Daily Current Affairs 08th April 2025: Your guide for daily General Knowledge Preparation
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This post contains daily current affairs 08th April 2025. It includes all National, International, Business & Sports related current affairs 08th April 2025. A brief explanation of every current affair is provided to further enhance your general knowledge. Once you have gone through these current affairs we would recommend to you to try 08th April, 2025 Current affairs test.
National News
PM Modi Unveils ₹8,300 Crore Worth Projects in Tamil Nadu
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, where he inaugurated and laid the foundation for several infrastructure projects totaling ₹8,300 crore.
He officially opened India’s first vertical lift sea bridge — the New Pamban Rail Bridge (2.08 km long, built at a cost exceeding ₹700 crore) to improve sea and rail connectivity.
A new rail service connecting Rameswaram and Tambaram (Chennai) was launched.
Several National Highway projects (NH-40, NH-332, NH-32, NH-36) were inaugurated to enhance road access to pilgrimage spots, ports, and markets.
PM Modi began his visit with prayers at the Ramanathaswamy Temple, highlighting Tamil Nadu’s cultural richness and contribution to national development.
Pondicherry Heritage Festival 2025
The 11th edition of the Pondicherry Heritage Festival commenced with traditional “Veedhi Vilayattu” (street games) in the Tamil Quarter of Puducherry.
More than 250 children and many locals participated in the event, held between Easwaran Koil and Anna Salai.
Traditional South Indian games such as Pallanguzhi, Pambaram, Dhayam, and Pacha Kuthirai were showcased.
The event was jointly organized by People for Pondicherry’s Heritage and PondyCAN, turning the streets into a cultural celebration filled with games, local delicacies, and entertainment.
Tamil Nadu Receives Six New GI Tags
Six more products from Tamil Nadu have been awarded the Geographical Indication (GI) tag by the GI Registry.
With the latest additions, Tamil Nadu now has the second-highest number of GI-tagged products in India.
Uttar Pradesh tops the list with 79 registered GI products.
Haryana Declares Two Harappan Sites as Protected
The government of Haryana has granted protected status to the Harappan archaeological sites at Mitathal and Tighrana, located in Bhiwani district.
These sites date back around 4,400 years and are of immense historical and cultural significance.
A notification was issued on March 13, 2025, by Principal Secretary Kala Ramachandran under the Haryana Ancient and Historical Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1964.
Measures such as fencing and enhanced security are planned, especially for the 10-acre Mitathal site, to prevent damage or encroachment.
Excise Duty Increased on Petrol and Diesel
The Government of India has raised excise duties by ₹2 per litre on both petrol and diesel.
New excise rates are now ₹13 per litre for petrol and ₹10 per litre for diesel, effective April 8, 2025.
Despite the hike, retail prices will remain unchanged as state-run oil companies — IOCL, BPCL, and HPCL — will absorb the additional cost.
The hike follows international oil price fluctuations due to US tariffs and rising production by OPEC+ nations.
International News
Saudi Arabia Imposes Temporary Visa Ban for Hajj Season
Saudi Arabia has temporarily suspended visas for 14 countries, including India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, to manage crowd control during the Hajj pilgrimage.
The ban applies to Umrah, business, and family visit visas.
It aims to streamline visitor flow, prevent unauthorized overstays, and ensure a safe and organized Hajj experience.
This restriction is expected to continue until mid-June 2025, post-Hajj.
Banking News
Government Launches “One State, One RRB” Policy
The Indian government has initiated the “One State, One RRB” policy to streamline the functioning of Regional Rural Banks (RRBs).
The number of RRBs will be consolidated from the current 43 to 28 to boost efficiency and eliminate intra-state competition.
This policy aims to improve credit delivery and services, particularly in rural regions.
The new initiative builds on past reforms that brought down the number of RRBs from 196 to 43.
States like Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal will be most impacted by the changes.
Emphasis is being placed on cost optimization and enhanced operational performance.
Awards News
Sudarsan Pattnaik Wins Fred Darrington Award
Famed sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik has been awarded the inaugural Fred Darrington Award for Excellence in Art and Culture.
He received the award for his 10-foot-tall sand sculpture of Lord Ganesha, conveying the theme of “World Peace.”
The sculpture is displayed at SandWorld in Weymouth, Dorset, and will remain on exhibit until November 2025.
Pattnaik is also the first Indian sculptor to showcase work at SandWorld.
The award features a gold medal engraved with Fred Darrington’s caricature and a symbolic glass wave containing sand from Pattnaik’s sculpture.
Ranks & Reports News
India Ranks 10th in Global AI Investment
India secured the 10th position globally in private Artificial Intelligence (AI) investments, with ₹11,943 crore (US$ 1.4 billion) invested in 2023.
The country improved its ranking in the UNCTAD ‘Readiness for Frontier Technologies’ Index from 48th (2022) to 36th (2024).
India is emerging as a key player in AI and nanotechnology, supported by a vast pool of 13 million software developers.
To stay competitive with global leaders like Germany (wind energy), Japan (electric vehicles), and South Korea (5G), India must continue investing in R&D and workforce training.
Schemes News
Delhi Implements Ayushman Bharat Scheme
Delhi has become the 35th state/UT to implement the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY).
The scheme offers free healthcare services to economically weaker sections.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta described the step as historic, while Health Minister Pankaj Kumar Singh criticized delays by the previous government.
Public registration for the scheme is set to begin on April 10, 2025.
The initiative already benefits around 50 crore people across India and supports 36 lakh frontline healthcare workers.
A formal MoU was signed between the Delhi government and the National Health Authority (NHA) to operationalize the scheme.
Awards News
GAIL Wins PPAC Greenfinch Data Excellence Award
GAIL (India) Ltd. received the prestigious “PPAC Greenfinch Data Excellence Award.”
The recognition was presented during the 24th Foundation Day of the Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell (PPAC).
The award was received by Asim Prasad, GAIL’s Chief General Manager (Corporate Strategy Planning Advocacy & Corporate Affairs), along with his team.
Appointments News
Viral Davda Appointed Deputy CIO at BSE
Viral Davda has been appointed as the Deputy Chief Information Officer of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE).
With over two decades of experience, Davda’s appointment reflects BSE’s commitment to enhancing its technological infrastructure.
This marks a significant professional milestone for him.
Science & Technology News
Meta Launches Llama 4 AI Models
Meta has introduced its latest AI model series — Llama 4 — now powering Meta AI across its platforms such as WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, and the web.
Two versions were unveiled:
Llama 4 Scout – a lightweight model capable of running on a single Nvidia H100 GPU.
It also features a long context window of 10 million tokens, enhancing AI’s ability to understand extended conversations.
Sports News
India Makes History at World Boxing Cup
India made a remarkable debut at the 2025 World Boxing Cup in Foz Do Iguacu, Brazil, by clinching six medals.
Boxer Hitesh created history by becoming the first Indian to win a gold medal at the event.
The performance marks a new high point for Indian boxing on the global stage.
