CURRENT AFFAIRS 10 January, 2025

CURRENT AFFAIRS 10 January, 2025

 INDIA WELCOMES ITS FIRST GENERATION BETA BABY –

• As the year 2025 brought upon the world the ‘Generation Beta’, India got its first baby of this gen on New Year’s day, January 1, in Mizoram’s Aizawl.
• The baby, named Frankie Remruatdika Zadeng, is recognized as India’s first child from the so-called Generation Beta. Born at 12:03 AM on January 1, 2025, at Synod Hospital in Durtlang, Aizawl, the healthy newborn weighed a little over 3.12 kilograms.
• This milestone makes Frankie the “first-gen Beta Baby” of India, symbolizing a new chapter of hope and progress for the nation. Beta Generation babies, born from the mid-2020s, are set to thrive in an era defined by groundbreaking AI, sustainable living, and a seamlessly connected digital world.

2. INDIA’S RANKING IN THE HENLEY PASSPORT INDEX 2025 –

• India’s ranking in the Henley Passport Index for 2025 has dropped to 85th, five points lower than its 80th position in 2024.
• The index, based on data from the International Air Transport Authority (IATA), is a globally recognized tool for assessing passport mobility. Singapore retains its top spot for the second consecutive year, while Japan ranks second after holding the top position from 2018-2023.

3. WORLD HINDI DAY 2025- CELEBRATING THE GLOBAL SIGNIFICANCE OF HINDI –

• The World Hindi Day, popularly called the ‘Vishwa Hindi Diwas’, is celebrated on January 10 every year to promote Hindi as one of the most widely spoken languages around the world, along with English and Mandarin.
• World Hindi Day is an occasion that celebrates Hindi as a global language. Recognized as one of the most spoken languages in the world, Hindi is not merely a medium of communication but an emotion that binds millions of people.
• With a rich history and cultural significance, Hindi has evolved over the centuries, incorporating words from various languages and becoming more refined and understandable. From the media to contemporary writers, Hindi has established itself as a vital language of expression.

4. INDIA-U.S. COLLABORATION ON SONOBUOY PRODUCTION FOR INDIAN NAVY –

• India and the U.S. have entered into a significant partnership for co-producing U.S. sonobuoys to enhance undersea domain awareness (UDA) for the Indian Navy.
• This move is part of a broader collaboration aimed at improving naval capabilities and tracking submarines in the deep seas, in response to the growing Chinese naval presence in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
• Ultra Marine (UM), a U.S.-based leader in undersea warfare technology, and Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) will jointly manufacture sonobuoys, ensuring interoperability between the U.S. and Indian navies, as well as allied nations like Australia and Japan.

5. HARYANA’S DECLINING SEX RATIO AT BIRTH –

• In 2024, Haryana reported a concerning drop in its sex ratio at birth, reaching an eight-year low of 910 girls for every 1,000 boys. This figure has alarmed activists and civil society members, despite government officials describing it as a minor fluctuation.
• The sex ratio is a critical indicator of gender equality and reflects the status of women in society. Nationally, the sex ratio at birth in India was recorded at 929 in the National Health and Family Survey-5 (NFHS-5) published in 2021.
  

MCQ QUIZ

Q1.  Who has been invited as the chief guest for India’s 2025 Republic Day parade ?

1. a) Joko Widodo
2. b) Prabowo Subianto
3. c) Lee Hsien Loong
4. d) Rodrigo Duterte

Q2.  What is the projected GDP growth rate for India in the fiscal year 2024-25 as per the first advance estimates ?

7. a) 7.0%
8. b) 6.4%
9. c) 6.6%
10. d) 5.8%

Q3.  Who has been appointed as the Secretary, Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance ?

1. a) Arunish Chawla
2. b) Tuhin Kanta Pandey
3. c) Rajesh Kumar
4. d) Parul Tyagi

Q4.  Consider the following statements regarding caste censuses in India:

1. The practice of caste census begun during the colonial era, with the British administration using caste data for governance.
2. The 1931 Census was the first comprehensive caste census conducted in India, recording 4,147 castes.
3. After the independence, caste census was completely stopped in India.

          Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

1. a) 1 only
2. b) 1, and 3 only
3. c) All of the above
4. d) None of these

Explanation-

          Statement 1 is correct: Caste enumeration began during the British colonial era as a tool for governance.

          Statement 2 is incorrect: The 1931 Census was the last comprehensive caste census, not the first. It identified 4,147 castes.

          Statement 3 is incorrect: Post-independence, caste enumeration was largely discontinued, but it was attempted in the 2011 SECC.

Q5.  Consider the following statements regarding India’s GDP growth forecast for FY25:

1. India’s nominal GDP for FY25 is projected to reach Rs 324 lakh crores, reflecting a growth of 9.7% compared to FY24.
2. Private consumption (PFCE) is expected to contribute around 60% to India’s GDP, but its growth rate since FY20 has been higher than the historical average of 7%.
3. Government final consumption expenditure (GFCE) is expected to grow by 4.2% in FY25.
4. Net exports (NX) have historically contributed positively to India’s GDP growth, with the gap between imports and exports continuing to widen in recent years.

          Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

1. a) 1 and 3 only
2. b) 1, 3, and 4 only
3. c) 2 and 4 only
4. d) 1 and 2 only

Explanation-

          Statement 1 is correct: India’s nominal GDP for FY25 is projected to be Rs 324 lakh crores, reflecting a growth of 9.7% compared to FY24.

          Statement 2 is incorrect: Private consumption growth has been low, growing at just 4.8% since FY20, much lower than the historical average growth rate of 7%.

          Statement 3 is correct: Government final consumption expenditure (GFCE) is expected to grow by 4.2% in FY25, signaling limited fiscal stimulus despite efforts to boost the economy.

          Statement 4 is incorrect: While India traditionally imports more than it exports, the gap between imports and exports has narrowed in recent years, not widened.

Answer Key