Daily Current Affairs and GK | 8 March 2025

Topic: Banking/Finance

1. RBI imposed monetary penalties on four Non-Banking Financial Companies – Peer to Peer (NBFC-P2P) lending platforms. 

• Rang De P2P Financial Services Limited was penalized with Rs 10 lakh for disbursing loans to individual borrowers without obtaining prior approval from the respective lenders. 
• Bridge Fintech Solutions Private Limited, known as Finzy, was fined Rs 10 lakh for several infractions, including unauthorized loan disbursements and failure to adhere to service provider agreements. 
• Visionary Financepeer Private Limited faced a penalty of Rs 16.60 lakh for failing to comply with regulatory requirements. 
• Fairassets Technologies India Private Limited, which operates as Faircent, incurred the highest fine of Rs 40 lakh due to compliance deficiencies.

Topic: Sports

2. Aravindh Chithambaram won the Prague Masters 2025 Chess title.

• Indian Grandmaster Chithambaram scored six points in the tournament.
• He finished with draw against Turkey's Ediz Gurel in the final round. 
• Despite draw, Chithambaram’s victory was secured after Dutch Grandmaster Anish Giri defeated R. Praggnanandhaa of India. 
• Chithambaram finished one full point ahead of the rest of the players. 
• Praggnanandhaa ended with five points out of nine after losing to Giri.

Topic: Reports and Indices

3. Global Terrorism Index (GTI) 2025 has been released by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP).

• Burkina Faso ranks first on the Global Terrorism Index (GTI) 2025 based on the impact of terrorism.
• India ranked 14th in the Global Terrorism Index (GTI) 2025.
• Pakistan has been second on the Global Terrorism Index (GTI) 2025.
• Syria and Mali secured third and fourth positions respectively.
• After the first edition of this Index, this is the first time that Pakistan suffered from 1,000 terrorist attacks in a single year.
• Terrorist attacks in Pakistan have increased by 45 percent. Afghan affiliate Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has become the fastest-growing terror group in Pakistan.
• GTI evaluates terrorism through various indicators, such as the number of attacks, fatalities, injuries and the overall impact on the country.
• The report provides a comprehensive summary of the key global trends and patterns in terrorism over the last decade.
• According to this report, the Islamic State (IS) and its affiliates remained the deadliest terrorist organization in 2024. They were responsible for 1,805 deaths across 22 countries.
• IS, Jamaat Nusrat Al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM), TTP and al-Shabaab activity have increased.

Topic: National Appointments

4. Anju Rathi Rana became the first ever woman Union law secretary.

• Anju Rathi Rana, an Indian Legal Service officer, has been appointed as the new Union law secretary.
• She is the first woman to be appointed as the law secretary.
• She was a public prosecutor in the Delhi government for 18 years.
• She joined the law ministry as a joint secretary in 2017.
• Niten Chandra was the last law secretary. The post was vacant for a few months.

Topic: Summits/ Conferences/ Meetings

5. Mobile World Congress 2025 was held in Barcelona, Spain.

• This four-day event was hosted by the GSM Association (GSMA) at the Fira Gran Via exhibition centre.
• It was organized from 3 March – 6 March 2025.
• This is organized under the theme "Converge, Connect, Create". It emphasized the fusion of mobile and AI-driven technologies.
• The 2025 Mobile World Congress (MWC) brought together industry leaders, policymakers, and technology innovators to explore advancements in 5G, artificial intelligence (AI), and advanced connectivity.
• This was attended by most major tech companies, including Samsung, Google, Qualcomm, LG, Sony, AMD, Meta, Nvidia, and Lenovo.
• Union Minister for Communications, Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, represented India at the prestigious Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2025.
• Pixel 9 Pro has been named “Smartphone of the Year” and Gemini won the "Breakthrough Device Innovation" award.
• Mobile World Congress) is an annual trade show dedicated to the mobile communications industry.

Topic: International News

6. US President Donald Trump signed an executive order to create a strategic bitcoin reserve.

• The Treasury Department will set up an office to administer the Bitcoin Reserve.
• The U.S. will not sell any bitcoin deposited into the Reserve. It will be kept as a store of value.
• As per the estimate, the US government owns about 200,000 Bitcoins.
• This reserve will be funded by bitcoin confiscated in criminal and civil forfeiture cases.
• The US government will also establish a Digital Asset Stockpile to hold other confiscated cryptocurrencies. This stockpile will be managed by the Treasury Department.
• Through this executive order, the U.S. government made a strong statement about the future of digital assets.

Topic: MoUs and Agreements

7. India and Ireland agreed to increase trade, investment, and technology linkages.

• On 7 March, External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar met his Irish counterpart, Simon Harris, in Dublin.
• It was the first visit by an Indian Foreign Minister to Ireland and the first high-level political visit from India since Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit in 2015
• The two ministers discussed India-Ireland bilateral cooperation, including a new action plan to revitalize relations.
• They agreed to establish a Joint Economic Commission to enhance trade, investment, and technology ties.
• The two leaders exchanged views on recent developments in their respective regions and globally, including the Ukraine conflict, West Asia, Afghanistan, and the Indo-Pacific region.
• Bilateral trade between the two countries has already reached 16 billion Euros, and they are committed to strengthening every opportunity for growth, investment, and cooperation.

Topic: MoUs and Agreements

8. A contract to supply engines for T-72 tanks signed by India with a Russian firm.

• A $248 million deal has been signed by the Defence Ministry with Russia's Rosoboronexport to procure 1,000 hp engines for the Indian Army's T-72 tanks.
• These engines will be in a semi-finished and ready-to-be-assembled state.
• To promote the Make in India initiative in the defense sector, the deal also includes the transfer of technology from Rosoboronexport to Armoured Vehicles Nigam Limited (Heavy Vehicles Factory) at Avadi, Chennai.
• This will enable the assembly of engines under the Transfer and Share of Technology and subsequent licensed production.
• T-72 is the main tank in the Indian Army fleet, which is currently equipped with a 780 HP engine.
• Equipping the existing fleet of T-72 tanks with 1000 HP engines will enhance the combat mobility and offensive capability of the Indian Army.

Topic: Important Days

9. International Women’s Day 2025: 8 March

• On 8 March every year, International Women’s Day is celebrated.
• The day is celebrated to help create a gender-equal world and to celebrate the achievements of women and their growing visibility in every walk of life.
• The day celebrates the economic, social, political, and cultural achievements of women worldwide.
• The theme of International Women's Day 2025 is “For ALL Women and Girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment.”
• In 1909, Women's Day first came into existence as National Women's Day and was initially celebrated on 28 February 1909.
• Later, International Women's Day was first celebrated on 19 March 1911.
• In 1913, International Women's Day was moved to March 8 according to the Gregorian calendar.
• In 1975, the United Nations began celebrating 8 March as International Women's Day.
• Furthermore, the year 2025 is a significant moment as it marks the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.
• This document is a globally endorsed blueprint for women's and girls' rights, transforming legal protection, service access, youth engagement, and outdated social norms.

Topic: State News/Maharashtra

10. A media center to monitor news content will be set up by the Maharashtra government.

• A media monitoring center to analyze news content from print, electronic, and digital media will be set up by the Maharashtra government, with a budget allocation of Rs 10 crore.
• All factual and misleading news reports in print and broadcast media will be collected and analyzed by the center, and a factual report will be prepared.
• If there is any misleading news, it will be clarified immediately. If there is any negative news, its clarification will be given quickly.
• The need for the center was felt due to the growth of publications, channels, and digital platforms, and there was a need to monitor under one umbrella how news related to government schemes and policies is delivered.
• This centre will be operated by the Directorate of Information and Publicity.
• A professional consultant will be hired to collect government-related news in PDF format, which will then be categorized into positive and negative news, departments, issues, incidents, and individuals.

Topic: MoUs and Agreements

11. An MoC signed for India's first API, green hydrogen, and ethanol facility in Himachal Pradesh.

• On March 5, a Memorandum of Commitment (MoC) was signed by the Himachal Pradesh government with Chandigarh-based Spray Engineering Devices Ltd.
• The agreement aims to establish India’s first integrated manufacturing facility for Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API), Green Hydrogen, and 2G Ethanol.
• The government will set up the Rs 1,400 crore project in Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh (BBN), Solan district, expecting to create 1,000 jobs.
• The project will initially require 30 MW of green hydrogen, and the demand is expected to increase to 50 MW.
• Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu reaffirmed the state's commitment to making Himachal Pradesh a green energy state by March 2026 and urged the company to complete the project within a year.

Topic: Important Days

12. Jan Aushadhi Diwas: 7 March

• Jan Aushadhi Diwas is celebrated every year on 7th March. It was first observed in 2019.
• This day is celebrated to raise awareness about Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana and promote generic medicines.
• Jan Aushadhi Diwas 2025 is 7th Jan Aushadhi Diwas.
• This year, 1st March to 7th March is being celebrated as Janaushadhi Week with theme “Daam Kam - Dawai Uttam”.
• Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers launched Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana in November 2008 in collaboration with Central Pharma Public Sector Undertakings.
• This scheme aims to make quality generic medicines available at affordable prices to all.
• Under the scheme, medicines are provided at prices 50 to 80 per cent less than the market.
• Jan Aushadhi Suvidha Oxo-biodegradable Sanitary Napkins were launched on 27th August 2019 at Rs.1/- per pad only.
• At present, more than 15 thousand Janaushadhi Kendras are operational across all districts of the country.

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

13. HDFC Bank has launched Project HAKK (Hawai Anubhavi Kalyan Kendra).

• This project has been launched to support Indian Air Force (IAF) pensioners, veterans, and their families. 
• A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed by the bank with IAF and CSC Academy to set up 25 support centres across main Air Force units in India. 
• These centres will be in cities such as New Delhi, Bengaluru, Gurgaon, Pune, Secunderabad, Guwahati, Jodhpur, and Chandigarh. 
• Skill development and training in financial products and services will be provided by HDFC Bank in collaboration with CSC Academy to empower defence veterans and their families. 
• The initiative will provide more than 500 Government to Citizen and Business to Customer services.
• These services include Aadhaar service, NPS, PAN Card, passport, and bill collection.