Daily Current Affairs – 20 June 2025

Welcome to your one-stop destination for crisp, reliable, and exam-relevant Daily Current Affairs. The PRESS Pad delivers daily updates and smart summaries that go beyond the headlines and align perfectly with the evolving pattern of UPSC and other state-level examinations.

Today's edition features key updates including Compromiso de Sevilla, Gender Budgeting Knowledge Hub, Gender Parity in STEM Education, World Investment Report 2025, QS World University Rankings 2026, Energy Transition Index (ETI), 2025, Annual Report on Children and Armed Conflict, Extreme Helium (EHe) Stars, Sickle Cell Disease, NAKSHATRA, Doomsday Fish (Oarfish), Sustainable Model for Dumpsite Remediation, Axiom-4 Mission, National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI) and more...

Click Here to read the Current Affairs Pointers (CAP) for January 2025- April 2025. 

United Nations Member Countries Finalise the Landmark ‘Compromiso de Sevilla’ Outcome Document

1. In a significant global development, United Nations member countries have finalized the 'Compromiso de Sevilla' (Seville Commitment) as the official outcome document of the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4).

2. The FFD4, held in Sevilla, Spain, marks a cornerstone event aimed at renewing and advancing global frameworks for financing sustainable development.

3. The Financing for Development (FFD) process is a UN-led initiative that brings together government leaders, international institutions, private sector actors, and civil society to address global development finance challenges.

4. Notably, the United States chose to exit the FFD4 process, reflecting ongoing geopolitical divides in global development negotiations.

5. The FFD process has evolved through key milestones:

   • The Monterrey Consensus (2002), which was the first major global agreement on development finance, emphasized Official Development Assistance (ODA), governance reforms in IMF, and innovative finance mechanisms.

   • The Doha Declaration (2008) reaffirmed these commitments amidst the 2008 financial crisis and introduced climate finance and gender-responsive financing.

   • The Addis Ababa Action Agenda (2015) aligned development finance with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and introduced Integrated National Financing Frameworks (INFFs).

6. INFFs are country-led tools designed to help nations align all financing sources (public, private, domestic, international) with national development priorities and the SDGs.

7. The Compromiso de Sevilla outcome document of FFD4 builds upon all previous agreements (Monterrey, Doha, and Addis) and outlines reforms across multiple key dimensions:

   • It reaffirms the Global Financing Framework, encouraging comprehensive, inclusive, and sustainable finance mobilization to close the $4 trillion annual SDG financing gap in developing countries.

   • On International Financial Architecture Reforms, it calls for more inclusive governance, including IMF quota reforms and a review of World Bank shareholding to enhance voice and representation of developing nations.

   • Under Debt Sustainability, it proposes that the UN take a leading role in coordinating with IMF and World Bank to develop voluntary principles for responsible sovereign debt practices—aiming to avoid unsustainable debt burdens in developing countries.

   • In the area of Tax Reforms, it supports the OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework on Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS), particularly Pillar II, which ensures a global minimum corporate tax on multinationals in every jurisdiction where they operate.

     • It also encourages technical support for implementing complex tools like the Global Anti-Base Erosion (GloBE) Model Rules and Subject to Tax Rule, both of which fall under Pillar II and aim to tackle tax avoidance by large corporations.

Union Government launched ‘Gender Budgeting Knowledge Hub’ portal

1. The In a major stride toward gender-responsive governance, the Union Government recently launched the ‘Gender Budgeting Knowledge Hub’ portal, spearheaded by the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) during the National Consultation on Gender Budgeting.

2. This digital portal serves as a centralized repository offering access to policy briefs, best practices, and gender-disaggregated data, enabling Ministries, Departments, and stakeholders at both central and state levels to design better gender-focused policies.

3. A notable feature of the portal is its online application system, which allows users to submit proposals for gender budgeting training and capacity-building programmes, thereby strengthening institutional capabilities in gender mainstreaming.

4. At its foundation, Gender Budgeting (GB) refers to an approach that integrates gender concerns into planning and budgeting processes, analyzing how public spending impacts men and women differently.

5. GB involves:

   • Identifying gender-differentiated impacts of budget allocations,

   • Making gender-responsive commitments and actions, and

   • Ensuring adequate budgetary allocations to fulfill these commitments.

Evolution of Gender Budgeting in India

1. India’s formal journey with GB began in 2001, when MWCD collaborated with the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP) and UN Women to conduct a research study on gender-responsive economic policy, which led to inclusion of gender analysis in the Economic Survey.

2. In 2005–06, the Gender Budget Statement (Statement 13) was introduced in the Union Budget, officially institutionalizing GB by tracking public allocations for women and girls.

3. In 2007, the Ministry of Finance issued a Charter for Gender Budget Cells (GBCs)—mandating their creation in all Ministries/Departments to embed GB practices systematically.

4. To support these efforts, MWCD launched the Gender Budgeting Scheme, focused on capacity-building across sectors through training and expert support.

5. The scope of inclusive budgeting widened in 2008–09 with the introduction of Child Budgeting, formalized through Statement 12, which tracks allocations for child welfare.

6. The Twelfth Five-Year Plan (2012–17) made GB a core strategy for gender equity, explicitly emphasizing “mainstreaming gender through Gender Budgeting”.

7. By 2022 (Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav), renewed national focus was placed on optimizing resources for women and child welfare and strengthening implementation of both gender and child budgeting.

8. Most recently, in the Union Budget 2024–25, a new Part C was added to the Gender Budget Statement to cover schemes with less than 30% allocation for women, ensuring broader visibility of gender-inclusiveness in public spending.

Why Gender Budgeting Matters

1. The need for GB arises from the fact that national budgets do not impact all genders equally, especially in a context of existing socio-economic disparities.

2. GB facilitates the design of gender-sensitive public policies and ensures equitable resource allocation for women and marginalized gender groups.

3. It also fosters participatory budgeting and responsive governance, by promoting women's involvement in decision-making processes at all levels—including Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs).

4. Furthermore, effective GB enhances implementation of key laws aimed at protecting and empowering women, such as:

   • Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2013 – addressing crimes against women,

   • Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, 2013 – promoting safer workplaces.

More Girls Opting for Science than Arts: Shift towards Gender Parity in STEM Education

1. In a landmark trend, data from the Ministry of Education reveals that in 2024, for the first time in over a decade, more girls passed Class 12 with science (28.14 lakh) than with arts (27.24 lakh), indicating a decisive shift in academic preferences.

2. This marks a significant departure from traditional gender trends, where science was long viewed as a male-dominated stream, but is now being actively embraced by girls across India.

3. While boys still outnumber girls in science overall, the gender gap is steadily narrowing—in 2024, girls made up 46% of all students who passed Class 12 in the science stream.

4. At the higher education level, the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2021–22 reported that women comprise 52.1% of students in science disciplines, showcasing a strong female presence.

5. Notably, in medicine, female representation is now on par with men, and their participation in engineering and technology—historically male-dominated—has also been steadily increasing.

6. Despite the progress, barriers remain: social and cultural norms often reinforce restrictive gender roles, while a lack of visible female role models in science limits young girls' aspirations.

7. Workplace inequality, including gender bias and underrepresentation in leadership, further contributes to discouraging women from staying or advancing in STEM careers.

8. Increasing women’s participation in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) is vital for ensuring gender equity, closing the gender gap, and unlocking India’s full scientific potential.

9. Several initiatives have been launched to promote this goal:

   • Vigyan Jyoti aims to encourage girls to pursue higher education and careers in STEM through mentoring, exposure, and support.

   • The CURIE Initiative enhances R&D infrastructure in women’s universities to attract, train, and retain young women in science and technology fields.

   • The WISE-KIRAN Scheme supports women scientists to engage in cutting-edge research in science and engineering, aiming to bridge gender imbalances in innovation.

World Investment Report 2025

1. The World Investment Report 2025, released by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), warns that rising uncertainty in global investment is threatening the ability of developing countries to meet the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

2. Global Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) flows fell by 11% in 2024, dropping to $1.5 trillion, with most developing economies among the top 20 recipients witnessing declines.

3. Despite the downturn, the United States remained the largest recipient of FDI, while India ranked 16th, reflecting its relative resilience amid broader declines.

4. However, FDI growth remains uneven across regions—for instance, Africa saw a 75% surge, primarily due to a single large project in Egypt, whereas Latin America and the Caribbean faced a 12% drop in total FDI flows.

5. A troubling trend is the stagnation or absence of investment in job-creating industries, including infrastructure, energy, and other sectors vital for employment and inclusive growth.

6. Particularly alarming is the sharp decline in FDI in sectors critical for achieving the SDGs, such as renewable energy (down 31%) and water and sanitation (down 30%), which are essential for environmental sustainability and public health.

7. According to UNCTAD, developing countries require an estimated $4 trillion to $5 trillion annually in investment to stay on track with the SDGs—highlighting a widening investment gap.

8. The report attributes this shortfall to a mix of geopolitical tensions, trade fragmentation, intensifying industrial policy competition, and high financial risk, all of which are undermining long-term investor confidence.

9. To address the crisis, UNCTAD recommends scaling up the catalytic role of multilateral development banks, and increasing the use of guarantees, hybrid capital (a mix of debt and equity), and de-risking instruments to attract private investment into development sectors.

Indian Institutions rise in QS World University Rankings 2026

1. India’s higher education sector received global recognition, as the QS World University Rankings 2026 showed significant improvement in the performance of Indian institutions, welcomed by the Prime Minister who reaffirmed commitment to strengthening research and innovation ecosystems.

2. The QS World University Rankings, published annually by Quacquarelli Symonds—a London-based higher education analytics firm—are globally recognized for evaluating universities based on academic reputation, employer reputation, faculty-student ratio, citations per faculty, international faculty and student ratios.

3. India emerged as the fourth most represented country globally, with 54 universities featuring in the rankings, following the United States, United Kingdom, and China.

4. Among these, IIT Delhi stood out as India’s top-ranked institution, securing the 123rd global position, a significant rise from 150th in the 2025 edition—reflecting its growing global academic standing.

5. Additionally, five Indian institutions ranked among the global top 100 in Employer Reputation, highlighting strong industry confidence in Indian graduates and the employability of Indian talent.

6. Eight Indian universities also featured in the global top 100 for Citations per Faculty, which indicates the research impact of faculty members through the frequency of academic citations.

   
   

India’s R&D Ecosystem – Achievements and Challenges

1. India ranked 39th out of 133 countries in the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2024, reflecting moderate innovation capacity, though with room for improvement in research infrastructure and funding.

2. However, India’s R&D expenditure remains low, at only 0.64% of GDP (2020–21), well below global innovation leaders like South Korea or Israel, where R&D investment exceeds 3–4% of GDP.

3. Another key concern is limited private sector participation, with businesses contributing only 36.4% of India’s Gross Expenditure on R&D (GERD) in 2020–21, whereas in advanced economies, private sector contributions often exceed 70%.

4. A major structural gap is the sub-optimal industry-academia convergence, where innovations from Indian research labs rarely translate into scalable technologies or commercial products.

5. The problem of brain drain persists, with talented researchers and students leaving India due to the allure of better infrastructure, funding, and international exposure in developed countries.

Key Government Initiatives to Boost R&D in India

1. The Draft National Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy (STIP), 2020 envisions doubling the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) researchers, GERD, and private sector share in GERD every 5 years—signaling long-term commitment to research investment.

2. The establishment of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) under the ANRF Act, 2023 aims to seed, fund, and coordinate research across Indian universities, colleges, and national institutions, while fostering a strong culture of innovation.

3. The IMPRINT (IMPacting Research INnovation and Technology) scheme focuses on bridging the gap between academic research and engineering application, ensuring that scientific knowledge results in tangible solutions for national development.

Read More: QS Rankings 2026

Energy Transition Index (ETI), 2025

1. The World Economic Forum (WEF) has released its Energy Transition Index (ETI) 2025, which assesses global progress in shifting from fossil fuels to clean energy sources.

2. Sweden continues to lead the global energy transition, securing the 1st rank, followed closely by Finland, Denmark, and Norway, highlighting strong performance by Nordic countries.

3. In contrast, India's rank slipped from 63rd in 2024 to 71st in 2025, indicating challenges in sustaining its momentum in clean energy progress.

4. The Energy Transition Index (ETI) evaluates countries on two core dimensions: System Performance and Transition Readiness, offering a comprehensive picture of each nation's energy journey.

5. System Performance refers to how effectively a country delivers energy in terms of security (reliable supply), equity (affordability and access), and sustainability (environmental impact).

6. Transition Readiness, on the other hand, measures how well-positioned a country is to advance its energy transition, considering factors like policy regulations, infrastructure quality, technological innovation, and investment climate.

7. The index compiles insights using 43 indicators across these two dimensions, sourced from globally recognized datasets, and scores countries on a scale ranging from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating stronger performance.

8. The ETI serves as a strategic tool for policymakers, investors, and industry leaders to benchmark progress, identify gaps, and prioritize actions toward a more secure, equitable, and sustainable energy future.

Annual Report on Children and Armed Conflict

1. The United Nations Secretary-General has released the Annual Report on Children and Armed Conflict, shedding light on the increasing impact of wars on minors.

2. Alarmingly, the report notes a 25% surge in grave violations against children (defined as individuals under the age of 18), signaling a sharp deterioration in child protection in conflict zones.

3. In total, 41,370 grave violations were documented against children during 2024, marking one of the most severe years on record.

4. The countries with the highest number of child victims include Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Somalia, Nigeria, and Haiti—all regions experiencing sustained or escalating conflict.

5. The most prevalent types of violations in 2024 were: killing and maiming (i.e., deaths and injuries caused by conflict), denial of humanitarian access (blocking aid like food and medical care), and recruitment and use of children in armed roles.

6. Grave violations, a UN-defined term, refer to the six worst abuses committed against children in armed conflict—these include killing, maiming, sexual violence, abduction, recruitment, attacks on schools/hospitals, and denial of aid.

7. The report identifies non-State armed groups (such as militias, insurgents, or terrorist groups) as responsible for 50% of these violations, while government forces were also implicated, particularly in killings and attacks on schools.

Extreme Helium (EHe) Stars

1. Astronomers have recently identified a mysterious star named A980, which has been classified as part of the rare Extreme Helium (EHe) star group.

2. Notably, for the first time, researchers detected the presence of germanium in A980—an element never before observed in any EHe star, adding a new layer to their chemical mystery.

3. Extreme Helium (EHe) stars are unusual low-mass supergiants, meaning they are large, luminous stars with relatively low mass compared to typical supergiants.

4. What sets them apart is their near-total lack of hydrogen—the most abundant element in the universe—making them highly uncommon in stellar evolution.

5. Instead, their atmospheres are rich in helium, along with elevated levels of carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen, which are typically products of nuclear fusion.

6. Despite their distinctive features, the exact origin and evolutionary path of EHe stars remains an open question in astrophysics, with ongoing debates and theories.

7. The discovery of A980 and its unique chemical signature contributes valuable insights into the stellar life cycle, particularly for stars that defy conventional classification.

Sickle Cell Disease

1. On the occasion of World Sickle Cell Day, the Union Government announced a ₹10 crore prize to encourage drug development for the treatment of Sickle Cell Disease, aiming to address a critical healthcare gap.

2. Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) refers to a group of inherited blood disorders affecting the red blood cells (RBCs), caused by abnormal hemoglobin—the protein responsible for carrying oxygen in the blood.

3. In this condition, the abnormal hemoglobin causes RBCs to become rigid and crescent-shaped, resembling a sickle, rather than their normal flexible, disc-like shape.

4. These sickle-shaped cells tend to break down prematurely, leading to a constant shortage of healthy red blood cells, which in turn causes anemia, fatigue, and other complications.

5. The root cause of the disease is genetic inheritance—a child develops the condition when they inherit two faulty genes (one from each parent) that code for the abnormal hemoglobin variant.

6. As of now, there is only one approved drug available for the management of Sickle Cell Disease, underscoring the urgent need for new and effective treatment options.

7. This government initiative seeks to accelerate research and innovation in the field, especially for a disease that disproportionately affects tribal and underserved populations in India.

NAKSHATRA

1. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has launched its first high-performance computing facility named NAKSHATRA at the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, marking a significant advancement in India’s biomedical research infrastructure.

2. Developed under the flagship PM Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM ABHIM), NAKSHATRA represents a cutting-edge computing cluster—a network of powerful computers working together to process large volumes of data efficiently.

3. This facility offers enhanced data storage and optimizes workflows specifically for genomic research, which involves analyzing the genetic material of pathogens and hosts to understand diseases better.

4. NAKSHATRA aims to accelerate early detection of disease threats, enable faster responses to outbreaks, and bolster artificial intelligence (AI)-driven vaccine and drug development, helping India stay ahead in public health emergencies.

Doomsday Fish (Oarfish)

1. Recently, fishermen off the Tamil Nadu coast caught an Oarfish, a rare and fascinating deep-sea creature also known as the "doomsday fish."

2. The Oarfish is notable for its strikingly large size and distinctive long, ribbon-shaped body, which allows it to float gracefully and almost invisibly through different layers of the ocean, known as the water column.

3. It is nicknamed the doomsday fish because, according to Japanese folklore, its unusual appearance near the ocean surface is believed to signal impending natural disasters, such as earthquakes or tsunamis.

4. Oarfish can grow to impressive lengths, sometimes exceeding 30 feet, making them some of the longest bony fish in the ocean.

5. They are filter feeders, meaning they feed by straining tiny food particles like krill, plankton, and other small crustaceans from the water; a filter feeder is an animal that extracts its food by filtering organic matter from water currents, similar to clams or baleen whales.

6. Typically, Oarfish dwell in the deep sea, inhabiting the ocean’s least explored zones, which makes studying them particularly challenging for scientists.

Rajkot’s Sustainable Model for Dumpsite Remediation

1. Rajkot has transformed Nakrawadi, a decades-old dumpsite burdened with 16 lakh tonnes of legacy waste, into a thriving 20-acre green urban forest, showcasing sustainable urban renewal.

2. This transformation was part of the Swachh Bharat Mission’s "Lakshya Zero Dumpsite" initiative, which aims to remediate legacy waste dumpsites and create garbage-free cities across India.

3. The Rajkot model involved planting 2.35 lakh native and fast-growing trees using the Miyawaki technique, a method developed by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki in the 1970s that creates dense, fast-growing forests by using native species.

4. Additionally, the project incorporated waste-to-energy techniques to convert waste into usable energy and employed secondary treated water for irrigation, enhancing resource efficiency.

5. This approach exemplifies a circular economy model, where waste is transformed into valuable resources, turning a degraded dumpsite into a sustainable, eco-friendly urban green space.

Axiom-4 Mission

1. NASA’s Axiom Mission-4 has been delayed again due to technical issues with the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, which is critical for the mission’s launch and docking operations.

2. The mission marks the fourth private astronaut flight to the International Space Station (ISS), where the crew will stay docked for up to 14 days conducting scientific and commercial activities.

3. Axiom Mission-4 will launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, carrying the Dragon spacecraft to the ISS, the orbiting laboratory used for research and international cooperation in space.

4. This mission is a joint effort coordinated by NASA along with private US companies SpaceX and Axiom Space, continuing a new era of commercial spaceflight.

5. Notably, Axiom-1, launched in 2022, was the first-ever all-private astronaut mission to the ISS, paving the way for subsequent missions like Axiom-4.

6. Axiom Mission-4 is significant as it will mark the first time human spaceflight missions feature crew members from India, Poland, and Hungary, making it a historic moment for these nations in space exploration.

7. This mission will be their first-ever participation aboard the ISS, expanding the global footprint of human spaceflight and scientific collaboration.

Read More: Axiom Mission 4 launch delayed again

National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI)

1. The National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI) recently celebrated 20 years since its establishment, marking two decades of strengthening India’s internet infrastructure.

2. Founded in 2003 as a not-for-profit organization under Section 8 of the Companies Act, 2013 (which governs non-profit entities), NIXI was created to improve internet connectivity within India.

3. Its primary purpose is to enable peering among Internet Service Providers (ISPs) across India, which helps keep domestic internet traffic within the country, reducing costs and improving speed and security.

4. In 2004, NIXI was entrusted with managing India’s .IN Country Code Top-Level Domain (ccTLD), a critical internet resource that represents India’s digital identity online, through the INRegistry.

5. NIXI operates on a neutral and non-discriminatory basis, adhering to global best practices, ensuring fair and transparent internet exchange services for all stakeholders.

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