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February – 27

TNPSC BITS
❖ The Indian government has been honoured with the Prince Michael Decade of
Action Road Safety Award 2025, the highest accolade in the field, for its efforts
in enhancing vehicle safety standards over the past ten years.
❖ India nominated the 'Maratha Military Landscapes' - representing extraordinary
fortification and military system envisioned by the Maratha rulers for inclusion
in the UNESCO World Heritage List for the 2024-25 cycle.
❖ The Indian Coast Guard has conducted the 'Sagar Kavach' exercise along the
West Bengal's coastline.
❖ The Bharti Enterprises founder and chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal received an
Honorary Knighthood medal for advancing business relations between the UK
and India.
❖ Five more cheetahs were released into the “wild” from their enclosures at Madhya
Pradesh’s Kuno National Park (KNP), taking the total number of the big cats now
loose in the forest to 12.

TAMIL NADU
Two language formula in Tamilnadu

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❖ The Union Government has withheld ₹2,152 crores of funds due to Tamil Nadu
under the Samagra Shiksha scheme for refusing to join the Prime Minister
Schools for Rising India (PMSHRI) initiative.
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❖ But the PM SHRI scheme is accompanying mandate to implement the National

Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
❖ One of the State’s core objections to the NEP is its insistence on adopting a three-
language formula in schools.
❖ The NEP 2020 has retained the three-language formula, a very concept first
introduced in the NEP of 1968.
❖ The 1968 NEP has advocated for Hindi to be a compulsory language across the
nation.
❖ Hindi-speaking States were required to teach Hindi, English, and a modern
Indian language — preferably a south Indian language — while the non-Hindi
speaking States were expected to teach the local regional language, Hindi, and
English.
❖ In contrast, the NEP 2020 offers greater flexibility, technically not imposing any
specific language on any State.
❖ In 1937, when the C. Rajagopalachari (Rajaji) government in Madras proposed
making Hindi a compulsory subject in secondary schools, the Justice Party had
fiercely opposed it.
❖ In 1965, as the deadline for adopting Hindi as the sole official language across
India approached, the State witnessed violent protests.
❖ The agitation had resurfaced when the Parliament adopted the Official Languages
(Amendment) Act, 1967, and the Official Language Resolution, 1968, which had
mandated the teaching of Hindi as part of the three-language formula.
❖ In January 26,1968, the Madras Assembly, led by the C.N. Annadurai-led first
government, adopted a resolution calling for the scrapping of the three-language
formula and the elimination of Hindi from the curriculum in T.N. schools.
❖ Since then, the State has steadfastly followed its two-language policy teaching
Tamil and English.
❖ In 2019, backlash led the Kasturirangan Committee to remove the mandatory
Hindi learning clause from the draft NEP.
❖ In 2019, the Union Budget allocated ₹50 crore to support the appointment of
Hindi teachers in non-Hindi speaking States.

Fifth Police Commission recommendations

❖ The Fifth Tamil Nadu Police Commission has recommended a pay hike for police
constables on a par with their counterparts in the Union Government and other
States.
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❖ The allowances may be varied from time to time in keeping with the cost-of-living
index.
❖ The commission recommended that the minimum educational qualification for a
police constable be increased from ‘a pass in the 10th standard’ to ‘a pass in +2’
or its equivalent.
❖ Promotion of mental health should be taken up on priority.
❖ Commission strongly recommended continuation of Police Well-being Programme
at periodic intervals in collaboration with NIMHANS, Bengaluru.
❖ The Chain smokers and alcohol or substance abusers should be identified for
close monitoring, counselling and referral to mental health experts.
❖ In January 2022, the State government constituted the fifth Police Commission
headed by former judge of the Madras High Court C.T. Selvam.
❖ It was comprising the retired IAS officer K. Alauddin, the retired IPS officer K.
Radhakrishnan, renowned psychiatrist Dr. C. Rama Subramaniam, and retired
professor Nalini Rao as members.

NATIONAL
Skill Index 2025
❖ A new report, India’s Graduate Skill Index 2025, was released by Mercer-Mettl.
❖ Only 42.6 per cent of Indian graduates are employable.
❖ This is marking a decline from 44.3 per cent in 2023.
❖ The biggest challenge is a widening gap between what employer’s need and the
skills graduates have.
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❖ Graduates from Tier-I colleges have the highest employability at 48.4 per cent,
followed by Tier-II (46.1 per cent) and Tier-III (43.4 per cent) institutions.
❖ Among the states, Delhi (53.4 per cent), Himachal Pradesh (51.1 per cent), and
Punjab (51.1 per cent) produce the most employable graduates.
❖ 46 per cent of Indian graduates are now employable in AI & ML roles, marking a
significant increase since 2023.

INTERNATIONAL
Gulf of Tonkin baseline

❖ Vietnam’s foreign ministry published a map defining its baseline claim in the Gulf
of Tonkin, where it shares a maritime border with China.
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❖ The Baselines are used to determine the limits to territorial waters and exclusive
economic zones.
❖ In the South China Sea, China, Vietnam and other countries in the region have
some conflicting claims.
❖ In March last year, China announced its baseline in the Gulf of Tonkin.

FATF meeting 2025

❖ Giles Thomson from UK has been appointed as FATF Vice-President (2025-2027).

❖ Nepal and Lao People's Democratic Republic are placed in grey list.
❖ This is the second time Nepal has been placed on the grey list.
❖ Nepal was on the FATF grey list from 2008 to 2014.
❖ The Philippines removed from the Grey List due to progress in compliance.
❖ Kenya has joined the FATF Plenary under the guest initiative, alongside Cayman
Islands and Senegal.

ECONOMY
India's LNG imports 2024
❖ India’s imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the US surged to an all-time
high of 252.28 trillion cubic feet during 2024.
❖ It is roughly 7.14 billion cubic meters (BCM).
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❖ The previous high was registered in 2021 when India imported 5.56 BCM of LNG
from the North American country.
❖ The US overtook the UAE as India’s second largest LNG supplier in 2023 calendar
year, after Qatar.

REPORTS AND INDICES

Electricity 2025 report – IEA

❖ International Energy Agency (IEA) recently released the Electricity 2025 Report.
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❖ Global energy demand rose by 4.3% in 2024 and forecast to continue to grow at
close to 4% out to 2027.
❖ China emerged as highest consumer of electricity leaving behind USA or EU.
❖ Global CO2 emissions from electricity generation are projected to stabilize from
2025 to 2027, following 1% rise in 2024.
❖ Renewable energy is set to meet about 95% of electricity demand growth from
2025-2027.
❖ India’s Electricity demand surged 5.8% in 2024, and forecast to grow at an
average 6.3% annually from 2025- 2027.
❖ India’s Nuclear power rose 13% in 2024.
❖ India’s thermal power capacity will rise to 283 GW by 2032.
❖ Coal remains dominant with 74% of India’s power mix in 2024.
❖ Renewable energy share to grow from 21 % (2024) to 27% (2027).

IMPORTANT DAYS
International Asperger Syndrome Day 2025 - February 18

❖ It aims to raise the awareness about this condition that is part of the autism
spectrum.
❖ This day was established in honour of the birth of Hans Asperger, an Austrian
doctor who first described the set of characteristics.
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❖ It is a neurodevelopmental condition that falls under the umbrella of autism

spectrum disorder (ASD).
❖ Individuals with Asperger's often exhibit specific characteristics.
❖ No two people have the same symptoms.

World Peace and Understanding Day 2025 - February 23

❖ It highlights the importance of dialogue and mutual respect in fostering global

harmony.
❖ This day marks the anniversary of Rotary International’s foundation.
❖ Today, Rotary International has over 1.4 million members across 46,000 clubs in
200+ countries and regions.

Central Excise Day 2025 - February 24

❖ On this day in 1944, the Central Excise and Salt Act was established and put
into force.
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❖ This Act was subsequently renamed the Central Excise Act, 1944 in 1966.
❖ The board develops the policies for the charge and collection of customs, central
excise duties, central goods and services tax and IGST, smuggling prevention,
and customs-related administration, among other things.

World NGO Day 2025 - February 27

❖ It celebrates the contributions made by the non-governmental organisation (NGO)
across the world.
❖ It was officially proposed and recognised on April 17, 2010 by 12 countries of the
Baltic Sea NGO Forum in Vilnius, Lithuania.
❖ In 2014, the EU, UN, and others officially recognised it on the global level.
❖ “Empowering Grassroots Movements for a Sustainable Future” is the theme for
2025.

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