Current Affairs One - Liner : 12th March 2025

National:

• India chaired the 68th Session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) for the first time on March 10, 2025, in Vienna, Austria. Ambassador Shambhu S. Kumaran presided over discussions on combating synthetic drugs, trafficking, and equitable medicine access.

• Foxconn introduced FoxBrain, its first large language model, on March 10, 2025. Built on Meta's Llama 3.1 architecture with 120 NVIDIA H100 GPUs, it specializes in reasoning and problem-solving.
• Airtel has partnered with Elon Musk's SpaceX to bring Starlink's high-speed satellite internet to India. Announced on March 11, 2025, this collaboration aims to enhance digital connectivity, especially in rural and remote areas.
• The Central Government has imposed a five-year ban on the Awami Action Committee (AAC), led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, and the Jammu and Kashmir Ittihad Ul Muslimeen (JKIM), headed by Masroor Abbas Ansari. This decision, effective immediately, was taken under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967.
• Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena inaugurated the Amrut Biodiversity Park along NH-24 in the Yamuna floodplains on March 7, 2025. Covering 90 hectares, it includes six water bodies with a capacity of 225 million liters, 14,500 trees, and 3.21 lakh riverine grasses. The park aims to restore the ecosystem, manage stormwater, and enhance groundwater recharge.

Economy:

• Assam Finance Minister Ajanta Neog presented a ₹2.63 lakh crore budget for FY 2025-26 on March 10, 2025, focusing on welfare and fiscal responsibility. Highlights include professional tax exemption for those earning up to ₹15,000/month, a ₹5,000 aid for tea workers, and a ₹5,000 crore allocation for the Orunodoi Scheme. This budget, with a ₹620.27 crore deficit.
• Maharashtra's FM Ajit Pawar presented a Rs 7.2 lakh crore budget for FY26 on March 10, 2025. The focus areas are infrastructure, agriculture, industries, and social welfare. Key highlights include 50 lakh new jobs, 1,500 km of new roads, and investments in irrigation and urban development.

MoUs:

• The National Highways Logistics Management Limited (NHLML) and the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on March 11, 2025, to develop a state-of-the-art Multi-Modal Logistics Park (MMLP) in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
• On March 8, 2025, HDFC Bank, the Indian Army, and CSC Academy renewed their MoU to expand Project NAMAN under the Parivartan programme. It aims to assist Army veterans and their families by providing pension support, G2C and B2C services, and financial training. The initiative will now cover 26 DIAV locations across India.

Reports:

• The India Web3 Landscape Report 2024 was released by Hashed Emergent on March 8, 2025. It highlights India’s rapid Web3 developer growth, with over 4.7 million developers added in 2024, accounting for 17% of global contributions. Focus areas include gaming, NFTs, DeFi, and Real World Assets (RWAs), alongside over 1,200 startups and $3 billion in funding.
• The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) report, Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2024, released on March 10, 2025, highlights global arms trade. India ranked as the second-largest arms importer (8.3% of global imports) after Ukraine (8.8%). India’s imports declined by 9.3% compared to 2015–2019, with Russia's share dropping, while France and Israel gained prominence.
• The ‘Cereal Supply and Demand Brief’ and ‘Crop Prospects and Food Situation Report’ were released by the FAO on March 7, 2025. They predict global wheat production at 796 Mt, up by 1% from the previous year, but warn of a 1.9% decline in global grain reserves.
• In 2025, HDFC Life, Max Life, and LIC led India's life insurance sector in Claim Settlement Ratios (CSR), per the Handbook on Indian Insurance Statistics 2023-24. HDFC Life recorded a 99.97% CSR, Max Life achieved 99.08%, and LIC processed 7,99,612 policies within 30 days. The report was released by IRDAI on March 11, 2025.

Govt. Schemes:

• Union Minister JP Nadda announced two schemes for girl child welfare in Tripura on March 9, 2025. The Mukhyamantri Balika Samriddhi Yojana offers a ₹50,000 bond for every girl born in BPL families, maturing to ₹10 lakh at 18. The Mukhyamantri Kanya Atmanirbhar Yojana provides scooters to 140 meritorious girl students for their independence. These initiatives aim to empower and support girls in the state.

Important Days:

• March 12 is celebrated as Mauritius National Day, marking the country's independence from Britain in 1968 and its transition to a republic in 1992. The day is observed with grand celebrations, including a National Day Parade, cultural performances, and official ceremonies.

Appointments:

• Atul Kumar Goel assumed charge as the Chief Executive of the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) on March 11, 2025. With over 30 years of banking experience, he previously served as the MD & CEO of Punjab National Bank and chaired the IBA for two terms. A Chartered Accountant, he succeeds Sunil Mehta in this role.
• On March 7, 2025, the BCCI appointed Rajeev Shukla as an Executive Board Member and Ashish Shelar as an Ex-Officio Board Member of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC). These appointments follow Jay Shah's transition to the ICC Chair.

Awards & Honours:

• Jayshree Vencatesan, co-founder of Care Earth Trust, became the first Indian to win the prestigious Ramsar Award for ‘Wetland Wise Use’. The award, announced on March 7, 2025, recognizes her decades-long dedication to conserving India’s wetlands, particularly the Pallikaranai Marsh in Chennai.
• At the 25th IIFA Awards on March 9, 2025, in Jaipur, Kiran Rao's film ‘Laapataa Ladies’ won the Best Picture Award. It also received awards for Best Direction (Kiran Rao) and Best Actress (Nitanshi Goel).
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi was honored with Mauritius' highest civilian award, the Grand Commander of the Order of the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean (GCSK), on March 12, 2025. This recognition celebrates his efforts in strengthening India-Mauritius relations.

Questions:

Q.1 Who became the first Indian to win the prestigious Ramsar Award for ‘Wetland Wise Use’?
a) Medha Patkar
b) Jayshree Vencatesan
c) Vandana Shiva
d) Sunita Narain

Answer: b) Jayshree Vencatesan, co-founder of Care Earth Trust, won the Ramsar Award for her conservation efforts, particularly in the Pallikaranai Marsh, Chennai.

Q.2 According to the SIPRI report released on March 10, 2025, which country was the largest arms importer?
a) India
b) China
c) Ukraine
d) Saudi Arabia

Answer: c) Ukraine (8.8%) was the largest arms importer, followed by India (8.3%). India’s arms imports declined by 9.3%, with France and Israel gaining prominence over Russia.