Daily Current Affairs: 21.04.2025 – Key Events for Competitive Exams

NATIONAL AFFAIRS

1. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw inaugurated VVDN Technologies’s largest state-of-the-art Surface Mount Technology (SMT) Line and Mechanical Innovation Park in Haryana.

2. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) developed indigenous Stelaite Nozzle Divergent for Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), reducing import costs by 90%.

3. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s book on culture, “Fifth Chapter of Culture,” was released in Delhi.

4. The Government of India announced no GST would be applicable on UPI payments above ₹2,000.

5. Telangana became the first state in India to implement SC sub-categorisation, dividing Scheduled Castes into three categories – Group I, II, and III.

6. Andhra Pradesh Cabinet approved the draft ordinance for SC sub-categorization, following the Supreme Court’s decision in Davinder Singh v State of Punjab (August 2024).

7. Indian Air Force’s Surya Kiran Aerobatic Team (SKAT) performed an aerobatic show at Namkum Army Ground in Ranchi, Jharkhand.

8. Bihar Board announced Class 12 compartment exams to start from 02.05.2025.

9. Greenco’s Kurnool project in Andhra Pradesh received praise as a model for clean energy implementation in the country.

10. Gujarat government reduced Electric Vehicle motor vehicle tax to 1% to promote green mobility initiatives within the state.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

1. Prime Minister Narendra Modi scheduled to visit Saudi Arabia (Capital: Riyadh) for a two-day diplomatic trip starting 22.04.2025.

2. Pakistan canceled naval exercises near Sri Lanka (Capital: Colombo) after India expressed concerns over the military drills in the region.

3. Italy (Capital: Rome) joined the United States (Capital: Washington D.C.) in opposing unfair technical taxes imposed globally.

4. Iran (Capital: Tehran) and United States officials set to meet in Rome (Capital: Italy) to discuss nuclear agreement amidst rising tensions.

5. US Vice President J.D. Vance to visit Delhi for bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The visit will also include trips to Jaipur and Agra.

6. US State Department officials to participate in the India-US Forum, organized by the Ananta Centre in collaboration with Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

ECONOMY & BUSINESS

1. NITI Aayog Vice Chairperson Suman Bery stated that Quality Control Orders (QCOs) for inputs are a “malign intervention” to restrict imports and lead to high costs for MSMEs.

2. As of March 2025, India had issued 187 QCOs covering 769 products to maintain quality standards in the market.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

1. NISAR, a joint Earth observation satellite mission developed by NASA (USA) and ISRO (India), made headlines for its advanced earth observation capabilities.

2. Scientists discovered that the atmosphere of exoplanet K2-18b, located 124 light-years away, contains compounds that on Earth are only known to be produced by life, supporting the Hycean World Hypothesis.

SPORTS

1. Cricket team captain Rohit Sharma appointed as Brand Ambassador of T20 Mumbai League Season 3, promoting cricket at the regional level.

2. The 6th Asian Under-18 (U18) Athletics Championship 2025 concluded with notable performances from participating nations across Asia.

DEFENSE & SECURITY

1. The sixth edition of joint military exercise ‘Dustlik’ between India and Uzbekistan (Capital: Tashkent) being held at the Foreign Training Node in Aundh, Pune from 16.04.2025 to 28.04.2025.

2. The exercise, which means “friendship” in Uzbek, is an annual event conducted alternatively in India and Uzbekistan to strengthen bilateral defense cooperation.

ENVIRONMENT & ECOLOGY

1. BRICS nations launched an initiative to combat land degradation and soil fertility loss across member countries including Brazil (Capital: Brasília), Russia (Capital: Moscow), India (Capital: New Delhi), China (Capital: Beijing), and South Africa (Capital: Pretoria).

EDUCATION

1. US “Catch and Revoke” program affecting Indian students studying in the United States, with two Indian students, Ranjani Srinivasan and Badar Khan Suri, among the first to be asked to “self-deport.”

2. Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is actively assisting affected students through Indian embassies and missions in the United States.

INFRASTRUCTURE

1. Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge introduced as world’s highest bridge in China, setting a new engineering milestone in infrastructure development.