State News
1. What religious recognition was granted in Assam?
Answer: Bathouism, the indigenous faith of the Bodo community, was officially recognized in government documents. The second Tuesday of Magh is now a state holiday for Bathou Puja.
Appointments
2. Why did IOA form an ad-hoc panel for boxing?
Answer: Due to the Boxing Federation of India’s failure to hold elections by Feb 2, 2025. The five-member panel is led by Madhukant Pathak.
International News
3. What is the Cali Fund launched at COP16?
Answer: A biodiversity finance initiative to collect contributions from companies using genetic data, supporting conservation under the Kunming-Montreal Framework.
4. What is Denmark’s Green Transition Alliance India (GTAI)?
Answer: A climate initiative to boost renewable energy and green fuels in India, involving Danish firms and IIT Madras.
Banking News
5. What loan limit revision did RBI announce for UCBs?
Answer: Small-value loan limit raised to ₹3 crore per borrower, with stricter classification norms and housing exposure caps.
6. Why was ICCL fined ₹5.05 crore by SEBI?
Answer: For cybersecurity and disaster recovery violations, including mismatched data centers and unresolved audit issues.
7. What mutual fund initiatives did AMFI launch?
Answer: Chhoti SIP, Tarun Yojana, and MITRA to promote financial inclusion and reclaim unclaimed investments.
8. What MoU did PNB sign with ITBP?
Answer: To offer exclusive banking benefits and high insurance coverage to ITBP personnel and families.
Ranks & Reports
9. Which regions have the highest breast cancer rates globally?
Answer: Australia and New Zealand (100.3 per 100,000), followed by North America and Europe. South-Central Asia has the lowest (26.7).
Schemes News
10. What milestone did SWAYATT achieve?
Answer: Completed 6 years, supporting 29,000+ startups and ₹35,950 crore in orders via GeM, with a focus on women-led enterprises.
11. What is the current operative KCC loan amount?
Answer: ₹10.05 lakh crore, benefiting 7.72 crore farmers—more than double the 2014 figure.
Business News
12. What insurance reform was proposed by the government?
Answer: Extending the free-look period from 30 days to 1 year to prevent mis-selling and improve transparency.
13. What partnerships did TRIFED sign?
Answer: With NIFT and HPMC to boost tribal entrepreneurship and marketing.
14. What is the Paytm Solar Soundbox?
Answer: A solar-powered device for uninterrupted transaction alerts, designed for small merchants in rural areas.
Awards News
15. Which Kannada book made history at the International Booker Prize?
Answer: Heart Lamp by Banu Mushtaq, translated by Deepa Bhasthi, became the first Kannada book longlisted.
16. Who received the National Dhanwantari Ayurveda Awards?
Answer: Three practitioners honored by the Ministry of Ayush with ₹5 lakh each for contributions to Ayurveda.
Economy News
17. What is India’s GDP forecast for FY25 and FY26?
Answer: 6.4% growth per S&P Global Market Intelligence, slightly below RBI’s 6.6% estimate.
Science & Technology
18. What is Athena and when is it launching?
Answer: A robotic moon lander by Intuitive Machines, launching Feb 26 via SpaceX Falcon 9 to explore lunar soil and test Nokia’s 4G system.
19. What lunar achievement did Indian scientists make?
Answer: Created the first detailed geological map of the Moon’s south pole using Chandrayaan-3 data.
Summits & Conferences
20. What was the focus of Prakriti 2025?
Answer: India’s first International Carbon Market Conference, held in New Delhi to advance climate action.
21. What was Advantage Assam 2.0 about?
Answer: A major investment summit inaugurated by PM Modi, showcasing Assam’s transformation and attracting industrial commitments.
Miscellaneous
22. What is Saras Aajeevika Mela 2025?
Answer: A rural art and craft exhibition held in Noida from Feb 21 to Mar 10, promoting SHGs and traditional artisans.
23. What record was set at Rushikulya Beach?
Answer: Over 7 lakh Olive Ridley turtles nested during the 8-day arribada, marking a conservation milestone.