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Daily Current Affairs: 15 March 2025

Current affairs of 15 March 2025: China, Russia, Iran Call for End to US Sanctions on Iran; BRICS Currency Mechanism and COP30 Priorities; MGNREGS Wage Revision: Parliamentary Panel Recommendations, and 12 more topics. Key facts for every exam, with a quiz.

Take the quiz (15 questions)March 2025

In this issue: 15 topics

National Affairs

World Consumer Rights Day 2025: Just Transition Theme

Government Schemes

MGNREGS Wage Revision: Parliamentary Panel Recommendations
APAAR ID: Student Registry, Privacy and Consent Concerns
PM-ABHIM Fund Underuse and Slow Project Completion

Banking & Finance

Microfinance Sector Seeks Refinancing Body and IMEF Reforms
NaBFID Plans: Credit Enhancement and AI Underwriting
Digital Debt Collection in Microfinance: AI and Hybrid Recovery

Economy

Real-Money Gaming in India: Offshore Betting and 28% GST
MSME Exporters Seek RBI Reforms for E-commerce Exports
Gold Crosses $3,000 an Ounce: Why Prices Hit a Record
Block Assessment for Income Tax Search Cases: One Return for Six Years

International Affairs

China, Russia, Iran Call for End to US Sanctions on Iran
BRICS Currency Mechanism and COP30 Priorities

Science & Technology

Aditya-L1 VELC Spots a Flareless Coronal Mass Ejection

Defence & Security

Bongosagar 2025: India-Bangladesh Naval Exercise Explained

National Affairs

Polity & Governance

1. World Consumer Rights Day 2025: Just Transition Theme

World Consumer Rights Day is marked on 15 March, recalling President John F. Kennedy's 1962 address on consumer rights.
The 2025 theme was 'A Just Transition to Sustainable Lifestyles'.
The Consumer Protection Act, 2019 created Consumer Commissions at District, State and Central levels.
National Consumer Helpline (1915) calls rose from 12,553 in December 2015 to 1,55,138 in December 2024.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Government Schemes

Polity & Governance

2. MGNREGS Wage Revision: Parliamentary Panel Recommendations

A parliamentary committee asked for revision of MGNREGS wages due to rising living costs and a uniform rate across States and UTs.
Current wages range from ₹234 in Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh to ₹374 in Haryana and Sikkim.
Pending liabilities on February 15 were ₹23,446.27 crore, including ₹12,219.18 crore of wage dues.
Funds for West Bengal have been frozen since March 2022 under Section 27 of MGNREGA, 2005.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Polity & Governance

3. APAAR ID: Student Registry, Privacy and Consent Concerns

APAAR (Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry) digitises student academic records and is linked with Aadhaar.
It is positioned as optional, but field rollout is described as coercive.
The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 had not yet taken effect.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Government Schemes

4. PM-ABHIM Fund Underuse and Slow Project Completion

FY25 PM-ABHIM spend: ₹2,007 crore (66.9%) of ₹3,000 crore RE till February 2025.
Only 5,682 of 13,081 approved units (43%) are complete.
Critical Care Blocks: just 10 of 394 operational.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Banking & Finance

5. Microfinance Sector Seeks Refinancing Body and IMEF Reforms

Industry proposed converting MUDRA Bank into a specialised refinancing institution for standalone MFIs.
IMEF corpus is ₹300 crore, with a ₹5 crore cap per MFI; only ₹19 crore went to 10 MFIs in FY24.
Microfinance assets stood at ₹4.14 trillion in Q3FY25: up 7.6% YoY but down 4.3% QoQ.
If MUDRA conversion fails, NABARD could run a new MFI fund.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

6. NaBFID Plans: Credit Enhancement and AI Underwriting

NaBFID is in talks with World Bank and ADB for counter-guarantees on infrastructure project financing.
Its loan book is about ₹60,000 crore, roughly 2% of India's ₹30 trillion infrastructure finance market.
It targets a ₹3 trillion loan book by FY28 and is building an AI-driven underwriting system.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Banking & Finance

7. Digital Debt Collection in Microfinance: AI and Hybrid Recovery

Stressed microfinance assets in the 31-180 DPD bucket doubled from 2.15% (March 2024) to 4.3% (September 2024).
Platforms such as Spocto X (Yubi Group) and Credgenics offer AI risk scoring and field analytics.
Lenders are moving to hybrid recovery that backs field agents with digital follow-ups.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Economy

8. Real-Money Gaming in India: Offshore Betting and 28% GST

Legal real-money gaming firms such as Dream11 and PokerBaazi pay 28% GST, while offshore sites escape tax and rules.
Offshore gambling grows about 30% CAGR against 10%-15% for legal RMG; a 2024 report sized the illegal market at ₹8.2 lakh crore.
IT Amendment Rules, 2023 on self-regulation are on hold and no self-regulatory body is recognised.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

9. MSME Exporters Seek RBI Reforms for E-commerce Exports

Shipping bill regularisation fees of ₹200 to ₹2,500 per shipment hurt small exporters' cash flow.
Industry wants AI-based auto-matching of inward remittances with shipping bills in EDPMS.
The government targets $200 billion of e-commerce exports by 2030.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

10. Gold Crosses $3,000 an Ounce: Why Prices Hit a Record

Spot gold hit an all-time high of $3,004.86 an ounce and settled at $2,991.
US gold futures rose 0.4% to $3,002.30; gold was up nearly 14% in 2025.
Drivers: tariff war, a $4 trillion US stock sell-off, Chinese central bank buying and Fed easing hopes.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Polity & Governance

11. Block Assessment for Income Tax Search Cases: One Return for Six Years

In search cases, taxpayers now file one return covering six years plus the part-year of investigation.
The move aligns with the block assessment scheme introduced on September 1, 2024.
All undisclosed income in the block period is assessed together, not year by year.
Doubts remain on income timing mismatches and loss set-offs.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

International Affairs

International Relations

12. China, Russia, Iran Call for End to US Sanctions on Iran

China, Russia and Iran urged the US to lift sanctions tied to Iran's nuclear programme.
Trump wrote to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei proposing talks, alongside a maximum pressure policy.
Khamenei rejected the offer, calling the US a bullying government.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Environment & Ecology

13. BRICS Currency Mechanism and COP30 Priorities

BRICS is developing trade in national currencies to cut dependence on the US dollar.
Brazil seeks Indian technology and investment to make APIs for paracetamol, antibiotics and diabetes drugs.
COP30 aims to lift climate finance from the $300 billion pledged at COP29 towards $1.3 trillion.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Science & Technology

Science & Technology

14. Aditya-L1 VELC Spots a Flareless Coronal Mass Ejection

IIA scientists saw a flareless CME on 5 July 2024 using VELC on Aditya-L1.
Aditya-L1 is India's first dedicated solar research mission.
CME activity is expected to rise as the Sun nears the peak of Solar Cycle 25.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Defence & Security

International Relations

15. Bongosagar 2025: India-Bangladesh Naval Exercise Explained

Bongosagar 2025 and a coordinated Bay of Bengal patrol proceeded despite strained political ties since August 2024.
INS Ranvir (destroyer) and BNS Abu Ubaidah (frigate) took part.
India-Mauritius Joint Vision 2025 stresses maritime security cooperation.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Test yourself

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