Daily Current Affairs and GK | 22 May 2025

Topic: Important Days

1. KVIC celebrated World Bee Day 2025 with an event called "Sweet Revolution Utsav."

• This year’s theme for World Bee Day was "Bee inspired by nature to nourish us all."
• Through the Honey Mission, KVIC has helped beekeepers earn Rs. 325 crore by producing over 20,000 metric tonnes of honey.
• KVIC has distributed more than 2 lakh bee boxes and bee colonies across India under the Honey Mission.
• The "Sweet Revolution" has brought positive changes to the lives of beekeepers and farmers, said KVIC Chairman.
• The event was held at KVIC’s Central Office in Vile Parle, Mumbai.
• It was inaugurated by KVIC Chairman Shri Manoj Kumar.
• Beekeepers, trainees, scientists, students, and experts participated in the event.
• The event served as a platform to encourage innovation and self-sufficiency in rural India.
• Shri Manoj Kumar spoke about the important ecological and economic roles of bees.
• He emphasized that bees support agriculture through pollination and help in environmental conservation.
• The event highlighted the significant contributions of the Central Bee Research & Training Institute (CBRTI) in Pune.
• CBRTI, founded in 1962, has trained over 50,000 beekeepers in modern apiculture techniques.
• Scientists at the event discussed the vital role of bees in pollinating 75% of food crops.
• Without bees, 30% of food crops and 90% of wild plants would face serious challenges.
• World Bee Day is observed on 20 May. It is the day on which Anton Jansa was born.
• Its purpose is to acknowledge the role bees and other pollinators play in the ecosystem. Anton Jansa is known as the pioneer of beekeeping.

Topic: Personality in news

2. Astrophysicist Dr. Jayant Vishnu Narlikar passed away at the age of 86.

• On 20 May, Dr. Jayant Vishnu Narlikar, a renowned Indian astrophysicist and science communicator, passed away in Pune.
• He was a pioneer in cosmology and played a key role in establishing major scientific institutions in India.
• Born on July 19, 1938, he studied at Banaras Hindu University and later at Cambridge University, where he was awarded the Tyson Medal.
• The Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) employed him from 1972 to 1989, where he led the Theoretical Astrophysics Group.
• The Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) was established under his leadership at Pune University in 1988.
• Narlikar served as the founding director of the IUCAA until his retirement in 2003.
• Narlikar was best known for co-developing the Hoyle–Narlikar theory and advocating the steady-state universe model.
• Prestigious awards received by him include the Padma Bhushan (1965), Padma Vibhushan (2004), and Maharashtra Bhushan (2011).
• Also, in 1996 UNESCO awarded him the Kalinga Prize for his contribution to popular science writing and communication.
• In 2014, his Marathi autobiography, Chaar Nagarantale Maze Vishwa (My Universe Across Four Cities), won the Sahitya Akademi Award.

Topic: Summits/Conferences/Meetings

3. 6^th Meeting of National Traders’ Welfare Board held in New Delhi.

• On 20th May 2025, the 6th meeting of the National Traders’ Welfare Board (NTWB) was held at Vanijya Bhawan, New Delhi.
• Shri Sunil J. Singhi, Chairman, National Traders Welfare Board (NTWB) chaired the meeting.
• He highlighted key trader and MSME announcements from the 2025-26 Union Budget, emphasizing the Government’s commitment to ease regulations, provide financial support, and develop infrastructure.
• On this occasion, a special magazine titled “Journey of the National Traders’ Welfare Board” was released, detailing the achievements, initiatives and accomplishments of the Board since its inception till date.
• Shri Sanjiv, Joint Secretary, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), highlighted the retail trade sector’s critical contribution to the Indian economy.
• Board members were urged to give inclusive suggestions emphasizing grassroots participation for the National Retail Trade Policy formulation.
• The government’s dedication to simplifying regulations, providing financial aid, and enhancing infrastructure was reiterated.
• The ‘Vocal for Local’ initiative was promoted to support indigenous industries and local products.
• Members took a symbolic pledge to act as ambassadors for the ‘Vocal for Local’ movement in their regions.

Topic: Summits/Conferences/Meetings

4. India assumed the chairmanship of the Asian Productivity Organization at the 67th Governing Body Meeting in Jakarta.

• India officially took over the chairmanship of the Asian Productivity Organization (APO) for 2025–26 during the ongoing 67th Session of the Governing Body Meeting (GBM) of the APO.
• The Governing Body Meeting was held from 20–22 May 2025 in Jakarta, Indonesia.
• Shri Amardeep Singh Bhatia, Secretary of DPIIT and APO Director for India, led the Indian delegation.
• India reaffirmed its commitment to advancing APO Vision 2030 and expanding the Green Productivity 2.0 framework.
• The focus was placed on promoting regional cooperation to boost innovation, sustainability, digital transformation, and entrepreneurship.
• India expressed its intention to contribute to inclusive and effective APO programs addressing productivity challenges in Asia-Pacific.
• More than 100 Indian professionals participate annually in APO capacity-building programs through the National Productivity Council.
• These programs contribute significantly to improving productivity in India's industrial, service, and agricultural sectors.
• Several demonstration projects focused on green productivity and Industry 4.0 applications for MSMEs have also been implemented across the country.
• The Governing Body, APO’s top decision-making authority, meets annually to decide strategic directions and review performance.
• The APO, established in 1961, includes 21 member economies, with India being a founding member and a key contributor to its initiatives.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

5. Banu Mushtaq became the first Kannada writer to win the International Booker Prize for 'Heart Lamp.'

• Indian writer and women’s rights activist Banu Mushtaq made history by becoming the first Kannada author to win the International Booker Prize.

• On 20 May, her anthology Heart Lamp won the award in London.
• Heart Lamp was originally written in Kannada and translated into English by Deepa Bhashthi.
• The collection contains 12 short stories chronicling the lives of women in patriarchal southern Indian communities.
• The stories span over three decades, from 1990 to 2023, reflecting Mushtaq’s dedication to portraying women’s nuanced experiences.
• The Booker Prize was jointly awarded to Mushtaq and translator Deepa Bhasthi for the first full-length English translation of her work.
• Mushtaq has published six short-story collections, a novel, essays, and poetry, and has received several literary awards.
• Deepa Bhasthi is an established literary translator known for translating works of prominent Kannada writers.
• The International Booker Prize was formerly known as the Man Booker International Prize.
• The prize is awarded for a book translated into English.

Topic: Indian Economy

6. EPFO added 14.58 lakh net members in March 2025.

• The Employees’ Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) reported a net addition of 14.58 lakh members in March 2025.
• This increase represents a 1.15% rise compared to March 2024, indicating growing formal employment and social security awareness.
• New subscribers for March totaled approximately 7.54 lakh, a 2.03% increase from February 2025 and a 0.98% rise compared to March last year.
• An important observation from the report is that the 18-25 age group continues to dominate new registrations.
• About 4.45 lakh new members in this category joined EPFO ​​in March, accounting for nearly 59% of all new subscribers in the month.
• Net payroll addition in the same age group rose by 6.49% year-on-year to about 6.68 lakh.
• The data also shows a strong return of about 13.23 lakh members who had previously exited EPFO rejoining in March 2025.
• Around 2.08 lakh new female members joined, marking a modest increase and contributing to gender inclusion.
• Maharashtra led state-wise net payroll additions with 20.24% of the total, followed by Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Haryana, and Gujarat.
• Several industries showed growth, including restaurants, cement, insurance, canteens, and expert services.
• EPFO payroll data is provisional, based on Aadhaar-validated UANs, and is updated monthly with revisions as needed.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

7. India has allocated ₹2,000 crore to establish 72,000 public EV charging stations.

• This is part of the PM E-Drive initiative. The stations will be located along major highways, metro cities, toll plazas, railway stations, airports, and state highways.
• BHEL is being considered as the central agency for overseeing demand aggregation.
• It will also develop a digital platform for EV users.
• The platform will provide features like real-time slot booking, integrated payments, charger availability updates, and deployment tracking.
• The PM E-Drive scheme aims to create a nationwide EV ecosystem.
• It will promote cleaner transportation and reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
• The initiative aims to lower carbon emissions from the transport sector.
• It will also create green jobs and support Make in India manufacturing for EV infrastructure.
• The project is a key step toward a sustainable, zero-emissions transport future.
• It will offer accessible, eco-friendly mobility options to Indian citizens.
• This scheme aligns with India’s vision to become a global leader in sustainable transport.

Topic: Banking/Finance

8. The Department of Telecommunications has launched the Financial Fraud Risk Indicator (FRI).

• This tool is designed to help prevent cyber-related financial crimes.
• FRI enables real-time intelligence sharing with banks, UPI providers, and financial institutions.
• It strengthens payment security by flagging suspicious mobile numbers before transactions take place.
• The system allows for quick, coordinated responses across telecom and financial sectors.
• FRI was developed under the Digital Intelligence Platform (DIP).
• It assigns mobile numbers a fraud risk rating: Medium, High, or Very High.
• These ratings are based on reports from Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre National Cybercrime Reporting Portal, DoT’s Chakshu platform, and financial institutions.
• DoT’s Digital Intelligence Unit also shares a Mobile Number Revocation List.
• This list includes numbers deactivated for reasons like cybercrime, verification failure, or misuse.
• Since fraud numbers are typically used for only a few days, early warnings are critical.
• Once a mobile number is reported, it goes through a multi-layer analysis.
• The resulting risk level is then quickly shared with all relevant stakeholders.
• PhonePe was among the first to adopt FRI.
• It blocks transactions involving Very High risk numbers and alerts users through its "PhonePe Protect" feature.
• PhonePe's data shows that FRI is highly accurate in identifying fraud-prone numbers.
• Other UPI platforms like Paytm and Google Pay are also integrating FRI.
• Together, these platforms handle over 90% of UPI payments in India.
• Several banks are also using FRI data to detect and stop cyber fraud.
• The tool is expected to become a standard across the financial sector.
• By using FRI, millions of users could be protected from digital fraud.
• FRI is a step toward building a safer, more resilient digital financial ecosystem in India.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

9. The iGOT Karmayogi platform has registered over one crore civil servants.

• This marks a 30-fold increase since January 2023, when it had only 3 lakh users.
• The growth demonstrates India’s commitment to digitally transforming public service training.
• iGOT Karmayogi is a key component of Mission Karmayogi.
• This mission focuses on upskilling and capacity building in the civil services.
• The platform offers over 2,400 courses in 16 Indian languages.
• More than 200 organizations have contributed to its content.
• These include government departments, training institutes, academic bodies, nonprofits, and private sector experts.
• Most users are from state and union territory governments.
• The rest are central government employees.
• Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh have the highest number of users.
• The platform has issued more than 3.1 crore learning certificates.
• The first Karmayogi Saptah took place from October 19 to 27, 2024.
• Future plans for iGOT Karmayogi include expanding regional language content.
• The platform will also improve course quality and use AI to personalize learning.
• Other countries, including those in the Caribbean, have shown interest in the platform.

Topic: Indian Economy

10. India’s GDP is expected to grow between 6.4% and 6.5% in Q4 of FY25.

• This projection comes from a recent report by the State Bank of India (SBI).
• The Indian economy has remained strong despite global economic challenges.
• SBI’s Economic Research Department used a Nowcasting Model to estimate growth.
• This model includes 36 high-frequency indicators.
• The indicators cover industrial output, service sector performance, and global trends.
• The model is based on a dynamic factor method. It draws on data from Q4 FY13 to Q2 FY23.
• The India Meteorological Department (IMD) expects the monsoon to arrive early in Kerala. It could arrive within four to five days.
• This would be the earliest mainland monsoon since May 23, 2009.
• Favorable rainfall is likely to support agriculture.
• India has set a foodgrain production target of 354.64 million tonnes for 2025–26.
• The 2024–25 target was 341.55 million tonnes.
• So far, 332.3 million tonnes have been produced this year.
• Household surveys show that inflation expectations are easing.
• This is encouraging consumers to spend more on non-essential items.
• Increased discretionary spending is driving demand-led growth.
• However, consumer confidence remains steady.
• This suggests that households remain cautious about global economic conditions.
• Ongoing global trade tensions are a concern. There is also a high degree of policy uncertainty worldwide.
• These factors are expected to slow global economic activity.
• The International Monetary Fund (IMF) projects global growth at 2.8% in 2025. It is expected to be 3% in 2026. India’s economy is more stable in comparison.