Daily Current Affairs 17th March 2025: Your guide for daily General Knowledge Preparation
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This post contains daily current affairs 17th March 2025. It includes all National, International, Business & Sports related current affairs 17th March 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 17th March, 2025 Current affairs test.
National News
Six New Properties Added to India’s UNESCO Tentative List
- India expanded its UNESCO Tentative List to include six new sites, bringing the total to 62.
- Significant inclusions among these sites are the Ashokan Edict Sites, Chausath Yogini Temples, and Kanger Valley National Park.
- The Tentative List serves as a prerequisite for a site’s nomination to UNESCO’s World Heritage List, underscoring India’s ongoing commitment to conserving its cultural and natural heritage.
Empowering Women PRIs Leaders: Launch of Sashakt Panchayat-Netri Abhiyan & Model Women-Friendly Gram Panchayats
- The Ministry of Panchayati Raj introduced two key initiatives aimed at empowering women leaders in Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs).
- The Sashakt Panchayat-Netri Abhiyan is focused on building the leadership and decision-making abilities of Women Elected Representatives (WERs).
- A key objective is to eradicate the “Mukhiya Pati” or “Sarpanch Pati” culture, where male relatives exercise authority instead of the elected women.
- The Model Women-Friendly Gram Panchayat (MWFGP) initiative is designed to establish at least one model women-friendly panchayat per district, promoting gender-sensitive and girl-friendly governance.
International News
China Deploys a 5,000 km Range Radar System in Yunnan Province
- China has stationed a Large Phased Array Radar (LPAR) system in its Yunnan province, near the Myanmar border, enhancing its surveillance over India.
- The radar, with a detection range exceeding 5,000 km, can monitor both Indian territory and the Indian Ocean region.
- Its electronically controlled antennas provide rapid scanning and precise tracking of multiple targets, including ballistic missile movements.
- The radar is positioned 2,000–2,200 km away from Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Island in India, enabling real-time monitoring of missile tests such as Agni-V and K-4, raising security concerns for Indian defense agencies.
Business News
LIC, New India Assurance, GIC Re Retain Their Domestic Systemically Important Insurers (D-SIIs) Status for 2024-25
- The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has once again designated Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), New India Assurance, and General Insurance Corporation of India (GIC Re) as Domestic Systemically Important Insurers (D-SIIs) for 2024-25.
- These companies play a crucial role in maintaining financial stability due to their size, market influence, and global linkages.
Valueattics Reinsurance Becomes India’s First Private Reinsurer, Ending GIC Re’s Monopoly
- In a significant move, Valueattics Reinsurance, backed by Prem Watsa and Kamesh Goyal, became India’s first private reinsurer, breaking GIC Re’s monopoly since 1972.
- The IRDAI approved the company’s license during its March 12, 2025, board meeting, which was the last chaired by Debasish Panda as IRDAI Chairperson.
- This approval is expected to foster greater competition in the reinsurance market, where 13 foreign reinsurance branches (FRBs) such as Munich Re, Swiss Re, and Lloyd’s of London are already operating.
Banking News
RBI Wins Digital Transformation Award 2025 for Pravaah and Sarthi Initiatives
- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) received the Digital Transformation Award 2025 from Central Banking, London, UK, recognizing its technological advancements.
- The award honors RBI’s in-house digital initiatives, Pravaah and Sarthi, which have helped in streamlining regulatory processes, reducing paper-based work, and improving workflow management.
RBI Introduces Framework for Self-Regulatory Organisation (SRO) in the Account Aggregator Ecosystem
- The RBI has issued a Self-Regulatory Organisation (SRO) framework to regulate and coordinate Account Aggregators (AA).
- The goal is to improve financial data exchange, ensure compliance, and resolve operational issues in the AA ecosystem.
- This initiative aligns with the AA framework launched in September 2016, which facilitates secure sharing of financial data.
- In August 2024, RBI recognized the Fintech Association for Consumer Empowerment (FACE) as an SRO in the fintech sector.
Economy News
Moody’s Projects India’s GDP Growth to Exceed 6.5% in FY 2025-26
- Moody’s Ratings forecasts India’s GDP growth to surpass 6.5% in FY 2025-26, up from 6.3% in FY 2024-25.
- Factors contributing to this growth include higher government capital expenditure, tax cuts, and monetary easing through interest rate reductions.
- However, moderate stress on banking asset quality is expected, particularly in unsecured retail loans, microfinance, and small business loans.
- India’s real GDP growth was 5.6% in Q2 (July-September 2024) but rebounded to 6.2% in Q3 (October-December 2024).
Appointments News
N Ganapathy Subramaniam Appointed as Chairman of Tata Communications
- N Ganapathy Subramaniam (NGS) has been named as the Chairman of the Board of Tata Communications, effective March 14, 2025.
- His appointment followed the recommendation of the Nomination and Remuneration Committee and was detailed in a regulatory filing by the company.
Defense News
India Successfully Tests Astra BVRAAM from LCA Tejas AF MK1 Prototype
- The Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) successfully tested the Astra Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile (BVRAAM) from the LCA Tejas AF MK1 prototype off Chandipur, Odisha.
- The missile, developed by DRDO, successfully hit its airborne target, with all subsystems working optimally.
- With a range of over 100 km, Astra BVRAAM is a significant step toward strengthening India’s air defense capabilities and advancing indigenous missile technology.
Science & Technology News
Google Unveils Gemma 3: A New Lightweight AI Model for Efficient Performance
- Google has introduced Gemma 3, an advanced lightweight AI model designed for on-device performance on smartphones, laptops, and computing platforms.
- Gemma 3 is powered by the same technology as Google’s Gemini 2.0 models, ensuring low-latency processing on a single GPU or TPU.
- This model is built to be energy-efficient, scalable, and optimized for enhanced user experiences.
NASA’s SPHEREx Space Telescope Launched to Study the Universe’s Cosmic Glow
- NASA successfully launched the SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer) telescope aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, on March 11, 2025.
- The $488 million mission will map the entire sky using infrared technology to analyze galaxy evolution, the early universe, and interstellar ice.
- Unlike traditional telescopes, SPHEREx will study the cosmic glow of galaxies throughout history, providing insights into the universe’s formation and expansion.
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