Daily Current Affairs and GK | 21 May 2025

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

1. The "Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan" will start nationwide from May 29 to June 12, 2025.

• This was announced by Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
• The campaign aims to improve agricultural practices and modernize farming techniques.
• It also seeks to enhance farmers' prosperity.
• The initiative aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of the "Lab to Land" approach in agriculture.
• It will be held annually before the sowing periods for both Kharif and Rabi crops.
• The focus is to connect agricultural research with real-world farming practices.
• Over 65,000 villages across 723 districts will be visited.
• A total of 2,170 expert teams will be involved in the campaign.
• These teams will include members from agriculture universities, research institutions, government bodies, innovative farmers, and FPOs.
• They will assess local farming conditions in each region.
• Based on their findings, they will offer advice on scientific farming methods.
• The campaign expects to engage around 1.3 crore farmers directly.
• Key goals include increasing crop yield, reducing production costs, and ensuring fair prices for produce.
• The initiative will contribute to food security, increase farmer incomes, and preserve natural resources for the future.
• In 2024, India saw record agricultural outputs.
• The total food grain output grew from 3157.74 lakh tonnes in 2023–24 to 3309.18 lakh tonnes in 2024–25.
• Pulse production increased from 221.71 lakh tonnes to 230.22 lakh tonnes.
• Oilseed production rose from 384 lakh tonnes to 416 lakh tonnes.
• The campaign will utilize the expertise of 731 Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) and ICAR scientists.

Topic: Important Days

2. National Anti-Terrorism Day 2025: 21 May

• National Anti-Terrorism Day is observed annually on May 21st in remembrance of Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's assassination on May 21st, 1991.
• Rajiv Gandhi was killed by a suicide bomber from the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) in Sriperumbudur, near Chennai.
• Rajiv Gandhi assumed office as Prime Minister after the assassination of his mother, Indira Gandhi, on October 31, 1984.
• In 1987, Rajiv Gandhi had sent Indian peacekeeping forces to Sri Lanka to establish peace.
• National Anti-Terrorism Day is observed to raise awareness about the serious consequences of terrorism and the importance of maintaining peace, unity, and security.
• Anti-Terrorism Day in India was established by the VP Singh government in memory of Rajiv Gandhi.
• On this day, victims of terrorism are honoured and various organisations and educational institutions organize debates, discussions and seminars on the impact of terrorism.

Topic: State News/Rajasthan

3. The PM will visit Rajasthan to launch development projects and infrastructure initiatives.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Rajasthan on 22nd May and travel to Bikaner.

• The redeveloped Deshnoke Station will be inaugurated under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, and the Bikaner-Mumbai express train will be flagged off by the PM.
• Thereafter, the Prime Minister will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of several development projects worth over Rs 26,000 crore and dedicate them to the nation
• Redevelopment of 103 Amrit Stations across 86 districts in 18 states and union territories, costing over Rs 1,100 crore, will be inaugurated.
• The foundation stone of the Churu-Sadulpur rail line (58 km) will be laid, and the work of electrification of the Suratgarh-Phalodi (336 km), Phulera-Degana (109 km), Udaipur-Himmatnagar (210 km), Phalodi-Jaisalmer (157 km), and Samdari-Barmer (129 km) rail lines will be dedicated to the nation.
• The foundation stone for the construction of 3 vehicle underpasses and the widening and strengthening of national highways will be laid by the Prime Minister.
• He will also dedicate 7 road projects in Rajasthan.
• These road projects costing over Rs 4850 crore will facilitate smooth movement of goods and people.
• The PM will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone and dedicate to the nation 25 important projects of the state government in Rajasthan to enhance infrastructure, connectivity, power supply, health services, and water availability in the state.
• This includes projects for the upgradation and maintenance of 12 state highways of over 750 km in length at a cost of over Rs 3,240 crore.
• This also includes an additional 900 km of new highways.

Topic: State News/Delhi

4. Delhi Games 2025 inaugurated by Delhi CM Rekha Gupta at Talkatora Stadium in New Delhi on 20 May.

• CM Rekha Gupta stressed that athletes from Delhi must be provided all necessary facilities.
• The Delhi Sports Council will ensure athletes have resources to train and compete in Delhi.
• The Delhi Games will play a vital role in identifying and preparing athletes for future national, Commonwealth and Olympic level competitions.
• The Delhi government has doubled the sports budget and quadrupled the prize money.
• This mega sporting event will see the participation of over 12,000 athletes competing in over 40 sports at over 25 venues across the city.
• The Games are being organised by the Delhi Olympic Association and sponsored by public sector undertakings under the Petroleum Ministry.
• Earlier, on May 17, a new water pipeline was inaugurated by CM Rekha Gupta in Singalpur village, Shalimar Bagh area of the national capital.

Topic: Biotechnology and Diseases

5. India received WHO certification for elimination of trachoma as a public health problem.

• The World Health Organization (WHO) awarded India the Certificate of Elimination of Trachoma as a Public Health Problem.
• This recognition was given at the 78th World Health Assembly in Geneva.
• India became the third country in Southeast Asia to achieve this milestone.
• This recognition is a testimony to India's continued efforts in disease elimination, preventive healthcare and commitment towards ensuring health for all.
• The Government of India was declared to have eliminated Trachoma as a public health issue on October 8 last year by WHO.
• Various steps have been taken by the government under the National Programme for Control of Blindness and Visual Impairment (NPCBVI) to eliminate Trachoma.
• Since 2019, the National Programme has developed a continuous surveillance system for trachoma cases by collecting case reports from all districts of the country through a specific WHO shared format.
• A National Trachomatous Trichiasis survey was conducted from 2021 to 2024 in 200 endemic districts.
• This survey was mandated by WHO for verifying elimination.
• Trachoma:
  • Trachoma is a bacterial infection that affects the eyes. It is caused by the bacterium Chlamydia Trachomatis.
  • It is contagious and spreads through contact with the eyes, eyelids, nose, or throat secretions of infected people.
  • WHO has termed Trachoma as a neglected tropical disease. It is mainly prevalent in underprivileged communities living in poor environmental conditions.
  • It was one of the leading causes of blindness in the country during 1950–60.

Topic: Sports

6. Adriaan Karmakar won silver medal at the ISSF Junior World Cup 2025 in Suhl.

• On May 20, Adrian Karmakar opened India's medal account with a silver in the men's 50m rifle prone event at the ISSF Junior World Cup 2025 in Suhl, Germany.
• Making his ISSF World Cup debut, the 20-year-old Indian shooter scored 626.7.
• Gold was won by Jesper Johansson of Sweden with a score of 627.0.
• Griffin Lake of the United States won the bronze medal with 624.6 points.
• Other Indian participants included Rohit Kanyan (12th place) and Vedant Nitin Waghmare (35th place).
• In women’s 50m rifle prone, Anushka Thokur finished sixth, and Prachi Gaikwad placed 22nd.
• The ISSF Junior World Cup features 638 athletes from 59 countries competing in 17 events.
• The Indian contingent includes 57 members led by Paris 2024 Olympian Raiza Dhillon.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

7. Union Minister Pralhad Joshi launched three new digital platforms—Depot Darpan, Anna Mitra, and Anna Sahayata.

• These are designed to modernize and strengthen India’s Public Distribution System (PDS).
• The goal is to boost transparency, improve infrastructure, and support both workers and beneficiaries involved in food grain distribution.
• India’s PDS currently serves over 81 crore people.
• It operates through a vast network of more than 5.38 lakh Fair Price Shops.
• Depot Darpan is a digital monitoring platform for food grain depots.
• It allows self-assessment and helps improve operational and infrastructure standards.
• It uses advanced technologies such as IoT sensors and CCTV for real-time monitoring and analytics.
• The system is expected to save ₹275 crore in FCI depots.
• It could also generate ₹140 crore in extra income in CWC warehouses through better use of space.
• Anna Mitra is a digital tool for key PDS stakeholders. It provides stock tracking, sales reports, alerts, and grievance handling features.
• FPS dealers, DFSO officers, and food inspectors each have tailored features on the platform.
• These include geo-tagged inspections and FPS performance ratings.
• Anna Sahayata is a citizen-friendly grievance redressal system. It supports over 81 crore PDS beneficiaries.
• The platform uses WhatsApp, IVRS, and automatic speech recognition to make filing complaints simple and accessible.
• Anna Mitra is currently available in Assam, Uttarakhand, Tripura, and Punjab. It supports Hindi and English.
• Anna Sahayata is in the pilot phase in Gujarat, Jharkhand, Telangana, Tripura, and Uttar Pradesh.
• It supports five languages—Hindi, Gujarati, Telugu, Bangla, and English.
• Both platforms will be expanded across all states and union territories. They will be integrated with state-level systems for nationwide coverage.

Topic: International News

8. Sudan’s army leader has appointed Kamil al-Taib Idris as the first prime minister since the civil war began in April 2023.

• Idris is tasked with forming a transitional government.
• This follows the army’s recapture of Khartoum and the expulsion of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) from the capital.
• The ongoing conflict between Sudan’s military and the RSF has resulted in at least 20,000 deaths.
• However, the true death toll is believed to be much higher.
• Nearly 13 million people have been displaced by the war.
• Of those, 4 million have sought refuge in neighboring countries.
• Around half of Sudan’s 50 million citizens are facing severe hunger.
• This has created a dire humanitarian crisis in the country.
• The previous prime minister, Abdalla Hamdok, resigned in 2022.
• His resignation came during a period of political deadlock and widespread pro-democracy protests.
• The RSF and its allies signed a charter in February in Nairobi.
• The charter aims to create a parallel government promoting secularism, democracy, and decentralization.
• Idris had previously worked as Sudan’s legal adviser at the U.N. mission.
• He is also a member of the U.N. International Law Commission.
• Sudan is a country in Northeast Africa. Khartoum is its capital. Its government is federal republic under a military junta.

Topic: State News/Delhi

9. The Delhi cabinet has approved a ₹30,000 subsidy for installing 3-kilowatt rooftop solar panels.

• This subsidy is in addition to the ₹78,000 support provided by the central government under the PM Surya Ghar Yojana.
• Chief Minister Rekha Gupta announced a new Dust Control Plan to fight air pollution.
• The plan will deploy 250 water sprinklers.
• It will also use 70 MRS machines linked with 210 water sprinklers and anti-smog guns.
• In addition, 18 dump vehicles and 18 water tankers will be used before winter.
• The cabinet has approved renaming the Chief Minister Scholarship for Meritorious Students.
• It will now be called the Lal Bahadur Shastri Scholarship for Meritorious Students.

Topic: International News

10. President Donald Trump has revealed a $175 billion plan for the Golden Dome missile defense system in the United States.

• The initiative is intended to defend against missile threats from China and Russia.
• General Michael Guetlein from the US Space Force has been appointed to lead the project.
• The Golden Dome system will protect the US from long-range missiles.
• This includes missiles launched from space or other continents.
• The defense system will complement existing defense infrastructure.
• It is based on Israel’s Iron Dome but will be much larger.
• The plan involves creating a satellite network for detecting and tracking missiles.
• The network could include hundreds of satellites for detection and interception.
• Trump expects the project to be completed by January 2029.
• However, experts are uncertain about meeting the timeline and cost.
• Canada has expressed interest in joining the project.
• Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and L3Harris Technologies are potential contractors.