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April – 05

TNPSC BITS
❖ The Keeranatham village panchayat in Coimbatore has encouraged the public to
bring plastics and collect a cash reward of ₹10 per kg.
❖ The IIT -Madras has established the Rekhi Centre of Excellence for science of
happiness to work towards integrating the happiness studies into the academic
curriculum.
❖ Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has secured the operation and maintenance
contract for Chennai Metro Rail Limited’s (CMRL) Phase II network.
❖ Waaree Energies Ltd has announced the launch of India's largest solar cell facility
with a capacity of 5.4 gigawatt (GW) at Chikhli in Gujarat.
❖ The Gujarat CM inaugurated India's largest Chlorotoluene plant, established by
Gujarat Alkalies and Chemicals Limited (GACL) at Dahej, Gujarat.
❖ The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, in collaboration with the
various institutions, successfully hosted India’s first Nano Electronics Roadshow
in IISc Bengaluru.
❖ The Indian Naval Sailing Vessel (INSV) Tarini, crewed by women officers Lt Cdr
Dilna K. and Lt Cdr Roopa A., has arrived at Cape Town, South Africa and is
marking the fourth and final stopover in their global circumnavigation expedition
- Navika Sagar Parikrama II.
❖ Shirley Botchwey from Ghana assumed office as the 7th Secretary General of the
Commonwealth of Nations and became the first African woman to hold the
position.

TAMIL NADU NEWS

Resolution on Katchatheevu 2025
❖ Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution, urging the
Union government to take steps to retrieve the Katchatheevu island.
❖ The resolution has urged the Union government to immediately review the Indo-
Sri Lankan agreement 1974 and take steps to retrieve Katchatheevu island.
❖ On August 21, 1974, the TN Legislative Assembly has adopted a resolution
expressing regret over the Centre’s decision regarding Katchatheevu and urged
the government to reconsider the agreement with Sri Lanka
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❖ During the tenure of the former CM Jayalalithaa, resolutions were passed in the
Assembly on October 3, 1991, and May 3, 2013, urging the Union government to
reclaim Katchatheevu.
❖ When O. Panneerselvam was CM, a resolution was passed on December 5, 2014.
❖ Katchatheevu is a 285-acre uninhabited island in the Palk Strait between India
and Sri Lanka.
❖ It is under the control of Ramnad zamindari under Nayak dynasty of Madurai in
the 17th century.
❖ Under the Indo-Sri Lankan Maritime Agreement 1974, the island was transferred
to Sri Lanka.

NATIONAL NEWS
India China 75th Anniversary of Diplomatic Ties 2025
❖ India and China is celebrating the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the
bilateral diplomatic relations.
❖ The Chinese President has said that the bilateral relations should take the form
of a 'dragon-elephant tango' - a dance between their emblematic animals.
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❖ Both countries have established diplomatic relations in 1950, and the Panchsheel
Agreement was signed in 1954.

Heritage Repatriation Fund

❖ A parliamentary panel has suggested the public-private partnerships to support

efforts for repatriation of antiquities, which were stolen and smuggled out of the
country.
❖ It asked the government to establish a ‘Heritage Repatriation Fund’ that accepts
contributions from private individuals.
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❖ This fund will be used to support legal challenges, negotiate purchases and also
to fund transportation and conservation of returned artefacts.

Energy Statistics India 2025

❖ India’s renewable energy generation potential has reached 2,109,655 megawatts
(MW) as of 31 March 2024.
❖ The highest potential for generation comes from wind which is at 1,163,856 MW
(55.17%).
❖ It is followed by solar energy with 748,990 MW (35.50%), and large hydro with
133,410 MW (6.32%).
❖ India's gross generation of electricity from renewable resources has surged from
205,608 gigawatt-hours (GWh) in fiscal year (FY) 2014-2015 to 370,320 GWh in
FY 2023-2024.
❖ This represents a 6.76% compound annual growth rate over 10 years.
❖ During FY 2023-2024, coal imports rose by 11.2% and reached 262.99 million
tonnes.
❖ The Natural gas imports surged by almost 21%, amounting to 31.8 billion cubic
metres.

FPV kamikaze Anti-Tank Drone

❖ In a first-of-its-kind initiative, the Indian Army has begun inducting a First
Person View (FPV) kamikaze drone equipped with an anti-tank payload.
❖ The FPV drones gained very prominence during the war in Ukraine, where they
demonstrated their capacity to alter battlefield dynamics.
❖ The project, initiated in August 2024, was developed in collaboration with the
Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory (TBRL) in Chandigarh.
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❖ Kamikaze drones - also known as loitering munitions or suicide drones - are

similar to precision missiles and Unmanned Aerial Systems.

ECONOMY NEWS
India’s Defense Exports 2024/25

❖ The country's Defence exports have surged to a record high of Rs 23,622 crore
(approx. US$ 2.76 Billion) in the Financial Year (FY) 2024-25.
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❖ This is a growth of Rs 2,539 crore or 12.04% has been registered in the just-
concluded FY.
❖ The private sector and PSUs contributed Rs 15,233 crores and Rs 8,389 crores
respectively to defence exports of FY 2024-25
❖ The total number of exporters also grew by 17.4% in the same period.

India’s Cotton Production 2024/25

❖ The Cotton Association of India said that, the overall cotton output in the current
season (2024-25), beginning October, is estimated to dip to 301.75 lakh bales
due to lower yield in Gujarat and the northern region.
❖ During the preceding season of 2023-24, cotton output stood at 327.45 lakh
bales.
❖ These estimates are based on reports of lower cotton yield in Gujarat, Punjab and
Haryana.
❖ The total cotton supply till end of January 2025 is estimated at 234.26 lakh bales.
❖ The exports for the season 2024-25 are estimated at 17 lakh bales against 28.36
lakh bales estimated for 2023-24 season

India’s External Debt in 2024

❖ India's external debt increased by 10.7 per cent to USD 717.9 billion at the end
of December 2024 from USD 648.7 billion in December 2023.
❖ The external debt to GDP ratio stood at 19.1 per cent at the end of December
2024, against 19 per cent in September 2024.
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❖ US dollar-denominated debt remained the largest component of India's external

debt, with a share of 54.8 per cent in end-December 2024.
❖ It is followed by Indian Rupee (30.6 per cent), Japanese Yen (6.1 per cent), SDR
(4.7 per cent) and Euro (3 per cent).

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY NEWS

128 new moons on Saturn

❖ Astronomers have located 128 new official moons, orbiting Saturn.

❖ This is taking its tally of moons to 274 and as the most for any planet in the Solar
System.
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❖ Saturn has seized Jupiter which has 95 known moons, while Uranus (28) and
Neptune (16) remain third and fourth on the list.

IMPORTANT DAYS
Odisha Day 2025 - April 01
❖ On April 1, 1936, the British Government officially carved Odisha out of the Bihar
and Orissa Province, granting it independent administrative status.
❖ Odisha, along with Bihar and Jharkhand, was a part of the Bengal Presidency.
❖ The demand for a separate state was initiated from the desire to safeguard the
Odisha’s linguistic and cultural identity.
❖ Madhusudan Das, Utkalmani Gopabandhu Das and Fakir Mohan Senapati were
the prominent leaders of the movement.

MISCELLANEOUS NEWS
Mitathal and Tighrana Harappan Sites
❖ The Haryana government has declared two sites of over 4,400-year-old Harappan
civilisation in Bhiwani district as protected monuments and archaeological sites.
❖ The two sites are situated at two neighbouring villages of Tighrana and Mitathal.
❖ The Tighrana region was first inhabited by Chalcolithic agricultural communities
as early as 2,400 BCE.
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❖ These early settlers (very popularly known as Sothians) lived at Chang, Mitathal,
Tighrana etc. in small mud-brick houses with thatched roofs.
❖ They used copper, bronze and stone implements as discovered in large numbers.

Microsoft - 50 Years

❖ Microsoft, one of the most influential Tech giants in the world, is celebrated its
50th anniversary on April 4, 2025.
❖ It was founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen in New Mexico, US.
❖ Windows 1.0 is the first major release of Microsoft Windows in 1985.
❖ Microsoft Office, which containing Word, PowerPoint and Excel, was launched in
1989.
❖ Microsoft's web browser Internet Explorer, was first launched in 1995.
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❖ Windows XP operating system is released in 2001.

❖ Windows 7 was developed by Microsoft in 2009.
❖ Microsoft launched Bing in 2009 to compete with Google Search.

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