Daily Current Affairs and GK | 25 March 2025

Topic: Sports

1. India won Bronze medal in the mixed quad at the ISTAF Sepak Takraw World Cup 2025.

• The Indian team won the bronze medal in the mixed quad category event in the ISTAF Sepak Takraw World Cup 2025.
• The Indian team won the medal jointly with the Vietnam team.
• In the final of the mixed quad event, Thailand clinched the gold medal by defeating Myanmar.
• India won Silver in the Women's Doubles category. Japan and Iran clinched the bronze jointly in the doubles women’s category.
• Indian men’s team won the bronze medal jointly with Malaysia.
• The 2025 ISTAF World Cup was the fifth edition of the ISTAF World Cup, held from 20 to 25 March 2025 at the Patliputra Indoor Stadium, Bihar.

Topic: State News/Delhi

2. Delhi’s CM Rekha Gupta presented a budget of Rs 1 lakh crore for 2025-26.

• Chief Minister Rekha Gupta presented ₹1 lakh crore Budget for 2025-26, up 31.5% from the previous Budget.
• Delhi government’s FY26 Budget is focused on areas like infra development, electricity, roads, and water.
• The government has allocated ₹5,100 crore for Mahila Samridhi yojana, ₹2,144 crore for Ayushman Bharat and ₹1,000 crore for improving connectivity in Delhi-NCR.
• The government has allocated ₹500 crore in the 2025 Budget for the cleaning of the Yamuna River.
• The Budget allocated ₹500 crore for the repair and upgradation of sewage treatment plants and another ₹250 crore for the replacement of old sewer lines.
• Delhi government allocates ₹9,000 crore for clean drinking water and sanitation.
• The government allocated ₹100 crore to set up 100 Atal Canteens across the national capital.
• The Delhi government will install 50,000 CCTV cameras for women’s safety.
• The budget allocated ₹1,000 crore for improving connectivity in Delhi-NCR.

Topic: National News

3. The salaries, allowances, and pensions of MPs increased by the government.

• According to a gazette notification issued by the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs on March 24, the Center has increased the salary, allowances, and pension of Members of Parliament (MPs) by 24 percent, effective from April 1, 2023.
• According to the notification, the salary of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha members has been increased from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 1.24 lakh per month, while the daily allowance has been increased from Rs 2,000 to Rs 2,500.
• According to the notification, the pension given to former MPs has also been increased from Rs 25,000 to Rs 31,000 per month.
• The additional pension for each year of service beyond five years has been increased from Rs 2,000 to Rs 2,500.
• In April 2018, the last revision in the salaries and allowances of sitting and former MPs was announced.
• This amendment has been made under the 'Salaries, Allowances, and Pension of Members of Parliament Act' and is based on the cost inflation index specified in the Income Tax Act, 1961.

Topic: Sports

4. Billie Jean King Cup Asia-Oceania Group-1 will be hosted in Pune for the first time.

• The prestigious Billie Jean King Cup Asia-Oceania Group-1 tournament is set to be hosted in Pune for the first time in Indian tennis history.
• The event, to be held at the Mhalunge Balewadi Tennis Complex from April 8-12, will mark Maharashtra hosting an international tennis tournament after 25 years.
• Apart from hosts India, six teams from the Asia-Oceania region, including New Zealand, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Korea, and Thailand, will play in a round-robin format.
• There will be three matches in all competitions—two singles followed by doubles.
• Led by Ankita Raina, India will be aiming for one of the two qualification spots available, along with doubles specialist Prarthana Thombare.

Topic: Biotechnology and Diseases

5. The completion of genome sequencing of 10,000 TB isolates announced by Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh.

• On 24 March, the completion of genome sequencing of 10,000 isolates of "Mycobacterium tuberculosis" was announced by Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh at a summit organized on the occasion of "World TB Day" in New Delhi.
• This achievement represents a significant breakthrough in the fight against tuberculosis.
• This achievement also marks a major progress in India's commitment to eliminate TB ahead of the World Health Organisation's (WHO) 2030 target.
• Launched on March 24, 2022, the genome sequencing initiative is part of the Dare2eraD TB program (Data Driven Research to Eradicate TB), which focuses on data-driven research to eradicate TB.
• A key component of this initiative is the Indian Tuberculosis Genomic Surveillance (INTGS) Consortium, led by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), CSIR, and ICMR in collaboration with leading clinical institutions.
• The objective of the program is to sequence more than 32,000 TB isolates to identify drug resistance mutations and improve treatment outcomes.

Topic: State News/Jharkhand

6. The plan to conduct a caste-based census in the next financial year has been announced by Jharkhand government.

• The government made this announcement in response to a question from Congress MLA Pradeep Yadav.
• The question was raised during the State Assembly Budget session.
• Cabinet minister Deepak Birua assured that the survey would be carried out in the upcoming financial year.
• The proposal for the caste-based census was approved by the state government in February 2024.

Topic: Banking/Finance

7. On March 19, 2025, guidelines for the UPS under the National Pension System (NPS) were released by Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority.

• The new Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) regulations will come into effect from April 1, 2025.
• Employees are required to choose whether to enroll in UPS within three months starting from April 1, 2025.
• Once the employees make decision, it cannot be reversed.
• Under new regulations, three groups of central government workers can opt for UPS. These groups include following:
  • Current NPS-covered employees
  • New hires after April 1, 2025
  • Retired employees or their spouses under specific conditions
• Eligible employees will get online forms for enrolment and claims starting from April 1, 2025.
• Monthly contribution for UPS participants is fixed at 10% of their basic salary and dearness allowance (DA).
• The central government will depositing an equal amount into employee's PRAN (Permanent Retirement Account Number) and match their contribution.
• Extra 8.5% of the total basic salary and dearness allowance will be contributed by the government.
• UPS guarantees a minimum monthly payout of Rs 10,000 if the subscriber completes minimum ten years of service.

Topic: Defence

8. India has achieved the highest-ever growth in indigenous defence production in 2023-24.

• India has reached an indigenous defence production value of ₹1.27 lakh crore.
• The value of defence production has increased 174 per cent from 46 thousand 429 crore in 2014-15.
• Defence exports have surged from ₹686 crore in FY 2013-14 to an all-time high of ₹21,083 crore in FY 2023-24.
• The government has introduced several measures to improve the ease of doing business in the defence manufacturing sector.
• 65% of defence equipment is now manufactured domestically, a significant shift from the earlier 65-70% import dependency.
• India targets ₹3 lakh crore in defence production by 2029, aiming to become a global defence manufacturing hub.
• The private sector played a critical role, it contributes 21% of the total defence production.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: State News/Telangana

9. Telangana Assembly adopted the Human Organ Transplantation Act.

• The Telangana State Assembly adopted the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act (Central Act 42), 1994 and Rules, 1995, and the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues (Amendment) Act of 2011 (THOTA).
• The Act regulates the removal, storage, and transplantation of human organs and tissues for therapeutic purposes and prevents commercial dealings.
• The act also includes an advisory committee for organ donation and transplantation.
• The State Assembly also passed the Telangana Municipalities (Amendment) Bill, 2025 and the Telangana Panchayat Raj (Amendment) Bill, 2025.
• The objectives of the resolution are to regulate human organ and tissue transplantation to ensure ethical practices and prevent illegal commercialization.

Topic: Summits/Conferences and Meetings

10. A National Workshop on ‘Building Synergies in Indian Innovation Ecosystem’ was organized by NITI Aayog.

• On 22nd March, NITI Aayog organized the National Workshop on "Building Synergies in the Indian Innovation Ecosystem" at GIFT City, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, as a landmark initiative to strengthen India's innovation landscape.
• NITI Aayog organized the National Conference, which was hosted by the Gujarat Council of Science and Technology (GUJCOST), Department of Science and Technology, Government of Gujarat.
• The objective of the workshop was to facilitate dialogue and knowledge sharing among key stakeholders, including government officials, academic leaders, industrial experts, startup founders, and international delegates.
• With an agenda designed to promote synergy across sectors, the workshop discussed important topics such as R&D investments, state policies on innovation, global innovation trends and grassroots entrepreneurship.
• The workshop included several interactive discussions moderated by eminent leaders in the field of innovation and technology.

Topic: Sports

11. India won both men's and women's Kabaddi World Cup 2025.

• India has clinched both the 2025 men's and women's Kabaddi World Cups to be held in Wolverhampton, England.
• The Indian men's team defeated the home team, England, 44–41 in the final match.
• Whereas, the Indian women's team also defeated England by an impressive score of 57-34 in the final at the same venue.
• For the first time outside Asia, the tournament featured top Kabaddi teams from the West Midlands, with matches played in Birmingham, Coventry, Walsall and Wolverhampton.
• In 2019, India also won the title in both the men's and women's categories in the inaugural edition hosted by Malaysia.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Sports

12. Jaspreet Kaur from Punjab became first athlete in the Khelo India Para Games to breaking the national powerlifting record.

• She won gold medal by lifting 101 kg in the 45 kg category. 
• She broke her own national record of 100 kg. Sonam Patil won silver medal, while Kavipriya Raja secured bronze medal.
• Ishwar Rampal Tak won the gold medal in the Men’s Javelin F12/F13 event.
• Manjeet won silver medal and Akshay Kumar Meena won bronze medal in the Men’s Javelin F12/F13 event. 
• Khusbhoo Gill won gold medal in Women’s Shot Put F12/F20 event.
• Muthu Meena secured silver medal, and Ananya Bansal won bronze medal in Women’s Shot Put F12/F20 event. 
• Sumedha Pathak won the gold medal in the 10M Air Pistol Women SH1 event.
• Rubina Francis won silver medal in 10M Air Pistol Women SH1 event. Anita Kumari won Bronze medal in same event.
• Sagar Balasaheb Katale won gold medal in the 10M Air Rifle Prone Mixed SH1 event.
• Mona Agarwal secured silver medal and Deepak Saini earned bronze medal in the 10M Air Rifle Prone Mixed SH1 event. 
• In para archery, Sheetal Devi won gold in Compound Women Open category. Payal Nag secured silver medal and Jyoti won bronze medal. 
• Shyam Sundar Swami won gold in the Compound Men’s Open archery event. Toman Kumar won silver medal and Rakesh Kumar earned bronze medal.
• Khelo India Para Games are being held in New Delhi from March 20-27.

Topic: Important Days

13. World Tuberculosis Day: 24 March

• World Tuberculosis Day is observed every year on 24 March.
• This year’s theme of World Tuberculosis Day is Yes! We Can End TB: Commit, Invest, Deliver.
• It is observed to raise awareness about tuberculosis and to advocate more efforts to eliminate it.
• World Health Organization celebrated the first World Tuberculosis Day on 24 March 1982.
• India has recorded a 17.7% decline in TB incidence from 2015 to 2023.
• This decline has been more than the global average reduction of 8.3%, as per WHO Global TB Report 2024.
• TB-related deaths in India have declined by 21.4% from 2015 to 2023.
• Tuberculosis is an infectious disease that mainly affects the lungs. It caused 1.3 million deaths in 2022.
• It is caused by a bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It spreads through the air.
• Tuberculosis can be treated by a combination of antibacterial medications for a period of six to 12 months.