Are you ready for UPSC Prelims 2025? UPSC Current Affairs Pointers brings you essential current affairs of the past week, every Monday, to aid you in your Prelims and Mains preparation of UPSC, State PCS, and other competitive examinations. If you missed the UPSC Current Affairs Pointers of the past week | January 13 to January 19, 2025, from the Indian Express, read it here. Index (FYI: The data provided in these reports can be used to substantiate your Mains answer and create a broad understanding of the topic.) Fiscal Health Index — The inaugural issue of NITI Aayog’s report titled “Fiscal Health Index (FHI)" was launched on 24th January 2025. — Covering 18 major states for the financial year 2022-23, the index assigned a score to each state on the basis of five parameters – the quality of expenditure, revenue mobilisation, fiscal prudence, debt index, and debt sustainability. — Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and Jharkhand led NITI Aayog’s new Fiscal Health Index on the back of mining-linked premiums, whereas Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, and West Bengal emerged as major laggards across parameters including revenue mobilisation and fiscal prudence. States Fiscal Health Index score Odisha 67.8 Chhattisgarh 55.2 Goa 53.6 West Bengal 21.8 Andhra Pradesh 20.9 Events Parakram Diwas — Since 2021, January 23, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s birth anniversary, has been observed as “Parakram Diwas,” or the Day of Valour. This year marked Netaji’s 128th birth anniversary. — Subhas Chandra Bose, born on January 23, 1897, in Cuttack, Orissa, was a nationalist leader who joined the nationalist movement led by Mahatma Gandhi and the Indian National Congress in 1921. National Voters' Day — January 25 is celebrated annually as National Voters’ Day to mark the foundation day of the Election Commission of India (ECI), which was founded on January 25, 1950. — The 15th National Voters’ Day theme was “Nothing Like Voting, I Vote for Sure” emphasising the importance of participation in the electoral process, and encouraging voters to take pride in exercising their franchise. World Economic Forum Annual Meeting — The World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting was held in Davos, Switzerland from January 20 to 24. — WEF, originally known as the European Management Forum, was founded by German professor Klaus Schwab in 1971. It introduced the concept of “stakeholder capitalism.” — The WEF is largely funded by its partnering corporations. These are generally global enterprises with annual turnover greater than $5 billion. — Last year, the major themes at the event were Artificial Intelligence, geopolitical uncertainties, climate change and the slowing pace of China’s economic growth. — The WEF went on to regularly publish global rankings and indices, such as the Global Competitiveness Report, the Global Risks Report, the Global Gender Gap Report, and the Future of jobs Report. (Source: WEF) Polity SVAMITVA scheme — Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that Property cards under SVAMITVA will unlock economic activity worth over Rs 100 lakh crore. — The acronym SVAMITVA stands for Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas. It aims to provide a ‘record of rights’ to those having houses in villages, and issue them a property card. — The plan is to survey all rural properties using drones and prepare GIS -based maps for each village. — The scheme was launched by PM Modi on National Panchayati Raj Day, on April 24, 2020. Distribution of property cards began on October 11 of that year. — The scheme benefits rural residents in many ways. First, it enables rural households to use their property as a financial asset for taking loans and other financial benefits. — Second, it helps in the determination of property tax, which accrues to the Gram Panchayats directly in states where they are empowered to collect such taxes. — The scheme also paves the way for creating accurate land records for rural planning. Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) — At least 4.14 lakh crop insurance claims submitted by farmers in 2024 were found to be bogus and farmers had submitted false claims to gain undue benefits from the PMFBY, according to the Maharashtra Agriculture Department. — The scheme was launched during Kharif 2016. In 2020, the government revamped the scheme’s operational guidelines, and the revised guidelines came into effect from Kharif 2020. — Under the PMFBY, farmers have to pay premium at the rate of 2 per cent of sum insured or actuarial rate whichever is less for kharif food and oilseeds crops (all cereals, millets, and oilseeds, pulses), 1.5 per cent for rabi food and oilseeds crops (all cereals, millets, and oilseeds, pulses), and 5 per cent for kharif and rabi annual commercial/annual horticultural crops. Enemy Property — Madhya Pradesh High Court has asked actor Saif Ali Khan to approach the appellate authority against an order of the central government that declared historical properties of the Pataudi family in Bhopal as “enemy property”. — Enemy property refers to the assets, both movable and immovable, left behind in India by individuals who migrated to countries designated as “enemy nations” during times of conflict. — Following the wars between India and Pakistan in 1965 and 1971, and the Sino-Indian War in 1962, the Indian government assumed control of properties and businesses owned by those who adopted the nationality of Pakistan or China. — Under the Defence of India Rules, formulated under the Defence of India Act, 1962, these properties were vested with the Custodian of Enemy Property for India. The custodian is tasked with managing these assets on behalf of the Indian government. Ad hoc judges — On January 21, the Supreme Court suggested temporarily appointing retired judges on an ad hoc (as required) basis to address the growing backlog of pending criminal cases before several High Courts. — Article 224A of the Indian Constitution allows the Chief Justice of a High Court to request retired HC judges to perform the duties of a judge again, with the permission of the President of India. — Such appointees are entitled to allowances as determined by the President’s order and have all the jurisdiction, powers and privileges of a Judge of that High Court. Economy When-listed platform — The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) is looking to launch a “when-listed” platform for trading of shares of companies that have finished their initial public offering (IPO) and are yet to be listed on stock exchanges. — The new platform, when launched, will help reduce trading of shares in the grey market prior to the listing. — At present, once the IPO is closed, shares have to be listed on bourses in trading plus three working days (T+3), with T being the closing day of the offer. The allotment of shares is done on T+1 day. — Grey market refers to an unofficial trading of securities even before they are listed on a stock exchange. This is an unregulated market and works on demand and supply. International Cooperation Indus Water Treaty — A World Bank-appointed neutral expert on the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) has backed New Delhi’s position on the framework to resolve certain disputes between India and Pakistan on Kishenganga and Ratle hydroelectric projects. — India is constructing two hydroelectric power projects—the Kishenganga HE project on the Kishenganga river, a tributary of Jhelum, and the Ratle Hydroelectric project on the Chenab River. However, Pakistan has objected to the construction of these two projects. — This, in effect, gives India roughly 30% and Pakistan 70% of the water carried by the Indus River System. — The IWT signed in 1960 sought to ensure equitable water distribution amid growing tensions between India and Pakistan. India was granted unrestricted access to the water from the ‘Eastern Rivers’ — the Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi — and Pakistan retained rights to the waters from the ‘Western Rivers’ Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab. World Health Organisation (WHO) — Soon after taking office, United States President Donald Trump signed an executive order withdrawing the US from the World Health Organisation (WHO). — The move means that the US would leave the health agency in 12 months and stop all financial contributions to its work. The US is by far the WHO’s biggest financial supporter, contributing 90 per cent of its overall funding, as per the order. — The WHO is a UN body working on global health. It works with countries to strengthen their primary health care, its guidelines help prepare government policies, and it helps organise programmes to tackle specific diseases. — WHO’s funding essentially comes in two ways — the mandatory assessed contributions from all its member countries, and the voluntary contributions raised from various countries and organisations. — In assessed contributions, the United States is the biggest payer, accounting for 22.5% of the contributions, followed by China at 15%. Of the total USD 578 million assessed contributions, the United States pays approximately USD 138 million and China USD 87.6 million. — In voluntary contributions, while the US is still the biggest donor, accounting for around 13% (USD 356.3 million) of the total contributions in 2023, China accounted for only about 0.14% of the total contributions (USD 3.9 million). The second biggest voluntary contributor was the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. — There is no provision for withdrawing in WHO’s constitution. The US Congress, however, at the time of joining the organisation in 1948, had laid down a condition that said the country could withdraw after giving a one-year notice and meeting the financial obligations of the current year. Stargate — Soon after being sworn in as the US President, Donald Trump made a huge announcement that could shape the future of AI. — Stargate is a $500 billion initiative aimed at creating an AI infrastructure in the US over the next four years. Trump said $100 million will be invested right away. This is an ambitious project that aims to propel the US into global leadership in AI advancements. — Sam Altman’s OpenAI, the organization behind AI language model ChatGPT, has been tasked with overseeing the operational side of the project, while SoftBank will shoulder the financial responsibilities. Environment Olive Ridley turtles — Over the past two weeks, numerous dead olive ridley turtles have washed ashore in Tamil Nadu, particularly in Chennai. — Olive ridley turtles arrive near the Tamil Nadu coast around September-October to breed. Their nesting season begins in late November and ends in March. — Olive ridley turtles lay eggs across several coastal states on India’s east coast and west coast. However, mass nesting takes place in Odisha, followed by Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. — The coast of Odisha, including Gahirmatha and Rushikulya, is the largest mass nesting site for the Olive-ridley, followed by the coasts of Mexico and Costa Rica. — The female Olive Ridley turtles virtually invade the nesting beaches usually at the dead of the night for laying eggs – a phenomenon which is called ‘Arribada’. After laying the eggs the turtles leave the nesting ground to return to the deep sea. Hatchlings emerge from the eggs after 45-60 days. — It is recognised as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red List. — They are carnivores and feed mainly on jellyfish, shrimp, snails, crabs, molluscs, and a variety of fish and their eggs. (Source: WWFINDIA) Indian Grey Wolf — In a rare occurrence, the Indian Gey wolf has given birth to eight pups at the Bankapur Wolf Sanctuary in Koppal district, Karnataka. — On August 13th, International Wolf Day is celebrated every year to raise awareness about wolves and their role in maintaining ecological balance. Tree Aadhaar mission — The Jammu & Kashmir government has launched the “Tree Aadhaar” mission for the conservation of the region’s chinar trees which have been dwindling in numbers over the years. — The initiative involves conducting a census of chinar trees and giving a unique identity to each one of them. — Chinar, also known as Oriental plane tree (plantus orientalis var cashmeriana), is a maple-like tree with a huge canopy and is found in cool climate regions with sufficient water. — The tree is a characteristic of the Eastern Himalayas. It takes 30-50 years for a tree to mature and 150 years to reach its full size. The tree can grow up to a height of 30 metres while its girth ranges from 10 to 15 metres. — Chinar is the “state tree” of Jammu & Kashmir, now a Union Territory. The tree is a major tourist attraction in the valley during the autumn season when its green leaves slowly change into crimson red and golden. Science and Technology Scramjet Vehicle — The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) recently demonstrated a cutting-edge “active cooled scramjet combustor ground test” for 120 seconds for the first time in India. The successful ground test marks a crucial milestone in developing next-generation hypersonic missiles. — Hypersonic missiles are a class of advanced weaponry that travel at speeds greater than ‘Mach 5’, or more than five times the speed of sound. These advanced weapons have the potential to beat existing Air Defence Systems of major military powers across the world and deliver rapid and high-impact strikes. — The key to hypersonic vehicles is scramjets, which are variants of a category of jet engines called the air-breathing engines. — The scramjets are a variant of a category of jet engines called the air-breathing engines. The ability of engines to handle airflows of speeds in multiples of the speed of sound gives them the capability of operating at those speeds. NVS-02 Mission — In its 100th launch, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is geared to send off a 2,250-kg navigation satellite NVS-02 on-board GSLV-F15 from Sriharikota on January 29. — The NVS-02 is the second of the five second-generation satellites developed by the space agency to replace the existing satellites in the country’s navigation constellation the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS). — The new generation of satellites have a longer lifespan of 12 years and are also equipped with indigenously developed, more accurate atomic clocks. — IRNSS — sometimes referred to as NavIC or Navigation with Indian Constellation — is a seven-satellite system that provides positioning, navigation and timing services over the Indian mainland and 1,500 km in its neighbourhood. — The first satellite in the constellation IRNSS-1A was launched in 2013, with a mission life of 10 years. The next two satellites IRNSS-1B and 1C were launched in the subsequent years. AIP system — The joint venture of state-run Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd and Germany’s Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems with the Defence Ministry rejecting the joint bid from Larsen and Toubro (L&T) and Spanish firm Navantia ran into trouble due to technical reasons. — L&T and Navantia failed to meet the technical requirements of a proven air-independent propulsion (AIP) system. — The AIP system, also known as BEST (Bio-Ethanol Stealth Technology), is the next-generation technology for conventional submarines. Using bio-ethanol to generate oxygen, which sustains the crew and ensures fuel combustion, BEST can provide submarines with up to 21 days of underwater endurance. — Though nuclear submarines have higher underwater endurance, AIP submarines cause less noise, reducing chances of detection. These submarines, which can accommodate about 40 crew members, can be armed with heavyweight torpedoes, anti-ship missiles and other weapons. Diseases (Just FYI: UPSC has consistently included questions on health and diseases in its examinations over the years. For instance, in 2014, a question about the Ebola virus appeared in the Prelims, and in 2017, a question about the Zika virus was featured. Therefore, it is crucial to stay updated on diseases that are currently in the news.) Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) — The recent outbreak of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) with 67 people being diagnosed with the rare neurological —disorder mostly in the Sinhagad Road area of Pune has led to concern among residents. — GBS is a rare but treatable neurological condition where the immune system attacks the nerves, leading to weakness in the upper and lower limbs, neck, face, and eyes, tingling or numbness, difficulty walking, swallowing, or breathing in severe cases. — The illness often starts suddenly and can progress over four weeks. Some patients may experience rapid worsening, while others may progress more slowly. Severe cases might require ICU admission and ventilatory support. Persons in News (Just FYI: Noting historical personalities' anniversaries aids UPSC prep. UPSC often includes such personalities in questions, so revisiting their lives refreshes your static syllabus.) Justice Alok Aradhe — Justice Alok Aradhe took oath as the 48th Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court. — Justice Aradhe succeeds Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya who took over as the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court. Jules Feiffer — Jules Feiffer, a Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist and writer whose prolific output ranged from a long-running comic strip to plays, screenplays and children’s books, died at the age of 95. — Feiffer won the United States’ most prominent awards in journalism and filmmaking, taking home a 1986 Pulitzer Prize for his cartoons and “Munro,” an animated short film he wrote, won a 1961 Academy Award. Places in News (Just FYI: The location of the place is important, considering that UPSC has asked several questions about places that were in the news, such as Aleppo and Kirkuk, in the 2018 UPSC Prelims. The best way to remember them is to plot them on a world map.) Manghar village — Maharashtra has displayed a tableau featuring its ‘Madhache Gaav’ (honey village) project in New Delhi as part of the Republic Day celebrations. — Manghar village in the Satara district became the country's first ‘Madhache Gaav’. — The concept of `Madhache Gaav’ was implemented in the Manghar village in May 2022 by the Directorate of Beekeeping Industry under the Maharashtra State Khadi and Village Industries Board (MSKVIB). — The purpose was to promote beekeeping and provide an additional income source in the rural area which also benefits to maintain ecological balance. Greenland — U.S. President Donald Trump said the United States needs to control Greenland to ensure international security. He has also offered to acquire Greenland through a purchase or by force. — Greenland, the world’s largest but sparsely-populated island, is currently an autonomous territory of Denmark. The island is abundant in natural resources, particularly minerals that are critical to many future technologies and is located strategically near the emerging shipping lanes around the Arctic. Gulf of Mexico — Donald Trump reiterated his promise to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America. — The Gulf of Mexico is bordered by Cuba, Mexico, and the United States and is the world’s largest gulf by surface area. It is also considered the ninth-largest body of water in the world. — It connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the Straits of Florida, which run between the Florida peninsula and the island of Cuba. It also connects to the Caribbean Sea via the Yucatán Channel, located between the Yucatán Peninsula and Cuba. McKinley/ Denali Mountain — The Executive orders signed by Donald Trump said that the highest peak in North America would be again called Mount McKinley, the name that was in use before the administration of President Barack Obama renamed it Denali in 2015. — The Denali Peak is the continent’s highest peak in the Alaska Range, in the US state of Alaska, and stands 20,310 feet (6,190 m) above sea level. — The indigenous Koyukon people, who lived in the valleys of the Koyukuk and Yukon rivers, called the peak Denali in their Athabascan language. — In 1897, a gold prospector in Alaska is said to have given the name McKinley to the peak in honour of the then newly-elected President. Sports (Just FYI: With the unpredictability of the UPSC examinations and questions like the ICC World Test Championship question 2021, you can’t be sure of anything. It is wise to know what it is and not go into too much detail.) FIDE World Cup — India will host the prestigious FIDE World Cup 2025 chess tournament this year. The event will be held from October 31 to November 27. — The FIDE World Cup offers the top three finishers among 206 players a spot in the prestigious Candidates Tournament, which serves as the pathway to becoming a challenger to Gukesh at the next World Championship. — The World Cup happens over eight rounds in a knockout format. The top 50 seeded players play from the second round onwards. Each one-on-one match at the FIDE World Cup is played as a set of two classical games, with colours exchanged between game 1 and 2. If the two games cannot decide a winner, there are tiebreaks. Kho-Kho World Cup — The inaugural edition of the World Kho-Kho competition, backed by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), was held in New Delhi from January 13 to 19. — It has featured 20 men’s and 19 women’s teams. The mascot for the event was Tara and Tejas representing speed, agility, and teamwork. — The Indian women's team won the inaugural edition after defeating Nepal. — The Indian Men’s Kho Kho team defeated Nepal to win the inaugural edition. Kalaripayattu — Kerala’s martial art form Kalaripayattu has become a bone of contention ahead of the 38th edition of the National Games which is scheduled to commence from January 28 in Uttarakhand. — In the 37th edition of the National Games, which was held in Goa in 2023, Kalaripayattu was part of the competition section. This year, the art form has been included in the list of events for demonstration. — Kalaripayattu is an ancient Indian martial art, that translates into ‘practice in the arts of the battlefield.’ The term 'Kalari' refers to the martial art and the arena where it is taught and practiced, while 'payattu' means combat or practice. — There are two types of Kalaripayattu — northern (Vadakkan Kalari) and southern (Thekkan Kalari), which slightly differ from each other. — In the north, more weapons are used as compared to the south, and all movements in northern Kalari are in a straight line — forward and backward. However, down south, people can move in any direction while practicing it. Awards Padma Awards — The Padma Awards were announced on January 25, a day ahead of Republic Day, honouring eminent personalities in arts, social work, public affairs, science, business and more. — After the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan, the Padma Bhushan and the Padma Shri are the highest civilian awards (in that order). — The Padma Vibhushan is awarded for “exceptional and distinguished service”, while the Padma Bhushan is conferred to individuals for “distinguished service of high order”. The Padma Shri is awarded for “distinguished service in any field”. — This year, seven people were conferred with the Padma Vibhushan, 19 were awarded the Padma Bhushan and 113 received the Padma Shri, with 139 awardees in total. The highest number was in the category of arts (51). — Under the Education category, MT Vasudevan Nair from Kerala will be awarded the Padma Vibhushan Posthumously. Other people who will receive the award are, Duvvur Nageshwar Reddy, Justice (Retd.) Shri Jagdish Singh Khehar, Kumudini Rajnikant Lakhia, Lakshminarayana Subramaniam, Osamu Suzuki and Sharda Sinha. — Legendary Indian hockey goalkeeper PR Sreejesh will be feted with the Padma Bhushan award. Recently retired India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin will be awarded the Padma Shri as will legendary footballer IM Vijayan, Paralympic medal-winning para-archer Harvinder Singh, and Satyapal Singh. Test Your Knowledge (Note: The best way to remember facts for UPSC and other competitive exams is to recall them through MCQs. Try to solve the following questions on your own.) A. Consider the following statements: 1. The scramjets are a variant of a category of jet engines called air-breathing engines. 2. Scramjets travel at speeds greater than ‘Mach 2’, or more than two times the speed of sound. Which of the following statements is/are correct? (a) 1 only (b) 2 only (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2 B. Which of the following is tagged as the 'country's first Honey Village'? (a) Kolhapur (b) Hingoli (c) Jalgaon (d) Manghar village C. Fiscal Health Index (FHI) was launched by (a) Ministry of Finance (b) Niti Aayog (c) RBI (d) Ministry of Defence Previous Articles UPSC Current Affairs Pointers of the past week | January 13 to January 19, 2025 UPSC Current Affairs Pointers of the past week | January 6 to January 12, 2025 UPSC Current Affairs Pointers of the past week | December 30, 2024 to January 5, 2025 UPSC Current Affairs Pointers of the past week | December 23 to December 29, 2024 For your answers, queries and suggestions write at khushboo.kumari@indianexpress.com Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter. Stay updated with the latest UPSC articles by joining our Telegram channel – IndianExpress UPSC Hub, and follow us on Instagram and X. 🚨New Year Special: Click Here to read the January 2025 issue of the UPSC Essentials monthly magazine. Share your views and suggestions in the comment box or at manas.srivastava@indianexpress.com🚨
