Daily Current Affairs – 29-06-2025
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Constitutes 7th State Finance Commission
® The Tamil Nadu Government has constituted the Seventh State Finance Commission to assess and recommend the distribution of State funds to urban and rural local bodies. ® Retired IAS officer K. Allaudin has been appointed as the Chairperson. ® The Commission will submit its report by August 31, 2026, covering the period from April 1, 2027, to March 31, 2032. ® Tiruppur Mayor N. Dinesh Kumar is the non-official member. ® Ex-officio members include the Director of Municipal Administration, Commissioner of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, and Commissioner of Town Panchayats. ® IAS officer Pratik Tayal will serve as the Member-Secretary. ® The 6th Commission had submitted its report in February 2022.
Thirukkural to be
Translated into Tribal Dravidian Languages
® The Central Institute of Classical Tamil (CICT), Chennai, has initiated the translation of the Thirukkural into four lesser-known Dravidian languages: Kurukh, Gondi, Malto, and Brahui. ® The project aims to extend the philosophical and ethical wisdom of Thirukkural to tribal communities. ® The Dravidianism Revival Centre, a non-profit organization, is supporting the project by identifying linguistic talent and providing resources. ® Significance: Marks a literary milestone in languages traditionally rich in oral heritage, now developing stronger written tradition
Modified Interest
Subvention Scheme Extended for 2025–26
® The Union Government has approved the continuation of the Modified Interest Subvention Scheme (MISS) for FY 2025–26. ® Originally launched in 2006–07, MISS is a Central Sector Scheme aimed at ensuring affordable short-term credit to farmers. ® Farmers can avail loans up to ₹ 3 lakh through Kisan Credit Cards (KCC) at a 7% interest rate, with 1.5% subvention to lending institutions. ® Those who repay promptly are eligible for a 3% Prompt Repayment Incentive (PRI), effectively reducing the interest to 4%. ® For animal husbandry and fisheries, the interest benefit applies to loans up to ₹ 2 lakh. ® In case of natural calamities, restructured crop loans get a 2% subvention for the first year.
Maharashtra CM
Relief Fund Gets FCRA Approval for First Time
® The Union Home Ministry has granted FCRA registration to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund (CMRF) of Maharashtra, allowing it to receive foreign donations for social programmes. ® This is the first instance of a state government relief fund receiving approval under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA), 2010. ® The CMRF Maharashtra, registered under the Bombay Public Trusts Act, 1950, provides financial aid during natural disasters, accidents, riots, terrorist attacks, and for medical and educational assistance. ® Typically, state relief funds depend on domestic donations. In contrast, the PM CARES Fund, established in March 2020, is also exempt from FCRA provisions. ® FCRA registration is mandatory for entities receiving foreign contributions for social, educational, religious, economic, or cultural activities. ® The original FCRA 1976 was replaced by a new Act in 2010, later amended in 2020.
Government Relaxes
Norms Under Advance Authorisation Scheme
® The Union Government has relaxed rules under the Advance Authorisation (AA) Scheme, allowing duty-free import benefits even if exports occurred before licence issuance. ® Earlier, goods shipped before the AA licence date were ineligible for duty exemption. ® The scheme permits duty-free import of inputs (raw materials, components, chemicals) used in manufacturing export products. ® Exemption will not apply to restricted items or imports via designated government agencies, unless specially approved by DGFT.
Viksit Krishi
Sankalp Abhiyan 2025 Launched to Modernize Indian Agriculture
® The Government launched the Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan 2025, a nationwide campaign to promote scientific farming, sustainability, and farmer empowerment. ® Conducted biannually before Kharif and Rabi seasons, it provides field-level guidance on crop productivity, soil health, and resource use. ® It involves ICAR’s 113 institutes, 731 KVKs, agri-universities, state departments, FPOs, and progressive farmers. ® The campaign will reach over 65,000 villages in 723 districts, directly engaging 1.3 crore+ farmers
MISCELLANEOUS NEWS
Tawi River Flood 2025
Tawi River flash flood caused by heavy rainfall occurred in Jammu. Tawi River originates from Kailash Kund glacier near Bhaderwah in Doda district, Jammu and Kashmir. It flows through Doda, Udhampur, and Jammu districts before entering into Pakistan’s Punjab. It joins Chenab River as a left-bank tributary, part of the Indus River System. River length is 141 km with a catchment area of 2,168 sq km up to Indian border. Major tributaries include Raji, Gou Karan, and seasonal streams are supporting perennial flow.
STATES’ NEWS
Banakacherla Reservoir Project
Andhra Pradesh state has submitted a pre-feasibility report of the ‘Godavari–Banakacherla Project’ to the Central Water Commission (CWC). It aims to divert surplus Godavari water via the Krishna River to the drought-hit Rayalaseema region for drinking and irrigation needs. The project is located in Banakacherla, Nandyal district, Andhra Pradesh. Telangana is calling it as a violation of the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014, which requires prior approval for inter-basin projects. The project has not yet received clearance from the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB), Godavari River Management Board (GRMB), or the CWC. Telangana was allotted 968 TMC ft of Godavari water by the Godavari Tribunal.
Bihar’s First Nuclear Power Plant
Bihar is one of six states chosen to get a nuclear power plant under India’s Nuclear Energy Mission. The plant will use the Small Modular Reactor (SMR) technology after the central government approval. This mission aims to expand clean and reliable nuclear power across India and improve regional energy security. SMRs are newer nuclear reactors that are more flexible, cost-effective, and safer than traditional reactors.
Salkhan Fossils Park
Salkhan Fossils Park in Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh was added into on UNESCO’s tentative list of World Heritage Sites. The park is one of the oldest fossil sites globally, with fossils dating back 1.4 billion years. Fossils include stromatolites and algae, among the earliest signs of life on Earth. The park covers 25 hectares in the Kaimur range, Vindhyan mountains.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY NEWS
Favipiravir Drug
Pune’s National Institute of Virology has found that the anti-viral drug Favipiravir could help protect against the Chandipura virus. Chandipura virus is common in central India and causes high fever, seizures, and encephalitis. The virus was first found in Maharashtra in 1965 from patients with fever. The first major outbreak had happened in 2003 in Telangana, infecting over 300 children with more than 50% deaths.
Google AI Mode in India
Google has launched AI Mode in India, the first country outside the US to get it. It gives detailed answers in English using text, images, and links. This new search mode is powered by Google’s Gemini 2.5 AI model. It uses a method called ‘query fan-out’. This means, it breaking one question into many parts, searching the web, and combining the best answers. The feature is currently experimental and available to select users.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Iran and IAEA Cooperation
Iran’s Parliament have voted to stop all cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The move follows military strikes by the United States (US) and Israel on Iranian nuclear sites. The IAEA, the United Nations (UN) nuclear monitoring body, oversees the nuclear activities worldwide. Iran had been allowing inspections under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). The NPT is an international agreement aimed at preventing the spread of nuclear weapons.
UN80 Initiative
The UN80 Initiative was launched by UN Secretary-General António Guterres. It aims to modernize the UN to meet current global challenges. The focus is on improving the UN’s work in peace, development, and human rights. It plans to eliminate overlaps and automate administrative services. A review will assess how over 3,600 UN mandates are being implemented. The initiative will not change the mandates themselves. The UN80 Initiative focuses on three workstreams—cutting costs and overlaps through automation, review.
HIV MTCT Elimination - Botswana
Botswana became the first country to achieve gold tier status in eliminating the mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV. It reduced new HIV infections in children to below 250 per 100,000 live births. Service coverage increased from 90% to 95% in antenatal care, HIV testing, and treatment for pregnant women with HIV. Botswana had already achieved silver tier status in 2021. In 2023, Namibia was awarded bronze tier for progress in HIV MTCT elimination. Namibia is also the first country to earn the silver tier for eliminating MTCT of hepatitis B.
Panel on Chemicals, Waste and Pollution
A new global science-policy panel on chemicals, waste, and pollution has been launched in Punta del Este, Uruguay. It is formed under the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). It aims to strengthen the global efforts to tackle pollution, manage hazardous chemicals and waste, and protect the environmental and human health through evidence-based policymaking. This panel joins the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). These 3 form a powerful trio tackling the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.
NATIONAL NEWS
Vaccine Gap Ranks
India had 1.44 million ‘zero-dose’ children in 2023, second only to Nigeria’s 2.5 million. ‘Zero-dose’ children are those who have not received even one routine childhood vaccine. These children are mostly concentrated in eight countries. These 8 together account for over 50% of the global burden. The data comes from a new Lancet study using the Global Burden of Disease estimates. India’s Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP) covers 12 diseases, but gaps in coverage remain. Globally, the number of zero-dose children dropped from 58.8 million in 1980 to 14.7 million in 2019.
India’s Non-Fossil Power Source
India’s total power capacity reached 476 GW as of June 2025. Non-fossil fuel sources make up 235.7 GW (49%) of this capacity. Renewable energy accounts for 226.9 GW, including 110.9 GW solar and 51.3 GW wind power. Nuclear power contributes 8.8 GW to the total capacity. Coal-based thermal power remains the largest source with 240 GW, or 50.52% of capacity.
Centenary of a Historic Spiritual Conversation
The 100th anniversary event of the meeting between Sree Narayana Guru and Mahatma Gandhi was held in New Delhi. The original conversation took place in 1925 at Sivagiri Mutt, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. They discussed various topics like Vaikom Satyagraha, non-violence, ending untouchability, and helping marginalized communities. Their talk is remembered for addressing social reform and equality issues of that time.
NITI Aayog Report on India’s Data Quality
NITI Aayog released the third edition of report titled ‘India’s Data Imperative: The Pivot Towards Quality.’ It highlights the urgent need to improve data quality for better digital governance and public trust. It introduces tools like the Data-Quality Scorecard and the Data-Quality Maturity Framework to help measure and improve data. India’s data ecosystem includes Aadhaar, UPI, Ayushman Bharat, and the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) systems. India has 1.2 billion mobile users and 800 million internet users. The report warns that poor data quality causes 4–7% excess welfare spending due to errors and duplicates.