National News
First River Dolphin Census Report
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the 7th meeting of the National Board for Wildlife at Gir National Park, Gujarat, and released India's first River Dolphin Census Report.
- According to the report, India's rivers have a total of 6,327 river dolphins, with the highest number found in Uttar Pradesh.
Related facts:
- The survey was conducted in 28 rivers across eight states—Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Assam and Punjab
Number of dolphins in states:
- Uttar Pradesh: Highest number of dolphins found, around 2,397
- Bihar: Bihar has 2,220 dolphins
- West Bengal: 815 dolphins found here
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- Assam: Assam has 635 dolphins
- Jharkhand: Jharkhand has 162 dolphins
- Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh: Both states have a total of 95 dolphins
- Punjab: Only 3 dolphins found in Punjab
- The survey was conducted from 2021 to 2023
- Over 8,500 km area covered
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7th Meeting of NBWL
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the 7th meeting of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) at Gir National Park, Gujarat.
Key Highlights of the Meeting:
- Announcement of the 16th Asiatic Lion Census in 2025.
- Launch of a new project for gharials and the Great Indian Bustard Conservation Plan.
- Expansion of the cheetah reintroduction project in Gandhisagar Sanctuary (MP) and Banni Grasslands (Gujarat).
- Emphasis on remote sensing, AI, and machine learning to tackle wildfires and human-wildlife conflicts.
- Foundation stone laid for the National Wildlife Referral Centre in Junagadh.
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Belgium’s Princess Astrid’s India Visit
- Defense Minister Rajnath Singh met Belgium’s Princess Astrid and Defense Minister Theo Francken in New Delhi.
- The meeting focused on defense cooperation possibilities in the Indo-Pacific region, especially in the maritime domain.
Related Facts:
Indo-Pacific Region:
- A geographical and geopolitical region that includes countries around the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean
Belgium:
- Capital: Brussels, Currency: Euro (€), Borders: France, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands
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Visitors' Conference 2024-25
- President Droupadi Murmu inaugurated the two-day Visitors' Conference 2024-25 at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
- The conference is organized for the heads of 184 central higher education institutions, where the President of India serves as the Visitor.
President:
Constitutional Status:
- Article 52: There shall be a President in India
- Article 54: Election of President
- Article 61: Procedure for impeachment
- Article 72: Pardon
- Article 54 and 55: Election of President
- Article 53: Executive Power
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Elected:
- Elected members of both the Houses of Parliament
- Elected members of Legislative Assemblies of all the States
- Elected members of Legislative Assemblies of Delhi and Puducherry
- Procedure:
- Election by proportional representation system
- Use of single transferable vote system
- Term of office: 5 years
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NITI Aayog Report
- NITI Aayog CEO BVR Subrahmanyam released a report titled "From Borrowers to Makers: The Role of Women in India's Financial Growth Story."
- The report highlights that women in India are increasingly availing loans and actively monitoring their credit scores.
Relevant Facts:
- By December 2024, around 2.7 crore women checked their credit scores, marking a 42% increase from the previous year, indicating growing financial awareness.
- Over the past five years, the number of female borrowers has grown at a 22% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR).
- 42% of loans taken by women were used for personal needs and home construction, while 38% availed loans against gold.
- Report Published By: TransUnion CIBIL, NITI Aayog’s Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP), and MicroSave Consulting (MSC).
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Announcement of 3,100+ Paid Internships
- The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) has announced over 3,100 paid internships under the Prime Minister Internship (PMI) Scheme in the IT and software development sector.
- Each intern will receive a monthly stipend of ₹5,000 along with a one-time financial assistance of ₹6,000.
Prime Minister Internship (PMI):
- Announced By: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Budget Speech on July 23, 2024
- Implemented On: October 3, 2024
- Objective: To provide professional experience and enhance youth employability
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- Internship Duration: 12 months
- Monthly Financial Assistance: ₹5,000
- One-Time Assistance: ₹6,000 at the start of the internship
- Age Limit: 21 to 24 years
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International News
Official Language of the USA
- Former U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order, declaring English as the official language of the United States.
United States of America (USA) :
- Capital: Washington, D.C.
- Largest city: New York City
- Currency: US dollar (USD)
- National Day: 4th of July (Independence Day)
- Continent: North America
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Major Landmarks:
- Statue of Liberty (New York)
- White House (Washington, D.C.)
- Grand Canyon (Arizona)
- Disneyland (California)
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State Special
Jharkhand Budget: FY 2025-26
- The Jharkhand government presented a ₹1.45 lakh crore budget for the financial year 2025-26.
- The budget focuses on key sectors such as education, healthcare, agriculture, rural development, and tourism.
Relevant Facts:
- Education: ₹15,198.35 crore for the Education Department, ₹2,409.20 crore for Higher & Technical Education.
- Healthcare: ₹7,470.50 crore allocated to the Health Department.
- Agriculture: ₹4,587.66 crore for Agriculture, ₹9,841.41 crore for Rural Development.
- Women & Child Development: ₹22,023 crore allocated, including ₹13,363.35 crore for the 'Maian Yojana', providing ₹2,500 per month to 58 lakh women.
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Bihar Budget: FY 2025-26
- The Bihar government presented a ₹3.17 lakh crore budget for the financial year 2025-26, marking the largest budget in the state's history.
Key Allocations:
- Education: ₹60,974 crore
- Healthcare: ₹20,335 crore
- Home Department: ₹17,831 crore
- Rural Development: ₹16,093 crore
- Energy: ₹13,484 crore
Major Announcements:
- Agriculture: Government to procure Arhar, Moong, and Urad dal at MSP.
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- Storage: Establishment of cold storage facilities.
- Women Empowerment: Women’s market (Mahila Haat) in Patna and construction of 'Pink Toilets' for women.
- Healthcare: A new cancer hospital in Begusarai.
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Chhattisgarh Budget: FY 2025-26
- Finance Minister O.P. Choudhary presented a ₹1.65 lakh crore budget for the financial year 2025-26 on March 3, 2025.
Related Facts:
- Increase in Dearness Allowance (DA): The dearness allowance for government employees has been increased by 3%, bringing it to 53%.
- Infrastructure Development: A provision of ₹9,500 crore has been allocated for road construction and maintenance, including ₹2,000 crore for new road construction.
- Mukhyamantri Nagarothan Yojana: Launch of the Mukhyamantri Nagarothan Yojana for development in municipal corporation areas.
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Science and Technology
Blue Ghost Mission
- The Blue Ghost Mission 1 of the American private space company Firefly Aerospace successfully landed on the surface of the Moon.
- This mission is part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, which aims to establish a long-term human presence on the Moon under the Artemis program.
Related Facts:
- Blue Ghost Mission 1 delivered 10 science and technology instruments to the lunar surface, which will provide crucial data for future human exploration.
- Launch Date: January 15, 2025
- Landing Site: Mare Crisium, a large basin located on the near side of the Moon.
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Sports News
Indian Indoor National Record
- India’s 22-year-old athlete Krishna Jayashankar set a new Indian indoor national record in the women's shot put event by throwing 16.03 meters at the Mountain West Indoor Track and Field Championship held in Albuquerque, USA.
Related Facts:
- Krishna Jayashankar achieved her 16.03-meter throw in her final attempt, breaking the previous national record of 15.54 meters set by Poornarao Rane of Maharashtra in 2023.
- She is the daughter of former international basketball player Jayashankar Menon and Prasanna.
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Economy and Banking
India's API Market
- According to a Praxis Global Alliance report, India's Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) market is expected to grow from $18 billion in 2024 to $22 billion by 2030, reflecting a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 8.3%.
Related Facts:
- India contributes 57% of the WHO-prequalified API list globally.
- API production constitutes a significant portion of drug manufacturing costs, averaging 40%, but can rise to 70-80% depending on market conditions.
- The global API market is projected to grow from $240.8 billion in 2024 to $345.5 billion by 2030, with a CAGR of 6.2%.
- India’s pharmaceutical market, currently valued at $55 billion, is expected to reach $120-130 billion by 2030.
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Penalty on HSBC
- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a penalty of ₹66.6 lakh on Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited (HSBC) for violating 'Know Your Customer' (KYC) norms and deposit interest rate directives.
Related Facts:
- IIFL Samasta Finance Limited fined Rs 33.1 lakh for violating KYC and other guidelines.
- Reserve Bank of India (RBI): Founded: 1 April 1935, Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra, Nationalised: 1 January 1949, Initial Headquarters: Kolkata (later shifted to Mumbai in 1937), Current Governor: Sanjay Malhotra
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IRCTC and IRFC Granted 'Navratna' Status
- The Government of India has granted 'Navratna' status to two key Indian Railways companies: Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited (IRCTC) and Indian Railway Finance Corporation (IRFC).
Now, seven listed undertakings of Indian Railways have received Navratna status:
- IRCTC
- IRFC
- Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL)
- IRCON International Limited (IRCON)
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- RITES Limited (RITES)
- RailTel Corporation (RailTel)
- Container Corporation of India (CONCOR)
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Person in News
Himmat Shah
- Renowned Indian contemporary sculptor Himmat Shah passed away at the age of 92.
Related Facts:
- Born: 1933 in Lolor, Gujarat
- Founder Member of 'Group 1890', known for artistic innovation in Indian art during the 1960s.
- Famous for his 'Heads' series, which depicts human emotions and existential themes.
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Awards & Honors:
- National Award, Lalit Kala Akademi (1956, 1962)
- Sahitya Kala Parishad Award (1988)
- Kalidas Samman by the Madhya Pradesh Government (2003)
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Virat Kohli
- Indian cricket star Virat Kohli played his 300th ODI match against New Zealand in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 on March 2, 2025. He became the seventh Indian cricketer to achieve this milestone.
Before Kohli, Indian players have played 300 or more ODI matches:
- Sachin Tendulkar: 463 matches
- Mahendra Singh Dhoni: 347 matches
- Rahul Dravid: 340 matches
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- Mohammad Azharuddin: 334 matches
- Sourav Ganguly: 311 matches
- Yuvraj Singh: 304 matches
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Jay Shah
- International Cricket Council (ICC) President Jay Shah has been honored with the prestigious Icon of Excellence Award at the 14th edition of the Forbes India Leadership Awards (FILA 2025).
- Jay Shah, who previously served as the Secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), assumed office as the youngest-ever ICC President on December 1, 2024.
Atal Dullu
- The Election Commission of India (ECI) honored Chief Secretary Atal Dullu for his contributions to the successful conduct of the 18th Lok Sabha elections.
Key Facts Related to the Elections:
- First General Elections since 1989 recorded a 58.11% voter turnout.
- This marks a 14% increase compared to the 2019 elections.
- First Lok Sabha elections in Jammu & Kashmir after the 2019 reorganization.
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- A total of 8.726 million voters were eligible to vote.
- 11,629 polling stations were set up.
- 80,724 polling officials were trained for the electoral process.
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Important Days
National Defence Day
- National Defence Day is observed annually on March 4 to honor the contributions of the armed forces and security personnel in safeguarding the nation.
Related facts:
- Theme for 2025: "Security and Welfare are Vital for a Developed India"
Other Important Defence and Security-Related Days in India:
- Indian Army Day – January 15
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- Indian Coast Guard Day – February 1
- Indian Air Force Day – October 8
- Indian Navy Day – December 4
- National Security Day – March 4
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