Daily Current Affairs for UPSC IAS: 19th March 2025

Shishtachar Squad:

Delhi Police has formed district-wise dedicated anti-eve-teasing squads (Shistachar squads) across the national capital to check incidents of harassment and ensure the safety of women in public spaces.

• The Shishtachar Squad is an anti-eve-teasing initiative by Delhi Police aimed at improving women’s safety in public spaces.
• Inspired by Uttar Pradesh’s Anti-Romeo Squads, it adopts a multi-faceted approach involving prevention, intervention, and victim assistance.
• Each district will form at least two squads, which will be supervised by the ACP Crime Against Women cell of the concerned district.
• Features:
  • Each squad includes one inspector, one sub-inspector, five male officers, four female officers, and technical support from the Anti-Auto Theft Squad.
  • The district DCPs shall identify and compile a list of hotspots and vulnerable areas, that pose risks to women’s safety
  • The squad will also routinely move around in vulnerable areas and conduct drives in at least two vulnerable points every day.
  •  Plain-clothed officers perform surprise checks in public transport and interact with DTC staff to encourage reporting of harassment cases.

RBI’s Sarthi and Pravaah Initiatives:

The Reserve Bank of India was recently selected for the UK’s Digital Transformation Award 2025 for its tech innovations Sarthi and Pravaah systems.

• The Sarthi system, named after the Hindi word for ‘charioteer’, was launched in January 2023 to digitise all of RBI’s internal workflows.
• It enables employees to securely store and share documents, improving record management and enhancing data analysis through reports and dashboards.
• The online Sarthi Pathshala (‘school’) helps users become familiar with the system, and the Pathshala was rolled out alongside extensive in-person training.
• Additionally, Sarthi mitras (‘friends’) are people in each RBI office who know the system well and can help colleagues with any issues.
• Pravaah Initiative building upon the foundation of Sarthi, the Pravaah system, meaning ‘smooth flow’ in Hindi, was introduced in May 2024.
• This platform allows external users to submit regulatory applications digitally, seamlessly integrating with the Sarthi database for processing within RBI’s offices.
• The transition to a fully digital infrastructure, supported by centralised cybersecurity and tracking mechanisms, has significantly improved transparency and efficiency.
• Pravaah’s seamless integration with Sarthi has not only streamlined the submission process but also provided real-time tracking and analytics for both applicants and RBI managers, cutting down on the lengthy delays caused by paper-based systems.
• The RBI has seen an 80% increase in monthly applications since Pravaah’s launch, marking a significant achievement in the central bank’s digital evolution.

Pi Day:

10-year-old Alberto Davila Aragon from Bristol, UK set a new world record by recalling 280 decimal places of Pi in one minute on Pi Day.

• Pi Day, or International Day of Mathematics, celebrated on March 14 every year, honours the mathematical constant Pi, recognising its significance in mathematics.
• Pi Day is celebrated by lovers of mathematics every year through Pi recital competitions and Pi Day workouts to stimulate interest in learning and practising mathematics.
• The theme for Pi Day 2025 is ‘Mathematics, Art, and Creativity’.
• Why March 14 :
  • The approximate value of Pi is 3.14.
  • The date, when written in the format of month/day (3/14), matches the first three digits of the mathematical constant.
• The first Pi Day was celebrated in 1988 by physicist Larry Shaw at the San Francisco Exploratorium.
• In 2009, the United States House of Representatives officially designated March 14 as Pi Day.
• Later, in 2019, UNESCO declared Pi Day as the “International Day of Mathematics” during its general conference.
• Albert Einstein, the renowned physicist behind the “General Theory of Relativity,” was born on Pi Day in 1879.

Bar Council of India:

The Bar Council of India (BCI) recently issued a strict warning against ‘unethical’ legal advertising and misleading social media promotions leading to professional misconduct by advocates.

• It is a statutory body created by Parliament to regulate and represent the Indian bar.
• It was established under the Advocates Act, 1961, based on the recommendations of the All India Bar Committee.
• Its main objective is safeguarding the rights, interests, and privileges of advocates throughout India.
• It performs the regulatory function by prescribing standards of professional conduct and etiquette and by exercising disciplinary jurisdiction over the bar.
• It also sets standards for legal education and grants recognition to Universities whose degrees in law will serve as qualification for enrolment as an advocate.
• It conducts the All India Bar Examination (AIBE) to grant a ‘Certificate of Practice’ to advocates practising law in India.
• BCI also funds welfare schemes for economically weaker and physically handicapped advocates.
• It also recognizes on a reciprocal basis foreign qualifications in law obtained outside India for admission as an advocate under this Act.
• It comprises members elected from each State Bar Council, the Attorney General of India, and the Solicitor of India, who serve as members automatically.
• The members of the State Bar Councils are elected for five years.
• The Council has the power to choose its own Chairman and Vice-Chairman from among its members, and they serve for two years.

Caracal : Spotted

A rare caracal has been recently spotted in Rajasthan’s Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve, sending waves of excitement among wildlife enthusiasts.

• It is a medium-sized nocturnal wildcat.
• In India, it is called siya gosh, a Persian name that translates as ‘black Ear’.
• Scientific Name: Caracal caracal
• Caracals live on rocky hills or grasslands in the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia.
• Their numbers in India have dwindled to an estimated 50, primarily in Rajasthan and Gujarat.
• Conservation status: IUCN Red List: Least concern
  • The Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I

Electoral Reforms in India:

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has invited political parties to discuss strengthening elections amid allegations of electoral roll manipulation and duplicate Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) numbers.

Legal Provisions Governing Elections:

• Article 324: Grants the ECI the authority to supervise, direct, and control the preparation of electoral rolls and the conduct of elections to Parliament and State legislatures.
• Representation of the People Act, 1950: It includes provisions for election officers such as chief electoral officers, district election officers, and electoral registration officers, as well as electoral rolls for Parliamentary, Assembly, and Council constituencies.
• Representation of the People Act, 1951 (RPA): Deals with the pre-election process, mainly the preparation and maintenance of electoral rolls.
• Registration of Electors Rules, 1960: Lays down detailed procedures for the implementation of electoral roll-related provisions under RPA, 1951. E.g., Guidelines for the inclusion, correction, or deletion of names in electoral rolls.
• Delimitation Act, 2002: It was enacted to redraw the boundaries of parliamentary and assembly constituencies based on the latest Census data.

Water Circularity : Study

A study, “Waste to Worth: Managing India’s Urban Water Crisis Through Wastewater Reuse,” published by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), highlights the need for water circularity by reusing treated wastewater as a solution to both water scarcity and environmental degradation. Water circularity is the practice of recycling, reusing, and recovering resources within the water treatment cycle to maximize value for people, nature, and businesses. It minimizes waste, reduces pollution, and regenerates natural systems.

Key Findings of the Study on Wastewater Reuse:

• India’s Growing Water Scarcity: India ranks 132nd globally in per capita water availability (India-WRIS), with freshwater resources declining by 73% from 5,200 cubic meters (m³) in 1951.
• The Central Water Commission estimates per capita availability at 1,486 m³ in 2021, projected to drop to 1,367 m³ by 2031.
• India is already a water-stressed nation (below 1,700 m³ per capita) and risks becoming water-scarce (below 1,000 m³ per capita) without urgent action.
• India occupies 2% of the Earth’s landmass but has only 4% of global freshwater resources, while supporting 18% of the world’s population and 15% of its livestock, putting immense pressure on its water supply.
• Wastewater Generation Crisis: In 2020-21, Urban India generated 72,368 million litres per day (MLD) of sewage, but only 44% (31,841 MLD) had treatment capacity, with an operational capacity of 26,869 MLD.
• As a result, only 28% (20,236 MLD) was treated, while 72% remained untreated, polluting water bodies and land.
• Wastewater generation is expected to increase by 75–80% over the next 25 years, reaching 48 BCM annually by 2050, which is 3.5 times the current treatment capacity.
• Wastewater is an untapped resource that can supplement fresh water supply while reducing environmental pollution.
• Water Governance Challenges: Indian cities heavily rely on distant rivers for water (Bengaluru (Cauvery), and Hyderabad (Krishna, Godavari)).
• This dependence increases costs, and leads to shortages and unequal access, especially in urban peripheries and informal settlements.

4th Conference of Global Intelligence & Security Chiefs:

The National Security Advisor (NSA) of India hosted the 4th Conference of Global Intelligence and Security Chiefs which was organized by India’s external intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), along with the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS).

• The event witnessed the participation of intelligence officials from over 20 countries including the chiefs of the Five Eyes Alliance.
• Conference of Intelligence and Security Chiefs is a high-level annual security dialogue organized as part of the Raisina Dialogue which is organised by the Ministry of External Affairs in collaboration with think-tank Observer Research Foundation (ORF).
• It was held for the first time in 2022.
• It is modeled on the lines of the annual Munich Security Conference and Singapore’s Shangri-La Dialogue.
• It is a strategic platform for intelligence and security officials to discuss emerging threats, collaborative security frameworks, and contemporary geopolitics and geo-strategies.
• The 2025 conference focused on counterterrorism, transnational crimes, intelligence-sharing mechanisms, immigration and extradition, along with Indo-Pacific cooperation and measures to combat terror financing and the narcotics trade.

ADR Report on Criminalization of Politics:

The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) released its 2025 analysis of 4,092 MLAs from 28 states and 3 Union Territories, revealing alarming levels of criminalization in Indian politics.

Highlights:

• India Data:45% (1,861 MLAs) have declared criminal cases, indicating widespread criminalization in Indian politics.
  29% (1,205 MLAs) face serious criminal charges, including murder, attempted murder, kidnapping, and crimes against women, reflecting the gravity of the issue.

State-wise Rankings (Highest Criminal MLAs):

• Andhra Pradesh leads with 79% MLAs having criminal cases, followed by Kerala and Telangana at 69% each.
  Bihar (66%), Maharashtra (65%), and Tamil Nadu (59%) also show high percentages, highlighting regional disparities.
• Andhra Pradesh (56%), Telangana (50%), and Bihar (49%) top the list, indicating a concentration of serious offenses in these states.
• According to the ADR 2025 report, regional parties show a higher percentage of MLAs with criminal cases compared to national parties.
• 23% of women MLAs (out of 282 analyzed) have declared criminal cases, showing that criminalization is not limited to male politicians.
• 54 MLAs face murder charges, 226 face attempted murder charges, and 127 face crimes against women, including 13 charged with rape.
• Education Ranking of MLAs (State-wise): Delhi (100%), Kerala (99%), and Maharashtra (98%) have the most highly educated MLAs, while Jharkhand (68%), Odisha (71%), and UP (78%) lag behind.
• Billionaire MLA Ranking (State-wise): Andhra Pradesh (36%), Telangana (28%), and Karnataka (28%) have the highest percentage of billionaire MLAs, linking wealth to political candidacy.

India has become the 4th country to demonstrate space docking:

India has become the 4th country—after the US, Russia, and China—to demonstrate space docking and undocking capabilities.ISRO autonomously undocked two satellites i.e., SDX01 (the Chaser) and SDX02 (the Target) in space, reinforcing India’s ability to conduct complex orbital maneuvers essential for future space missions.Space Docking is a process where two spacecraft in orbit are progressively brought closer and joined together.It allows for assembling heavy spacecraft in space, which cannot be launched in a single mission due to weight limitations.Space undocking refers to the process of separating a spacecraft from a space station or another spacecraft.

Chhareda Panchayat Water Conservation Model:

Rajasthan’s Chhareda panchayat in Dausa district has become a model for water conservation, where farm ponds have boosted agricultural output and farmer income.IIT-Kharagpur alumnus Vipra Goyal’s initiative has led to the construction of 250 farm ponds, helping mitigate groundwater depletion and water scarcity.Rajasthan’s Chhareda panchayat water conservation model focuses on constructing farm ponds to harvest rainwater, reducing dependence on deep, contaminated groundwater.

Supersolid Light:

Italian scientists have demonstrated that light can exist as a supersolid, combining solid-like structure with frictionless flow.Supersolid light is a rare quantum state where light exhibits both the rigid structure of a solid and the frictionless flow of a superfluid.Previously, supersolidity had only been observed in Bose-Einstein condensates(BECs) a state of matter that forms when a collection of bosons is cooled to nearly absolute zero, causing them to share the same quantum state.

Ana Sagar Lake : Supreme court Direction

The Supreme Court has directed the Rajasthan government to demolish the illegal Seven Wonders Park near Anasagar Lake, Ajmer within six months, citing environmental concerns and violations of wetland laws.Ana Sagar Lake is located in Ajmer district, Rajasthan, India.It is an artificial lake (man-made lake). Constructed between 1135-1150 AD by King Arnoraja (also known as Ana), grandfather of Prithviraj Chauhan.

Maharashtra Inaugurates First-Ever Temple Dedicated to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Bhiwandi:

Maratha warrior Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis inaugurated the state’s first-ever temple dedicated to the Maratha king. The inauguration took place in Bhiwandi, Thane, on the occasion of Shivaji Maharaj’s birth anniversary. The temple stands as a symbol of his heroism, valour, and enduring legacy, offering a sacred place for devotees to honour his contributions to India’s history.

Human Coronavirus HKU1 Detected in Kolkata Woman:

A recent case of human coronavirus HKU1 has been reported in Kolkata, raising concerns among the public. However, medical experts clarify that HKU1 is not a new virus; it was first identified in 2005 and is generally linked to mild respiratory illnesses. Unlike Covid-19, this virus does not pose a pandemic threat, and the patient in Kolkata is currently stable. The virus spreads like other coronaviruses, primarily through respiratory droplets and surface contact. While it is usually self-limiting, vulnerable individuals such as the elderly, children, pregnant women, and those with weakened immune systems should take precautions.

India’s GDP to Reach $5.7 Trillion:

According to Morgan Stanley, India’s GDP is projected to expand to $5.7 trillion by fiscal 2028, making it the third-largest economy in the world, surpassing Germany and Japan. Currently the fifth-largest economy, India is expected to overtake Japan by 2026 to become the fourth-largest. The country’s share in global GDP is set to rise from 3.5% in 2023 to 4.5% in 2029, driven by strong macroeconomic policies, improved infrastructure, and a growing consumer market. The report also outlines different growth scenarios, with GDP potentially reaching $10.3 trillion by 2035 in a bullish case.

Dr. Shivkumar Kalyanaraman Appointed as CEO of Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF):

Dr. Shivkumar Kalyanaraman has been appointed as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), replacing Professor Abhay Karandikar, who was previously acting as the CEO.The Department of Science and Technology (DST) Secretary, Professor Abhay Karandikar, officially handed over the charge of ANRF CEO to Dr. Shivkumar Kalyanaraman. With this appointment, Dr. Shivkumar is set to lead ANRF in its mission to seed, grow, and promote research and development (R&D) initiatives across India.

BEL Signs ₹2,906 Crore Deal with MoD for Indigenous LLTR (Ashwini) Radar:

India’s air defence capabilities, Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) has signed a ₹2,906 crore contract with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) for the procurement of the Low-Level Transportable Radar (LLTR) Ashwini. The radar, developed indigenously by DRDO’s Electronics & Radar Development Establishment (LRDE), is based on solid-state technology and is capable of tracking aerial targets, including drones, helicopters, and fighter jets. This deal aligns with the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative, boosting indigenous defence production.

US Travel Ban 2025:

US President Donald Trump is reportedly considering a travel ban on citizens from 43 countries in 2025. The proposed ban, which is still under review, categorizes countries into three lists—Red, Orange, and Yellow—based on the severity of restrictions. The Red List consists of 11 countries facing complete visa suspension, while the Orange List includes 10 countries where visa issuance will be significantly restricted. The Yellow List contains 22 countries given a 60-day window to resolve US concerns to avoid further restrictions. The ban is an expansion of the travel restrictions imposed during Trump’s first term, which were later revoked by former President Joe Biden in 2021.

ADB Launches “Frontier Seed” to Boost Private Sector Growth and Ocean Impact in the Pacific:

evelopment Bank (ADB) has launched the Frontier Seed (Pacific) program to support local businesses, strengthen capital markets, and promote sustainable economic growth in the Pacific region. The initiative focuses on developing local industries and fostering inclusive and resilient economies. Under this program, ADB has signed $200,000 technical assistance agreements with SeaPAC Pte Ltd, a prawn production company, and Kahuto Pacific, an aerial mapping firm, to help advance their respective industries.

Dr. Lakshmi Venu Appointed as Vice Chairman of TAFE:

Tractors and Farm Equipment Limited (TAFE) has appointed Dr. Lakshmi Venu as its Vice Chairman. Dr. Lakshmi has been serving as a Director at TAFE and brings vast experience in farm mechanisation and the auto component sectors. Her appointment highlights the company’s commitment to strengthening its leadership and expanding its global presence.Dr. Lakshmi Venu is a prominent figure in the Indian automotive and farm equipment industries. She has made significant contributions to the sector through her leadership roles in various companies.

Stuart Young Sworn in as Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago:

Stuart Young is set to be sworn in as the new Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago during a formal ceremony at the President’s House in St. Ann’s. He will take over the leadership from the outgoing Prime Minister, Dr. Keith Rowley, who has officially stepped down from his position.Stuart Young, who currently holds the position of Minister of Energy and Energy Industries, has been chosen to succeed Dr. Rowley. His appointment comes as a part of a planned transition following Dr. Rowley’s earlier announcement of stepping down before the end of his term.

Chhattisgarh Set to Introduce a More Stringent Anti-Conversion Law:

The Chhattisgarh government, led by Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, is planning to introduce a stricter anti-conversion law to curb illegal religious conversions in the state. Although the state already has the Chhattisgarh Freedom of Religion Act, 1968, Home Minister Vijay Sharma announced that a new law will be introduced to prevent conversions through alleged coercion, inducements, or “faith healing” gatherings. The move has sparked political discussions, with BJP MLA Ajay Chandrakar raising concerns over NGOs allegedly receiving foreign funds for conversion activities. While the opposition claims that conversions are increasing due to a lack of control over these organizations, Sharma denied this and assured strict legal action against illegal conversions.

Telangana Government Launches ‘Rajiv Yuva Vikasam’ Scheme to Boost Self-Employment:

Move to promote self-employment and economic development, Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy launched the ‘Rajiv Yuva Vikasam’ Scheme on the premises of the Telangana Legislative Assembly. The scheme is designed to provide financial assistance to unemployed youth from Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Backward Classes (BC), and Minority communities. With a substantial budget allocation of ₹6,000 crore, the government aims to create self-employment opportunities for five lakh youth across the state.