Current Affairs Today 19th February 2025 Daily GK Update

Daily Current Affairs 19th February 2025 Daily GK Update

Current Affairs Quiz 2025, Daily gk updates and Current affairs play a major role in any competitive exam. so here we are providing the current affairs quiz daily for Bank, SSC, Railway and Other Government Competitive Examinations.

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National News

Shivraj Singh Chouhan inaugurated NAKSHA program for urban land survey

• Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has inaugurated the National Geospatial Knowledge-based Land Survey of Urban Habitations (NAKSHA) in 152 urban local bodies across 26 States and three Union Territories in Madhya Pradesh.
• The programme aims to create and update land records in urban areas to ensure accurate and reliable documentation of land ownership.
• This initiative will empower citizens, improve ease of living, enhance urban planning, and reduce land-related disputes. The IT-based system for property record administration will foster transparency, efficiency and support sustainable development.

Maersk signs MoU with Cochin Shipyard to explore ship building, repair in India

• P. Moller – Maersk (Maersk) and Cochin Shipyard Ltd. (CSL) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore collaboration opportunities in ship repair, maintenance, and building activities in India.
• This partnership aligns with the Government of India’s Vision 2047 maritime objectives and recent Union Budget 2025-26 announcements to position India among the top five global maritime hubs.
• Under the MoU, Maersk will leverage its expertise as an off-taker in its global fleet to strengthen CSL’s capabilities, primarily focusing on container ship maintenance, repair, and drydocking operations.

FM Sitharaman launches Mutual Credit Guarantee Scheme for MSMEs

• The Centre has launched the ‘Mutual Credit Guarantee Scheme for MSMEs’, which was announced in the Union Budget 2025-26 to boost the micro, small, and medium enterprises.
• The scheme facilitates collateral-free loans to MSMEs by providing loans up to Rs 100 crore for the purchase of plant, machinery, or equipment.
• The scheme would provide 60 per cent guarantee coverage by the National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company Ltd (NCGTC) to member lending institutions (MLIs) for a credit facility up to Rs 100 crore, sanctioned to eligible MSMEs under MCGS-MSME for the purchase of equipment/machinery.
• Under the scheme, the borrower must be an MSME with a valid Udyam Registration Number. The guaranteed loan amount will not exceed Rs 100 crore, although the total project cost can be higher. Additionally, at least 75% of the project cost must be for purchasing equipment or machinery.
• FM Sitharaman and Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary also handed over the keys to homebuyers who have benefitted due to the SWAMIH (Special Window for Affordable and Mid-Income Housing) Fund during the post-Budget interaction programme with stakeholders here.
• As of January 24, the SWAMIH Fund has successfully delivered over 50,000 homes, with a commitment to deliver an additional 20,000 homes each year for the next three years.

MHI Signs Agreement with Reliance New Energy for 10 GWh ACC Capacity Under PLI Scheme

• The Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI) signed a Programme Agreement with Reliance New Energy Battery Limited under the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for Advanced Chemistry Cell (ACC), awarding a 10 GWh ACC capacity.
• With this signing, a cumulative capacity of 40 GWh has been allocated to four firms under India’s ₹18,100 crore PLI ACC scheme, aiming for a total manufacturing capacity of 50 GWh.
• The PLI ACC Scheme is designed to boost local value addition, ensure globally competitive battery manufacturing costs, and support the EV and renewable energy storage sectors.
• The Union Budget for FY2025-26 introduced measures like exempting 35 additional Capital Goods for EV battery manufacturing from Basic Customs Duty to accelerate domestic battery production.

Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana turns Nine

• The Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), a scheme providing comprehensive coverage for farmers against crop losses caused by unpredictable natural disasters, has disbursed Rs 1.75 lakh crore in claims to more than 23.22 crore farmers over the past nine years, according to the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare.
• Launched on 18 Feb 2016 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, PMFBY has played a crucial role in stabilizing farmers’ incomes while promoting the adoption of innovative agricultural practices.
• The scheme witnessed a 25% growth in farmer enrolment in 2023-24 compared to the previous year, demonstrating its growing popularity.
• The Union Cabinet, recognizing PMFBY’s impact, approved its continuation along with the Restructured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme (RWBCIS) till 2025-26, with a budget of Rs.69,515.71 crore. RWBCIS, introduced alongside PMFBY, is a weather index-based scheme that complements PMFBY’s crop insurance approach.

Reliance, TCS top Hurun’s India’s 10 most valuable companies

• Reliance Industries, TCS, and HDFC bank are among India’s top 10 most valuable companies, according to the 2024 Burgundy Private Hurun India 500 list.
• The list, created by Axis Bank’s banking unit Burgundy Private and Hurun India says that India’s top 500 companies have a combined value of $3.8 trillion, which is higher than India’s own GDP and also the combined Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the UAE, Indonesia, and Spain.
• The top 10 companies alone have a higher combined value than Saudi Arabia’s GDP.
• List of top 10 companies in the Hurun India 500 list
• Here is the table representing the top 10 companies in the Hurun India 500 list:

One Man Office: That’s LIC’s latest bet

• Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) has launched the “One Man Office” (OMO) service to provide its sales force with a comprehensive digital ecosystem, enabling them to serve policyholders seamlessly.
• The initiative aims to enhance efficiency and productivity among LIC agents, development officers, senior business associates, LIC’s CEO and Managing Director, Siddhartha Mohanty, described the service as a significant step towards promoting life insurance and improving customer service at any time and from any location. The initiative aligns with LIC’s long-term goal of achieving ‘Insurance for All by 2047’.
• OMO is designed to facilitate digital policy sales, provide after-sales services, track business performance, and act as a training and knowledge resource for agents. LIC describes it as a mobile digital office that aims to become a single platform for all business and service-related tasks, accessible via mobile phones.
• The service is built on LIC’s ANANDA (Atma Nirbhar Agents New Business Digital Application) platform, which helps agents onboard customers. It offers features such as a premium calculator, benefit illustrations, E-NACH registration, change of address requests, online loan applications, renewal premium payments, and claim-related document submissions.
• Additionally, it provides access to a knowledge centre, insurance and health-related calculators, an office locator, and NEFT search tools to assist agents in customer interactions.

Centre launches AI programme to empower 1 lakh young innovators

• The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), and Intel India have launched the ‘AI for Entrepreneurship’ micro-learning module.
• The initiative is designed to simplify artificial intelligence (AI) concepts and encourage entrepreneurial thinking among young innovators across India.
• The programme aims to empower 1 lakh youth by 2025 by equipping them with essential skills to thrive in a technology-driven economy.
• The ‘AI for Entrepreneurship’ module is part of India’s broader vision to foster innovation and promote inclusivity in learning. The initiative will help young minds understand AI in a simple and practical way while inspiring them to explore business opportunities using emerging technologies.

Pusa Krishi Vigyan Mela 2025 to be held in Delhi

• Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will inaugurate the ‘Pusa Krishi Vigyan Mela’ 2025 in New Delhi from February 22-24, showcasing the latest seed varieties and agricultural technologies.
• The three-day event, organized by ICAR-IARI, is expected to attract around 1 lakh participants, including farmers, students, and stakeholders.
• The theme of the mela is “Unnat Krishi Viksit Bharat,” with Minister of State for Agriculture Ramnath Thakur as the Guest of Honour.
• Key highlights include live demonstrations of new agricultural technologies, exhibitions by ICAR institutes, agricultural universities, startups, FPOs, and private companies.

International News

Musk’s AI Startup Unveils Grok-3 Chatbot

• Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence startup xAI has introduced Grok-3, the latest iteration of its chatbot, as it looks to compete with Chinese AI firm DeepSeek, Microsoft-backed OpenAI, and Alphabet’s Google.
• Grok-3 debut comes at a critical moment in the AI arms race, just days after DeepSeek unveiled its powerful open-source model and as Musk moves aggressively to expand xAI’s influence.
• “Grok-3 across the board is in a league of its own,” Musk said during a livestream alongside three xAI engineers late on Monday, adding that the model significantly outperforms its predecessor, Grok-2.

Banking and Financial

Indian Overseas Bank launches Aadhaar-based account opening, API banking services

• Public sector Indian Overseas Bank has launched Aadhaar-OTP based account opening and API banking facilities coinciding with its 89th Foundation Day Celebrations.
• The initiatives were designed to offer simplified banking services to both individual and corporate customers.
• The city-headquartered bank has introduced an Aadhaar OTP based account opening facility, enabling customers to open a savings account effortlessly through the bank website.

About Indian Overseas Bank

• Founded- 10 February 1937
• Headquarters- Chennai
• Founder- M. Ct. M. Chidambaram Chettyar
• MD & CEO – Ajay Kumar Srivastava

Awards

Manu Bhaker Named BBC Sportswoman Of The Year After Paris Olympic Triumph

• Indian shooter Manu Bhaker received the BBC Sportswoman of the Year after an impressive campaign at the Paris Olympics 2024, where she bagged two bronze medals.
• The stellar performances from the 22-year-old established her status as one of the elite sporting talents in the country. She became the first Indian shooter to win multiple medals at a single Olympics. Also, she became the first Indian woman to win an Olympic shooting medal.
• The other contenders for the honour were golfer Aditi Ashok, para-shooter Avani Lekhara, India women’s cricket vice-captain Smriti Mandhana, and wrestler Vinesh Phogat.
• Her fellow shooter Avani Lekhara was presented with the BBC ISWOTY Para-sportswoman of the Year award.
• Archer Sheetal Devi won the Emerging Athlete Award after becoming India’s youngest Paralympic medallist.
• Mithali Raj was given the Lifetime Achievement Award for her record 18-year captaincy of the Indian women’s cricket team.

Defence

India, Japan to hold 6th edition of joint military exercise ‘Dharma Guardian’

• The Indian Army will conduct the sixth edition of Exercise Dharma Guardian with the Japan Ground Self-Defence Force (JGSDF) at Mount Fuji, Japan, from February 25 to March 9.
• The exercise’s primary objective is to improve interoperability between the two forces through joint urban warfare and counter-terrorism drills conducted under a United Nations mandate.

Recent Exercise

• 3^rd edition of military exercise “Cyclone 2025” between India and Egypt – Mahajan Field Firing Range in Rajasthan.
• EX Winged Raiders between Indian Army and the Indian Air Force – Eastern Theater.
• 13th edition of military exercise ‘Ekuverin’ between the Indian Army and the Maldives National Defence Force – Archipelago nation.
• Indian Army and the Indian Air Force conducted a major military exercise, Exercise Devil Strike
• 18th edition of Exercise Surya Kiran between India and Nepal Military – Saljhandi, Nepal

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