Current Affairs | National | International | SSC | UPSC 24th April 2025

 1. Chinese aggression increased in the disputed PMZ waters. 

•  China has escalated tensions in the Yellow Sea by building a massive steel rig in the Provisional Maritime Zone (PMZ) near Socotra Rock, southwest of Jeju Island. 
•  The PMZ is a jointly administered area between China and South Korea where their Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) overlap. 
•  The structure sparked conflict when South Korean research ship Onnuri attempted to inspect it but was blocked by Chinese coast guard and civilian vessels. 
• A two-hour standoff occurred between the coast guards of both countries in the disputed waters. 
•  China claimed the structure was an aquafarm, while South Korea asserted its right to inspect it under the 2001 Korea-China Fisheries Agreement. 
•  The structure includes Shen Lan 2 Hao (Deep Blue 2), a 71.5-metre-tall underwater cage for salmon farming. 
• Satellite imagery confirmed multiple Chinese steel platforms have been constructed in the PMZ. 
•  South Korea lodged a formal protest by summoning a Chinese Embassy representative in Seoul. 

2. National Panchayati Raj Day 2025: 24 April 

•  National Panchayati Raj Day is observed each year on 24 April. 
•  On 24th April 1993, the President gave his assent to the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Bill, providing constitutional status to Panchayats. 
•  National Panchayati Raj Day was first announced in 2010. 
•  Mahatma Gandhi advocated the idea of Panchayati rule. 
•  In 2025, there is not a particular theme for the National Panchayati Raj Day in India. 
•  For the first time, the national-level function is being organized at Lohna Uttar Gram Panchayat, Jhanjharpur Block in Madhubani district of Bihar. 
•  In this program, the National Panchayat Awards 2025 will be nominated by the states and finalized by the ministry. 
•  The National Panchayati Raj Awards were instituted to encourage the best-performing Panchayati Raj Institutions. 
•  In 2022, it was revamped after the Ministry localised the 17 Sustainable Development Goals into nine broad themes, including poverty alleviation, education, health, etc.

 3. India took strict action against Pakistan after the Pahalgam terrorist attack. 

•  In response to the Pahalgam terror attack, India has suspended the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 and shut down the Integrated Check Post at Attari with immediate effect.
•   On 23 April, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, held an emergency meeting at his residence to review the overall security situation.
•  The CCS directed all security forces to maintain high vigil across the country. 
•  Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri announced that Pakistani nationals will no longer be permitted to travel to India under the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES).
•   All previously issued SVES visas to Pakistani nationals have been cancelled, and those currently in India under these visas have been given 48 hours to leave the country. 
•  The Defence, Naval, and Air Advisors at the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi have been declared Persona Non Grata and must leave India within a week. 
•  India will also withdraw its own Defence, Navy, and Air Advisors from its High Commission in Islamabad. 
• The total strength of both High Commissions will be reduced from 55 to 30 by May 1, as part of the diplomatic scale-down.

 4. 24 April – National Panchayati Raj Day 

•  National Panchayati Raj Day is marked every year on April 24 in India. The day is observed to commemorate the historic occasion of April 24, 1993, when the Constitution (73rd Amendment) Act, 1992, came into force. 
• It celebrates the importance of grassroots democracy, strengthens local governance and helps empower rural communities. The Panchayati Raj system is a three-tier structure where local bodies or Gram Panchayats are given the authority to govern themselves and make decisions for their community’s development. 
• The first National Panchayati Raj Day, also called Panchayati Raj Diwas, was celebrated in 2010. It was officially declared by the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. 

5. The IMF has warned the US and China of major economic losses due to the intensifying trade war.

•  The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has lowered its global growth projection to 2.8% for 2025, down by 0.5 percentage points from its January forecast.
• Growth in 2026 is now expected to be 3.0%, 0.3 percentage points lower than previously estimated. 
• The IMF expects the tariffs to lead to a broad increase in global prices, slightly raising its forecast for world consumer prices to 4.3% for 2025 and 3.6% for 2026. 
• The downgrade is primarily attributed to the escalating trade conflict between the US and China, driven by tariff hikes and unpredictable policy actions from Washington. 
• The IMF cautioned that if recent tariff measures become permanent, the economic damage to both the United States and China would be even greater in 2026 and beyond. 
• The latest tariff hikes announced after April 4 – including new US tariffs and China's retaliatory measures – have not yet been factored into the IMF's current outlook. 
• The effective tariff rates between the US and China have exceeded 60%, raising concerns among economists about serious damage to bilateral trade. 
• The IMF has revised China's economic growth forecast for both 2025 and 2026 to 4%, a cut of 0.6 and 0.5 percentage points, respectively.
•  Due to policy uncertainty, trade tensions and declining demand, US growth forecast has been revised to 1.8% for 2025 (down 0.9 points) and 1.7% for 2026.
•  Top US trading partners – Mexico, Canada and China – are expected to be harmed by the Trump administration's aggressive tariff policies, which are likely to harm the broader global economy. 

6. Jasprit Bumrah & Smriti Mandhana named Wisden’s Leading Cricketers 

•  India’s pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah and star batter Smriti Mandhana have been honoured as the Leading Men’s and Women’s Cricketers in the World, respectively, in the prestigious Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack 2025 edition, celebrating their exceptional performances in 2024. 
•  Bumrah, 31, had a phenomenal year across formats, particularly in Test cricket. He claimed a staggering 71 wickets in Tests in 2024, averaging just 14.92, the best for any bowler in a single calendar year with that volume of wickets. 
•  On the women’s side, Smriti Mandhana had a year to remember. The elegant left-hander scored 1659 runs across formats in 2024, making her the highest run-scorer in international women’s cricket that year. Her run tally included four centuries in ODIs, setting a new record in women’s cricket. Leading T20 Player in the World 
•  West Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Nicholas Pooran was named the Leading T20 Player in the World. Five Wisden Cricketers of the Year 
•  Every year, Wisden selects five cricketers for their performance in the English domestic season. It is given only once to a cricketer. This year, the selected players were Gus Atkinson, Jamie Smith, Dan Worral, Liam Dawson, and Sophie Ecclestone. 

7. India and Nepal explored new opportunities for energy cooperation. 

•  Indian Minister Manohar Lal Khattar met Nepalese Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli. 
•  The meeting was held at the Prime Minister’s Office in Singha Durbar, Kathmandu. 
•  They discussed ways to strengthen cultural ties and improve energy infrastructure. 
• Mr Khattar visited the Arun-3 hydropower project. 
•  An MoU was signed between Powergrid Corporation of India and Nepal Electricity Authority. 
•  The MoU aims to create two joint venture companies. 
•  These companies will develop 400 kV cross-border transmission lines. 
• One line will connect Inaruwa in Nepal to New Purnea in India. 
•  The other will link Dododhara in Nepal to Bareilly in India. 

India and Nepal Relations: 

•  Nepal's most significant trade and development relations are with India, which is its top trading ally. 
• India plays a crucial role in Nepal’s economy by being a leading investor through foreign direct investments. 
•  The foundation of diplomatic ties between the two nations was laid with the signing of the Indo-Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendship in 1950. 
• Nepal has a shared boundary with five Indian states. These five states are Sikkim, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. 
•  India actively supports Nepal’s development efforts by offering both financial aid and technical expertise for numerous infrastructure projects.

8. Indian government will purchase the entire production of Tur, Urad, and Masur at MSP for the 2024-25 season. 

•  This will be done under the Price Support Scheme. 
•  The decision is aimed at boosting pulse production in the country.
•  It also seeks to reduce India’s dependence on pulse imports. 
• The government made a similar announcement in Budget 2025. 
•  It committed to continue 100% procurement through NAFED and NCCF until 2028-29. 
•  The goal is to achieve self-sufficiency in pulses. 
•  Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan approved the procurement of Tur (Arhar) for Kharif 2024-25. 
• Nine states are included in this procurement plan. 
•  These states are Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh. 
•  The total approved quantity of Tur for procurement is 13.22 lakh metric tons. 
•  Procurement at MSP is already taking place in five states. 
•  These states are Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Telangana. 

9. Vithya Ramraj won the women’s 400m hurdles at the 2025 National Federation Senior Athletics Competition in Kochi. 

•  She is an Olympian. She finished the race in 56.04 seconds. 
•  This time qualified her for the Asian Championships 2025. 
•  She also set a new record. Her time broke Saritaben Gayakwad’s 2019 record of 57.21 seconds. 
•  Anu R came second in the event. She clocked 58.26 seconds. 
•  Ashwini R finished in third place. She completed the race in 1 minute and 2.41 seconds. 
•  In the men’s 400m hurdles, Yashas Palaksha won gold. He ran a personal best of 49.32 seconds. 
•  Damneet Singh won the men’s hammer throw event. He achieved a distance of 68.30 meters. 
•  Praveen Kumar finished second in the hammer throw. Gurdev Singh came third in the same event. 
•  In the women’s triple jump, Niharika Vashisht won the gold medal. She jumped 13.49 meters. 

10. Manipur observed Khongjom Day to pay tribute to the warriors of the Anglo-Manipuri War of 1891. 

•  The main event took place at the Khongjom War Memorial in Khebaching, Thoubal district. 
•  Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla led the ceremony. 
•  Ceremonial tributes included a Guard of Honour, General Salute, Last Post, and two minutes of silence. 
•  These were held as a mark of respect for those who died in the battle. 
•  Governor said the Battle of Khongjom reflected honour, courage, and the desire for independence.
•  Governor Bhalla mentioned efforts to rehabilitate Internally Displaced Persons in relief camps. 
•  He urged citizens to remember the sacrifices of Khongjom heroes. 
•  Former Chief Minister O. Ibobi Singh, MP Angomcha Bimol Akoijam, and senior officials attended the event. 
•  Khongjom Day was also observed in various places across Manipur. It was marked outside the state as well, where Manipuris live. 

11. Indian astronomers throw light on curious case of missing dark matter in a distant galaxy

•   Astronomers at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) have found the reason for the strange deficiency of dark matter in the distant galaxy NGC 1052-DF2. 
•  Dark matter is a critical component of galaxy formation. According to the Department of Science and Technology, earlier models have shown that the Ultradi galaxy (UDG) NGC 1052-DF2 is deficient in dark matter, which conflicts with the standard galaxy formation and evolution models. 
•  It said that previous studies of NGC 1052-DF2 predict a total ‘dynamical mass’ within the spatial extent of the galaxy to be less than 340 million solar masses, which is comparable to the estimated mass of the stars of 200 million solar masses. 
•  “This surprising result implies that within the observed extent of the galaxy, the mass is mostly composed of primarily stars that we are familiar with, and that dark matter is significantly less than expected as compared to spiral galaxies like the Milky Way. 
• This contradicts the established paradigm about dark matter, which is needed to explain hierarchical structure formation in the Universe,” the department said. New learnings “We find that NGC 1052- DF2 poses interesting questions regarding the formation of galaxies with minimal dark matter content, the astrophysical processes regulating the formation of such galaxies, as well as the potential nature of dark matter itself,” said astronomer K. Aditya, whose research was published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics. 
• To shed light on this problem and to resolve the discrepancies in the mass estimation of NGC 1052- DF2, Mr. Aditya constructed models using the stellar density as an input parameter and constrained the parameters corresponding to the dark matter halo. 
•  “We find that mass models with a “cuspy” (higher density in the central regions) dark matter halo are comparable to models with no dark matter,” he said. 

12. Indus treaty with Pakistan put on hold 

•  Mr. Misri declared that the CCS “reviewed the overall security situation” after the terror strike in Pahalgam and “directed all forces to maintain high vigil”. 
• “It resolved that the perpetrators of the attack will be brought to justice and their sponsors held to account. 
• As with the recent extradition of Tahawwur Rana, India will be unrelenting in the pursuit of those who have committed acts of terror or conspired to make them possible,” the Foreign Secretary said. Government sources said that Mr. Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh have begun reaching out to leaders of various political parties for the all-party meeting. 
• The outreach came soon after the CCS met in the Prime Minister’s residence at 7 Lok Kalyan Marg. 

13. Ministry introduces new competency-based curricula for 10 healthcare professions 

•  The Union Health Ministry on Wednesday launched new competency-based curricula for 10 allied healthcare professions in collaboration with the National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions (NCAHP). 
•  The curricula will cover a broad spectrum of professions, such as physiotherapy; applied psychology and behavioural health; optometry; nutrition and dietetics; dialysis therapy technology and dialysis therapy; radiotherapy technology; medical radiology and imaging technology; anaesthesia and operation theatre technology; health information management; and physician associates. 
•  Aimed at bringing uniformity to training of allied healthcare professionals across the country, the new curricula is designed to produce globally competent professionals to address the increasing prevalence of diseases and the growing demand for allied services. 
•  Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava said that the comprehensive revision and standardisation of the curricula represent a pivotal step toward establishing consistency in educational content and delivery. 
•  “India is skilling its healthcare professionals not just for India, but for the globe. The curricula launched today will set a benchmark for the quality of healthcare professionals across various faculties. 
•  These professions play a crucial role in preventive, promotive, curative and rehabilitative healthcare. This initiative is expected to significantly enhance the effectiveness of skill based training, better align educational outcomes with industry needs, and promote greater career mobility and professional recognition for allied health professionals nationwide,” she said. The Ministry has also emphasised the importance of establishing robust regulatory mechanisms and investing in capacity building to ensure the effective implementation of the new curricula. 

14. India, Saudi agree to enhance stability of global oil markets 

•  India has agreed to work with Saudi Arabia to enhance the stability of global oil markets and to balance global energy market dynamics, according to a joint statement issued on Wednesday. 
•  The statement came after the conclusion of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Saudi Arabia which was cut short following the terror attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam, where terrorists killed 26 people, mostly tourists. “The Indian side agreed to work with the kingdom to enhance the stability of global oil markets and to balance global energy market dynamics. 
•  They emphasised the need to ensure security of supply for all energy sources in global markets. 
•  They agreed on the importance of enhancing cooperation in several areas in the energy sector, including the supply of crude oil and its derivatives,” the joint statement said. “The two sides also acknowledged the need to work on developing supply chains and projects linked to the energy sector, enabling cooperation between companies, enhancing cooperation in the field of energy efficiency and rationalising energy consumption in the buildings, industry, and transportation sectors, and raising awareness of its importance,” the statement said. 
•  On climate change, both sides reaffirmed the importance of adhering to the principles of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement and the need to develop and implement climate agreements with a focus on emissions. 
•  Both sides underscored the importance of cooperation in technology including in emerging domains such as artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. 
•  They also expressed satisfaction on signing of the MoU between the Telecom Regulatory Authority of Idia and Communications, Space and Technology Commission of Saudi Arabia for cooperation in regulatory and digital sectors, a statement said. 

15. MeitY Launches ‘I Am Circular’ Coffee Table Book 

• The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India, hosted the release of the ‘I Am Circular’ Coffee Table Book, curetted by the International Council for Circular Economy (ICCE). 
• The book is a vibrant celebration of India’s innovative spirit in driving the circular economy forward. 
• This Coffee Table Book features 30 of India’s most promising innovations identified through the nationwide ‘I Am Circular’ Challenge, an initiative designed to discover and amplify breakthrough solutions rooted in the principles of the circular economy. 
•  The selected innovations are based on three key themes: Design to Last, Work with Nature, and Use Existing Resources. 

16. CGHS launched modernised Health Management Information System 

•  The Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS), under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, has launched a next-generation Health Management Information System (HMIS), developed by C-DAC. 
•  The revamped HMIS will offer faster, transparent, and user-friendly services like PAN-based beneficiary identification, digital verification, contribution tracking, online card modification, and real-time tracking of applications. 
•  Beneficiaries will receive SMS and email alerts at every stage of application processing, ensuring greater transparency and minimising the need for physical follow-ups. 

17. ASI host 38th meeting of the Central Advisory Board of Archaeology 

•  The 38th meeting of the Central Advisory Board of Archaeology was hosted by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in New Delhi. The meeting was hosted by the Director General of the Archaeological Survey of India, Yadubir Singh. 
• The 37th meeting of the Central Advisory Board of Archaeology was held on 14 June 2022 in New Delhi.
•  The Central Advisory Board of Archaeology was constituted by the government of India in 1945. The Board is constituted by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, after every three years. 

18. India’s largest International Cruise Terminal launched in Mumbai 

•  India’s largest international cruise terminal in Mumbai commenced its operation recently with the flagging of a cruise ship by the Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbanand Sonowal. 
•  Among all the international cruise terminals in India, the Mumbai International Cruise Terminal (MICT) is the largest. 
• The MICT, developed as per Cruise Bharat Mission, was developed as per latest global standards and is expected to take a pioneering role in developing cruise tourism in India. 
•  Spread over a built-up area of over 4.15 lakh square feet, the MICT has been developed at Ballard Pier. The total investment in the MICT project is ₹556 crore. 
• MICT is India’s largest world-class cruise terminal equipped with 72 check-in and immigration counters spread over an area of 2.07 lakh square feet on the first two floors while the other two floors are developed as commercial floors. It can also handle five ships simultaneously, with 11 metres draft and upto 300 metres length. At the parking space, more than 300 vehicles can be parked simultaneously. 

19. Operation Tikka: Indian Army Foils Infiltration Attempt 

•  The Indian Army successfully foiled an infiltration attempt along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Baramulla district, killing two terrorists during “Operation Tikka” on April 23, 2025. The terrorists were attempting to cross into India from the Sarjeevan area of Uri Nala. 
• During the operation, heavy exchange of fire took place between the security forces and terrorists. A large quantity of weapons, ammunition, and war-like stores were recovered from the terrorists, who were neutralized during the firefight.