Current Affairs Quiz 31st January 2025 Quiz

Exp. Interest rate on GOI FRB 2035 shall be 6.66%: RBI

The rate of interest on the Government of India Floating Rate Bonds, 2035 (GOI FRB 2035) applicable for the period January 25, 2025 to January 24, 2030 shall be 6.66 percent per annum.

The GOI FRB 2035 was issued on January 25, 2005 by the Government of India to the Reserve Bank of India on private placement basis against the transfer of subordinated debt of IDFC.

The rate of interest of the bonds shall be reset by the Bank every five years at prevailing 5-year yield on Government of India securities as on the last working day before commencement of each period of five years. Accordingly, the coupon of the GOI FRB 2035 has been fixed on the basis secondary market transactions in Government of India securities as on January 24, 2025.

Exp. Cabinet approved National Critical Minerals Mission with Rs 34,300 cr outlay

The Union Cabinet has approved the launch of the National Critical Mineral Mission with an expenditure of Rs 16,300 crore and an additional expected investment of Rs 18,000 crore by the public sector companies.

The mission will be implemented under the ministry of mines for a period of seven years from FY25 to FY31.

The decision comes amid the country’s focus on enhancing domestic critical mineral output and supply chain while reducing import dependency. In line with this, the government had announced the setting up of the Critical Mineral Mission in the Union Budget for 2024-25.

Exp. India, Oman agree to speed up talks on signing bilateral economic pact

India and Oman signed a protocol to amend the Double Taxation Avoidance (DTAA) between the two countries and agreed to expedite the talks for early signing of Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).

The protocol to amend the DTAA to align it with the international standards on cross border taxation, simplifying tax procedures and promoting greater cooperation, in tax matters was signed on the sidelines of the visit of commerce and industry Minister Piyush Goyal to Muscat.

Both countries entered into DTAA way back in 1997. The amendments could aid the trade that is expected to grow once the CEPA between the two sides is signed.

During the visit, Goyal co-chaired the 11th Session of the India-Oman Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) with the Minister of Commerce, Industry, and Investment Promotion of the Sultanate of Oman Qais bin Mohammed Al Yousef.

Exp. DGFT launches Enhanced eCoO 2.0 System with Provisions for Back-to-Back Certificates of Origin

The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has launched the enhanced Certificate of Origin (eCoO) 2.0 System, a significant upgrade designed to simplify the certification process for exporters and enhance trade efficiency.

This upgraded platform offers several user-friendly features, such as multi-user access, which enables exporters to authorize multiple users under, a single Importer Exporter Code (IEC).

Additionally, the system now supports Aadhaar-based e-signing alongside digital signature tokens, providing greater flexibility. An integrated dashboard offers exporters seamless access to eCoO services, Free Trade Agreement (FTA) information, trade events, and other resources.

As of 1st January 2025, the electronic filing of Non-Preferential Certificates of Origin has become mandatory via the eCoO 2.0 platform, and is available to exporters at, under the “Get Certificate of Origin” section. This trade facilitation initiative has been streamlining the certification process, and improving turnaround times for exporters, marking a significant advancement in enhancing the Ease of Doing Business.

Exp. Australia Clinches ICC Women’s Championship Trophy

Australia were presented with the ICC Women’s Championship trophy after they won the prestigious 10-team competition that provided a pathway to the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025.

Captain Alyssa Healy was presented the trophy in Melbourne on behalf of the International Cricket Council by Cricket Australia Chair and ICC Director Mike Baird.

Australia have now won all three editions of the championship, which was instituted in 2014 to grow the women’s game and has been instrumental in ensuring more women’s cricket tours over the past decade.

Meg Lanning lifted the trophy the first two times, when it was played from 2014-16 and 2017-20 featuring eight teams – Australia, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the West Indies. Bangladesh and Ireland were added in the third edition played from 2022-2025.

The top five teams, along with hosts India qualified directly for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 while the bottom four get another chance to make it through a Qualifier.

Exp. International Saraswati Mahotsav 2025 starts in Haryana

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini has inaugurated the seven-day’ International Saraswati Mahotsav’ 2025 at ‘ Adi Badri ‘ in the Yamunagar district of Haryana. 

The International Saraswati Mahotsav is being organized by the Haryana Sarasvati Heritage Development Board, Government of Haryana.

The Saraswati River originated in the Himalayas and along with several tributaries like Sutlej, Yamuna, Chautang, and Drishadvati, flowed through the western part of Indo-Gangetic alluvial plains.

About Haryana

• Capital – Chandigarh
• Chief Minister – Nayab Singh Saini(11th)
• Governor – Bandaru Dattatreya
• Legislative Assembly Seats- 90

Exp. Geoff Allardice to step down as ICC CEO

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has confirmed that Geoff Allardice has decided to step down as ICC Chief Executive.

Mr Allardice joined the ICC in 2012 as ICC General Manager of Cricket, joining from Cricket Australia where he held the role of Cricket Operations Manager.

He was appointed as the ICC’s CEO in November 2021, having previously served as the acting CEO for eight months.

About International Cricket Council (ICC)

• Formation – 15 June 1909
• Headquarters – Dubai, UAE
• Chairman – Jay Shah (replace Greg Barclay)
• Deputy Chairman – Imran Khwaja (Singapore)
• General Manager – Wasim Khan
• Membership – 108 members

Exp. France’s Alstom gets Rs 1,285 cr contract to supply parts for Vande Bharat

 French rail major Alstom has been awarded a contract worth €144 million (about ₹1,285 crore) to supply Mitrac traction components and other electrical equipment for 17 Vande Bharat Sleeper trainsets (408 cars). The systems will be supplied to Indian Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai.

The contract also includes preventive and corrective maintenance of the traction and major electric equipment, as well as support services, for a five-year period, after completion of warranty, at various railway depots.

The equipment will be installed in 24-car sleeper trainsets on the Vande Bharat platform. These trainsets are designed to run at a maximum speed of 180 km/h and a service speed of 160 km/h.

Exp. Deshnee Naidoo appointed CEO of Vedanta Resources

Vedanta Resources Ltd (VRL), the parent firm of Mumbai-based mining conglomerate Vedanta Ltd, has appointed Deshnee Naidoo as its first Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to spearhead its fresh growth phase.

She was with Vedanta from 2014 to 2020 and served in senior leadership roles including CEO of Africa Base Metals and CEO of Vedanta Zinc International.

Recent Appointments

• CEO of Reliance Power – Neeraj Parakh
• DG of Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) – Amrit Mohan Prasad (replace Zulfiqar Hasan); additional charge
• President of Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI) for 2025 – Dhananjay Shukla as the
• Chairperson of the Executive Council of the Prime Ministers Museum and Library Society – Nripendra Mishra
• Secretary of the Department of Higher Education under the Ministry of Education – Vineet Joshi
• Judge of the Supreme Court – K Vinod Chandran (before this CJ of Pata HC)

Exp. 30 January – Martyrs’ Day 2025

Martyrs’ Day, also known as Shaheed Diwas, is observed annually on 30 January in India to honour the sacrifices of those who laid down their lives for the country’s independence.

This day is particularly significant as it marks the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, the leader of India’s non-violent freedom struggle. By observing this day, the nation pays tribute to its brave martyrs and remembers their dedication to the cause of independence.

Martyrs’ Day is observed in memory of Mahatma Gandhi, who was assassinated in 1948.

Exp. Aditya Birla Housing Finance raises ₹830 crore from IFC

Aditya Birla Housing Finance Ltd. (ABHFL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Aditya Birla Capital has secured an investment of ₹830 crore through non-convertible debentures (NCDs) from the International Finance Corporation (IFC).

The funds raised through IFC’s investment will be utilised to address critical gaps by providing housing loans to low-income and middle-income groups (LIG and MIG), with particular focus on encouraging homeownership among women.

A portion will also be allocated to supporting MSMEs, especially women-led enterprises, to drive growth and economic progress. This investment aims to enhance financial inclusion, and uplift underserved communities in the affordable housing and MSME sector.

MD & CEO of Aditya Birla Housing Finance Ltd – Pankaj Gadgil

Exp. SEBI launches portal to report tech-glitches for stock exchanges and other MIIs

Markets regulator SEBI has developed a web-based portal for submission of preliminary and final root cause analysis (RCA) reports of technical glitches by stock exchanges and other market infrastructure institutions (MIIs).

The new portal — Integrated SEBI Portal for Technical Glitches (iSPOT) — is aimed at streamlining the reporting process of technical glitches across MIIs as well as creating a centralized repository of technical glitches.

Presently, the MIIs — stock exchanges, clearing corporations and depositories — are required to report information about technical glitches and submit the Root Cause Analysis (RCA) reports to Sebi on a dedicated email ID.

iSPOT has been integrated with SEBI’s Intermediary (SI) portal for ease of access to MIIs and can be accessed by MIIs by using the existing login credentials of SI portal.

About Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)

• Founded – 12 April 1988
• Headquarters – Mumbai
• Chairman – Madhabi Puri Buch
• SEBI Set up – Uday Kotak committee

Exp. CRED launches Beta version of e-Rupee Wallet

CRED has become the first fintech company to launch a beta version of its e-rupee wallet, enabling transactions using India’s central bank digital currency (CBDC).

This initiative follows the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) proposal to broaden access to CBDC-Retail, allowing non-bank payment system operators to facilitate digital currency transactions. The e-rupee wallet aims to enhance financial inclusion and streamline digital payments in India.

Yes Bank will be the first sponsor bank to enable CBDC issuance for a third-party application provider like CRED.

CRED’s e-rupee wallet supports transactions up to ₹10,000 per transfer, with a daily transaction limit of ₹50,000 and storage up to Rs 1 lakh. These will be zero-cost merchant transactions.

Future updates will enable programmable merchant payments, CRED Pay integration and PIN-less transactions below ₹500, with access for all CRED members in the coming months.

Founder of CRED – Kunal Shah

Exp. MobiKwik launches full-scale CBDC e-Rupee wallet for Android users

MobiKwik, one of India’s largest digital wallet providers, has launched a full production version of India’s Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) e-rupee wallet in partnership with the Reserve Bank of India and Yes Bank.

The e-rupee wallet is now accessible to all Android users of MobiKwik, enabling seamless peer-to-peer (P2P) and peer-to-merchant (P2M) transactions. Users can make payments by scanning any UPI QR code, as the wallet is fully compatible with UPI.

Existing MobiKwik users with completed Know Your Customer (KYC) formalities can instantly open an e-rupee wallet and transfer funds from their bank accounts. New users will need to complete a video KYC process to access the feature.

The wallet allows transactions of up to Rs 50,000 per day, with a per-transaction limit of Rs 10,000. It supports denominations ranging from Rs 0.50-500.

Exp. Elon Musk’s X to launch its first digital wallet in partnership with Visa

Elon Musk-owned social media platform X is collaborating with Visa to introduce a real-time payment system, marking progress toward Musk’s long-standing goal of transforming the platform into an “everything app.”

Visa has been announced as the first partner for the platform’s upcoming “X Money Account” service, expected to launch later this year.

 The service will enable in-platform digital wallets and peer-to-peer payments linked to users’ debit cards, with an option to transfer funds directly to bank accounts.