Daily Current Affairs: 23 May 2025

Current affairs of 23 May 2025: Santhara (Sallekhana) in Jainism: Meaning and Legal Debate; Keezhadi Excavation: ASI Asks for Revised Report; Jarosite Luminescent Clock: Indian Mars Dating Study, and 10 more topics. Key facts for every exam, with a quiz.

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In this issue: 13 topics

National Affairs

Santhara (Sallekhana) in Jainism: Meaning and Legal Debate
Keezhadi Excavation: ASI Asks for Revised Report

Government Schemes

SPICED Scheme 2025-26: Spices Board Aid for Export

Banking & Finance

NPCI UPI Supervision Circular: API Rules and Deadlines
RBI’s Special Share Certificates and PNCPS Plan for UCBs
RBI Co-lending Draft: Blended Rates and Fintech Feedback
NSE Eyes Tuesday for Weekly Index Derivatives Expiry
Offshore Derivative Instruments: SEBI Extends ODI Deadline

Economy

Financial Market Volatility: RBI Sold $34.5 Billion in FY25
RBI Governor Malhotra: Bank Licensing and Insurance Sales Review

Science & Technology

Jarosite Luminescent Clock: Indian Mars Dating Study
Sagar Bhavan, Polar Bhavan opened at NCPOR in Goa

Environment & Ecology

World Turtle Day 2025: India’s turtle species and Schedule I cover

National Affairs

Polity & Governance

1. Santhara (Sallekhana) in Jainism: Meaning and Legal Debate

Santhara or Sallekhana is a Jain vow of voluntary, gradual fasting unto death, believed to aid moksha.
A three-year-old girl's death in Indore, allegedly due to Santhara by a Jain monk, revived the debate.
Rajasthan High Court treated it as suicide in 2015; the Supreme Court stayed that in August 2015.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

History, Art & Culture

2. Keezhadi Excavation: ASI Asks for Revised Report

ASI asked archaeologist Amarnath Ramakrishna to revise his Keezhadi report.
Keezhadi is near Madurai on the Vaigai, in Sivaganga district; digging began in 2015.
Over 4,000 artefacts show an organised, literate, trading urban Tamil society.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Government Schemes

3. SPICED Scheme 2025-26: Spices Board Aid for Export

Spices Board launched the SPICED scheme for 2025-26.
Exporters can apply May 26 to June 30, 2025; farmers and FPOs till September 30, 2025.
Priority is for cardamom productivity, organic and GI-tagged spices, and first-time exporters and MSMEs.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Banking & Finance

4. NPCI UPI Supervision Circular: API Rules and Deadlines

NPCI tightened UPI supervision after excessive bank API calls strained the core network.
Guidelines for 10 critical APIs must be implemented by July 31, 2025.
Annual audits by a CERT-In empanelled auditor are now mandatory.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Banking & Finance

5. RBI’s Special Share Certificates and PNCPS Plan for UCBs

RBI proposed Special Share Certificates (SSCs) and PNCPS to widen capital options for UCBs, especially Tier-4.
Only Tier-4 UCBs, with deposits above ₹10,000 crore, may issue SSCs initially.
SSCs are non-voting and issued at book value; redemption is allowed after 3 years.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Economy

6. RBI Co-lending Draft: Blended Rates and Fintech Feedback

RBI consulted FACE, UFF and FCC on draft co-lending guidelines with a blended weighted-average lending rate.
The draft covers all regulated entities, beyond priority sector lending.
Fintechs asked for NBFCs to offer UPI credit lines; RBI may allow only top-tier NBFCs.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Economy

7. NSE Eyes Tuesday for Weekly Index Derivatives Expiry

NSE proposed moving weekly index derivatives expiry from Thursday to Tuesday.
SEBI plans to limit expiry days to Tuesdays and Thursdays to reduce volatility.
NSE's Q4FY25 transaction charge revenue fell 15% quarter-on-quarter.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Banking & Finance

8. Offshore Derivative Instruments: SEBI Extends ODI Deadline

SEBI moved the revised ODI deadline from 17 May to 17 November 2025.
ODIs such as P-notes let foreigners access Indian securities without SEBI registration.
ODIs cannot be derivative-based or hedged with derivatives.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Economy

9. Financial Market Volatility: RBI Sold $34.5 Billion in FY25

RBI sold $34.5 billion net in FY2024-25, the most since 2008-09.
Its forward book dropped to $84.34 billion by March 2025, the first fall in seven months.
The US Dollar Index at 108 triggered the rupee's slide in H2 FY25.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Economy

10. RBI Governor Malhotra: Bank Licensing and Insurance Sales Review

RBI is reviewing its bank licensing framework and foreign shareholding norms in Indian banks.
Banks' role as insurance distributors is under review amid mis-selling complaints.
RBI has infused ₹9 lakh crore of durable liquidity; the MPC decides the pace of rate cuts.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Science & Technology

11. Jarosite Luminescent Clock: Indian Mars Dating Study

Indian researchers found jarosite acts as a natural luminescent clock covering the past 25,000 years.
Its luminescence is stable up to 450°C, suiting Mars rover instruments.
NASA's Spirit, Opportunity and Curiosity rovers have detected jarosite on Mars.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Science & Technology

12. Sagar Bhavan, Polar Bhavan opened at NCPOR in Goa

Sagar Bhavan and Polar Bhavan were inaugurated at the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) in Goa.
The opening came during NCPOR's 25th anniversary celebrations.
Polar Bhavan spans over 11,378 square metres with advanced laboratories and a conference hall.
Sagar Bhavan covers 1,772 square metres and includes specialised ice core laboratories.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Environment & Ecology

13. World Turtle Day 2025: India’s turtle species and Schedule I cover

World Turtle Day is observed every year on 23 May; it began in 2000, sponsored by American Tortoise Rescue.
The day aims to help people celebrate and protect turtles, tortoises and their shrinking habitats.
India has 30 freshwater turtle species, of which 26 are listed under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
All five marine turtles found in India are in Schedule I: Olive Ridley, Green, Loggerhead, Hawksbill and Leatherback.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

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Daily Current Affairs: 23 May 2025

In this issue: 13 topics

National Affairs

1. Santhara (Sallekhana) in Jainism: Meaning and Legal Debate

2. Keezhadi Excavation: ASI Asks for Revised Report

Government Schemes

3. SPICED Scheme 2025-26: Spices Board Aid for Export

Banking & Finance

4. NPCI UPI Supervision Circular: API Rules and Deadlines

5. RBI’s Special Share Certificates and PNCPS Plan for UCBs

6. RBI Co-lending Draft: Blended Rates and Fintech Feedback

7. NSE Eyes Tuesday for Weekly Index Derivatives Expiry

8. Offshore Derivative Instruments: SEBI Extends ODI Deadline

Economy

9. Financial Market Volatility: RBI Sold $34.5 Billion in FY25

10. RBI Governor Malhotra: Bank Licensing and Insurance Sales Review

Science & Technology

11. Jarosite Luminescent Clock: Indian Mars Dating Study

12. Sagar Bhavan, Polar Bhavan opened at NCPOR in Goa

Environment & Ecology

13. World Turtle Day 2025: India’s turtle species and Schedule I cover

Test yourself