09th April 2025 Current Affairs | Daily GK Update & Top News for Exams

National News

India-UAE Strengthen To Enhance Strategic Partnership

• On April 8, 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum held high-level talks in New Delhi to enhance the India-UAE Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
• Their discussions focused on defence cooperation, including a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for Coast Guard collaboration, trade, technology, space, and people-to-people ties.
• Sheikh Hamdan’s visit underscored shared strategic priorities, with significant attention to defence manufacturing, joint training, and economic cooperation.
• In 2023, India-UAE non-oil trade reached $54.2 billion, while Dubai-India trade stood at $45.4 billion. The leaders also highlighted the role of connectivity, culture, and historical ties in strengthening bilateral relations.

7th Edition of Poshan Pakhwada 2025

• The 7th edition of Poshan Pakhwada, launched on April 8, 2025, by Union Minister Savitri Thakur in New Delhi, is a key initiative under Poshan Abhiyaan aimed at tackling malnutrition and improving nutrition outcomes for children, pregnant women, lactating mothers, and adolescent girls.
• Running till April 22, the campaign emphasizes healthy lifestyles, malnutrition management, and awareness on the Poshan Tracker, with the Ministry of Women and Child Development as the nodal agency, supported by ministries like Health, Education, Rural Development, and Jal Shakti, along with State/UT governments.

International News

Gabon Elects New President Junta Chief Brice Oligui Nguema Frontrunner

• Gabon will hold a crucial presidential election on April 12, 2025, marking a key step in its transition from military to civilian rule after the August 2023 coup that ended the 56-year Bongo dynasty.
• Brice Oligui Nguema, the junta chief and frontrunner, is contesting as the “candidate of the people”, having suspended his military duties under a new electoral code adopted in January 2025.
• He faces 7 other candidates, with main challenger Alain-Claude Bilie By Nze, the last PM under Ali Bongo.

Banking News

RBI Launches WhatsApp Channel for Verified Financial Updates

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has launched its official and verified WhatsApp channel as part of the ‘RBI Kehta Hai’ campaign to promote financial literacy, digital safety, and fraud prevention.
• This initiative delivers real-time financial updates, enhances digital trust, and ensures inclusive outreach by tapping into WhatsApp’s vast user base, especially in rural and remote areas.
• Users can easily join via a QR code, making vital information on secure banking and regulations more accessible.

RBI Monetary Policy 2025: Bi-Monthly Highlights

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI)’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), led by Governor Sanjay Malhotra, has unanimously reduced the repo rate by 25 bps to 6%. The SDF rate is now 5.75%, and the MSF rate is 6.25%.
• The MPC also announced several measures, including enabling securitisation of stressed assets and revising UPI transaction limits. GDP growth projections for FY26 were lowered to 6.5%, while CPI inflation projections for FY26 were reduced to 4.0%.
• The committee’s next meetings are scheduled for June 4–6, August 5–7, September 29–October 1, December 3–5, and February 4–6.

RBI Permits NPCI to Enhance UPI Transaction Limits for P2M Payments

• Reserve Bank of India (RBI) authorized NPCI to revise UPI Person-to-Merchant (P2M) transaction limits, allowing greater flexibility for evolving user needs and merchant use cases, while keeping the P2P limit unchanged at ₹1 lakh. Banks can set internal limits within NPCI’s range, with exceptions for
• P2M transactions in sectors like education, healthcare, and credit card bill payments, now permitted up to ₹2–5 lakh. The move supports fintech innovation and digital payment adoption, with risk safeguards in place.

Appointments News

Viral Davda Appointed Deputy CIO at Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE)

• The Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) has appointed Viral Davda as its new Deputy Chief Information Officer (CIO) to drive technological advancements and strengthen its IT infrastructure.
• With over 20 years of experience, including as CTO at NCDEX, Davda has led key digital projects like hybrid cloud transitions and was honored as CTO of the Year in 2022.
• His leadership will support BSE’s high-performance systems, which handle 400GB of data daily and 100,000 orders per second, enhancing its technological resilience and operational excellence.

Dr. Mohan Rajan Elected Vice-President of All India Ophthalmological Society (AIOS)

• Dr. Mohan Rajan, Chairman and Medical Director of Rajan Eye Care Hospital, has been elected Vice-President of the All India Ophthalmological Society (AIOS), which represents over 29,000 ophthalmologists across India.
• Announced on April 5, 2025, at the Asia Pacific Academy Congress in New Delhi, Dr. Rajan is the fifth ophthalmologist from Tamil Nadu to hold this position in AIOS’s 84-year history. He is set to become AIOS President in 2027, marking a significant leadership milestone.

Agreements News

IOCL’s Rs 61,000 Crore Investment in Odisha for World-Class Petrochemical Complex

• Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL) has announced an investment of ₹61,077 crore to establish a world-class petrochemical complex in Paradip, Odisha.
• This marks IOCL’s largest-ever single-location investment, aimed at enhancing India’s petrochemical industry and manufacturing capabilities.
• The project includes a dual-feed cracker and downstream units to produce key petrochemicals like phenol, polypropylene (PP), isopropyl alcohol (IPA), HDPE, LLDPE, PVC, and butadiene, which are used in industries such as pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, packaging, and construction.
• The initiative will transform Paradip into a major industrial hub in Odisha.

Books & Authors News

The India I Saw: A Glimpse into the Life of S. Ambujammal

• S. Ambujammal (1899–1981), born into a prestigious Iyengar family in Madras, overcame early struggles, including emotional neglect, an unwanted birth, and a troubled marriage, to become a prominent Gandhian and social reformer.
• Her autobiography, Naan Kanda Bharatham (translated as The India I Saw), chronicles her journey through India’s freedom movement and her commitment to women’s welfare.
• A dedicated follower of Gandhi’s ideals, her life is a testament to resilience, personal transformation, and social service.

CARELESS PEOPLE: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism by Sarah Wynn Williams

• Sarah Wynn-Williams’ memoir, Careless People, exposes the toxic inner workings of Facebook (now Meta) during its global rise.
• As a former director of global public policy, Wynn-Williams reveals the unethical leadership and personal misconduct within the company, particularly under Mark Zuckerberg, Sheryl Sandberg, and Joel Kaplan.
• The book highlights Facebook’s involvement in the 2016 U.S. election, its role in the Myanmar crisis, and its controversial push into China.
• Wynn-Williams reflects on her disillusionment with the company, which she once saw as a tool for promoting human rights, and shares personal accounts of humiliation and health neglect.

Defence News

India Clears Mega Deal to Buy 26 Rafale Marine Fighter Jets from France for Navy

• India has approved a ₹63,000 crore ($7+ billion) deal with France for 26 Rafale Marine fighter jets under a Government-to-Government (G2G) agreement, enhancing naval aviation and carrier-based air power on INS Vikrant.
• Cleared by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), the deal includes 22 single-seaters, 4 twin-seater trainer jets, along with fleet maintenance, weapon systems, training, and offset obligations to boost indigenous manufacturing and the defense ecosystem.

Science & Technology News

NASA Welcomes Bangladesh as the Newest Artemis Accords Signatory

• Bangladesh became the 54th country to sign the Artemis Accords, promoting peaceful, sustainable, and transparent space exploration.
• The signing, led by Ashraf Uddin, Bangladesh’s Secretary of Defense, emphasizes the country’s commitment to safe space exploration and international collaboration.
• The Artemis Accords, based on frameworks like the Outer Space Treaty, guide nations in cooperative space activities, with NASA’s Artemis program aiming to return humans to the Moon and explore Mars.
• Bangladesh’s participation enhances its role in space exploration, fostering ties with spacefaring nations and NASA.

India’s First Agentic AI Hackathon

• India’s first Agentic AI Hackathon, organized by Techvantage.ai in collaboration with CrewAI, concluded during Agentic AI Week with over 1,500 participants nationwide.
• Held across multiple cities and culminating at Technopark, Kerala, the month-long event focused on autonomous AI solutions for the BFSI sector, tackling challenges like fraud detection, credit scoring, and regulatory compliance, marking a major leap in India’s AI innovation ecosystem.

Important Days News

World Homeopathy Day 2025 Date, Significance, Background

• World Homeopathy Day is celebrated annually on April 10th to honor the birth of Dr. Christian Friedrich Samuel Hahnemann, the founder of homeopathy.
• This day promotes awareness of homeopathy’s contributions to holistic healthcare, emphasizing its principle of “like cures like,” where diluted substances from plants, minerals, and animals are used to treat illnesses.
• Despite skepticism, homeopathy is widely practiced, with over 200 million users worldwide, especially in India.
• The day encourages research, education, and the integration of homeopathy with conventional medicine, highlighting its effectiveness, safety, and role in natural healing.

Obituaries News

Dadi Ratan Mohini Spiritual Head of Brahma Kumaris Passed Away

• Dadi Ratan Mohini, born Lakshmi on March 25, 1925 in Hyderabad, Sindh (now in Pakistan), passed away at age 100 on April 8, 2025 in Ahmedabad. As the Chief Administrator of the Brahma Kumaris since 2021, she succeeded Dadi Janki after her passing in 2020.
• A global spiritual leader, Dadi Ratan Mohini represented the Brahma Kumaris at the World Peace Conference in 1954 and traveled extensively to promote peace, values, and spiritual consciousness.
• Her significant contributions included a 31,000-km pilgrimage in 2006 and efforts to spread moral and cultural values worldwide.