IMPORTANT DAYS

Indian Coast Guard Celebrates Its 49th Raising Day.

• The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) commemorated its 49th Raising Day on 1st February 2025, highlighting its significant role in India's maritime security.

• Currently, ICG operates 151 ships and 76 aircraft, with plans to expand its fleet to 200 ships and 100 aircraft by 2030.

• Guided by its motto ‘Vayam Rakshamah’ (We Protect), the ICG continues to safeguard India’s vast maritime zones.

NATIONAL NEWS

India has added four new Ramsar sites.

• India has added four new Ramsar sites, bringing the total to 89.

• The new sites are Sakkarakottai Bird Sanctuary and Therthangal Bird Sanctuary (Tamil Nadu), Khecheopalri Wetland (Sikkim), and Udhwa Lake (Jharkhand).

• This announcement comes ahead of World Wetlands Day on February 2, 2025.

• India remains the country with the most Ramsar sites in Asia and ranks third globally.

• Tamil Nadu now has the highest number of Ramsar sites in the country, with 20 in total.

• Sikkim and Jharkhand have designated their first Ramsar sites.

• Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav congratulated Tamil Nadu for this achievement.

Aadhaar authentication has been expanded by the Center to boost good governance and ease of living.

• The Center has expanded Aadhaar authentication to promote good governance and ease of living.

• The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) introduced the Aadhaar Authentication for Good Governance (Social Welfare, Innovation, Knowledge) Amendment Rules, 2025.

• These rules are part of the Aadhaar Act, 2016, and aim to improve transparency and inclusiveness in decision-making.

• The amendment enhances Aadhaar's role in governance, social welfare, innovation, and knowledge sharing.

• It allows both government and private entities to use Aadhaar for public interest services, improving service delivery and residents' access to services.

• To request Aadhaar authentication, entities must submit an application to the relevant ministry or department via a designated portal.

• UIDAI will review the applications, and approval will be granted by MeitY based on UIDAI's recommendation.

SPORTS

The participation of an 88-member Indian contingent at the Asian Winter Games 2025 has been cleared by the government.

• The Indian government has approved the participation of an 88-member contingent in the 9th Asian Winter Games (AWG) 2025, to be held in Harbin, China, from February 7-14.

• The contingent will consist of 59 athletes and 29 team officials.

• For the first time, athletes competing in Alpine Skiing, Cross Country Skiing, Figure Skating, Short Track Speed Skating, and Speed Skating (Long Track) will receive full financial support under the Assistance to National Sports Federations (ANSF) Scheme.

• This decision underscores the government’s commitment to promoting winter sports in India and supporting athletes on the global stage.

• It marks the first time the Indian government is providing formal financial backing for the country’s participation in the Asian Winter Games.

• The AWG serves as a key platform for Indian athletes to showcase their skills and compete internationally, paving the way for future global opportunities.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Shubhanshu Shukla will become the first Indian astronaut to travel to the International Space Station on NASA's Axiom Mission 4.

• Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla will become the first Indian astronaut to travel to the International Space Station (ISS) on NASA's Axiom Mission 4.

• He will serve as the pilot for the Axiom-4 mission, scheduled to launch in 2025 from NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Florida.

• Shukla's mission will make him the first Indian astronaut to reach the ISS in the past 40 years.

• He is one of the four astronauts selected for India’s Gaganyaan mission.

• The crew will spend 14 days aboard the ISS conducting experiments.

• Former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson will command the mission, with Shukla as the pilot.

• The team also includes Slawosz Uznański-Wisniewski (Poland) and Tibor Kapu (Hungary) from the European Space Agency.

• A graduate of the NDA, Shukla was commissioned into the IAF’s fighter stream in 2006.

• With around 2,000 flying hours, Shukla has piloted a variety of aircraft, including the Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, and Jaguar.

BANKING, ECONOMY AND FINANCE

Finance Minister presented the Union Budget 2025-26 with the theme “Sabka Vikas”.

• The Union Budget 2025-26, themed "Sabka Vikas," focuses on reforms in taxation, power, urban development, mining, and the financial sector.

• Key areas of growth highlighted include agriculture, MSMEs, investment, and exports as vital drivers towards achieving Viksit Bharat.

• Development measures are proposed for the poor, youth, farmers, and women, with a focus on inclusive growth.

• A 6-year “Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses” will be launched to boost self-reliance in pulse production.

• A comprehensive ‘Rural Prosperity and Resilience’ programme will be initiated in partnership with state governments.

• The budget includes establishing cancer centers in every district to improve healthcare access.

• Loan limits for Kisan Credit Cards will be raised from ₹3 lakh to ₹5 lakh to support farmers.

• A new scheme will provide loans up to ₹2 crore to 5 lakh women, SCs, and STs first-time entrepreneurs over the next 5 years.

• The government plans to make India a global hub for toy manufacturing under the "Made in India" initiative.

• Five National Centres of Excellence for skilling will be set up, alongside a Centre for AI in education with ₹500 crore allocated.

• The Gyan Bharatam Mission will focus on the preservation and documentation of over 1 crore manuscripts in academic institutions.

• Income tax will not be levied on those earning up to ₹12 lakh annually.

• The Union Budget, as per Article 112 of the Indian Constitution, outlines revenue and expenditure for the fiscal year (April 1 to March 31).

• Since 2017, the Union Budget is presented on the first day of February, and the Railway Budget is integrated with it.

In the fiscal year 2025, it is estimated that India's real GDP will increase by 6.4%.

• India's real GDP is projected to grow by 6.4% in the fiscal year 2025.

• Growth for fiscal year 2026 is estimated to range between 6.3% and 6.8%, as per the Economic Survey.

• In FY 2025, India’s GDP grew by 6.7% in Q1 and 5.4% in Q2 at constant prices (2011-12).

• The economy grew by 6% in the first half of FY 2025.

• Agriculture saw steady growth, with a 3.5% increase in Q2 of FY 2025.

• The industrial sector grew by 6% in the first half of FY 2025.

• The services sector grew by 7.1% in the first half of FY 2025.

• Retail inflation decreased from 5.4% in FY 2024 to 4.9% between April and December 2024.

• The unemployment rate for those aged 15 and above has been steadily declining, reaching 6.2% in 2017-18, according to the 2023-24 PLFS report.

In the Economic Survey 2024-25, Service Sector has been termed ‘Old War Horse’.

• The service sector is dubbed the "Old War Horse" in India’s economy, contributing nearly 55% to total GVA in FY25, up from 50.6% in FY14.

• Service sector growth has consistently exceeded 6% annually in the last decade, with an exception in FY21 due to the pandemic.

• Pre-pandemic, services grew at an average rate of 8%, with post-pandemic growth increasing to 8.3% from FY23 to FY25.

• India holds a 4.3% share in global services exports, with services export growth rising from 5.7% in FY24 to 12.8% in April-November FY25.

• Computer and business services contribute around 70% of India's services exports, with services imports increasing by 13.9% in FY25.

• As of November 2024, the banking sector's outstanding credit stood at ₹48.5 lakh crore, with the highest credit growth in computer software and professional services.

• Insurance services attracted the highest FDI inflows in FY25, followed by the financial sector.

• The services sector is divided into four categories based on performance analysis, with road transport contributing 78% of total transport services GVA in FY23.

• India ranks as the second-largest telecommunications market, with 84% teledensity and 941 million broadband users as of October 2024.

As per Economic Survey 2024-25, average growth of agriculture sector in India has been 5 per cent annually from FY17 to FY23.

• From FY17 to FY23, India's agriculture sector saw an average annual growth of 5%, with a 3.5% growth in Q2 of FY25.

• Agriculture’s share in GVA increased from 24.38% in FY15 to 30.23% by FY23.

• A 5% growth in agriculture contributes about 1% to India’s overall GVA, with agriculture accounting for 20% of the total.

• Kharif foodgrain production in 2024 is projected to reach 1647.05 Lakh Metric Tonnes.

• Agricultural income has grown at an annual rate of 5.23% over the past decade.

• From FY16 to FY25, ₹21,968.75 crore was released to states under the Per Drop More Crop Scheme.

• For FY25, the government increased MSP for arhar, bajra, and masur by 59%, 77%, and 89%, respectively, with rapeseed MSP rising by 98%.

• The livestock sector contributed 5.5% to total GVA, with milk production generating over ₹11.16 lakh crore, and fish production rising from 95.79 lakh tonnes in FY14 to 184.02 lakh tonnes in FY23.

• India’s agri-food exports accounted for 11.7% of total exports in FY24, with processed food exports rising from 14.9% in FY18 to 23.4% in FY24.

In the week ending January 24, India's foreign exchange reserves increased by $5.57 billion to $629.55 billion.

• India's foreign exchange reserves rose by $5.57 billion to reach $629.55 billion in the week ending January 24.

• In contrast, reserves were $623.98 billion in the week ending January 17, showing a decline of $1.8 billion from the previous week.

• The increase was largely driven by a rise in Foreign Currency Assets (FCA), which grew by $4.75 billion to exceed $537.89 billion.

• Gold reserves also saw a boost, rising by $704 million to total over $69.65 billion.

MISCELLANEOUS

Niger is African region’s first nation to eliminate onchocerciasis.

• Niger becomes the first African country to eradicate onchocerciasis (river blindness).

• It is the fifth country worldwide, following Mexico, Guatemala, Ecuador, and Colombia, to halt the spread of Onchocerca volvulus.

• Onchocerciasis is the second leading cause of blindness globally, after trachoma.

• The disease is transmitted through bites from infected black flies, typically found near rivers.

• It primarily affects rural areas in Yemen and sub-Saharan Africa, with some endemic regions in parts of Latin America.