Current Affairs 15 May 2025

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NATIONAL AFFAIRS

Maharashtra Topped Among Indian States with Highest GST Revenue in FY25Maharashtra with Rs 3,18, 497 crore, has topped among the top 10 Indian states with highest Goods and Services Tax (GST) collection for Financial Year 2024-25 (FY25) and even in April 2025 with total GST collection of Rs 41,645 crore. However, the state’s financial capital’s growth has decreased from 13% (in April 2024) to 11% (in April 2025).

• Gujarat secured the second position with Rs.1,74,938 crore and Karnataka at the third place with Rs.1,43,023 crore.

i.Also, total GST revenue collection reached at Rs 21.36 lakh crore in 2024, the highest since the introduction of GST in 2017. This marks an increase of 8.86% compared to the last year’s collection.
ii.As per the Ministry of Finance (MoF)’s latest data, total GST revenue collections reached at Rs 2,36,716 lakh crore in April 2025, reflecting an annual growth rate of 12.6%.
About Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council:
GST Council is a constitutional body introduced through 101st Amendment Act, 2016 in the constitution. It was constituted under Article 279-A of the constitution.
Chairperson- Nirmala Sitharaman, Union Finance Minister
Established – 2016
>> Read Full News

IWAI Established its New Office in Srinagar to Develop River Navigation Infrastructure in J&KIn May 2025, Noida (Uttar Pradesh, UP)-based Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW), has established its new office, located at Transport Bhawan in Srinagar, Union Territory (UT) Jammu & Kashmir (J&K). This move is expected to bolster the Inland Water Transport (IWT) sector in J&K.

• The J&K government has provided the space for newly established IWAI’s office that became operational on May 13, 2025.

i.This new office will serve as the central hub for its activities in J&K, monitoring the development of river navigation infrastructure across the region.
ii.In March 2025, IWAI signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the government of J&K to develop river navigation infrastructure across 3 National Waterways (NWs): NW-26 (river Chenab); NW-49 (river Jhelum) and NW-84(river Ravi).
About Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI):
Chairman- Vijay Kumar
Headquarters- Noida, Uttar Pradesh (UP)
Established – 1986
>> Read Full News

Indore Becomes the India’s First Beggar-Free City
In May 2025, the District Magistrate of Indore, Madhya Pradesh(MP) announced that Indore has become the first Indian city to be beggar-free, which is result of an ‘anti-begging campaign’ initiated in February 2024 to eliminate begging.

• The campaign launched by the city administration has been recognized by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MSJE) and a World Bank(WB) team as a model project.

Note: Indore is one of the 10 cities where the MSJE has started a pilot project to eliminate begging.
Key Points:
i.Earlier, the city had 5000 beggars, including 500 children, who were rehabilitated by helping to find employment, children involved in begging were enrolled in schools.
ii.Under the campaign, individuals found begging at intersections and roads in Indore were caught and sent to relocation centres, where they were provided with accommodation and food.

• First Information Reports (FIRs) were registered against the beggars coming from the other states.

iii.Indore district administration also launched a dedicated number where the citizens could report the presence of beggars via whatsapp or other means, leading to the immediate dispatch of a rescue team to relocate them to rehabilitation centres.

• A reward of Rs.1000 was provided to those who provided information about the beggars.

Illinois Tech becomes first USA university to set up campus in India
In May 2025, Chicago (the United States of America, USA)-based Illinois Institute of Technology (Illinois Tech) has become the first American university to receive approval from India’s University Grants Commission (UGC) to set up an independent, degree-granting campus in Mumbai (Maharashtra).

• The campus is scheduled to open in 2026, marking a significant milestone in India-USA educational collaboration.

i.The Mumbai campus will offer undergraduate and graduate degrees in high-demand fields such as Computer Science, Engineering, and Business.
ii.The Mumbai campus will offer the same experiential, industry-aligned curriculum as Illinois Tech’s Chicago campus, including the university’s signature Elevate program, which guarantees all students access to hands-on research, internships, and career-accelerating experiences.
iii.Courses will be delivered by an internationally recruited faculty, including visiting professors from Illinois Tech’s Chicago campus and faculty with global academic credentials.

Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood Launched Report on India’s Priority Corridors for Zero Emission TruckingIn May 2025, Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Advisor (PSA) to the Government of India (GoI), has launched a report on India’s Priority Corridors for Zero Emission Trucking in New Delhi, Delhi. The report was presented by Akshima Ghate, Managing Director (MD) of the United States of America, (USA)-based Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI).

• The report highlighted 10 critical highway segments across India that offer the highest potential for the adoption of Zero-Emission Trucks (ZETs). It aims to drive a national transition towards a cleaner, more sustainable freight movement.

Key Points:
i.The report is developed with support of Centre of Excellence for Zero Emission Trucking – Indian Institute of Technology Madras (CoEZET-IIT-Madras), located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu (TN).

• While, RMI and Nagpur (Maharashtra)-based pManifold Business Private Limited were associated as knowledge partners.

ii.The report has identified top 10 corridors for ZET in India through a 3-phase process, which included both qualitative and quantitative assessment of an initial list of 230 corridors.
iii.These top 10 corridors were short-listed using parameters like: toll traffic data and mapping of supply/demand centres, stakeholder consultations and detailed field research.

• Other these parameters, factor like: high freight traffic, industrial activity, availability of ancillary services, grid infrastructure readiness, among other were also considered while finalizing the corridors.

iv.As per the report, long-distance trucks are the main source for nearly 40% of fuel consumption and transport emissions in India.
v.It also acts as a reference for the PM E-DRIVE scheme, launched in 2024 bythe Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI), GoI, with a total outlay of Rs. 500 crore, to promote the adoption of zero-emission transport (ZET) solutions.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

5 Indian Languages among Top 20 Most Spoken Languages Worldwide in 2025As per the recent research from Ethnologue, the most authoritative source on the languages of the world, 5 Indian languages namely, Hindi(3rd), Bengali (7th), Urdu (11th), Marathi (16th), and Telugu (18th), are among the top 20 most spoken languages worldwide in 2025.

• Hindi with 609.1 million speakers, emerged as the 3rd most widely spoken language globally and the most spoken language in India, in 2025.

i.While, English is the most widely spoken language globally in 2025 as it is the local and second language of 1.53 billion individuals across 188 countries.
ii.It is followed by Chinese Mandarin (the official language of China), which is considered the world’s largest language when counting only native speakers, is the 2nd –most widely spoken language in the world in 2025, with total 1.18 billion speakers.
iii.The official language of Spain and 20 other countries i.e. Spanish, emerged as the 4th most spoken language globally in 2025, with 558.5 million speakers.
>> Read Full News

GRID 2025: Global IDPs Reaches 83.4 Million in 2024; India Records 5.4 Million DisplacementsOn May 13, 2025, the Geneva (Switzerland) based Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) and Oslo (Norway) based Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) released the Global Report on Internal Displacement (GRID) 2025 which presents a comprehensive analysis of internal displacement trends worldwide.

• The report revealed that the number of internally displaced people (IDPs) worldwide reached a record high of 83.4 million by the end of 2024, marking the highest figure ever recorded and a doubling of the total since 2018.
• In India, the total number of displacements reached 5.4 million in 2024, the highest figure in 12 years.

i.Sudan, topped the list with 11.6 million IDPs, the highest ever in a single country due to civil war.Other affected nations such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Afghanistan, and Myanmar each hosted over 3 million IDPs.
ii.Disaster caused 45.8 million displacements in 2024, the highest since IDMC began tracking in 2008.
iii.In India, Floods responsible for 66% of displacements, including 2.5 million in Assam, which witnessed its most severe floods in over a decade.
About Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC):
Director – Alexandra Bilak
Headquarters – Geneva (Switzerland)
Established – 1998
>> Read Full News

Annual SAPFR 2024-25: India a Part of Wider Trend of Eroding Press Freedom in South AsiaIn May 2025, Brussels (Belgium)-based International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), on behalf of the South Asia Media Solidarity Network (SAMSN) released the 23rd Annual South Asia Press Freedom Report(SAPFR 24-25), titled ‘Frontline Democracy: Media and Political Churn’. As per the report, India is a part of a wider trend of eroding press freedom in the South Asia region.

• The report highlighted that Indian media ‘has been shackled and subjected to a systematic strategy to cripple it’.
• The SAPFR  24-25 was formally launched during UNESCO’s World Press Freedom Day 2025 event held at Kathmandu, Nepal.

i.The report annually reviews the state of press freedom in 8 South Asian countries, namely: India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and Maldives.
ii.The report recorded a total of 250 media rights violations in 2024-25, which included the targeted killings of 20 journalists and media workers, up from 8 deaths reported in 2023-24 period.
iii.The report has raised several concerning trends, like: a “increasing trust deficit in media outlets”, “choking of independent websites” and “extreme precarity of gig workers who are also facing challenges posed by Artificial Intelligence (AI).
About International Federation of Journalists (IFJ):
President- Dominique Pradalié
Headquarters- Brussels, Belgium
Established- 1926
>> Read Full News

ECONOMY & BUSINESS

SBI joins global top 100 in net profit, becomes third Indian firm to achieve the milestoneMumbai(Maharashtra) based State Bank of India (SBI), India’s largest Public Sector Bank (PSB), has reached a new milestone by becoming one of the world’s most profitable companies. 

• With a net profit of USD 9.2 billion (Rs. 77,561 crore) in Financial Year 2024-25(FY25), SBI now ranks 98th globally in terms of annual earnings, according to data from Bloomberg.

Key Points:
i.SBI becomes the third Indian company to enter the top 100 most profitable companies in the world after New Delhi(Delhi) based Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) in 2009,and Mumbai (Maharashtra) based Reliance Industries Limited(RIL) in 2021.
ii.SBI’s rise in the global rankings is largely due to its strong financial performance, with a 31% compound annual growth (CAGR) in net profit over the last five years.
iii.This comes nearly a decade after SBI’s merger with five associate banks that made it one of the world’s top 50 banks by assets.
Key Highlights:
i.SBI has now joined the ranks of some of the world’s most profitable companies like Alphabet, Apple, NVIDIA, and JPMorgan Chase.
ii.Alphabet, the parent company of Google, tops the list with a profit of USD 111 billion, showing the strong earnings power of tech companies.

• Saudi Aramco comes next with USD105 billion, proving that the energy sector continues to be very profitable.
• Other tech giants like Apple, Microsoft, NVIDIA, and Meta are also in the top 10.

iii.The list is led by United States of America (USA) companies with 43 entries, followed by China with 19 companies and Germany comes third with five companies in the list.
About State Bank of India(SBI):
i.SBI is a Public Sector Bank(PSB) and financial services company, headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
ii.In 2017, SBI merged with 5 five of its associates:State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur (SBBJ), State Bank of Hyderabad (SBH), State Bank of Mysore (SBM), State Bank of Patiala (SBP) and State Bank of Travancore (SBT). The merger also included the Bharatiya Mahila Bank (BMB).
Chairman –Challa Sreenivasulu Setty
Established – 1955
Tagline – Pure Banking, Nothing Else

JSW One Platforms Achieves Unicorn Status After USD 40 Million FundingOn May 13, 2025, Mumbai (Maharashtra) based JSW One Platforms Limited, the Business-to-Business (B2B) e-commerce arm of JSW Group, secured approximately USD 40 million (Rs. 340 crore) in a funding round led by Principal Asset Management, OneUp, and JSW Steel. This investment propels the company’s valuation to USD 1 billion, marking its entry into India’s unicorn club.

• The latest funding round marks a threefold increase in valuation for JSW One Platforms since April 2023, when Tokyo (Japan)-based Mitsui & Co., Ltd. invested Rs. 205 crores (approximately USD 25 million) in the company.

Utilization of Funds:
i.The capital raised will be utilized to strengthen national supply chain leadership in the steel and cement categories, and to enhance distribution and logistics networks across India.
ii.It will also help scale the fintech and Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) arms, and expand access to credit for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) across India.
iii.These initiatives will be supported by developing a robust technological infrastructure to provide an integrated digital procurement experience for small businesses.
Note: In March 2025, Mumbai (Maharashtra) based JSW Steel Limited became the world’s highest-valued steelmaker with a market capitalisation exceeding USD 30 billion.
About JSW Group:
Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) – Sajjan Jindal
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
Founded – 1982

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Harvansh P. Chawla Appointed as Chairman of BRICS Chamber of Commerce & IndustryIn May 2025, Harvansh P. Chawla, a renowned senior corporate legal expert, was appointed as the Chairman of the New Delhi (Delhi) based BRICS Chamber of Commerce & Industry (BRICS CCI) to strengthen ties among BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa).

• The appointment is aligned with the upcoming 17th BRICS Summit, scheduled to be held from 6th to 7th July 2025 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
• Under Chawla’s leadership, the Chamber aims to intensify efforts towards inclusive economic growth, innovation, and sustainable development within the Global South framework.

About Harvansh P. Chawla:
i.Harvansh P. Chawla is a distinguished Indian corporate lawyer and the Founder and Managing Partner of K.R. Chawla & Co. Advocates, a prominent law firm based in New Delhi (Delhi).
ii.He is also appointed as an Advisor to the Trade and Invest British Columbia in India which is a collaboration with the Ministry of Jobs, Trade and Technology, British Columbia, Canada.
iii.The Ministry of Finance (MoF), Government of India (GoI), chose him to draft counter guarantees for all infrastructure projects in the country, and he was also among the first lawyers in India to carry out detailed legal work on port privatization.
iv.Mr. Chawla is a member of the London (United Kingdom, UK) based International Bar Association (IBA), Tokyo (Japan) based Inter Pacific Bar Association (IPBA), and Washington, D.C., (United States of America, USA) based Indo-US Business Council (IUBC).
v.Trade Expansion: Championed efforts to boost intra-BRICS trade, which surged to USD 162 billion in 2022–23, despite global economic headwinds.
vi.Green Energy Partnerships: Facilitated collaborations among BRICS nations in solar energy, hydrogen fuel, and smart grid technologies.
vii. Digital Innovation: Promoted BRICS-wide digital payment systems and tech startups to reduce dependency on Western financial platforms.
About BRICS Chamber of Commerce & Industry (BRICS CCI):
Chairman – Harvansh P. Chawla
Headquarters – New Delhi, Delhi
Established – 2012

Santosh Kumar Sarangi Gets Additional Charge as CMD of SECIIn May 2025, the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), under the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions (MoPPG&P), assigned additional charge of Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of New Delhi (Delhi)-based Solar Energy Corporation of India Limited (SECI) to Santosh Kumar Sarangi.

• He will hold this position until the appointment of a regular incumbent or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
• He succeeded Rameshwar Prasad (R.P) Gupta, whose service was terminated with immediate effect by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) on 10th May 2025, ahead of his scheduled tenure completion in June 2025.

About Santosh Kumar Sarangi:
i.Santosh Kumar Sarangi is a 1994-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer from the Odisha cadre.
ii.He is currently serving as the Secretary of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE).
iii.Prior to his appointment as MNRE Secretary, he held the post of Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoC&I).
iv.He has held several prominent leadership positions in both state and central government roles. At the national level, he served as Chairman of the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) and the Tea Board of India.

• Additionally, he was Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Education(MoE) and concurrently held the position of Chairperson of the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) .

About RP Gupta:
i.RP Gupta is a retired 1987-batch IAS officer from the Gujarat cadre. He assumed charge as CMD of SECI in June 2023.
ii.Prior to this, he served as the Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC).
About Solar Energy Corporation of India Limited (SECI):
SECI is a Navratna Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE).
Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) – Santosh Kumar Sarangi
Headquarters – New Delhi (Delhi)
Founded – 2011

Former England Selector Ed Smith appointed as MCC’s next President
In May 2025, Former England Men’s Cricket Selector, Edward Thomas Smith was appointed as the President of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), London, England. He will assume office for one year from 1st October 2025.

• He was appointed by the current president of MCC, Lord King of Lothbury, at the MCC Annual General Meeting (AGM) held at Lord’s Cricket Ground, London, England.

About Edward Thomas Smith :
i.He is a former England Cricketer, Cricket commentator, Journalist and an English author.
ii.During his playing days, Smith played for Kent, Middlesex and England in a career that spanned 13 seasons.

• During this period, he scored nearly 13,000 runs, including 34 centuries.

iii.He retired in 2008 and embarked on a career in the media and wrote five books.
iv.He was the Chief Selector of England Men’s Cricket team from 2018 to 2021.

• England won the ICC Men’s World Cup for the first time in 2019 during his tenure as chief selector.

v.He is also involved in academia, as co-founder of the Institute of Sports Humanities (ISH), which has a mission to nurture and inspire sport’s current and future leaders.

Ajoy Chawla to Succeed C K Venkataraman as MD of Titan
In May 2025, Bengaluru (Karnataka)- based Titan Company Limited, a prominent lifestyle company under the Tata Group, has announced the appointment of Ajoy Chawla, currently the Chief Executive Officer(CEO) of its Jewellery Division, as the next Managing Director (MD).

• He will assume the role on January 1, 2026, succeeding C.K. Venkataraman, who is set to retire on December 31, 2025, upon reaching the superannuation age as per Tata Group’s retirement policy.

About Ajoy Chawla:
i.Ajoy Chawla, became part of the Tata Administrative Services (TAS) in 1990 and initially joined the finance department of Titan in 1991.
ii.Over the next two decades, he worked in the watches division and played several roles spanning commercial, sales, retailing, and supply chain.
iv.From 2013 to 2019, he served as Chief Strategy Officer (CSO), overseeing business incubation, fragrances expansion, and the Taneira business.
v.Since 2019 as CEO,  Jewellery division to significant achievements, with sales and profits expanding by 2.5 times and  strengthening Tanishq’s market leadership.

ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS

CCI Approvals on May 13, 2025On May 13, 2025, Competition Commission of India (CCI) under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) approved four significant acquisition proposals.
i.Approved the acquisition of 24.9% equity share in Mumbai (Maharashtra)- based EPL Limited (Target) by Indorama Netherlands (Rotterdam, Netherlands based) (Acquirer) from Blackstone for approximately Rs.1,908 crore (USD 220 million).
ii.The CCI has approved the proposed combination of AIPCF VIII A-TE Funding L.P.(Acquirer), involving an investment of 13% of the limited partnership interests in Perseus Parent L. P (Target).
iii.Approved the direct and indirect acquisition of certain entities, in which some are individually controlled by Blackstone Group and by Sattva Group and remaining which are jointly controlled by Blackstone Group and Sattva Group (Target Entities) by the Knowledge Realty Trust (KRT).
iv.Approved the demerger of the business of Mining Development and Operations (MDO) of Thriveni Earthmovers Private Limited (TEPL) into a new entity Thriveni Earthmovers and Infra Private Limited (TEIPL).

• Following the demerger, Lloyds Metals and Energy Limited (LMEL) acquired a 79.82% equity share of TEIPL.

>> Read Full News

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Taiwan Test-Fires USA-Supplied HIMARS Rocket SystemOn May 12, 2025, Taiwan conducted its first live-fire test of the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), supplied by the United States of America (USA), at the Jiupeng military base in Pingtung country, Taiwan.

• This test was part of Taiwan’s annual missile drills aimed at strengthening its asymmetric defense strategies .
• The drill was carried out by the Taiwan army’s 58th Artillery Command.During the drill, 33 rockets were fired, with 11 launch vehicles each firing three rounds.

About HIMARS system:
i.HIMARS was manufactured by Maryland (USA)-based Lockheed Martin Corporation, an American defence and aerospace manufacturing company.
ii.HIMARS can be equipped with one pod containing six 227 Millimeter (mm) rockets or a single Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) with a range of up to 300 Kilometres (km).

• In addition to long-range missiles, HIMARS can also launch 70-km-range rockets. It is also designed to deliver long-range firepower rapidly and flexibly.

iii.It carries six packs of Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS), two Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM) or one ATACMS missile, and is designed to launch the entire Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) family of munitions.
iv.It is the most technically advanced, affordable and sustainable artillery solution.It provides cutting-edge technology on an indigenous platform.
v.It offers maximum commonality with M270 platform launch systems and MLRS interoperability. It simplifies coalition operations, training, logistics and coordination.
Note: Taiwan has purchased 29 HIMARS from the USA, 11 were delivered in 2024. The second batch of 18 HIMARS is scheduled to be delivered in 2027
About Taiwan:
President – Lai Ching-te
Capital – Taipei City
Currency – New Taiwan dollar(TWD)
About Lockheed Martin Corporation:
President – James Taiclet
Headquarters – Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America (USA)
Founded – 1995

OBITUARY

Uruguay’s Former President Jose Mujica Passed AwayOn May 13, 2025, Jose Alberto Mujico Cordano, a former President of Uruguay and Guerilla fighter passed away at the age of 89 in Montevideo, Uruguay. He was called by his nick name “Pepe” by the people of Uruguay.

• He was the 40th President of Uruguay from 2010 to 2015, during which he implemented progressive policies.

About Jose Mujica:
i.Jose Alberto Mujico Cordano was born on May 20, 1935, in Montevideo, Uruguay.
ii.In the late 1960s he joined the Marxist Tupamaros guerilla movement.
iii.He was imprisoned for 14 years during Uruguay’s military dictatorship from 1970s and 1980s..
iv.After the return of democracy in Uruguay, he served as Minister of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries from 2005 to 2008.
Presidency (2010–2015)
Mujica served as President of Uruguay from 2010 to 2015. His tenure was marked by progressive reforms, including the legalization of abortion, same-sex marriage, and the regulation of marijuana sales. He also promoted renewable energy initiatives and policies aimed at reducing poverty and inequality.
Awards and Achievements:
i.He was awarded the Premio ALBA de los Pueblos award in 2016 by the Bolivarian Alliance for the People of Our America (ALBA) for his contributions to Latin American integration and social justice.
ii.In 2014, he was conferred the Order of the Aztec Eagle, the highest honour from Mexico on foreigners.
iii.He was awarded the Prize for Political Thought and Humanities by the Spanish Foundation, Manuel Broseta in 2020.
About Uruguay:
President – Yamandu Orsi
Capital – Montevideo
Currency – Uruguayan Peso, UYU

BOOKS & AUTHORS

FM Nirmala Sitharaman Reviews the Book “The Tamils: A Portrait of Community” by Nirmala Lakshman
In May 2025, the book titled “The Tamils: A Portrait of Community”, written by Nirmala Lakshman was reviewed in The Book Review, an India-based peer-reviewed academic journal.The book was published by New Delhi(Delhi) based Aleph Book Company.

• The review, penned by Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Ministry of Finance(MoF), commended the book for its insightful exploration of justice and fairness as central themes in Tamil culture, highlighting historical anecdotes such as King Manuneedhi Cholan’s legendary act of justice.

i.The book offers a comprehensive narrative of Tamil history and culture, tracing the community’s journey from the Stone Age through the Sangam era and into the modern day.
ii.Nirmala Lakshman, is a Publisher and Chairperson of THE HINDU Group of Publications.
iii.Earlier she was the Joint Editor of the paper, and she founded and edited ‘The Hindu Literary Review’, conceptualized and created ‘Young World’, India’s only Children’s newspaper supplement.

Vice President Releases Haryana Governor’s Book “Janta Ki Kahani-in Meri Aatamkatha”
In May 2025, the Vice President (VP) of India, Jagdeep Dhankhar released the book, “Janta Ki Kahani-in Meri Aatamkatha”, an autobiography written by Haryana Governor, Bandaru Dattatraya in an event organized at Maharashtra Sadan in New Delhi, Delhi.

• The book reflects Bandaru Dattatraya’s political and social journey, emphasizing his grassroots-level connection with the public and his commitment to the upliftment of the underprivileged. It also sheds light on key historical and political events witnessed by the author over the decades.

About the Author:

• Bandaru Dattatraya, born on 12 June 1947 in Hyderabad, has serving as Governor of Haryana since July 2021.
• A senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, he was Union Minister of State(MoS) for Labour (1999–2004) under Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and a four-time Lok Sabha member from Secunderabad(Telangana).
• His career spans decades of political and social work, marked by humility and public welfare initiatives.

IMPORTANT DAYS

8th UN Global Road Safety Week 2025 – (12–18) MayThe United Nations(UN) Global Road Safety Week (UNGRSW) is a biennial campaign organized by Geneva (Switzerland) based World Health Organization (WHO) to raise awareness about road safety and advocate for measures to reduce road traffic deaths and injuries.

• The 8th UNGRSW is being observed from May 12 to 18, 2025.
• The theme of UNGRSW 2025 is #MakeWalkingSafe and #MakeCyclingSafe, which highlights the need for safer infrastructure and policies that protect pedestrians and cyclists.

Background:
i.In 2005, the United Nations General Assembly(UNGA) adopted Resolution 60/5, which mandated the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Regional Commissions to organize periodic road safety weeks.
ii.The first UN Global Road Safety Week was held from April 23 to 29, 2007.

• The week has been observed every two years once since 2013.

About World Health Organization (WHO):
Director-General(DG) – Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
Headquarters – Geneva, Switzerland
Established – 1948
>> Read Full News

STATE NEWS

Assam Govt Approves “Eti Koli Duti Paat” scheme, Renaming of Dibrugarh AirportIn May 2025, the Assam Cabinet headed by Chief Minister (CM) of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma has approved the “Eti Koli Duti Paat”, a financial assistance scheme for the welfare of tea garden workers.

• Under this scheme, the Government of Assam will provide one-time assistance of Rs.5000 to each permanent and temporary worker of the tea gardens in Assam.
• The announcement was made on the occasion of the 200th celebration of Assam Tea.

Other Approvals:
i.He also approved the decision to rename Dibrugarh airport in Dibrugarh, Assam, after Bhupen Hazarika, the legendary singer and cultural icon of Assam, to mark his 100th birth anniversary.
ii.The cabinet has also approved the Assam Electronics Components Manufacturing Top-Up scheme, 2025.
iii.The cabinet also approved the implementation of CM’s ‘Jibon Prerna Scheme’ for graduates and scholars. It will be rolled out from October 2025.
>> Read Full News

Karnataka launches the ‘Petologist App’ for Pet Parents, Clinics and Farms
In May 2025, N. S. Boseraju, Minister for Science and Technology, the Government of Karnataka, officially launched ‘Petologist’, an innovative veterinary application(app) developed by Bengaluru (Karnataka)-based Transduceideas Technologies LLP held in Karnataka, also featured Dr. Ashok S. Alur, Vice Chancellor of Kodagu University.

• The development of Petologist is supported under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana – Remunerative Approaches for Agriculture and Allied Sector Rejuvenation (RKVY-RAFTAAR) Agribusiness Incubation (R-ABI) Scheme of the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare(MoA&FW).

i.Petologist is a digital healthcare platform designed to connect pet owners and farmers with licensed veterinarians, clinics, and hospitals.
ii.The platform offers features such as digital health records, vaccination tracking, medication reminders, farm animal monitoring, and telemedicine consultations, aiming to enhance animal healthcare delivery in both urban and rural areas.
iii.The platform is incubated at the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI), established in 1889, which serves as India’s premier institute for veterinary research and education.It was located in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh(UP).
iv.The platform is currently in its soft launch phase, with access limited to a select group of veterinarians and clinics in Karnataka.

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