📝 ‘Waqf-by-user’ Property[1][2]
🚀 A property regarded as waqf due to its long-standing and public use for religious or charitable purposes, even without a formal written deed.
💡The Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025 de-recognises the “established” Waqf-by-user category of property, allows non-Muslims to participate in Waqf administrative bodies, and grants the state the power to determine whether a property is Waqf or government-owned.
The Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025 is addressed HERE.
📝 India’s Top Trading Partners in FY25[3]
🚀 USA > China > UAE
👉🏽 India-U.S. bilateral trade (merchandise) was $131.84 billion in FY25 ⇒ India’s trade surplus with the U.S. has widened by 16.6% (compared to FY24) to $41.18 billion in FY25.
👉🏽 India-China bilateral trade (merchandise) was $127.7 billion in FY25 ⇒ India’s trade deficit with China has widened by about 17% (compared to FY24) to $99.2 billion in FY25 ⇒ Driven by a surge in imports of electronics goods and consumer durables.
👉🏽 India-UAE bilateral trade (merchandise) was $100.5 billion in FY25.
💡China was India’s top trading partner from 2013-14 till 2017-18 and also in 2020-21. The U.S. has been the largest partner since 2021-22. 🔁
💡India’s main exports to the U.S. (2024): Drug formulations and biologicals > Telecom instruments > Precious and semi-precious stones > Petroleum products > Gold and other precious metal jewellery. [By value] 🚢
💡India’s main imports from the U.S. (2024): Crude oil > Petroleum products > Coal & Coke > Cut and polished diamonds > Electric machinery. [By value] 🚢
💡India aims to increase bilateral trade in goods and services with the U.S. to $500 billion by 2030 from $191 billion at present. 🔁💰
📝 Centres of Excellence (CoEs) under National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM)[4][5]
🚀 Ministry of Mines (MoM) has issued guidelines for setting up Centres of Excellence (CoEs) under NCMM ⇒ To do research for strengthening India’s S&T capability in critical minerals.
👉🏽 Reputed academic/R&D institutions will be evaluated and recognised as CoEs.
💡NCMM: Announced by FM in the Union Budget 2024-25 ⇒ Launched in 2025 to establish a robust framework for self-reliance in the critical mineral sector ⇒ Geological Survey of India (GSI) has been tasked with conducting 1,200 exploration projects from 2024-25 to 2030-31.
💡A MoM’s committee (formed in 2022) identified 30 critical minerals, with 24 included in Part D of Schedule I of MMDR Act, 1957 ⇒ Inclusion of 24 minerals in Part D of Schedule I of the MMDR Act, 1957 grants the Central Government exclusive authority to auction mining leases and licenses for these minerals.
💡Usage of Critical Minerals:
🌞 Solar Energy: Critical minerals such as silicon, tellurium, indium, and gallium are vital for producing photovoltaic (PV) cells.
🍃 Wind energy: Rare earth elements like dysprosium and neodymium are used in permanent magnets for wind turbines.
👉🏽 India aims to increase its wind energy capacity to 140 GW by 2030.
🚗 Electric vehicles: Lithium, nickel, and cobalt are key materials in lithium-ion batteries. 🔌
🔋 Energy storage: Lithium-ion batteries in advanced energy storage systems depend on lithium, cobalt, and nickel. ⚡
📝 Trade and Development Foresights 2025[6][7]
🚀 Released by UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) ⇒ Highlights that India is expected to remain the fastest-growing major economy with a 6.5% growth rate in 2025.
💡UNCTAD: A permanent intergovernmental body established by the UNGA in 1964 ⇒ Part of the UN Secretariat ⇒ Reports to the UNGA and the Economic and Social Council.
👉🏽 Members: 195
👉🏽 HQ: Geneva (Offices in New York and Addis Ababa).
👉🏽 Governing body: Trade and Development Board
📝 India’s Defence Sector[8][9][10]
🚀 Defence production: ₹1.27 lakh crore in FY24 (174% rise since FY15) ⇒ Target: ₹3 lakh crore by 2029.
🚀 Defence exports: Over ₹23000 crore in FY25 (Growth of 12.04% over FY24) ⇒ Target: ₹50,000 crore by 2029.
📝 150th anniversary of Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE)[11]
🚀 Founded by Premchand Roychand in 1875 ⇒ Oldest exchange in Asia.
👉🏽 150th anniversary in 2025 ⇒ BSE 150 Index has been launched by the Finance Minister on this occasion.
💡BSE is India’s 1st stock exchange to launch commodity derivatives contracts in gold and silver in 2018.
💡India INX: India’s 1st international exchange ⇒ Established by BSE in 2016.
💡SENSEX: BSE’s stock market index ⇒ Based on 30 companies.
📝 Miscellaneous[12][13][14][15]
🚀 India’s smartphone exports: Reached a record level of two lakh crore rupees in FY25 ⇒ A production-linked incentive scheme for smartphones was launched in 2020.
🚀 India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) conclave 2025: Held in New Delhi.
🤔 Which countries does this corridor pass through?
🚀 AIIMS, New Delhi: Ranked as the 97th best hospital globally in the World’s Best Hospitals 2024 ranking by Newsweek and Statista.
🚀 Leptobrachium aryatium: A new species of frog recorded in the Garbhanga Reserve Forest in Guwahati.