Daily Current Affairs and GK | 16 April 2025

Topic: Indian Polity

1. Supreme Court directed to complete trials in child trafficking cases in 6 months.

• The SC Bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan directed High Courts to issue directions to lower courts to complete trials in child trafficking cases in six months.
• The SC also mandated that such cases need to be heard daily so as to ensure justice is delivered on time.
• The directions are issued while hearing anticipatory bail pleased filed by the accused in a child trafficking case from Uttar Pradesh.
• The court said that any negligence in implementing the directions would be considered contempt of court.
• Contempt of Court refers to the power of the Supreme Court and High Courts to penalize for its contempt through Articles 129 and 215. There are two types of contempt- Civil and  Criminal contempt.
• Child trafficking in India:
  • According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), 3,466  cases of child trafficking were reported in India in 2019.
  • Children are trafficked in India for forced cheap labour, commercial sexual exploitation, begging and petty crimes, armed conflict, child marriage and even camouflaged sale of infants as inter-country adoption, etc.
  • Government enacted various laws to deal with child trafficking and provide legal protection to children like POCSO Act 2012, Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act 1976, Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act 1956, Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2015.

Topic: Space and IT

2. Startup QNu Labs launched world’s first unique platform Q-Shield.

• Q-Shield is the world’s first platform that will help enterprises to protect their critical infrastructure.
• It also enables seamless cryptography management across any environment, including cloud, on-premises, or hybrid.
• It was launched on World Quantum Day i.e on 14^th April.
• Q-Shield enables various services like Qosmos for key generation, QConnect for secured connectivity, QVault for secret digital keys management and QVerse for secured collaboration.
• QNu Labs (incubated in 2016 at IIT Madras Research Park) is one of the startups selected by Department of Science and Technology under the National Quantum Mission.
• National Quantum Mission:
  • It was approved by the government in 2023 from 2023-24 to 2030-31.
  • The Mission objectives include developing intermediate-scale quantum computers with 50-1000 physical qubits in 8 years in various platforms like superconducting and photonic technology.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Sports

3. Dhiraj Bommadevara won bronze for India in the Archery World Cup individual event.

• On April 14, India’s Dhiraj Bommadevara secured the bronze medal in archery at the 2025 Archery World Cup held in Florida, USA.
• Dheeraj defeated Andres Tamino Medial in the men's individual recurve event with a score of 6-4.
• This was also Dheeraj's second medal of the tournament.
• With this victory, India wrapped up its Archery World Cup 2025 campaign with an impressive tally of four medals—one gold, one silver, and two bronze.
• The Indian team finished fourth in the overall medal tally.
• Mexico finished on top with six (three gold, two silver and one bronze) medals.
• Archery World Cup 2025 medal winners for India:

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: MoUs and Agreements

4. An MoU signed between Ministry of Labour & Employment and Swiggy.

• On 15 April, an MoU signed between the Ministry of Labour and Employment and Swiggy, the Indian online food ordering and delivery platform.
• This marks a significant step towards strengthening employment relationships in the gig and logistics sector through the National Career Service (NCS) portal.
• The National Career Service Portal is an active platform to connect job seekers and employers across the country.
• It has been instrumental in bringing together more than 1 crore 25 lakh job seekers and 40 lakh registered employers as of January 31, 2025, and is playing a vital role in workforce mobilization.
• This partnership with Swiggy will expand the reach of the portal to the workforce and the connected economy, providing position-responsive and location-based employment opportunities to millions of youth.
• Under this MoU, Swiggy will integrate its job opportunities with the NCS portal, which includes jobs in delivery, logistics, and support roles.
• This platform with real-time integration will showcase job opportunities to NCS users, enabling workers to benefit from timely job opportunities across urban and semi-urban areas.
• Swiggy:
  • Founded in 2014, it is an Indian online food ordering and delivery company. Swiggy is headquartered in Bangalore.
  • Apart from food delivery, the platform also offers instant commerce services called Swiggy Instamart, and same-day package delivery with Swiggy Genie.

Topic: Summits/Conferences/Meetings

5. The 15^th BRICS Agriculture Ministers Meeting at Brasilia, Brazil, will be attended by Union Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

• Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan is leading the Indian delegation to the 15th BRICS Agriculture Ministers' Meeting (AMM), which will be held on 17th April, 2025.
• The theme of the 15th BRICS AMM is “Promoting Inclusive and Sustainable Agriculture through Cooperation, Innovation, and Equitable Trade among BRICS Countries.”
• The meeting is set to be attended by Agriculture Ministers and senior officials from BRICS countries, as well as delegations from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE, Ethiopia, Indonesia, and Iran.
• During his visit, Shri Chouhan will hold meetings with the Minister of Agriculture and Livestock of Brazil, Mr. Carlos Henrique Baquetta Favero, and the Minister of Agricultural Development and Family Farming, Mr. Luiz Paulo Teixeira.
• These meetings will focus on enhancing cooperation between India and Brazil in various sectors of agriculture, agro-technology, rural development, and food security.
• Shri Chouhan will meet agribusiness leaders and the Brazilian Vegetable Oil Industry Association in São Paulo to explore opportunities for partnership and investment in the agricultural value chain.
• BRICS Agriculture Ministers' Meeting (AMM):
  • The BRICS AMM began as part of the broader BRICS cooperation framework aimed at addressing common challenges in agriculture among member countries.
  • Since its inception in 2010, it has served as a premier platform for sharing best practices, promoting agricultural innovation, and ensuring food and nutrition security.
  • In 2024, the 14th BRICS Ministers of Agriculture Meeting was held in Moscow under the chairmanship of the Russian Federation.

Topic: State News/Himachal Pradesh

6. Himachal Pradesh celebrated its 78th foundation day on 15 April.

• On 15 April 1948, the state was formed by merging 30 small and large princely states.
• Since then, every year 15th April is celebrated as 'Himachal Day'.
• This year, the state-level main function was organized at Kilar, the headquarters of the remote and tribal Pangi Valley of Chamba district.
• Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu presided over the event.
• For the first time, state-level Himachal Day celebrations were held in Pangi Valley, leading to great enthusiasm among the local residents.
• Vibrant cultural programs showcasing the rich heritage of the state were also presented on the occasion.
• Himachal Pradesh:
  • It is a North Indian state situated in the western Himalayas.
  • It shares a boundary with Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh.
  • The state capitals are Shimla (summer) and Dharamshala (winter).
  • Great Himalayan National Park, Pin Valley National Park, and Khirganga National Park are located in Himachal Pradesh.
  • Nati is the most famous dance of Himachal Pradesh.
  • On 1 November 1956, Himachal Pradesh became a Union Territory of India.
  • The Himachal Pradesh State Act was passed by the Parliament on 18 December 1970, and the new state came into existence on 25 January 1971.
  • It was the 18th state of India.
  • Governor: Shri Shiv Pratap Shukla, Chief Minister: Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu
  • Lok Sabha seats: 4, Rajya Sabha seats: 3

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Geography

7. Severe rainfall and flooding have hit several provinces in Congo.

• Kinshasa, capital of Congo, is among the worst affected. 
• Tanganyika and South Kivu have also reported serious damage.
• They are in the eastern part of the country. 
• Authorities have set up emergency shelters and care centers in stadiums across Kinshasa. 
• Weather forecasts predict continued heavy rainfall in the coming days.
• This has raised fears of more destruction. 
• Kinshasa, with a population of 17 million, is especially at risk.
• Rapid and unregulated urban growth has made it more vulnerable.
• Floods are caused by both meteorological, physical as well as human factors such as deforestation, unchecked urbanization, and faulty construction of dams.
• Flood mitigation techniques include flood barriers and levees, floodplain zoning and land use planning.
• Early warning systems, dams and reservoirs, reforestation and afforestation and flood-resistant construction are other flood mitigation techniques.

Topic: State News/Telangana

8. Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has officially launched the Bhu Bharathi revenue portal in Hyderabad. 

• The platform is designed to boost land security and make land records more transparent. 
• The portal will help settle land disputes through a clear and consistent revenue system. 
• Landowners will be given a Bhudhar card. 
• This card will carry complete information related to their land. 
• The portal is currently being tested in four mandals.
• These mandals are Khammam, Mulugu, Kodangal, and Kamareddy. 
• Revenue officials will visit each village in these mandals. 
• Their goal is to resolve all pending land issues by May 1. 
• From May onwards, one mandal from each district will be selected for the same process. 
• The system will be rolled out across the entire state starting June 2.

Topic: Sports

9. Magnus Carlsen from Norway won the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam 2025 in Paris.

• He defeated American Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura in the final. 
• Carlsen earned 2 lakh US Dollars for his victory. 
• Nakamura finished second and received 1 lakh 40 thousand US Dollars. 
• Fabiano Caruana, an Italian-American, won third place by defeating German Grandmaster Vincent Keymer. 
• Caruana took home 1 lakh US Dollars and secured a spot in the Las Vegas Grand Slam. 
• Indian Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi won over Maxime Vachier-Lagrave of France. 
• Arjun claimed fifth place. He will participate in the Grenke Freestyle Open starting on April 17.

Topic: Sports

10. The seventh edition of the Khelo India Youth Games will be hosted in Bihar from May 4th to 15th, 2025.

• The games will be held in several cities, including Patna, Gaya, Rajgir, Begusarai, and Bhagalpur. 
• Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Union Sports Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya revealed the mascot and logo for the event in Patna. 
• The mascot for the event is named "Gajsimha." It symbolizes the strength of an elephant and the courage of a lion. 
• The design of the mascot is inspired by the historical heritage of the Pala dynasty in Nalanda and Bodhgaya. 
• The logo reflects Bihar’s rich cultural heritage. 
• The color orange in the logo represents enthusiasm and nature. 
• Over 8,500 athletes from various sports will participate in the games. 
• The Khelo India Youth Games 2025 is the second-largest sporting event in India, after the National Games. 
• The event is expected to host more than 10,000 delegates. 
• It will feature traditional sports such as volleyball, football, basketball, boxing, and kabaddi. 
• In addition, 18 events of Athletics and Sepak Takraw will be included. 
• Around 27 disciplines, including indigenous games like Malkhamb, will also be part of the games.