Daily Current Affairs – 21-02-2025

Tamil Nadu

World’s busiest flight routes 2024

® According to the “Busiest Flight Routes in the World 2024” report by Offline Airline Guide, the Mumbai - Delhi route is ranked as the 8th busiest domestic route globally with 7.963 million seats. ® The Hong Kong - Taipei route is the busiest international route with 6.78 million seats. ® The Jeju - Seoul Gimpo route in South Korea is the busiest domestic flight route with 14.18 million seats. ® The Jeddah - Riyadh route in Saudi Arabia witnessed the highest growth (10%) in capacity in 2024 among the top 10 busiest routes.

Henley Passport Index 2025

® India’s rank dropped from 80th spot (in 2024) to 85th spot (in 2025). ® Singapore topped in the list with visa-free access to 195 countries, this makes Singapore passport the most powerful in the world, followed by Japan (193 countries) ® Indian passport holders have visa-free access to 57 countries.

Rooftop solar installations data

® According to the data released by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) , Gujarat is the top state with the highest number of rooftop solar installations under the ‘PM -Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana (PMSGMBY) ’ scheme. ® As of December 2024, over 6.79 lakh installations are completed. ® Subsidies are disbursed to 3.66 lakh applicants.

Report by UN-DESA

® According to the “World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) 2025” report by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN-DESA): ® India’s GDP growth is estimated at 6.6% in 2025 and 6.7% in 2026. ® India’s GDP growth in 2024 was 6.8% . ® The report projected global economic growth at 2.8% in 2025 and 2.9% in 2026. ® Consumer price inflation in India is expected to decline from 4.8% in 2024 to 4.3% in 2025. ® The projected inflation is within the Reserve Bank of India’s target range of 2-6% .

INCOIS celebrates Foundation Day

® The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) , under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), has celebrated its 26th Foundation Day in Medchal-Malkajgiri, Telangana. ® During the event, new services was launched: ® Hilsa Fishery Advisory (HiFA) Service ® INCOIS Global Ocean Reanalysis (IGORA) Version 1 ® This aims to promote collaborative research and outreach activities, both at national and international levels. ® It was established in 1999 and its headquarters was located in Hyderabad, Telangana.

White tiger breeding centre

® The Central Zoo Authority (CZA) , New Delhi under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, has approved the establishment of India’s first white tiger breeding center in Rewa, Madhya Pradesh . ® Central Zoo Authority (CZA) was established in- 1992

IIT Madras launches cancer genome database

® IIT Madras has launched the ’ Bharat Cancer Genome Atlas (BCGA) ’, the first cancer genome database in India. ® The database is developed to address the gap in genomic data for Indian cancers. ® The database was created in collaboration with Karkinos Healthcare (Mumbai), Chennai Breast Clinic, and Cancer Research and Relief Trust (Chennai). ® The research was funded under the central government’s “ Institutions of Eminence ” initiative. ® It is to be noted that cancer incidence has increased by 12.8% annually since 2022.

Andhra Pradesh Kurnool to become Drone City

® Garuda Aerospace , a Chennai-based drone manufacturer, has announced its plans to invest ₹100 crore to develop Kurnool , Andhra Pradesh as India’s first ‘Drone City’. ® This initiative aims to promote innovation and research in drone technology.