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Daily Current Affairs: 23 & 24 February 2025

Current affairs of 23 & 24 February 2025: Trump’s Second Term and the Shift in World Order; Indian Navy Submarines: Project 75, Project 76 and SSN Plans; Digital Content Regulation: New Legal Framework for OTT, and 12 more topics. Key facts for every exam, with a quiz.

Take the quiz (10 questions)February 2025

In this issue: 15 topics

National Affairs

Digital Content Regulation: New Legal Framework for OTT
Three-Language Policy Row: Tamil Nadu and Samagra Shiksha Funds
India’s TB Elimination Push and AI Chest X-ray Tools

Banking & Finance

RBI $10 Billion Dollar-Rupee Swap Auction Explained
QIB Definition Expansion: Sebi Plan for Angel Funds
Deposit Insurance Reform: Higher Cover, Risk-Based Premium, NBFCs
Bank NPAs, NII and NIM Trends in December 2024 Quarter
IRDAI Asks Insurers for ₹300 Crore for Bima Sugam

Economy

State Budgets 2025-26: Fiscal Prudence of Five Big States
Gold Investment Boom 2024: Prices, Drivers and Risks

International Affairs

Trump’s Second Term and the Shift in World Order

Agriculture & Rural

Makhana Board in Bihar: Budget 2025-26 Boost for Makhana Farmers
Soil Nutrient Management: SHC Progress and Gaps in India

Science & Technology

Quantum Computing: Qubits, Error Correction and 2025 Outlook

Defence & Security

Indian Navy Submarines: Project 75, Project 76 and SSN Plans

National Affairs

Polity & Governance

1. Digital Content Regulation: New Legal Framework for OTT

The Information and Broadcasting Ministry is reviewing a new framework to regulate harmful digital content.
OTT platforms and YouTube remain unregulated, unlike print and electronic media.
An advisory asked OTT platforms to comply strictly with the IT Rules, 2021.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Polity & Governance

2. Three-Language Policy Row: Tamil Nadu and Samagra Shiksha Funds

The Centre withheld ₹2,152 crore of Samagra Shiksha funds from Tamil Nadu over the PM Schools for Rising India row.
NEP 2020 keeps the three-language formula; at least two languages must be Indian.
Tamil Nadu's stand is rooted in the 1937-65 anti-Hindi agitations.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Science & Technology

3. India’s TB Elimination Push and AI Chest X-ray Tools

The PM's goal of ending TB by 2025 is held back by slow action on AI screening.
qXR costs ₹30 per scan and Genki ₹22, with sensitivity above 90%.
The Central TB Division backs DeepCXR, which lacks peer-reviewed validation.
X-ray detected 42.6% of TB cases in the 2019-2021 National TB Survey.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Banking & Finance

4. RBI $10 Billion Dollar-Rupee Swap Auction Explained

RBI held a $10 billion dollar-rupee swap auction with a three-year tenor to ease long-term liquidity.
The earlier swap on January 31, 2025 was $5 billion for six months.
Both swaps together are expected to add ₹1.3 trillion to banking system liquidity.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

5. QIB Definition Expansion: Sebi Plan for Angel Funds

Sebi wants to broaden the definition of qualified institutional buyers (QIBs) to include more accredited investors.
It may remove the current 200-investor cap so angel funds can reach a wider investor base.
A consultation paper is expected before any change.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Banking & Finance

6. Deposit Insurance Reform: Higher Cover, Risk-Based Premium, NBFCs

DICGC insures each depositor up to ₹5 lakh; the government was weighing a rise to ₹15 lakh.
The last hike, in February 2020 (₹1 lakh to ₹5 lakh), was only the second since 1993.
Premium is a flat 12 paise per ₹100 of deposits; a risk-based scheme is being debated.
India ranks 3rd in Asia Pacific for insured deposits, with 46.3% of total deposits covered.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

7. Bank NPAs, NII and NIM Trends in December 2024 Quarter

PSB gross NPAs fell from ₹4.93 trillion (Dec 2023) to ₹4.47 trillion (Dec 2024); private banks edged up to ₹1.39 trillion.
RBI raised risk weights on unsecured loans in November 2023, which helped contain bad-loan growth.
Bandhan Bank had the highest NIM at 6.9%, followed by IDFC First Bank at 6.04%.
CASA deposits fell at most banks; Bank of Maharashtra led with 49.28%.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Banking & Finance

8. IRDAI Asks Insurers for ₹300 Crore for Bima Sugam

IRDAI asked insurers to infuse ₹300 crore into the Bima Sugam digital marketplace by the end of February.
Each insurer is expected to put in roughly ₹5 crore; Bima Sugam is called the UPI moment for insurance.
Bima Trinity covers Bima Sugam, Bima Vistaar and Bima Vahak.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Economy

9. State Budgets 2025-26: Fiscal Prudence of Five Big States

UP, Gujarat and Odisha budgeted revenue surpluses; Rajasthan and West Bengal showed revenue deficits.
Odisha (12.7%) and Gujarat (about 15%) have the lowest debt-to-GSDP ratios of the five states.
Odisha and UP have the highest capital outlay relative to economy size.
West Bengal (about 38%) and Rajasthan (36.5%) carry the highest debt-to-GSDP ratios.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

10. Gold Investment Boom 2024: Prices, Drivers and Risks

Gold rose 42% in dollar terms and over 13% in rupees in 2024, topping other financial assets.
Central banks bought 1,045 tonnes in 2024, the third straight year above 1,000 tonnes.
China and India are leading central-bank buyers of gold.
Price swings are possible if the US revalues its gold reserves or imposes tariffs.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

International Affairs

International Relations

11. Trump’s Second Term and the Shift in World Order

Analysts see Trump's second term as dismantling the post-war governance system and shifting to power politics.
US exits or distance from Paris Accord, WHO and NATO leave allies exposed.
US-Russia backchannel meetings took place in Riyadh.
India faces a direct security risk along the McMahon line and needs stronger defence alliances.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Agriculture & Rural

Government Schemes

12. Makhana Board in Bihar: Budget 2025-26 Boost for Makhana Farmers

Budget FY26 announced a Makhana Board to lift production, processing and exports.
Bihar produces 90% of India's makhana; area rose 171% from 13,000 ha (FY13) to 35,224 ha (FY22).
Output is concentrated in 10 districts of Mithilanchal and Seemanchal.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Agriculture & Rural Development

13. Soil Nutrient Management: SHC Progress and Gaps in India

Urea-favouring fertiliser subsidy skews use; the NPK ratio in 2021-22 was 7.7:3.1:1 against an ideal 4:2:1.
Over 247 million Soil Health Cards have been issued to promote balanced fertilisation.
India has 8,272 Soil Testing Labs, including 665 village-level labs across 17 states.
The IoT-based KRISHIRASTAA kit performs 12 key soil tests in 30 minutes.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Science & Technology

Science & Technology

14. Quantum Computing: Qubits, Error Correction and 2025 Outlook

The UN declared 2025 the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology.
Quantum chips use qubits that can be 0 and 1 simultaneously (superposition), unlike classical bits.
Google's Willow chip showed quantum supremacy on a hard computational problem in late 2024.
Logical qubits combine several imperfect qubits to cancel errors.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Defence & Security

Defence & Security

15. Indian Navy Submarines: Project 75, Project 76 and SSN Plans

Project 75 covers six diesel-electric submarines, with MDL and Germany's TKMS set to negotiate at about ₹70,000 crore.
Project 76 is an indigenous design with 90-95% local content; first boat in about eight years.
The Navy has 17 conventional submarines, mostly ageing.

Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Test yourself

10 questions from the news of 23 & 24 February 2025, with answers and explanations.