January 2025 Current Affairs Summary

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering appointments, awards, sports, science, and national/international events from early 2025.

Dr. V. Narayanan

The 11th Chairman of ISRO who took office on January 14, 2025, succeeding S. Somanath; he previously served as the Director of the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC).

Dinesh T. Waghmare

A senior IAS officer appointed by the Governor as the Maharashtra State Election Commissioner for a five-year term under Articles 243-K and 243-ZA of the Constitution.

Justice Alok Aradhe

The 48th Chief Justice of the Mumbai High Court, succeeding Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya.

Bhuvnesh Kumar

A 1995-batch IAS officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre who took charge as the CEO of UIDAI (Aadhaar) on January 1, 2025.

Gyanendra Pratap Singh

A 1991-batch IPS officer appointed as the Director General of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) on January 18, 2025.

Dr. Rajagopal Chidambaram

A renowned nuclear physicist and key architect of India's nuclear program who played major roles in the 1974 and 1998 Pokhran tests.

Mohan Hirabai Hiralal

An environmentalist and forest rights activist known for implementing the 'Mawa Nate Mawa Raj' (Our Village, Our Rule) movement in Mendha (Lekha) village, Gadchiroli.

Latika Katt

A famous bronze sculptor and the first Indian woman sculptor to win a gold medal in the field from MS University, Baroda.

Padma Awards 2025

A total of 139 awards announced including 07 Padma Vibhushan, 19 Padma Bhushan, and 113 Padma Shri; notable Padma Bhushan recipients from Maharashtra include Manohar Joshi, Pankaj Udhas, and Shekhar Kapur.

INCOIS (Hyderabad)

Recipient of the Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar 2025 in the institutional category for its Tsunami Early Warning Center which can issue alerts within 10 minutes.

Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna 2024

India's highest sporting honor, awarded to D. Gukesh (Chess), Harmanpreet Singh (Hockey), Praveen Kumar (Para-Athletics), and Manu Bhaker (Shooting), with a prize of $₹25$ lakh.

Lionel Messi

The first male footballer to receive the 'Presidential Medal of Freedom', the highest civilian award in the United States.

Polly Umrigar Award (2023-24)

BCCI's award for the Best Male International Cricketer, won by Jasprit Bumrah for the third time.

Amitabh Kant

India's G20 Sherpa and author of the book 'How India Tickled Mount G20', detailing the journey behind the G20 presidency.

BRICS Membership (2025 Updates)

Indonesia officially became the 10th full member on January 7, 2025, while Nigeria became the 9th partner country.

Tianshan Shengli Tunnel

The world's longest expressway tunnel, measuring $22.13\,km$, located in China.

Usha Vance

The first Indian-American and Hindu 'Second Lady' of the United States, who took office on January 20, 2025.

WTO (World Trade Organization)

Celebrated its 30th anniversary on January 1, 2025; established in 1995 via the Marrakesh Agreement with headquarters in Geneva.

World Future Skills Index 2025

An index where India ranks 25th globally overall, but ranks 2nd in the world behind the USA for AI and green skills job readiness.

Republic Day 2025

The 76th Republic Day of India with Chief Guest President Prabowo Subianto of Indonesia and the theme 'Vikshit Bharat: Virasat Aur Vikas'.

Z-Morh Tunnel

A strategic $6.5\,km$ long tunnel on the Srinagar-Leh National Highway (NH-1) in the Ganderbal district of Jammu and Kashmir.

18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas

Held in Bhubaneswar, Odisha from January 8-10, 2025, with Chief Guest Christine Kangaloo, President of Trinidad and Tobago.

Pudimadaka (Andhra Pradesh)

Location where NTPC Green Energy Limited is setting up India's first Green Hydrogen Hub with an estimated investment of $₹1,85,000$ crore.

Indus Water Treaty (1960)

A water-sharing treaty between India (Nehru) and Pakistan (Ayub Khan); recently, a World Bank neutral expert rejected Pakistan's objections regarding India's Kishanganga and Ratle hydroelectric projects.

UCC (Uniform Civil Code) - Uttarakhand

Uttarakhand became the first post-independence state to implement UCC, designating January 27 as 'Uniform Civil Code Day'.

Financial Health Index 2025

A NITI Aayog report ranking Odisha 1st with a score of $67.8$ for the year 2022-23, while Maharashtra ranked 6th.

Women Leadership in Maharashtra (2025)

For the first time in history, women held three top posts: Sujata Saunik (Chief Secretary), Rashmi Shukla (DGP), and Shobmita Biswas (Principal Chief Conservator of Forests).

Kho Kho World Cup 2025

The first edition held in New Delhi, featuring 'Tejas and Tara' (deer) as mascots; India won both men's and women's titles.

NITI Aayog

Established on January 1, 2015, to replace the Planning Commission; it is a non-constitutional advisory think-tank chaired by the Prime Minister.

Anji Khad Bridge

India's first cable-stayed railway bridge located across the Anji River in Reasi, J&K, with a length of $725.5\,meters$ and a height of $331\,meters$.

National Turmeric Board

Inaugurated on January 14, 2025, with headquarters in Nizamabad, Telangana; its first chairman is Pelle Ganga Reddy.

SwaRail

A 'super-app' launched by the Ministry of Railways to integrate various railway services onto a single platform.

IndiaPol Portal

Developed by the CBI to directly connect every Indian police agency with Interpol.

SpaDeX (Space Docking Experiment)

ISRO's successful mission on January 16, 2025, making India the fourth nation (after USA, China, and Russia) to master space docking technology.

Sunita Williams

Set a new global female record on January 30, 2025, by completing her 9th spacewalk, totaling $62\,hours$ and $6\,minutes$ in space.

Mission Mausam

A $₹2,000$ crore initiative launched by PM Modi to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

IBCA (International Big Cat Alliance)

An intergovernmental organization headquartered in India; founded by 5 countries: India, Nicaragua, Eswatini, Somalia, and Liberia.

World’s Hottest Year

According to WMO and IMD, 2024 was the hottest year on record since 1901, with India's average temperature $0.65^\circ C$ above the long-term average.

National Youth Day

Celebrated on January 12 (Swami Vivekananda's birth anniversary); the 2025 theme was 'Youth Empowerment for Nation Building'.