Daily Current Affairs- 4th February 2025

Daily Current Affairs 4^th February 2025

INTERNATIONAL

India-Maldives Joint Military Exercise Ekuverin

• The 13th edition of the joint military exercise ‘Ekuverin’ between the Indian Army and the Maldives National Defence Force has commenced in the archipelago nation. The military exercise commenced yesterday is a bilateral annual exercise conducted alternatively in India and Maldives. In 2023, it was conducted at Chaubatia in Uttarakhand from June 11 to 24. Ekuverin means ‘Friends’ in the Dhivehi language. 

Mount Taranaki has been recognized as a legal person in New Zealand

• Mount Taranaki also known as Taranaki Maunga has received all the rights and responsibilities of a human being, Mount Taranaki is considered sacred and an ancestor of the local Māori people.
• After years of negotiations, a settlement has been achieved to grant Mount Taranaki as a legal person, The agreement aims to compensate Māori from the Taranaki region for injustices done to them during colonization. 

NATIONAL

MeitY and IIT Indore Launch AgriHub for Agritech Excellence

• The Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) and IIT Indore have launched AgriHub, a state-of-the-art AI-driven Center of Excellence (CoE) aimed at transforming Indian agriculture. AgriHub seeks to address critical challenges in agriculture, such as drought, floods, and low productivity, through the integration of AI, Machine Learning (ML), and Deep Learning (DL). 

Barmer District Introduces ‘MY NREGA App’ for Employment Efficiency

• The 'MY NREGA App' launched in Barmer District, Rajasthan aims to simplify the MNREGA job application process. Spearheaded by IAS Tina Dabi and IAS Siddharth Palanichamy, the app allows workers to apply digitally, eliminating the need to visit Gram Panchayats. 

Defence Budget 2025: Key Highlights

• The Union Budget 2025-26 has allocated Rs 6,81,210.27 crore for the Ministry of Defence (MoD), reflecting a 9.53% increase over the previous year’s budget. This accounts for 13.45% of the Union Budget, making it the highest allocation among all ministries. The budget aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Viksit Bharat @ 2047’ and focuses on a technologically advanced and ‘Aatmanirbhar’ Armed Forces. 

DRDO-IIT Hyderabad Unveils Large Area Additive Manufacturing System

• India’s defense and aerospace manufacturing sectors have received a significant boost with the development of a Large Area Additive Manufacturing (LAAM) system at the DRDO-Industry-Academia Centre of Excellence (DIA-CoE) at IIT Hyderabad. 

SPORTS

Sift Kaur Samra, Jonathan Anthony bag gold medals at the 38th National Games

• At the 38th National Games, Punjab's Sift Kaur Samra and Karnataka's Jonathan Anthony secured gold in their respective shooting events. Samra dominated the women's 50m 3 positions event, while Anthony excelled in the men's 10m pistol event. 

OBITUARY

Former CEC Navin Chawla Passes Away

• Navin Chawla, the former Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of India, passed away, at the age of 79. His leadership during the 2009 Lok Sabha elections and significant contributions to electoral reforms have left a lasting impact on India’s election process. Chawla was a seasoned civil servant and served in key roles, including as an Election Commissioner and later as the Chief Election Commissioner. 

IMPORTANT DAYS

World Cancer Day

• World Cancer Day is an international day marked on 4 February to raise awareness of cancer and to encourage its prevention, detection, and treatment. World Cancer Day is led by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) to support the goals of the World Cancer Declaration, written in 2008.