Current Affairs One - Liner : 28th February 2025

National:

• India's C-CAMP and France's PariSanté Campus signed a Letter of Intent on February 10, 2025, to establish the Indo-French Life Sciences Sister Innovation Hub. The partnership focuses on innovation in One Health and Digital Health Technologies, leveraging both countries' expertise to tackle public health challenges.

• INOX India Limited became the first Indian cryogenic equipment manufacturer to receive the IATF 16949 certification for cryogenic fuel tank manufacturing on February 24, 2025. The certification was awarded following an audit of INOX India's facility in Kalol, Panchmahal, Gujarat.
• Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal launched the 'One Nation-One Port Process (ONOP)' initiative on February 27, 2025. This initiative aims to standardize and streamline operations across India's major ports, removing inconsistencies in documentation and processes to enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and minimize operational delays

Banking:

• Bank of Baroda (BoB) launched a CBDC-based Loyalty/Cashback Programme on February 27, 2025, allowing merchants to create their own programmes. Customers get cashback in Programmable CBDC (PCBDC) using the bob World Digital Rupee app.
• SEBI fined the Indian Clearing Corporation Ltd (ICCL) Rs 5.05 crore on February 25, 2025. The fine was for non-compliance with cybersecurity and disaster recovery frameworks, including failing to maintain an updated IT asset inventory, not closing cyber audit observations timely, and having unsynchronized backup systems.
• The Competition Commission of India (CCI) approved Paloma Rheem Holdings Co. Ltd.'s (PRHCL) acquisition of Fujitsu General Limited for USD 1.6 billion on February 25, 2025. The approval was granted under the Green Channel route. The acquisition aims to enhance Paloma Rheem's global presence and leverage Fujitsu's expertise in air conditioning and electronic devices.
• On February 26, 2025, Australia announced a USD 16 million investment in the Australia-India Trade and Investment Accelerator Fund. This initiative aims to enhance trade and investment ties with India, focusing on clean energy, education and skills, agribusiness, and tourism. An additional USD 4 million will be allocated to the Maitri Grants program to strengthen people-to-people, business-to-business, and cultural ties.
• On February 28, 2025, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) conducted a three-year USD/INR Buy/Sell swap auction of $10 billion to inject approximately ₹87,000 crore in rupee liquidity and stabilize the Indian rupee amid a ₹1.96 lakh crore liquidity deficit. Held from 10:30–11:30 AM IST, the auction was oversubscribed 1.62 times with $16.23 billion in bids, and RBI accepted $10.06 billion at a 673.29 paise premium.
• Rupee112 has introduced India's first fully automated WhatsApp loan disbursal service for salaried professionals. The service, launched on February 27, 2025, offers unsecured loans ranging from ₹5,000 to ₹1,00,000. With an AI-driven, paperless process, loans are verified, approved, and disbursed within minutes.
• SBI Research released its GDP growth estimate for Q4 FY25 at 7.6% on February 28, 2025. This projection reflects robust growth driven by strong rural and urban demand, government spending, and resilience in agriculture and manufacturing.

MoUs:

• SIDBI signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Tata Capital Limited on February 25, 2025, in Mumbai. The partnership aims to enhance financial support for MSMEs, focusing on machinery financing, working capital, business loans, and loans against property. Additional initiatives include risk-sharing, co-lending, and joint financing.

Science & Technology:

• NASA launched the Lunar Trailblazer satellite on February 27, 2025, to map water deposits on the Moon. The mission targets permanently shadowed craters near the lunar poles. The satellite was launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral.
• SpaceX's third Moon landing mission of 2025, the IM-2 mission, launched on February 27, 2025, from Cape Canaveral. It carried the 'Athena' Nova-C class lunar lander and NASA's Lunar Trailblazer to the Moon's South Pole to gather critical data and search for evidence of water ice.

Sports:

• Dalibor Svrcina of the Czech Republic won the Maha Open ATP Challenger 100 Men's Tennis Championship on February 23, 2025. The event took place at the Mhalunge Balewadi Tennis Stadium in Pune, Maharashtra.

Defence:

• The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Navy successfully conducted flight trials of the Naval Anti-Ship Missile Short Range (NASM-SR) on February 26, 2025, at the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Chandipur, Odisha.

Apps & Portals:

• The Government of India launched the Aadhaar Good Governance portal on February 27, 2025. The portal aims to streamline the approval process for Aadhaar authentication requests, making Aadhaar more people-friendly and enhancing ease of living.

Index & Ranking:

• The Official Airline Guide (OAG) released the "Top 10 Busiest Global Airports in 2025" ranking on February 27, 2025. Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) in Delhi secured the 8th position, while Dubai International Airport (DXB) topped the list.

Important Days:

• Rare Disease Day 2025, observed on February 28, promotes awareness of over 7,000 rare diseases affecting 300 million globally. Led by EURORDIS with the theme "More Than You Can Imagine," it emphasizes equity and resilience.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) launched the tenth edition of Financial Literacy Week (FLW) 2025 on February 24, 2025, with the theme "Financial Literacy: Women's Prosperity". The event was inaugurated by RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra, who emphasized the importance of empowering women to drive inclusive and sustained economic growth.

Appointments:

• On February 27, 2025, the government appointed Tuhin Kanta Pandey, Finance and Revenue Secretary, as SEBI Chairman, effective March 1, 2025. A 1987-batch IAS officer, he succeeds Madhabi Puri Buch, bringing expertise from disinvestments like Air India and LIC IPO.
• SBI Life Insurance has appointed Dorababu Daparti as Deputy CEO, effective February 24, 2025. Daparti, with over 29 years of experience, succeeds Veeraraghavan Srinivasan. He previously served as Country Head & CEO of SBI's Maldives operations since September 2021.

Awards & Honours:

• Raj Kamal Jha, Chief Editor of The Indian Express, won the 'Banaras Lit Fest Award' in the 'Ruskin Bond Fiction Book Award Category' for his novel "The Patient in Bed Number 12". The award was announced during the Banaras Lit Fest on February 23, 2025.

Obituaries:

• Veteran Odia film star Uttam Mohanty passed away on February 27, 2025, at the age of 66, while undergoing treatment at Medanta Hospital in Gurugram. He was known for his significant contributions to the Odia film industry.
• Renowned Gujarati poet and Sahitya Akademi Awardee Anil Ramanath Joshi passed away on February 26, 2025, at the age of 84. He was known for his significant contributions to modern Gujarati literature, including works like "Kadach" and "Statue".
• Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman passed away on February 17, 2025, at the age of 95. He was found deceased alongside his wife, Betsy Arakawa, in their Santa Fe, New Mexico home. Hackman was renowned for his roles in iconic films such as "The French Connection" and "Unforgiven".

Questions:

Q.1 Who was appointed as the new Chairman of SEBI on February 27, 2025?
a) Ajay Tyagi
b) Madhabi Puri Buch
c) Tuhin Kanta Pandey
d) Rajiv Kumar

Answer: c) A 1987-batch IAS officer, Tuhin Kanta Pandey was appointed SEBI Chairman effective March 1, 2025, succeeding Madhabi Puri Buch.

Q.2 Which Indian airport ranked 8th in the ‘Top 10 Busiest Global Airports in 2025’ list by OAG?
a) Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport
b) Kempegowda International Airport
c) Rajiv Gandhi International Airport
d) Indira Gandhi International Airport

Answer: d) The Official Airline Guide (OAG) released the ranking, with Dubai International Airport (DXB) securing the top position.