Daily Current Affairs and GK | 19 March 2025

Topic: State News/Karnataka

1. India’s first industry-driven Digital Detox Initiative, Beyond Screens has been launched by Karnataka IT Minister Priyank Kharge.

• This initiative has been launched in partnership with Karnataka government’s Department of Electronics, IT, Biotechnology, and Science & Technology and the All India Gaming Federation (AIGF).
• The aim of Beyond Screens is to combat digital addiction through organized programs.
• Beyond Screens initiative also encourages healthier technology usage.
• Kahamind Healthcare Private Limited is supporting the program.
• Beyond Screens will integrate digital detox strategies into mainstream healthcare.
• The initiative’s main goals are raising awareness about excessive screen time and promoting healthier digital habits.
• The initiative seeks to help people thrive both online and offline.

Topic: Banking/Finance

2. RBI will establish an 'on Tap' cohort focused on climate change risks and sustainable finance within its regulatory sandbox framework. 

• RBI will also host a 'Greenathon' event centered on climate change and related topics. 
• As per RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra, there are two main aspects of climate change risks. 
• They are facilitative and prudential aspects.
• The facilitative aspect includes capacity building and funding the green transition. Prudential aspect deals with risk management. 
• Climate change risks impact key financial risk categories. These categories include credit, market, and operational risks. 
• RBI’s role is to facilitate the promotion of green and sustainable finance. 
• The impact of climate change risks extends beyond the financial system. 
• The climate change risks affect industries like corporate businesses, MSMEs, and agriculture. 
• Addressing these risks requires strong coordination and alignment involving financial regulators, entities, and various government bodies. 

Topic: Environment and Ecology

3. Indore will launch India’s first PPP green waste processing plant.

• Under the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban, India’s first PPP green waste processing plant will be launched at Indore.
• Indore will become the first city in India to establish a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model-based green waste processing plant.
• The plant will be built on 55,000 square feet of land in Bicholi Hapsi and will process green waste such as wood, branches, leaves, and flowers.
• It will generate revenue of 3,000 per tonne for the Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC).
• It will recycle the green waste into wooden pellets and serve as a sustainable alternative to coal.
• Indore every day generates around 30 tons of green waste.
• Green waste from major institutions will be collected and sent to the facility, under a fixed fee structure.
• Astronomical Industries Private Limited has joined hands with the IMC to process this waste into sawdust.

Topic: Defense

4. 23rd edition of the bilateral naval exercise ‘VARUNA 2025’ started on 19th March.

• VARUNA 2025, a bilateral naval exercise between India and France, will take place from 19 to 22 March 2025.
• This year’s exercise will have an array of maritime exercises and complex manoeuvres across the sub-surface, surface, and air domains.
• Vikrant and Charles de Gaulle alongside fighter aircraft, destroyers, frigates, and an Indian Scorpene-class submarine will take part in this exercise.
• VARUNA 2025 will have advanced air defence drills and fighter exercises. It will include mock air-to-air combat between the French Rafale-M and Indian MiG-29K.
• Anti-submarine warfare exercises will provide rigorous training in underwater domain awareness.
• VARUNA 2025 provide an opportunity to unite the Indian and French Navies for maritime peace and security.

Topic: Summits/ Conferences/ Meetings

5. India Innovation Summit-– “Pioneering Solutions to End TB” has been inaugurated at Bharat Mandapam Convention Centre.

• India’s National TB Elimination Program (NTEP) achieved a major milestone of identifying 26.07 lakh TB cases in 2024.
• Since 2015, the incidence rate of TB has dropped by 17.7%, from 237 cases per lakh population to 195 in 2023. TB-related deaths also have decreased by 21.4%.
• The summit has been jointly organized by the Department of Health Research (DHR), the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), and the Central TB Division (CTD) of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.
• 1,200 participants from academia, industry, healthcare, and research participated in the one-and-a-half-day summit.
• More than 200 innovations have been showcased during the summit.
• The main aim of the summit is to foster collaborations and ensure that cutting-edge solutions are integrated into national TB programs.
• India is committed to achieving the goal of eliminating TB by 2025.

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

6. India and Malaysia will accelerate review of the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement.

• The goal of India and Malaysia is to conclude it by 2025. 
• Jitin Prasada, India's Minister of State for Commerce, and Liew Chin Tong, Malaysia's Deputy Minister of Investment, Trade, and Industry reached at this agreement during a meeting. 
• ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement has been effective since 2010.
• ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement is being reviewed after India requested it in 2019.
• Concerns were raised by India about the growing trade imbalance because of increased imports from ASEAN countries. 
• India and Malaysia also discussed concerns about the Bureau of Indian Standards’ Foreign Manufacturers Certification Scheme. 
• Malaysia is India's third-largest trade partner within ASEAN.
• In 2023-24, trade between India and Malaysia stood at USD 20.02 billion.

Topic: Sports

7. The 4th edition of Snow Marathon Lahaul will be held at March 23.

• It is Asia’s only and the world’s highest snow marathon held at an altitude of 11,000 feet.
• The event will take place in Sissu, located in Himachal Pradesh’s Lahaul-Spiti district. 
• Over 300 participants from across India will compete in four categories.
• The categories are 42 km (Full Marathon), 21 km (Half Marathon), 10 km, and 5 km.
• In previous editions, the Indian Army and Navy have been strong participants.
• This year, the Indian Air Force Adventure Team will send 20 runners. 
• The Indian Army will field 25 elite runners. These runners will include athletes from the Ladakh Scouts, Dogra, and Kumaon Regiments. 
• Paramilitary forces like ITBP and SSB will also compete. 
• Col (retd) Arun Natrajan, is the event organizer. 
• Event founder Gaurav Schimar stressed on the marathon’s environmental message.

Topic: Space and IT

8. NASA astronauts returned to Earth after being stuck in space for 9 months.

• On March 18, NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore returned to Earth aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft.
• Their SpaceX capsule parachuted into the Gulf of Mexico.
• The splashdown occurred off the Tallahassee coast of the Florida Panhandle, ending a nine-month ordeal for both astronauts.
• Wilmore and Williams spent 286 days in space - 278 days longer than estimated at launch.
• They orbited the Earth 4,576 times and had traveled 121 million miles (195 million kilometers) by the time it landed.
• Williams set a record for the most time spent spacewalking during her career among female astronauts, spending 62 hours in nine spacewalks.
• Wilmore and Williams had been on the International Space Station since June of last year, after arriving on the maiden crewed mission of the Boeing Starliner spacecraft.
• Their return was delayed as the Starliner encountered technical issues, making it unsuitable for the journey back to Earth.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: National News

9. Election Commission will start the process of linking voter ID card with Aadhaar.

• On 18 March, the Election Commission of India announced that it is preparing to link Electoral Photo Identity Cards (EPIC), or voter IDs, with the Aadhaar numbers of those who have voluntarily provided them.
• Regarding this process, the Election Commission will soon begin technical consultations with the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).
• The Election Commission said that as per Article 326 of the Indian Constitution, voting rights can be granted only to Indian citizens, while the Aadhaar card only establishes the identity of the person.
• The Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), and election commissioners held a meeting with the Union Home Secretary, the Secretary of the Legislative Department, the CEO of UIDAI, and technical experts of ECI, etc., in New Delhi.
• Therefore, it was decided that linking of EPIC with Aadhaar will be done only as per the provisions of Article 326 of the Constitution, Sections 23(4), 23(5), and 23(6) of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, and the decision of the Supreme Court in WP (Civil) No. 177/2023.
• In September 2023, the Election Commission told the Supreme Court that 66.23 crore voters have voluntarily submitted their Aadhaar numbers.
• There are currently about 99.2 crore voters in India.

Topic: MoUs and Agreements

10. Centre and WhatsApp join hands to curb digital frauds and cyber threats.

• On March 17, the Department of Telecommunications (DOT) collaborated with WhatsApp to extend Meta's safety campaign 'Scam Se Bachao' against online scams and spam.
• As part of the collaboration, the two will together educate citizens on how to identify and report suspected fraudulent communications to enhance digital safety and awareness.
• The initiative will include train-the-trainer workshops for DoT officials, Sanchar Mitras, Telecom Service Providers (TSPs), and field units.
• WhatsApp, in collaboration with the Department of Telecommunications, will explore ways to integrate citizen-centric services from the Sanchar Saathi initiative into the WhatsApp platform, thereby expanding its reach.
• WhatsApp is collaborating with the DoT's Digital Intelligence Unit and using DIP data to take action against telecom resource misuse for cybercrime and financial fraud.

(Source: DD News)

Topic: International News

11. On 17 March, Peru’s government declared a state of emergency in the capital, Lima.

• Soldiers have also been deployed to the streets to help control a surge of violence that resulted in the death of a popular singer.
• On March 16, the death of renowned cumbia musician Paul Flores sparked outrage when the bus he was traveling in was fired upon by unknown armed assailants.
• Flores died from the gunshot wounds.
• Additionally, the crime wave, including a rise in extortion rackets, also forced President Dina Boluarte to declare a state of emergency.
• The 30-day emergency order applies to Lima as well as neighboring Callao province and gives authorities additional powers to deploy the military to deal with chaos.
• The government's move comes amid weeks of escalating violence blamed on criminal groups.
• The groups often target businesses, including transport companies, though authorities have also claimed recent arrests of gangs.
• In recent years, authorities in Peru have repeatedly declared states of emergency when criminal activity or social unrest increases.
• Peru is located in the western part of South America. Its capital and largest city is Lima. Its currency is Sol.

Topic: Corporates/Companies

12. Government e-marketplace crossed Rs.5 lakh crore GMV.

• The Government e-Marketplace (GeM) has crossed Rs.5 lakh crore in Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) ahead of FY2024-25.
• This achievement marked rapid growth as a key platform for public procurement.
• GeM’s contributions to public savings have exceeded Rs.1,15,000 crore.
• With the help of this platform, registered buyers can facilitate ministries, departments, public sector enterprises, and local bodies.
• In FY 2024-25, GeM executed one of the largest cloud migrations by a government organization, enhancing scalability and improving the platform’s reliability.
• GeM has implemented key policy reforms to increase market accessibility and support a wide range of sellers, including Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs), startups, and women-led businesses.
• More than 22 lakh sellers and service providers are registered on GeM.

Topic: International Appointments

13. Stuart Young sworn in as the new Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago.

• During a ceremony at the President’s House in St. Ann’s, Stuart Young took oath as the new Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago.
• He is currently serving as the Minister of Energy and Energy Industries.
• He will succeed the outgoing Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley.
• In January, Dr. Rowley had announced to resign from office before the end of his term.
• Trinidad and Tobago is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean.
• Its capital city is Port of Spain and its largest and most populous municipality is Chaguanas.