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Daily Current Affairs: 13 August 2025

Current affairs of 13 August 2025: India Semiconductor Mission: Aims, Incentives, Challenges; MMDR Amendment Bill 2025: Critical Minerals and NMEDT Changes; Indian Ports Bill 2025 Introduced in Lok Sabha, and 12 more topics. Key facts for every exam, with a quiz.

Take the quiz (15 questions)August 2025

In this issue: 15 topics

National Affairs

MMDR Amendment Bill 2025: Critical Minerals and NMEDT Changes
Indian Ports Bill 2025 Introduced in Lok Sabha
Toda Tribe Preserves Its Language in Nilgiris Under SPPEL

Government Schemes

PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan: Features and Aims
Cabinet backs Rs 30,000 crore for OMC LPG losses, extends PMUY subsidy

Banking & Finance

Paytm Payments Services Gets RBI Nod as Payment Aggregator
NPCI to Stop UPI Pull Transactions from October 31, 2025
RBI lets Vostro account holders invest surplus in G-Secs
Government Bonds: RBI Buyback and Types of G-Secs

Economy

IBC Amendment Bill 2025: Group and Cross-Border Insolvency
CPI Inflation Falls to 1.55% in July 2025, Lowest in 8 Years

International Affairs

Armenia-Azerbaijan Peace Agreement Brokered by the US

Science & Technology

India Semiconductor Mission: Aims, Incentives, Challenges

Reports & Indexes

SHRESTH: State Health Regulatory Excellence Index by CDSCO

Awards & Persons

Bibi Fatima Women’s SHG wins Equator Prize 2025

National Affairs

1. MMDR Amendment Bill 2025: Critical Minerals and NMEDT Changes

NMET becomes the National Mineral Exploration and Development Trust (NMEDT), with a mandate covering offshore and overseas critical mineral exploration.
Leaseholders' contribution to the trust rises from 2% to 3% of royalty payable.
Captive mines may sell all surplus minerals instead of only 50%.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Polity & Governance

2. Indian Ports Bill 2025 Introduced in Lok Sabha

Minister Sarbananda Sonowal introduced the Indian Ports Bill 2025 to replace the Indian Ports Act, 1908.
It proposes mega ports, a Maritime State Development Council and state-level dispute committees.
CPI-M's K. Radhakrishnan said it centralises power.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Government Schemes

3. Toda Tribe Preserves Its Language in Nilgiris Under SPPEL

The Toda tribe of the Nilgiri Hills, Tamil Nadu, is leading efforts to protect the Toda language.
Toda is described as a proto-South Dravidian language with no native script.
SPPEL is implemented by the Central Institute of Indian Languages under the Ministry of Education.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Government Schemes

4. PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan: Features and Aims

PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan was launched on 13 October 2021; CCEA approved it on 21 October 2021.
It is a Rs 100 lakh crore plan that integrates 16 Ministries and Departments through a GIS-based platform.
Oversight runs through three tiers: Empowered Group of Secretaries, Network Planning Group and Technical Support Unit.
A key aim is bringing logistics cost from 13-14% of GDP towards global levels of about 8-9%.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

5. Cabinet backs Rs 30,000 crore for OMC LPG losses, extends PMUY subsidy

The Cabinet approved Rs 30,000 crore of budgetary support for oil marketing companies' LPG losses in FY 2024-25.
The targeted Rs 300 subsidy per 14.2-kg cylinder under PMUY continues for up to 9 refills in FY 2025-26.
The subsidy flows through the PAHAL direct benefit transfer scheme.
More than 10.33 crore PMUY connections had been issued by July 2025.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Banking & Finance

Banking & Finance

6. Paytm Payments Services Gets RBI Nod as Payment Aggregator

RBI gave Paytm Payments Services Ltd in-principle approval as an online payment aggregator, lifting earlier curbs on onboarding merchants.
Aggregators need RBI authorisation under the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007.
Required net worth: ₹15 crore at application, ₹25 crore by the end of year three.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Banking & Finance

7. NPCI to Stop UPI Pull Transactions from October 31, 2025

NPCI will discontinue UPI 'pull' or 'collect' transactions from October 31, 2025 to curb fraud.
In pull payments the receiver starts the request and the payer approves with a UPI PIN.
UPI was launched in April 2016 by NPCI, set up in 2008.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

8. RBI lets Vostro account holders invest surplus in G-Secs

RBI permitted foreign investors to put their whole surplus Vostro balance into central government securities.
A Vostro account is held by a domestic bank for a foreign bank and keeps rupee balances from trade.
The step is meant to promote INR trade settlement and support the rupee's internationalisation.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

9. Government Bonds: RBI Buyback and Types of G-Secs

RBI held its second government bond buyback auction of FY26, adding durable liquidity.
G-Secs run 5 to 40 years; state bonds are State Development Loans (SDLs).
Sovereign Gold Bonds pay 2.50% tax-free interest.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Economy

Polity & Governance

10. IBC Amendment Bill 2025: Group and Cross-Border Insolvency

Nirmala Sitharaman introduced the IBC Amendment Bill in Lok Sabha on 12 August 2025.
It brings group, cross-border and pre-packaged insolvency for large firms.
New CIIRP must conclude in 150 days; a single electronic portal is planned.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

11. CPI Inflation Falls to 1.55% in July 2025, Lowest in 8 Years

Retail inflation fell to 1.55% in July 2025, the lowest in eight years, as food got cheaper.
It sits below RBI's 2%-6% target range and has stayed under 4% for six months.
India's CPI base year is 2012.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

International Affairs

International Relations

12. Armenia-Azerbaijan Peace Agreement Brokered by the US

A US-brokered peace agreement was signed between Armenia and Azerbaijan, ending nearly four decades of conflict.
It provides for mutual giving up of territorial claims, no use of force and respect for international law.
The US secured exclusive development rights over the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity transit corridor.
India backs the deal; both countries are part of the International North-South Transport Corridor.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Science & Technology

Government Schemes

13. India Semiconductor Mission: Aims, Incentives, Challenges

India Semiconductor Mission began in December 2021 under Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat; MeitY implements it.
The Semicon India Programme carries a Rs 76,000 crore (about $10 billion) outlay.
Fab units can get up to 50% financial assistance; a Design Linked Incentive scheme backs chip design startups.
Hurdles include missing infrastructure, a skills gap, import dependence and 5-7 year gestation periods.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Reports & Indexes

Health & Social Issues

14. SHRESTH: State Health Regulatory Excellence Index by CDSCO

SHRESTH, the State Health Regulatory Excellence Index, was launched by the Health Ministry through CDSCO.
Manufacturing states face 27 indicators and distribution states/UTs 23, under five themes.
States send data monthly to CDSCO for scoring and feedback.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Awards & Persons

Agriculture & Rural Development

15. Bibi Fatima Women’s SHG wins Equator Prize 2025

Bibi Fatima Women's Self-Help Group, Teertha village, Dharwad, Karnataka, was the sole Indian winner of the Equator Prize 2025.
Ten winners from nine countries were selected; each receives USD 10,000.
The group was formed in 2018 by 15 women and now supports over 5,000 farmers across 30 villages.
It promotes millet-based mixed cropping on rainfed farms using natural farming methods.
The 2025 theme was Women and Youth Leadership for Nature-Based Climate Action, with over 700 nominations from 103 countries.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Test yourself

15 questions from the news of 13 August 2025, with answers and explanations.