NATIONAL AFFAIRS

India Maritime Week 2025 Held in Mumbai

The Government of India hosted the India Maritime Week (IMW) 2025 at the NESCO Exhibition Centre in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Organized by the Indian Ports Association (IPA) and hosted by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways (MoPSW), the event targeted massive expansion in local shipping infrastructure.

• Inauguration: Opened by Union Minister Amit Shah (Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Cooperation).
• Theme: "Uniting Oceans, One Maritime Vision".
• Flagship Event: Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the Global Maritime CEO Forum, aligned with India's Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision (MAKV) 2047.
• Mega Investment Blueprint: The government unveiled a massive ₹2.2 lakh crore (~$26 billion) investment plan involving 437 new vessel orders to elevate global maritime competitiveness.
• Key Recognition: Deendayal Port Authority (Kandla, Gujarat) clinched multiple awards, including Port Sustainability Pioneer, while Paradip Port Authority (Odisha) won the Best Exhibit Award for Future Port Concept.

PM Narendra Modi's Visit to Gujarat: 150th Birth Anniversary of Sardar Patel

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Ekta Nagar (Kevadia), Gujarat, to lead the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas (National Unity Day) celebrations, marking the 150th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. During his visit, he unveiled development projects worth over ₹1,140 crore.

• Key Project Launches: Laid the foundation stone for the Museum of the Royal Kingdoms of India (₹367.25 crore) and a new Visitor Centre (₹140.45 crore).
• Green Transit: Flagged off 25 new electric buses (valued at ₹30 crore) to scale up free, zero-emission tourist transport in the region.
• Governance Interaction: Chaired the final session of Aarambh 7.0, interacting with civil service Officer Trainees on the theme "Reimagining Governance".

UIDAI Launches 'Aadhaar Vision 2032' Framework

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) introduced "Aadhaar Vision 2032", a strategic roadmap engineered to upgrade and secure India's digital identity ecosystem over the next decade.

Modernization Goal: The roadmap updates core tech infrastructure and protocols to keep pace with modern data compliance laws and technological shifts.

• Expert Committee: A high-level 11-member committee has been constituted to oversee this framework. It is chaired by UIDAI Chairperson Neelkanth Mishra, alongside key tech and legal minds like Vivek Raghavan (Sarvam AI), Dheeraj Pandey (Nutanix), and corporate legal partner Rahul Matthan.

5th Marine Fisheries Census (MFC 2025) Launched

Union Minister of State George Kurian (Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying) launched the 5th Marine Fisheries Census (MFC 2025) household enumeration at ICAR-CMFRI in Kochi, Kerala.

• Theme: "Smart Census, Smarter Fisheries".
• Digital Paradigm Shift: This marks the first time the census is moving away entirely from paper-based forms to a completely digital, paperless, and geo-referenced data gathering network.
• Coverage: Handled by multilingual Android tracking apps (VyAS-BHARAT and VyAS-SUTRA), mapping 1.2 million fisher households across 5,000 villages.

Visakhapatnam to Host Triad of Global Naval Events in 2026

The Indian Navy announced that Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, will concurrently host three flagship international naval events from February 15 to 25, 2026:

1. International Fleet Review (IFR) 2026: Reviewed by President Droupadi Murmu, featuring indigenous marvels like INS Vikrant and Kalvari-class submarines.
2. Exercise MILAN 2026: A mega biennial multilateral naval exercise focusing on anti-submarine warfare and air defense.
3. IONS Conclave of Chiefs: Bringing together regional naval heads to streamline Indian Ocean maritime security and disaster response frameworks.

Defense Sector Alliances & Modernization

• AXISCADES & France’s Cilas S.A.: Indian defense major AXISCADES signed an MoU with French laser specialist Cilas S.A. to co-develop an advanced, vehicle-mounted Counter-Unmanned Aerial System (C-UAS). It will integrate France's Helma-P high-energy laser weapon into an indigenous command system.
• L&T and General Atomics Partnership: Larsen & Toubro partnered with US-based General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) to indigenously manufacture 87 Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) drones from the iconic MQ-series family (including Predator/Sky Guardian variations) for the Indian Armed Forces.
• Zen Technologies Order: Zen Technologies clinched contracts worth ₹289 crore from the Ministry of Defence to supply AI-enabled radar systems and electronic jamming modules to combat hostile drone activity.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

India-Funded Trilingual School Opened in Sri Lanka

Under India's flagship High Impact Community Development Projects (HICDP) initiative, a state-of-the-art multi-ethnic, trilingual secondary school was inaugurated in the Polonnaruwa District of Sri Lanka.

• The Investment: Built via an Indian grant of LKR 320 million.
• Impact: Designed to advance social cohesion, providing comprehensive education in three parallel languages: Sinhala, Tamil, and English.

BANKING & FINANCE

City Union Bank Secures $50 Million Green Fund from IFC

City Union Bank (CUB) successfully locked in a $50 million (~₹415+ crore) investment commitment from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a World Bank Group member. The capital injection is earmarked to expand green financing, supporting Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) transition to solar and wind power installations.

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

Health Ministry Claims 3 Guinness World Records

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) secured three distinct Guinness World Record titles under its Swasth Nari, Sashakt Parivar Abhiyan (SNSPA) women's health campaign:

1. Maximum Registrations: Over 3.21 crore individuals registered for the healthcare platform in a single month.
2. Maximum Breast Cancer Screenings: Over 9.94 lakh online sign-ups recorded in one week.
3. Maximum Vital Signs Screenings: Upwards of 1.25 lakh online sign-ups logged in one week at the state level.

Lucknow Designated UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy

On World Cities Day, UNESCO inducted Uttar Pradesh's capital, Lucknow, into the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) as a Creative City of Gastronomy.

• The Milestone: This places Lucknow among 70 elite global culinary hubs. It is only the second Indian city to receive this culinary distinction, following Hyderabad.

SPORTS

Dabang Delhi K.C. Clinches PKL Season 12 Title

Dabang Delhi Kabaddi Club claimed their second Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) trophy by edging past Puneri Paltan with a close 31–28 finish at the Thyagaraj Indoor Stadium in New Delhi.

• Rare Achievement: Coach Joginder Narwal completed a rare milestone, having won the PKL title both as a player and as a coach for the same franchise.
• Season MVP: Delhi’s defensive powerhouse Fazel Atrachali was crowned the Most Valuable Player of Season 12.

Tennis Legend Rohan Bopanna Announces Retirement

Two-time Grand Slam champion, Asian Games Gold medallist, and three-time Olympian Rohan Bopanna officially announced his retirement from professional tennis, bringing down the curtain on an illustrative 22-year ATP Tour run.

• Bopanna made history in January 2024 by scaling the World No. 1 ranking in men's doubles, standing as the oldest player ever to do so.

IMPORTANT DAYS

World Vegan Day 2025 – November 1

Observed globally to champion the health and ecological advantages of a plant-based lifestyle. The day marks the founding of the UK Vegan Society back in 1944, where animal rights activist Donald Watson originally coined the term "vegan."

International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists – November 2

Established by the UN to counter ongoing targeted threats and digital systemic violence directed at media professionals across the world.

• 2025 Theme: "Chat GBV: Raising Awareness on AI-facilitated Gender-Based Violence against Women Journalists".
• Core Focus: Addressing the surge of modern AI-driven deepfakes, online targeted harassment, and gendered disinformation campaigns. A recent UNESCO study reveals a alarming trend: 73% of women journalists have experienced online threats directly tied to their field work.