1. NATIONAL AFFAIRS

GoI Approves Extension of LC75 & BLC Investment Schemes to Central Government Employees

The Ministry of Finance (MoF) has approved the extension of the Life Cycle 75 (LC75) and Balanced Life Cycle (BLC) investment choices to central government employees. These asset-allocation strategies are accessible under both the National Pension System (NPS) and the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS).

• Objective: To give employees greater autonomy and flexibility in optimizing their long-term retirement planning based on individual risk appetites.
• Regulator: The options are managed according to rules set by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA).

Key Investment Options Now Available:

• Default Option: The standard, automated asset lifecycle mix defined by the PFRDA.
• Scheme G: 100% investment allocation in low-risk, fixed-return government securities.
• LC-25: Capped at 25% equity exposure, tapering down gradually starting from ages 33–35.
• LC-50: Capped at 50% equity exposure, tapering down progressively between ages 35–55.
• LC-75: Up to 75% aggressive equity exposure, tapering down between ages 35–55.
• BLC (Balanced Life Cycle): A modified version of LC-50 where equity exposure tapers much later (from age 45), extending participation in stock markets.

MoWCD Launches New National Helpline ‘1515’ for POSHAN and PMMVY

The Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD) has rolled out a new unified, toll-free short-code helpline '1515', effective from November 1, 2025.

• The Transition: This new four-digit number directly replaces the older, longer helpline 14408.
• Target Schemes: It serves as a central information and grievances node for the POSHAN Abhiyaan (National Nutrition Mission) and the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY).
• Core Benefit: Shorter numbers are significantly easier to memorize, making vital healthcare, nutrition, and financial tracking support simpler to reach for pregnant women, lactating mothers, and child caregivers across all States and Union Territories.

Ministry of Mines Recognizes IISc and C-MET as New Centres of Excellence

The Ministry of Mines (MoM) has formally designated the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, and the Centre for Materials for Electronics Technology (C-MET), Hyderabad, as official Centres of Excellence (CoEs) under the National Critical Minerals Mission (NCMM).

• The Clearance: Approved by the Project Approval and Advisory Committee (PAC) under the joint leadership of Piyush Goyal (Secretary, MoM) and Prof. Abhay Karandikar (Secretary, Department of Science & Technology).
• The Mandate: These institutes are tasked with scaling laboratory research up to high Technology Readiness Levels (TRL 7/8) for pilot plants and pre-commercial operational setups.
• Network Footprint: Operating under a Hub & Spoke consortium model, this expands the total number of NCMM Centres of Excellence to 9, which collectively manage a framework of roughly 90 industrial and academic partners.

2. INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS & SUMMITS

UNCTAD-16 Held in Geneva, Switzerland

The 16th session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD-16) took place at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.

• Theme: "Shaping the future: Driving economic transformation for equitable, inclusive and sustainable development"
• Leadership: Swiss Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin was elected President of the session. The Indian delegation was led by Union Minister Piyush Goyal.
• Sevilla Forum on Debt: Launched as a specialized platform to tackle complex global debt challenges impacting developing nations.
• Key Grants: Switzerland's SECO pledged 4 million Swiss Francs (CHF) to back UNCTAD’s E-commerce and Digital Economy Programme (2025–2029).
• Future Hostings: Saudi Arabia will host the 2nd UN Global Supply Chain Forum in November 2026; Qatar will host the 9th World Investment Forum in 2026.

Key Takeaways: 4th FATF Plenary Meeting (Paris, France)

Chaired under the Mexican Presidency of Elisa de Anda Madrazo, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) concluded its 4th plenary meeting.

• New Guest Nations: Jamaica, Nigeria, and Kenya joined the plenary sessions under the unique Guest Initiative.
• Mutual Evaluations: The plenary adopted its first-ever assessment reports under the newly updated tracking system for Belgium and Malaysia.
• Blacklist (High-Risk): Countermeasures remain enforced against North Korea (DPRK), Iran, and Myanmar.
• Grey List Changes: Four nations—Burkina Faso, Mozambique, Nigeria, and South Africa—were successfully removed due to compliance progress. Newly added or existing monitoring covers 20 jurisdictions including Algeria, Lebanon, Monaco, Nepal, and Venezuela.

IUCN World Conservation Congress: Historic Win for India

At the IUCN World Conservation Congress held in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Indian wildlife conservationist Vivek Menon was elected Chair of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission (SSC) for the 2025–2029 term. He is the first Asian leader to hold this post in the body's 75-year history.

• Leadership Lineup: Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak was re-elected for a second term as IUCN President. India’s Lima Rosalind was elected as a Regional Councillor for South & East Asia.
• New Member: The Pacific island nation of Tuvalu formally joined as the IUCN's 90th State Member.

14th India-Bhutan Border Management & Security Meeting

Held in Thimphu, Bhutan, this critical bilateral session reviewed mutual security framework alignment along shared territorial lines.

• Delegation Heads: Led by Rajendra Kumar (Secretary, Department of Border Management, MHA) for India, and Sonam Wangyel for Bhutan.
• Key Agendas: Addressed technical friction points like cross-border mobile signal spillover, building future integrated check posts, maintaining physical boundary pillars, and training local Bhutanese police units.

3. BANKING, FINANCE & ECONOMY

RBI Launches Global Hackathon ‘HaRBInger 2025’

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) launched the 4th edition of its global tech hackathon, ‘HaRBInger 2025: Innovation for Transformation’.

• Central Theme: "Secure Banking: Powered by Identity, Integrity, and Inclusivity"
• Core Pillars: Innovators are invited to design systems for three problem scopes: tokenised Know Your Customer (KYC) tracking, functional offline Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) models, and digital trust layers.

SWAMIH Fund-I Receives Regulatory RBI Exemptions

The RBI has granted SWAMIH Investment Fund-I (Special Window for Affordable and Mid-Income Housing) a distinct structural exemption from specific clauses of the RBI (Investment in Alternate Investment Fund, AIF) Directions, 2025. This regulatory relief directly incentivizes commercial banks and NBFCs to inject long-term capital into delayed affordable housing layouts.

World Bank Approves USD 280 Million Loan for Kerala's Health Reform

The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD - World Bank node) approved a USD 280 million (~₹2,424 crores) capital loan to back the Kerala Health System Improvement Programme (KHSIP).

• Terms: 25-year maturity period paired with a 5-year grace period.
• Disbursement Model: Deployed under the Programme for Results (PforR) layout, meaning capital releases are unlocked only after achieving verifiable public health milestones.
• Target Scope: Directly addresses healthcare management for over 11 million vulnerable and elderly individuals across all 14 districts, pushing for a 40% improvement in hypertension control and a 60% increase in cervical/breast cancer screenings.

City Union Bank Unveils IoT and AI Systems at FinTech Fest

City Union Bank (CUB) launched a series of high-tech consumer payment systems in collaboration with the NPCI:

• UPI Circle ("My Devices"): Allows a primary user to safely delegate customized UPI payment access from a single node to up to 5 secondary devices (e.g., smart TVs or family members' devices).
• Security: Leverages specialized voice/biometric authentication pathways and AI support layers.

BEML Partners with Italy’s Tesmec S.p.A for Advanced Mining Equipment

Defense PSU BEML Limited signed a crucial Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Italy’s Tesmec S.p.A to manufacture high-capacity Surface Miner equipment locally. This heavy machinery allows open-cast mining entities to cleanly cut and crush solid rock beds without needing explosive blasting or heavy drilling, advancing the "Make in India" initiative for deep tech mining machinery.

4. SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY & SPORTS

Indian Coast Guard Launches Advanced Fast Patrol Vessels 'Ajit' and 'Aparajit'

The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) launched ICGS Ajit (Yard 1276) and ICGS Aparajit (Yard 1277) at the Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) in Panaji, Goa.

• Vessel Technical Details: Each vessel spans 52 meters in length, displaces 320 tonnes, and is outfitted with Controllable Pitch Propellers (CPP)—a technological first for this category of ships in India to optimize speed and tight-turn maneuverability.
• Indigenous Footprint: Both ships feature more than 65% domestic components under the Buy (Indian-IDDM) procurement structure. They are designed for anti-poaching, anti-piracy, fisheries protection, and coastal surveillance across India's exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

NASA Confirms Asteroid '2025 PN7' as Earth's Quasi-Moon

NASA scientists verified that a newly tracked asteroid, tagged 2025 PN7, has slipped into a co-orbital path alongside Earth, classifying it as a temporary "quasi-moon".

• Discovery Node: Initially flagged by astronomers in Hawaii utilizing the Pan-STARRS1 telescope system.
• Dimensions & Path: Measuring roughly 18–36 meters in diameter (house-sized), the object has trailed Earth's solar loop since the 1960s and is projected to break away from this relative path around the year 2083. It maintains a safe closest-approach distance of roughly 4 million kilometers.

BWF World Junior Championships 2025 (Guwahati, Assam)

India hosted the premier Badminton World Federation (BWF) Junior Championships for the second time in history at the National Centre of Excellence in Guwahati.

• Historic Team Bronze: India captured its first-ever team medal (Bronze) in the Suhandinata Cup mixed event, sharing the podium with Japan, while China took Gold.
• Individual Silver: 17-year-old Tanvi Sharma won the Silver medal in Girls' Singles, ending an extended individual medal drought for India at this competitive level.
• Format Change: The tournament successfully debuted a fast-paced, high-dynamic relay scoring format set to 45 points.

5. OBITUARIES & IMPORTANT DAYS

Obituary: Thailand's Queen Mother Sirikit Kitiyakara (Aged 93)

Thailand's Queen Mother Sirikit passed away in Bangkok at the age of 93. Widely celebrated as the "Green Queen" and historically dubbed "Asia’s Jackie Kennedy", she was revered for her international style and structural environmental work, which included funding sea turtle hatcheries, wildlife breeding zones, and the rural craft-preserving SUPPORT Foundation. Her birthday (August 12) is officially marked as Mother's Day across Thailand.

Crucial Days & Weeks to Remember