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42nd Edition of Naval Exercise Varuna Strengthens Indo-French Ties

The French Navy’s nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, Charles De Gaulle, arrived in Goa on January 4, 2025, to participate in the 42nd annual bilateral naval exercise Varuna with the Indian Navy.

The French Carrier Strike Group, including Rafale Marine fighter aircraft, received a ceremonial welcome at Goa’s Mormugao port.

The exercise aims to enhance interoperability, foster mutual understanding, and strengthen Indo-French naval ties.

France and India regularly collaborate to ensure maritime safety in the Indian Ocean.

Since 2008, France has been a member of the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS), a forum initiated by India to address issues like illegal trafficking, fishing violations, sea rescue, and pollution.

Indo-French Strategic Partnership

India and France have been strategic partners since 1998, with robust military cooperation reflected in bilateral exercises: Shakti (land), Varuna (sea), and Garuda (air).

Since 2022, French Navy vessels have made 16 port calls to India, showcasing operational collaboration.

Varun Tomar becomes national shooting champion by winning the Men’s 10-meter Air Pistol finals

In the 67th National Shooting Championship 2024, Varun Tomar of the Indian Army emerged as the national shooting champion by winning the Men’s 10-meter Air Pistol finals at Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range in New Delhi on January 5, 2025.

His teammate, Pradhyumn Singh, won the Silver medal, while Aakash Bhardwaj from Rajasthan secured the Bronze medal.

Varun Tomar also triumphed in the Men’s Junior 10-meter Air Pistol event, winning the Gold medal, with Nikhil from Uttar Pradesh winning Silver and Pradhyumn Singh taking Bronze.

In the Men’s Youth 10-meter Air Pistol event, Chirag Sharma from Uttar Pradesh won the Gold medal, Dev Pratap, also from Uttar Pradesh, won Silver, and Mayank Choudhary of Rajasthan secured the Bronze medal.

Namo Bharat Train Connects Sahibabad to New Ashok Nagar

Namo Bharat Train from Sahibabad RRTS Station to New Ashok Nagar RRTS Station inaugurated on January 5, 2025, by PM Narendra Modi. It is part of the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS. The route is 13 km long, from Sahibabad to New Ashok Nagar.

Key Features

Speed: 160 km/hr
Travel Time: 40 minutes (New Ashok Nagar to Meerut South)
Frequency: Every 15 minutes
Fare: ₹150 (Standard), ₹225 (Premium)
Stations: 11 operational, 2 upcoming (Sarai Kale Khan, Jangpura)

Connectivity: Connects with the Blue and Pink Metro lines, Anand Vihar railway station, and inter-state bus terminals

Govt releases draft of Digital Personal Data Protection Rules 2025

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) released the draft Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Rules, 2025, on January 3, 2025, to implement the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023. These rules aim to strengthen the legal framework for protecting digital personal data and provide a detailed implementation framework.

Key Provisions

  1. Notice Requirement: Data fiduciaries must provide clear notices to individuals about the data they collect, the purpose of collection, and obtain specific and informed consent.
  2. Consent Managers: The rules introduce the concept of consent managers who will work with data fiduciaries to collect and manage user consent.
  3. Data Protection for Minors: Verifiable parental consent is required for processing the personal data of children.
  4. Data Breach Notification: Data fiduciaries must inform the Data Protection Board of India (DPBI) within 72 hours of a data breach.
  5. Data Deletion: Users who stop using e-commerce, social media, or online gaming services for an extended period must be given 48 hours’ notice before their data is deleted.
  6. Data Localisation: Significant data fiduciaries must ensure that certain personal data is processed within India.
  7. Data Protection Impact Assessment: Significant data fiduciaries must conduct regular assessments and audits to ensure compliance with the DPDP Act.

Public Consultation

The draft rules are open for public feedback until February 18, 2025. Stakeholders are encouraged to submit their comments and suggestions to help refine the final version of the rules.

Denmark, Greece, Pakistan, Panama, and Somalia Begin Their UNSC Term

New Non-Permanent Members of UNSC: Denmark, Greece, Pakistan, Panama, and Somalia began their two-year term as non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on 1 January 2025.

Replacements: They replaced Ecuador, Japan, Malta, Mozambique, and Switzerland.

Ceremony: A flag installation ceremony was held at the UN headquarters in New York, where the new members’ permanent representatives delivered speeches and installed their national flags outside the Security Council Chamber.

UNSC Composition: The UNSC has 15 members – 5 permanent members (United States, United Kingdom, Russia, China, France – collectively known as the P5, with veto power) and 10 non-permanent members serving two-year terms.

Kho Kho World Cup in India from January 13 to 19, 2025

Inaugural Kho Kho World Cup: Scheduled in India from January 13 to 19, 2025.

Participation: Features 21 men’s teams and 20 women’s teams from 24 countries.

Trophies: Men’s trophy is blue (trust and determination), women’s trophy is green (growth and vitality).

Mascots: Tejas and Tara, gazelles representing speed, agility, and teamwork.

Significance: Aims to establish Kho Kho as a global sport.

UPI transactions surge to record 16.73 bn in Dec 2024

National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has said that Unified Payments Interface (UPI) has:

  1. Record Transactions: Unified Payments Interface (UPI) processed nearly 16.73 billion financial transactions in December 2024.
  2. Transaction Value: The total value of these transactions was approximately 23.25 lakh crore rupees.
  3. Year-on-Year Growth: There was a 39 percent Year-on-Year growth in the transaction count.
  4. Growth in Transaction Value: The transaction value saw a 28 percent Year-on-Year growth.
  5. Daily Transactions: The average daily transaction amount reached 74,990 crore rupees in December last year.

India-Myanmar Border Fencing: 9 Km Completed, Work in Progress

Border Fencing with Myanmar:

  • Over 9 km of fencing has been completed at Moreh in Manipur as of January 2025.
  • The Border Road Organisation (BRO) is working on constructing 21 km of fence and road, a project awarded in February 2024.

India-Myanmar Border Details:

  • Total border length: 1,643 km.
  • States along the border: Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram.
  • Border demarcation completed for 1,472 km out of 1,643 km.

Hybrid Surveillance Projects:

  • Two pilot projects of Hybrid surveillance systems are under construction in Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur.

Union Home Ministry Report: The fencing and surveillance initiatives were highlighted in a report published by the ministry recently.

National Sports Awards 2025

The National Sports Awards have been announced on January 2, 2025.

Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award Recipients:

  • D Gukesh: World Chess Champion
  • Manu Bhaker: Double Medalist in Paris Olympics
  • Harmanpreet Singh: Indian Hockey Team Captain
  • Praveen Kumar: Gold Medalist in Paris Paralympics

Arjuna Award:

Total recipients: 32 sportspersons, including:

  • Athletes: Jyothi Yarraji, Annu Rani
  • Boxers: Nitu, Saweety
  • Chess Player: Vantika Agrawal
  • Hockey Players: Salima Tete, Abhishek, Sanjay, Jarmanpreet Singh, Sukhjeet Singh
  • Para-Sportspersons: Rakesh Kumar (Para-Archer), Preeti Pal, Jeevanji Deepthi, Ajeet Singh, Sachin Khilari

Lifetime Achievement Arjuna Awards:

  • Veteran Athlete Sucha Singh
  • Veteran Para Swimmer Murlikant Petkar

Dronacharya Award for Coaches:

  • Subhash Rana (Para-Shooting)
  • Deepali Deshpande (Shooting)
  • Sandeep Sangwan (Hockey)
  • S Muralidharan (Badminton)
  • Armando Agnelo Colaco (Football)

Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar: Awarded to the Physical Education Foundation of India

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy: Awarded to Chandigarh University, Lovely Professional University, and Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar

Award Ceremony: Awards to be presented by President Droupadi Murmu on 17th January 2025 at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

IMD Declares 2024 as Warmest Year in India Since 1901

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported that 2024 was the warmest year on record in India since 1901.

IMD Director General, Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, stated that minimum and maximum temperatures are expected to be higher than normal across most parts of the country in January, except in some areas of the eastern, northwest, and west-central regions.

However, western and northern parts of Central India may experience more cold wave days than usual. Rainfall in north India from January to March is projected to be below normal.

Magnus Carlsen and Ian Nepomniachtchi share World Blitz Chess Championship Title 2024

In the World Blitz Chess Championship 2024, Magnus Carlsen and Ian Nepomniachtchi shared the title after their final match ended in a tie in New York on 31 December 2024.

World Blitz Chess Championship 2024 – Open Section:

  • Carlsen led 2-0 and needed just a draw in the third game to secure the title.
  • Nepomniachtchi leveled the score 2-2, forcing tiebreaks.
  • After three draws in sudden-death games, Carlsen proposed sharing the title, which Nepomniachtchi accepted.

Women’s Section: Ju Wenjun from China defeated Lei Tingjie in the final to win the World Blitz Championship, completing a double after drawing five games.

India’s Performance: R. Vaishali, India’s lone hope in the knockouts, overcame an initial loss in the quarterfinals against China’s Zhu Jiner, winning 2.5-1.5 after four games. In the semifinals, Vaishali lost to Ju Wenjun in a one-sided match, 0.5-2.5.

West Bengal lifts Santosh Trophy by defeating Kerala

West Bengal clinched the prestigious Santosh Trophy national football championship title by defeating Kerala 1-0 in the final held on December 31, 2024, at the GMC Balayogi Athletic Stadium in Hyderabad.

This victory marks West Bengal’s record-extending 33rd title in the tournament’s history.

The match-winner came in the added time of the second half when Robi Hansda scored from close range after Aditya Thapa‘s header into the box.

The team, led by coach Sanjoy Sen, showcased incredible performance throughout the tournament, overcoming the absence of key striker Naro Hari Shrestha due to injury.

Romania and Bulgaria fully join Schengen border-free zone

Full Membership: Romania and Bulgaria officially became full members of the Schengen zone on January 1, 2025.

13-Year Wait: This marks the end of a 13-year wait for the two countries to join the borderless area.

Expanded Zone: The Schengen zone now includes 29 members, expanding the borderless area significantly.

Economic Impact: Analysts estimate that joining the Schengen zone will boost Romania’s and Bulgaria’s GDP by at least one percentage point.

Historic Moment: Leaders on both sides hailed the expansion as a historic achievement.

Austria’s Objections: Austria had previously blocked their full entry over migration concerns but dropped its objections after a border protection agreement was reached.

Improved Travel: The removal of land border checks will ease travel and strengthen economic ties between Romania, Bulgaria, and other Schengen countries.

NPCI Lifts UPI User Limit for WhatsApp Pay

WhatsApp Pay UPI User Limit Removed: On 31 December 2024, The NPCI has lifted the unified payments interface (UPI) user onboarding cap for WhatsApp Pay, allowing it to extend services to its entire Indian user base of over 500 million.

Previous Restrictions: WhatsApp Pay was previously limited to onboarding 100 million users, with expansion permitted in phases.

Compliance: WhatsApp Pay must adhere to existing UPI guidelines applicable to third-party app providers (TPAPs).

UPI Transaction Cap Deferred: The rule capping any single app’s UPI transaction share at 30% has been deferred until December 31, 2026.

UPI Growth: UPI processes over 13 billion monthly transactions, with Google Pay and PhonePe controlling over 85% of the market. Between January and November 2024, UPI recorded 15,547 crore transactions worth ₹223 lakh crore.

UPI’s Impact: Since its 2016 launch, UPI has transformed financial access in India, benefiting 300 million individuals and 50 million merchants.

NPCI Vision: NPCI continues to drive innovations in retail payment systems, aiming for a secure, accessible, and cost-effective digital economy aligned with India’s vision of becoming a fully digital society.

World Audio Visual Entertainment Summit (WAVES) 2025 from February 5th to 9th, 2025

India will host the World Audio Visual Entertainment Summit (WAVES) 2025 from February 5th to 9th at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, marking its first-ever hosting of this global event. The summit aims to position India as a global hub for content creation and foster collaborations in the media and entertainment industry.

Key focus areas include AVGC (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, and Comics), technological advancements, sustainable production, and global market strategies, attracting industry leaders and innovators worldwide.

India’s first glass bridge over sea in Kanyakumari

India’s first glass bridge over the sea was inaugurated in Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, on 30 December 2024 by Chief Minister MK Stalin.

The 77-meter-long bridge, built at a cost of ₹37 crores, connects the 133 ft tall Saint Tiruvalluvar statue (renamed as the “Statue of Wisdom”) with the Vivekananda Rock Memorial.

Part of the silver jubilee celebrations of the Tiruvalluvar statue, the bridge offers tourists a breezy walk with a clear view of the sea below.

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