Highlights
- Finance: PM Mudra Yojana completed 10 years on 8 April 2025. Over 52 crore loans worth Rs 32.61 lakh crore have been sanctioned. 68 per cent of beneficiaries are women.
- Women: MoSPI's Women and Men in India 2024 Report showed female labour force participation rate rising from 49.8 per cent in 2017-18 to 60.1 per cent in 2023-24.
- Environment: The Supreme Court stayed the auction of 400 acres of Kancha Gachibowli forest in Hyderabad for IT development. The forest hosts 730+ plant species and 220 bird species.
- Space: ESA's Biomass satellite mission is scheduled for launch by end of April 2025 to map global forest carbon stocks.
1. PM Mudra Yojana at 10 years
GS area: Economy, Governance
Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana was launched on 8 April 2015. Its 10th anniversary in 2025 prompted a comprehensive stock-taking.
- Ministry: Ministry of Finance, implemented through MUDRA Ltd under SIDBI.
- Purpose: Collateral-free credit up to Rs 10 lakh for non-corporate, non-farm micro and small enterprises.
- Achievement: Over 52 crore loans sanctioned worth Rs 32.61 lakh crore.
- Women: 68 per cent of loans disbursed to women.
- Loan categories:
- Shishu: Up to Rs 50,000
- Kishor: Rs 50,001 to Rs 5 lakh
- Tarun: Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh
- Tarun Plus: Rs 10 lakh to Rs 20 lakh (added later)
MUDRA stands for Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency. It is not a bank but a refinancing institution that provides funds to banks and NBFCs for on-lending to micro enterprises.
Static linkage: Financial inclusion, MSME sector (GS-3 Economy).
2. Women and Men in India 2024: key statistics
GS area: Social Issues, Economy
The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation released the "Women and Men in India 2024" report. The data points are direct prelims material.
- Female Labour Force Participation Rate: Improved from 49.8 per cent in 2017-18 to 60.1 per cent in 2023-24.
- Banking access: Women hold 39.2 per cent of total bank accounts and 39.7 per cent of total deposits.
- DEMAT accounts: Female DEMAT account holders increased from 6.67 million to 27.71 million between 2021 and 2024.
- Women-led startups: Rose from 1,943 in 2017 to 17,405 in 2024.
- Total Fertility Rate: Declined to 2.0 nationally in 2023.
Static linkage: Women's empowerment, social indicators (GS-2 Social Issues).
3. Kancha Gachibowli forest: the development versus environment debate
GS area: Environment and Ecology, Governance
The Supreme Court issued a stay on the auction of 400 acres of Kancha Gachibowli urban forest in Hyderabad for IT park development. The case is a classic development-versus-environment conflict.
- Biodiversity: The forest hosts over 730 plant species and 220 bird species.
- Urban value: It functions as Hyderabad's lungs, regulating temperature and air quality in a rapidly expanding city.
- Legal angle: The Supreme Court's intervention reflects its use of Article 21 (right to life) as encompassing the right to a healthy environment. The National Green Tribunal also has jurisdiction over such matters.
Static linkage: Environmental law, biodiversity, urban ecology (GS-3 Environment).
4. ESA Biomass satellite mission
GS area: Science and Technology, Environment
The European Space Agency's Biomass satellite was scheduled for launch by end of April 2025 on a Vega-C rocket from French Guiana.
- Technology: P-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) with a 70 cm wavelength. P-band is the only radar wavelength that can penetrate forest canopies to measure trunk and branch biomass.
- Antenna: 12-metre deployable radar antenna.
- Orbit: 666 km altitude, sun-synchronous orbit.
- Purpose: Measure the carbon stored in the world's forests, directly feeding into global climate models and carbon trading frameworks.
Static linkage: Climate change, satellite technology (GS-3 Science and Technology, Environment).
5. Bear market and US tariff impact on global markets
GS area: Economy
The S&P 500 briefly entered bear market territory in early April 2025 as US reciprocal tariffs triggered a global sell-off.
- Definition: A bear market is defined as a decline of 20 per cent or more from a recent peak in a stock index.
- Context: The S&P 500 dropped sharply on the announcement of tariffs on 2 April. The fall echoed across Asian markets including the Sensex and Nifty.
- Implications: Reduced household wealth in the US, slower business investment, and job market uncertainty in export-dependent countries.
Static linkage: Financial markets, international trade (GS-3 Economy).
6. ZooWIN portal and ZooWINter preparedness
GS area: Governance, Health
The National Centre for Disease Control launched the ZooWIN portal for real-time tracking of Anti-Rabies Vaccine and Anti-Snake Venom stocks across India.
- Developer: National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
- Function: Real-time stock tracking to prevent shortages of life-saving antidotes.
- Pilot states: Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Puducherry, and Andhra Pradesh.
- Helpline: 15400.
Static linkage: Health governance, zoonotic disease management (GS-2 Governance).
7. Briefly noted
- Digital Threat Report 2024: Jointly developed by CERT-In, CSIRT-Fin, and SISA for the Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance sector. Focuses on cyber threat mapping and resilience.
- Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) 150th Assembly: Founded in 1889 in Paris. Headquarters in Geneva. Has 180 national parliaments as members and 15 associates. Motto: "For democracy. For everyone." India is a founding member.
- Mount Kanlaon, Philippines: An active andesitic stratovolcano on Negros Island, 2,465 metres high. Part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, which accounts for 75 per cent of the world's active volcanoes.
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