Daily Current Affairs for UPSC IAS: 25th January 2025

Fiscal Health Index 2025:

The Chairman of the 16th Finance Commission launched the inaugural issue of NITI Aayog’s report titled “Fiscal Health Index (FHI) 2025” in New Delhi.

Key Highlights of the Report:

• With a cumulative score of 67.8, Odisha tops the ranking, followed by Chhattisgarh and Goa with scores of 55.2 and 53.6, respectively.
• The achiever States display strong fiscal health, excelling in revenue mobilization, expenditure management, and debt sustainability.
• Improvements are seen in States like Jharkhand, which has strengthened fiscal prudence and debt sustainability, while Karnataka faces a decline due to weaker performance in expenditure quality and debt management.
• These interstate disparities highlight the need for targeted reforms to address specific fiscal challenges and ensure sustainable growth.
• Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and Kerala were the worst-performing States in the Fiscal Health Index (FHI), each facing significant fiscal challenges, and listed under “aspirational” category.
• It has listed Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka under the “front-runners” category.
• Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Rajasthan, and Haryana were classified as performers.

Fiscal Health Index:

• It provides a comprehensive assessment of the fiscal health of 18 major States of India.
• It is based on five key sub-indices: Quality of Expenditure, Revenue Mobilisation, Fiscal Prudence, Debt Index and Debt Sustainability, along with insights into state-specific challenges and areas for improvement.

NVS-02 Satellite:

India’s space agency, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), has rolled out its Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) rocket, carrying the NVS-02 satellite, as part of the NavIC navigation system.

• NVS-02 Satellite is the second of the 5 second-generation satellites developed by the space agency to replace the existing satellites in the country’s navigation constellation Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System.
• It will be placed in a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit by GSLV-F15.
• NVS-01 was launched on board GSLV-F12 in 2023 and for the first time, an indigenous atomic clock was flown in NVS-01.
• It is of 2,250 kg and has a power capacity of around 3 kW.
• It is configured with navigation payload in three frequency bands L1, L5 and S bands in addition to ranging payload in C-band like its predecessor-NVS-01
• It also has a precise atomic clock called the Rubidium Atomic Frequency Standard (RAFS) for accurate timekeeping.
• It has a longer lifespan of 12 years and also equipped with indigenously developed, more accurate atomic clocks.
• It will replace an older NavIC satellite, IRNSS-1E, and be positioned at 111.75°E in orbit.
• It is designed, developed, and integrated at the U R Satellite Centre (URSC).
• By incorporating new L1 band signals, it improves NavIC’s compatibility with global navigation systems, ensuring wider adoption and better service.

Pangsau Pass : In News

The Pangsau Pass International Festival was celebrated in Nampong, Arunachal Pradesh.

• It is celebrated every year in Nampong which is situated in Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh.
• The festival offers a platform for the cross-border trade and cultural exchange with Myanmar to exhibit its culture and other products.
• Pangsau Pass or Pan Saung Pass, 3,727 feet (1,136 m) in altitude, lies on the crest of the Patkai Hills on the India-Myanmar border.
• The pass offers one of the easiest routes into Myanmar from the Assam plains.
• It is named after the closest Burmese village, Pangsau, that lies 2 km beyond the pass to the east.
• It is the reputed route of the 13th century invasion of Assam by the Ahoms, a Shan tribe.
• The pass became famous during World War II for being the initial obstacle encountered by American General “Vinegar Joe” Stilwell’s forces in their effort to build a land route to isolated China after the fall of Burma to the Japanese.
• The famous lake called, the Lake of No Return in Myanmar side, can be viewed from Pangsau pass.
• Pangsau Pass is considered to be “Hell gate” or “Hell Pass” due to difficult terrains in the Patkai Mountain Range.
• Pangsau Pass International Festival:

Nahargarh Wildlife Sanctuary : In News

The Forest Department has initiated plans to revise the Nahargarh Wildlife Sanctuary boundaries to resolve existing legal complications.

• Nahargarh Wildlife Sanctuary is situated in the Aravalli hills, just 20 kilometres from Jaipur, Rajasthan.
• The sanctuary is named after Nahargarh Fort, a historic fort built in the 18th century by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the founder of Jaipur.
• It encompasses an area of 720 hectares.
• Nahargarh Biological Park, a part of the Nahargarh sanctuary, is famous for the lion safaris.

Deep Ocean Mission : First Human Underwater Submersible

The Ministry of Earth Sciences recently announced that the country is set to launch its first human underwater submersible (Deep-Sea Manned Vehicle) as part of the Deep Ocean Mission.

• It is a mission-mode project to support the Blue Economy Initiatives of the Government of India.
• It is a high-level multi-ministerial, multidisciplinary programme for a better understanding of the deep sea living and non-living resources of the Indian Ocean.
• It was launched as a Central Sector Scheme with the overall estimated cost of Rs 4,077 crores for two phases of the Mission period during 2021-2026.
• The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) is be the nodal Ministry implementing this multi-institutional mission.
• The mission consists of 6 major components:
  • Development of Technologies for Deep Sea Mining and Manned Submersible and Underwater Robotics;
  • Development of Ocean Climate Change Advisory Services;
  • Technological innovations for exploration and conservation of deep-sea biodiversity;
  • Deep Ocean Survey and Exploration;
  • Energy and freshwater from the Ocean; and
  • Advanced Marine Station for Ocean Biology
• The Samudrayaan project under the Deep Ocean Mission is for the development of a manned submersible to carry three people to a depth of 6000 meters in the ocean with a suite of scientific sensors for ocean exploration and observation.
• The vehicle is called Matsya 6000.

Shompens:

The director of the Andaman and Nicobar Tribal Research Institute (ANTRI), recently underscored the findings of his report on the Shompens, one of the primary aboriginal communities inhabiting the interior forests and coastal areas of the Great Nicobar Islands (GNI).

• They are one of the most primitive tribes of the Andaman and Nicobar (A&N) islands, and one of the most isolated tribes on the Earth.
• They are one of the least studied Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) in India.
• They reside in the dense tropical rain forests of the Great Nicobar Island.
• Around 95% of the island is covered in rainforest.
• Shompens, unlike the other primitive tribes of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, are not of Negrito but of Mongoloid stock.
• Their light yellow-brown skins, straight hair, narrow eyes and stocky build give them a strong resemblance to the people of Myanmar and Indonesia.
• The Shompens’ habitat is also an important biological hotspot that includes two National Parks – Campbell Bay and Galathea and one Biosphere Reserve – Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve.
• Though according to the Census (2011), the estimated population of Shompen is 229, the exact population of Shompen is unknown till today.
• Most of them remain in the forest and have little or no contact with outsiders.
• They are hunter-gatherers, living in small groups, whose territories are identified by the rivers that criss-cross the rainforest.
• Being nomadic, they typically set up forest camps where they live for a few weeks or months, before moving to another site.
• They collect a wide variety of rainforest plants, but their staple food is the pandanus fruit, which they call larop.
• They also plant small gardens, cultivating lemon, chillies and betel, amongst other plants.
• Shompen speak their own language, which has many dialects. Members of one band do not understand the dialect of the other.
• They are of short to medium stature, have a round or nearly broad head shape, narrow nose, a broad facial profile, and distinctly exhibit Mongoloid features such as light brown to yellow brown skin and oblique eye features.
• They have nuclear families comprising husband, wife, and their unmarried children.
• A Shompen family is controlled by the eldest male member, who controls all activities of the women and kids.
• Monogamy is the general rule, although polygamy is allowed too.
• The Shompen worship the moon, known as Houou, as their goddess, whom they believe created the universe.

Rakhigarhi : New Study

A reservoir unearthed recently in Haryana’s Rakhigarhi is not just a marvel of Harappan engineering but also advances evolving research on the Saraswati River.

• Rakhigarhi is an archaeological site located in Hisar district, Haryana, in the Ghaggar-Hakra river plain.
• It is one of the oldest and largest cities of the India’s earliest known Bronze Age urban culture, the Indus Valley or Harappan Civilization.
• It is the largest Indus Valley site.
• The site was first discovered in the 1960s by the Archeological Survey of India.
• The exploration around this site has clearly identified seven archaeological mounds spread over an area of approximately 350 ha.
• It primarily yields evidence of occupation during the Early and Mature Harappan periods, with the site being completely abandoned during the Late Harappan period.
• The archaeological excavations revealed the mature Harappan phase, represented by a planned township with mud-brick as well as burnt-brick houses with a proper drainage system.
• The ceramic industry is represented by red ware, which included dish-on-stand, vase, jar, bowl, beaker, perforated jar, goblet, and handis.
• Animal sacrificial pits lined with mud bricks and triangular and circular fire alters on the mud floor have also been excavated, that signifies the ritual system of the Harappans.
• A cylindrical seal with five Harappan characters on one side and a symbol of an alligator on the other is an important find from this site.
• Other antiquities include blades; terracotta and shell bangles; beads of semi-precious stones, terracotta, shell and copper objects; animal figurines, toy cart frame and wheel of terracotta; bone points; inscribed steatite seals, and sealings.
• The excavations have yielded a few extended burials, which certainly belong to a very late stage, maybe the medieval times.
• It is also well-known as the site which has yielded the only DNA evidence from the Harappan era.

Cauvery-South Vellar Link Project:

The Supreme Court recently noted that the Centre has not granted in-principle approval for Tamil Nadu’s Cauvery-South Vellar Link Project, despite the state’s request in January 2021.A Tamil Nadu initiative to divert surplus floodwater from the Mettur Dam to dry tanks in the Sarabanga Basin, Salem district. Aims to ensure efficient water use for agriculture and replenish water bodies in drought-prone areas.

Sachetisation Plan:

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) is introducing a sachetisation plan to enable small-ticket systematic investment plans (SIPs) starting at ₹250 per month. Sachetisation is a  strategy inspired by FMCG products offering small, affordable units (e.g., shampoo sachets) to penetrate price-sensitive markets. Applied to financial services, it allows low-income investors to enter mutual funds through smaller, affordable investments.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD):

A UK-based study published in the British Journal of Psychiatry highlights a stark disparity in life expectancy among adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).It is A neurodevelopmental disorder affecting focus, impulsivity, and hyperactivity.Commonly diagnosed in childhood but often persists into adulthood. Impacts 3-4% of adults worldwide.

Black Panther:

Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer recently shared a video of a rare black panther strolling is lush greenery of north Bengal.The black panther, a colloquial term for melanistic (dark-colored) large felines in the genus Panthera, is known for its striking black fur and mysterious allure.

“Fit India Sundays on Cycle” Campaign:

Well-known actor Gul Panag and Arjuna awardee boxer Saweety Boora rallied behind the ‘Fit India Sundays on Cycle’ campaign.A weekly cycling event under the Fit India Movement organized by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) in collaboration with the Cycling Federation of India (CFI) and MY Bharat.

India – Indonesia:

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto visits India for the 76th Republic Day celebrations on January 26, 2025, his official visit aims to deepen cooperation in economic, defense, cultural, and strategic domains.

Mauritius Hydrographic Survey:

The Indian Navy has successfully completed a hydrographic survey of 25,000 square nautical miles of Mauritius.INS Sarvekshak completed the hydrographic survey (mapping the ocean floor and sub-surface features), providing Mauritius with nautical charts to enhance its maritime infrastructure, resource management, and coastal planning.

15th National Voters’ Day 2025:

The 15th National Voters’ Day (NVD) on 25th January 2025, marks 75 years of the Election Commission of India (ECI) and follows the successful 2024 Lok Sabha Elections, the world’s largest democratic exercise.Celebrated annually on 25th January since 2011 to commemorate the establishment of the ECI on 25th January 1950, a day before India became a Republic. Aims to promote voter awareness, inspire participation, and honor new voters. Theme for 2025: “Nothing Like Voting, I Vote for Sure” to emphasize the importance of voting and pride in electoral participation.