Current Affairs Today: 29th March 2025 | Daily GK Update
National News
1. Who inaugurated Techkriti 2025 at IIT Kanpur and what was its theme?
Answer: CDS Gen Anil Chauhan inaugurated Techkriti 2025, Asia’s largest tech and entrepreneurial festival, themed “Panta Rhei” (Everything Flows). He emphasized modernization of the Armed Forces through AI, cybersecurity, and quantum computing.
2. What is the ‘Sahkar’ taxi service announced by the government?
Answer: Union Minister Amit Shah announced ‘Sahkar’, a cooperative-based taxi service modeled on Ola/Uber, empowering drivers as stakeholders with fair earnings and profit-sharing.
Economy News
3. What was India’s Current Account Deficit (CAD) in Q3 FY25?
Answer: CAD rose to $11.5 billion (1.1% of GDP), driven by a merchandise trade deficit of $79.2 billion. Full-year CAD is projected at 0.8% of GDP.
4. What was India’s core sector growth in February 2025?
Answer: Core sector growth slowed to 2.9%, the weakest in five months. Cement (10.5%) and fertilizers (10.2%) grew, while crude oil and natural gas declined.
Awards News
5. Which bank won the Top Improvers award in EASE 6.0 Index?
Answer: Punjab & Sind Bank was honored for digital transformation, financial inclusion, and customer service excellence under MD Swarup Kumar Saha.
6. Who won the 2025 Abel Prize for Mathematics?
Answer: Japanese mathematician Masaki Kashiwara received the award for contributions to algebraic analysis and representation theory, especially D-modules and crystal bases.
Appointments News
7. Who was appointed Whole-Time Director at Maruti Suzuki?
Answer: Sunil Kakkar was appointed Director (Corporate Planning) for a 3-year term, with extensive experience in supply chain and strategic localization.
8. Who joined HUL as Executive Director of Foods?
Answer: Rajneet Kohli, former CEO of Britannia, was appointed Executive Director – Foods and Refreshment at HUL, effective April 7, 2025.
9. Who became brand ambassador for L&T Finance Ltd.?
Answer: Cricketer Jasprit Bumrah was appointed to enhance brand visibility across rural and urban financial services.
10. Who joined the Australia-India Relations Advisory Board?
Answer: Former Australian cricketer Steve Waugh was appointed to strengthen bilateral ties in sports, culture, and philanthropy.
11. Who is the new Chairman of Indian Banks Association (IBA)?
Answer: SBI Chief CS Setty was elected Chairman, succeeding MV Rao. Deputy Chairmen include A Manimekhalai, Swarup Kumar Saha, and Madhav Nair.
Agreements News
12. What grievance redressal system was launched by DARPG and Bhashini?
Answer: An AI-powered, multilingual system for CPGRAMS will be launched by July 2025, supporting voice and text input in 22 languages.
Defence News
13. What was ‘Prachand Prahaar’ exercise conducted by Indian Army?
Answer: A tri-service integrated warfare exercise held in Arunachal Pradesh from March 25–27, focusing on multi-domain operations and rapid response.
14. What is Exercise INDRA 2025?
Answer: A bilateral naval exercise between India and Russia held from March 28 to April 2, 2025, featuring tactical maneuvers and live weapon firings.
Ranks & Reports
15. Which city became Asia’s billionaire capital in Hurun Global Rich List 2025?
Answer: Shanghai (92 billionaires) overtook Mumbai (90). India ranks 3rd globally with 284 billionaires and ₹98 lakh crore cumulative wealth.
16. What does the ILO Social Protection Report 2024–26 reveal about India?
Answer: India’s social protection coverage doubled to 48.8%, benefiting 920 million people. Ayushman Bharat issued 39.94 crore health cards.
Summits & Conferences
17. What was discussed at the International Ramayana Conclave in Colombo?
Answer: Scholars from India and Sri Lanka explored the epic’s global impact and the historical significance of Ramayana sites in Sri Lanka.
Important Days
18. What is the theme of International Day of Zero Waste 2025?
Answer: Observed on March 30, the theme is “Towards Zero Waste in Fashion and Textiles,” promoting circular solutions in the industry.