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CURRENT AFFAIRS DAILY DIGEST – 2025-02-19

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Grok 3 AI: Earth's smartest AI

Grok 3 AI: Earth's smartest AI

Elon Musk's AI company has launched a new and smart AI chatbot Grok 3. During a demo event, Musk said that we are very excited to introduce Grok 3, which we think is a huge upgrade from Grok 2. It took very little time to create it. The launch event was watched by about 1,00,000 viewers, where Grok 3's extraordinary capabilities, development process and its superiority compared to other leading AI models were demonstrated.

 

The huge computing power behind Grok 3

The development of Grok 3 required enormous computing resources. xAI officials said that they created an extensive infrastructure to enable this AI:

• 1,00,000 GPUs were installed in just 122 days, which is a historic achievement in AI research and development.

• The size of the H100 cluster was doubled in 92 days, further accelerating the process of training and improving Grok 3.

This unprecedented computing power has made Grok 3 a fast, accurate and deeply reasoning AI, making it one of the most advanced AI systems ever.

 

The Future of AI with Grok 3

The unveiling of Grok 3 could prove to be a major milestone in the field of artificial intelligence. xAI is constantly pushing the boundaries of AI and this new AI model could play a key role in transforming various industries, such as:

• Education: AI-powered tutoring and content creation

• Healthcare: Advanced diagnostics and medical research

 

• Finance: Market forecasting and risk analysis

• Software development: Automated coding and debugging

With Grok 3’s superior intelligence and deep understanding capabilities, xAI is ushering in a new era of human-AI collaboration.

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Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana

Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana

The Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) is India's flagship crop insurance scheme, launched on 18 February 2016 under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The scheme aims to provide protection to Indian farmers against various risks such as natural calamities, pests and diseases. Over the past nine years, the scheme has proven to be a vital tool for farmers, with claim payments of over ₹1.75 lakh crore made to over 23.22 crore farmers. It has not only helped stabilize farmers' incomes but also encouraged innovation and sustainable agricultural practices.

 

Benefits of Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana

The most prominent feature of PMFBY is its affordable premium rates. Farmers are required to pay a minimal premium, making the scheme widely available:

• 2% premium for Kharif crops

• 1.5% premium for Rabi crops

• 5% premium for commercial and horticultural crops

The rest of the premium is paid by the government, making it an affordable solution for farmers. Moreover, claims are settled within two months of harvest, ensuring timely financial assistance to farmers.

 

Technological innovations in PMFBY

Over the years, PMFBY has adopted satellite imagery, drones, and remote sensing technology, bringing accuracy and transparency in crop damage assessment. YES-TECH (Yield Estimation System Based on Technology), especially launched in Kharif 2023, has proved to be a significant step in ensuring correct compensation to farmers.

 

Future Plan and Government Commitment

PMFBY has been approved to continue till 2025-26 with a budget of ₹69,515.71 crore. This decision reflects the Government's commitment towards long-term agricultural risk protection.

 

Positive Changes in Agriculture

PMFBY has now become the world's largest crop insurance scheme, implemented in more than 23 states and union territories. The participation of non-loanee farmers reached 55% in 2023-24, which makes it clear that farmers are now becoming more aware and voluntarily adopting insurance cover.

Conclusion

Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana has become not just an insurance scheme but a lifeline for millions of Indian farmers. The scheme provides financial protection to farmers from sudden risks, thereby creating a more sustainable and robust agricultural ecosystem in India. Due to its innovation-based strategy, quick claims process and technological advancement, PMFBY is playing a vital role in shaping the future of Indian agriculture.

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Central Government Extends PM-AASHA Scheme till 2025-26

Central Government Extends PM-AASHA Scheme till 2025-26

The Central Government has extended the Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan (PM-AASHA) scheme till 2025-26. This decision has been taken to provide better income support to farmers and ensure that they get remunerative prices for their crops. The PM-AASHA scheme also helps in stabilizing the prices of food items, thereby benefiting both farmers and consumers.

The PM-AASHA scheme focuses on several important components, which directly benefit farmers. These are detailed as follows:

 

Price Support Scheme (PSS): Under this scheme, the government procures pulses, oilseeds and coconut (copra) from registered farmers at the Minimum Support Price (MSP). The process is conducted through agencies like NAFED and NCCF, ensuring that farmers get a fair price despite the fall in market prices.

Price Stabilization Fund (PSF): This fund is created to control price fluctuations in the market. The government stores pulses and onions using this fund, which keeps the prices of these essential commodities stable. remain stable and available to consumers at a fair rate.

Price Difference Payment Scheme (PDPS): This scheme compensates farmers for the difference between MSP and market price. Oilseed growers in particular benefit from this, enabling them to get a fair price for their crops and maintain stability in income.

 

How is the government increasing financial support for farmers?

The government has increased the procurement limit under the PM-AASHA scheme. Now approval has been given to procure up to 25% of the national production, while 100% procurement has been guaranteed for tur (arhar), urad and lentil in the 2024-25 season. This will increase the income of farmers especially during the Kharif season.

In addition, the government has given a financial guarantee of ₹45,000 crore, which will help in smooth running of the procurement process and bringing more farmers under the scheme.

The government has approved the procurement of tur (pigeon pea) in nine states for the Kharif 2024-25 season. A target of procurement of 13.22 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) has been set, which will directly benefit thousands of farmers.

As of February 15, 2025, procurement of 0.15 LMT tur has already been completed in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Telangana, benefiting 12,006 farmers. This shows that the government is actively working to ensure fair prices to farmers for their crops and making efforts to keep the prices of food items stable in the market.

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Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) Report

Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) Report

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has emerged as the richest political party in India for the financial year 2023-24, with a total income of ₹4,340.47 crore, according to the latest report of the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).

BJP

According to the ADR report, the total income of BJP stood at ₹4,340.47 crore in FY 2023-24, which is 74.56% of the total income of the six national parties. However, the party spent only 50.96% of the amount i.e. ₹2,211.69 crore, leaving it with a huge surplus.

Congress

Congress reported an income of ₹1,225.11 crore, out of which it spent ₹1,025.24 crore, which is 83.69% of the total income. This clearly shows that the expenditure ratio of Congress was higher than that of BJP.

Total Income of National Parties: The total income of all the six national parties (BJP, Congress, CPI(M), AAP, BSP, and NPEP) stood at ₹5,820.91 crore in FY 2023-24.

BJP's share: ₹4,340.47 crore (74.56%)

Congress' share: ₹1,225.11 crore (21.04%)

Comparison of financial years 2022-23 and 2023-24

The ADR report analysed the annual growth in the income of political parties, which showed a significant increase in the financial position of BJP and Congress:

 

• BJP's income grew by 83.85%, from ₹2,360.84 crore in 2022-23 to ₹4,340.47 crore in 2023-24, i.e. an increase of ₹1,979.62 crore.

 

• Congress' income increased by 170.82%, from ₹452.37 crore in 2022-23 to ₹1,225.11 crore in 2023-24, an increase of ₹772.74 crore.

 

• CPI(M)'s income increased by 18.34%, from ₹141.66 crore in 2022-23 to ₹167.63 crore in 2023-24.

 

Major sources of income of national parties

According to the ADR report, there are three main sources of income of national parties:

1. Donations and contributions:

• BJP: ₹3,967.14 crore

• Congress: ₹1,129.66 crore

• CPI(M): ₹74.86 crore

• AAP: ₹22.13 crore

• NPEP: ₹17.69 lakh

2. Collection through coupon sale:

• Congress sold coupons worth ₹58.55 crore to raise funds, which is 4.78% of its total income.

 

Delay in submission of financial reports

Political parties were supposed to submit their annual accounts reports by October 31, 2024. However, some parties failed to submit the reports on time:

 

• Parties that submitted reports on time: BSP, NPEP, AAP

• Parties that submitted late:

o CPI(M): 12 days late

o Congress: 53 days late

o BJP: 66 days late

The BJP’s massive financial edge reflects its strong donor network and resource mobilisation capability. An 83.85% increase in just one year clearly shows that the party’s financial position is rapidly strengthening, which could have a significant impact on the upcoming elections.

On the other hand, the Congress’ income growth of 170.82% indicates that the opposition party has also been successful in raising financial resources for its campaign.

The financial strength of political parties will play a key role in electoral strategies, voter outreach, and overall electoral impact.

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