1) *The Gujarat state government has launched G-SAFAL (Gujarat Scheme for Antyodaya Families for Augmenting Livelihoods), a comprehensive initiative aimed at empowering underprivileged families, especially women, and promoting economic self-sufficiency.*
2) *The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has approved the Bank of Maharashtra (BoM) to establish a branch in Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City), Gujarat.*
➨This approval will enhance the bank's offshore banking operations and align with its expansion plans in the region.
3) *Matsya-6000, the submersible vehicle set to transport three Indians into the deep sea in 2026, has successfully completed wet tests and facilitated multiple manned dives in the Bay of Bengal.*
4) *The statue of Thiruvalluvar, a renowned Tamil poet and philosopher, has been unveiled at the Gullas College of Medicine in Cebu, Philippines.*
➨Indian Ambassador Harsh Kumar Jain inaugurated the statue, highlighting the importance of cultural exchange and mutual appreciation between the two nations.
5) *Gujarat has significantly expanded its Soil Health Card Yojana to help farmers with soil health assessments and fertilizer recommendations, aiming to increase agricultural productivity.*
6) *Uttar Pradesh made history by becoming the first state in India to introduce a translation system that supports local languages like Awadhi, Braj, Bhojpuri, and Bundelkhandi, in addition to English.*
➨This innovative move aims to bridge the language gap and facilitate communication among citizens who speak diverse languages.
7) *South Indian Bank launched the ‘SIB Quick FD’ service, allowing customers to open Fixed Deposits digitally through UPI, without needing an existing account with the bank.*
8) *India recently sent its first-ever sea shipment of premium Sangola and Bhagwa pomegranates to Australia, facilitated by APEDA. The shipment, weighing 5.7 MT from Maharashtra’s Solapur region, arrived in Sydney in January 2025.*
9) *Reliance New Energy Battery Limited, a subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited, has been awarded 10 GWh of Advanced Chemistry Cell (ACC) battery manufacturing capacity under the ₹18,100 crore Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for ACC.*
10) *India and Qatar agreed to strengthen their relationship as a “strategic partnership,” aim to double trade to $28 billion in five years, and attract $10 billion in Qatari investment into India.*
11) *Madhya Pradesh has launched India's first Global Capability Centers (GCC) Policy 2025, aiming to transform Tier-2 cities like Indore, Bhopal, and Jabalpur into global innovation hubs.*
➨This policy is part of a broader strategy to decentralize business operations from traditional metro cities to Tier-2 cities, promoting economic growth and job creation.
12) *Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar was appointed as the next chief election commissioner.*
➨He is the first CEC to be appointed under a new law on the appointment of the members of the Election Commission (EC).
➨Mr. Kumar was appointed after a meeting of a three-member committee headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi.
13) *Zomato introduced Nugget, an AI-powered, no-code customer support platform that promises to make handling customer queries efficient.*
14) *Standard Chartered has announced the appointment of P.D. Singh as its chief executive officer (CEO) for India, effective 1 April 2025.*
➨ Singh will succeed Zarin Daruwala, who is set to retire on 31 March 2025, after an illustrious tenure at the helm.
15) *Kerala has launched the 'nPROUD' initiative, India's first government-led program aimed at ensuring the safe collection and disposal of expired medicines.*
➨This pioneering project tackles the critical issue of pharmaceutical waste, which poses significant environmental and health risks.