National Affairs
71st National Wildlife Week (WLW 2025)
- Presided By: Bhupender Yadav (Union Minister of MoEF&CC) in Dehradun, Uttarakhand.
- Theme: "Human-Wildlife Coexistence" (moving from conflict to coexistence).
- 5 National Projects Launched:
- Phase-II of Project Dolphin
- Project Sloth Bear
- Project Gharial
- Centre of Excellence Human-Wildlife Conflict (CoE-HWC) at SACON
- Project Tigers Outside Tiger Reserves (TOTR)
- Hackathon: A 3-week National Hackathon on HWC Co-existence showcased AI-based tools and spatial analytics for real-time conflict mitigation.
NCRB "Crime in India 2023" Report
- Safest City: Kolkata named India's safest city for the fourth consecutive year (83.9 cognizable offences per lakh population).
- Most Unsafe City: Kochi (crime rate of 3,192.4).
- National Average: 433 cases per lakh population.
- Top Safest Cities Ranking: 1. Kolkata, 2. Hyderabad, 3. Pune, 4. Mumbai, 5. Coimbatore.
Critical Mineral Recycling Incentive Scheme
- Allocation: ₹1,500 Crore scheme under the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM).
- Duration: FY 2025-26 to FY 2030-31 (6 years).
- Application Window: October 2, 2025, to April 1, 2026.
- Eligible Feedstock: E-waste, spent Lithium-ion Batteries (LiB), and scrap material.
Digital & Infrastructure Developments
- Land Administration: The National Conference on Land Administration & Disaster Management was held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. Key launches included the RO Mobile App (work logs for Revenue Officers) and the Integrated Land Administration (ILA) System.
- Semiconductor Boost: Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw approved the ₹4.95 crore NaMo Semiconductor Laboratory at IIT Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
- Railway Security: Airtel Business secured a multi-year contract from the Indian Railways Security Operations Centre (IRSOC) to provide AI-based cybersecurity across 26 railway zones.
- Marine Safety: The Indian Coast Guard conducted the 10th NATPOLREX-X and 27th NOSDCP exercise off the Chennai coast, introducing the first-ever shoreline clean-up drill at Marina Beach.
Banking & Finance
SEBI Investor Security Initiatives
SEBI partnered with the NPCI to deploy two major security tools:
- Validated UPI Handles: Registered intermediaries will use official
@validIDs (e.g.,.brkfor brokers,.mffor mutual funds). Valid transactions will display a "thumbs-up" symbol inside a green triangle on the payment screen. - SEBI Check: A self-verification tool on the SEBI portal/Saarthi app to verify an intermediary's bank account details (NEFT/RTGS/IMPS) or UPI ID before transferring funds.
Digital Banking & Credit Launches
- Cosmos Galgal App: Launched by Cosmos Co-operative Bank; India's first youth-focused digital banking app. Features video KYC for zero-balance accounts in under 15 minutes.
- Wish Credit Card: A joint launch by PhonePe and Utkarsh Small Finance Bank. It is an FD-backed RuPay credit card with a minimum deposit of ₹2,000.
- Biometric Card Authentication: Razorpay and YES Bank launched India's first RBI-compliant biometric card authentication system using facial recognition, transitioning away from traditional SMS OTPs.
Awards, Appointments, & Sports
Awards & Recognitions
- MY Bharat NSS Awards (2022-23): President Droupadi Murmu presented 50 awards (including 20 to NSS Units/Programme Officers and 30 to Volunteers) for social service and nation-building.
- Nobel Prize in Physics 2025: Awarded to John Clarke (UK), Michel Devoret (France), and John Martinis (USA) for discovering macroscopic quantum mechanical tunnelling and energy quantisation in electric circuits—the foundation for modern quantum computing.
Appointments & Mergers
- Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC): Hagrama Mohilary was sworn in as the Chief Executive Member (CEM) and Rihon Daimary as Deputy CEM in Kokrajhar, Assam.
- IIHL Acquisition: IndusInd International Holdings Limited (IIHL) completed a 100% stake acquisition of Sterling Bank, Bahamas, renaming it IIHL Bank & Trust Ltd.
F1 Singapore Grand Prix 2025
- Race Winner: George Russell (UK, Mercedes), leading from pole position to finish.
- Podium Finishers: 2nd - Max Verstappen (Red Bull), 3rd - Lando Norris (McLaren).
- Constructors' Title: McLaren secured its 10th Teams' Championship with six races remaining in the season.
| Rank | Driver | Team | Country | Points |
| 1 | George Russell | Mercedes | United Kingdom | 25 |
| 2 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | Netherlands | 18 |
| 3 | Lando Norris | McLaren | United Kingdom | 15 |
0 Comments