Current Affairs Quiz 11th and 12th January 2025 Quiz

Exp. India’s economy projected to grow 6.6% in 2025: UN

The Indian economy is projected to expand by 6.6% in 2025, primarily supported by robust private consumption and investment, according to a United Nations report.

The UN World Economic Situation and Prospects 2025, released by the United Nations, said that the near-term outlook for South Asia is expected to remain robust, with growth projected at 5.7% in 2025 and 6.0 per cent in 2026, “driven by strong performance in India as well as economic recovery in a few other economies”, including Bhutan, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

The Indian economy grew by 6.8% in 2024 and is forecast to expand by 6.6% in 2025. The Indian economy is projected to return to the 6.8% growth in 2026.

Updated GDP List 

• SBI – 6.3% (FY25)
• NSO – 6.4% (FY25)
• RBI –6.6% (FY24)
• Deloitte – 6.5% – 6.8% (FY24), 6.7% – 7.3% (FY26)
• India Ratings – 6.4% (FY24), 6.6% (FY26)
• ADB – 6.5% (FY24), 7%(FY25),
• S&P – 6.8% (FY25), 6.9% (FY26)

Exp. Swiggy launches new app ‘Snacc’ for 15-minute food delivery

Swiggy has launched a new standalone food delivery app ‘Snacc by Swiggy’. Snacc is a 15-minute food delivery app offering quick snacks and meals, similar to Zepto’s Zepto Cafe.

Snacc is currently being piloted in very select pin codes of Bengaluru.

The offerings include items like tea, coffee, breakfast items, quick meals and dessert options.

Most recently, Zomato launched a 15-minute food delivery option on its main app, where it is delivering quick-to-prepare and ready to eat options form restaurants within a 2-kilometre radius.

This is similar to Swiggy’s Bolt that it launched in October, and said during its Q2 earnings that 5% of all its food delivery orders were already coming from Bolt.

Ola too, launched 10 minute food delivery called Ola Dash in Bengaluru, which is is currently in the process of expanding nationwide.

Another player in this space is magicpin, which recently announced its 15-minute food delivery service magicNOW across six major Indian cities delivering within a 1.5-2 km radius.

Exp. Olympic gold medalist Mo Farah announced as international event ambassador for Mumbai Marathon

Multiple Olympic and world champion Mo Farah has been announced as the international event ambassador for the Tata Mumbai Marathon, which will see a record-breaking 60,000 runners participating on January 19.

The start line for the World Athletics Gold Label race will be the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus and the presence of Mo, the greatest male track distance runner, will add to the event.

Somalian-born British runner Mo won four Olympic and six World Championship gold medals and is the first man to retain both the 5,000m and 10,000m titles at both the Olympics (2012 & 2016) and World Championships (2013 & 2015) — a feat described as the ‘quadruple-double.’

Recent Brand Ambassador

• MS Dhoni – Eurogrip Tyres
• Rashmika Mandanna – Chennai-based real estate developer, DRA
• Sonu Sood – Brand Ambassador and Honourary Tourism Advisor for Thailand
• Harbhajan Singh & Sania Mirza – Dubai Sports Council brand ambassador
• Shreyanka Patil – BOBCARD Limited
• Rashmika Mandanna – National Ambassador for Promoting Cyber Safety

Exp. Retired Justice B.N. Srikrishna to chair ID verification firm Equal’s advisory board

Retired Supreme Court justice B. N. Srikrishna will chair the ID verification and data sharing platform Equal’s newly formed Advisory Board. Equal provides identity authentication services for large firms, boasting digital integrations with several ID providers.

The appointment comes as the government finalises the Digital Personal Data Protection Rules, 2025, to implement the DPDP Act, 2023.

Justice Srikrishna was the chair of the first committee formed by the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to formulate a data protection law. That committee’s report, submitted in 2018, was eventually not taken up.

 Justice Srikrishna has also served in various finance-focused roles; he has headed the Sixth Pay Commission, chaired the Financial Sector Legislative Reforms Commission, and also led the Expert Committee on Arbitration Law to propose reforms to the Arbitration & Conciliation Act, 1996.

Recent Committee in News

• RBI sets up panel to develop a framework on ethical use of AI in financial sector; chaired by Pushpak Bhattacharyya
• Govt forms committee to look into IAF’s overall capability development; Chaired by the Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh,
• The GST Council constituted a 13-member GoM to suggest GST rates on premiums of various health and life insurance products; Chaired by – Samrat Choudhary
• Supreme Court sets up panel to amicably resolve farmers’ agitation; chaired by Justice Nawab Singh
• Revenue Department in the finance ministry formed a panel to simplify the decades-old I-T Act. – chaired by V K Gupta
• GoI constitutes a Committee to monitor the current situation on Indo-Bangladesh Border- headed by ADG of BSF

Exp. UP govt. partnered with Google Cloud launch AI-powered agri network

The UP government has signed an MoU with Google Cloud (India) to launch the Gemini-powered and Beacon-enabled Uttar Pradesh Open Network for Agriculture.

The initiative seeks to empower millions of farmers with one-stop access to advisory services, credit, mechanization, and market connectivity for selling their produce.

Farmers will also gain real-time, accurate information on microclimates and market prices, a significant step towards achieving the state government’s vision of doubling farmers’ income.

The open and decentralised network allows participation from various service providers, including input suppliers, financial institutions, and government agencies, while enabling entrepreneurs to curate and deliver tailored solutions for farmers.

About Uttar Pradesh

• Capital – Lucknow
• Chief Minister – Yogi Adityanath
• Governor – Anandiben Patel

Exp. RenewBuy launches Smart Term Plan for working professionals and small business owners

RenewBuy, an online insurance platform, has introduced the RenewBuy Smart Term Plan under its RB Proprietary line.

The plan aims to simplify term insurance for Indian consumers by addressing common concerns like complexity, affordability, and coverage duration.

The Smart Term Plan is tailored for working professionals and small business owners. It addresses pain points such as understanding ideal coverage and managing long-term premiums.

In its first phase, RenewBuy has partnered with LIC, ICICI Prudential, and Digit Life to reach a broad consumer base, especially in underserved Tier 2-3 cities.

The plan offers options like “10 Years Pay,” enabling policyholders to pay premiums over 10 years for coverage up to ₹1 crore until age 80 or above.

Exp. Indian Overseas Bank to sell ₹11,500-cr NPAs to ARCs

Indian Overseas Bank has decided to put non-performing assets to the tune of Rs 11500 crore on sale in a bid to improve asset quality further before the end of the fiscal.

The state-owned lender has identified 46 NPA accounts for the exercise and has invited expressions of interest from asset reconstruction companies.

The portfolio comprises accounts financed under a consortium arrangement, with some of these are already submitted to the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) under the bankruptcy law.

The sale of loans will be conducted through an e-auction under the open auction method on a portfolio basis. The e-auction will be conducted on January 30. ARCs will have to submit applications by January 18.

MD and CEO of IOB – Ajay Kumar Srivastava-

Exp. Reserve Bank Innovation Hub and IIMA Ventures Launch Swanari TechSprint 3.0 to Empower Women-Centric Fintech Startups

The Reserve Bank Innovation Hub and IIMA Ventures have launched Swanari TechSprint 3.0, a programme aimed at fostering women-centric fintech startups in India.

The programme provides a platform for fintech innovators to conceptualise, develop, and scale solutions that address the unique financial needs of women.

The programme invites applications from startups developing gender-inclusive financial solutions, specifically those with a proven MVP/Product, in the pre-Seed to pre-Series A funding stage, or already generating revenue or traction.

Exp. Piyush Goyal launches 8th edition of National Programme for Organic Production

Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, Piyush Goyal has launched of 8th edition of National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) at the Bharat Ratna C. Subramaniam Auditorium (NASC Complex), Pusa in New Delhi.

They also unveiled TraceNet 2.0 the upgraded online traceability system for seamless operations and enhanced tools for regulatory oversight.

The event was organized by the Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) in collaboration with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).

Details of portals unveiled during the event-

• NPOP portal- The dedicated portal for the National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) will provide more visibility and ease of operations for Organic stakeholders.
• Organic Promotion Portal- Farmers, FPOs and exporters can showcase their certified organic products, generate Trade Leads and connect with global buyers.
• TraceNet 2.0- The upgraded online Organic traceability system for seamless operations and enhanced tools for regulatory oversight. It will ensure transparency, traceability, and compliance for organic agricultural and processed food products from farm to market.
• APEDA portal- Redesigned and revamped APEDA portal with enhanced user experience and information for the benefit of Agri and Processed food products’ stakeholders.
• AgriXchange portal- Redesigned and revamped AgriXchange portal enables more user-friendly data analysis and generation of reports & data of Agricultural exports making it accessible for the general public.

Exp. SECI Secures “Excellent” Rating in MoU Performance for FY 2023-24

Solar Energy Corporation of India Ltd (SECI) has achieved “Excellent” rating for its performance under the MoU with the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) for the financial year 2023-24, earning a score of 96 out of 100.

This achievement highlights SECI’s unwavering dedication to operational excellence and upholding the highest standards of corporate governance.

SECI plays a pivotal role in the development and expansion of renewable energy (RE) capacity in India, with a cumulative awarded generation capacity exceeding 73 GW as of December 31, 2024. SECI is the premier Renewable Energy Implementing Agency (REIA) in the country, continuously working to meet climate goals and drive sustainable development.

Recently on 30th August 2024, SECI was granted Navratna status by the Ministry of Finance.

Exp. Lebanon’s parliament elects army commander Joseph Aoun as president

Lebanon’s parliament voted to elect the country’s army commander, Joseph Aoun, as head of state, filling a more than two-year-long presidential vacuum.

The session was the legislature’s 13th attempt to elect a successor to former President Michel Aoun whose term ended in October 2022.

The president’s role in Lebanon is limited under the power-sharing system in which the president is always a Maronite Christian, the prime minister a Sunni Muslim and the speaker of parliament Shiite.

Newly Appointed Prime Minister & President

• President of Ghana – John Mahama
• President of Moldova – Ms Maia Sandu
• PM of Tonga – Aisake Valu Eke
• PM of France – Francois Bayrou
• President of Georgia – Mikheil Kavelashvili
• Interim Prime Minister of Syria – Mohammad al-Bashir

Exp. Singer P. Jayachandran passes away

Playback singer P. Jayachandran, known for his expressive singing and whose magical voice captivated music lovers for over six decades, passed away at the age of 81.

Having sung over 16,000 songs that have touched generations, Jayachandran’s voice transcended boundaries, resonating in Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, and Hindi. Despite the challenges of age, his voice possessed the youthful charm capable of stirring romantic hearts, till the end.

Exp. Indian HC in Sri Lanka launches first Hindi Certificate Course via open

The Indian High Commission here on the occasion of Hindi Diwas on has launched Sri Lanka’s first Hindi Certificate Course through open and distance learning.

The certificate course was launched at the Bharat-Sri Lanka Hindi Sammelan held in Colombo on 10th January 2025 on the occasion of the World Hindi Day.

The launch of the Hindi course in Sri Lanka was a part of the effort of the Ministry of External Affairs to promote Hindi language around the world.

The certificate course in Hindi is being launched by the Open University of Sri Lanka in collaboration with the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre (SVCC), the cultural arm of the High Commission of India in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

About Sri Lanka

• Legislative capital – Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte
• Executive and Judicial capital – Colombo
• Currency – Sri Lankan rupee
• President – Anura Kumara Dissanayake;9th (replace Ranil Wickremesinghe)
• Prime Minister – Harini Amarasuriya