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Daily Current Affairs: 1 March 2025

Current affairs of 1 March 2025: India-EU FTA Talks: Targets, Sticking Points and Trade Data; Trump-Zelenskyy Oval Office Clash Over Ukraine Aid; US 10% Tariff on China: Beijing Vows Tougher Response, and 12 more topics. Key facts for every exam, with a quiz.

Take the quiz (15 questions)March 2025

In this issue: 15 topics

Banking & Finance

Bond Central: SEBI’s Corporate Bond Database Goes Live
SEBI Chairman Tuhin Kanta Pandey: Profile and Challenges
RBI $10 Billion USD/INR Buy/Sell Swap Auction: Key Numbers
IRDAI Allows Insurers to Hedge with Equity Derivatives

Economy

India GDP Growth Q3 FY25 at 6.2%; FY25 Seen at 6.5%
GST Collections Rise 9.1% to Rs 1.84 Lakh Crore in February 2025
Eight Core Industries Index Grows 4.6% in January 2025

International Affairs

India-EU FTA Talks: Targets, Sticking Points and Trade Data
Trump-Zelenskyy Oval Office Clash Over Ukraine Aid
US 10% Tariff on China: Beijing Vows Tougher Response
Zero Discrimination Day 2025: ‘We Stand Together’ Campaign

Agriculture & Rural

March 2025 Heat Forecast and Wheat Crop Risk

Science & Technology

Aditya L1 SUIT Images Solar Flare Kernel for First Time

Environment & Ecology

Wetlands Conservation in India: Types, Threats, Ramsar Sites

Defence & Security

Exercise Desert Hunt 2025: Tri-Service Special Forces Drill

Banking & Finance

Banking & Finance

1. Bond Central: SEBI’s Corporate Bond Database Goes Live

SEBI launched Bond Central, a centralised database covering corporate bonds.
It was built by the Online Bond Platform Providers Association together with Market Infrastructure Institutions.
Goals: one authentic information source, greater bond-market transparency and better-informed investor decisions.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Banking & Finance

2. SEBI Chairman Tuhin Kanta Pandey: Profile and Challenges

Tuhin Kanta Pandey became SEBI Chairman for three years, succeeding Madhabi Puri Buch.
He was DIPAM Secretary from 2019 to 2024 and then Revenue Secretary in the Finance Ministry.
His in-tray includes reviving IPOs, the Adani issue, finfluencer regulation and staff morale.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

3. RBI $10 Billion USD/INR Buy/Sell Swap Auction: Key Numbers

RBI held a 3-year, $10 billion USD/INR buy/sell swap auction and got bids worth $16.23 billion.
Bids worth $10.06 billion were accepted (161 of 244), at a cut-off premium of ₹6.55.
Liquidity deficit stood at ₹1.81 trillion, the 11th week in a row.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Banking & Finance

4. IRDAI Allows Insurers to Hedge with Equity Derivatives

IRDAI let insurers use equity derivatives only to hedge existing equity holdings.
Stock and index futures and options are allowed; OTC equity derivatives are prohibited.
A Board-approved Hedging Policy is mandatory and quarterly reports are due.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Economy

5. India GDP Growth Q3 FY25 at 6.2%; FY25 Seen at 6.5%

Real GDP grew 6.2% in Q3 (October-December) of FY25, compared with a revised 5.6% in Q2.
FY25 real GDP growth was estimated at 6.5% and nominal GDP growth at 9.9%.
Real GDP for FY25 was estimated at ₹187.95 lakh crore; nominal GDP at ₹331.03 lakh crore.
NSO under MoSPI released the estimates on 28 February 2025; FY24 growth was revised to 9.2%.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

6. GST Collections Rise 9.1% to Rs 1.84 Lakh Crore in February 2025

Gross GST collections in February 2025 were Rs 1.84 lakh crore, up 9.1% year on year.
IGST contributed Rs 90,870 crore, CGST Rs 35,204 crore, SGST Rs 43,704 crore and compensation cess Rs 13,868 crore.
Refunds of Rs 20,889 crore left net collections at about Rs 1.63 lakh crore, up 8.1%.
Domestic transactions yielded Rs 1.42 lakh crore (up 10.2%); imports yielded Rs 41,702 crore (up 5.4%).

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

7. Eight Core Industries Index Grows 4.6% in January 2025

The combined Index of Eight Core Industries grew 4.6% (provisional) in January 2025 over January 2024.
Cement led growth at 14.5%, followed by refinery products at 8.3% and coal at 4.6%.
Crude oil output fell 1.1% and natural gas output fell 1.5%.
Cumulative growth for April-January 2024-25 stood at 4.4%; the eight industries carry 40.27% weight in the IIP.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

International Affairs

8. India-EU FTA Talks: Targets, Sticking Points and Trade Data

India and the EU aim to conclude FTA negotiations by end-2025; talks began in 2007 and were relaunched in 2022.
The EU is India's biggest trading partner, with a 12.2% share of India's trade.
India's 2023-24 exports to the EU were $75.9 billion; imports were $61.5 billion.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

International Relations

9. Trump-Zelenskyy Oval Office Clash Over Ukraine Aid

Trump sought preferential access to Ukraine's mineral resources in return for continued American backing.
Ukraine resisted signing a hurried peace agreement with Russia.
France and Britain lobbied Washington not to withdraw support for Kyiv.
No U.S. security guarantee was offered to Ukraine.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

10. US 10% Tariff on China: Beijing Vows Tougher Response

US announced a 10% tariff on Chinese imports from March 4.
China's Ministry of Commerce promised 'all necessary measures'.
Hong Kong-listed Chinese shares fell up to 3.9%; CSI 300 slid 1.9%.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

International Relations

11. Zero Discrimination Day 2025: ‘We Stand Together’ Campaign

Zero Discrimination Day is observed every year on 1 March.
It is led by UNAIDS; the 2025 campaign was titled 'We stand together'.
UNAIDS highlighted communities as essential to sustaining the HIV response, facing stigma and funding cuts.
UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director Christine Stegling said ending AIDS needed work with communities.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Agriculture & Rural

Agriculture & Rural Development

12. March 2025 Heat Forecast and Wheat Crop Risk

India's weather office forecast above-normal temperatures for March 2025 after a warm February.
Wheat, chickpea and rapeseed, all winter-sown, face risk from the heat.
Wheat import duty is 40%; exports have been banned since 2022.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Science & Technology

Science & Technology

13. Aditya L1 SUIT Images Solar Flare Kernel for First Time

SUIT on Aditya L1 imaged an X6.3 flare's kernel for the first time.
First near-ultraviolet (200-400 nm) view of flare brightening.
Aditya L1 reached its halo orbit at L1 on 6 January 2024.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Environment & Ecology

Environment & Ecology

14. Wetlands Conservation in India: Types, Threats, Ramsar Sites

Wetlands are land areas saturated with water, permanently or seasonally, covering about 12.1 million km2 (roughly 6% of Earth's surface).
India has 75 Ramsar sites covering about 1.33 million ha; natural wetland loss over four decades is 30%.
World Wetlands Day is marked on 2 February, the date the Ramsar Convention opened for signature in 1971.
Meghalaya High Court took up a suo motu PIL to monitor wetland conservation.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Defence & Security

Defence & Security

15. Exercise Desert Hunt 2025: Tri-Service Special Forces Drill

Exercise Desert Hunt 2025 was a tri-service special forces exercise hosted by the Indian Air Force.
It ran from 24 to 28 February 2025 at Air Force Station Jodhpur.
Participants were Para (SF) of the Army, MARCOS of the Navy and Garud (SF) of the Air Force.
Its aim was better interoperability, coordination and synergy among the three special forces.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Test yourself

15 questions from the news of 1 March 2025, with answers and explanations.