1. Bestu Varsh: Gujarati New Year on Kartik Day One
- Gujaratis worldwide celebrated their New Year, called Bestu Varsh.
- In Gujarat it falls on the first day of Kartik.
- The month belongs to the Vikram Samvat Hindu calendar.
Daily Current Affairs: 22 October 2025
Current affairs of 22 October 2025: UNFPA State of World Population 2025: India’s TFR at 1.9; UNESCO Global Education Report 2025: Girls’ Education Gains; NITI Aayog Draft Roadmap: LCDC and NGFI for India’s Net Zero Goal, and 16 more topics. Key facts for every exam, with a quiz.
In this issue: 19 topics
National Affairs
Government Schemes
- UDAN Regional Connectivity Scheme to Run Beyond 2027
- Per Drop More Crop Scheme: Micro-Irrigation Subsidy and Features
Banking & Finance
- RBI’s Expected Credit Loss Model Replaces Incurred Loss
- PFRDA Draft on Dual Valuation of Pension Wealth
- RBI Bulletin: SME IPO Overvaluation Warning
- Bank NIMs and Profits Improve as RBI Cuts Rates
- SEBI Insider Trading Crackdown: ₹173 Crore Impounded in IEX Case
- PFRDA Dual Valuation Proposal for NPS and APY Portfolios
- RBI Unveils Offline Digital Rupee at Global Fintech Fest 2025
Economy
- India’s Net FDI Turns Negative in August 2025: RBI Data
- Share Buyback Tax Shifted to Shareholders from October 2024
Agriculture & Rural
- Falling Crop Prices Below MSP After Easing Food Inflation
- Kapas Kranti Mission: ₹600 Crore Push for Cotton Yield
Environment & Ecology
- NITI Aayog Draft Roadmap: LCDC and NGFI for India’s Net Zero Goal
- FAO Forest Assessment 2025: India Climbs to 9th Rank
- Vanasamrakshana Samiti: Kani Women Rescue Macaque in Kerala
Reports & Indexes
National Affairs
Government Schemes
2. UDAN Regional Connectivity Scheme to Run Beyond 2027
- Civil Aviation Secretary Samir Kumar Sinha said UDAN will run beyond 2027 with 120 new destinations.
- UDAN, launched 21 October 2016 under the National Civil Aviation Policy, had its first flight on 27 April 2017.
- Viability Gap Funding and an airfare cap keep fares low.
3. Per Drop More Crop Scheme: Micro-Irrigation Subsidy and Features
- Per Drop More Crop (PDMC) is a component of PMKSY that promotes micro-irrigation through drip and sprinkler systems.
- Small and marginal farmers get a 55% subsidy; other farmers get 45%, with extra support from some states.
- It is implemented by the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare with state governments, and priority goes to water-stressed districts.
- Reported results: 20-30% higher yields, more than 10 million hectares under drip and sprinkler irrigation.
Banking & Finance
4. RBI’s Expected Credit Loss Model Replaces Incurred Loss
- RBI proposed shifting banks from incurred-loss to forward-looking Expected Credit Loss (ECL) provisioning.
- ECL uses probability of default, exposure at default and loss given default.
- The framework matches IFRS 9 and Basel III guidelines.
5. PFRDA Draft on Dual Valuation of Pension Wealth
- PFRDA issued a consultation paper on valuing and disclosing pension wealth accumulations.
- It proposes dual valuation, mixing accrual-based and fair market-based methods, for long-term G-secs.
- The aim is to dampen NAV volatility.
6. RBI Bulletin: SME IPO Overvaluation Warning
- An RBI Bulletin study flagged volatility and overvaluation signs in SME IPOs listed in FY24 and FY25.
- About 20% of 100 sampled SME stocks had excessive P/E multiples against industry averages.
- Fresh capital made up 94.8% of issue size in FY24 and 91.5% in FY25.
- SME IPO eligibility requires post-issue paid-up capital below ₹25 crore.
7. Bank NIMs and Profits Improve as RBI Cuts Rates
- RBI's rate-cut cycle is easing bank funding costs and lifting profitability and NIMs.
- Private sector banks maintain higher NIMs than public sector banks.
- NIM is interest earned less interest paid, as a share of earning assets.
8. SEBI Insider Trading Crackdown: ₹173 Crore Impounded in IEX Case
- SEBI impounded over ₹173 crore of unlawful gains in an IEX insider trading case linked to a CERC official.
- Insider trading means trading securities using unpublished price-sensitive information (UPSI).
- It is governed by SEBI (Prohibition of Insider Trading) Regulations, 2015.
9. PFRDA Dual Valuation Proposal for NPS and APY Portfolios
- PFRDA proposed dual valuation of securities in NPS and APY portfolios.
- Part of the G-Sec portfolio would use accrual valuation; the rest mark-to-market.
- The aim is clearer wealth accumulation and long-term infrastructure funding.
10. RBI Unveils Offline Digital Rupee at Global Fintech Fest 2025
- RBI launched the offline digital rupee (e₹), a CBDC, at Global Fintech Fest 2025.
- Offline payments work through minimal connectivity or NFC tap technology.
- GSAFAL in Gujarat and DEEPAM 2.0 in Andhra Pradesh test programmability.
Economy
11. India’s Net FDI Turns Negative in August 2025: RBI Data
- RBI reported a 159% decline in net FDI in August 2025: more money left India than arrived.
- It was the second time in FY26 that outflows beat inflows.
- Net FDI is gross inflows minus repatriation or disinvestment.
12. Share Buyback Tax Shifted to Shareholders from October 2024
- Since 1 October 2024, buyback proceeds are taxed as dividend income for shareholders under Finance Act, 2024 changes.
- The earlier 20% buyback tax on companies under Section 115QA was abolished.
- Non-resident investors face TDS under Section 195, subject to DTAA benefits.
Agriculture & Rural
13. Falling Crop Prices Below MSP After Easing Food Inflation
- Retail food inflation was negative for four straight months to September 2025, after averaging 8.5% from July 2023 to December 2024.
- Wheat stocks on 1 October 2025 were 320.3 lakh tonnes, a four-year high and about 1.5 times buffer needs.
- Maize, cotton, pulses, millets and soyabean sold below MSP, pushing policy towards farmers' interests.
14. Kapas Kranti Mission: ₹600 Crore Push for Cotton Yield
- The Centre launched the ₹600 crore Kapas Kranti Mission to raise cotton productivity.
- Nodal ministry: Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare.
- Focus states: Maharashtra, Gujarat, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab.
Environment & Ecology
15. NITI Aayog Draft Roadmap: LCDC and NGFI for India’s Net Zero Goal
- NITI Aayog's draft roadmap proposes a Low Carbon Development Commission (LCDC) and a National Green Financing Institute (NGFI).
- India targets 500 GW non-fossil capacity by 2030 and net zero by 2070, plus 45% lower emission intensity of GDP by 2030 from 2005.
- LCDC would mobilise $100 billion a year in climate finance.
16. FAO Forest Assessment 2025: India Climbs to 9th Rank
- India ranks 9th in total forest area in FAO's GFRA 2025, up from 10th.
- India is 3rd globally in annual forest area gain.
- GFRA is released every five years; the 2025 report came out in Bali.
17. Vanasamrakshana Samiti: Kani Women Rescue Macaque in Kerala
- Three Kani tribal women of a Vanasamrakshana Samiti in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, saved an electrocuted baby macaque.
- The rescue happened close to the Kallar Golden Valley forest check-post.
- A VSS is a community group for forest protection, run under Kerala's Forest Department.
- Such groups bring tribal and local people into conservation, wildlife protection and sustainable use of resources.
Reports & Indexes
18. UNFPA State of World Population 2025: India’s TFR at 1.9
- UNFPA’s State of World Population 2025 puts India’s Total Fertility Rate at 1.9, below the replacement level of 2.1.
- TFR is the average children per woman if current age-specific fertility rates held through ages 15-49.
- Data suggest births are being postponed rather than necessarily reduced.
19. UNESCO Global Education Report 2025: Girls’ Education Gains
- Since 1995, over 91 million more girls attend primary and 136 million more attend secondary school.
- Central and South Asia reached gender parity in secondary education.
- World Bank (2024): closing the gap could add $15-30 trillion to global GDP.
Test yourself
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