Mar 25, 2025 | Current Affairs for UPSC, State PCS & other Govt. Exams

Namita Gokhale's latest book, Life on Mars: Collected Stories, is a compilation of 15 short stories that delve into themes of love, fate, and human existence.

The Central Government, on March 24, 2025, officially notified a 24% increase in the salaries of Members of Parliament (MPs), with the revised pay structure coming into effect from April 1, 2023.

This marks the first revision since April 2018 and has been implemented under the Salary, Allowances and Pension of Members of Parliament Act, 1954, in accordance with the Cost Inflation Index outlined in the Income Tax Act, 1961.

The monthly salary of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs has been increased from ₹1 lakh to ₹1.24 lakh, a 24% hike. The daily allowance has been raised from ₹2,000 to ₹2,500.

The pension for former MPs has been increased from ₹25,000 to ₹31,000 per month, while the additional pension for each year of service beyond five years has been raised from ₹2,000 to ₹2,500 per month.

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has made significant discoveries at two locations in India, shedding light on ancient burial practices and Buddhist heritage.

In a recent exploration near Malampuzha Dam in Palakkad, Kerala, ASI uncovered over 110 megalithic burial sites, marking an important find for understanding the region's early Iron Age society. The burial structures, spread across approximately 45 hectares, provide valuable insights into the funerary traditions of the period.

Simultaneously, ongoing excavations in Ratnagiri, Odisha, located about 100 km from Bhubaneswar, have unveiled a trove of Buddhist antiquities. These findings offer crucial insights into the spread of Vajrayana Buddhism and its historical connections with Southeast Asia.

India has doubled its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) from $2.1 trillion in 2015 to $4.3 trillion in 2025, marking a 105% increase—the fastest growth among major global economies.

According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), India's inflation-adjusted GDP growth over the decade stands at 77%, solidifying its position as one of the world's most rapidly expanding economies. With this momentum, India is projected to surpass Japan in 2025 and may overtake Germany by 2027.

United States > China > Germany > Japan > India

Glaciers worldwide are rapidly thinning, with the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region experiencing the most severe losses due to climate change, retreating 65% faster in 2011-2020 than in the previous decade, according to a new United Nations report released on the World Day for Glaciers.

Spanning five million square kilometers, the HKH region contains around 100,000 km² of glaciers and is often called the "Third Pole" or the "Water Tower of Asia" as it stores more ice and snow than any region outside the Arctic and Antarctic.

The region feeds ten major river systems that support nearly two billion people. If global temperatures rise by 1.5°C to 2°C, glacier volume in the HKH region could decline by 30-50% by 2100, and if warming exceeds 2°C, it may lose 45% of its 2020 glacier volume.

Stretching over 3,500 kilometers across eight countries—Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan—the HKH mountains sustain 240 million residents, with 1.65 billion more depending on their waters for drinking, agriculture, hydropower, and ecosystem services.

According to the UN World Water Development Report 2025, if temperatures rise between 1.5°C and 4°C, mountain glaciers worldwide could lose 26-41% of their total mass by 2100 compared to 2015 levels.

Kerala has become the first state in India to establish a Senior Citizens Commission by passing the Kerala State Senior Citizens Commission Bill, 2025. This statutory body aims to safeguard the rights and welfare of elderly citizens while serving as an advisory body for policymaking.

The Yuge Yugeen Bharat National Museum is an upcoming national museum in New Delhi, set to be housed in the North and South Blocks as part of the Central Vista Redevelopment Project.

This initiative aims to transform these iconic buildings into a premier museum space showcasing India's civilizational and cultural heritage. An agreement was signed between the National Museum of India and France Museums Development for technical cooperation in the museum's development.

Violinist R.K. Shriramkumar has been selected for the prestigious Sangita Kalanidhi Award for 2025, presented by the Music Academy. The award will be conferred during the Academy's 99th annual conference and concerts, scheduled from December 15, 2025, to January 1, 2026.

This recognition coincides with the 250th anniversary of the legendary composer Muthuswami Dikshitar.