Mar 11, 2025 | Current Affairs for UPSC, State PCS & other Govt. Exams

The Theatre Level Operational Exercise (TROPEX) 2025, the Indian Navy's flagship large-scale combat drill, was conducted over three months, from January to March 2025.

Set in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), including the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, the exercise saw extensive participation from the Indian Army, the Indian Air Force (IAF), and the Indian Coast Guard (ICG).

The First Training Squadron (1TS) of the Indian Navy, comprising INS Sujata, INS Shardul, and ICGS Veera, successfully concluded its visit to Phuket Deep Sea Port, Thailand.

The visit included coordinated tactical maneuvers, professional exchanges, and joint exercises with the Royal Thai Navy (RTN), further strengthening the maritime partnership between India and Thailand.

In March 2025, India entered into a $248 million agreement with Russia’s Rosoboronexport to procure advanced 1,000-horsepower (HP) engines for its fleet of T-72 battle tanks.

Additionally, the deal includes a technology transfer to the Indian state-owned Armoured Vehicles Nigam Ltd for the licensed production of these engines.

The T-72, which serves as the mainstay of the Indian Army's tank fleet, is currently fitted with a 780 HP engine.

The Prime Minister's Internship Scheme 2025, launched by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, aims to provide 12-month internships to Indian youth. Each intern will receive a monthly financial assistance of ₹5,000, along with a one-time financial assistance of ₹6,000.

Applicants must be between 21 and 24 years of age as of the application deadline, March 12, 2025. Candidates should have completed at least secondary education (Class 10), higher secondary education (Class 12), or hold a diploma/degree such as BA, B.Sc, B.Com, BCA, BBA, B.Pharma, etc.

Interns will be covered under the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana and the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana, with the government covering the insurance premiums.

Upon successful completion of the internship, participants will receive a certificate from the host company, enhancing their employability and professional network.

The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) has announced that it will now be known as Commonwealth Sport. This decision was officially unveiled on March 10, 2025, in celebration of Commonwealth Day.

The legal entity will continue to be called the Commonwealth Games Federation, but the public identity and branding will now be under the banner of Commonwealth Sport.

The 54th National Safety Week is being observed across India from March 4 to March 10, 2025. This year's theme for National Safety Week 2025 is ‘Safety & Well-being: Crucial for Viksit Bharat’.

With an average PM2.5 concentration of 91.8 μg/m³, Delhi remains the most polluted capital city in the world, according to the 2024 World Air Quality Report.

The report states that 13 of the 20 most polluted cities in the world are in India, with Byrnihat, located on the Assam-Meghalaya border, being the most polluted.

Other highly polluted cities include Faridabad, Loni (Ghaziabad), Gurgaon, Greater Noida, Bhiwadi, Noida, Muzaffarnagar, New Delhi (Central Delhi), and Delhi (based on the average from the rest of the city).

India ranks as the fifth most polluted country in the world, with an average Air Quality Index (AQI) of 50.6 μg/m³— 10 times higher than the World Health Organization’s (WHO) annual PM2.5 guideline value of 5 μg/m³. In 2023, it was the third most polluted country.

Air pollution remains a significant health burden in India, reducing life expectancy by an estimated 5.2 years. Only 17% of global cities met WHO air pollution guidelines. Central and South Asia were home to the seven most polluted cities in the world. India accounted for six of the nine most polluted global cities.

The most polluted major city in the United States was Los Angeles, California, while Ontario, California, was the most polluted city overall in the US.

In Africa, the lack of real-time, publicly accessible air quality monitoring data is severe, with only one monitoring station available for every 3.7 million people.

While Delhi has seen a slight improvement, the report noted that the NCR region remains heavily polluted.

A bill seeking to streamline various services related to immigration and foreigners, including their entry, exit, and stay in the country, was introduced in the Lok Sabha on March 11, 2025. The draft law aims to correct overlapping and duplicate provisions in the existing laws governing immigration and foreigners in India.

Currently, the entry, stay, and exit of foreigners from India are governed by the Registration of Foreigners Act, 1939, and the Foreigners Act, 1946. The regulation of foreigners' stay, movement, and departure from India is overseen by the Bureau of Immigration (BoI), along with state governments and Union Territory administrations.

Other laws covering foreigners in India include:

The Citizenship Act, 1955, which regulates the acquisition and termination of Indian citizenship and the registration of foreigners as Overseas Citizens of India (OCI).

The Passports Act, 1967, which provides for the issuance of passports and travel documents, regulating the departure of Indian citizens and other individuals from India.

The Immigration (Carriers' Liability) Act, 2000, which holds carriers accountable for bringing passengers into India in violation of the provisions of the Passports Act.

In addition to regulations on movement, stay, and visas, certain protected areas in India require foreigners to obtain special permits for travel. These include multiple states in the northeastern region, the entire Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and parts of Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Rajasthan.

As per Census 2001, the literacy rate among Muslims aged 7 years and above was 59.1%, while the all-India literacy rate for the same age group was 64.8%. By Census 2011, the literacy rate among Muslims in this age group had risen to 68.5%, compared to the all-India literacy rate of 73.0%.

This reflects an increase of 9.4 percentage points in Muslim literacy between Census 2001 and Census 2011.

According to the Annual Report of the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2023-24, the literacy rate among Muslims aged 7 years and above was 79.5%, while the literacy rate for all religions in the same age group was 80.9%.

This information was provided by the Union Minister of Minority Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs, Shri Kiren Rijiju, in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha on March 10, 2025.

The Assam state government announced on March 10, 2025, plans to launch its own satellite, ASSAMSAT, aiming to strengthen data access for key socio-economic initiatives and enhance border surveillance.

The satellite will be developed in collaboration with IN-SPACe (Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Center), which promotes private investment and innovation in the space sector, and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

Assam will be the first state in India to have its own satellite. Additionally, the government plans to inspire college students across Assam by involving them in the development of experimental satellites, with support from IN-SPACe and ISRO.