Daily Current Affairs and GK | 25 February 2025

Topic: Personality in News

1. Odissi dancer Mayadhar Raut died at the age of 92.

• Mayadhar Raut is considered the "Father of Odissi dance".
• He was one of the founding members of Kala Vikas Kendra at Cuttack in 1952.
• He is known for his efforts towards revival and development (redefining and codifying) of this classical dance by focusing on ‘abhinaya’ (act).
• He was the first Guru to introduce Mudra Vinyoga in the study of Odissi in 1955 and Sancharibhava in the dance.
• He was also the first to present on stage Geetagovinda ‘ashtapadis’, portraying Shriangara Rasa.
• He received training from the masters Sarvashri Mohan Mohapatra, Yudhistira Mahapatra, Mohan Sundardev Goswami and Guru Pankaj Charan Das.
• He received many awards including the Padma Shri in 2010, Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1985), Orissa Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1977).

Topic: National News

2. ‘Innovate with GoIStats’ hackathon has been launched by the government on the MyGov Platform.

• Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation launched a hackathon named ‘Innovate with GoIStats’.

• The theme of this hackathon will be Data-Driven Insights for Viksit Bharat.
• The main aim of the hackathon is to inspire students and researchers to use the vast official statistics generated by the National Statistics Office (NSO) to create innovative data-driven insights.
• The Hackathon will take place on the MyGov platform between 25th February to 31st March.
• Students pursuing undergraduate, and postgraduate or doing research can participate in the event.
• The top 30 entries, selected by a panel of expert evaluators from the industry and academia will get prize money.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Infrastructure and Energy

3. India's wind power capacity will increase to 63 GW by 2026–27.

• India’s annual wind power capacity addition is projected to more than double to an average of 7.1 gigawatts (GW) over the next two financial years, compared with 3.4 GW in fiscal year 2023-25.
• According to a report released on 24 February, this growth, driven by government measures to boost the sector, is expected to raise India's total installed wind capacity to about 63 gigawatts by 2026–27.
• According to a Crisil report, capacity addition remained slow in FY2023-24 and 2024-25, ranging between 6-7 GW.
• This was due to less use of wind power capacities, which stood at 5.9 GW in FY21-23 and 5.2 GW in FY23-25.
• The report said the slow progress is mainly due to weak interest from developers due to low tariffs, leading to low returns, as well as challenges related to land availability and transmission infrastructure in areas with high wind power potential.
• Capacity addition is expected to be boosted by government incentives for hybrid renewable projects—combining solar, wind, and/or storage—as well as a more favorable cost structure for wind projects.
• Wind power is expected to contribute 30-50% to these hybrid projects, as it generates power during peak demand times, while solar power is mostly active during the day.

Topic: Sports

4. Mohun Bagan Super Giant won the ISL League after a 1-0 victory over Odisha FC.

• On 23 February, the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 League was won by Mohun Bagan Super Giant after their 1-0 victory against Odisha FC at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan Stadium, Kolkata.
• Mohun Bagan Super Giants sealed the championship with two matches to spare as they reached 52 points from 22 matches.
• The Mariners became the first team in the ISL to successfully defend their title of league winners.
• Dimitrios Petratos scored the only goal of the match for the Mariners in extra time and eventually took the game.
• The win takes them to 52 points and gives them an unassailable lead over second-placed FC Goa, who have 42 points with three matches remaining.
• The side coached by José Molina achieved this victory on the basis of 16 wins and four draws while keeping their sixth consecutive clean sheet—the most by any team in the competition.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Art and Culture

5. The ‘biggest ever’ Jhumur event attended by PM Modi in Guwahati.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi witnessed the "largest ever" Jhumur (also called Jhumoir or Jhumair) event in history on 24 February.
• Jhumoir Binandini 2025, held to mark the 200th anniversary of Assam's tea industry, featured around 8,600 dancers at the Sarusajai Stadium in Guwahati.
• 60 heads of missions and ambassadors of various countries also witnessed the “historic” event that marked the beginning of the Advantage Assam 2.0 summit.
• The term "tea tribes" refers to the multi-cultural, multi-ethnic community of tea plantation workers and their descendants.
• These people came from central India – mostly from present-day Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal – and settled in Assam to work in the tea plantations being set up by the British in the 19th century.
• The tea garden community has brought a variety of cultural practices from their homeland to Assam.
• The Jhumur tradition is particularly noteworthy in this regard.
• Jhumar is a folk dance of the Sadan ethno-linguistic group, whose origin can be traced from the Chota Nagpur region.
• Women are the main dancers and singers, while the men play traditional instruments such as the madal, dhol or dhak (drums), cymbals, flute, and shehnai.
• The attire varies by community, though red and white saris are particularly popular among women.

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

6. After an 8-month gap, India-UK free trade agreement negotiations started again to settle unresolved issues.

• India and the United Kingdom declared that the Free Trade Agreement negotiations would resume.
• Jonathan Reynolds, Secretary of State for the UK's Department for Business and Trade, and Piyush Goyal, Minister of Commerce and Industry, made the announcement on February 24.
• However, the ministers refused to provide a timeframe for the conclusion of the negotiations and the signing of the FTA.
• In addition to the FTA, the nations are discussing a bilateral investment pact, a totalization agreement, and a double contribution convention on social security.
• In 2023–2024, India and the UK had $21.34 billion in bilateral trade.
• The sixth-largest investor in India is the United Kingdom.

Topic: State News/Madhya Pradesh

7. The DGCA has granted the license to Datia Airport.

• Datia Airport has been granted a public aerodrome license under the 3C, VFR category by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.
• Regional aircraft can operate in visual flying circumstances under the 3C, VFR category.
• Datia Airport is now Madhya Pradesh's eighth public airport following this permission.
• On roughly 184 acres, Datia Airport has been constructed. 
• Its runway measures 30 meters in width and 1810 meters in length.
• The airport's terminal building occupies 768 square meters. 
• From Datia Airport, people would be able to travel to Bhopal and Khajuraho.

Topic: Reports and Indices

8. India witnessed the second-highest internet shutdowns in 2024.

• According to a report by digital rights organization Access Now, India recorded 84 internet shutdowns in 2024, the highest among democratic countries.
• India is only below to Myanmar, which recorded 85 internet shutdown instances.
• This is the first time in the last six years that India has not recorded the highest number of internet shutdowns in the world.
• Out of the 84 shutdowns, 41 were related to protests, while 23 were triggered by communal violence.
• Five internet shutdowns were imposed by authorities during government job placement examinations.
• Manipur witnessed the highest number of internet shutdowns (21), followed by Haryana (12), and Jammu & Kashmir (12).
• In 2024, 296 government-imposed internet shutdown instances have been recorded in 54 countries.
• 64 per cent of all recorded shutdowns in 2024 have been recorded in Myanmar, India, and Pakistan.
• 103 conflict-related shutdowns have been recorded in 11 countries. Access to over 71 specific online platforms was blocked in 35 countries.
• Social media platform X was the most blocked platform (blocked 24 times in 14 countries) around the world in 2024.
• It is followed by TikTok (blocked 10 times in 10 countries) and secure messaging app Signal (10 times in nine countries).

Topic: Awards and Prizes

9. Ministry of Ayush presented the National Dhanwantari Ayurveda Awards.

• Ministry of Ayush conferred the prestigious National Dhanwantari Ayurveda Awards for their exceptional contributions to the field of traditional Indian medicine.
• It has been presented by Shri Prataprao Jadhav, Union Minister of State (IC) during an event held at Mumbai.
• Vaidya Tara Chand Sharma, Vaidya Maya Ram Uniyal, and Vaidya Sameer Govind Jamadagni received the award.
• Each recipient received a citation, a trophy featuring the Statue of lord Dhanwantari, and a cash prize of ₹5 Lakh.
• The National Dhanwantari Ayurveda Awards represent India's commitment towards holistic healthcare while preserving traditional medical knowledge.
• This award will inspire new generations to follow holistic health practices that promise a healthier and happier society.

Topic: Biotechnology and Diseases

10. The production and export of drugs containing tapentadol and carisoprodol banned by the government.

• Immediate and decisive action has been taken by the Indian government to control the export of unapproved combination drugs containing Tapentadol and Carisoprodol, manufactured by Aveo Pharmaceuticals, Mumbai, to certain countries in West Africa.
• As a part of this exercise, a joint team of CDSCO and state regulatory authorities conducted a comprehensive audit of Aveo Pharmaceuticals between February 21 and 22, 2025.
• The findings of the audit led to the issuance of a Stop Activity Order, halting all operations at the company's premises.
• Following the audit, the investigation team seized 1.3 crore tablets/capsules of tapentadol and carisoprodol and all related materials, including 26 API batches, to prevent further distribution.
• In January, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), in collaboration with state regulators, had focused on auditing firms manufacturing and exporting drugs covered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985.
• Based on the analysis of the observations received from the audit, important decisions were taken to strengthen regulatory monitoring on the export of NDPS drugs from India.
• In December 2022, the government launched risk-based inspections of drug manufacturing and testing firms to ensure regulatory compliance in the pharmaceutical sector.
• So far, 905 units have been inspected, resulting in action in 694 cases.

Topic: Sports

11. Virat Kohli broke Sachin Tendulkar's record to become the fastest player to reach 14,000 ODI runs.

• On February 23, Virat Kohli became the fastest batsman to reach 14,000 ODI runs during the Champions Trophy 2025 match against Pakistan at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
• The 36-year-old Kohli surpassed Sachin Tendulkar (350 innings), achieving the feat in just 287 innings.
• Kohli is only the third batsman to reach the milestone, joining Tendulkar and Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara (378 innings).
• Additionally, Kohli also scored his 51st century in ODIs and helped India defeat Pakistan by six wickets.
• During the match against Pakistan, Kohli also broke the record for most catches as a fielder for India in ODIs, taking 158 catches.

Topic: Important Days

12. Reserve Bank of India has launched the Financial Literacy Week 2025.

• Financial Literacy Week 2025 campaign will run from February 24 to 28.
• “Financial Literacy – Women’s Prosperity” is the theme of the Financial Literacy Week.
• The theme of this year emphasizes empowering women financially and socially.
• This campaign will create awareness about the risks and precautions while using these platforms.
• The campaign was launched by Abhishek Mazumdar, General Manager, RBI Regional Office Itanagar.
• Under this campaign, banks have been instructed to spread awareness by displaying RBI-developed posters on their websites, ATMs, mobile applications, and display boards at their branches.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

13. Sunil Bharti Mittal received an Honorary knighthood medal.

• Bharti Enterprises founder and chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal received an Honorary Knighthood medal for advancing business relations between the United Kingdom and India.
• He received the Honorary Knighthood medal for advancing business relations between the United Kingdom and India.
• He received the insignia of the Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (KBE) at a special investiture ceremony at the British High Commissioner’s residence.
• Mittal’s leadership has made a lasting impact on the U.K.-India partnership.