Untitled Quiz

Indonesia President - Prabo

• Prabo hosted a 75th anniversary celebration and a 76th republic day parade.
• A 190-member ensemble band from Indonesia participated.
• A 152-personnel contingent from the Indonesian armed forces was present.
• A 3rd CEO forum occurred in New Delhi.
• A memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed regarding health cooperation.
• Maritime safety and security cooperation was a focus.
• A cultural exchange program occurred in 2025-2028.
• A defence cooperation agreement was made.
• Agreements for cadet exchange with a naval academy were made.
• An Indonesian officer is stationed in the IOR information fusion center in Gurugram.

UPS Effectiveness

• UPS is expected to be effective as of April 1, 2025.
• The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) will monitor UPS.
• Voluntary participation for existing employees is permitted.
• The switch in participation cannot be reversed.
• The Central government will contribute 18.5%, while employees will contribute 10%.
• 1st state (Maharashtra)
• Assured pension is not available to those who were dismissed, removed, or resigned from service.
• Those who completed 25 years of service will receive 50% of their final drawn pay over the past 12 months

55th Meeting of WEF in Switzerland

• The theme was collaboration for the intelligent age.
• There were 5 subthemes.
• An Indian delegation led by Ashwini Vaishnaw participated.
• 8 Indian states were represented.
• India participated in AI and FDI challenges organized by Invest India.
• 13 industrial clusters participated.
• Specific states and industrial parks/clusters were mentioned (e.g. Gopalpur, Kakinada, Kerala green hydrogen).

India's Ranking in Edelman Trust Barometer 2025

• India ranked 3rd in the Edelman Trust Barometer 2025.
• China was at the top.
• Indonesia ranked 2nd.
• In high-income groups India ranked 4th.

Other International Events

• WMO framework for business engagement in EWS was unveiled, co-authored by WEF and an Australian institution.
• Anant Singh was appointed to the Global Art and Cultural Council (GACC).
• WHO declared Georgia as the 45th malaria-free country.
• Various banking measures were announced by the RBI, including the purchase of G-Secs and swap auctions.
• GPSLAI was launched to bolster MSME financing.

Other Significant Events

• HSBC launched a travel credit card.
• Yes Bank launched a frictionless finance accelerator program in partnership with RBI and SPJIMR.
• RBI penalized J&K, Canara, and BOI banks.
• BIMTECH launched a blockchain-based digital currency, BIMCOIN.
• 3 Indian women made it to Forbes' 50 over 50 global list (names mentioned).
• Prithvi won the Australian deaf tennis championship.
• An Indian GM, Panneerselvam, won the 9th Johaar International Chess title.
• SAMMAN Sanjeevani app launched in Haryana.

Additional information

• KRBL appointed Amitabh Bachchan as an ambassador for an Indian rice brand.
• Alexander (presumably a political figure) was in his 7th consecutive term as PM of Belarus.
• ISRO completed its 100th mission.
• MEERKAT Telescope made a major discovery (related to galaxy, but with a specific name) .
• NASA discovered a black hole.
• ICC Awards 2024 had winners in the cricket categories.
• SEBI introduced a digital repository for India's securities market, named Dharohar.
• AlonOS signed a MOU with INDOSAT to support Indonesia's AI growth.
• Nakul Jain resigned from PPSL.
• Paytm introduced a QR widget.
• PNB unveiled a cybercrime reporting portal (real-time).
• RBL and Piramal Finance formed a co-lending partnership.
• MoBikwik became the 1st fintech company to introduce Central Bank Digital Currency in India, in partnership with RBI and YES Bank.
• Tripura was the 1st state to sign a MoU with BHASHINI for multilingual governance.
• A meeting of the WEF involved sessions for the intelligent age (with subthemes), with participation from numerous Indian states.
• DGFT enhanced a certification system for exporters (eCoO 2.0).

Additional information

• A specific Republic Day theme/event highlighted India's cultural legacy (Swarnim Bharat - Virsat Aur Vikas).
• A major event with President of Indonesia as chief guest was reported.
• Several awards including President's awards were given in various categories.

Additional Financial Information

• Significant investments were secured, including funding from Belgium and other sources.
• Information about specific investments made to the sector by corporations or countries were highlighted.
• Focus on women's health, with a reported major contribution expected in GDP.