Current Affairs 21 October 2025

Ministry of Mines Releases State Mining Readiness Index Rankings.

• The Ministry of Mines unveiled the State Mining Readiness Index (SMRI) to assess and benchmark State performance in non-coal mineral mining reforms and facilitation.
• The index promotes transparency, efficiency, and sustainability, fostering competitive federalism in the mining sector.
• Category A (Mineral-rich States): Top three – Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat.

Uttarakhand Hosts AI Impact Summit Ahead of India–AI 2026.

• The Uttarakhand AI Impact Summit 2025 was held in Dehradun, organized by the Department of IT, Government of Uttarakhand, with the IndiaAI Mission under MeitY.
• The summit aimed to promote responsible and inclusive AI, emphasizing its role as a force for public good across multiple sectors.
• The event served as a prelude to the India–AI Impact Summit 2026, to be held on February 19–20, 2026.

UNEP Releases First Global "State of Finance for Forests" Report.

• The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) released the first State of Finance for Forests (SFF) report, presenting a global overview of public and private forest finance in 2023.
• The report finds severe underinvestment in forests, with total forest finance at US$84 billion, far below the US$300 billion annual requirement by 2030 and US$498 billion by 2050.

Op Fire Trail: DRI Seizes ₹5.01 Crore Worth of Chinese Firecrackers.

• The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) intercepted two forty-foot containers at Tuticorin Port, uncovering 83,520 pieces of Chinese firecrackers, mis-declared as engineering goods.
• The contraband firecrackers, valued at ₹5.01 crore.
• The illegal import of firecrackers violates Foreign Trade Policy and Explosive Rules, 2008.

Centre Launches ₹600 Cr Kapas Kranti Cotton Mission.

• The Government of India launched the ₹600 crore Kapas Kranti Mission to enhance long-staple cotton cultivation and productivity across major regions.
• Announced by Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy in Hyderabad, the mission aims to scale scientific cultivation and modernize cotton farming through innovation.
• Inspired by the Maharashtra (Akola) HDP success model.