Current Affairs Today: 01st March 2025 | Daily GK Update
National News
1. What landmark case led to the First Amendment of the Indian Constitution?
Answer: The case of State of Madras v. Champakam Dorairajan (1951), where caste-based reservations were challenged, led to the First Amendment introducing Article 15(4) for affirmative action.
2. What proposal has the Centre made regarding states’ share in central taxes?
Answer: The Centre is considering reducing states’ share from 41% to 40%, with recommendations to be submitted to the Finance Commission by October 31, 2025.
International News
3. What incident strained U.S.–Ukraine relations in March 2025?
Answer: A televised Oval Office meeting saw President Trump and VP JD Vance publicly berate Ukrainian President Zelensky, marking a major diplomatic fallout.
State News
4. How is Madhya Pradesh leading in gharial conservation?
Answer: Madhya Pradesh hosts over 80% of India’s gharials. CM Mohan Yadav released 10 gharials into the Chambal River, reinforcing conservation efforts.
Economy News
5. What was the ICI growth rate for January 2025?
Answer: The Index of Eight Core Industries grew by 4.2% year-on-year in January 2025, with cumulative growth of 6.1% from April 2024 to January 2025.
6. What is India’s revised GDP growth for Q3 FY 2024–25?
Answer: Real GDP rose to 6.2% in Q3, with full-year projections revised to 6.5%. Nominal GDP is expected to grow by 9.9%.
7. What decision did EPFO make regarding interest rates for 2024–25?
Answer: EPFO retained the interest rate at 8.25% for provident fund deposits, despite demands for an increase.
8. What is SEBI’s new initiative for bond transparency?
Answer: SEBI launched “Bond Central,” a centralized database for corporate bond information to improve market transparency.
Schemes News
9. What milestone was achieved under the FPO scheme?
Answer: The 10,000th Farmer Producer Organization was launched in Khagaria, Bihar, linking 30 lakh farmers—40% of them women.
Science & Technology
10. What is NASA’s SPHEREx telescope designed to do?
Answer: SPHEREx will create the most colorful cosmic map using infrared spectroscopy across 96 bands, mapping the entire sky.
Books & Authors
11. What is ‘Diyaslai’ and who authored it?
Answer: ‘Diyaslai’ is the autobiography of Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi, detailing his fight against child labor and advocacy for global compassion.
Important Days
12. What is the significance of World Seagrass Day?
Answer: Observed on March 1, it highlights the ecological role of seagrass in marine biodiversity and carbon sequestration.
Obituaries
13. Who was Boris Spassky and what was his legacy?
Answer: Russian chess grandmaster and 10th World Champion Boris Spassky passed away at 88, remembered for his strategic brilliance and sportsmanship.