NEWS 13-03-2025. News for 21st-Mar (Friday) 1. *Pradhan Mantri Surya Ghar, Muft Bijli Yojana,* has completed 10.09 lakh installations across the country as on the 10th of March. 2. The Govt has distributed around 37 crore LED bulbs across the country, thereby saving about 48 billion kiloWatt per hour of energy per year. 3. ISRO has launched a total of 393 foreign satellites and 3 Indian customer satellites, thus earning a revenue of 143 million US dollars. 4. The Center has recently approved for the ambitious Chandrayaan-5 mission to study the Moon. 5. India and Mauritius elevated their ties to an 'enhanced strategic partnership' and inked eight pacts to boost cooperation in several sectors, including maritime security, and promote trade in local currencies. 6. India’s merchandise trade deficit fell to $14.05 billion, the lowest in 3 years. The decline was primarily driven by contraction in both exports and imports. 7. Two mega defence deals with France — for 26 Rafale-M fighter jets and three more Scorpene-class conventional submarines — worth close to $11 billion are now awaiting final approval by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) before their anticipated conclusion very soon. 8. Russia has proposed replacing the R-77 air-to-air missile on India’s Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jets with the advanced R-37M missile, offering a significant upgrade to the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) capabilities. This proposal, made during Aero India 2025, includes a license for local production in India. 9. In Tennis, India's Vaidehi Chaudhary and Rashmika Bhamidipaty have clinched the W35 Nonthaburi Women's Doubles title in Thailand. 10. Indian captain Harmanpreet Singh and senior goalkeeper Savita Punia won the Hockey India Balbir Singh Senior Player of the Year award in the men's and women's categories respectively. < < Back