12th March 2025

1. Air Pollution in India: Key Findings from IQAir’s World Air Quality Report 2024
2. Salman Khan Teams with GRM for Wheat Flour Campaign
3. Culmination of Indian Navy’s Theatre Level Operational Exercise (TROPEX) 2025
4. India Signs $248 Million Deal with Russia for Advanced Battle Tank Engines
5. Commonwealth Games Federation Rebrands as ‘Commonwealth Sport’ on Commonwealth Day 2025
6. RBI Imposes ₹76.6 Lakh Penalty on Four NBFCs for Regulatory Violations
7. Assam Government to Launch Its Own Satellite ‘ASSAMSAT’
8. 54th National Safety Week 2025: Theme, Significance & Observance
9. CISF Raising Day 2025: History, Significance, and Celebrations
10. Bank of Baroda Launches ‘bob Global Women NRE & NRO Savings Account’ for Women NRIs
11. SBI Launches Collateral-Free Digital SME Loan for Women Entrepreneurs
12. Mark Carney Appointed as Canada’s New Liberal Party Leader and Prime Minister
13. India & Armenia Sign MoU for Cooperation in Medical Product Regulation
14. Union Minister Amit Shah Releases 24 Reprinted Sastu Sahitya Books, Rs 150 Coin in Ahmedabad
15. Overview of EAM Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar’s visit to UK & Ireland from March 4-9, 2025
16. India-Cambodia Held 3rd FOC to Strengthen Bilateral Cooperation in Health and Digital Tech
17. SIPRI Report 2024: Ukraine Tops as World’s Largest Arms Importer; India Ranks 2nd
18. India & Bangladesh begin 6th ‘CORPAT’ & 4th ‘BONGOSAGAR’ Exercise in Bay of Bengal
19. FAO Releases Reports on Global Grain Production & Food Situation 2025: Predicts Wheat Production at 796 Mt
20. India Chairs 68th Session of UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs for the First Time
21. India’s Top Life Insurers in 2025: HDFC, Max Life, and LIC Lead in Terms of Claim Settlements
22. HDFC Bank, Indian Army, and CSC Academy Renew MoU to Expand Project NAMAN
23. BCCI Appoints Rajeev Shukla and Ashish Shelar for ACC Leadership Roles
24. Foxconn Launches Its First Large Language Model, FoxBrain
25. ICC Champions Trophy 2025: India Beat New Zealand by 4 Wickets, Claims 4th Championship Title
26. Union Minister JP Nadda Announces 2 New Schemes for Girl Child Welfare in Tripura

National News

1. EAM Jaishankar Visits UK and Ireland to Strengthen Ties

• What:
  • External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar visited the United Kingdom and Ireland from March 4 to March 9, 2025.
  • The visit included discussions with UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Irish Foreign Minister Simon Harris.
• Why:
  • The visit aimed to provide renewed impetus to India’s ties with the UK and Ireland across various sectors.
• Tell me more:
  • India and the UK share a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership covering defence, trade, health, education, and people-to-people ties.
  • Discussions in the UK focused on trade, investment, connectivity, and cultural exchanges.
  • India and Ireland have friendly relations based on shared democratic values, cultural ties, and economic engagements.
  • In Ireland, EAM met dignitaries and Indian community members to further bilateral cooperation.

Source: MEA

2. India-Cambodia Hold 3rd Foreign Office Consultations

• What:
  • The 3rd India-Cambodia Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) were held in Siem Reap, Cambodia, on March 10, 2025.
• Why:
  • The consultations aimed to review bilateral relations and explore new areas of cooperation.
• Tell me more:
  • The Indian delegation was led by Shri Jaideep Mazumdar, Secretary (East), and the Cambodian delegation was led by H.E. Dr. UN Kheang, Secretary of State.
  • The delegations visited the Asian Traditional Textile Museum and the Ta Prohm Temple, both supported by Indian assistance under the Mekong Ganga Cooperation initiative.

Source: MEA

State News

1. Assam to Launch Its Own Satellite, ASSAMSAT

• What:
  • The Assam government announced plans to launch its satellite, ASSAMSAT, to enhance data access and border surveillance.
• Why:
  • The satellite aims to provide dedicated services for agriculture, disaster management, infrastructure development, and border security.
• Tell me more:
  • ASSAMSAT will be developed in collaboration with IN-SPACe and ISRO.
  • It will involve students from Assam colleges in building experimental satellites.
  • Assam will be the first state in India to have its own satellite.
  • Preliminary discussions with ISRO are underway to finalize the project.

Source: BS

2. Tripura Launches Two Schemes for Girl Child Empowerment

• What:
  • Union Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda announced two schemes, Mukhyamantri Balika Samridhi Yojana and Mukhyamantri Kanya Atmanirbhar Yojana, during the two-year celebration of BJP-led Tripura Government 2.0.
• Why:
  • The schemes aim to support the education and empowerment of female children in Tripura.
• Tell me more:
  • Under Mukhyamantri Balika Samridhi Yojana, a bond of ₹50,000 will be deposited for every girl child born to a BPL family in Tripura, maturing to ₹8-10 lakh when the girl turns 18.
  • Mukhyamantri Kanya Atmanirbhar Yojana will provide scooties to 140 meritorious higher secondary girl students from all boards.
  • Chief Minister Manik Saha planned both schemes to promote female empowerment and education.

Source: ANI

Banking and Economy

1. RBI Imposes ₹76.6 Lakh Penalty on NBFCs

• What:
  • RBI imposed penalties totaling ₹76.6 lakh on four non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) for non-compliance with its Peer-to-Peer Lending Platform Directions, 2017.
• Why:
  • The penalties were imposed due to deficiencies in regulatory compliance by the NBFCs.
• Tell me more:
  • Visionary Financepeer was fined ₹16.6 lakh for similar non-compliance issues.
  • Fairassets Technologies India faced a penalty of ₹40 lakh, while Bridge Fintech Solutions and Rang De P2P Financial Services were fined ₹10 lakh each.
  • RBI clarified that the penalties are not intended to question the validity of transactions or agreements between these entities and their customers.

Source: LM

2. Foxconn Launches AI Model “FoxBrain” for Manufacturing

• What:
  • Foxconn introduced its first large language model (LLM), “FoxBrain,” to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into its operations.
  • The model is trained on Nvidia chips and based on Meta’s Llama architecture.
• Why:
  • FoxBrain aims to enhance manufacturing efficiency and streamline supply chain management.
• Tell me more:
  • FoxBrain was developed using 120 Nvidia H100 GPUs, completing training in four weeks.
  • It is the first LLM in Taiwan optimized for traditional Chinese and Taiwanese language styles.
  • Initially, it will be used internally for tasks like data analysis, decision support, document collaboration, mathematical reasoning, problem-solving, and code generation.
  • Nvidia supported the development through its Taiwan-based supercomputer “Taipei-1” and technical consulting.

Source: TOI

Reports and Indices

1. 2024 World Air Quality Report

• What:
  • India is home to 13 of the 20 most polluted cities globally.
  • Delhi recorded an average PM2.5 concentration of 91.8 μg/m³, making it the most polluted capital city globally.
  • Byrnihat, on the Assam-Meghalaya border, emerged as the most polluted city worldwide with a PM2.5 concentration of 128.2 μg/m³.
• Why:
  • Air pollution in India poses a significant health burden, reducing life expectancy by an estimated 5.2 years.
• Tell me more:
  • Despite a 7% decline in PM2.5 levels in 2024 compared to 2023, pollution levels remain critically high.
  • India ranked as the fifth most polluted country in the world with an average AQI of 50.6 μg/m³, ten times higher than WHO’s guideline of 5 μg/m³.
  • Six of the world’s ten most polluted cities are in India, including Faridabad, Gurgaon, and Greater Noida.
  • The report analyzed data from over 40,000 air quality monitoring stations across 138 countries.
  • Only 17% of global cities met WHO air pollution guidelines.

Source: IE

2. SIPRI: Top 10 Largest Arm Importers in the World from 2020-2024

• What:
  • Ukraine emerged as the largest global arms importer from 2020 to 2024, accounting for 8.8% of total arms imports.
  • India ranked second, accounting for 8.3% of global arms imports during the same period.
• Why:
  • SIPRI classified 162 nations as major arms importers during this period, with the top five accounting for 35% of global imports.
• Tell me more:
  • European countries saw a 155% rise in major arms imports between 2020-2024 compared to the previous period (2015-2019).
  • India sourced 36% of its arms imports from Russia while diversifying to suppliers like France, Israel, and the United States.

Source: IE

3. FAO Projects Growth in Global Grain Production for 2025

• What:
  • Global wheat production is projected to reach 796 million tonnes in 2025, a 1% increase over the previous year.
  • Global rice production is expected to hit a record 543 million tonnes in 2024/25 due to good crops in India, Cambodia, and Myanmar.
• Why:
  • The increase in wheat and rice production is driven by favorable weather conditions and expanded sowing areas.
• Tell me more:
  • The FAO raised its forecast for global grain production in 2024 to 2,842 million tonnes, slightly higher than in 2023.
  • Global cereal use is estimated to reach 2,867 million tonnes in 2024/25, driven by record rice consumption.
  • Wheat use as food may decline, but industrial use, especially in China, is expected to rise.
  • Global grain stocks are projected to fall by 1.9% to 869.3 million tonnes in 2025 due to reduced stocks outside Russia and Ukraine.
  • The stock-to-use ratio is expected to drop to around 29.9%, which is still considered satisfactory.

Source: DTE

Defence News

1. Indian Navy Concludes Mega Naval Exercise TROPEX 2025

• What:
  • The Indian Navy concluded a three-month-long mega naval exercise, TROPEX, in the Indian Ocean.
• Why:
  • TROPEX aimed to assess the Navy’s operational preparedness and material readiness for combat.
• Tell me more:
  • The operations spanned from the Strait of Hormuz in the West to the Sunda and Lombok Straits in the East.
  • Units from the Indian Army, Air Force, and Coast Guard participated extensively in the exercise.
  • Participating assets included Sukhoi-30, Jaguar, C-130, flight refueller, AWACS aircraft, over 600 infantry troops, and more than 10 Coast Guard ships.

Source: BS

2. India and Bangladesh Conduct Joint Naval Exercises

• What:
  • The 6th Coordinated Patrol (CORPAT) and 4th Bilateral Exercise ‘BONGOSAGOR’ between India and Bangladesh began on March 10, 2025, and will conclude on March 12, 2025.
• Why:
  • The exercises aim to eliminate illegal fishing, smuggling, human trafficking, piracy, and drug trafficking in the maritime areas of both countries.
• Tell me more:
  • The exercises are supervised by Commander Flotilla West and focus on enhancing maritime security and addressing risks.
  • Indian Navy’s INS RANVIR and a helicopter, along with Bangladesh Navy’s BNS ABU UBAIDAH and a maritime patrol aircraft, are participating.
  • Regular bilateral exercises like CORPAT have been conducted since 2018 to strengthen cooperation between the two navies.
  • The previous CORPAT-23 included Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) drills and joint patrolling along the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL).

Source: ANI

Important Dates

1. India Celebrates 54th National Safety Week 2025

• What:
  • India observed National Safety Week from March 4 to March 10, starting with National Safety Day on March 4.
  • The theme for 2025 was “Safety and Well-being crucial for Viksit Bharat.”
• Why:
  • The week aims to promote safety awareness across industries and foster a culture of accident prevention.
• Tell me more:
  • National Safety Week is led by the National Safety Council of India, which was founded on March 4, 1966.
  • The first National Safety Day was celebrated in 1972, and since then, the week has been dedicated to raising safety awareness.

Source: IE

2. CISF Raising Day is marked every year on March 10

• Specialised security personnel were becoming necessary in industry and other vital areas. Hence, the Central Industrial Security Force was created under the CISF Act of 1968 and established in 1969.

Source: N18

Sports

1. Commonwealth Games Federation Rebrands to Commonwealth Sport

• What:
  • The Commonwealth Games Federation announced its rebranding to Commonwealth Sport on March 10, Commonwealth Day.
  • The change will officially take effect from Commonwealth Day 2025.
• Why:
  • The rebranding aims to transition the organization from a governing body to a broader sports movement.
• Tell me more:
  • The legal entity will retain the name ‘Commonwealth Games Federation.’
  • King Charles will launch the inaugural Commonwealth Sport King’s Baton Relay for the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games at Buckingham Palace.
  • The Baton Relay will be the longest-ever for a Commonwealth Games, involving 74 nations and territories with up to six days of activities each.
  • King Charles will place his message inside the first Baton, which will be passed to Sir Chris Hoy, marking the start of the relay.

Source: TOI

Memorandum of Understanding

1. India and Armenia Strengthen Bilateral Ties with MOUs

• What:
  • India and Armenia signed two Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) during the visit of Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan to India.
• Why:
  • The MOUs focus on cooperation in regulating medical products and diplomatic training.
• Tell me more:
  • One MOU was signed between India’s Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) and Armenia’s Center of Drug and Medical Technology Expertise (CDMTE).
  • Another MOU was signed between the Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service and Armenia’s Diplomatic School.
  • Discussions between EAM S Jaishankar and FM Mirzoyan covered trade, connectivity, education, culture, and global developments.
  • Armenia joined initiatives like the International Solar Alliance and participated in the Voice of Global South Summit.

Source: BS

Appointments

1. GRM Overseas Launches Campaign with Salman Khan

• What:
  • GRM Overseas launched a campaign for its 10X Classic Chakki Fresh Atta, appointing Salman Khan as the Brand Ambassador.
• Tell me more:
  • GRM Overseas is a small-cap company engaged in milling, processing, and marketing branded and non-branded basmati rice.
  • The packaged atta market in India is projected to grow at a 16% CAGR, reaching $197 billion by 2030.
  • Atul Garg, Managing Director of GRM Overseas, emphasized innovation and quality in driving the packaged staples market forward.

Source: LM

2. Canada’s New PM Mark Carney

Source: TOI

Miscellaneous

1. Amit Shah to Launch 24 Reprinted Books by Sastu Sahitya

• What:
  • Union Home Minister Amit Shah will launch 24 reprinted books from the Sastu Sahitya Mudranalay Trust.
  • Shah has been the president of the trust since 2023.
• Why:
  • The initiative aims to promote values and make literature accessible to the younger generation in Gujarat.
• Tell me more:
  • Sastu Sahitya Mudranalay Trust has completed 115 years of publishing books emphasizing values.
  • The trust plans to make literature from various Indian and global languages available in Gujarati.

Source: TOI

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