NATIONAL AFFAIRS

8th International Solar Alliance (ISA) Assembly Held in New Delhi

The Government of India, in partnership with the International Solar Alliance (ISA), hosted the 8th Session of the ISA Assembly at the Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. The event focused on accelerating global solar energy deployment.

• Key Leadership: Chaired by Union Minister Pralhad Joshi (Ministry of New and Renewable Energy) and co-chaired by Benoit Faraco (Special Envoy for Climate Negotiations, France).
• Inauguration: Opened by the President of India, Droupadi Murmu, emphasizing inclusive and sustainable global growth.
• Theme: "One Sun, One World, One Grid" (OSOWOG).
• Global Expansion: China officially joined the ISA, significantly expanding the alliance's global footprint.

Major Initiatives Launched:

• SUNRISE Initiative: Launched by India, standing for Solar Upcycling Network for Recycling, Innovation & Stakeholder Engagement, focusing on solar waste recycling.
• SIDS Solar Procurement Platform: Developed jointly by the ISA, World Bank, and India to provide Small Island Developing States (SIDS) with affordable and resilient clean energy.

India Crosses Historic 500 GW Power Capacity Milestone

The Ministry of Power announced that India’s total installed electricity generation capacity has officially crossed the 500 GW mark, standing at 500.89 GW as of September 30, 2025.

COP26 Goal Achieved Early: With non-fossil fuel sources accounting for 51% (256.09 GW) of total capacity, India has achieved its COP26 Panchamrit goal of reaching 50% non-fossil power capacity five years ahead of the 2030 deadline.

DRDO Hands Over 12 Technology Transfer Agreements (LAToTs)

During the inaugural SAMANVAY 2025 industry synergy event in Bengaluru, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) handed over 12 Licensing Agreements for Transfer of Technology (LAToTs) to Indian industry partners.

• The Tech: Covers 8 indigenous strategic products, including Electronic Warfare Suites and Laser Photoacoustic Spectroscopy Systems.
• MSME Boost: Aligns with the Revised DRDO ToT Policy 2025, utilizing the Technology Development Fund (TDF) which provides up to ₹50 crore per project to empower start-ups and small enterprises.
• New Setup: DRDO announced the creation of Industry Interaction Groups (IIGs) across all its labs to smooth out commercial production.

India-Sri Lanka Hold 1st Joint Working Group (JWG) Meeting on Agriculture

The inaugural JWG meeting between India and Sri Lanka took place at Krishi Bhawan, New Delhi, to fortify food and nutritional security across both nations.

• Co-Chairs: Dr. Devesh Chaturvedi (Secretary, DA&FW, India) and D.P. Wickramasinghe (Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Sri Lanka).
• Core Focus: Farm mechanization, organic/natural farming, digital agriculture, seed sector development, and climate-resilient farming techniques.

Toshiba Delivers India’s First 220kV Mobile GIS System to POWERGRID

Toshiba Transmission & Distribution Systems (India) (TTDI) flagged off India’s first indigenously manufactured 220kV Mobile Gas-Insulated Switchgear (m-GIS) System from its Rudraram facility in Telangana.

• Purpose: Built with a modular "Connect–Disconnect–Redeploy" design, it allows rapid power grid restoration during emergencies and natural disasters.
• Roadmap: TTDI will roll out a 132kV system in November 2025 and India’s first heavy-duty 400kV m-GIS by August 2026.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Dictionary.com Names "67" as Word of the Year 2025

In a historic nod to digital Gen Alpha culture, Dictionary.com chose the numerical slang "67" (pronounced six-seven) as its Word of the Year.

• Origin: Inspired by the viral track “Doot Doot (6 7)” by Skrilla.
• Usage: Acts as an internet meme, inside joke, or slang meaning "so-so" or "maybe," accompanied by a distinct hand gesture.

ECONOMY & BUSINESS

Reliance Partnered with Google for Pan-India AI Infrastructure

Reliance Intelligence Limited and Google have forged a mega-alliance to drive localized AI adoption, aligning with RIL's 'AI for All' roadmap.

The Jio-Google Gemini Offer: Jio users aged 18–25 on unlimited 5G plans will receive 18 months of free access to the Google Gemini 2.5 Pro model (a benefit valued at ₹35,100 per user).

• Infrastructure: Reliance will leverage Google Cloud's advanced Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) to train local AI models.
• SME Integration: They will launch Gemini Enterprise, helping small businesses easily deploy turnkey AI agents for retail, finance, and manufacturing.

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

• Global Finance Honors SBI: The State Bank of India (SBI) was named the "World’s Best Consumer Bank 2025" and "Best Bank in India 2025" at an awards ceremony held alongside the IMF-World Bank meetings in Washington, D.C. SBI's flagship YONO app now boasts over 100 million registered users.
• AACSB Accreditation: Jindal Global Business School (JGBS) (Haryana) and the Goa Institute of Management (GIM) received the prestigious AACSB International accreditation, placing them in the elite top 6% of business schools globally.

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Justice Surya Kant Appointed as the 53rd Chief Justice of India (CJI)

President Droupadi Murmu officially appointed Justice Surya Kant as the 53rd Chief Justice of India under Article 124(2) of the Constitution.

• Timeline: He will take his official oath on November 24, 2025, succeeding Justice B.R. Gavai. He is set to serve until February 9, 2027.
• Historic First: He will be the first-ever CJI hailing from the state of Haryana.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Pravaig Unveils 'VEER': India's First Military Electric Vehicle

Pravaig Dynamics has pulled the velvet off VEER, an Electric Tactical All-Terrain Vehicle (E-TATV) built for special forces, forward patrols, and stealth reconnaissance.

• Specs: Features an all-wheel-drive dual motor producing 408 hp and 620 Nm of torque.
• Range & Charging: Offers a 500+ km range on a 90.9 kWh battery; recharges from 0 to 80% in 30 minutes.
• Validation: Successfully passed military field trials under the Ministry of Defence’s iDEX (Innovations for Defence Excellence) program.

Google’s 'Willow' Chip Achieves First Verifiable Quantum Advantage

Google Quantum AI announced a quantum computing breakthrough published in the journal Nature. Its new Willow processor achieved a verifiable quantum advantage using a groundbreaking algorithm named Quantum Echoes.

• The Speed: It processed complex atomic interactions 13,000 times faster than the world's leading classical supercomputers.
• Why it matters: Unlike previous abstract quantum experiments, this is verifiable and repeatable by other quantum systems, opening doors for real-world drug discovery and materials science.

SPORTS

Ilamparthi A.R. Becomes India’s 90th Chess Grandmaster

16-year-old Ilamparthi Avalpoondurai Ravikumar from Chennai, Tamil Nadu, officially secured the Grandmaster (GM) title after crossing a FIDE rating of 2518 at the Bijeljina tournament in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

• He is India's 90th GM and the 35th GM to emerge from Tamil Nadu.
• He previously won the World Youth Chess Championship (U-14) in 2022.

OBITUARY

Legendary Olympic Hockey Goalkeeper Manuel Frederick Passes Away

Former Indian hockey goalkeeper Manuel Frederick passed away in Bengaluru at the age of 78.

• The "Tiger": Nicknamed for his fearless goal-tending, he was a pivotal factor in India winning the Bronze medal at the 1972 Munich Olympics.
• Legacy: He was the first-ever sportsperson from Kerala to win an Olympic medal. He was honored with the Major Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019.

BOOKS & AUTHORS

• "Antim Din" Released: The Sahitya Akademi released the Hindi translation of the prominent Lithuanian novel "The Last Day" written by Jaroslavas Melnikas. Translated by Dr. Poonam Tiwari, this marks the first-ever piece of Lithuanian fiction translated into Hindi.

IMPORTANT DAYS

National Unity Day (Rashtriya Ekta Diwas) 2025 – October 31

Observed annually to mark the birth anniversary of the "Iron Man of India," Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

• 2025 Milestone: Marks the landmark 150th Birth Anniversary of Sardar Patel.
• Key Events: PM Narendra Modi led the 'Unity Parade' at the Statue of Unity in Kevadia, Gujarat, and released a ₹150 commemorative coin and special postage stamp.

World Cities Day 2025 – October 31

A UN-designated day wrapping up "Urban October" to promote global sustainable urbanization.

• 2025 Theme: "People-Centred Smart Cities" (Global Theme: "Better City, Better Life").
• Host City: Global observances were held in Bogotá, Colombia.
• Future Projection: UN-Habitat highlights that by 2050, global urbanization will spike to nearly 70%.