Mar 08, 2025 | Current Affairs for UPSC, State PCS & other Govt. Exams

Savitri Jindal is the richest woman in India, with a net worth of $34.3 billion. She is the chairperson emeritus of OP Jindal Group, a major steel and power company. She is followed by Rekha Jhunjhunwala, Renuka Jagtiani, and Vinod Gupta.
LIC has secured the third position among the strongest insurance brands globally, earning a BSI score of 88/100, according to the Brand Finance Insurance 100 (2025) report. PZU from Poland ranked first (BSI: 94.4), followed by China Life Insurance (BSI: 93.5).
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced that Bangalore City University will be renamed as Dr. Manmohan Singh Bengaluru University in honor of the late former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
International Women's Day (IWD) is celebrated annually on March 8. The OECD reporting an average increase in women's parliamentary representation to 34%, according to The Economist's latest Glass-Ceiling Index (GCI).

Japan and Britain recorded significant gains, with representation rising to 16% (up from 10%) and 41% (up from 35%), respectively. In contrast, the United States saw a slight decline, with representation falling to 28.7%.

In a notable shift, Sweden secured the top position in the index for 2025, ending Iceland's two-year reign as the best country for working women.

The Best Places to Be a Working Woman in 2025: 1. Sweden
2. Iceland
3. Finland
4. Norway
5. France
The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) and Mercedes-Benz India have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote manufacturing, improve road safety, and advance sustainability in India.
International Women's Day is celebrated on March 8 every year. The theme for 2025 is “Accelerate Action.”
In December 2024, Jay Shah vacated the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) presidency after serving three consecutive terms. Sri Lanka Cricket Board chief Shammi Silva took over as ACC president, while Rajeev Shukla represented the BCCI on the ACC Board.
The massive iceberg A23a, the world's largest, has become stranded near South Georgia, a remote British overseas territory rich in wildlife. Researchers are closely observing the situation to assess its potential effects on the local ecosystem.
Punjab's Social Security, Women, and Child Development Minister, Dr. Baljit Kaur, officially launched ‘Project Hifazat’ on March 7, 2025. This initiative aims to provide immediate assistance to victims through an integrated 24×7 helpline, coordinated support from various departments, and on-ground response mechanisms.
The Australia-India Sports Excellence Forum was officially inaugurated by the Minister of State for Sports, Raksha Khadse, at GIFT City, Gujarat, on March 6, 2025.

The forum aims to strengthen sports collaboration between the two nations by leveraging Australia’s expertise in sports development and implementing best practices in the Indian sports ecosystem.
The Sea Dragon 2025 naval exercise, a key multilateral maritime warfare drill, has commenced off the Guam coast in the western Pacific Ocean. This high-intensity anti-submarine warfare (ASW) exercise is hosted by the United States Navy's 7th Fleet and will take place from March 4 to March 19, 2025.

For the 2025 edition, the United States Navy has invited the following key maritime forces:

- Indian Navy
- Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force (JMSDF)
- Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF)
- Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN)
Routine vaccination among children in Uttar Pradesh will now be monitored digitally via the ‘Rapid Immunisation Skill Enhancement’ (RISE) app. This platform will be used by nurses, ANMs, and health workers engaged in vaccination.

Initially introduced as a pilot project in 181 districts across the country, the app has now been implemented statewide following its success. Training for district-level officers has been completed in all 75 districts.

The primary objective of the RISE app is to quickly update health workers on new guidelines and technological advancements, ensuring that immunisation is carried out efficiently and on time.
Recognizing Ratan Tata's contributions to Assam's development, the state cabinet has announced that the upcoming Electronics City in Jagiroad will be named Ratan Tata Electronic City. The U.S. trade deficit with India stands at nearly $100 billion.
On March 4, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump, in his first address to Congress after beginning his second term, announced that the United States will impose reciprocal tariffs on countries that levy high tariffs on American goods.

This move, set to take effect from April 2, 2025, targets India, China, the European Union, Brazil, Mexico, and Canada.

Trump specifically pointed out that India imposes auto tariffs exceeding 100%, calling India the “tariff king” and a “big abuser” in trade.
IndiGo Airlines has secured the position of the world’s second fastest-growing airline in terms of seat capacity, according to the latest report by the Official Airline Guide (OAG).

In 2024, IndiGo recorded a 10.1% year-on-year growth, reaching a total of 134.9 million seats.

This growth places IndiGo just behind Qatar Airways, which registered a 10.4% increase in seat capacity over the same period.
Marking a year of the IndiaAI Mission, Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw launched the IndiaAI Compute Portal and the dataset platform AIKosha on March 6, 2025.

The IndiaAI Compute Portal will provide access to over 18,000 GPUs, cloud storage, and other AI services for students, startups, researchers, academia, and government departments.

AIKosha, an all-in-one dataset platform, will offer resources, tools, and expert mentorship to help transform potential ideas into industry solutions.

Vaishnaw stated that in 3-4 years, India should have its own GPUs competing on the global stage, with usage costs currently at historically low rates of less than ₹100 per hour.

Additionally, the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) launched a competency framework for AI and public sector officials and introduced the IndiaAI Startups Global Acceleration Programme. The ministry also awarded students under the IndiaAI Fellowship Programme and recognized 30 selected AI applications.

In March 2024, the Cabinet approved the IndiaAI Mission with a budget outlay of ₹10,371.92 crore, aiming to build a robust AI ecosystem through public-private partnerships. The mission is being implemented by the IndiaAI Independent Business Division (IBD) under the Digital India Corporation (DIC).