Daily Current Affairs and GK | 20 May 2025

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

1. Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal introduced the ‘Sagar Mein Samman’ (SMS) initiative.

• This initiative has been introduced boost women’s involvement in the maritime industry.
• The ‘Sagar Mein Samman’ (SMS) initiative aims to create a gender-balanced maritime workforce.
• It focuses on increasing women’s participation in both seafaring and leadership positions.
• The initiative emphasizes safety, leadership development, and retention of women in the maritime sector.
• It also supports the government’s goals for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
• The policy includes areas such as planning, training, research, governance, and outreach to empower women.
• Sonowal interacted with around 100 women seafarers during the International Day for Women in Maritime event in Mumbai.
• Sonowal pointed out the significant growth in the number of women seafarers in India.
• The number has increased from 341 in 2014 to 2,557 in 2024, representing a 649% growth.
• India saw a 739% rise in registered women seafarers, from 1,699 in 2015 to 14,255 in 2024.
• At the event, Sonowal honored 10 outstanding women from the Indian maritime sector for their achievements.
• The new policy aims for 12% female representation in technical maritime roles by 2030.
• The event was organized by the Directorate General of Shipping under the theme "Women in Maritime: Leading Transformation and Sustainability."
• International Day for Women in Maritime is observed globally on 18 May each year.

Topic: Important Days

2. International Museum Day 2025: 18 May

• Each year on 18 May, International Museum Day (IMD) is celebrated.
• IMD provides an opportunity to increase public awareness of the role of museums in social development.
• The theme of International Museum Day 2025 is “The Future of Museums in Rapidly Changing Communities.”
• The International Council of Museums has been organizing the IMD ceremony every year since 1977.
• International Council of Museums is a non-governmental organization. It is headquartered in Paris, France. It is having a consultative status with UNESCO.

Topic: Environment and Ecology

3. The ICG protected over 6.98 lakh Olive Ridley turtles off the Odisha coast under Operation Olivia.

• The Indian Coast Guard's (ICG) annual mission, 'Operation Olivia,' to promote marine conservation helped protect over 6.98 lakh Olive Ridley turtle nesting sites at the Rushikulya river mouth in Odisha during February 2025.
• The mission is conducted annually by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) from November to May.
• It aims to ensure nesting sites for Olive Ridley turtles, especially in the Gahirmatha Beach and surrounding coastal areas of Odisha, where more than eight lakh turtles visit every year.
• More than eight lakh Olive Ridley turtles visit these areas every year for nesting.
• Since inception, over 5,387 surface patrol sorties and 1,768 aerial surveillance operations have been carried out.
• A total of 366 boats engaged in illegal fishing activities have been detained by the ICG.
• In addition to surveillance, the Indian Coast Guard has actively worked with local fishing communities.
• This includes promoting the use of turtle excluder devices and partnering with NGOs through formal MoUs to support sustainable fishing practices and conservation education.

Topic: Indian Polity

4. Rule 8 of SCRR amended to promote ease of doing business for brokers.

• Rule 8 of the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Rules (SCRR), 1957, was amended by the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), Ministry of Finance, via Gazette Notification G.S.R. 318(E).
• Therefore, the amendment carried out on 19 May introduced a new provision in Rule 8, sub-rule (1).
• It states that no person shall be eligible to be elected as a member of the stock exchange if investments made by the member are construed as business, except when they involve client funds or client securities or create a financial liability on the broker.
• This amendment provides regulatory clarity to brokers to enhance the ease of doing business.
• A consultation paper was released in September 2024 to gather public feedback.
• Given the growth in the scale and interconnectedness of the financial sector, along with the evolving nature of brokers' businesses, the DEA found it necessary to reassess the existing safeguards in the rules.
• This review aimed to ensure that the original intent of the rules is upheld without restricting stakeholder activities.
• This amendment has been made after due deliberation on feedback received from stakeholders and is part of the Government's thrust on providing regulatory clarity and enhancing ease of doing business in the financial sector.
• This will ensure that market intermediaries continue to support the development of India's capital markets in a transparent and orderly manner.

Topic: Sports

5. The first-ever Khelo India Beach Games launched at Ghoghla Beach, Diu.

• On 19 May, the first edition of the Khelo India Beach Games was inaugurated by Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya.
• The event is being hosted at Ghoghla Beach in the Union Territory of Diu.
• More than 1000 athletes from across the country will participate in the event, which will run for the next six days.
• Competitions include six medal events and two traditional demonstration sports.
• This is the first time that the Beach Games are being organized under the ever-expanding Khelo India campaign.
• Beach soccer, beach volleyball, beach kabaddi, beach sepak takraw, pencak silat, and open water swimming are featured.
• Two traditional performance sports—Mallakhamb and Tug of War – will also be organized during the Games.
• The opening ceremony highlighted regional culture, including Gujarat’s folk-dance Garba.
• The games will conclude on 24 May after six days of sporting action.

Topic: Summits/Conferences/Meetings

6. The annual conference of vice-chancellors and directors of ICAR Institutes hosted by ICAR.

• On 20th May, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) conducted its Annual Conference of Vice-Chancellors of Agricultural Universities and Directors of ICAR Institutes.
• The event was held at Bharat Ratna C. Subramaniam Auditorium, NASC Complex, PUSA, New Delhi.
• The theme of the conference is “Convergence for Action: Shaping Agricultural Research, Education, and Extension for Viksit Bharat@2047”.
• Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan inaugurated and chaired a major panel discussion.
• Discussions focused on reforming the National Agricultural Research System (NARS).
• The three main sessions included policy panels and expert insights from NITI Aayog and senior scientists.
• Insights on aligning India’s agricultural capabilities with the vision of a developed India by 2047 were provided by eminent experts, including members of NITI Aayog, former Directors General of ICAR, Vice Chancellors, and Deputy Directors General of various scientific fields.
• The day concluded with the presentation of key recommendations and a closing session chaired by the Union Agriculture Minister.

Topic: State News/Telangana

7. Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy launched the Indira Soura Giri Jala Vikasam scheme.

• The launch took place in Macharam village in Nagarkurnool district.
• The scheme offers free solar-powered pumps to tribal farmers.
• Each pump will have a capacity of 5 to 7.5 horsepower.
• These pumps are meant to support the irrigation of horticultural crops.
• The pilot project was implemented on 45 acres of land.
• It benefitted 45 tribal farmers.
• These farmers had previously lost their land and faced legal action for protesting.
• The Chief Minister promised to distribute solar pumps across Achampet constituency in 100 days.
• He instructed officials to plan solar power projects through women's self-help groups.
• These SHGs will be able to earn income from the solar power plants.
• The scheme targets six lakh acres of land that currently lack electricity.
• The goal is to make these lands suitable for horticulture and support farmer self-reliance.
• In the first year, the government will invest ₹600 crore.
• This will help bring 27,000 acres under cultivation for 10,000 farmers.
• Over four years, the government has allocated ₹12,600 crore for the scheme.
• The program will be expanded across the entire state during this period.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

8. The 8th anniversary of Government e-Marketplace (GeM) was recently celebrated.

• The event took place in New Delhi.
• GeM has become one of the top public e-procurement platforms in the world.
• It is known for its efficiency and large scale of operations.
• CEO Mihir Kumar spoke at the event.
• He emphasized GeM’s role in making procurement more accessible and affordable.
• Over 10 lakh Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) are now part of GeM.
• The platform has also included 1.3 lakh artisans and weavers.
• It supports 1.84 lakh women entrepreneurs.
• More than 31,000 startups are registered on the platform.
• GeM has over 1.64 lakh primary government buyers.
• There are 4.2 lakh active sellers using the platform.
• It offers more than 10,000 different product categories.
• GeM also provides access to over 330 kinds of services.
• Nearly 97% of all transactions on the platform are free from service charges.
• GeM has been adopted by all 36 States and Union Territories.
• In just eight years, the platform has transformed public procurement in India.
• It now functions as a powerful and inclusive digital marketplace for government buying.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

9. Union Home Minister Amit Shah unveiled the upgraded Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) Portal at an event in New Delhi.

• The new portal is designed for over five million current and future OCI cardholders.
• It includes advanced security, improved usability, and upgraded digital features.
• The aim is to simplify and streamline the OCI registration process.
• The earlier version of the OCI portal was developed in 2013.
• It served more than 180 Indian missions and 12 Foreigners Regional Registration Offices (FRROs).
• It processed around 2,000 applications each day.
• The revamped portal addresses previous technical limitations.
• It incorporates modern technology and feedback from users.
• An Overseas Citizen of India is a person of Indian origin who has obtained citizenship of a foreign country but wishes to maintain a connection with India.
• The OCI status provides several benefits similar to those of Indian citizens, although it is not the same as full Indian citizenship.
• The individual must be a foreign national who was either born in India or has Indian ancestry.

Topic: Indian Economy

10. ICRA has estimated India's GDP growth at 6.9% for the quarter ending March 31.

• It projects a 6.3% growth for the entire 2024-25 fiscal year.
• This forecast is lower than the NSO's February estimate of 6.5% growth for FY 2024-25.
• The NSO had predicted a 6.5% growth rate for FY 2024-25.
• It also projected quarterly growth rates of 6.5%, 5.6%, and 6.2% for the June, September, and December quarters, respectively.
• To meet the NSO's 6.5% growth target for FY 2024-25, GDP growth in the March quarter would need to be 7.6%.
• The NSO is expected to release the provisional GDP estimates for FY 2024-25 and Q4 on May 30.
• ICRA forecasts 6.9% year-on-year growth for Q4 FY 2025, up from 6.2% in Q3 FY 2025.
• However, this remains lower than the NSO's 7.6% growth projection for the March quarter.
• ICRA also predicts a sharp slowdown in overall GDP growth for FY 2024-25, estimating it at 6.3%.
• This is a significant decrease from the 9.2% growth recorded in FY 2023-24.
• These projections are based on current data for the first three quarters of FY 2025, unless revisions are made.