Daily Current Affairs – 23-03-2025

Tamil Nadu

ASER Report 2024 released

® According to the ” Annual Status of Education Report (Rural) 2024 (ASER 2024) ” released by the Pratham Foundation. ® The enrolment in government schools for children aged 6-14 has decreased to 66.8% compared to 72.9% in 2022, except in Uttarakhand and Jammu & Kashmir. ® Overall school enrolment for 6-to-14-year-olds remained at 98% . ® The enrolment of 3-year-old children in pre-primary institutions has increased to 77.4% from 68.1% in 2018. ® Gujarat, Maharashtra, Odisha, and Telangana have achieved near-universal enrolment for 3-year-olds. ® The enrolment in private pre-schools for 5-year-olds has increased to 37.5% from 30.8% in 2022. ® The percentage of underage children (age 5 or below) in Class I has decreased to 16.7% . ® Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Maharashtra, and Odisha have recorded a 10% increase in reading levels for Class III students between 2022 and 2024. ® The drop-out rate for children aged 15-16 remains at 7.9% . The drop-out rate for girls has increased to 8.1% from 7.9% in 2022. Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan have witnessed a decline in the drop-out rate for girls. ® For the first time, ASER 2024 included a digital literacy section: ® Personal smartphone ownership among children aged 14-16 has increased to 31% from 19% in 2022. ® Over 80% of schools received directions to implement Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) activities. ® Average teacher attendance has increased to 87.5% from 85.1% in 2018, and student attendance has increased to 75.9% from 72.4% in 2018. ® The proportion of government primary schools with less than 60 students has increased to 52.1% from 44% in 2022.

Record-high air travel demand in 2024

® According to the ‘ Full-year and December 2024 international passenger market performance data ’ released by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), India recorded the highest Passenger Load Factor (PLF) of 86.4% in 2024 among domestic flights.

C4IR India Impact Report

® The Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR) India has launched its 6 -year Impact journey report during the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual meeting 2025. ® The C4IR India was launched in 2018 , with the NITI Aayog and Reliance Industries as founding partners.

Forbes 50 Over 50 Women Global list

® According to the first “ 50 Over 50 Women Global list 2025 ”, 3 Indian women were featured in the list which included inspiring women from 32 countries: Urmila Asher (3rd rank), Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw (32nd), and Sheela Patel (37th). ® Urmila Asher is the founder of Gujju Ben Na Nasta. ® Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw is the founder of Biocon India Pvt Ltd. ® Sheela Patel is a social activist.

Banu Mushtaq’s ‘Heart Lamp’ Wins International Booker Prize

® Kannada author Banu Mushtaq won the International Booker Prize 2025 for Heart Lamp . ® The book was translated into English by Deepa Bhasthi. ® This is the first International Booker Prize win for the Kannada language. ® It is also the first time a collection of short stories has won the prize. ® The shortlist included works in French, Italian, Danish, and Japanese. ® This is the second time a Kannada author has been recognized by Booker institutions after U R Ananthamurthy (2013). ® Deepa Bhasthi became the first Indian translator to win the International Booker Prize. ® Bhasthi had earlier won the English PEN’s ‘PEN Translates’ award for the same work in 2024. ® The last Indian winner was Geetanjali Shree (2022) for Tomb of Sand , translated from Hindi. ® Arundhati Roy became the first Indian and first Indian woman to win the Man Booker Prize in 1997 for her novel The God of Small Things .

e-Zero FIR Initiative Launched in Delhi

® The Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C) has launched the e-Zero FIR initiative as a pilot project in Delhi. ® Aimed at tackling financial cyber frauds above ₹ 10 lakh, the system automatically converts complaints received via 1930 helpline or cybercrime.gov.in into Zero FIRs. ® These FIRs are instantly routed to the relevant territorial Cybercrime Police Stations. ® Complainants must visit the police station within 3 days to convert the Zero FIR into a regular FIR. ® Delhi’s e-Crime Police Station has been designated for registering these e-FIRs.

Best Documentary Award at Dadasaheb Phalke Film Festival 2025

® The documentary ‘Saving the Bhimanama: Ayushi Jain and a Giant Turtle’, directed by Bahar Dutt and Vijay Bedi, won Best Documentary at the 15th Dadasaheb Phalke Film Festival 2025. ® The film highlights conservation efforts for a giant turtle species in India.

World Day for Cultural Diversity Observed on May 21

® May 21 is observed annually as the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development. ® The day highlights the importance of cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue in promoting peace and sustainable development worldwide