Daily Current Affairs and GK | 26 and 27 February 2025

Topic: Indian Polity

1. Central government opposed a petition in the Supreme Court that seeks a lifetime ban on convicted lawmakers.

• The Union government opposed a plea seeking a lifetime ban on convicted lawmakers contesting elections.
• The government said that such a disqualification falls exclusively within the purview of Parliament.
• The Centre emphasised that courts cannot challenge legislative decisions on the basis of their effectiveness.
• The government argued that penalties imposed on convicted lawmakers must be proportionate.
• At present, a legislator of a state assembly or Parliament gets disqualified from contesting elections for a period of six years on the conviction of at least two years.
• This plea has challenged the constitutional validity of Sections 8 and 9 of the Representation of the People Act.
• Articles 102 and 191 of the Constitution give Parliament the authority to determine the grounds and duration of disqualification of members including holding an office of profit, insolvency, or unsoundness of mind, are not permanent.

Topic: Important Days

2. World Protein Day is celebrated every year on 27 February.

• World Protein Day is observed annual to raise public awareness about importance of protein in nutrition.
• World Protein Day was started by US Soybean Export Council.
• India observes National Protein Day on 27 February.
• It is observed to raise awareness about the importance of the macronutrient and the consequences of its deficiency.
• India commemorated this day for the first time in 2020 with the National level public health initiative “Right to Protein”.
• Gerardus Johannes Mulder discovered the protein in 1938.
• Scientist discovered the atomic structure of proteins in 1956.

Topic: Environment and Ecology

3. On February 25, 2025, the Cali Fund has been launched resumed session of COP16 conference in Rome to help finance biodiversity protection.

• The fund will gather contributions from businesses that utilize Digital Sequence Information.
• These business include such as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, agriculture, and biotechnology.
• The fund will support conservation efforts and assist developing nations with biodiversity action plans.
• The fund will also advance scientific research on genetic data management.
• At least half of the funds will be allocated to indigenous and local communities.
• This is the first time a UN global biodiversity fund will directly receive financial contributions from private sector companies.
• The UNDP and UNEP will oversee the fund, with administrative duties managed by the Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office.
• The Cali Fund is crucial for achieving the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework goal of halting and reversing biodiversity loss by 2030.

Topic: Defence

4. A successful trial of the Naval Anti-Ship Missile carried out by DRDO & Navy.

• On February 25, successful flight trials of the first-of-its-kind Naval Anti-Ship Missile (NASM-SR) carried out by the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Navy from the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur.
• The trials demonstrated the missile's capability against ship targets launched from the Indian Navy's Seaking helicopters.
• The tests have proved the missile's man-in-the-loop feature and have achieved a direct hit on a small ship target in sea-skimming mode at its maximum range.
• The missile uses an indigenous imaging infrared seeker for terminal guidance.
• The mission also demonstrated the high bandwidth two-way datalink system, used to send live pictures of the seeker to the pilot for retargeting during flight.
• The missile uses an indigenous fiber optic gyroscope-based INS and radio altimeter for its mid-course guidance, an integrated avionics module, electro-mechanical actuators for aerodynamic and jet vane control, a thermal battery, and a PCB warhead.
• It uses solid propulsion with in-line ejectable boosters and a long-burn sustainer. The tests have met all the mission objectives.
• Different labs of DRDO, including Research Centre Imarat (RCI), Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), and High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL), developed the missile.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

5. Champions of Animal Protection honored by the Animal Welfare Board of India in New Delhi.

• The Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) held the Prani Mitra and Jeev Daya Award Ceremony at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, on 27th February 2025.
• The awards ceremony honors outstanding individuals and organizations who have made significant contributions to animal welfare and conservation.
• The AWBI presented the awards under two major categories: Prani Mitra Award and Jeev Daya Award.
• The Prani Mitra Award conferred under five sub-categories, namely Advocacy (Individual), Innovative Idea (Individual), Lifetime Animal Service (Individual), along with two awards each for Animal Welfare Organizations and for Corporate, PSUs, Government Bodies, or Co-operatives.
• The Jeev Daya Award presented in three sub-categories: Individual, Animal Welfare Organization, and for either Schools, Institutions, Teachers, or Children.
• The aim of the initiative is to recognize outstanding individuals and organizations for their remarkable contribution towards animal welfare and conservation.
• The primary objective of this celebration is to honour and encourage kindness and compassion towards living beings in the society as well as to raise awareness amongst the citizens to treat living beings humanely.

Topic: International News

6. A new gold card investor visa programme has been announced by US for wealthy immigrants.

• The new programme will replace the existing EB-5 visa.
• The immigration Gold Cards can be bought by the companies on payment of 5 million dollars for highly talented employees.
• US President Donald Trump called the initiative as green card privileges plus an upgrade from the green card system.
• EB-5 provides immigration privileges to people investing between 800,000 dollars and 1.05 million dollars.
• It is expected that the new programme will be launched in two weeks.

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

7. Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade and Paytm signed MoU.

• The MoU has been signed to boost innovation, support Fintech & manufacturing Startups.
• The MoU has been signed to foster innovation and accelerate the growth of manufacturing and fintech startups in India.
• The aim of partnership is to support fintech hardware startups through mentorship and innovation guidance.
• It will help them develop and scale payment and financial technology solutions.
• The focus of MoU is also on regulatory and compliance assistance by providing guidance in association with industry and government bodies.

Topic: Environment and Ecology

8. Denmark announced the Green Transition Alliance India (GTAI) initiative.

• The Green Transition Alliance India (GTAI) initiative has been launched by Denmark to strengthen collaboration with India on sustainable energy solutions.
• It will help in the commitment to achieve global carbon neutrality.
• This new alliance will play a key role in fostering sustainable energy growth in India by creating an ecosystem that promotes collaboration between businesses, government bodies, research institutions, and financial stakeholders of both countries.
• Many Danish companies including Grundfos, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, Baettr, Novonesis, and MASH Makes are joining GTAI as members.
• Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), Indo-Danish Chamber of Commerce (IDCC), Confederation of Danish Industry (DI), and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras Energy Consortium are partners of this alliance.
• The GTAI exemplified the initiatives under the Green Strategic Partnership (GSP) signed in 2020.
• Denmark, ranked fourth in the global Climate Change Performance Index 2025, aims for net zero by 2045.

Topic: Defence

9. Indian Army signed a contract for the procurement of ACADA systems with L&T.

• Indian Army is planning to procure 223 Automatic Chemical Agent Detection and Alarm (ACADA) systems at a cost of Rs 80.43 Cr under the Buy Indian (IDDM) category.
• It will boost India’s self-reliance drive as more than 80% of the components and sub-systems of the equipment will be sourced locally.
• ACADA has been designed and developed by DRDO’s Defence Research and Development Establishment, Gwalior.
• The ACADA system is used to detect chemical warfare agents (CWA) and programmed toxic industrial chemicals (TICs).
• It works on the principle of Ion Mobility Spectrometry (IMS) and has two highly sensitive IMS cells for continuous detection and simultaneous monitoring of harmful/ toxic substances.
• ACADA will enhance the Indian Army’s defensive CBRN capability for operations.

Topic: International News

10. UN Security Council adopted neutral stance on war in Ukraine.

• On 24 February, the United Nations Security Council adopted a U.S.-drafted resolution on the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that takes a neutral position on the conflict.
• U.S. President Donald Trump seeks to broker peace.
• The brief proposal reflects Trump’s shift in U.S. policy on Ukraine since taking office last month and his more conciliatory stance toward Russia.
• The 15-member United Nations Security Council was deadlocked throughout the war and unable to take action because of Russia's veto.
• But the 193-member General Assembly has repeatedly supported Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity and called for a just, lasting, and comprehensive peace in accordance with the UN Charter.
• Earlier on February 24, the US had failed to persuade the General Assembly to pass the three-paragraph resolution adopted by the Security Council.
• The resolution mourns the loss of life in the "Russia-Ukraine conflict" and emphasizes the United Nations' role in maintaining international peace and security.
• It also calls for the peaceful settlement of disputes, urging a swift end to the conflict and a lasting peace.
• The Security Council passed the US resolution by 10 votes to none, with France, Britain, Denmark, Greece, and Slovenia abstaining.

Topic: Indian Economy

11. India led global IPO activity in 2024 and raised over $19 billion.

• A new report on February 23 said India has emerged as the global leader in initial public offering (IPO) activity in 2024, accounting for 23% of all public issues worldwide.
• According to the Indus Valley Annual Report 2025, India raised the highest amount of funds through IPOs, amounting to $19.5 billion.
• This was followed by IPOs listed on the US Nasdaq, which raised $16.5 billion, and IPOs listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), which raised $15.9 billion.
• There were 268 IPOs listed in India, including 90 mainboard listings and 178 SME listings.
• One of the biggest offerings of the year was Hyundai Motors' Rs 27,870 crore IPO, becoming India's largest IPO and the world's second-largest IPO in 2024.
• Venture capitalists have shown increasing interest in the Indian IPO market, as several prominent companies have gone public with venture funding this year.
• Since 2012, the average market capitalisation of SME IPOs has increased 4.5 times, reaching around Rs 100 crore in 2024.
• Further, the average revenue of SMEs at the time of the IPO has increased three-fold to Rs 70 crore.
• India’s instant commerce sector has witnessed tremendous growth, growing from $300 million in FY22 to an estimated $7.1 billion in FY25.

Topic: Committees/ Commissions/taskforces

12. NITI Aayog formed a committee to transform AIIMS, New Delhi.

• NITI Aayog has constituted a committee that will prepare a roadmap for transforming AIIMS, New Delhi into a premier institution for medical research and practice.
• The committee will be led by NITI Aayog member V K Paul.
• It will examine the existing systems and processes at AIIMS and propose significant reforms for their implementation.
• The committee will identify ways to streamline patient inflow and develop Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to ensure optimal clinical, academic, and research outcomes.
• NITI Aayog in association with the CSEP Research Foundation has examined the experiences of various countries that have adopted strategies for achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
• UHC will help in providing quality health services to the population without causing financial strain.
• The Ayushman Bharat scheme was launched in 2018 and played a pivotal role in reducing financial burdens for families.

Topic: Environment and Ecology

13. Government is working to set up a National Green Financing Institution.

• National Green Financing Institution will support India in achieving a net-zero target by 2070.

• A dedicated National Green Financing Institution will help bridge the gap between target and achievement.
• NITI Aayog is examining structuring mechanisms for operationalizing a potential National Green Financing Institution.
• India aims to reduce its GDP emission intensity by 45 per cent by 2030 compared to 2005 levels.
• India also aimed to achieve 50 per cent of its installed electric power capacity from non-fossil fuel sources by 2030.
• India has also made a commitment to create an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes through additional forest and tree cover by 2030.