Current Affairs Today

We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 21 August 2025, which have unique updates of Latest Current Affairs 2025 events from all newspapers such as The Hindu, The Economic Times, PIB, Times of India, PTI, Indian Express, Business Standard and all Government official websites.

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NATIONAL AFFAIRS

Cabinet Approvals on August 19, 2025On August 19, 2025 the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi approved the following proposals:

6-Lane Access-Controlled Capital Region Ring Road
Approval: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by the PM Narendra Modi, has approved construction of 6-Lane Access-Controlled Capital Region Ring Road(Bhubaneswar Bypass) in Odisha on Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM).
Outlay: The total capital cost of the project is Rs.8307.74 crores and expected to be completed in 2.5 years.
Length: The total length of the corridor is 110.875 kilometres (kms).
Green Field Airport at Kota-Bundi:
Approval: The CCEA has approved the proposal of Airports Authority of India (AAI) for development of Green Field Airport at Kota-Bundi (Rajasthan).
Outlay: The total estimated cost of the project is Rs.1,507 crore.

• The AAI will fund the project, and the proposed airport is expected to be completed in about two years.
  >>Read Full News

MoP Plans to Develop 97 GW Coal-fired Power Capacity by FY35In August 2025, Union Minister Shripad Yesso Naik, Ministry of Power (MoP) in a written response to a query in Rajya Sabha (Upper House of the Parliament) informed that the Government of India (GoI) has revised upwards its target to develop an additional 97 Giga Watt (GW) coal and lignite-based electricity generation capacity by Financial Year 2034-35 (FY35), up from the previous target of 90 GW by FY32.

• This upward revision of target will help in achieving the required 307 GW of thermal (coal and lignite) installed capacity by FY35.
• This expansion will also help in realizing India’s ambitious target of 500 GW of Renewable Energy (RE) capacity by 2030 and Net Zero target by 2070.

Key Facts:
Previous Projections: Previously, the GoI had estimated that nearly 283 GW of coal and lignite-based installed capacity would be required to meet India’s coal load requirement by FY32.

• Later, In November 2023, MoP proposed to set up an additional minimum 80 GW coal-based thermal capacity by FY32.

Electricity Generation Capacity: As of June 2025, the installed electricity generation capacity in India stands at 485 GW.

Power Projection for FY32: According to the National Electricity Plan (NEP) (Generation) published in May 2023, India’s installed generation capacity is expected to reach 874 GW by FY32.
About Ministry of Power (MoP):
Union Minister- Manohar Lal Khattar (Constituency- Karnal, Haryana)
Minister of State (MoS)- Shripad Yesso Naik (Constituency- North Goa, Goa)
>>Read Full News

CCS Approves Rs 62,000 Crore deal to Purchase 97 Tejas Mark 1A Jets from HALOn 19 August 2025, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), chaired by Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi, approved the purchase of 97 Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas Mark 1A fighter jets for the Indian Air Force (IAF) at a cost of Rs.62,000 crore from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

• This project is a significant step under the Government of India (GoI)’s Atmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India in defence initiatives.

About Tejas Mark 1A Fighter Jets :
Tejas Mark 1A: It is an advanced version of the indigenously built Tejas fighter jet. The Tejas aircraft was first flight-tested in 2016.
Background: The IAF had earlier ordered 83 Tejas Mark 1A aircraft at a cost of nearly Rs 48,000 crore. With this new approval, HAL will now build 97 more jets.
Features: It is a lightweight, single-engine, supersonic aircraft designed for multi-role combat, equipped with Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, Beyond-Visual-Range (BVR) missile capability, advanced electronic warfare systems, air-to-air refuelling, and improved maintenance and efficiency.
Indigenisation: The new batch of jets will have over 65% indigenous content and will replace the IAF’s ageing MiG-21 fleet.
Note: PM Narendra Modi himself flew in the trainer version of Tejas in 2024, marking the first time an Indian PM has taken a sortie in a fighter jet.
About Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL):
Chairman and Managing Director (CMD)– Dr. D.K. Sunil
Headquarter– Bengaluru, Karnataka
Established– 1940

Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia Announced Nationwide Roll Out of IT 2.0- APT
In August 2025, Union Minister Jyotiraditya Madhavrao (M.) Scindia, Ministry of Communications officially announced the nationwide rollout of Advanced Postal Technology (APT) by the India Post or the Department of Posts (DoP).

• A Rs.5,800 crore project under India’s Information Technology (IT 2.0) program, building on Project 1.0, enabling faster, smarter, and customer-centric postal services.

About IT 2.0-APT:
Development: This new system was designed and developed indigenously by the Centre for Excellence in Postal Technology (CEPT) under the DoP, MoC.
Hosted by: APT is hosted on MeghRaj 2.0 cloud platform of the Government of India (GoI), and is supported by Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL).
Key Features: It offers some unique features such as: single, unified user interface, Quick Response (QR)-code-based payments, One Time Password Time (OTP)-based delivery, and 10-digit alphanumeric Digital Postal Index Number (DIGPIN) to improve delivery accuracy, among others.
Roll Out: Executed in phases across 23 postal circles, beginning with a pilot in Karnataka (May–June 2025) and completed on August 4, 2025, covering over 1.70 lakh offices.

IIT-M, FedEx Launched SMART Centre for AI-driven Logistics Solutions
In August 2025, Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M) in collaboration with American transportation company, Federal Express Corporation (FedEx) launched the FedEx SMART Centre (Supply, Chain Modelling, Algorithms, Research and Technology Centre) at IIT-M campus in Chennai, Tamil Nadu (TN).

• This newly launched centre aims to develop sustainable, Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven logistics solutions.

About FedEx SMART Centre:
Investment Cost: This first-of-its-kind facility is supported by a 5-year, USD 5 million (Rs 44 crore) from FedEx.
Key Function: It will combine cutting-edge research, advanced digital tools, and industry expertise to redesign supply chains for flexibility, resilience, and environmental sustainability.
Key Areas of Research: The centre will promote research in interdisciplinary projects spanning from carbon neutral operations, autonomous delivery systems, Electric Vehicle (EV) infrastructure and predictive analytics to AI-driven worker safety.

Centum Electronics partners with BEL for advanced defence electronics projects
In August 2025, Bengaluru (Karnataka)-based Centum Electronics Limited (Ltd) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), a defence Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) under the Ministry of Defence, to work together in the field of defence electronics.

Signing of the MoU: The MoU was signed at BEL’s Corporate Office between Suresh Kumar K V, Director (Marketing) of BEL, and Apparao V Mallavarapu, Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Centum Electronics Ltd

• The signing was witnessed by Manoj Jain, CMD of BEL, and Dr. Vinod Chippalkatti, President of Centum Electronics Ltd.

Key Focus: The cooperation will mainly focus on strengthening India’s defence capabilities by developing advanced Electronic Warfare systems, next-generation Radar technologies, and highly secure communication solutions for Indian Armed Forces.

BANKING & FINANCE

EXIM Bank signs USD 40 million credit line deal with Africa’s ECOWAS BankIn August 2025, the Export-Import Bank of India (EXIM Bank) signed a USD40 million commercial credit line agreement with the Africa based ECOWAS Bank for Investment Development (EBID), the financial arm of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to support developmental projects across Africa.

About India-ECOWAS Bank Credit Line Agreement:
Key People:The agreement was signed by Dr. George Agyekum Donkor, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors (BoD) of the EBID and Ashok Kumar Vartia, Chief Executive of India Exim Bank, London branch in London, the United Kingdom(UK).
Purpose: This agreement is aimed at creating new opportunities for Indian businesses to contribute to Africa’s growth and strengthen bilateral economic ties.

• The amount will support the infrastructure projects that are being executed by the Indian exporters.

History: India’s Exim Bank has maintained a longstanding partnership with EBID, beginning with the extension of the first line of credit in 2006.

• A total of 6 facilities aggregating to USD 1.14 billion have been extended by the Bank to EBID to support the export of goods and services from India to Africa.

About ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID):
The EBID is a financial institution established by the 15 member states of the ECOWAS.
Members: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.
President and Chairman –  Dr. George Agyekum Donkor
Headquarters – Lomé, Togo
Established – 1999
About Export-Import Bank of India (EXIM Bank) :
It is fully owned by the Government of India (GoI). It is the premier export finance institution of the country that seeks to build value by integrating foreign trade and investment with the economic rise of India.
Managing Director (MD) – Harsha Bangari
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
Established – 1982

PNB becomes 1st PSB in India to Migrate to ‘.bank.in’ Domain
In August 2025, Punjab National Bank (PNB), India’s 2nd largest Public Sector Bank (PSB), has become the 1st Indian PSB to migrate its corporate website www.pnb.bank.co.in) to the secure ‘.bank.in’ domain(https://pnb.bank.in).

• This move is in alignment with Reserve Bank of India’s(RBI) circular on ‘Migration to ‘.bank.in’ Domain’ issued in April 2025.

About .bank.in Domain:
Aim: The ‘.bank.in’ internet domain reserved exclusively for Indian banks, aims to combat fraud in digital payments, cyber security threats and malicious activities such as phishing, and enhance public confidence in the digital banking.
Exclusive Registrar: As per RBI directions, the Institute for Development and Research in Banking Technology (IDRBT) will act as the exclusive registrar for this domain.
New Domain for Financial Sector: RBI is also planning to introduce an exclusive domain i.e. ‘fin.in’ for other non-bank entities in the financial sector.

ECONOMY & BUSINESS

ICRA Projects India’s GDP Growth at 6.7% for Q1FY26In August 2025, India’s Credit Rating Agency ICRA Limited, formerly Investment Information and Credit Rating Agency of India Limited, has projected that India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at 6.7% for 1st Quarter (Q1: April-June) of Financial Year 2025-26(FY26), supported by the higher government spending and robust export performance.

• This growth projection is higher than Reserve Bank of India (RBI)’s forecast of 6.5%, though lower than 7.4% recorded in Q4FY25.

Key Projections:
Gross Value Added (GVA): ICRA has further projected that GVA growth will decrease from 6.8% (in Q4FY25) to 6.4% (in Q1FY26).
CapEx: The Centre’s Gross Capital Expenditure (CapEx) surged by 52% year-on-year to Rs.2.8 trillion in Q1 FY2026, compared with 33.4% growth in Q4 FY2025 and a 35% contraction in Q1 FY2025.
Gap between GDP & GVA growth: As per ICRA, the gap between GDP and GVA growth is projected to remain positive i.e. at 30 basis points (bps) in Q1FY26, though lower than 62 bps recorded in Q4FY25.
>>Read Full News

Indian Oil and Air India Signed MoU for SAF Supply
In August 2025, Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Air India for the supply of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).

• This development came after IOCL became the 1st Indian oil company to get the International Sustainability & Carbon Certification (ISCC) Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) certificate for production of SAF at its Panipat Refinery (Haryana).

Key Details of MoU:
Significance: This MoU reflects a shared commitment to accelerate adoption of low-carbon fuels in aviation sector, support global decarbonisation goals and contribute to the transition toward more sustainable air transport operations.
IATA Net Zero Target: Through this strategic partnership, Air India has reaffirmed its commitment in pursuing sustainability initiatives as part of its wider strategy to align with the International Air Transport Association (IATA)’s target of achieving Net-Zero emissions by 2050.
Key Objectives: As per this MoU, both IOCL and Air India will collaborate on SAF supply for international flights, and will exceed CORSIA targets while ensuring a reliable and transparent green fuel supply chain.

Suzlon Becomes First Indian Energy Firm to Join RE100 Initiative, Commits to 100% Renewable Energy
In August 2025, Pune (Maharashtra)-based The Suzlon Group has taken a major step in clean energy by joining the Renewable Energy 100 (RE100) Initiative, becoming the first Indian company from the energy sector to do so.

RE 100 Initiative: RE100 is a global platform that brings together leading businesses committed to running entirely on renewable electricity.

• Globally, more than 400 companies are part of RE100, and Suzlon now joins this network of firms moving towards a 100% green future.

Targets: Under this pledge, Suzlon plans to power all its 15 factories only with renewable sources by 2030.

• The company has also set bigger climate goals—achieving carbon neutrality for its direct and purchased electricity emissions (Scope 1 and 2) by 2035, and reaching net zero across its full value chain (Scope 1, 2, and 3) by 2040.

ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS

CCI Approvals on August 19, 2025On August 19, 2025, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MoCA) has approved the following proposals:
Acquisition of Skechers U.S.A by 3G Capital :
Approved the indirect acquisition of the United States of America(USA) based Skechers U.S.A, Inc by affiliates of investment funds managed by 3G Capital Partners LP (3G Capital) i.e., the Beach Acquisition Co Parent, LLC (Beach Parent) and Beach Acquisition Merger Sub, Inc. (Beach Merger Sub).
Investment: GIC Investors, via its investment arm Kakapo Investment, will infuse capital to partly finance the 3G Transaction, granting it certain rights in Skechers U.S.A., Inc.
Acquisition of MLSPL by Platinum Jasmine:
Approved the proposed acquisition of certain shareholding in Micro Life Sciences Pvt. Ltd. (MLSPL) by Platinum Jasmine A 2018 Trust, acting through its trustee Platinum Owl C 2018 RSC Limited.
Transaction Structure: The Platinum Jasmine A 2018 trust will subscribe to Certain equity shares proposed to be issued by the MLSPL and

• Certain equity shares from Bilakhia Holdings Pvt. Ltd., amounting to approximately 3.06% shareholding in Micro Life Sciences Pvt. Ltd.

Acquisition of Island Star Mall Developers by The Phoenix Mills:

Approved The Phoenix Mills Ltd.’s (PML) proposal to acquire the remaining 49% stake in Island Star Mall Developers Pvt Ltd (ISMDPL) from the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments) for Rs.5,449.16 crore.
Acquisition of equity in QGSPL: 
The CCI has approved the acquisition of certain shareholdings of QGSPL by the CA Plume Investments, an investment vehicle linked to The Carlyle Group, and Bequest Inc.(BI).
>>Read Full News

IMPORTANT DAYS

Sadbahavana Divas 2025 – August 20Sadbhavana Diwas or Harmony Day is observed on August 20 every year in India with the intention of promoting peace, unity, and harmony among the various religions and communities.

• The day also marks the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister(PM) Rajiv Gandhi.
• August 20, 2025 marks the 81st birth anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi.

Background:
Observation:Sadbhavana Diwas was first observed on August 20, 1992, in memory of Rajiv Gandhi, who was assassinated in 1991.
Meaning: The word ‘Sadbhavana’ translates to ‘Goodwill and Bonafide’ in English.
Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award :The Rajiv Gandhi National Communal Harmony Award is conferred for outstanding contribution towards communal harmony, national integration, and peace.
>>Read Full News

World Mosquito Day 2025 – August 20World Mosquito Day (WMD) is observed globally every year on 20th August to commemorate the discovery by British doctor Sir Ronald Ross in 1897 that female Anopheles mosquitoes transmit malaria between humans.
Significance:
Tribute : Since 1930, the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), United Kingdom(UK), organises an annual event on 20th August.
Commemoration:: On 20th August 1997, the Government of India (GoI) issued a commemorative postage stamp to mark the 100th anniversary of Ross’ discovery of Plasmodium oocytes.
Discovery of Malaria:
Malaria Parasite Identification: On 20th August 1897, Sir Ronald Ross discovered the malaria parasite in the stomach of female Anopheles mosquitoes in Secunderabad (Telangana, India).
Research Publication: Findings published in “On some peculiar pigmented cells found in two mosquitoes fed on malarial blood” in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), 18th December 1897.
Nobel Prize Recognition: He received the 1902 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, becoming the first Briton to be awarded for malaria research.
>>Read Full News

STATE NEWS

Delhi Govt to Launch of ‘Delhi Mitra’ Application
In August 2025, the Delhi Cabinet chaired by Rekha Gupta, Chief Minister (CM) of Delhi, has approved the launch of ‘Delhi Mitra’ application (app), a unified integrated Public Grievance Redressal System (PGRS).

About Delhi Mitra App:
Single Approach: This new app will provide a common platform for complaints related to the Delhi government, Delhi Police, Municipal Corporations (MCs),Delhi Cantonment Board, and other bodies.
Mode for Registering Complaints: This new PRGS will enable the residents of Delhi to register their complaints with the government through 4 channels: a web portal, a mobile app, WhatsApp, and a call centre.

• Also, handwritten complaints submitted at offices will be digitized and uploaded to the system.

Nodal Officers: The state will appoint nodal officers in every department to accelerate the grievance redressed process.

• Public grievance officers from various state government departments will also conduct weekly public meetings with citizens every Wednesday.

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