Daily Current Affairs Update – 25 July 2025

News at a glance

Topic	GS Paper	Why in News (July 24, 2025)
National Food Security Mission 2.0	GS-3 (Agri., Economy), GS-2 (Welfare)	Mission renamed, expanded focus to nutrition, renewed push on productivity and farmer incomes; achievements, issues.
Doubling Farmers’ Income – Review	GS-3 (Agri., Economy)	Analysis of achievements, bottlenecks, ways forward; central policy focus.
India–UK Free Trade Agreement	GS-2 (IR), GS-3 (Economy)	FTA signed during PM’s UK visit; aims to expand trade and investments.
Mumbai Airport in Global Top 10	GS-3 (Infrastructure)	CSMIA ranked 9th globally for service and efficiency.
Indian Coast Guard: ‘Samudra Prachet’	GS-3 (S&T, Environment)	Launch of advanced pollution control vessel strengthens maritime environmental security.
New Sea Slug Species	GS-3 (Biodiversity)	Scientists discovered two new marine species, supporting ecological indicators research.
Sickle Cell Screening Mission	GS-2 (Welfare, Health)	India screened 6 crore citizens; major milestone in eliminating sickle cell anemia.
US Withdrawal from UNESCO	GS-2 (IR)	Diplomatic gesture over international organizational bias; possible impact on multilateralism.
FIDE Women’s World Cup – Divya Deshmukh	GS-1 (Sports & Women Empowerment)	First Indian woman to reach final, significant for Indian sports and gender parity.
Income Tax Day	GS-3 (Economy)	166th anniversary celebrated on July 24.
Sports Highlights – Badminton, Cricket	GS-3 (Sports, Current Events)	Japan Open, Andre Russell’s international retirement.

1. National Food Security Mission 2.0 (NFSNM) and Related Agricultural Highlights

Source: Link

Context

India’s government continues to prioritize food and nutrition security. The National Food Security Mission (NFSM), operational since 2007, was recently renamed the National Food Security & Nutrition Mission (NFSNM) for 2024-25. This aligns with ongoing policy reforms for food grain yield and farmers’ income enhancement, along with bottleneck assessments and new approaches to agricultural sustainability.

Key Details

• Mission Renaming & Scope: In 2024-25, NFSM became NFSNM, expanding focus beyond food grains to nutrition as well. Now covers rice, wheat, pulses, nutri-cereals, and coarse cereals as thrust areas.
  
  
• Objectives:
  
  
  • Increase production of key crops through area expansion and productivity enhancement.
    
    
  • Restore soil fertility, promote integrated nutrient/pest management, water use efficiency, and capacity building for farmers.
    
    
  • Nutritional focus synergized with food production

• Implementation: Over 638 districts, centrally sponsored (mainly 60:40 funding with states).
  
  
• Incentives: Distribution of certified seeds, cropping system-based demonstrations, financial support for modern farming technologies.
  
  
• Flexibility: States can address local needs, e.g., special promotion of millets under PM-RKVY.
  
  
• Achievements: Program attributes past successes to increased production and supporting farm incomes, most notably by adapting technology and modern farming practices
  
  

Achievements and Challenges in Doubling Farmers’ Income

• Government Initiatives:
  
  
  • Aimed to “double farmers’ income” by the 75th anniversary of Independence (2022); policy continues post that deadline.
    
    
  • Focus areas include accelerating productivity (crops and livestock), market reforms, diversification, cost reduction, risk mitigation (crop insurance), and value-added activities like food processing.
    
    
  • Key Schemes: PM-KISAN (income support), increased budget allocation for agriculture (from ₹25,460 crore in 2015-16 to over ₹1.27 lakh crore in 2025-26)
    
    
  • Use of digitization, sensors, drones, and precision agriculture is being actively encouraged for farm productivity and sustainability

• Bottlenecks:
  
  
  • Persistent regional yield gaps due to climate, irrigation deficits, and marginalization.
    
    
  • Issues in post-harvest infrastructure, credit access, market connectivity, and agrarian distress remain.
    
    
  • Slow adoption of advanced technologies among small/marginal farmers due to awareness or affordability issues.
    
    
  • Incomplete realization of institutional and value chain reforms
    
    
• Way Forward:
  
  
  • Emphasize climate-smart agriculture, modern infrastructure, robust extension machinery, value chain integration, and effective safety nets
    
    
  • Continued monitoring and evaluation with focus on nutritional security, not just caloric sufficiency.

2. India–UK Free Trade Agreement Signed

Source: Link

Context

During the official visit of Prime Minister Modi to the UK, India and the UK signed a historic Free Trade Agreement (FTA) on July 24, 2025, aimed at boosting bilateral trade, investment, and strategic partnership.

Key Details

• The agreement covers goods, services, digital trade, investment facilitation, intellectual property, labour standards, and sustainable development.
  
  

• The FTA is expected to expand market access for Indian goods (especially in textiles, pharmaceuticals, engineering), enhance service exports, and facilitate two-way investment.
  
  
• The move is significant in light of Brexit and India’s goal to build resilience and diversification in global supply chains.
  
  
• Anticipated to push India–UK trade towards the target of $100 billion over the coming decade.
  
  
  

3. Indian Coast Guard Launches ‘Samudra Prachet’ Pollution Control Vessel

Source: Link

Context

India advances maritime environmental security with the launch of a new Pollution Control Vessel (PCV), ‘Samudra Prachet’.

Key Details

• Built by Goa Shipyard Ltd, the vessel has a displacement of 4,170 tonnes.
  
  
• Equipped with state-of-the-art oil spill response equipment.
  
  
• Supports India’s MARPOL obligations and the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative.
  
  
• Enhances India’s capabilities for maritime pollution response in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
  
  

 

 

5. Discovery of New Sea Slug Species

Source: Link

Context

Marine biodiversity receives a boost as scientists describe two new species of wart sea slugs off Indonesia.

Key Details

• Named Phyllidia ovata and Phyllidia fontjei.
  
  
• Sea slugs are important for coral reef monitoring as bioindicators and are renowned for their vibrant appearance and unique physiological adaptations.
  
  
• Some sea slugs demonstrate traits like photosynthesis and gene borrowing from prey, reflecting neuroscientific and evolutionary interest
  
  

6. Sickle Cell Anemia Screening Milestone

Source: Link

Context

India makes significant progress toward eradicating sickle cell disease.

Key Details

• Six crore people screened under the National Sickle Cell Anemia Elimination Mission as of July 2025.
  
  
• Over 2.15 lakh diagnosed cases and 16.7 lakh carriers.
  
  
• Highest screening numbers from Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Telangana, Karnataka, and Uttarakhand
  
  

7. United States Announces Withdrawal from UNESCO

Source : Link

Context

In a significant diplomatic development, the US confirmed its decision to withdraw from UNESCO, effective at the end of 2026.

Key Details

• The move is said to be over perceived bias against Israel.
  
  
• Expected to impact global cultural and educational collaboration and is being watched for its ripple effects on multilateralism
  
  

Other Highlights

• Income Tax Day: Celebrated on July 24; 2025 marked the 166th anniversary.
  
  
• Divya Deshmukh: First Indian to reach the FIDE Women’s World Cup final.
  
  
• Andre Russell: Announced retirement from all forms of international cricket.
  
  
• Japan Badminton Open 2025: Shi Yu Qi and An Se-young won men’s and women’s singles titles, respectively