1. Mission D3: Tribal Youth Campaign Against Dowry, Liquor and DJ
- Mission D3 began in November 2024 in Alirajpur and Jhabua, Madhya Pradesh.
- D3 means Dahej, Daroo and DJ; led by Nitesh Alawa.
- Families save ₹1-5 lakh.
Daily Current Affairs: 13 May 2025
Current affairs of 13 May 2025: US-China 90-Day Tariff Truce: What Changed; E-Waste Management in India: EPR, Rules and Challenges; WHO State of the World’s Nursing 2025: India Findings, and 10 more topics. Key facts for every exam, with a quiz.
In this issue: 13 topics
National Affairs
Government Schemes
Banking & Finance
- B-SMILE and SPVs: Karnataka’s Urban Infrastructure Vehicle
- Bank Mitras: BCRC Seeks Higher Commissions and Subsidies
- PSBs Adopt AI and AR/VR Training to Improve Customer Service
- AmEx and HSBC Top Foreign Banks in FY25 Card Additions
- RBI Fines SBI ₹1.73 Crore and Jana SFB ₹1 Crore
- Bhutan Crypto Tourism Payments with Binance Pay and DK Bank
International Affairs
Agriculture & Rural
Science & Technology
Environment & Ecology
Reports & Indexes
National Affairs
Government Schemes
2. MY Bharat (Mera Yuva Bharat): Youth Platform Explained
- MY Bharat is an autonomous body under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.
- It launched on October 31, 2023, Sardar Patel's birth anniversary.
- Youth become 'Vikas Ambassadors' for flagship schemes.
Banking & Finance
3. B-SMILE and SPVs: Karnataka’s Urban Infrastructure Vehicle
- B-SMILE is Karnataka's SPV for big urban projects, with an initial ₹7,000 crore government commitment.
- Equity is 90% Government of Karnataka and 10% BBMP.
- An SPV is a bankruptcy-remote subsidiary isolating risk, but may hide debts off the parent's books.
4. Bank Mitras: BCRC Seeks Higher Commissions and Subsidies
- BCRC asked Parliament's Finance Committee to review Bank Mitra commissions and fund rural infrastructure.
- Bank Mitras work under PMJDY, launched on 28 August 2014.
- The Department of Financial Services is responsible for the scheme.
5. PSBs Adopt AI and AR/VR Training to Improve Customer Service
- PSBs are using AI, AR and VR to improve frontline customer service and employee soft skills.
- PNB runs 30-minute conversational AI mock sessions that give a performance matrix and rankings.
- A QR-based feedback system sends customer ratings to the head office for real-time monitoring.
6. AmEx and HSBC Top Foreign Banks in FY25 Card Additions
- AmEx and HSBC led foreign banks in net credit card additions in FY25.
- Industry added over 8 million cards, slower than before.
- HSBC was founded in 1865.
7. RBI Fines SBI ₹1.73 Crore and Jana SFB ₹1 Crore
- RBI fined SBI ₹1.73 crore for three rule breaches.
- Jana Small Finance Bank was fined ₹1 crore under the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.
- Customer transactions stay valid.
8. Bhutan Crypto Tourism Payments with Binance Pay and DK Bank
- Bhutan launched the first national crypto tourism payment system with Binance Pay and DK Bank.
- Visitors can use 100+ cryptocurrencies via QR codes.
- DK Bank instantly converts payments into Bhutanese Ngultrum.
International Affairs
9. US-China 90-Day Tariff Truce: What Changed
- US and China agreed a 90-day truce to allow more trade talks.
- US tariff on Chinese goods falls from 145% to 30%; China's on US goods from 125% to 10%.
- China suspended non-tariff barriers brought in after April 2.
Agriculture & Rural
10. Dvara Solutions to Digitise Kissandhan Loans on Perdix
- Dvara Solutions partnered with Kissandhan Agri Financial Services, an NBFC subsidiary of SLCM.
- Kissandhan adopts Perdix: LOS, LMS, reports and analytics, and a co-lending module.
- Kissandhan had disbursed ₹3,263.99 crore and reached 7+ lakh farmers by April 30, 2025.
Science & Technology
11. Geotubing: Geotextile Tubes for Coastal and Riverbank Protection
- Geotubes are large cylindrical geotextile tubes filled with sand, slurry or dredged material.
- They work as submerged barriers that reduce wave energy and trap sand.
- Poonthura in Kerala has a three-layer geotube barrier laid perpendicular to the coast.
Environment & Ecology
12. E-Waste Management in India: EPR, Rules and Challenges
- India's e-waste rose 151.03% from 2017-18 to 2023-24, from 7,08,445 to 17,78,400 metric tonnes.
- E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022 use EPR and now cover 106 EEE items from FY 2023-24, against 21 earlier.
- The 2024 amendment lets CPCB set EPR certificate prices between 30% and 100% of the applicable environmental compensation.
- Improper disposal costs over $10 billion a year in pollution damage and over ₹80,000 crore a year in lost metals.
Reports & Indexes
13. WHO State of the World’s Nursing 2025: India Findings
- WHO warned that the global nursing shortage is intensifying.
- Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean are projected to bear 70% of the shortfall by 2030.
- India has about 30 nurses per 10,000 people, below WHO's benchmark of 44.5 health workers per 10,000.
Test yourself
15 questions from the news of 13 May 2025, with answers and explanations.
Start the quiz