Daily Current Affairs and GK | 3 May 2025

Topic: National Appointments

1. Lt. Gen. Pratik Sharma has assumed charge as the Northern Army Commander.

• Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit is now the Chief of Integrated Defence Staff.
• Air Marshal Narmdeshwar Tiwari will soon become the Vice Chief of the Indian Air Force.
• These changes are due to the retirement of the previous officers.
• Lt. Gen. Sharma has replaced Lt. Gen. Suchindra Kumar as head of the Northern Command.
• Lt. Gen. Sharma has held key positions, including serving as the Deputy Chief of Army Staff for Strategy.
• Air Marshal Dixit succeeded Lt. Gen. J. P. Mathew as the Chief of Integrated Defence Staff.
• Before this, he was the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Central Air Command.
• Air Marshal Tiwari will take over from Air Marshal S. P. Dharkar as Vice Chief of the Indian Air Force.
• He was previously the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of South Western Air Command.
• Air Marshal Nagesh Kapoor has now become the new AOC-in-C of South Western Air Command.
• Air Marshal Tejinder Singh has replaced Air Marshal Kapoor as AOC-in-C of Training Command.
• Air Marshal Balakrishnan Manikantan is now the AOC-in-C of Central Air Command.
• He was previously the AOC-in-C of Southern Air Command.
• The new Deputy Chief of the IAF and the head of the Southern Air Command are yet to be appointed.
• The Indian Navy will undergo senior leadership changes starting August 1.
• Vice Admiral S. J. Singh will retire from his position as Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Western Naval Command on July 31.
• Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan is likely to succeed him as Western Naval Commander.
• Vice Admirals Rajesh Pendharkar, V. Srinivas, and Suraj Berry will retire in the coming months.

Topic: Important Days

2. World Press Freedom Day 2025: 3 May

• Every year on May 3, World Press Freedom Day is celebrated.
• It is celebrated to recognize the contribution of the media personnel in upholding the values of fair journalism.
• The day aims to create awareness regarding the importance of freedom of the press, which is part of Right to freedom of expression under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948.
• The day also marks the anniversary of the Windhoek Declaration.
• World Press Freedom Day this year will highlight the significant impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on journalism and media.
• The theme for 2025 is “Reporting in the Brave New World – The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Press Freedom and the Media.”

Topic: Defence

3. The IAF conducted the first night landing on an Indian highway on the Ganga Motorway.

• On 2 May, the Indian Air Force (IAF) demonstrated its air power with a historic exercise on the 3.5-km airstrip of the Ganga Motorway in Uttar Pradesh’s Shahjahanpur district.
• This marked the first instance in India where night landing of fighter jets was carried out on a highway, showcasing a significant leap in military preparedness.
• The display featured advanced aircraft, including Rafale, Jaguar, Mirage 2000, SU-30 MKI, and MiG-29, alongside transport aircraft such as the C-130J Super Hercules and AN-32, as well as the versatile MI-17 V5 helicopter.
• The air exercise was executed in two phases— daytime and nighttime—intended to evaluate the airstrip’s functionality for emergency operations such as wartime landings or disaster relief.
• As stated by Uttar Pradesh Minister of State Danish Azad Ansari, Uttar Pradesh became the first Indian state to facilitate night landings of fighter jets on a motorway.
• The 594-km-long Ganga Expressway, which will connect Meerut to Prayagraj, is nearing completion.
• Scheduled to be inaugurated by November 2025, it is projected to drive economic growth in western and eastern Uttar Pradesh.
• India's first expressway-integrated airstrip is now ready to operate fighter jets round the clock.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: MoUs and Agreements

4. India and Denmark extended a green energy deal to accelerate net-zero goals.

• On 2 May, a renewed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between India and Denmark to reinforce their cooperation in advancing clean energy initiatives.
• The agreement aims to support India’s net-zero emissions target set for 2070 by expanding collaboration on sustainable power technologies and infrastructure.
• The MoU was signed by Pankaj Agarwal, Secretary of the Ministry of Power, and Denmark’s Ambassador Rasmus Abildgaard Kristensen, in the presence of Union Minister Manohar Lal.
• Originally signed on June 5, 2020, the agreement was set to expire in June 2025, and the new MoU now ensures the continuation of this successful partnership.
• New focus areas have been added under the renewed pact, including power system modeling, renewable energy integration, cross-border electricity trade, and EV charging networks.
• Under the enhanced framework, knowledge transfer will be deepened through joint training sessions, exchange of experts and collaborative study visits.
• Building on five years of fruitful collaboration, this agreement ensures seamless dialogue and technical exchange, and positions India and Denmark as key partners in the global transition to clean energy.

Topic: Summits/Conferences/Meetings

5. PM Modi and President of Angola held high-level talks to deepen strategic ties.

• On 3 May, PM Narendra Modi held delegation-level discussions with Angolan President Joao Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço in New Delhi to strengthen bilateral cooperation.
• Following the talks, several agreements were signed in various sectors aimed at enhancing cooperation between India and Angola.
• On 2 May, President Lourenço arrived in New Delhi for a three-day State Visit, marking the first presidential visit from Angola to India in 38 years.
• On 4 May, President Lourenço will participate in a business event in New Delhi, intended to foster trade, investment, and commercial linkages between the two nations.
• The visit comes at a time when India and Angola are celebrating the 40th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations this year.
• Bilateral trade between the two countries is growing and reached over four billion dollars during 2023-2024.

Topic: Summits/Conferences/Meetings

6. The First National Mediation Conference inaugurated by President Droupadi Murmu to promote dispute resolution.

• On 3 May, the first National Mediation Conference inaugurated in New Delhi by President Droupadi Murmu to promote mediation as a key tool for dispute resolution.
• The conference is being jointly organized by the Office of the Attorney General of India and the Ministry of Law and Justice.
• The conference will also be addressed by Chief Justice of India Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Union Minister for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal.
• A large number of mediation and arbitration institutions are participating in the event to exchange knowledge and share best practices.
• The objective of organizing this program is to encourage litigants to adopt the mediation process for resolution of cases, so that the number of pending cases in the courts can be reduced.

Topic: Indian Economy

7. India’s total exports for the financial year 2024-25 reached an all-time high of 824.9 billion dollars.

• This is as per the latest data released by RBI. This includes the services trade for March 2025.
• This marks a 6.01% increase compared to the previous year’s total of 778.1 billion dollars.
• Services exports rose sharply by 13.6%. It reached an all-time high of 387.5 billion dollars.
• In March 2025 alone, services exports increased by 18.6% year-on-year.
• They amounted to 35.6 billion dollars for the month.
• Merchandise exports during the year totaled 437.4 billion dollars.
• Non-petroleum goods exports reached 374.08 billion dollars.
• This represents a 6% rise over the previous year.
• The final export numbers exceeded the earlier estimate of 820.93 billion dollars by the Commerce Ministry.

Topic: Art and Culture

8. The sacred relics of Lord Buddha have arrived in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

• They are part of the Vesak celebration events.
• The relics were flown in on a special Indian aircraft.
• They were accompanied by Indian Union Minister Kiren Rijiju and Andhra Pradesh Minister Kandula Durgesh.
• Monks and officials also joined the delegation.
• The visit aligns with Vietnam’s observance of the United Nations Day of Vesak from May 6 to 8.
• Vietnamese leaders and monks received the relics with great reverence.
• The relics were enshrined at Thanh Tam Monastery after ceremonial prayers.
• A Bodhi tree sapling from India was planted at the Vietnam Buddhist University.
• The relics were brought from Sarnath.
• The initiative was supported by the Mahabodhi Society, the National Museum of India, and the International Buddha Confederation.
• The relics will be displayed in Ho Chi Minh City until May 7.
• They will then be taken to Tay Ninh, Ha Noi, and Ha Nam for display until May 21.
• An exhibition and cultural events will highlight the Buddhist connection between India and Vietnam.
• A special dance-drama will portray the life of Gautama Buddha.
• Vesak is the Day of the Full Moon in the month of May.
• Buddha was born on the Day of Vesak two and a half millennia ago, in the year 623 B.C.
• United Nations Day of Vesak:
  • United Nations Day of Vesak is celebrated annually on the full moon of May.
  • This day acknowledges the contributions of Buddhism to human spirituality.

Topic: National News

9. The central government has proposed releasing 4,500 cusecs of additional water from the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) dams.

• This release is aimed at easing water shortages in Haryana and parts of Rajasthan.
• The extra water will be provided over a period of eight days.
• A meeting to discuss the proposal was held in New Delhi.
• The Union Home Secretary chaired the meeting.
• Senior officials from the central government attended it.
• Representatives from Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan also participated.
• These states are partners in the BBMB.
• During the meeting, it was also agreed that Punjab would receive extra water if needed during the dam-filling period.
• The BBMB will soon convene a meeting. This meeting will decide the exact process for supplying the additional water to Haryana.
• Bhakra Beas Management Board:
  • Since 1976, it is engaged in regulation of the supply of Water & Power from Bhakra Nangal and Beas Projects to the states of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Himachal Pardesh, Delhi and Chandigarh. Its functions are:
  • Administration, Operation & Maintenance of Bhakra-Nangal Project, Beas Project Unit-I (Beas Satluj Link Project) and Beas Project Unit- II (Pong Dam) in Northern India.
  • The regulation of supply of water from Satluj, Ravi and Beas to the States of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.
  • The regulation and supply of power generated from Bhakra-Nangal and Beas Projects.
  • Providing and performing engineering & related technical and consultancy services in the various fields

Topic: National News

10. On 2 May 2025, Yoga Mahotsav 2025 was held in Nashik, Maharashtra.

• Yoga Mahotsav 2025 marked the 50-day countdown to the 11th International Day of Yoga.
• The event was organized by the Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga under the Ministry of Ayush.
• A large-scale yoga session was held, following the Common Yoga Protocol.
• The session took place at Gauri Maidan, Ramkund Parisar, Panchavati.
• Union Ayush Minister Prataprao Jadhav attended the event.
• The United Nations declared June 21 as International Day of Yoga in 2014.
• This followed a proposal by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

(Source: News on AIR)