4th APRIL 2025 ENGLISH TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS PDF TNPSC SHOUTERS
PM attends 6th BIMSTEC Summit in Thailand
- The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, attended the 6th BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) Summit in Thailand today.
- The theme of the summit is “BIMSTEC: Prosperous, Resilient and Transparent”. It reflects the priorities of the leaders, the aspirations of the people of the BIMSTEC region and BIMSTEC’s efforts to ensure shared development at a time of global uncertainty.
- The Prime Minister began his address by condoling the loss of lives in the earthquakes in Myanmar and Thailand.
- The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Army successfully test-fired the medium-range surface-to-air missile from Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha on 03 & 04 April 2025.
- Four operational flight tests were conducted against high-speed air targets. The missiles intercepted and destroyed the air targets, registering a direct hit. The tests were conducted to intercept four targets at long range, short range, high altitude and low altitude.
- The flight tests were conducted while the weapon system was in operational condition. The performance of the weapon system was verified through flight data captured by long-range instruments such as radars and electro-optical surveillance systems deployed by the Integrated Test Centre at Chandigarh. The flight tests were conducted in the presence of senior officials of DRDO and the Indian Army.
- The Aviation Goods Welfare Protection Bill 2025 was passed in Parliament on 03.04.2025. Introduced by the Minister of Civil Aviation, Shri Rammohan Naidu, the Bill has already been passed in the Rajya Sabha.
- Its passage in both the Houses is the second major reform in the aviation sector. The Bill aims to bring the leasing and financing environment of Indian aircraft up to world standards. This is an important step in increasing investor confidence in India’s rapidly growing aviation market.
- The Bill is expected to facilitate the country’s aircraft leasing process in line with the resolution passed at the Cape Town Conference. It will also help attract investments in the aviation sector. These changes are also important in reducing the cost of aviation and encouraging new entrants into the sector.
- Following the debate on the Waqf Amendment Bill in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, the Waqf Amendment Bill was passed in the early hours of April 4.
- Earlier, the Waqf Amendment Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday and passed on Wednesday midnight after a debate lasting about 12 hours. The bill was passed by 288 votes in favour and 232 against.
- In this situation, the vote was taken in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday midnight, in which 128 votes were cast in favour of the bill. 95 votes were recorded in favour and 95 against. Following this, the Waqf Bill has been passed in both the Houses of Parliament.
- The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi today (04.04.2025) approved the second phase of Vibrant Villages Scheme (VVP-II) to further strengthen the commitment to the vision of a developed India with 'safe, vibrant and resilient borders'. It will be implemented as a Central Government Scheme with 100% Central Government funding.
- With a total allocation of Rs. 6,839 crore, the scheme will be implemented in selected villages in the States/Union Territories of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tripura, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal till the financial year 2028-29.
- The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved four projects to be implemented by the Ministry of Railways at a total cost of Rs. 18,658 crore.
- These four projects, covering 15 districts in 3 states of Maharashtra, Odisha and Chhattisgarh, will increase the existing Indian Railways infrastructure by about 1247 km.
