Daily Current Affairs and GK | 25 October 2025

Topic: Personality in News

1. Piyush Pandey, advertising legend and Padma Shri recipient, died at the age of 70.

• He was ad agency Ogilvy's Executive Chairman and Chief Creative Officer Worldwide.
• He is remebered for his lasting impact on Indian advertising.
• In 2004, he became the first Asian who served as jury president at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.
• He received Padma Shri in 2016. He became first Indian advertising professional to get this honor. 
• In 2018, he and his brother Prasoon were the first Asians to get the Lion of St. Mark, Cannes Lions’ lifetime achievement award, for promoting Indian creativity globally.
• He helped in creation of political slogan, “Ab ki baar, Modi sarkar.”
• His ad portfolio includes advertisements such as ‘Kuch Khaas Hai Zindagi Mein’ for Cadbury Dairy Milk, Asian Paints’ ‘Har Ghar Kuch Kehta Hai’, and ‘ZooZoo’ characters for Vodafone.
• Pandey also led public service campaigns such as the 'Do Boond Zindagi Ke' polio campaign with Amitabh Bachchan.

Topic: Important Days

2. World Polio Day: 24 October

• World Polio Day is observed every year on 24 Octoober to increase awareness about importance of polio vaccination to keep every child safe from poliomyelitis (polio).
• This year, the theme of World Polio Day is "End Polio: Every Child, Every Vaccine, Everywhere".
• It was started by Rotary International to commemorate the birth of Jonas Salk, who had led the first team that made a vaccine against poliomyelitis.
• World Health Assembly committed to eradicate polio in 1988.
• Polio is a life-threatening disease. It is caused by the poliovirus.
• It spreads mainly through contact with feces of an infected person or contaminated water.
• World Health Organisation declared India as polio-free on 27 March 2014.

Topic: Defence

3. Two indigenously built fast patrol vessels, 'Ajeet' and 'Aparajit', commissioned by the Indian Coast Guard.

• On 24 October, two advanced Fast Patrol Vessels (FPVs), ICGS Ajit and ICGS Aparajit, were launched by the Indian Coast Guard at Goa Shipyard Limited.
• The vessels were built indigenously as part of India’s effort to strengthen maritime security.
• They were launched as the seventh and eighth ships in a series of eight FPVs built by GSL for ICG.
• These 52-metre-long vessels have a displacement of 320 tonnes and are equipped with Controllable Pitch Propellers (CPP)—the first of its kind in this class of vessels in India—ensuring better manoeuvrability and propulsion efficiency.
• The vessels are designed for missions such as fisheries protection, coastal patrol, anti-smuggling, anti-piracy, and search and rescue.
• Smt. Manju Sharma launched the vessels in the presence of Dr. Mayank Sharma, the Chief Guest.

Topic: State News/Kerala

4. A $280 million World Bank program approved to strengthen Kerala's health system.

• A new programme has been approved by the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors to improve the life expectancy and quality of life of 1.1 crore elderly and vulnerable people in Kerala through wider access to health coverage and resilient health systems.
• The initiative was launched under the Kerala Health System Improvement Programme to build a climate-resilient health system.
• It will enhance digital health services, data integration, and cyber security in the state.
• The $280 million loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development has a final maturity of 25 years, including a five-year grace period.
• Kerala has made steady progress in health for over two decades, with improvements in neonatal (3.4 per 1,000 live births), infant (4.4 per 1,000 live births), under-five mortality (5.2 per 1,000 live births) and maternal mortality (19 per 100,000 live births).
• However, the increasing burden of non-communicable diseases (hypertension, diabetes, and cancer) and a rapidly ageing population (more than 20 per cent of the total population comprises elderly) have put pressure on the health system.
• The programme aims to treat and support over 90% of patients registered for hypertension and diabetes in the state through a personalised electronic tracking mechanism.
• This program will ensure a 40% increase in the number of patients with controlled hypertension and a 60% increase in cervical and breast cancer screening among women, thereby accelerating efforts to reduce preventable deaths.

Topic: Banking/Finance

5. The RBI report shows digital payments gaining momentum, with UPI leading India's cashless transformation.

• According to the Reserve Bank of India's Payment Systems Report for the half year ended June 2025, India’s digital payment ecosystem has continued to expand rapidly.
• The Unified Payments Interface (UPI) has maintained its dominant position in overall transaction volumes.
• Digital transactions have expanded 38 times in volume and three times in value over the past decade.
• In the first half of 2025, total payment transactions reached 12,549 crores in volume and ₹1,572 lakh crore in value, with digital payments accounting for 99.8% of transactions by volume.
• UPI contributed 85% of total transaction volume and 9% in value.
• The Real-Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) system continued to handle 69% of total transaction value for large fund transfers.
• Retail systems like NEFT, IMPS, NACH, BBPS and NETC also showed steady growth.
• UPI transactions alone grew to 10,637 crore in the first half of 2025, equivalent to ₹143.3 lakh crore.

Topic: Books and Authors

6. The book ‘Modi’s Mission’ launched by Governor Devvrat and CM Fadnavis in Mumbai.

• On 24 October, the book ‘Modi’s Mission’ was launched by Maharashtra Governor Acharya Devvrat and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in Mumbai.
• It was authored by noted lawyer and writer Berjis Desai. The author Barjis Desai is a Mumbai-based lawyer and writer.
• The book traces PM Narendra Modi’s journey from his childhood in Vadnagar to the Prime Minister’s Office.
• Governor Devvrat said PM Modi took historic decisions like the abrogation of Article 370.
• CM Fadnavis said the book portrays all aspects of the Prime Minister’s life in depth.
• Barjis Desai discusses PM Narendra Modi's emergence as an instrument of national awakening despite insurmountable odds and numerous challenges.
• The book discusses the experiences of Prime Minister Modi's childhood and youth that shaped his socio-economic philosophy and his approach to governance.

Topic: Sports

7. India claimed two bronze medals at the Asian Youth Games in Bahrain.

• Veer Bhadu made history by becoming the first Indian to win a bronze in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA).
• He secured his medal in the men’s 80kg MMA category by defeating Thailand’s Dechachot Barisri through a unanimous decision.
• Palash Mandal earned a bronze in the boys’ 5000-meter race walk.
• He finished behind China’s Haoze Zhang and silver medalist Yujie Lu.
• India's overall medal count at the event now stands at 12.
• This includes two golds, three silvers, and seven bronzes.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

8. State Bank of India (SBI) was honoured with the titles of “World’s Best Consumer Bank 2025” and “Best Bank in India 2025” by Global Finance, New York.

• The awards were presented during the Global Finance Award Ceremony.
• The event was held alongside the World Bank and IMF Annual Meetings 2025.
• Global Finance recognised SBI for its global leadership in innovation, customer service, and financial inclusion.
• SBI Chairman Challa Sreenivasulu Setty noted that SBI serves over 520 million customers.
• SBI’s flagship mobile app caters to more than 100 million users. About 10 million users access the app daily.
• This reflects the bank’s “Digital First, Consumer First” approach.
• Global Finance is an English-language monthly financial magazine.

Topic: Banking/Finance

9. HaRBInger 2025 has been launched by RBI to promote secure, inclusive banking solutions.

• HaRBInger 2025 – Innovation for Transformation is fourth global hackathon of RBI.
• It has been luanched by RBI to develop innovative, secure, and user-centric financial solutions.
• HaRBInger 2025 focuses on the theme “Secure Banking: Powered by Identity, Integrity, and Inclusivity.”
• Participants have been invited to develop solutions around three key challenges — Tokenized KYC, Offline CBDC, and building customer trust.
• Individual and entities can participate to develop solutions using technology and innovative approaches under these three problem statements.

Topic: Summits/ Conferences/ Meetings

10. The Bharat International Rice Conference 2025 is scheduled to take place at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.

• The event will begin on October 30. Foreign Ministers of the Philippines, Ghana, Namibia, and Gambia will attend the two-day event.
• India is one of the top global producers and exporters of rice. India currently supplies rice to more than 172 countries.
• The conference aims to help industry stakeholders enhance their visibility and engagement within international food supply networks.
• It will bring together producers, exporters, importers, policymakers, researchers, and logistics experts.
• The goal is to promote transparency, efficiency, and resilience in the global rice trade.