Jan 27, 2025 | Current Affairs for UPSC, State PCS & other Govt. Exams

On 26 January 2025, the world celebrates the second International Day of Clean Energy.

Bumrah claims the Men's Test Cricketer of the Year award after a sensational year with the ball saw him take 71 wickets in the longest format at a staggering average of just 14.92.

Haryana Cabinet Minister Shruti Choudhry launched the "Samman Sanjeevani" app, aimed at enhancing the efficiency of the "Mahila Evam Kishori Samman Yojana." The initiative is designed to provide essential services to BPL (Below Poverty Line) women and girls between the ages of 10 and 45, with a focus on sanitary napkins.

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah, will inaugurate the corporate office of the National Urban Cooperative Finance and Development Corporation (NUCFDC) in Mumbai on January 24. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has approved the establishment of NUCFDC as an Umbrella Organisation (UO) to address the challenges faced by urban cooperative banks in their operations.

This initiative will support approximately 1,500 Urban Cooperative Banks (UCBs) by providing essential IT infrastructure and operational assistance. NUCFDC will function as a self-regulatory organisation, with its roles and activities determined by the RBI, following the receipt of a paid-up capital of ₹300 crore.

Additionally, Amit Shah will launch a training programme for 10,000 newly formed Multipurpose Cooperative Societies, aimed at enhancing their efficiency by equipping them with essential skills and competencies.

The Uttarakhand government on January 27, 2025, rolled out the Uniform Civil Code. A five-member expert panel, led by retired judge Ranjana Prakash Desai, was formed to frame a report, and based on this, the Uniform Civil Code Bill, 2024, was passed in the Assembly on February 7, 2024.

The Act was notified on March 12, 2024, after receiving assent from the President.

International Customs Day (ICD) is celebrated annually on January 26. The theme for International Customs Day 2025 is: "Customs Delivering on Its Commitment to Efficiency, Security, and Prosperity."

The Banke Bihari Temple in Vrindavan has been granted a license by the Union Home Ministry under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA), allowing it to receive funding from abroad. The temple is currently managed by a court, which has constituted a management committee.

According to the law, all NGOs receiving foreign contributions must be registered under the FCRA.

Smriti Mandhana was named ICC Women's ODI Cricketer of the Year for her outstanding performance in 2024.

Amitabh Kant, India's G20 Sherpa, has unveiled the behind-the-scenes journey of India's G20 Presidency in his book "How India Scaled Mt G20: The Inside Story of the G20 Presidency" (Rupa Publications).

Doordarshan has been honored with the award in the Electronic Media category for its comprehensive campaign on voter awareness and education.

It has been recognized for its coverage, including the Chunav Ka Parv Desh Ka Garv series during the Lok Sabha Elections 2024.

The campaign involved the development and broadcast of 30 voter education short films, multilingual outreach through extensive dissemination across DD National, DD India, and DD News channels to ensure messages reached every corner of the country, and engaging advertisements aimed at motivating voters.

Facing destruction due to rapid urbanization and infrastructure projects, a geo-tagged digital identity, similar to the Aadhar card, has been introduced to monitor the health of every chinar tree standing in the Kashmir Valley.

The J&K Forest Research Institute's (JKFRI) "Digital Tree Aadhar" initiative assigns a unique number to each tree. Metal cards featuring barcodes provide information, including the tree's location, height, and health.

The JKFRI began a chinar census in the Union Territory in 2021. According to data from the JKFRI, Kashmir was home to around 40,000 chinar trees, but the numbers are steadily declining. Chinars grow in Jammu's Chenab Valley and in the Pir Panjal Valley.

Indore and Udaipur have become the first two Indian cities to make it to the global list of accredited wetland cities under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.

Indore: Sirpur Lake (a Ramsar Site) is recognized for waterbird congregation and is being developed as a bird sanctuary.

Udaipur: Surrounded by five major wetlands, namely, Pichola, Fateh Sagar, Rang Sagar, Swaroop Sagar, and Doodh Talai.

The Wetland City Accreditation (WCA) is a voluntary accreditation system that provides an opportunity for cities that value their natural or human-made wetlands to gain international recognition and positive publicity for their efforts.

It was approved in Uruguay at COP12 of the Ramsar Convention (2015).

The accreditation is valid for 6 years, after which it must be renewed, provided that the city continues to meet each of the 6 criteria.

The Ramsar Convention is an intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. It was adopted in 1971 and came into force in 1975.

Currently, there are 85 Ramsar sites in India.