Daily Current Affairs – 24-06-2025
Tamil Nadu
iGOT Karmayogi
crosses 1 crore users milestone
® The Union Ministry of Personnel announced that iGOT Karmayogi, the Integrated Government Online Training platform under Mission Karmayogi, has surpassed 1 crore registrations. ® This marks a 30-fold increase from 3 lakh users in January 2023 within just over two years. ® The top five states by user count are Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. ® Launched under the National Programme for Civil Services Capacity Building (NPCSCB), iGOT Karmayogi aims to develop a competent, professional, and future-ready civil service.
‘Sagar Mein Samman’ Policy Launched to Boost Women’s Role in
Maritime Sector
® On May 18, the Centre launched the ‘Sagar Mein Samman’ policy on the occasion of the International Day for Women in Maritime. ® The initiative aims to enhance women’s participation in the maritime sector by promoting empowerment, leadership, inclusivity, safety, and skill development. ® India targets 12% female representation in technical maritime roles by 2030. ® The number of women seafarers in India rose from 341 (2014) to 2,557 (2024).
Pradhan Mantri Divyasha Kendra Inaugurated in Kota
® Pradhan Mantri Divyasha Kendra (PMDK) was inaugurated in Kota, Rajasthan by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. ® The centre aims to provide affordable and quality assistive devices to senior citizens and persons with disabilities. ® A total of 45 PMDK centres are currently functional across India. ® The initiative is implemented by Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India (ALIMCO) under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
Centre Launches New
Digital Initiatives in Public Distribution System (PDS)
The Centre has launched three digital tools to modernize the Public Distribution System (PDS): ® Depot Darpan – A self-assessment and monitoring portal for depot officials. ® Anna Mitra – A digital platform catering to operational needs of PDS stakeholders; currently active in Assam, Uttarakhand, Tripura, and Punjab. ® Anna Sahayata – A grievance redressal platform for citizens, covering Gujarat, Jharkhand, Telangana, Tripura, and Uttar Pradesh in its pilot phase. ® These initiatives are designed to benefit over 81 crore PMGKAY beneficiaries.
MISCELLANEOUS NEWS
First Indian Epigraphical Reference to Halley’s Comet
The earliest Indian epigraphical mention of Halley’s Comet was discovered in the Srisailam Copper Plate Charter dated 1456 CE in Andhra Pradesh. The inscription was in Sanskrit and Nagari script. It belongs to the reign of Vijayanagara king Mallikarjuna. It records the appearance of Halley’s Comet and a resulting meteor shower. The charter states that on Monday, June 28, 1456 CE, a religious grant was made to pacify calamity caused by the comet and meteor shower. The inscription reflects traditional beliefs linking comet sightings to impending misfortune and calamities.
STATES NEWS
Reintroduction of king cobras - Madhya Pradesh
One of the two King Cobras brought to Madhya Pradesh from Mangalore Zoo died at the Van Vihar National Park’s snake enclosure. The King Cobra is not a species endemic to the state. The king cobra, the world’s longest venomous snake, can grow to 15 feet in the length. It prefers humid, dark forests with thick undergrowth, cool swamps, and bamboo patches across diverse habitats. They spread across from the highland evergreen and semi-evergreen forests to estuarine mangroves with high rainfall. In India, the king cobra’s range includes the Western Ghats, the North Indian terai belt, Northeast India, coastlines of West Bengal and Odisha, Andaman and Nicobar, and parts of the Eastern Ghats. King cobras are known for their unique nesting behaviour. However, they do not breed well in captivity.
ENVIRONMENT NEWS
Alien species in India
A 2022 study found that India has lost $127.3 billion (Rs 830 crore) to invasive alien species over the last 60 years. It was rendering the country the second-most financially affected by an invasive alien species in the world, after the U.S. But this data only stems from the calculated costs of 10 invasive alien species from the 2,000+ alien species known in India. The most conservative estimates report 173 invasive plants and 157 invasive animals. In India, the declaration of alien species as invasive is managed under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 (amended in 2022).
ECONOMY NEWS
Foreign Direct Investment Decline – 2024
The World Investment Report 2025 was released by United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. Foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows was making up 2.3% of all the capital formation in India in 2024. India attracted $27.6 billion of FDI inflows in 2024, down 1.8% from 2023. It was also less than half the amount seen in 2020. In South Asia, India accounting for nearly 80% of the region’s FDI inflows.
Indian Funds in Swiss Banks in 2024
Indian funds in Swiss banks surged over threefold to CHF 3.5 billion (Rs 37,600 crore) in 2024. Most of the increase came from funds held through bank channels and other financial entities, not individual customer accounts. This is the highest since 2021, when the total Indian money in Swiss banks had hit a 14-year-high of CHF 3.83 billion. India has rose to the 48th spot globally in terms of funds in Swiss banks, up from 67th last year.
NATIONAL NEWS
One Nation, One Time
The government has proposed some new rules to standardize the timekeeping by mandating exclusive use of Indian Standard Time (IST). The Legal Metrology (Indian Standard Time) Rules, 2024 draft aims to create a legal framework for consistent time practices. The IST will be the sole recognized time reference for the legal, administrative, commercial, and official documents. The proposal supports the very precise timekeeping in critical infrastructure like telecommunications, banking, defense, 5G, and AI. Exceptions will be allowed for astronomy, navigation, and scientific research with the prior government approval.
Fifth Edition of National Time Release Study (NTRS)
Centre has released the fifth edition of the National Time Release Study (NTRS). The Time Release Study (TRS) measures the time taken for cargo release to assess clearance process efficiency. It analyses the time taken in the seaports, Air Cargo Complexes (ACCs), Inland Container Depots (ICDs), and Integrated Check Posts (ICPs). The Average Release Time (ART) in imports declined between 2023 and 2025 at the seaports (~6 hours), ACCs (~5 hours), and ICPs (~18 hours). But Integrated Check Posts saw a ~12-hour increase. 93.33% of import cargo at ICPs met the 48-hour NTFAP 3.0 target.
Yoga Sangam & Yoga Bandhan
The 11th International Yoga Day was observed in June 21, with the theme ‘Yoga for One Earth, One Health’. It has featured ‘Yoga Sangam’ a mass yoga demonstration over 1,00,000 locations across India. The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) under the Ministry of External Affairs organised various yoga events and programmes in 191 countries. Additionally, the ICCR is hosted ‘Yoga Bandhan’. It is a flagship international program under the Ministry of Ayush.
TAMIL NADU NEWS
TPS 5 rice variety
The Tamil Nadu Rice Research Institute (TRRI), Aduthurai in Thanjavur District, have urged farmers to plan ahead for samba and Thaladi seasons using region-specific, low-input paddy varieties. TPS 5, a commonly used variety in delta, matures in 100 days elsewhere, it takes 125 days in the delta. It was causing delayed harvests, higher pest incidence, and increased costs. TRRI recommended kuruvai varieties such as ADT 53, 55, 56, and 57. ADT 57 is suitable for direct sowing and ADT 55 offers Bacterial Leaf Blight (BLB) tolerance. ADT 53 is a good alternative to ADT 43 for parboiled rice, and ADT 59 is preferred for idly rice. For saline and coastal tail-end areas, TRY (Tiruchi Rice) varieties 1 to 5 are ideal. For flood-prone delta areas, he recommended CR1009 Sub 1.
Three-wheeler EV adoption
The Three-wheeler electric vehicle (EV) penetration in Tamil Nadu so far in the calendar year 2025 has already surpassed the numbers for 2024. Total of 2,802 electric three-wheelers have been registered in 2025 till May. The EV adoption which measured in terms of EV sales as a percentage of the total vehicle sales stood at 16.07% in 2025. It was 3.92% for the entire 2024.
163-year-old Madras High Court building
The Madras High Court is all set to complete 163 years since its establishment on June 26, 1862. It was inaugurated on July 12, 1892. Now a dedicated committee has been formed under Justices R. Subramanian, R. Suresh Kumar, P.T. Asha, and N. Mala to renovate some parts. Madras High Court in Chennai is the second-largest judicial structure in the world, after the one in London.