Daily Current Affairs and GK | 28 February 2025

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

1. SIDBI signed a MoU with Tata Capital Limited for financing MSMEs.

• Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) and Tata Capital Limited (TCL) signed an MoU for "Partnership for financing MSMEs”.
• The main focus of the MoU is on the growth and development of the MSME ecosystem by providing finance in the fields of machinery/equipment financing, working capital/CC/OD/business loans, etc.
• Risk sharing and joint financing will be also explored while extending credit facilities to MSMEs.
• SIDBI acts as the Principal Financial Institution for the Promotion, Financing and Development of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) sector.
• SIDBI executes its mandate through Indirect Lending, Direct Lending, Fund of Funds, Promotion and Development and handholding budding entrepreneurs through credit-plus initiatives.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives 

2. The government launched the Aadhaar Good Governance portal.

• To streamline the approval process for Aadhaar authentication requests, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has launched the Aadhaar Good Governance portal.
• The Aadhaar Good Governance portal allows both government and private entities to seek Aadhaar authentication for public interest services.
• They can use Aadhaar authentication for public services like innovation, knowledge sharing, and improving access to essential services.
• This will help citizens access services across sectors such as healthcare, education, e-commerce, and hospitality more easily.
• This portal follows the recent amendments to the Aadhaar Authentication for Good Governance (Social Welfare, Innovation, Knowledge) Rules, 2025, under the Aadhaar Act of 2016.

Topic: Important Days

3. National Science Day 2025: 28 February

• Every year on 28 February, National Science Day or Rashtriya Vigyan Divas is celebrated in India.
• The day is celebrated to remember the discovery of the “Raman Effect” by Sir C V Raman on 28 February 1928.
• The theme of National Science Day 2025 is "Empowering Indian Youth for Global Leadership in Science & Innovation for VIKSIT BHARAT."
• In 1930, Sir C V Raman won the Nobel Prize in Physics for the discovery of the Raman Effect.
• In 1954, he also received Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award.
• In 1986, the Government of India declared 28 February as National Science Day.
• The first National Science Day was celebrated on 28 February 1987.
• The National Council for Science and Technology Communication (NCSTC) of the Department of Science and Technology is the nodal agency for the coordination of National Science Day celebrations.
• According to the WIPO report, India has achieved remarkable progress in the global science and technology landscape.
• India has ranked 39th in the Global Innovation Index 2024 and sixth in global intellectual property (IP) filings.
• National Awards for the Popularization of Science are given every year on National Science Day.
• In February 1987, DST instituted these awards.
• Raman Effect: When light passes through a transparent material, the wavelength and amplitude of some deflected light change. This is called Raman scattering and is a consequence of the Raman Effect.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Reports and Indices

4. India is ranked 5th in the global economy ranking.

• NITI Aayog has said that India is ranked 5th among the world's top economies, and its real gross domestic product (GDP) will be $4.3 trillion by 2025.
• Niti Aayog, citing the International Monetary Fund, said India's real GDP is on track to grow significantly, rising from $2.4 trillion in 2015 to $4.3 trillion in 2025.
• The highest inflation-adjusted growth of 77% among the top 20 countries was also recorded by India, surpassing major economies like China and the United States.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Personality in News

5. On February 27, veteran Odia film star Uttam Mohanty passed away in Gurugram at the age of 66.

• An iconic figure in the Odia film industry, Uttam Mohanty acted in over 130 Odia films and left an indelible mark on the regional cinema.
• His career also extended beyond Odisha, with roles in over 30 Bengali films and the Hindi film Naya Zahar.
• In 1977, Mohanty started his acting career with the Odia film Abhimaan.
• Mohanty won the prestigious Jayadev Award in 1999 and the Odisha Living Legend Award in 2012.
• He won the Best Actor award at the Odisha State Film Awards several times during his career.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: National Appointments

6. Government has appointed Finance and Revenue Secretary Tuhin Kanta Pandey as the new Chairman of SEBI.

• Finance Secretary Tuhin Kanta Pandey has been appointed for a term of three years.
• He will succeed Madhabi Puri Buch. His appointment has been approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet.
• Three-year tenure of Madhabi Puri Buch has been completed on February 28, 2025.
• She is the first women chief of SEBI. She took over on March 2, 2022.
• Central government makes appointment of SEBI chairman on the recommendation of the Financial Sector Regulatory Appointments Search Committee.
• Pandey is a 1987-batch Indian Administrative Service officer of the Odisha cadre.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

7. Raj Kamal Jha won the ‘Banaras Lit Fest Award’.

• He won the award in the ‘Ruskin Bond Fiction Book Award Category’.
• He has won the award for his novel "The Patient in Bed Number 12."
• The award recognizes contributions in poetry, fiction, non-fiction, and translation.
• "The Patient in Bed Number 12" explores the lives of young Indians, grappling with the burdens of their past while facing a future filled with mistrust and hate.
• The Banaras Lit Fest Book Awards 2025 celebrate literary works that address identity, history, language, and contemporary issues.
• Kashinath Singh, a Hindi writer, will receive the “Bhartendu Harishchandra Lifetime Achievement Award.”
• The Banaras Lit Fest is scheduled from March 7 to 9, 2025, at Hotel Taj, Banaras.
• The awards aim to recognize literary works that inspire thought and enrich the cultural fabric of society.

Topic: Infrastructure and Energy

8. Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal launched 'One Nation-One Port' to standardise operations across India's major ports.

• Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal launched a series of major initiatives of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW).
• The main aim of these initiatives is to modernize India's maritime infrastructure and strengthen its global trade presence.
• 'One Nation-One Port Process (ONOP)’ is an initiative to standardise and streamline operations across India's major ports.
• Its main aim is to remove inconsistencies in documentation and processes that have led to inefficiencies, increased costs, and operational delays.
• Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowa also launched Sagar Ankalan -- the Logistics Port Performance Index (LPPI) for FY 2023-24---- for enhancing efficiency and global competitiveness in India's maritime sector.
• The LPPI evaluates all major and non-major ports in the Bulk (Dry and liquid) and Container categories.
• Sarbananda Sonowal also launched the Bharat Global Ports Consortium to strengthen global trade.
• He also launched the MAITRI logo (Master Application for International Trade and Regulatory Interface) to streamline trade processes, reduce bureaucratic redundancies, and expedite clearances.
• Union Minister also announced the India Maritime Week to be held from the 27th to 31st of October, 2025, in Mumbai.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

9. Anant Ambani’s Vantara received the prestigious Prani Mitra Award.

• Vantara, a large-scale animal (wildlife) rescue centre, has received the Prani Mitra National Award.
• The 'Prani Mitra’ National Award is India’s highest honour for animal welfare.
• The award recognized the contributions of Radhe Krishna Temple Elephant Welfare Trust (RKTEWT) under Vantara.
• Vantara’s state-of-the-art elephant care Centre is home to more than 240 rescued elephants. It includes 30 elephants from circuses, more than 100 from the logging industry.
• The Elephant Care Centre provides world-class veterinary treatment and compassionate care to support both the physical and psychological well-being of the elephants.
• The Elephant Care Centre at Vantara is the world’s largest elephant hospital.
• The award has been presented by the Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.
• The government confers the Prani Mitra Award in the Corporate category to corporations, PSUs, government bodies, and cooperatives.

Topic: Summits/Conferences/Meetings

10. Bharat Calling Conference 2025 inaugurated by Union Minister Piyush Goyal.

• On 27 February, the Bharat Calling Conference 2025 inaugurated by Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, in Mumbai.
• He said that the strategic initiatives of the Government of India, including Make in India, Digital India, Startup India, and Atmanirbhar Bharat, are driving innovation, infrastructure development, and economic transformation on an unprecedented scale.
• He said that earlier, quality of products was a big concern, we lost our reputation at the international platform due to inferior material.
• India today is on the cusp of a quality revolution where there is a need to follow good manufacturing practices.
• The Minister said that we need to increase our efficiency and competitiveness instead of depending on the government.
• The conference highlighted how India is leading global economic growth and offering unique opportunities for investment in diverse sectors.
• With a strong and resilient economy and a large and dynamic consumer market, the government is committed to promoting business-friendly policies.

Topic: Space and IT

11. A satellite launched by NASA on a mission to detect water on the Moon.

• On February 26, NASA launched a dishwasher-sized satellite into space from Florida to identify where water resides on the Moon’s surface.
• A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying NASA's Lunar Trailblazer orbiter lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral.
• Lockheed Martin’s space division built the Lunar Trailblazer spacecraft.
• The satellite was a secondary payload on the rocket, while the primary payload was a lunar lander mission led by Intuitive Machines.
• The Moon's surface is often thought of as dry, but previous measurements have detected some water, even in hot sunlit locations.
• The Lunar Trailblazer is being sent to find and map this water on the Moon's surface.
• It weighs about 200 kilograms and is about 3.5 metres wide when its solar panels are fully deployed.
• The Lunar Thermal Mapper, or LTM, will map and measure the temperature of the moon's surface.
• The High-resolution Volatiles and Minerals Moon Mapper, or HVM3, will look at the moon's surface for patterns of light emitted by water.

Topic: Summits/ Conferences/ Meetings

12. International Radiobiology Conference on Space Radiation, Human Space Missions started in New Delhi.

• The International Radiobiology Conference on ‘Biological Effects of Space Radiation, Heavy Ions and Human Space Missions-Mechanisms, and Biomedical Countermeasures’ began in New Delhi.
• This three-day Conference has been organized by the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS) under DRDO.
• This conference has been inaugurated by the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government, Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood and Chairman of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) Dr Samir V Kamat.
• The main aim of the conference is to discuss the radiance effects which will also increase in future.
• International cooperation is very much required to reduce radiation’s biological effects.
• This Conference will not only help understand Space exploration but also a wide range of health care to material science.
• Many scientists and doctors from India and abroad attended the Conference.

Topic: Sports

13. Dalibor Svrcina won the Maha Open ATP Challenger 100 Men's Tennis Championship.

• Maha Open ATP Challenger 100 Men's Tennis Championship was organized by the Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association (MSLTA) in association with the Department of Sports and Youth Services Govt of Maharashtra, PCMC, PMC and PMDTA.
• It has been organized at the Mhalunge Balewadi Tennis Stadium.
• Dalibor Svrcina defeated Brandon Holt of the USA by 7-6 (3), 6-1 in the finals.
• Dalibor Svrcina received 100 ATP ranking points and USD 22,730 (Rs.19.90 lakhs), while the runner-up Brandon Holt got 60 ATP points and USD 13,350 (Rs.11.70 lakhs).
• In the doubles, Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan and Vijay Sundar Prashanth of India registered a 3-6, 6-3, 10-0 win over the Australian pair of Blake Bayldon and Matthew Christopher Romios.