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GK Update

Thu 20 Mar, 2025

National News

Moong Dal

  • To provide pulses at subsidized rates to consumers, the Government of India has expanded the Bharat Dal brand to include moong dal.
  • Under this initiative, moong from the buffer stock of the Price Stabilization Fund (PSF) has been converted into moong dal.

'Brand India' Scheme:

  • Phase I: 2023 (It made flour, rice, chana and pulses available at subsidised rates)
  • Phase II: October 2024 (It added two new pulses—chana and masoor)
  • Products are available through National Cooperative Consumers Federation (NCCF), National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED), Kendriya Bhandar and e-commerce platforms
  • NCCF: Established: October 1965, Headquarters: New Delhi
  • NAFED: Established: October 1958, Headquarters: New Delhi

Waves OTT Platform

  • The Waves OTT platform will broadcast live the DFB-Pokal semifinal and grand finale.

Related Facts:

  • Broadcast Dates: The semifinal matches will be held on April 1 and 2, 2025, while the grand finale will take place on May 24, 2025.
  • Partnership: The broadcast is part of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Prasar Bharati and DFB Germany.
  • Under-17 Talent Search Tournament: As part of this agreement, an Under-17 talent search tournament will be organized, where 20 young Indian players will get the opportunity to train in Germany.

North India's First Nuclear Power Plant

  • North India's first nuclear power plant is being established in Gorakhpur village, Fatehabad district, Haryana.
  • The project is located approximately 150 kilometers north of New Delhi.

Approval for New Brownfield Ammonia-Urea Complex

  • The Union Cabinet approved the establishment of a new brownfield ammonia-urea complex with an annual urea production capacity of 12.7 lakh metric tons (LMT) at the Brahmaputra Valley Fertilizer Corporation Limited (BVFCL), Namrup, Assam, on March 19, 2025.

Related Facts:

  • The estimated cost of the project is Rs. 10,601.40 crore, implemented through Joint Venture (JV) with debt-equity ratio of 70:30
  • Equity distribution in the venture: Government of Assam: 40%, BVFCL: 11%, Hindustan Urvarak & Rasayan Limited (HURL): 13%, National Fertilizers Limited (NFL): 18%, Oil India Limited (OIL): 18%

Approval for Revised National Gokul Mission (RGM)

  • The Union Cabinet approved the Revised National Gokul Mission (RGM) on March 19, 2025, to promote development in the livestock sector.
  • The mission will be implemented during the 15th Finance Commission cycle (2021-22 to 2025-26) with a total outlay of ₹3,400 crore.

Two New Activities Included in the Mission:

  • Heifer Rearing Centers: One-time assistance of 35% of the capital cost will be provided for the establishment of 30 residential facilities for 15,000 heifers.
  • Increase in Milk Production: Due to the implementation of the National Gokul Mission and other government efforts over the past ten years, milk production has increased by 63.55%.
  • Per Capita Milk Availability: It has increased from 307 grams per day in 2013-14 to 471 grams per day in 2023-24.

Approval for Revised National Programme for Dairy Development (NPDD)

  • The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the Revised National Programme for Dairy Development (NPDD) on March 19, 2025.
  • For this scheme, an additional outlay of ₹1,000 crore has been allocated, bringing the total budget to ₹2,790 crore for the 15th Finance Commission cycle (2021-22 to 2025-26).

Key Achievements:

  • Farmer Benefits: More than 18.74 lakh farmers have benefited from the implementation of NPDD so far.
  • Employment Generation: The scheme has created over 30,000 direct and indirect employment opportunities.
  • Increase in Milk Procurement Capacity: Through NPDD, there has been an increase of 100.95 lakh liters per day in additional milk procurement capacity.

NIDAR Launch

  • The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), in collaboration with the Drone Federation of India (DFI), launched the 'National Innovation Challenge for Drone Application and Research' (NIDAR).
  • This initiative is part of the 'SwaYaan' program, focusing on capacity building in unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) for human resource development.

Inauguration of NDTL Annual Conference 2025

  • Union Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya inaugurated the Annual Conference 2025 of the National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL) in New Delhi on March 19, 2025.

Related Facts:

  • Topic: "Anti-Doping Science: Innovations and Challenges"
  • National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL):
  • An autonomous institution of the Government of India, working under the Ministry of Sports
  • Established: 2008, Headquarters: New Delhi, Operating Unit: Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Main Functions: Dope testing, analysis of athletes' samples, research and education, Anti-doping agencies: Collaboration with NADA and WADA

State Special

Himachal Pradesh Budget 2025-26

  • Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu presented a ₹58,514 crore budget for the financial year 2025-26 in the Assembly on March 17, 2025.

Key Features:

  • Total Budget Size: ₹58,514 crore, which is ₹70 crore higher than the previous year.
  • Revenue Receipts: Estimated at ₹42,343 crore.
  • Revenue Expenditure: Estimated at ₹48,733 crore.
  • Revenue Deficit: ₹6,390 crore.
  • Fiscal Deficit: ₹10,338 crore, which is 4.04% of the state's Gross Domestic Product (GSDP).

International News

First Woman to Use CBP’s Home App

  • Indian student Ranjani Srinivasan, pursuing a PhD in Urban Planning at Columbia University, became the first woman to use the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Home App for self-deportation after her F-1 visa was revoked.

Economy and Banking

Fitch Ratings – March 2025

  • In its March 2025 Global Economic Outlook (GEO), Fitch Ratings stated that U.S. aggressive trade policies could pose a significant risk to India's economic growth.
  • However, due to India's large domestic market and low dependence on external demand, the impact of these policies is expected to be limited.

Related Facts:

 

 

  • FY 2025-26 (FY26): Fitch has retained India's GDP growth forecast at 6.5%.
  • FY 2026-27 (FY27): Fitch has raised the GDP growth forecast from 6.2% to 6.3%.

India's Trade Deficit in February 2025

  • In February 2025, India's trade deficit fell to $14.05 billion, the lowest in the past three years.

Related Facts:

 

  • Decline in Exports: Exports fell by 10.8% to $36.91 billion in February, the lowest in 20 months.
  • Decline in Imports: Imports declined by 16.3% to $50.96 billion, marking the biggest drop in 11 months.
  • Reduction in Petroleum Exports: Petroleum product exports decreased by 30%.
  • Decline in Gold Imports: Gold imports fell by over 60%.

₹1,500 Crore Incentive Scheme for BHIM-UPI

  • The Union Cabinet approved a ₹1,500 crore incentive scheme on March 19, 2025, to promote low-value BHIM-UPI transactions for the financial year 2024-25.

Related Facts:

 

  • Implementation Period: The scheme will be effective from April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025.
  • Target Group: Specifically focused on small merchants for UPI 'Person-to-Merchant' (P2M) transactions up to ₹2,000.
  • Incentive Rate: Small merchants will receive an incentive of 0.15% of the transaction value for each transaction up to ₹2,000.

Honours and Awards

19th Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards

  • President Droupadi Murmu honored journalists in various categories at the 19th Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards ceremony, held in New Delhi on March 19, 2025.

Key Winners:

 

 

  • Hindi Journalism (Broadcast/Digital): Siddhant Mohan for broadcast/digital journalism in the Hindi category.
  • Foreign Correspondent Covering India (Print/Digital): Nilesh Christopher for excellence in this category.
  • Regional Languages (Print/Digital): Jisha Elizabeth from the Malayalam newspaper 'Madhyamam' for her story on Indian youths being trapped in cyber slavery by Thailand-based human traffickers.

Important Days

World Sparrow Day

  • World Sparrow Day is observed annually on March 20 to raise awareness about the declining population of house sparrows and encourage conservation efforts.
  • It was started in 2010 by the Nature Forever Society of India and the Eco-Sys Action Foundation of France.

Key Facts:

 

 

  • 2025 Theme: "Tribute to the Little Messengers of Nature"
  • Reasons for Sparrow Population Decline: Increasing pollution, urbanization, global warming, and depleting ecological resources.
  • Founder of Nature Forever Society: Dr. Mohammed Dilawar, an Indian conservationist (included in Time Magazine's 'Heroes of the Environment' in 2008).

 

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