Current Affairs One - Liner : 24th September 2025

National:

• The Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) with the United Nations in India launched the Adi Yuva Fellowship and Adi Karmayogi Volunteers Programme on 22 Sept 2025. The Adi Yuva Fellowship is a 12‑month paid fellowship to skill and mentor tribal youth. Both aim to build tribal leadership and innovation capacity under the Adi Karmayogi Abhiyan for Viksit Bharat 2047.

• Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan launched the Viksit Bharat Buildathon 2025 on 23 September 2025 in New Delhi. It is India’s largest school hackathon, organised by the Ministry of Education, Atal Innovation Mission (NITI Aayog) and AICTE. The event engages students of Classes 6–12 to innovate on themes like Vocal for Local, Aatmanirbhar Bharat, Swadeshi, and Samriddhi.
• The second session of the India–France Special Task Force on Civil Nuclear Energy was held in New Delhi on 22 September 2025. It was co‑chaired by Vikram Misri (Foreign Secretary of India) and Anne‑Marie Descôtes (France). Discussions focused on Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and Advanced Modular Reactors (AMRs) under the Feb 2025 Declaration of Intent.

International:

• Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) launched Maitri 2.0 (India–Brazil Cross-Border Agri-Tech Incubators’ Program) on 22 Sept 2025 in New Delhi. It aims to strengthen incubator linkages, promote co-incubation, and foster innovation in sustainable agriculture & digital technologies. The initiative builds on Maitri 1.0 (2019–20) and reinforces the 77-year-old Indo-Brazil partnership.

Banking:

• On 22 Sept 2025, RBI cancelled the Certificate of Registration (CoR) of Datta Finance and Trading Pvt Ltd (Delhi NBFC) under Section 45-IA(6) of the RBI Act. The action followed irregular digital lending practices and violation of outsourcing norms. The NBFC had outsourced core functions to apps like KinCash, DoLoan, and ZestCash.
• On 22 Sept 2025, Bank of Baroda launched India’s first eRUPI P2P Digital Gifting feature on its bob इ(e) Pay UPI app. Powered by NPCI’s e-RUPI, it enables customers to send purpose-specific prepaid vouchers (₹1–₹10,000). The vouchers are non-transferable, interoperable across UPI, and auto-refunded if unused.
• On 17 Sept 2025, Quant MF launched India’s first Specialized Investment Fund (SIF) – the QSIF Equity Long-Short Fund. It combines long equity bets with short derivative positions, benchmarked to Nifty 500 TRI. The fund is open-ended, flexi-cap, and market-cap agnostic, with a ₹10 lakh minimum investment.

Economy:

• The Ministry of Labour & Employment (MoL&E) released the All‑India Consumer Price Index (CPI) for August 2025 on 19 Sept 2025. The CPI‑AL (Agricultural Labourers) rose by 1.03 points to 136.34, and CPI‑RL (Rural Labourers) rose by 0.94 points to 136.60 (Base 2019=100). Year‑on‑year inflation stood at 1.07% (AL) and 1.26% (RL), higher than July 2025.

MoUs:

• The Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the Ministry of Culture (MoC) signed an MoU on 22 September 2025 in New Delhi for the Stitched Ship Project – Indian Naval Sailing Vessel (INSV) Kaundinya. The aim is to revive India’s ancient maritime heritage through a stitched‑plank sailing vessel. Built by Kerala artisans using traditional techniques, the ship is named after mariner Kaundinya.
• The Ministry of Labour & Employment (MoL&E) signed an MoU with Zepto on 24 Sept 2025 in New Delhi, in the presence of Union Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya. The MoU enables Zepto to post 10,000 job openings (gig + full‑time) on the National Career Service (NCS) Portal. It aims to boost youth employability, women participation, and first‑time job seekers in the gig/platform economy.

Sports:

• Laver Cup 2025 was held from 19–21 Sept 2025 at San Francisco, USA. Team World defeated Team Europe 15–9 to clinch the title. It was Team World’s 3rd Laver Cup crown (after 2022 & 2023). The event is a men’s tennis team tournament played annually.

Defence:

• On 20 Sept 2025, Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) signed a USD 62.44 million deal with Germany’s Carsten Rehder Schiffsmakler und Reederei GmbH & Co. KG. The contract is for building 4 Hybrid Multi‑Purpose Vessels (MPVs), with an option for 2 more. Each vessel will be 120‑metre, 7,500 Deadweight Tonnage (DWT), featuring battery‑assisted hybrid propulsion.
• Zorawar Light Tank, a 25‑tonne indigenous light tank, was jointly developed by DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation) and L&T (Larsen & Toubro). It was unveiled on 22 September 2025 at L&T’s Armoured Systems Complex, Hazira, Gujarat. Designed for high‑altitude warfare along the LAC, it counters China’s Type‑15 light tank.

Summits & Conferences:

• The CSIR‑NIScPR (Council of Scientific & Industrial Research – National Institute of Science Communication and Policy Research) virtually participated in the Science Summit 2025 at the 80th UN General Assembly in New York on 18 Sept 2025. The theme was “Women and Girls in Science: Driving Gender‑Inclusive Innovation, Gender Equality, and Breaking Barriers”.

Govt. Schemes:

• Union Cabinet approved the DSIR scheme “Capacity Building and Human Resource Development (CBHRD)” on 24 September 2025. It will be implemented by CSIR under the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR). The scheme has an outlay of ₹2277.397 crore for the 15th Finance Commission cycle (2021‑22 to 2025‑26).

Important Days:

• World Rhino Day 2025 was observed on 22 September 2025 worldwide. It raises awareness about the five surviving rhino species and threats like poaching, habitat loss, and illegal trade. Globally, about 27,000 rhinos remain, while India has nearly 3,700 Greater One‑Horned Rhinos. Major Indian habitats include Kaziranga, Manas, Pobitora, Orang, and Dudhwa National Parks.
• World Car‑Free Day 2025 was observed on 22 September 2025 worldwide. It encourages people to avoid private cars and use public transport, cycling, or walking to cut pollution and congestion. The 2025 edition marked the 25th Anniversary of the observance, coinciding with European Mobility Week.

Appointments:

• On 16 Sept 2025, the govt extended the tenures of 8 EDs across PSBs including Union Bank, PNB, IOB, CBoI, UCO, and BoB. Notable names: Nitesh Ranjan, Ramasubramanian S, M. Paramasivam, Joydeep Dutta Roy, Malladi V.M. Krishna, Rajendra K. Saboo, Lalit Tyagi, Sanjay V. Mudaliar. Some got 3‑year extensions, others till superannuation.
• On 21 Sept 2025, Justice Pavankumar Bhimappa Bajanthri took oath as the 46th Chief Justice of Patna High Court, administered by Bihar Governor Arif Mohammad Khan. Born in 1963 (Dharwad, Karnataka), he began practice in 1990 and rose through Karnataka, Punjab & Haryana, and Patna High Courts.
• On 22 Sept 2025, Ms. Vandana Gupta (1990 batch IP&TAFS) assumed charge as Controller General of Communication Accounts (CGCA). She brings 30+ years of experience across DoT, DoP, and central deputations (MoWCD, NCW, GASAB, GGSIPU). As CGCA, she will oversee telecom license fees, spectrum charges, and USO projects.

Awards & Honours:

• At the 28th National e‑Governance Conference (Visakhapatnam, Sept 2025), a new category honoured Gram Panchayats for digital innovation. Rohini (Maharashtra) won Gold, West Majlishpur (Tripura) Silver, while Palsana (Gujarat) and Suakati (Odisha) got Jury Awards. These Panchayats pioneered paperless offices, QR/UPI tax payments, e‑service delivery, and inclusive governance.

Obituaries:

• Renowned Kannada novelist S.L. Bhyrappa (1931–2025) passed away at the age of 94 in Bengaluru on 24 Sept 2025. He authored over 25 novels, including classics like Parva, Vamshavriksha, Avarana, and Uttarakanda. He was honoured with Padma Bhushan (2023), Padma Shri (2016), and Saraswati Samman (2010).

Questions:

Q.1 Which Gram Panchayat won the Gold Award at the 28th National e-Governance Conference (Sept 2025)?
a) Rohini, Maharashtra
b) West Majlishpur, Tripura
c) Palsana, Gujarat
d) Suakati, Odisha

Answer: a) Rohini bagged Gold, West Majlishpur won Silver, while Palsana and Suakati received Jury Awards.

Q.2 Q15. Who took oath as the 46th Chief Justice of Patna High Court in September 2025?
a) Justice N.V. Ramana
b) Justice P.B. Varale
c) Justice Pavankumar Bhimappa Bajanthri
d) Justice Dipankar Datta

Answer: c) On 21 Sept 2025, Justice Pavankumar Bhimappa Bajanthri took oath as the 46th Chief Justice of Patna High Court, administered by Bihar Governor Arif Mohammad Khan.