across business, finance, sports, entertainment, and public service.

• Dr. Gita Gopinath – First Deputy Managing Director, IMF
• Manu Bhaker – Olympic shooting champion
• Payal Kapadia – Filmmaker

The Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI), under the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, announced the selection of its film ‘A Doll Made Up of Clay’ for the 78th Festival de Cannes in the prestigious La Cinef section (showcasing global film school works).

• Director/Writer – Kokob Gebrehweria Tesfay, an Ethiopian ICCR student at SRFTI
• Producer – Sahil Manoj Ingle
• Film – 23-minute experimental film blending Yoruba and Bengali languages; features a 23-year-old Nigerian footballer-turned-actor, Ahmed
• Purpose – Academic project for SRFTI’s Department of Producing for Film and Television

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Rome, launched ‘AIM4NatuRe’ (Accelerating Innovative Monitoring for Nature Restoration) — a four-year programme (2025–28) backed by £7 million (~USD 9.38 million) from the United Kingdom.

• Pilot Countries – Brazil and Peru, integrating traditional indigenous knowledge via FAO’s Indigenous Peoples Unit
• Built On – FAO’s AIM4Forests, employing the Framework for Ecosystem Restoration Monitoring (FERM)
• Supports – Target 2 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework — restoring 30% of degraded ecosystems by 2030
• Key Finding – A CBD survey found 80% of countries lack technical capacity to track ecosystem restoration

Mumbai-based State Bank of India (SBI) signed an MoU with Land Ports Authority of India (LPAI) — an autonomous body under MHA — to enhance banking services at 26 land ports along India’s borders with Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Myanmar.

• Services Deployed – Forex transactions, Letter of Credit (LC)/Bank Guarantee (BG), bulk cargo insurance, and digital solutions like YONO 2.0 and e-Trade (within 6 months)
• Trade Target – Grow annual border trade from ₹80,000 crore (2025) to ₹2 trillion by 2030
• Beneficiaries – 1,900 LPAI employees (salary packages, accident insurance, loans) + 5,000+ personnel from border agencies including the BSF and Customs

New Delhi-based Sa-Dhan, an RBI-appointed Self-Regulatory Organisation (SRO) for microfinance institutions, signed an MoU with Bank of India (BoI) to enhance credit access for small, micro, and women-led enterprises in rural and semi-urban India.

Signed by Jiji Mammen (CEO, Sa-Dhan) and P.R. Rajagopal (ED, BoI), aimed at furthering financial inclusion and India’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

• Loans – To Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and non-SHG entrepreneurs
• Co-lending – With Microfinance Institutions (MFIs)
• Other Areas – Climate and green financing; WASH (Water, Sanitation, Hygiene) initiatives; financial literacy workshops on digital banking and government schemes

The National Archives of India (NAI), in collaboration with Vani Prakashan Group, launched ‘Ramanujan: Journey of a Great Mathematician’ at Dr. Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi.

• Authors – Arun Singhal and Devendra Kumar Sharma
• Subject – Traces Srinivasa Ramanujan’s journey from Erode, Tamil Nadu to global mathematical fame
• Topics Covered – Contributions to number theory, infinite series, and continued fractions — achieved with minimal formal training
• Special Content – Original documents and correspondence with British mathematician G.H. Hardy, who recognised Ramanujan’s genius

Former West Bengal Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi released his memoir ‘The Undying Light: A Personal History of Independent India’ — a 624-page hardcover published by Aleph Book Company, New Delhi.

The memoir opens with the author’s personal recollection of Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination (witnessed at age three) and broadens into a study of India’s political evolution since 1947 through personal anecdotes and key historical events.

The UN’s World Tuna Day is observed every 2 May to highlight tuna’s ecological and economic significance, advocate sustainable fishing, and address overfishing threats to marine biodiversity.

On Labour Day 2025, two key developments were announced:

• DoSJE–UNDP LoA – The Department of Social Justice and Empowerment (DoSJE) signed a Letter of Agreement with UNDP to improve finance access, relevant technologies, and ensure safe, sustainable working conditions for waste pickers across India.
• Odisha Shramik Sathi App – Odisha CM Mohan Charan Majhi launched the ‘Odisha Shramik Sathi’ mobile application during a state-level Labour Day celebration in Bhubaneswar, to support and connect labourers with government welfare services.