Daily Current Affairs Quiz
10 September, 2025
National Affairs
1. Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan Awards & Wetland Cities Recognition Ceremony 2025
Source: PIB
Context:
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) organised the Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan Awards 2025 & Wetland Cities Recognition Ceremony to honour the best-performing cities under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) and recognise cities safeguarding wetlands.
About Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan (SVS) 2025
- Conducted in 130 NCAP cities to promote competition for improving air quality.
- Structured as a multi-tier evaluation mechanism based on due diligence.
- Awards given in three population categories.
Winners:
- Category 1 (population >10 lakh):
- 1st – Indore (₹1.5 crore prize, Guinness record tree plantation, EV public transport).
- 2nd – Jabalpur (₹1 crore, 11 MW waste-to-energy plant).
- 3rd – Agra & Surat (₹25 lakh each; Agra – legacy waste remediation, Surat – EV policy & 38% green cover).
- Category 2 (population 3–10 lakh):
- 1st – Amravati (₹75 lakh, 340 km road infrastructure, urban forests).
- 2nd – Jhansi & Moradabad (₹25 lakh each; greening & C&D waste management).
- 3rd – Alwar (₹25 lakh, legacy waste remediation).
- Category 3 (population <3 lakh):
- 1st – Dewas (₹37.5 lakh, industries shifted to cleaner fuels).
- 2nd – Parwanoo (₹25 lakh, road infrastructure).
- 3rd – Angul (₹12.5 lakh, public outreach & C&D waste management).
National Clean Air Programme (NCAP)
- Launched: 15 August 2020 with target cities.
- Funding:
- ₹20,130 crore allocated to 130 cities.
- ₹13,237 crore performance-linked grants released.
- Total mobilization of ₹1.55 lakh crore (Centre, states, local bodies).
- Achievements:
- 103 cities improved PM10 levels.
- 64 cities achieved 20% reduction in PM10 levels (2017–25).
- 25 cities achieved 40% reduction by 2025.
- Initiatives:
- Circular economy approach (recycle & reuse).
- PRANA portal for monitoring progress.
- Ward-level Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan guidelines released.
- Compendium of best practices launched.
Wetland Cities Recognition
- Ramsar Wetland City Accreditation scheme recognises exceptional urban wetland management.
- 2025 Recognition: Indore and Udaipur were certified as Wetland Cities by Ramsar Convention.
- India now has 91 Ramsar sites covering 1.36 million hectares (highest in Asia, 3rd globally).
- Linked to Mission Amrit Sarovar and Mission LiFE to rejuvenate water bodies and promote sustainable living.
2. Exercise Zapad 2025
Source: PIB
Context:
An Indian Armed Forces contingent has left for Russia to participate in Zapad 2025, a multilateral military exercise at the Mulino Training Ground, Nizhniy.
About Exercise Zapad 2025:
- Purpose: Designed to simulate high-intensity conventional warfare and counter-terrorism operations in a multinational setting.
- Host & Participants: Hosted by Russia, with participation from India and other partner nations.
- History: Zapad (meaning “West” in Russian) exercises have been conducted since the Soviet era, with modern iterations held quadrennially since 2009. India also participated in Zapad 2021.
3. U.K.–India Infrastructure Financing Bridge (UKIIFB)
Source: TH
Context:
The U.K.–India Infrastructure Financing Bridge (UKIIFB), launched in September 2024, completed its first year. On its anniversary in London, the initiative released a report recommending policy reforms to de-risk investments in India’s infrastructure sector.
About UKIIFB
- A bilateral platform to mobilise global private capital for India’s sustainable infrastructure.
- Launched in September 2024 during the India–UK Economic and Financial Dialogue.
- Lead institutions: NITI Aayog (India) & City of London Corporation (U.K.).
Objectives:
- Mobilise international private sector investments into Indian infrastructure.
- Align Indian procurement with global best practices (UK’s Five Case Model).
- Ensure compliance with ESG standards.
- Address barriers like revenue risks, taxation, and capital repatriation issues.
Functions:
- Provide policy recommendations for transparency and competitiveness in project financing.
- Develop knowledge frameworks for sustainable and climate-resilient infrastructure.
- Support joint planning & structuring of projects (roads, metros, renewable energy).
- Promote green finance and climate-resilient models.
Banking/Finance
1. Sebi Focuses on Easing FPI Investments Amid Global Uncertainties
Source: TOI
Context:
Since March 2025, Tuhin Kanta Pandey, Sebi Chairman, has been engaging with Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs), offshore strategic investors, and PE funds to encourage capital inflows critical for India’s balance of payments and currency stability. This comes amid choppy equity markets, cautious corporate capex, volatile bond prices, and US tariff pressures affecting the current account deficit.
Key Investor Proposals Under Consideration:
- FPI License Tenure
- Proposal: Extend tenure from 3 years to 5 years.
- Current SEBI Norm: As per SEBI (FPI) Regulations, 2019, FPI registration is valid for 3 years (renewable).
- KYC Reforms
- Proposal: Simplify onboarding.
- Current Norm: FPIs must comply with KYC norms under SEBI Master Circular on KYC (April 2023), including PAN, beneficial ownership disclosure, and FATF compliance.
- Disclosure Norms
- Proposal:
- Exempt large private funds from granular disclosures.
- Review the rule mandating disclosure of all natural persons owning >10% in FPIs.
- Current Norm: Under SEBI (FPI) Regulations, 2019 & August 2023 circular, FPIs must disclose all beneficial owners (BOs) per Prevention of Money Laundering (PMLA) rules.
- Proposal:
- Primary Market Measures
- Proposal:
- Shorten approval time for IPOs.
- Allow low-risk FPIs to raise funds from NRIs.
- Permit domestic institutions to act as sponsors/managers for FPIs in GIFT City.
- Current Norm:
- IPO approval follows SEBI (ICDR) Regulations, 2018—minimum public shareholding (MPS) of 25% within 3 years.
- FPIs are barred from pooling NRI money unless through regulated routes.
- Proposal:
- Mega IPOs
- Proposal: Allow longer timelines to meet MPS of 25%.
- Current Norm: Under SEBI (LODR) & ICDR Regulations, companies must achieve 25% public shareholding within 3 years of listing (exceptions possible for large issues).
2. Suryoday SFB Launches RuPay Secured Credit Cards Backed by FDs
Source: Mint
Context:
Suryoday Small Finance Bank (SSFB) launched two secured credit cards – RuPay Select and RuPay Platinum, backed by fixed deposits (FDs) as collateral.
Credit Cards Backed by FDs (Fixed Deposits)
- A secured credit card issued against a customer’s Fixed Deposit (FD) kept with the bank.
- The FD acts as collateral, reducing risk for the bank.
- Useful for people with no credit history, low income, or bad credit score.
About Suryoday Small Finance Bank Ltd:
- Incorporated: 2008; began SFB operations in 2017
- MD & CEO: Mr. Baskar Babu Ramachandran
- Focus: Financial inclusion and innovative credit solutions for underserved segments
Agriculture
1. NCEL and APEDA Sign MoU to Boost Cooperative-Led Agricultural Exports
Source: ET
Context:
National Cooperative Exports Limited (NCEL) and Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance agricultural exports driven by cooperatives.
About National Cooperative Exports Limited (NCEL)
What it is?
- A national-level multi-state cooperative society serving as an umbrella organisation for all cooperative exports.
- Established: 25 January 2023, under the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 2002.
- Headquarters: New Delhi.
Objectives:
- Facilitate export opportunities for Indian cooperatives.
- Strengthen farmers’ income through international market access.
- Realise the cooperative vision of “Sahakar se Samriddhi.”
Facts To Remember
1. ‘Anti-conversion’ Bill passed in Rajasthan
The Rajasthan Assembly on Tuesday passed a Bill to prevent religious conversions. Those returning to their “ancestral religion” are exempted from its stringent penal provisions.
2. Ethiopia Inaugurates Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD)
Egypt lodged a protest at the UN, citing the dam as an existential threat to its water security. Ethiopia inaugurated the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), Africa’s largest hydroelectric project.
3. Ministry of Statistics Invites Feedback on Draft National Industrial Classification (NIC) 2025
The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation has invited feedback on the draft National Industrial Classification (NIC) 2025.
