Mar 22, 2025 | Current Affairs for UPSC, State PCS & other Govt. Exams

World Meteorological Day 2025 will be observed on March 23, marking the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The theme for 2025 is “Closing the Early Warning Gap Together.”

Hindi writer Vinod Kumar Shukla has been named the recipient of the 59th Jnanpith Award, India's highest literary honor. Notably, he is the 12th Hindi writer to receive this recognition. The award includes a cash prize of ₹11 lakh, a bronze Saraswati statue, and a citation.

On March 21, 2025, the Purple Fest 2025, organized by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DePwD) under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, was held at Rashtrapati Bhavan's Amrit Udyan.

The festival witnessed an impressive attendance of 23,500 participants, including government officials.

In March 2025, a team of Italian scientists led by Antonio Gianfate from CNR Nanotec and Davide Nigro from the University of Pavia successfully "froze" light, demonstrating that it can behave as a supersolid—a rare state of matter that exhibits both a solid-like structure and frictionless flow.

A supersolid is an exotic phase of matter that simultaneously possesses the rigidity of a solid and the ability to flow like a superfluid.

Until now, supersolidity had only been observed in Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs), a state of matter formed when a group of bosons is cooled to near absolute zero, causing them to occupy the same quantum state.

This groundbreaking discovery of supersolid light could play a crucial role in developing more stable quantum bits (qubits), which are essential for advancing quantum computing.

A delegation from the UK Skills and Chartered Bodies Mission is visiting Odisha to explore collaborations with the state government in vocational education.

On March 18, 2025, the delegation met with officials from the Skill Development and Technical Education Department and the World Skill Center.

On March 19, 2025, the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT) launched ‘Samarth,’ an incubation program aimed at fostering innovation in the telecommunications and IT sectors.

The initiative will support startups and innovators in Telecom Software Applications, Cybersecurity, 5G/6G, AI, IoT, and Quantum Technologies.

The Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) is the implementation partner for the program, which will operate in a hybrid mode with two cohorts per year. Each cohort will consist of 18 startups, providing them with funding, mentorship, and infrastructure support.

In 2024, global funding for women-led tech startups fell to $29.6 billion, marking an 11% decline from $33.1 billion in 2023 and a 21% drop from $37.5 billion in 2022.

Despite this downturn, India ranked second globally in all-time funding for women-led tech startups, following the United States, according to a report by Tracxn.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has announced the installation of a 58-foot statue in Amaravati to honor Potti Sriramulu, the freedom fighter whose 58-day hunger strike (from October 19 to December 15–16, 1952) led to the formation of Andhra Pradesh in 1953.

His death sparked widespread riots, compelling Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to announce the formation of Andhra Pradesh on October 1, 1953.

In March 2025, Meghalaya CM Conrad K. Sangma inaugurated the state's first scientific coal mining block, "Saryngkham-A," at Byndihati in East Jaintia Hills.

This marks a significant shift from traditional rat-hole mining, which was banned by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in 2014 due to safety and environmental concerns.

For the eighth consecutive year, Finland remains the happiest country in the world. Once again, Nordic countries dominate the rankings, reflecting their strong social structures and emphasis on well-being. Denmark holds the second position, followed by Iceland (third), Sweden (fourth), and Norway (seventh).

The United States has dropped to 24th place—its lowest ranking ever. India ranks 118th out of 147 countries, with a happiness score of 4.389, placing it below its neighbors Nepal, Bangladesh, and China.

Costa Rica (sixth) and Mexico (tenth) stand out, demonstrating that happiness isn't solely linked to GDP but also to social bonds, culture, and optimism.

The rankings are based on factors such as GDP per capita, healthy life expectancy, social support, freedom to make life choices, generosity, and perceptions of corruption.