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 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 (UMANG) App 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.
