1.

Appointments & Resignations

 Vidya Balan appointed as Federal Bank’s first-ever brand ambassador.

 Other recent brand ambassador appointments:
o PV Sindhu – PUMA India
o Ayushmann Khurrana – FICCI Frames 25th anniversary
o Amitabh Bachchan – KRBL Ltd’s India Gate brand
o Muttiah Muralitharan – Reliance’s Sports hydration drink ‘Spinner’
o Diljit Dosanjh – Levi’s
o Shubman Gill – MRF Tyres
 Rajeev Shukla replaced Jay Shah as ACC Executive Board Member.
 Ashish Shelar appointed as BCCI representative on ACC Board.
 Shammi Silva (Sri Lanka Cricket Board chief) appointed as ACC President,
replacing Jay Shah.
 Eyal Zamir appointed as Israel’s 24th Military Chief, replacing Lt. Gen. Herzi
Halevi.

2. Banking/Finance/Economy

 HDFC Bank launched ‘Project HAKK’ (Hawai Anubhavi Kalyan Kendra) to

support IAF veterans & their families.
o 25 centers to be set up across IAF units.
o Offers G2C (Government-to-Citizen) & B2C (Business-to-Customer)
services.
 SIDBI & Federal Bank signed MoU to provide financial support to MSMEs,
including:
o Project financing, Machinery loans, Working capital, Loans against
property.
 SBI Life Insurance launched 2 child insurance plans:
1. Smart Future Star – Ensures corpus growth & premium waiver in case of
proposer’s death.
2. Smart Platina Young Achiever – Offers guaranteed maturity benefits for
education & career.
 SEBI's total income increased 48% (₹2,075 crore in 2023-24).
o ₹1,851.5 crore earned from fees.
o ₹192.41 crore earned from investments.

3. MoUs & Agreements

 DPIIT & Mercedes-Benz India signed MoU to boost:

o Manufacturing, Road Safety, and Sustainability.
o Supports startups, innovators, and entrepreneurs.
 IWAI & J&K Government signed MoU to promote river cruise tourism.
 o Covers Rivers Chenab, Jhelum & Ravi.
o Budget: ₹100 crore for development.

4. National News

 NITI Aayog & India SME Forum launched ‘A Million Women Arise’ initiative.
o Supports women-led MSMEs (which constitute 35% of India's 6 crore
MSMEs).
 Bangalore City University to be renamed after Dr. Manmohan Singh.
o Dr. Singh passed away on Dec 26, 2024, at age 92.
o First university in India to be named after him.

5. Sports News

 Brandon Holt won Bengaluru Open ATP 125 Challenger Title, defeating Shintaro
Mochizuki 6-3, 6-3.
 Anirudh Chandrasekar & Ray Ho won doubles title at Bengaluru Open.
 Bengaluru Open had $200,000 prize money and was the last ATP Challenger event
in India for 2025.

6. Awards & Honours

 PM Narendra Modi received ‘Honorary Order of Freedom of Barbados’, one of

the highest national honors.
o Announced by Barbados PM Mia Mottley in Nov 2024.
o Received by Union MoS Pabitra Margherita on behalf of PM Modi.
 Other recent awards:
o Sunil Bharti Mittal – Knight Commander of the British Empire (KBE).
o Liu Jiakun (China) – Pritzker Architecture Prize 2025.
o Nithin Kamath (Zerodha) – EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2024.

7. Defence News

 ‘Sea Dragon 2025’ Naval Exercise held at Guam (Western Pacific).

o Participating nations: USA, India, Japan, Australia, South Korea.
o 5th edition of the exercise.
 Other Defence Exercises:
o ‘Dharma Guardian 2025’ – India & Japan, held at Mount Fuji.
o ‘Desert Hunt 2025’ – Indian Air Force, held at Jodhpur.
8. Books & Authors

 Daggubati Venkateswara Rao launched his book ‘Prapancha Charitra’ (in

Telugu).
 Other Recent Books:
o ‘I Am a Soldier’s Wife’ – Geetika Lidder.
o ‘I Am?’ – Gopichand P. Hinduja.
o ‘Life on Mars: Collected Stories’ – Namita Gokhale.

9. Festivals & Fairs

 President Droupadi Murmu inaugurated ‘Vividhta Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ at

Rashtrapati Bhavan.
o Focused on Southern states (Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana,
Andhra Pradesh).
o Organized by: Ministry of Culture, Textiles, Tribal Affairs & Tourism.
 Other Recent Festivals:
o Kashi Tamil Sangamam 3.0 – Varanasi, UP.
o World’s Largest Jhumur Dance Performance – Assam.
o 51st Khajuraho Dance Festival – Madhya Pradesh.

10. Important Days

 March 7 – Jan Aushadhi Diwas 2025 (Started in 2019).

 March 3 – World Wildlife Day (Theme: ‘Wildlife Conservation Finance’).
 March 6 – National Dentist’s Day 2025.
 March 5 – International Disarmament & Non-Proliferation Awareness Day
1. Rankings & Reports

Glass-Ceiling Index 2025 (By The Economist)

 The report evaluates 29 countries on gender equality in the workplace.

 Top 5 Best Countries for Working Women:
1. Sweden
2. Iceland
3. Finland
4. Norway
5. Portugal
 Bottom 3 Countries:
o Japan (27th), South Korea (28th), Turkey (29th)
 Key Highlights:
o 34% women in parliaments globally (OECD data)
o 33% women on corporate boards worldwide
o Labor force participation: Women 66.6%, Men 81%

LIC Ranked 3rd Strongest Insurance Brand (By Brand Finance)

 Brand Strength Index (BSI) Score: 88/100

 Top 3 Insurance Brands:
1. PZU (Poland) – BSI: 94.4
2. China Life Insurance – BSI: 93.5
3. LIC (India) – BSI: 88
 LIC’s Global Ranking:
o 12th most valuable insurance brand
o SBI Life ranks 76th
o Medibank (Australia) is ranked 100th
 Overall brand value of top 100 insurance brands grew by 9% in 2025.

2. Appointments & Resignations

Key Appointments

 Vikas Kaushal appointed CMD of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited

(HPCL) for 5 years.
o Replaces: Rajneesh Narang (Director-Finance)
o HPCL Established: 1974 | HQ: Mumbai
 Sumant Kathpalia gets a 1-year extension as CEO of IndusInd Bank.
o HQ: Pune | Established: 1994
o Tagline: We Make You Feel Richer
 Dr. Himanshu Pathak appointed Director-General (DG) of ICRISAT.
o Replaces: Dr. Jacqueline d'Arros Hughes
o ICRISAT is the only International Agricultural Research Center in India.
 o HQ: Hyderabad
 Anju Rathi Rana becomes India’s First Woman Law Secretary.
o Tenure: 2 years or until further orders.
o Replaces: Niten Chandra.

3. Banking & Economy

India’s GDP Projection (By ICRA)

 FY 2025-26: 6.5%
 FY 2024-25: 6.3%

Bank of India (BOI) Signs MoU with Indian Army

 Objective: Extend the ‘Rakshak Salary Package’ benefits to Army personnel,

veterans, and Agniveers.
 Key Benefits:
o Free Personal Accident Insurance (PAI) up to ₹1 Cr.
o Air accident coverage up to ₹2 Cr.
 BOI Established: 1906 | HQ: Mumbai
 MD & CEO: Rajneesh Karnatak
 Tagline: Relationship Beyond Banking

4. Mergers & Acquisitions

Jio Financial Services Acquires SBI’s Stake in Jio Payments Bank

 Acquirer: Jio Financial Services Limited (JFSL)

 Target: Jio Payments Bank Limited (JPBL)
 Stake Acquired: 17.8%
 Cost: ₹104.5 Cr
 Approval: Pending RBI clearance
 Post Acquisition: JPBL will become wholly owned by JFSL.

5. National News

GSI Celebrates 175th Foundation Day (4th March 2025)

 Location: Kolkata, West Bengal

 Chief Guest: Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy
 New Initiatives Launched:
 1. Field Data Acquisition App – To improve efficiency in geological data
collection.
2. Geo-Heritage App ‘Bhuvirasat’ – To promote India's geological heritage.
 GSI Established: 1851 | HQ: Kolkata
 Director General: Asit Saha

6. International News

Trump Announces Reciprocal Tariffs on India (Effective from April 2)

 Target Countries: India, China, EU, Brazil, Mexico, Canada.

 US Trade Deficit with India: Increased 5.4% to $45.7 billion (2024).
 Total US-India Trade (2024): $129.2 billion.
 Key Sector Targeted: Automobile Industry (India charges 100%+ tariffs on US
cars).

7. Sports News

ICC Champions Trophy 2025 – India Wins!

 Final: India vs. New Zealand

 Venue: Dubai International Cricket Stadium
 India’s Score: 252/6 (chased 252 runs)
 New Zealand’s Toss Decision: Opted to Bat
 India’s Previous Titles:
o 2002 (Shared with Sri Lanka)
o 2013 (Defeated England)
 Awards:
o Player of the Series: Rachin Ravindra (New Zealand)
o Most Runs: Rachin Ravindra (263)
o Most Wickets: Matt Henry (10)
o Player of the Match (Final): Rohit Sharma

Sunil Chhetri Returns to Indian National Football Team at 40

 Had retired in June 2024 after a World Cup Qualifier vs. Kuwait.
 Coach Manolo Marquez convinced him to return for AFC Asian Cup 2027.
 Chhetri’s Record:
o 94 International Goals (4th Highest in History).
o Debut in 2005 vs. Pakistan.
o Played for Kansas City Wizards (USA) & Sporting CP B (Portugal).
o Mostly played for Bengaluru FC.
8. Awards & Honours

 Prof. Suman Chakraborty (IIT Kharagpur) wins UNESCO’s TWAS Award for
Low-Cost Medical Diagnostic Solutions.
o Prize: $10,000 + Commemorative Plaque.
 Sunil Bharti Mittal receives Knight Commander of the British Empire (KBE).
 PM Narendra Modi awarded Honorary Order of Freedom of Barbados.

9. Defense News

India-Kyrgyzstan Joint Special Forces Exercise ‘KHANJAR-XII’

 Held in: Kyrgyzstan

 Participants:
o India: Parachute Regiment (Special Forces)
o Kyrgyzstan: Scorpion Brigade
 Previous Edition: Held in Bakloh, Himachal Pradesh
 First Edition: 2011

10. Important Days

International Day of Women Judges (10th March 2025)

 First Female HC Judge in India: Anna Chandy (1937)

 First Female SC Judge in India: Justice Fathima Beevi (1989)

11. State/UT News

UP Adopts Digital Monitoring for Child Vaccination

 RISE App (Rapid Immunisation Skill Enhancement) launched for digital tracking.
 To be used by Nurses, ANMs, and Health Workers.

Assam Names Electronics City After Ratan Tata

 Location: Jagiroad, Assam

 Investment: ₹27,000 Cr for India's first semiconductor facility.
1. Rankings & Reports

Amul Ranked 3rd Most Valued Brand in India (YouGov India Value Rankings 2025)

 Published by: YouGov India

 Amul is the only FMCG brand in the top 3, alongside Amazon & Flipkart.
 EaseMyTrip recorded the highest growth (+5.8 points).
 Ranking covers six sectors:
o Airlines
o Consumer Electronics
o Automobiles
o General Insurance
o Travel Booking Platforms
o E-Commerce

Top 5 Brands in YouGov India Value Rankings 2025:

Rank Brand Score

1 Amazon 56.5
2 Flipkart 53.0
3 Amul 52.8
4 Tanishq 48.4
5 MakeMyTrip 45.4

2. Appointments & Resignations

Notable Appointments

Person Position
Takashi Nakajima President & CEO, Honda Cars India (Replaced: Takuya Tsumura)
Strategic Investor & Brand Ambassador of Naarica (Menstrual
Saina Nehwal
Hygiene Brand)
Justice Joymalya Judge of the Supreme Court of India (Potential future CJI in
Bagchi 2031)
Canada’s Prime Minister & Liberal Party Leader (Replaced:
Mark Carney
Justin Trudeau)

3. Banking & Finance

Bank of Baroda Launches ‘bob Global Women NRE & NRO Savings Account’

 First public sector bank to launch such an account.

 Key Features:
o Auto sweep facility for higher interest earnings.
 o Concessional home & auto loan rates for women NRIs.
o First PSU bank to offer insurance coverage benefits in NRE/NRO savings
accounts.

SBI Launches ‘SBI Asmita’ – Collateral-Free Digital SME Loan

 For: Women Entrepreneurs.

 Features:
o No collateral needed.
o Digital loan processing.
o Comes with a ‘Nari Shakti’ Platinum Debit Card (RuPay).

4. MoUs & Agreements

Coal India Limited (CIL) & IIT Hyderabad MoU

 Objective: Establish CLEANZ (Centre of Clean Coal Energy and Net Zero) in
Telangana.
 Funding: CIL approved ₹98 crores over 5 years for this center.

5. National News

Madhav National Park Becomes India’s 58th Tiger Reserve

 Located in: Shivpuri district, Madhya Pradesh.

 Total Area: 1,751 sq km
o Core Area: 375 sq km
o Buffer Zone: 1,276 sq km
 Other Tiger Reserves in MP:
o Bandhavgarh, Kanha, Panna, Satpura, Pench, Sanjay, Veerangana
Durgavati, Ratapani.
 India is home to 70% of the world’s wild tigers (~3,682 tigers).

6. Sports

FIFA Banned Russia & Congo from 2026 FIFA World Cup

 Reason for Russia’s Ban: Ongoing geopolitical sanctions after Ukraine invasion.
 Reason for Congo’s Ban: Third-party interference in its football federation.
 Pakistan was also suspended due to administrative failures in football
governance.
Virat Kohli & Rohit Sharma Set New ICC Record

 Most ICC Final Appearances (9 times).

 Previous Record Holder: Yuvraj Singh (8 finals).
 Ravindra Jadeja also equaled Yuvraj’s record (8 finals played).

Top Players with Most ICC Final Appearances:

Player Finals Played

Virat Kohli & Rohit Sharma 9
Yuvraj Singh & Ravindra Jadeja 8
Mahela Jayawardene & Kumar Sangakkara 7

7. Awards & Honours

PM Modi Receives Mauritius' Highest Honour

 Award: ‘Order of the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean’.

 Fact: Modi is the first Indian and fifth foreign national to receive this honour.
 Other Recipients Include: Nelson Mandela (1998).

8. Defence

India Signs $248M Contract with Russia for T-72 Tank Engines

 Agreement between: India’s MoD & Rosoboronexport (RoE), Russia.

 Purpose: Procurement of 1000 HP engines for T-72 tanks.
 Technology Transfer: RoE to Armoured Vehicles Nigam Ltd (Chennai) for local
manufacturing.
 India operates ~2,500 T-72 tanks, currently running on 780 HP engines.

9. Important Days

Date Day Theme 2025

March 4- "Safety & Well-being Crucial for Viksit
National Safety Week
10 Bharat"
"For ALL Women and Girls: Rights. Equality.
March 8 International Women’s Day
Empowerment"
 Date Day Theme 2025
International Day of
March 10 -
Women Judges

10. State News

Punjab Launches ‘Project Hifazat’ for Women & Child Safety

 Objective: Provide 24×7 Helpline Support for women & children.

 Dedicated Helplines:
o Women Helpline: 181.
o Child Helpline: 1098.
o Emergency Cases: ERSS-112 (Direct Police Response).
 Under ‘Mission Shakti’ & ‘Mission Vatsalya’.
1. Rankings & Reports

SIPRI Report 2024 (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute)

 Ukraine became the world’s largest arms importer (2020-2024), with imports
increasing 100-fold compared to 2015-2019.
 India ranked 2nd largest arms importer with a 9.3% decline in imports compared to
2015-2019.
 Top 5 Arms Importers (2020-2024):
1. Ukraine (8.8%) – Top suppliers: USA (45%), Germany (12%), Poland (11%).
2. India (8.3%) – Top suppliers: Russia (36%), France (33%), Israel (13%).
3. Qatar (6.8%) – USA (48%), Italy (20%), UK (15%).
4. Saudi Arabia (6.8%) – USA (74%), Spain (10%), France (6.2%).
5. Pakistan (4.6%) – China (81%), Netherlands (5.5%), Turkey (3.8%).
 Top 5 Arms Exporters (2020-2024):
1. USA (43%) – Major recipients: Saudi Arabia (12%), Ukraine (9.3%), Japan
(8.8%).
2. France (9.6%) – Major recipients: India (28%), Qatar (9.7%), Greece (8.3%).
3. Russia (7.8%) – Major recipients: India (38%), China (17%), Kazakhstan
(11%).
4. China (5.9%) – Major recipients: Pakistan (63%), Serbia (6.8%), Thailand
(4.6%).
5. Germany (5.6%) – Major recipients: Ukraine (19%), Egypt (19%), Israel
(11%).

2. Appointments & Resignations

Key Appointments

 Atul Kumar Goel appointed as Chief Executive of Indian Banks’ Association

(IBA).
o Replaced: Sunil Mehta.
o Past Roles: MD & CEO of PNB (2022-2024).
o IBA Chairman (2021-22 & 2022-23).
 Amitava Mukherjee appointed as CMD of NMDC Limited.
o Term: Until February 29, 2028 or further orders.

3. Banking, Finance & Economy

RBI’s 29th Standing Advisory Committee Meeting (Ahmedabad)

 Chaired by: Swaminathan J (Deputy Governor, RBI).

 Focus Areas:
o Strengthening institutional credit for MSMEs.
o Addressing financial challenges.
o Promoting digital solutions for better MSME access.
Project NAMAN MoU (HDFC Bank + Indian Army + CSC Academy)

 Objective: Provide doorstep services to Army veterans & families.

 Phase 1 (2023): CSCs established at 14 DIAV locations.
 Phase 2 (March 2025): Expansion to 26 DIAV locations across 11 states.

Star Health Insurance’s ‘SheTARA’ Campaign

 Launched in Tamil Nadu to promote women’s preventive healthcare.

 Encourages women to become insurance agents.
 Tamil Nadu employs 42% of India's women workforce (6.3 lakh women).

4. MoUs & Agreements

 India & Armenia signed 2 MoUs:

1. Between CDSCO (India) & CDMTE (Armenia): Medical product regulation.
2. Between Sushma Swaraj Institute & Armenia’s Diplomatic School:
Diplomatic training.

5. National News

 e-Shram Portal reached 30.68 crore registrations (53.68% women).

 13 government schemes integrated for workers' benefits.

6. Sports News

 India won the 2025 Asian Women’s Kabaddi Championship (5th title).
o Defeated Iran 32-25 in Tehran.
o Captain: Sonali Shingate.
o Past Titles: 2005, 2007, 2008, 2017.
 Harry Brook withdrew from IPL 2025.
o Reason: Focus on England’s upcoming series.
o Possible penalty: Two-year IPL ban.

7. Awards & Honors

 Dr. Suborno Bose received Lifetime Achievement in Hospitality & Education

Award.
 PM Modi honored with:
o ‘Honorary Order of Freedom of Barbados’.
o Mauritius’ highest honor ‘Grand Commander of the Order of the Star and
Key of the Indian Ocean’.

8. Defense News

 India & Bangladesh conducted ‘BONGOSAGAR’ & ‘CORPAT’ Exercise.

o 6th CORPAT & 4th BONGOSAGAR Exercise in the Bay of Bengal.
 o Indian participant: INS Ranvir.
o Bangladesh participant: BNS Abu Ubaidah.
 ASTRA MK-III Missile Renamed 'Gandiva'.
o Range: 340 km at 20 km altitude, 190 km at 8 km altitude.
o To be deployed on: Sukhoi Su-30MKI, Tejas.

9. Summits & Conferences

 India chaired the 68th UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs session for the first
time.
o Chairman: Ambassador Shambhu S. Kumaran.
o Held at: Vienna, Austria.

10. Important Days

 No Smoking Day 2025 observed on 12th March (2nd Wednesday of March).

11. State News

 Assam to launch ‘ASSAMSAT’ satellite in collaboration with ISRO & IN-SPACe.

o Objective: Improve data access for socio-economic initiatives & border
surveillance