DAILY GK 30-31 MAY 2025

 DAILY GK 30-31 MAY 2025

1.       RBI’S TO TRANSFER OF RS 2.69 TRILLION TO GOI FOR FY25

·         The 615th  meeting of the Central Board of Directors of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) meeting under the chairmanship of RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra was held in Mumbai

·         The Central Board has approved the transfer of Rs 2,68,590.07 crore (Rs 2.69 trillion) as surplus to the Government of India (GoI) for the Financial Year 2024-25 (FY25). 

·         This is 27% higher than surplus transferred in FY24 (Rs 2.11 trillion).

·         The significant surplus is largely driven by strong earnings from foreign exchange operations, with gross dollar sales surging to USD 399 billion in FY25, more than double the USD153 billion recorded in FY24.

·         The Central Board has decided to increase the Contingency Risk Buffer (CRB) to 7.50%, the highest end of the new band, based on revised ECF.

·         This dividend is expected to reduce the Fiscal Deficit (FD) of the government by nearly 20 basis points (bps) from the budgeted level of 4.4% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

 


2.       EPFO INTEREST RATE ON EPF FOR FY25

·         The Ministry of Finance (MoF), approved an 8.25% interest rate on Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) deposits for the Financial Year 2024-25 (FY25).

·         The EPFO is a statutory body under the MoL&E, Government of India (GoI).
The Central Board of Trustees (CBT), established on March 4, 1952, serves as the apex decision-making body of the EPFO, overseeing its operations and policy decision

·         The EPF is a mandatory retirement savings scheme for employees in the organised sector.

·         Both employer and employee contribute 12% each of the basic salary + Dearness Allowance (DA).Interest rate is fixed annually by the CBT.

·         Contributions are eligible for tax deduction under Section 80C of the Income Tax Act, 1961.

·         Interest earned is tax-free up to Rs. 5 lakh per annum (as per current income tax provisions).

·         Partial withdrawals permitted for emergencies like medical needs or home loans.

·         Employees can check their EPF balance through Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance (UMANGApp or through official EPFO website.

 

3.       FDI INFLOW IN FY25

·         India recorded provisional Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows of USD 81.04 billion in the Financial Year 2024–25(FY25), marking a 14% rise compared to USD 71.28 billion received in FY24.

·         FDI has steadily grown from USD 36.05 billion in FY14, reflecting strong investor confidence.

·         The services sector emerged as the top recipient of FDI equity in FY25, attracting 19% of total inflows, followed by Computer software and hardware (16%) and Trading (8%).

·         Maharashtra accounted for the highest share (39%) of total FDI equity inflows in FY25, followed by Karnataka (13%) and Delhi (12%).

·         In source countries, Singapore led with 30% share, followed by Mauritius (17%) and the United States of America (USA) (11%).

 

4.       COMMONWEALTH DAY 2025 IN INDIA – MAY 24

·         Commonwealth Day 2025 is observed in India annually on May 24, commemorating the birthday of Queen Victoria, born on this day in 1819.

·         However, Commonwealth Day was globally observed on the second Monday of March (March 10, 2025 ) in accordance with the tradition followed by most of the 56 member countries of the Commonwealth of Nations (CoN).

·         The theme of Commonwealth Day 2025 is “Together We Thrive”.

·         Commonwealth of Nations:Secretary-General -Shirley AyorkorBotchwey(Ghana)

·         Headquarters – London, United Kingdom (UK)

·         Member Countries – 56

 

5.       UN WORLD FOOTBALL DAY 2025 – MAY 25

·         May 25, 2024, commemorates the 100th anniversary of the 1924 Olympic Football Tournament held in Paris (France), the first global football event with participation from all regions.

·         FIFA has launched Football Week 2025 from May 21 to May 25, 2025, a week of festivities to celebrate football’s unique ability to connect people across places, cultures and languages.

·         FIFAPresident – Gianni Infantino

·         Headquarters – Zurich, Switzerland

 

6.       WORLD HUNGER DAY 2025 – MAY 28

·         World Hunger Day is annually observed across the globe on May 28 to raise awareness about the millions of people lacking access to proper food.

·         The theme for World Hunger Day 2025 is “Sowing Resilience”, highlights the need to strengthen communities against climate-driven disruptions and systemic inequalities.

 

7.       INTERNATIONAL DAY OF UN PEACEKEEPERS  – MAY 29

·         The International Day of United Nations (UN) Peacekeepers is observed globally every year on May 29 to honor the professionalism, dedication, and courage of personnel serving in UN peacekeeping operations and to commemorate those who lost their lives in the cause of peace.

·         The theme for 2025, “The Future of the Peacekeeping,” emphasizes the need for adaptive strategies to address contemporary challenges in peacekeeping missions.

·         India is the 4th largest contributor of uniformed personnel to UN Peacekeeping, with over 5,300 military and police personnel deployed in missions such as those in Abyei and the Central African Republic.

 

8.       INTERNATIONAL EVEREST DAY 2025 – MAY 29

·         International Everest Day is annually observed across the globe on 29th  May to commemorate the first-ever successful summit of Mount (Mt) Everest in 1953 by mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa of Nepal.

·         Nepal officially declared 29th May as International Everest Day in 2008, following Sir Edmund Hillary’s death.

·         Mount Everest, located in the Himalayas on the Nepal-Tibet border, is the highest mountain on Earth, with an updated official height of 8,848.86 meters (29,031.7 feet) as per a 2020 Nepal-China joint survey.

·         Everest, known as “Sagarmatha” in Nepali, meaning “Goddess of the Sky” and “Chomolungma” in Tibetan, meaning “Mother Goddess of the World”.

·         It was named in 1865 by the Royal Geographical Society (RGS) of Britain after Sir George Everest, the former Surveyor General of India.

 

9.       BOOK ‘TESTED: THE REMARKABLE POWER OF RESOLVE’ 

·         Australian Cricket Captain Patrick James Cummins launched his book ‘Tested: The Remarkable Power of Resolve’, which explores leadership and decision-making through discussions with 11 experts from different fields.

 

10.    BOOK ‘TEST CRICKET: A HISTORY’ 

·         Test cricket is set to celebrate its 150th anniversary in March 2026, an occasion marked by the release of ‘Test Cricket: A History’ by Tim Wigmore

·         The book offers a detailed narrative tracing the evolution of Test cricket since 1877

 

11.    FORMER UNION MINISTER SUKHDEV SINGH DHINDSA PASSED AWAY 

·         Veteran Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader and former Union Minister, Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, passed away at the age of 89 in Mohali, Punjab.

·         He was born on April 9, 1936, in Ubhawal village, near Sangrur, Punjab.

·         He was conferred with the Padma Bhushan, India’s third-highest civilian award, in 2019 for his contributions in the field of Public Affairs; however, he returned the honour in 2020 in solidarity with the KisanAndolan (farmers’ protest).

·         He was elected to the Rajya Sabha in 1999 and served as Union Cabinet Minister for Sports, Chemicals and Fertilisers in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government from 2000 to 2004.