• Anuj Kumar Singh, a 2009 batch officer of the Indian Railway Service of Electrical Engineers (IRSEE), has been appointed as the Joint Secretary (Director level) in the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), Delhi.

• NIIT University (NU) has appointed Shri Amitabh Kant, former CEO of NITI Aayog and India’s G20 Sherpa, as its new Chancellor.
• Shri Amitabh Kant succeeds Shri K Kasturirangan, who significantly contributed to NU’s growth and reputation.

• The International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members is observed annually on March 25.
• Objective: To mobilize action, demand justice, and ensure the protection of UN staff, peacekeepers, and colleagues in NGOs and the press.
• Significance: A day to honor those detained or missing in the line of duty and to reaffirm efforts to safeguard their rights and safety.

• The Day of the Unborn Child is celebrated on March 25 each year.
• Aim: To raise awareness about the value and rights of unborn children and to condemn abortions.
• Established: In 1999 by Pope John Paul II.

• The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) reduced the minimum investment for Zero Coupon Zero Principal (ZCZP) instruments on the Social Stock Exchange (SSE) from ₹10,000 to ₹1,000 to boost retail participation in funding non-profit organizations (NPOs).
• Reduction in Investment Limit: Minimum investment size lowered to ₹1,000 to increase participation from small-scale investors.
• About ZCZP Instruments: Donation-based tools for NPO funding with no repayment of principal or interest, focusing on social impact causes.
• Purpose: To enhance funding in sectors like education and healthcare, strengthening India’s social impact investment ecosystem.
• Implementation: The change is effective immediately, revising SEBI’s earlier guidelines issued in 2022 and 2023.

• SBI Mutual Fund has launched two investment schemes focused on India’s public sector banking sector.

Schemes Introduced:

• SBI BSE PSU Bank Index Fund: Open-ended scheme tracking the BSE PSU Bank Index.
• SBI BSE PSU Bank ETF: Open-ended exchange-traded fund replicating the BSE PSU Bank Index.
• Objective: To deliver returns closely aligned with the BSE PSU Bank Index performance, subject to tracking error.
• Asset Allocation: 95% to 100% of assets invested in stocks listed in the BSE PSU Bank Index.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Bank of Mauritius (BoM) have signed an MoU to promote the use of the Indian Rupee (INR) and Mauritian Rupee (MUR) in cross-border transactions.

• Objective: Enhance bilateral trade by enabling the use of INR and MUR for invoicing and settlement of transactions.

Key Features:

• Covers all current account and agreed capital account transactions.
• Enables the development of a market in the INR-MUR currency pair.
• Significance: Strengthens trade relations, deepens financial integration, and bolsters economic ties between India and Mauritius.
• Signatories: RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra and BoM Governor Rama Krishna Sithanen.

The World Happiness Report 2025, published by the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford, highlights global happiness rankings and notable trends.

Key Details

• Top Rankings: Finland is the happiest country in the world for the 8th consecutive year, followed by other Nordic nations like Denmark, Iceland, and Sweden.
• India’s Position: Ranked 118th, below Pakistan (109th), reflecting differences in social support despite economic challenges.
• New Entrants in Top 10: Costa Rica (6th) and Mexico (10th) joined the top 10 for the first time.

Declines:

• United States: Ranked 24th, its lowest-ever position, due to increasing social isolation.
• United Kingdom: Ranked 23rd, its lowest score since 2017.
• Bottom Rankings: Afghanistan remains the unhappiest country (147th), followed by Sierra Leone, Lebanon, Malawi, and Zimbabwe. Afghan women reported especially harsh living conditions.

• The Bagad Yatra, a centuries-old festival, is being celebrated in Bavadhan village, Satara district, Maharashtra.

Key Details

• Date: Held annually on Phalgun Krishna Paksha Panchami (fifth day of the waning moon in Phalgun month).

Unique Rituals:

• Devotees participate by hanging from hooks on a high post, symbolizing faith and dedication.
• Participants fast for 5 days, consume only neem leaves on the festival day, and abstain from water.

Bagad (Chariot):

• Weighs 2-3 tons, made of acacia wood, and features stone wheels and intricate craftsmanship.
• The “Aladandi” (pole) is made of sandalwood.
• Drawn exclusively by Khillar bullocks.
• Cultural Significance: Celebrated for over 800 years, the festival represents agrarian traditions and spiritual devotion, attracting hundreds of pilgrims from across Maharashtra.

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the Revised Rashtriya Gokul Mission (RGM) with an enhanced financial outlay of ₹3,400 crore under the 15th Finance Commission cycle (2021-26), including an additional ₹1,000 crore.

Key Objectives:

• Enhance milk production, genetic improvement, and farmer incomes.
• Preserve and improve indigenous bovine breeds through scientific interventions.

New Initiatives:

• Heifer Rearing Centres: ₹35% one-time assistance for housing 15,000 heifers.
• Interest Subvention: 3% for loans on High Genetic Merit (HGM) IVF heifers.

Achievements:

• 55% increase in milk production over the last decade.
• Per capita milk availability rose to 471 grams/day in 2023-24.
• 39 crore animals covered under the Artificial Insemination Programme (AI).
• 2541 High Genetic Merit calves born through IVF.

Technological Innovations:

• Gau Chip & Mahish Chip: Genomic tools for bovine improvement.
• Gau Sort: Indigenously developed sex-sorted semen technology.
• Impact: Benefits 8.5 crore farmers engaged in dairy farming.