DAILY GK 15-16 FEB 2025
1.
26TH CHIEF ELECTION COMMISSIONER OF INDIA
·
Election
Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar was appointed as
the 26th Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) by the
Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi led selection committee.
·
He
succeeds incumbent Rajiv Kumar and becomes the
first CEC to be appointed under the newly established law governing the
selection of Election Commission (EC) members.
·
Prior to his
appointment, he served as the Election Commissioner (EC) from March 2024 to
February 2025.
·
Dr Vivek Joshi was
appointed as an Election Commissioner.
·
He is currently posted
as Chief Secretary(CS) in Haryana.
·
The Chief Election Commissioner Act, 2023, sets the new selection
process for the CEC and ECs, with the President appointing them based on recommendations from a committee comprising
the PM, a Union Cabinet Minister, and the Leader of Opposition or the
largest opposition party in the Lok Sabha.
·
A search committee, headed by the Cabinet Secretary, proposes
names for the selection committee.
·
Previously, there was no
defined selection process, and the President appointed Election Commissioners
based on the advice of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers.
·
The eligibility criteria
for CEC and ECs include being persons of integrity, having knowledge and experience in
election management, and being or having been a Secretary or equivalent.
·
The term remains 6 years, with no reappointment,
and the removal process stays the same as in the Constitution.
·
The change in the selection process came after the Supreme Court’s (SC) recommendation for an
independent selection process.
2. 4TH WOMEN CM OF DELHI
·
Rekha Gupta, Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) leader, took oath as the 9th
Chief Minister (CM) of Union Territory (UT) of Delhi .
·
She has also become Delhi’s fourth woman CM, following
Sushma Swaraj, Sheila Dikshit, and Atishi Marlena Singh.
·
Parvesh Singh Verma, who took oath as the Deputy
CM.
·
Lieutenant Governor (L-G) of Delhi Vinai Kumar Saxena administered
oath of office and secrecy to the CM and the ministers at the function.
·
In 2025 Delhi assembly elections, the BJP won 48 seats out of the 70 total seats while AAP won 22 seats.
·
In 2025 assembly elections, she won the Shalimar Bagh Assembly seat
as a first-time Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA).
3. PRESIDENT’S RULE IMPOSED IN MANIPUR
·
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) imposed President’s
Rule in Manipur following the resignation of Chief
Minister (CM) N Biren Singh.
·
This marks the 11th instance of President’s
Rule being imposed in the state since
its formation in 1951.
·
The last instance occurred between June 2, 2001, and March
6, 2002, lasting 277 days.
·
N Biren Singh resigned on February 9, 2025,
nearly 21 months after ethnic violence between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo
communities began in May 2023, which resulted in over 250 deaths and the
displacement of thousands.
·
According to Article 174(1) of the Indian
Constitution, state Assemblies must convene within 6 months of their last
session.
·
The Manipur Assembly was required to reconvene by
February 12, 2025, as the last session was held on August 12, 2024.
·
Under Article 356 of the Indian
Constitution, President’s Rule suspends
the state government, and the Governor
assumes executive powers on behalf of the President of India.
·
Under President’s Rule, the elected state government is dissolved, and its powers are suspended.
·
The Governor functions under the guidance of the Union
Council of Ministers, headed by the PM.
·
President’s Rule remains in effect
for up to 6 months, with the possibility of extension for a maximum of 3
years, but only with approval from Parliament
every six months and under special conditions after the 1st year.
·
Since 1950, President’s Rule has been imposed 134
times across 29 states and Union Territories (UTs).
·
Manipur and Uttar Pradesh (UP) have seen
the most frequent impositions, while Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) holds
the record for the longest duration, exceeding 12 years.
·
Punjab Was 1st state in India where president Rule was
imposed on 20th June, 1951.
4.
NATIONAL MDA CAMPAIGN TO
ELIMINATE LF
·
Union Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda,
the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) launched the
Annual Nationwide Mass Drug Administration (MDA) Campaign to
eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (LF) (commonly known as Hathi Paon).
·
The campaign aims for
the door-to-door distribution of
anti-filarial medication, ensuring that all eligible individuals take the
prescribed medicine to prevent the transmission of the disease.
·
India
is committed to eliminating Lymphatic Filariasis
by 2027.
·
Lymphatic Filariasis is a
parasitic disease transmitted through the bites of infected
mosquitoes.
·
Lymphatic Filariasis (LF) which is caused by Culex
mosquitoes.
5.
RS 100 COMMEMORATIVE COIN TO MARK BIRTH CENTENARY OF
MOHAMMED RAFI
·
The Government of India (GoI) will issue
a Rs 100 commemorative coin, to mark the birth
centenary of legendary playback singer Padma Shri
Mohammed Rafi, which concluded on 24 December 2024.
·
The circular and non-circulating coin is reportedly minted by
the India Government Mint (IGM) in Mumbai,
Maharashtra.
·
The metal
composition of the Rs 100 commemorative coin will consist of a
Quaternary Alloy, comprising 50% Silver (Ag), 40% Copper (Cu), 5% Nickel (Ni),
and 5% Zinc (Zn).
·
The coin will weigh 35
grams (g) and have a diameter of 44 millimeters (mm), featuring 200 serrations
along the edge.
·
Mohammed Rafi (24 December 1924 – 31 July 1980) often
referred to as Rafi Sahab was
born in Punjab.
·
He was honoured with the Padma Shri in 1967 for ‘Art’.
·
Commemorative coins were earlier issued in honour of
legendary singers including Begum Akhtar, a renowned
Ghazal artist in 2014, and Dr. M.S.
Subbulakshmi, the iconic Carnatic singer in 2017.
6. PRADHAN MANTRI FASAL BIMA YOJANA
TURNS NINE
·
The Pradhan MantriFasalBimaYojana (PMFBY),
launched in 2016 by Prime Minister(PM) Narendra Modi, marked its nine-year
anniversary on February 18, 2025.
·
PMFBY is a flagship
crop insurance scheme in India that operates under the Ministry of
Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW), designed to protect farmers from
financial losses due to natural calamities.
·
This scheme has emerged as a cornerstone of India’s
agricultural resilience, protecting over 23.22 crore farmers against
crop losses caused by natural calamities and disbursing claims worth Rs.1.75
lakh crore over the past nine years.
·
Affordable Premiums: Farmers pay only 2% (Kharif
crops), 1.5% (Rabi crops), or 5% (horticulture/commercial crops), with the
balance subsidized by the government.
·
Comprehensive Coverage: Includes yield losses,
prevented sowing (up to 25% of sum insured), post-harvest losses (14 days
post-harvest), and localized calamities.
7. 28TH GBBC: WB LEAD IN
INDIA’S BIRD COUNT
·
West Bengal (WB) recorded the highest number of bird species across 37 states and union territories
(UTs) in India, with 543 species, topping the national
list for the third consecutive year.
·
This achievement came during the 28th annual
Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), one of the world’s largest birding
events
·
The total number of bird species in India increased to 1,068 in
2025, up from 1,036 in 2024.
·
WB is followed by Uttarakhand in second
place with 446 species.
·
Darjeeling topped the WB list with the highest number of
species, recording 252 species, which is lower than last year’s total of 308
species.
·
The GBBC is an annual global
bird-watching event held every February, where bird enthusiasts from around
the world count and report the bird species they observe through eBird, an
online platform.
·
It was launched in 1998 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the
National Audubon Society in the United States of America (USA).
·
India joined the GBBC
for the first time in 2013, with 200 participants taking part in the event.
8.
PM NARENDRA MODI VISIT TO FRANCE & USA
·
Prime Minister (PM) of
India, Narendra Modi made an official visit to France and
the United States of America (USA) to further
strengthen and develop bilateral relations.
·
PM Narendra Modi paid a
three-day visit to France at the invitation of Emmanuel Macron, President of France.
·
This was PM Modi’s 6th
visit to France.
·
PM Narendra Modi and
Emmanuel Macron,President of France, led the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action Summit in
Paris, France.
·
During the summit, PM
Modi announced that India will host the
next AI summit in 2026.
·
PM Modi’s USA visit was 10th to the USA as PM.
·
PM Narendra Modi and
USA President Donald Trump launched a new initiative called the ‘Autonomous Systems Industry Alliance (ASIA)’.
·
Both sides announced “US - India COMPACT (Catalyzing Opportunities for Military Partnership, Accelerated
Commerce & Technology) for the 21st Century” – to drive transformative
change across key pillars of cooperation.
·
‘Mission 500’: New goal to more than double
total bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030.
·
US announced that extradition to India of Tahawwur Rana (linked to 26/11 terror
attacks) has been approved.
9.
INTERNATIONAL FLEET REVIEW 2025
·
The Indian Navy (IN) actively
participated in the ‘International Fleet Review (IFR) 2025’ and the ‘5th
Multilateral Naval Exercise Komodo’ in Bali, Indonesia.
·
The Indian delegation
is represented by the Indian Naval Ship (INS) Shardul,
a Landing Ship Tank (Large), and the P-8I Long-Range Maritime Surveillance
Aircraft.
·
The IFR 2025 is a multinational
naval event reviewed by the President of Indonesia, Prabowo Subianto.
·
The ‘Multilateral
Naval Exercise Komodo 2025’ commenced at Benoa Port in Denpasar, Bali with
theme, ‘Maritime Partnership for Peace and Stability’.
·
This exercise involves naval forces from over 30
countries, including the United States of America (USA), Russia,
China, Australia, and Singapore, focusing on disaster relief and humanitarian
operations.
·
Indonesia Capital- Jakarta
·
Currency- Indonesian Rupiah (IDR)
·
Chief of Naval Staff (CNS)– Admiral
Dinesh K Tripathi
10. ‘BRICS
SUMMIT 2025’ IN RIO DE JANEIRO IN JULY
·
Brazil announced that the next ‘BRICS Summit 2025’ will
take place in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) on July 6-7, 2025.
·
BRICS, an intergovernmental organisation originally formed in
2009 by Brazil, Russia, India, and China, expanded with South Africa in 2010.
·
In 2024, it expanded by adding Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the
United Arab Emirates (UAE), with Saudi Arabia also invited to join.
·
Turkey, Azerbaijan, and
Malaysia
have applied for membership.
·
At the 2024 summit in
Kazan (Russia), Indonesia became the
11th member, while Nigeria was
named a “partner country”.
