Stay updated with the latest current affairs for CDSE/OTA from February 2nd week. This roundup covers key updates in defence, economy, awards, environment, schemes, and science & technology. From India’s defence manufacturing push to ISRO’s latest innovations, here are the important highlights for aspirants preparing for competitive exams.
FEBRUARY 2ND WEEK CURRENT AFFAIRS: CDSE/OTA
DEFENCE
- BEL & Safran Partner to Manufacture HAMMER Weapon in India February 15, 2025. Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and Safran Electronics & Defense signed an MoU to jointly produce and maintain HAMMER (Highly Agile Modular Munition Extended Range) in India. HAMMER is a combat-proven precision-guided air-to-ground weapon, adaptable for Rafale and LCA Tejas jets. The initiative strengthens India’s defence manufacturing under Atmanirbhar Bharat, reducing import dependency.
- Swedish defence firm Saab signed an MoU with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to develop and manufacture the LWS-310 Electronic Warfare Laser Warning System in India. The WS-310 Electronic Warfare Laser Warning System is a sophisticated defense technology designed to enhance situational awareness and protect military platforms from laser-guided threats.
- ISRO and IIT Madras jointly developed Indigenous RISCV Controller for Space Applications (IRIS) based on the SHAKTI processor. IRIS is built on the RISC-V architecture, supporting diverse applications from IoT to strategic computing systems. The chip was fully designed, fabricated, and tested in India, showcasing the country’s semiconductor capabilities.
AWARDS
NTPC Wins Forward Faster Sustainability Award 2025. NTPC Ltd. received the Forward Faster Sustainability Award 2025 in the Water Resilience category from the UN Global Compact Network India (UN GCNI) on 13th February in Chennai. The award recognizes NTPC’s leadership in water conservation, wastewater treatment, and sustainable water management practices. NTPC aims to achieve 60 GW of renewable energy by 2032.
ENVIRONMENT
- India ranks 6th among the top 10 countries most affected by extreme weather events from 1993-2023, suffering $180 billion in economic losses and 80,000 fatalities. Major disasters include floods in 1993, 1998, 2013, and heatwaves in 2002, 2003, 2015. Global extreme events caused 765,000 fatalities and $4.2 trillion in losses, equivalent to Germany’s GDP.
- The Climate Risk Index (CRI) has been published by the non-profit organization – Germanwatch. Among hazards, storms caused the highest fatalities, followed by heatwaves, floods, droughts, and wildfires over the last 30 years. In 2022, Pakistan, Belize, and Italy were the most affected countries, with heat waves being the deadliest extreme event.
ECONOMY
- RBI appointed Shreekant, former SBI Chief General Manager, as Administrator of New India Cooperative Bank, suspending its Board for 12 months. A Committee of Advisors, including Ravindra Sapra and Abhijeet Deshmukh, will oversee daily operations. Due to liquidity issues, the bank halted operations, with eligible depositors insured up to ₹5 lakh.
- SEBI introduced MITRA (Mutual Fund Investment Tracing and Retrieval Assistant), a digital platform to help investors track inactive or unclaimed mutual fund folios. The platform allows investors to search for overlooked investments & encourages KYC updates to prevent fraudulent redemptions. MITRA was developed by RTAs to provide an industry-level searchable database for mutual fund investors.
SCHEMES
Puducherry Lieutenant Governor K. Kailashnathan and Chief Minister N. Rangasamy inaugurated the Ayushman Bharat Vay Vandana Scheme for senior citizens. The scheme provides free health insurance coverage of up to ₹5 lakh per year for senior citizens aged 70 and above. Healthcare workers were urged to raise awareness to ensure wider benefits for senior citizens.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
- IIT Kanpur, with the support of NABARD, has introduced solar dehydration technology to preserve agricultural produce, reduce post-harvest losses, and increase farmers’ income. The technique enables farmers to store fruits and vegetables longer, selling them at peak prices for better profitability. Live demonstrations and training sessions were held for farmers under the Namami Gange project.
- ISRO and IIT Madras jointly developed Indigenous RISCV Controller for Space Applications (IRIS) based on the SHAKTI processor. IRIS is built on the RISC-V architecture, supporting diverse applications from IoT to strategic computing systems. The chip was fully designed, fabricated, and tested in India, showcasing the country’s semiconductor capabilities.
FAQs – February 2nd Week Current Affairs (CDSE/OTA 2025)
1. Why is the BEL-Safran partnership for HAMMER weapon manufacturing important?
The BEL-Safran partnership strengthens India’s defence manufacturing capabilities under Atmanirbhar Bharat by producing HAMMER (Highly Agile Modular Munition Extended Range), a combat-proven precision-guided air-to-ground weapon for Rafale and LCA Tejas jets.
2. What is the LWS-310 Electronic Warfare Laser Warning System?
The LWS-310, developed by Saab and HAL, is a laser warning system designed to enhance situational awareness and protect military platforms from laser-guided threats.
3. What is ISRO’s IRIS processor, and why is it significant?
The IRIS (Indigenous RISC-V Controller for Space Applications) is built on RISC-V architecture using SHAKTI processors. It supports IoT, space applications, and strategic computing systems, marking India’s advancement in semiconductor technology.
4. Why did NTPC receive the Forward Faster Sustainability Award 2025?
NTPC received the award for its water conservation, wastewater treatment, and sustainable water management practices, contributing to India’s renewable energy target of 60 GW by 2032.
5. How has climate change impacted India economically and environmentally?
From 1993-2023, India faced $180 billion in economic losses and 80,000 fatalities due to extreme weather events like floods, heatwaves, and storms.
6. What does the Climate Risk Index (CRI) report reveal?
The CRI report by Germanwatch ranks storms, heatwaves, floods, droughts, and wildfires as the most damaging climate hazards, with Pakistan, Belize, and Italy being the most affected in 2022.
7. Why did RBI suspend the Board of New India Cooperative Bank?
Due to liquidity issues, RBI suspended the Board for 12 months and appointed Shreekant (former SBI CGM) as Administrator. Eligible depositors are insured up to ₹5 lakh.
8. What is SEBI’s MITRA platform?
MITRA (Mutual Fund Investment Tracing & Retrieval Assistant) is a digital platform developed to help investors track unclaimed or inactive mutual fund investments and prevent fraudulent redemptions.
9. What is the Ayushman Bharat Vay Vandana Scheme?
It is a health insurance scheme for senior citizens (70+), providing ₹5 lakh coverage per year, launched by Puducherry’s Lt. Governor K. Kailashnathan & CM N. Rangasamy.
10. How does IIT Kanpur’s solar dehydration technology help farmers?
This solar-based preservation technique extends the shelf life of fruits and vegetables, reducing post-harvest losses and helping farmers sell at better prices.
