Mizoram Achieves Full Functional Literacy
Hon’ble Chief Minister of Mizoram, Shri Lalduhoma, officially declared Mizoram a fully literate state, marking a historic milestone in the state’s educational journey. With this achievement, Mizoram becomes the first state in India to attain full literacy. The announcement was made during a special function held in Aizawl, the state capital, in the esteemed presence of Shri Jayant Chaudhary, Hon’ble Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship and Minister of State for Education, Government of India, Dr. Vanlalthlana, Hon’ble Minister of School Education, Higher & Technical Education, Mizoram, Shri Khilli Ram Meena, IAS, Chief Secretary to the Government of Mizoram, Shri David Lalthantluanga, Special Secretary, School Education Department, Government of Mizoram, State dignitaries, officials, and students of Mizoram University. Mizoram, which attained statehood on 20th February 1987, spans a geographical area of 21,081 km² (8,139 sq mi). As per the 2011 Census, it recorded a literacy rate of 91.33%, ranking third in India. Building on this strong foundation, the ULLAS – Nav Bharat Saaksharta Karyakram (New India Literacy Programme) was implemented to identify and educate the remaining non-literate individuals.
India Wins 7th SAFF U-19 Championship Title
The Indian men's football team won the SAFF U-19 Championship 2025 title after defeating Bangladesh 4-3 on penalties at the Golden Jubilee Stadium in Yupia, Arunachal Pradesh, on 18th May, 2025.
Brazil Declared Host of 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup
Brazil was declared the host of the 2027 Women's World Cup at the FIFA Congress. Beating the joint bid of Belgium, Netherlands, and Germany to become the first South American country to hold the tournament. Eight host cities of the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup are: Belo Horizonte (Estadio Mineirao), Brasilia (Estadio Nacional), Fortaleza (Arena Castelao), Porto Alegre (Estadio Beira-Rio), Recife (Arena de Pernambuco), Rio de Janeiro (Estadio do Maracana), Salvador (Arena Fonte Nova) and Sao Paulo (Arena Itaquera).
Neeraj Chopra Breaks 90 m Barrier in Javelin with 90.23 m Throw at Doha Diamond League 2025
Neeraj Chopra finished second in the men's javelin throw competition at the Doha Diamond League 2025 and managed to breach the 90 meter mark. Despite a record-breaking 90.23 meter throw, Neeraj had to settle behind Germany's Julian Weber, who start¬led everyone with a final throw of 91.06 meters.
Barcelona claim 28th LaLiga title after 2-0 win at Espanyol
Barcelona secured their 28th LaLiga title after they beat city rivals Espanyol 2-0, securing an unassailable seven-point lead over second-placed Real Madrid with two games left to play.
Neeraj Chopra conferred honorary rank of Lt Colonel
India’s star athlete Neeraj Chopra has been conferred the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Territorial Army. The double Olympic medallist’s appointment, published in The Gazette of India, came into effect on April 16.
Chopra, who made history by becoming India’s first Olympic gold medallist in track and field at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, cemented his legacy with a silver medal at the 2024 Paris Games. With two Olympic medals, he is now India’s most successful individual Olympian. He was earlier enrolled as a Junior Commissioned Officer in the rank of Naib Subedar in the Indian Army on 26 August 2016. He was promoted to Subedar in 2021 following his heroics in Tokyo.
Chopra has joined a distinguished list of Indian Olympians who have been honoured with military titles. Abhinav Bindra, the nation’s first individual gold medallist from the 2008 Beijing Olympics, was conferred the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, while shooter Vijay Kumar was made an honorary Captain following his silver medal win in 2012.
DRDO develops high-pressure polymeric membrane for sea water desalination
Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully developed an indigenous nanoporous multilayered polymeric membrane for high-pressure sea water desalination. Defence Materials Stores and Research & Development Establishment (DMSRDE), the Kanpur-based laboratory of DRDO, has developed the technology for desalination plant in Indian Coast Guard (ICG) ships, based on their operational requirement to address the serious challenge of stability when exposed to chloride ions in saline water. The development has been completed in a record time of eight months. DMSRDE, along with ICG, successfully carried out initial technical trials in the existing desalination plant of Offshore Patrolling Vessel (OPV) of ICG. The initial safety and performance trials of the polymeric membranes were found to be fully satisfactory. The final operational clearance will be given by ICG after 500 hrs of operational testing. Presently, the unit is under testing and trials on OPV. This membrane will be a boon for desalination of sea water in coastal areas after certain modifications. It is another step by DMSRDE in the journey of Aatmanirbhar Bharat.
Dr. Ajay Kumar Assumes Charge as Chairman, Union Public Service Commission
Dr. Ajay Kumar, Former Secretary, Ministry of Defence took the Oath of Office and Secrecy as Chairman, Union Public Service Commission today. The Oath was administered by Lt. Gen. Raj Shukla (Retd.), the senior most Member of the Commission. Having pursued a B.Tech. in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, Dr. Ajay Kumar has done his M.S. in Applied Economics from the University of Minnesota, USA and Ph.D in Business Administration from Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota, USA. He was also conferred an Hon. Doctor of Philosophy by Amity University in 2019. Dr. Ajay Kumar belongs to the 1985 batch of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) of Kerala Cadre. During his illustrious career of more than thirty five years, he has served in key positions in the State Government of Kerala as well as in the Centre. Some of his important assignments in the State were Managing Director, Electronics and Information Technology Department; Principal Secretary, Information Technology Department. At the Centre he held the significant portfolios of Director, Science & Technology; Joint Secretary, Ministry of Communications and Information Technology; Director General, National Informatics Centre; Additional Secretary, Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology; Secretary, Defence Production. In his last assignment, he served as Secretary, Ministry of Defence.
India Ranks Among Top Six Patent Filling Nations in 6G Technology
India is among the top six countries in terms of filing patents for 6G technologies, as stated by the Union Minister of State for Communications Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani at the Bharat 6G International Conference on May 15, 2025.
Bharat's 6G Vision aims to position India as a global 6G leader by 2030 through the Bharat 6G Alliance, 111+ funded research projects worth over 300 crore, global partnerships with Japan, Singapore, and Finland, and breakthroughs in terahertz communication and Al-native networks.
6G will enable speeds in terabits per second, enabling sub-millisecond latency, intelligent self-healing networks, and volumetric connectivity from underwater to aerospace.
Indian government seeks to pull ahead in developing standards for the next generation of telecom technology, after a rapid deployment of 5G base stations by telecom operators in India over the last couple of years.
Surya Kant Appointed as the NALSA Executive Chairman
President Droupadi Murmu nominated Supreme Court Judge Justice Surya Kant as the Executive Chair-man of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA). He will spearhead the NALSA's effort to ensure accessible and free legal aid for all citizens, especially from marginalized and economically dis-advantaged section. Justice Surya Kant has played a significant role in advancing access to justice and has been a strong proponent of legal aid and institutional reforms in the justice delivery system.
Cabinet approves semiconductor unit in Uttar Pradesh
The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, approved the establishment of one more semiconductor unit under the India Semiconductor Mission. Already, five semiconductor units are in advanced stages of construction. With this sixth unit, Bharat moves forward in its journey to develop the strategically vital semiconductor industry. The unit approved today is a joint venture of HCL and Foxconn. HCL has a long history of developing and manufacturing hardware. Foxconn is a major global electronics manufacturing company. Together, they will set up a plant near Jewar airport in the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority or YEIDA. This plant will manufacture display driver chips for mobile phones, laptops, automobiles, PCs, and the myriad of other devices that have a display. The plant is designed for 20,000 wafers per month. The design output capacity is 36 million units per month. The semiconductor industry is now shaping up across the country. World-class design facilities have come up in many states across the country. State governments are vigorously pursuing the design firms. Students and entrepreneurs in 270 academic institutions and 70 startups are working on world-class class latest design technologies for developing new products. 20 products developed by the students of these academic students have been taped out by SCL Mohali. The new semiconductor unit approved today will attract investment of Rs 3,700 crore.
Shri Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai was sworn in as 52nd Chief Justice of India.
Shri Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai was sworn in as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India. He made and subscribed to the oath of office before the President.Born on November 24, 1960, Justice Gavai entered the legal profession in 1985 and began independent practice at the Bombay High Court in 1987, later moving to its Nagpur Bench. He was appointed a judge of the Bombay High Court in November 2003 and elevated to the Supreme Court in May 2019.
Anita Anand appointed Canada’s Foreign Minister
Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney has appointed Anita Ananda to the powerful post of Foreign Minister in his new cabinet charged with fulfilling the “mandate for change”. He also appointed Maninder Sidhu as the international trade minister, and two others of Indian descent as secretaries of state – the equivalent of ministers of state.
Brazilian researcher who helped country’s grain boom wins World Food Prize
Brazilian microbiologist Mariangela Hungria, whose research has helped farmers in the country sharply boost grain production, has been named the 2025 World Food Prize Laureate, the Iowa-based foundation organizing the prize. Hungria has been a researcher for more than 40 years at Brazil’s state-run agricultural center Embrapa, where she works on seeds and soil treatments that enable plants to source nutrients through soil bacteria, a particularly important development for soybean crops. Her work helped Brazil increase soybean production from around 15 million metric tons in the 1980s to more than 170 million tons today, making the country the world’s largest producer and exporter of the commodity.
World's first commercial scale e-Methanol Plant was inaugurated in Denmark
The World's first commercial-scale e-Methanol plant was inaugurated in Aabenraa, Denmark. Named the Kasso e-methanol facility, it is also Europe's second-largest green hydrogen project. It has an annual production capacity of 42,000 tonnes of e-methanol and is developed by European Energy (51%) and operated in collaboration with Mitsui & Co. (49%). The plant combines green hydrogen with biogenic CO2 captured from the Biogas facility to produce 42,000 tonnes of e-methanol with a 97% lower carbon footprint than methanol derived from fossil fuels.
Mariangela Hungria has been awarded the World Food Prize 2025
Mariangela Hungria, a micro-biologist from Brazil's Sao Paulo, was awarded the World Food Prize 2025 by the World Food Prize Foundation on May 13, 2025. Over a forty years career with the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa), Hungaria developed dozens of biological treatments that resulted in boosting agricultural productivity of crops such as wheat, maize, rice, beans and soyabeans through better nutrients absorption from soil bacteria. Soyabean is now top agricultural export of Brazil.
Alok Joshi Appointed as the Chairman of the National Security Advisory Board
Shri Alok Joshi, former chief of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and former 1976 batch IPS officer of Haryana cadre, was appointed as the Chairman of the revamped National Security Advisory Board (NSAB). In the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack on 22nd April, 2025, the Union Government reconstituted the National Security Advisory Board (NSAB) comprising seven members, including senior retired officials from the armed forces, Indian Police Service (IPS), and Indian Foreign Service (IFS). All aspects of national security are deliberated upon by the National Security Council (NSC), the apex body, headed by the Prime Minister. The Ministers of Home Affairs, Defence, External Affairs, and Finance are its members. The National Security Adviser is its Secretary. The three-tier structure of the NSC comprises the Strategic Policy Group (SPG), the National Security Advisory Board (NSAB), and the National Security Council Secretariat. The Strategic Policy Group (SPG) is chaired by the Cabinet Secretary, is the principal forum for inter-ministerial coordination and integration of the relevant inputs. The NSAB undertakes long-term analysis and provides perspectives on issues of national security.
Pope Leo XIV Becomes the First Pope from USA
Robert Francis Prevost, the 69 year old pontiff took the papal name Leo XIV, becoming the first American to ascend to the highest position in the Catholic Church. On May 8, 2025, he officially became the successor of Pope Francis, who had passed away on 21st April, 2025.
Pankaj Tripathi becomes the ambassador of Khelo India Youth Games 2025
Pankaj Tripathi has been invited as the face of Bihar for the Khelo India Youth Games 2025. The announcement has created a buzz among the sports enthusiasts becoming the major sporting event the state has ever hosted.
Indore has claimed to become India's first beggar free city
Indore has claimed to become India's first beggar-free city, after a year-long campaign that began in February 2024. The initiative, recognized by the Union Ministry and the World Bank, focused on rehabilitating beggars by providing employment and enrolling children in schools. The city has banned begging and giving alms, with rewards offered for reporting viola¬tions. Indore is one of the 10 cities where the Union Ministry has started a pilot project to eliminate begging. There were about 5,000 beggars in the city, including 500 children, a year ago. Begging as well as giving money to beggars or buying anything from them has been banned in the city, and three FIRs have been registered for violations. A reward of Rs. 1,000 is given to anyone providing information about begging and many people have claimed the reward so far.
Friedrich Merz Elected as the Chancellor of Germany
Germany's conservative leader Friedrich Merz was elected as a new chancellor of the country after securing a majority in the second round of voting in the Lower House of Parlia¬ment (The Bundestag). A total of 325 of the 630 law-makers voted in favour of him in the second round, bringing him over the necessary 316 threshold. Earlier, in the first round, only 310 members voted for him giving a significant blow to his prestige and an unprecedented failure in post-war German history.
Bhuwan Ribhu First Indian Lawyer to Receive Honour from World Law Congress 2025
Child rights activist and lawyer Bhuwan Ribhu became the first Indian lawyer to be conferred with the 'Medal of Honour' by the World Jurist Association at the World Law Congress. Bhuwan Ribhu has led more than 60 PILs, which have reshaped child protection laws in India. His relentless work has led to several major reforms, includ¬ing the adoption of UN. The protocol's definition of trafficking, mandatory filing of FIRs for missing children, ban on child labour in hazardous industries. He is the founder of Just Rights for Children, which is India's largest legal child protection network, function¬ing across 28 states. He is a driving force behind a grassroots movement 'Child Marriage Free India.'
Shri Prakash Magdum assumes charge as Managing Director, National Film Development Corporation
Shri Prakash Magdum is the Managing Director of National Film Development Corporation (NFDC). Shri Magdum is a 1999-batch Officer of the Indian Information Service. Before this, Shri Magdum served as the Additional Director General of Press Information Bureau (PIB) and Central Bureau of Communication (CBC) in Ahmedabad. During an illustrious career spanning two decades, Shri Magdum has served as the Director of the National Film Archive of India (NFAI) in Pune. In this role, he was instrumental in furthering the task of the National Film Heritage Mission by preservation, conservation, digitization and restoration of India’s cinematic heritage.
Angola Becomes the 123rd Member of the International Solar Alliance
President of Angola, Mr. Joao Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, paid a State visit to India from May 1 to 4, 2025. It was his first-ever bilateral State visit to India. The visit of the Angolan President to India took place after 38 years, commemorating the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplo¬matic relations between the two countries in 2025. Angola signed the International Solar Alliance (ISA) Framework Agreement and became the 123rd member of the ISA.
India Becomes the First Country in the World to Develop Genome-edited Rice Varieties
India’s first genome-edited rice varieties, DRR Rice 100 (Kamala) and Pusa DST Rice 1, developed using genome editing technology based on CRISPR-Cas, were launched by Union Agriculture Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan in New Delhi. With this release, India has become the first country in the world to develop genome-edited rice varieties.
23rd September has been designated as the Ayurveda Day
The Government of India, through gazette notification, has designated 23rd September as the Ayurveda Day, starting from 2025. Previously, the Ayurveda Day was being observed on Dhanteras, but in the coming decade, the date of Dhanteras would continue to vary widely between 15th October and 12th November, posing logistical challenges for organising national and international observances.
PM Narendra Modi Inaugurates Vizhinjam International Seaport in Kerala
PM Narendra Modi inaugurated the Vizhinjam International Deepwater Multipurpose Seaport in Kerala. It is India's first dedicated deep¬water container trans¬shipment port, expected to transform the nation's maritime landscape. The Vizhinjam Seaport, developed under a public-private partnership model, has been spearheaded by the Kerala government with Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd. (APSEZ) as the private partner. Construction began on December 5, 2015, under the concessionaire Adani Vizhinjam Port Private Limited.
The project follows the landlord model of port development. Strategically located just 10 nautical miles from key international shipping routes linking Europe, the Persian Gulf, and the Far East. Vizhinjam port is positioned to enhance India's role in global trade. Its proximity to the East-West maritime corridor is expected to drastically reduce the country's reliance on foreign ports for cargo transshipment, improving logistics efficiency. As one of India's few natural deep-water ports, it can efficiently accommodate large cargo and container ships, thus making it an ideal choice for this development.
The development of this port is expected to significantly reduce India's reliance on foreign ports for transshipment, which previously accounted for 75% of such operations, thereby retaining revenue within the country and creating new economic opportunities for Kerala and its people. Vizhinjam is set to become a key player in regional trade, potentially serving as a gateway for commerce between South-east Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.
Air Marshal Narmdeshwar Tiwari PVSM AVSM VM took charge as the Vice Chief of the Air Staff, IAF
Air Marshal Narmdeshwar Tiwari PVSM AVSM VM took charge as the Vice Chief of the Air Staff, IAF. The Air Marshal completed his schooling at Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC) in Dehradun before joining the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasala, He passed out from NDA in Jun 1985 with the President's Gold Medal. He was commissioned as a Fighter Pilot in the Indian Air Force on 07 Jun 1986. The Air Marshal has over 3600 hours of flying experience on various types of aircraft. Besides being a Qualified Flying Instructor and an Experimental Test Pilot, the Air Marshal is a graduate of the Air Command and Staff College, USA. He has also served as Directing Staff at the IAF Test Pilots' School and the Defence Services Staff College in Wellington. His extensive field experience encompasses operational testing of various weapons and systems, including a key role in operationalising the 'Litening' Laser Designation Pod during the Kargil Operations in 1999. He was actively involved in the flight testing of the LCA from 2006 to 2009 and later in 2018-19, wherein, as the Project Director (Flight Test) at the National Flight Test Centre, he was involved in the Final Operational Clearance of the aircraft. The Air Marshal served as the Air Attache at Paris from 2013 to 2016. He has also held appointment Deputy Chief of the Air Staff at Air HQ (VB).Prior to assuming charge as the Vice Chief of the Air Staff, he was the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief at South Western Air Command. In recognition of his distinguished service, the Air Marshal was awarded the Presidential Award of Param Vishisht Seva Medal in 2025, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal in 2022, and Vayu Sena Medal in 2008.
Sanjay Jaiswal has been appointed as the Chairperson of the Committee on Estimates for 2025-26
The Lok Sabha's 30-member Committee on Estimates was reconstituted by the Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla for 2025-26. Sanjay Jaiswal has been appointed as the Chairperson of this Committee for one year term ending on April 30, 2026. Lok Sabha MP Baijayant Panda has been appointed as the Chairperson of the 22 member- Committee on Public Undertakings for 2025-26, which comprises of 15 members from the Lok Sabha and 7 members from the Rajya Sabha.
Cabinet approves Caste enumeration in the upcoming Census
Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has decided to include caste enumeration in the upcoming census. This demonstrates that the present government is committed to the holistic interests and values of the nation and society.
As per Article 246 of the Constitution of India, Census is a union subject listed at 69 in the Union List in the Seventh Schedule. While some states have conducted surveys to enumerate castes, these surveys have varied in transparency and intent, with some conducted purely from a political angle, creating doubts in society. Considering all these circumstances, and to ensure that our social fabric does not come under political pressure, it has been decided that caste enumeration should be included in the main census instead of being conducted as a separate survey.
This will ensure that society becomes stronger economically and socially, and the country’s progress continues without hindrance. It is noteworthy that when a provision of 10 percent reservation was made for the economically weaker sections of society, it did not create tension in any section of society. Caste was excluded from all census operations conducted since independence. In 2010, then Prime Minister Late Dr. Manmohan Singh assured the Lok Sabha that the matter of caste census would be considered in the Cabinet. A Group of Ministers was formed to deliberate on this subject, and most political parties recommended conducting a caste census. Despite this, the previous government opted for a survey instead of a caste census, known as the Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC).
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