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March 8, 2025 Daily Current Affairs Summary - Honey Gs Academy

Revision of March 7th Current Affairs

Key Highlights from Previous Day (To be revised in next class)

Revision of March 7th Current Affairs will be covered in the next class.

March 8th, 2025 Daily Current Affairs

Days of Importance

• International Women's Day (March 8):
  • Celebrated annually on March 8th.
  • Themes:
    • Official Theme: Accelerate Action.
    • UN Women Theme: Girls' and women's rights, equality, and empowerment.
  • History:
    • First conducted by Russia in 1917, recognizing women's role in the Russian Revolution.
    • Officially recognized by the UN in 1977.

Space

• SCOT (Space Camera for Object Tracking) Satellite:
  • Developed by Bengaluru-based company Digantara.
  • Launched in January via SpaceX Transporter-12 mission.
  • Captured its first image of South America, indicating successful operation.
  • World's first commercial space surveillance satellite.
  • Tracks space debris as small as 5cm in Low Earth Orbit (LEO).
  • SpaceX Transporter program aims for low-cost, multi-satellite launches.
  • IN-SPACe promotes private space sector in India.
• Starship Failure:
  • SpaceX's Starship, a combined spacecraft and heavy rocket, faced another unsuccessful test.
  • Uses liquid methane and liquid oxygen, making it potentially more powerful than liquid hydrogen rockets.
  • Aims to be the world's most powerful rocket if successful.
  • Current heavy-lift rockets compared:
    • NASA: Space Launch System (SLS).
    • ISRO: GSLV Mk3 (LVM3) - uses Cryogenic fuel (LOX & LH2), Semi-cryogenic uses LOX & ISROcyn (Kerosene).
    • ESA: Ariane 6.
    • China: Long March 5.
    • SpaceX (current): Falcon Heavy.

Defense

• T-72 Tanks - Technology Transfer:
  • Russia to transfer technology to India for manufacturing HP 1000 engines used in T-72 tanks.
  • Agreement with Armoured Vehicles Nigam Limited (AVNL) in Avadi (Chennai).
  • T-72 tanks are Russian-origin battle tanks.
  • Avadi's connection to Nehru era meetings mentioned (further context needed).
• TRUPEX (Theatre Level Operational Readiness Exercise) 2025:
  • Indian Navy's biennial (once every two years) maritime exercise.
  • Conducted over three months (January - March 2025) in the Indian Ocean Region.
  • Joint exercise involving Indian Navy, Army, Air Force, and Coast Guard.
• Brahmasthra Missile:
  • Long-range anti-ship missile, previously known by another name (likely Astra Mk-3, but needs verification).
  • Renamed Brahmasthra due to achieving hypersonic speed of 12,144 kmph.
  • Developed by DRDO.
  • Classified as a hypersonic glide missile.

Environment

• US Withdrawal from Loss and Damage Fund:
  • USA withdraws from the Loss and Damage Fund.
  • Loss and Damage Fund:
    • Proposed by Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS).
    • Established at COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.
    • Launched at COP28 in Dubai/Abu Dhabi.
    • Interim host (2023-2027): World Bank.
    • Original Host Country: Philippines (selected July 2024).
    • Director General: Ibrahim Chiek Diong.
    • Purpose: To aid developing and least developed countries in addressing climate change impacts.
  • USA also previously withdrew from the Paris Agreement.

Geography

• Iconic Cable-Stayed cum Suspension Bridge:
  • India's first and world's second iconic cable-stayed cum suspension bridge approved for construction.
  • To be built on the Krishna River, connecting Somashila (Nagarkurnool, Telangana) and Atmakur (Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh).
  • Approximately 3 km long.
  • Reduces Hyderabad to Tirupati distance by about 80 km.
  • Tourism potential: Connects temples like Lalitha Someshwara and Sangameshwara.

International Affairs

• Lithuania Withdrawal from Convention on Cluster Munitions:
  • Lithuania withdraws from the Convention on Cluster Munitions.
  • Convention on Cluster Munitions:
    • Agreement in Oslo, Norway (2008), effective from 2010.
    • Bans the use, production, stockpiling, and transfer of cluster munitions.
    • Cluster munitions disperse multiple submunitions over a wide area.
    • Not signatories: India, USA, Russia, China, Israel, Ukraine.
    • Lithuania is the first country to withdraw after the convention came into force.

Persons in News

• Lalit Modi:
  • Former IPL chairman, residing in London.
  • Acquired citizenship of One of Out country through their Golden Passport Program (country name needs verification - likely Vanuatu).
  • Golden Passport programs offer citizenship in exchange for investment.
  • Indian citizenship implications to be discussed further upon program details and policy clarity.

Telangana Specific

• Indira Mahila Shakti Sabha:
  • Women's Day event organized by the Telangana Government in Secunderabad.
  • Presided over by Minister Seethakka.
  • Announcement of Indira Mahila Shakti Mission 2025 policy.
  • Indira Mahila Shakti Mission 2025 Key Points (Paper-based information, further official details needed):
    • Aims to make one crore (10 million) women "crorepatis" (millionaires).
    • Integrates Self-Help Groups (SHGs) under SERP (rural) and MEPMA (urban).
    • Targets women aged 18-60, with new groups for किशोर (15-18 years, ~3.2 million) and elderly women (60-65 years, ~0.8 million). Total target ~4 million new members plus existing ~6 million.
    • Proposed initiatives:
      • Purchase buses to be leased to RTC (Road Transport Corporation).
      • Establish petrol bunks (inspired by Narayanpet district model, to be expanded to 31 districts).
      • Set up solar plants (2MW per district, total 64MW).

Thank you.