Current affairs 07 March 2025

India Achieves Global Rank 3 in Start-Ups: Minister Jitendra Singh.

• India secured Global Rank 3 in start-ups over the past decade, driven by government initiatives.
• ₹20,000 crore allocated for R&D and Innovation in Union Budget 2025-26 to boost deep-tech sectors.
• Patent grants surged 17 times since 2014, and India improved its Global Innovation Index ranking from 81st to 39th.

India May Have 440 Million Overweight People by 2050.

• India could have over 440 million overweight and obese people by 2050, according to a Lancet study.
• The number of overweight and obese adults is estimated to be 218 million men and 231 million women, making it the second highest in the world, after China.
• The study was part of the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study 2021, involving researchers from the Indian Council of Medical Research.

Model Women-Friendly Gram Panchayats Initiative.

• The Ministry of Panchayati Raj will launch its transformative initiative to develop Model Women-Friendly Gram Panchayats (MWFGP) at a National Convention on 5th March 2025 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.
• The Primary Objective is to establish at least one Model Women-Friendly Gram Panchayat in each district.
• Nationwide Mahila Gram Sabhas to be Organized Pan India on International Women’s Day.

Tata Motors: first-ever trials of hydrogen-powered heavy-duty trucks.

• Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari and Pralhad Joshi flagged off the first-ever trials of hydrogen-powered heavy-duty trucks launched by Tata Motors in New Delhi.
• These trucks, equipped with new age Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engines (H2-ICE) and Fuel Cell (H2-FCEV) technologies, will be tested on India’s most prominent freight routes.

Uttarakhand Cabinet Approves Unified Pension and Excise Policy.

• Uttarakhand Cabinet approved the implementation of the Unified Pension Scheme for state employees, operational from April 1, 2025.
• New Excise Policy 2025 bans liquor sales near religious places and enforces stricter controls on alcohol pricing.
• CM Dhami announced that the government will provide financial assistance to 45 writers this year.