Feb 01, 2025 | Current Affairs for UPSC, State PCS & other Govt. Exams

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) held its Annual Awards Ceremony for 2025, celebrating outstanding contributions to Indian cricket.

On January 30, 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Niger the first African country to eliminate onchocerciasis as a public health threat. Onchocerciasis, commonly known as river blindness, is a parasitic disease that affects the eyes and skin. It is caused by the microscopic worm Onchocerca volvulus and transmitted through the bite of infected blackflies.

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant inaugurated the 10th Sci-FI Science Film Festival of India in Panaji on January 29, 2025. The festival is being held in Panaji from January 29 to February 1, 2025.

It is organized by Vidnyan Parishad Goa, with the support of the Goa Science Council and the Goa Science and Technology Department.

The theme of the 10th Sci-FI Science Film Festival of India is "The Green Revolution", serving as a tribute to Dr. M. S. Swaminathan, the father of the Indian Green Revolution.

The first Raisina Middle East Conference was held in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), on January 28 and 29, 2025. External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar was the Chief Guest at the event.

The conference was organized by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) and ORF Middle East, in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, UAE, and the Ministry of External Affairs, India.

This two-day international forum aims to establish a high-level dialogue, bringing together key stakeholders, including representatives from government, academia, media, and the private sector.

On January 30, 2025, Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah, released the book "Indian Renaissance: The Modi Decade" in New Delhi. On this occasion, the book's editor, Dr. Aishwarya Pandit, along with several other distinguished personalities, was present.

Published by Westland Non-Fiction, this anthology explores India’s transformation under Prime Minister Narendra Modi from 2014 to 2024.

The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, GOI, is organizing the BRICS Youth Council Entrepreneurship Working Group Meeting from March 3 to 7, 2025. The theme of the meeting is "Youth Entrepreneurship for Sustainable Growth." Around 45 youth representatives from BRICS countries will attend the meeting.

To enhance young people's understanding of the key areas discussed at the BRICS Youth Council Entrepreneurship Working Group Meeting, the Department of Youth Affairs will organize eight run-up events at various universities and colleges across India.

The Centre has announced the addition of four new Ramsar sites in India, increasing the total to 89. The Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change made the announcement ahead of World Wetlands Day (February 2).

The newly designated Ramsar sites include Sakkarakottai Bird Sanctuary and Therthangal Bird Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu, Khecheopalri Wetland in Sikkim, and Udhwa Lake in Jharkhand. Notably, Sikkim and Jharkhand have secured their first-ever Ramsar sites.

This milestone strengthens India's status as the country with the highest number of Ramsar sites in Asia and the third highest in the world. With a total of 20 Ramsar sites, Tamil Nadu has now become the Indian state with the maximum number of Ramsar sites.

A Ramsar site is a wetland of international importance designated under the Ramsar Convention, also known as The Convention on Wetlands. This international environmental treaty was signed on February 2, 1971, in Ramsar, Iran, under the auspices of UNESCO.

It came into force on December 21, 1975, upon ratification by a sufficient number of nations. The convention aims to promote national action and international cooperation for the conservation of wetlands and the sustainable use of their resources.

The three-member judicial commission set up by the Uttar Pradesh government to investigate the reasons behind the Maha Kumbh stampede has a month to complete its probe but will try to expedite the process, panel head Harsh Kumar stated on January 30, 2025.

At least 30 people were killed and 60 others injured in the pre-dawn stampede at the Sangam area of the Maha Kumbh on January 29, 2025, as millions of pilgrims jostled for space to take a holy dip on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya, one of the most auspicious days of the Hindu calendar.