Daily Current Affairs and GK | 12 August 2025

Topic: Sports

1. Annu Rani clinched the gold medal in the women’s javelin event at the Indian Open 2025 World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze meet with a best throw of 62.01 meters.

• She won the women’s javelin throw title at the Indian Open 2025 World Athletics Bronze Level Continental Tour at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. 
• She outperformed Sri Lanka’s NDL Hatarabag Leka, who managed 56.27 meters, and India’s Deepika, who registered a 54.20-meter throw.
• The performance signals a strong comeback for Annu, following her season-best mark of 62.59 meters achieved earlier in Poland.
• India’s Shivam Lohakare earned silver in the men’s javelin competition with a throw of 80.73 meters.
• Rumesh Pathirage of Sri Lanka won gold in men’s javelin with a throw of 86.50 meters, surpassing the World Championships qualification benchmark.
• Sri Lankan athlete Sumeda J Ranasinghe secured the bronze medal in the same event with a mark of 80.65 meters.
• Murali Sreeshankar took the top spot in the men’s long jump, recording a season-best leap of 8.13 meters on his final attempt.
• Shahnavaz Khan placed second in the long jump, crossing the 8-meter mark for the first time with a distance of 8.04 meters.
• Lokesh Sathyanathan finished third in the long jump event, achieving a jump of 7.85 meters.
• The Indian Open 2025 marked the country's debut in hosting a World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze level event.
• The competition served as a crucial platform for athletes to earn qualifying points for the upcoming World Championships in Tokyo.

Topic: State News/Maharashtra

2. An advanced ‘Garuda Drishti’ system adopted by Maharashtra to combat cybercrime.

• Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced that Maharashtra now has the world’s best system and technology to counter cybercrime.
• The ‘Garuda Drishti’ tool has been introduced to track and prevent criminal activities on social media platforms.
• The announcement was made at a Nagpur event where ₹10 crore recovered from cyber financial crimes was returned to victims.
• The Chief Minister handed over the recovered amounts to the fraud victims.
• CM Fadnavis cautioned citizens about the misuse of social media by anti-social elements for spreading hatred, fake news, and financial fraud.
• Citizens were advised to report suspected financial fraud immediately through helpline numbers 1930 and 1945.
• ‘Garuda Drishti’ was developed at minimal cost under the Cyber Hack 2025 competition and is owned by Nagpur Police.
• Since its launch, 30,000 social media posts have been examined, and 650 offensive posts have been removed.
• The system has helped prevent law-and-order issues from harmful online content.

Topic: Banking/Finance

3. Mutual fund equity inflows hit a record ₹42,702 crore in July.

• According to the Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI), mutual fund equity inflows reached a record high of ₹42,702 crore in July.
• This figure marked a sharp increase from the ₹23,587 crore recorded in June this year.
• The surge in inflows was driven by new fund offerings, which mobilized ₹30,416 crore during the month.
• The mutual fund industry’s total net assets under management (AUM) reached an all-time high of ₹75.35 lakh crore, compared to ₹74.41 lakh crore in June.
• Systematic Investment Plan (SIP) contributions also rose to an all-time high of ₹28,464 crore in July.
• It was the second consecutive month of record flows after exceeding ₹27,000 crore in June.
• Sectoral and thematic funds saw the largest inflows, pulling in ₹9,426 crore during the month.
• Small-cap schemes attracted ₹6,484 crore in July, up 61% from ₹4,025 crore in June.
• Large and mid-cap funds recorded inflows of ₹5,035 crore, while equity-linked savings schemes saw net outflows of ₹368 crore.
• In the fixed income segment, debt mutual funds witnessed net inflows of Rs 1.06 lakh crore last month.

Topic: Summits/Conferences/Meetings

4. The All-India Speakers’ Conference will be hosted by the Delhi Assembly on August 24–25.

• The conference will be held with the theme “Virasat Se Viksit Ki Ore” (from heritage to development).

• The event will be organized to commemorate the centenary of Vitthalbhai Patel's tenure as the first Indian Speaker of the Central Legislative Assembly.
• Union Home Minister Amit Shah will inaugurate the event at the Assembly premises.
• A commemorative postage stamp will be released by Union Minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia during the valedictory session.
• Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will preside over the concluding session of the two-day event.
• An exhibition will showcase rare documents, photographs, and transcripts from India’s legislative history.
• A documentary chronicling Mahatma Gandhi’s visits and Vitthalbhai Patel’s tenure will also be screened.
• The Delhi Assembly is the first parliament of the country, from where revolutionaries and national leaders called for independence.
• The Assembly building, built in 1912 after Delhi was declared the capital, was the center of India's political awakening.
• It was here that legislators like Lala Lajpat Rai, Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya, and Gopal Krishna Gokhale challenged colonial power.

Topic: National News

5. 302 million Indians lifted out of poverty in the last decade.

• Assuming equal sharing of resources within households, about 302 million people would move out of poverty between 2011-12 and 2022-23.
• The finding was presented in research titled Intra-Household Allocation of Resources and Changes in Poverty Rates of Females, Males, and Children in India from 2011-12 to 2023-24.
• Dr. Shamika Ravi (Member, EAC-PM) and Dr. Mudit Kapoor conducted the research.
• National poverty rates declined from 29.5% in 2011-12 to 4% in 2022-23 under equal sharing assumptions.
• When accounting for unequal sharing, the poverty rate in 2011-12 was found to be 34.7%.
• This rate dropped to 10.5% in 2023-24 when unequal distribution was considered.
• The poverty gap, reflecting the intensity of poverty, declined from 18.4% in 2011-12 to 10.2% in 2023-24 under equal sharing.

Topic: Indian Economy

6. The National Sports Governance Bill, 2025, and the National Anti-Doping (Amendment) Bill, 2025 passed by the Lok Sabha.

• The bills were passed amid opposition protests over the Special Intensive Revision exercise in Bihar.
• The National Sports Governance Bill provides for the recognition and regulation of national sports bodies.
• It proposes the establishment of the National Olympic Committee, National Paralympic Committee, and Regional Sports Federations.
• The bill mandates that national sports bodies include outstanding sportspersons and women in their executive committees.
• A National Sports Tribunal will be set up to resolve sports-related disputes.
• The National Anti-Doping (Amendment) Bill, 2025, seeks to amend the National Anti-Doping Act 2022.
• Doping is the process of athletes consuming certain banned substances to improve performance.
• It prohibits doping in sport and provides a framework for testing, enforcement, and adjudication of violations.
• The bill establishes the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) to enforce anti-doping laws.
• It also establishes the National Board for Anti-Doping in Sports to monitor the activities of NADA and advise the Central Government on anti-doping laws.
• It empowers the National Board for Anti-Doping in Sports to obtain operational information from disciplinary panels.
• The legislation aims to prepare the country for bidding for the Olympics and building world-class sports infrastructure.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

7. Government e-Marketplace (GeM) recorded a Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) of ₹5.4 lakh crore in the financial year 2024–25.

• This milestone was announced during GeM’s 9th foundation day celebration.
• CEO Mihir Kumar described the achievement as a step toward more inclusive and people-focused governance.
• He reaffirmed GeM’s commitment to making public procurement fair and accessible.
• In the previous financial year, 2023–24, GeM had reached a GMV of ₹4 trillion.
• Since its launch, GeM has onboarded over 1.5 lakh women-led businesses.
• The platform also supports startups, self-help groups, artisans, and micro and small enterprises.
• GeM was launched in 2016 to promote transparency, efficiency, and inclusivity in procurement.
• It acts as a digital platform that connects underserved sellers with government buyers across India.
• GeM also encourages participation from people with disabilities in the public procurement process.

Topic: Defence

8. Indian Navy will induct INS Udaygiri and INS Himgiri on August 26 in Visakhapatnam.

• This will be the first time two major warships from different Indian shipyards will be commissioned together.
• INS Udaygiri is part of the Project 17A stealth frigates.
• It has been built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited in Mumbai.
• INS Himgiri is also a Project 17A ship.
• It is the first of its kind constructed by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers in Kolkata.
• INS Udaygiri is the 100th ship designed by the Navy’s Warship Design Bureau.
• The commissioning marks a key step in India’s naval modernisation efforts.
• It highlights the country’s growing ability to build advanced warships domestically.
• This milestone reflects India’s commitment to strengthening self-reliance in defence production.

Topic: Miscellaneous

9. Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said that India has become the world’s third-largest automobile market.

• Addressing the Green Revolution-2025 on World Biofuels Day in New Delhi, he said the US automobile industry is valued at ₹78 lakh crore, followed by China at ₹49 lakh crore and India at ₹22 lakh crore.
• The Indian automobile industry has created 4.5 crore jobs to date.
• Gadkari stressed the role of green hydrogen in India’s future energy framework.
• He noted that India achieved 15 percent ethanol blending in 2024.
• This ethanol blending progress is part of India’s goal to reach 20 percent by 2025–2026.
• Union Minister Nitin Gadkari stated that increasing biofuel and green hydrogen production can transform India into an energy-exporting nation.
• He made these remarks during the inauguration of the 'Bioverse' initiative in Pune on World Biofuel Day.
• Gadkari emphasized that the biofuel revolution will reduce imports and strengthen the rural economy.
• He said the sugar industry should diversify into ethanol, biofuels, and green hydrogen instead of relying solely on sugar production.
• The Minister called for more research into producing green hydrogen from agricultural produce.
• He highlighted plans to convert agricultural waste into biofuels such as Bio-CNG and bio-aviation fuel.
• Gadkari noted that this initiative could turn farmers into energy producers.
• He urged industries to give equal importance to alternative biofuels along with traditional products.

Topic: National News

10. The Lok Sabha passed the Taxation Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2025 and the Income-Tax (No.2) Bill, 2025 through a voice vote.

• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the bills.
• The Income-Tax (No.2) Bill seeks to simplify and update the legal framework governing income tax.
• The Taxation Laws (Amendment) Bill proposes changes to the Income-tax Act, 1961 and the Finance Act, 2025.
• The Rajya Sabha passed the Merchant Shipping Bill, 2025.
• The new legislation will repeal the Merchant Shipping Act of 1958.
• It updates the legal framework for merchant shipping to align with India’s commitments under international maritime agreements and treaties.
• The Bill also aims to promote the growth of the Indian shipping sector and ensure the effective management of the country’s merchant fleet in a way that supports national priorities.
• Rajya Sabha also approved the Readjustment of Representation of Scheduled Tribes in Assembly Constituencies of the State of Goa Bill, 2025.
• The Upper House returned Budget (Manipur) 2025-26, the Manipur Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2025 and the Manipur Appropriation (No. 2) Bill, 2025 to the Lok Sabha.