National News
Underwater Exploration Begins to Uncover the Mysteries of Dwarka
- The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has launched an underwater exploration to uncover the mysteries of the ancient city of Dwarka, the legendary city of Lord Krishna.
- Earlier, the Underwater Archaeology Wing conducted offshore and coastal excavations in Dwarka from 2005 to 2007.
Related facts:
- Leadership: Prof. Alok Tripathi (Additional Director General, Archaeology)
- Location: Gomati Creek, Dwarka
- Institution: ASI, Underwater Archaeology Wing (UAW)
- Previously, in 1979-80, archaeologist Prof. S.R. Rao and his team discovered a 560-meter-long wall of Dwarka in the sea, where they found pottery dating from 1528 BCE to 3000 BCE and remnants of the Indus Valley Civilization.
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Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Visited the Indian Parliament
- Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Rishi Sunak, visited the Indian Parliament with his family on February 18, 2025.
United Kingdom:
- Official name: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK)
- Capital: London
- Continent: Europe
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- Major cities: London, Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh
- Political system: Constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy
- Head of state: Emperor Charles III
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‘AI for Entrepreneurship’ Micro-Learning Module Launched
- The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, in collaboration with American chipmaker Intel, has announced the launch of the ‘AI for Entrepreneurship’ micro-learning module for young innovators in India. The program aims to equip 100,000 youth with essential skills through this initiative.
PM-AASHA Scheme
- The central government has decided to extend the Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan (PM-AASHA) scheme until 2025-26. The primary objective of this initiative is to ensure remunerative prices for farmers' crops and promote self-sufficiency in pulse production across the country.
Key Features:
- 100% Procurement Guarantee for Pulses: The government has announced 100% procurement of pulses like Tur (Arhar), Urad, and Masoor, ensuring that farmers receive the full benefit of the Minimum Support Price (MSP).
- Financial Allocation: A total financial outlay of ₹35,000 crore has been allocated until 2025-26 to support the effective implementation of procurement operations.
- State-wise Procurement Target: For the Kharif 2024-25 season, a target of 13.22 lakh metric tons (LMT) of Tur procurement has been set for Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh.
- Current Progress: As of February 15, 2025, 0.15 LMT of Tur has been procured in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Telangana, directly benefiting 12,006 farmers.
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15th Finance Commission Grant Released for Three States
- The central government has released the 15th Finance Commission grant for rural local bodies in Punjab, Uttarakhand, and Chhattisgarh for the financial year 2024-25.
- To strengthen rural governance, Punjab received ₹225 crore, Chhattisgarh ₹244 crore, and Uttarakhand over ₹93 crore.
15th Finance Commission:
- Formation Year: November 27, 2017
- Structure: One Chairperson and Four Additional Members
- Chairperson: N.K. Singh
- Duration: 2021-22 to 2025-26 (5 years)
- Objective: To recommend tax distribution, grants, and financial structure between the Centre and States
- Constitutional Basis: Established under Article 280
- First Finance Commission Chairperson: K.C. Neogy
- Appointing Authority: President of India
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RSS Inaugurates New Headquarters 'Keshav Kunj'
- The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has inaugurated its new headquarters, 'Keshav Kunj,' in Jhandewalan, New Delhi.
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS):
| Founded: 1925 |
Founder: Dr. Keshav Baliram Hedgewar |
Headquarters: Nagpur, Maharashtra |
Launch of Digital Brand Identity Manual (DBIM)
- Union Minister of State for Electronics and IT, Jitin Prasada, launched the Digital Brand Identity Manual (DBIM) on February 18, 2025, in New Delhi.
- DBIM serves as a guideline manual aimed at establishing a uniform identity across government digital platforms.
Relevant Facts:
- This initiative is led by the Digital Governance Division of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and the National Informatics Centre (NIC).
- Along with the launch of DBIM, the first Chief Information Officer (CIO) Conference 2025 was also organized to discuss the roadmap for implementing DBIM across government websites and applications.
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Inauguration of ‘Waste Recycling and Climate Change 2025’ Conference
- Union Minister for Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav, inaugurated the ‘Waste Recycling and Climate Change 2025’ conference on February 18, 2025.
- This one-day conference was organized by the Recycling and Environment Industry Association of India (REIAI).
Major government initiatives related to waste recycling in India:
- Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM): 2014
- Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016, Amendment: Single-use plastic banned in 2021
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- National Bio-Energy Mission: 2022
- Electronic Waste (E-Waste) Management Rules, 2016
- National Green Tribunal (NGT): 2010
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State Special
Maharashtra Approves Establishment of the Sixth State Finance Commission
- The Maharashtra Cabinet has approved the establishment of the Sixth State Finance Commission and the creation of 346 new posts in the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF).
Maharashtra :
- Foundation Day: 1 May 1960
- Assembly Seats: 288
- Highest Peak: Kalsubai
- Longest River: Godavari
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- Lok Sabha Seats: 48
- Governor: C. P. Radhakrishnan
- Rajya Sabha Seats: 19
- Origin of Krishna River: Mahabaleshwar
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Gujarat Expands Soil Health Card Scheme
- The Gujarat government has expanded the Soil Health Card (SHC) scheme to promote sustainable agriculture, benefiting 2.15 crore farmers across the state.
Gujarat :
- Foundation Day: 1 May 1960
- Highest Peak: Girnar
- Largest Tribe: Bhil
- Chief Minister: Bhupendrabhai Patel
- Longest River: Narmada
- State Bird: Greater Flamingo
- State Animal: Asiatic Lion
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- Governor: Acharya Devvrat
- Gir Forest National Park, famous for Asiatic lions, is located in
- Rann of Kutch is the world's largest salt desert
- Most famous dance: Garba and Dandiya
- Lothal, located in Gujarat, was India's first port city
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Major Schemes Approved: Arunachal Pradesh
- The Arunachal Pradesh government has approved several key schemes aimed at the development of women, youth, and overall progress of the state.
Related Facts:
- Positive approval for revamping Dulari Kanya Yojana.
- Fixed deposit amount on birth of institutional girl child increased from Rs 20,000 to Rs 30,000.
- Approval also given to provide additional Rs 20,000 for admission in Class 11 through Direct Benefit Transfer
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Translator Facility Introduced: Uttar Pradesh
- During the Budget Session 2025, the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly implemented a translator facility, making it the first assembly in India to offer such a service for legislative proceedings.
Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly:
- It is the lower house of the state's bicameral legislature
- Total members: 403
- The Legislative Assembly for the United Province was first established on 1 April 1937 under the Government of India Act, 1935. At that time the number of members of the assembly was 228 and the term was fixed for 5 years.
- After independence, the first meeting of the Legislative Assembly was held on 3 November 1947. On 4 November 1947, the assembly passed a resolution that all its work would be done in Hindi, after which all the work of the House started being done in Hindi.
- Current composition: Speaker: Satish Mahana, Chief Minister: Yogi Adityanath, Leader of the Opposition: Mata Prasad Pandey
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International news
Bangladesh's Interim Government Accused of Chaos
- Ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has accused the interim government, led by Muhammad Yunus, of turning the country into a hub of terrorism and disorder.
Bangladesh:
- A country situated on the Bay of Bengal in South Asia
- Official name: People's Republic of Bangladesh
- Capital: Dhaka
- Official language: Bangla (Bengali)
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- Bangladesh was formerly East Pakistan. It declared independence on 26 March 1971 and became an independent nation on 16 December 1971 with the cooperation of India. Its constitution was adopted on 4 November 1972.
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Statue of Tamil Poet Thiruvalluvar Unveiled in the Philippines
- Indian Ambassador Harsh Kumar Jain unveiled a statue of the renowned Tamil poet and philosopher Thiruvalluvar in the Philippines.
Thiruvalluvar:
- Main work: Tirukkural (collection of 1330 couplets)
- Themes: Morality (artha), politics (dharma), and love (kama)
- Language: Tamil
- The Tamil Nadu government celebrates 15 January as "Thiruvalluvar Day"
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- Significance: Tirukkural is considered the greatest work of Tamil literature and is called the "universal moral text".
Three parts of Tirukkural:
- Aram (dharma): Morality and ethics
- Pural (artha): Politics and economy
- Inbam (kama): Love and family life
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Science and Technology
xAI Launches Chatbot 'Grok 3'
- Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company xAI launched its latest chatbot, Grok 3, on February 18, 2025.
- This new model is ten times more powerful than its predecessor, Grok 2, and excels in reasoning, deep research, and creative tasks.
Key Features of Grok 3:
- Deep Search: It is an AI-powered search tool designed for in-depth reasoning and analysis. It answers questions and explains its thought process better than normal chatbots.
- Think and Big Mind: These are the other two features that make Grok 3 more interactive and user-friendly.
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Sports News
Asia Mixed Team Badminton Championship 2025
- Indonesia created history by winning the Asia Mixed Team Badminton Championship for the first time, defeating defending champion China 3-1 in the final.
Youngest Player Record in WPL
- India's U-19 star J. Kamalini set the record for being the youngest player to debut in the Women's Premier League (WPL) 2025 while playing for Mumbai Indians (MI).
- On February 18, 2025, she achieved this milestone at 16 years and 213 days old during a match against Gujarat Giants.
Related Facts:
- Youngest player to debut in Women's Premier League (WPL):
- Shabnam Shakeel (GG) vs RCB, 2024: 16 years, 263 days
- Parshvi Chopra (UPW) vs MI, 2023: 16 years, 312 days
- V.J. Joshita (RCB) vs GG, 2025 : 18 years, 203 days
- Ellis Capsi (DC) vs RCB, 2023 : 18 years, 206 days
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Women's Premier League (WPL):
- Start: 2022
- First Season: 4 March 2023 – 26 March 2023
- 5 franchise teams participate in WPL:
- Mumbai Indians (MI), Delhi Capitals (DC), Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Gujarat Giants (GG), UP Warriors (UPW)
- First WPL winning captain: Harmanpreet Kaur (MI)
- Most expensive player (₹3.4 crore, 2023): Smriti Mandhana (RCB)
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Appointments
Gyanesh Kumar Appointed as 26th Chief Election Commissioner
- Gyanesh Kumar assumed charge as India’s 26th Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) on February 19, 2025.
- He is a 1988-batch IAS officer from the Kerala cadre, and his tenure will continue until January 26, 2029.
Related Facts:
- He has replaced Rajiv Kumar.
- Before assuming office, he was serving as Election Commissioner since March 2024.
- Election Commissioner:
- Election Commission (ECI) is an independent constitutional body
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- Constituted: Under Article 324
- Appointment: By the President
- Tenure: 6 years or till the age of 65 years (whichever is earlier)
- Main Function: Conducting free and fair elections
- Can be removed by Parliament under the impeachment process
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Dr Vivek Joshi
- Dr Vivek Joshi took over as Election Commissioner on 19 February 2025. He is a senior IAS officer of Haryana cadre of 1989 batch.
- Earlier, in November 2024, he took over as Chief Secretary of Haryana.
Constitutional provisions related to Election Commission:
- Article 324: Establishment, powers and jurisdiction of Election Commission
- Article 325: Voting rights cannot be denied on the basis of caste, religion, sex
- Article 326: Adult franchise (right to vote for citizens aged 18 years or above)
- Article 327: Right of Parliament to make rules and laws related to elections
- Article 328: Right of state assemblies to make laws related to elections at the state level
- Article 329: Restrictions on judicial interference in election matters (challenge possible only through election petition)
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Ranks and indices
FutureBrand Index 2024
- According to the FutureBrand Index 2024, Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) has secured the 2nd position globally, moving up 11 places from its 13th rank last year.
Key points:
- Best brands: The top spot goes to South Korean company Samsung
- Seven of the top 10 brands in 2014 were from the US, while in 2024 there are only four US brands, while five are from Asia-Pacific and the Middle East
- The study is based on 18 attributes, such as innovation, authenticity, and sustainability
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