National Affairs - May 2025

National Affairs:

  • CBDT & National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG):

    • CBDT granted income tax exemption to NMCG.
    • Effective from assessment year 2024-25.
    • CBDT allowed NMCG to revise income returns for assessment years 2021-22, 2022-23, and 2023-24.

  • Ghaziabad Nagar Nigam (GNN) Green Bond:

    • GNN issued India’s first Certified Green Municipal Bond, raising Rs 150 crore.
    • Funds to build a Tertiary Sewage Treatment Plant (TSTP).
    • TSTP uses membrane technologies (μ\mu, ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, Reverse Osmosis (RO)).
    • Capacity: Treats 40 MLD of sewage.

  • YUGM Conclave:

    • Conclave: Uniting Academia, Industry, and Innovators for Viksit Bharat.
    • Collaboration with the Ministry of Education and the Wadhwani Foundation.
    • Key MoUs include Wadhwani School of AI and Intelligent Systems at IIT Kanpur (\₹500 Crore) and Wadhwani Hub for Biosciences at IIT Bombay (\₹300 Crore).

  • Ministry of Labour & Employment and Rapido MoU:

    • MoU to strengthen employment linkages in the logistics sector via the National Career Service (NCS) portal.
    • Aims to bring 50 lakh livelihood opportunities.
    • Rapido launched ‘Pink Rapido’ initiative for women.

  • Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute (SRFTI) at Cannes 2025:

    • Student film “A Doll Made Up of Clay” selected in the La Cinef section.
    • The film underscores SRFTI’s dedication to global cinematic innovation.

  • India's First Human Gene Therapy Trial for Haemophilia:

    • Collaboration between inStem, Bengaluru, and CMC, Vellore.
    • Patients with severe haemophilia A treated with genetically modified autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cells (HSCs).

  • Commemoration of Pujya Babuji Maharaj:

    • Closing ceremony of 125th birth anniversary celebrations in Hyderabad, Telangana.
    • Inauguration of “Babuji Vanam,” the world's first energy transmission garden.

  • Committee for Disaster Preparedness and Response:

    • High-Level Committee formed to oversee national disaster preparedness and response.
    • Amit Shah is the Chairperson.

  • India’s Coastline Recalculation:

    • India’s coastline recalculated as 11,098.81 km.
    • Gujarat has the longest coastline, and Goa has the shortest among states.

  • Kozhikode recognised as Age-Friendly City:

    • WHO recognized Kozhikode (Kerala).
    • 2nd city in the WHO South-East Asia Region (SEAR).

  • Statue unveiling of Bodofa Upendranath Brahma:

    • A 9 feet high statue of Bodofa Upendranath Brahma was unveiled.
    • Road named Lala Lajpat Rai in south Delhi was renamed as Bodofa Upendranath Brahma Marg.

  • Potential Foreign Military Sale to India:

    • The United States approved a potential $$131 million foreign military sale to India.
    • Part of the Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA) programme.

  • Inauguration of 'Corporate Bhavan':

    • The Union Minister of Finance Nirmala Sitharaman, inaugurated the 'Corporate Bhavan' in Kolkata, West Bengal.
    • This facility is to house different offices of the MCA.

  • India and Denmark Sign Renewed MoU:

    • India and Denmark signed a renewed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) focus on clean and sustainable energy solutions.
    • To support India’s ambitious goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2070.

  • 'Ageing with Dignity' Event:

    • The President of India, Droupadi Murmu, addressed the event ‘Ageing with Dignity - Initiatives for the Welfare of Senior Citizens’, at Rashtrapati Bhawan Cultural Centre.
    • Launch of the senior citizens welfare portal.
    • Virtual inauguration of senior citizens homes.

  • 69th Foundation Day of the Directorate of Enforcement (ED):

    • The Directorate of Enforcement was established in the year 1956 with its headquarters at New Delhi.
    • Responsible for the enforcement of FEMA and certain provisions under the PMLA.
    • The agency issued 461 provisional attachment orders worth Rs 30,036 crore, with total attached assets reaching Rs 1.54 lakh crore by March 2025.

  • Stratospheric Airship Platform flight trials:

    • Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully carried out maiden flight trials of the Stratospheric Airship Platform.
    • To operate between 17km and 22 km above the Earth for extended periods.

  • Inter-state cheetah conservation corridor:

    • Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh (MP) collaborated to develop India's first inter-state cheetah conservation corridor: 17,000 square kilometers.

  • Genome-edited rice varieties:

    • Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan unveiled India’s first genome-edited rice varieties: DRR Dhan 100 (Kamala) and Pusa DST Rice 1.

  • 62nd Executive Committee (EC) Meeting of the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG):

    • Projects align with ecosystem restoration across the Ganga basin.

  • IIFT off-campus Centre in GIFT City, Gandhinagar:

    • Ministry of Education approved to expand specialized education in international trade.
    • To foster multidisciplinary learning and capacity building in the field of international trade.

  • Submarine Cable Project:

    • INCOIS launched the ‘Submarine Cable Project’: improve long-term monitoring of the Indian Ocean.
    • Enhance the understanding of oceanographic patterns, seismic movements, and tsunami risks in the region.

  • Igla-S Man-Portable Air Defense Systems delivery:

    • The Indian Army received the delivery of a new shipment of Igla-S Man-Portable Air Defense Systems (MANPADS).
    • Enhances India’s tactical air defense capabilities, particularly along the border in Jammu and Kashmir.

  • India’s Mining Sector:

    • Production of iron ore at 289 million metric tons (MMT) in FY 2024-25 has broken the production record.

  • Multi-Influence Ground Mine (MIGM):

    • DRDO and the Indian Navy successfully undertook combat with reduced explosive MIGM.
    • MIGM is designed to enhance the Indian Navy's capabilities against modern stealth ships and submarines.

  • Paras Defence and Heven Drones JV:

    • Joint venture for manufacturing logistics and cargo drones in India.
    • 51-49 partnership, with Paras holding the majority stake.

  • PM addressed Global Conference on Space Exploration (GLEX) 2025:

    • The three-day global summit was themed “Reaching New Worlds: A Space Exploration Renaissance.”

  • India and the United Kingdom concluded a Comprehensive and Mutually Beneficial Free Trade Agreement (FTA):

    • FTA aims for deep economic integration via trade liberalization and tariff concessions

  • Columbia India Energy Dialogue:

    • Piyush Goyal highlighted India’s leadership role in the global energy transition

  • Sarvam AI launches new text-to-speech AI model called Bulbul v2.

  • Indian Navy concluded construction of 16 ASW SWCs.

  • Starlink to set up its commercial operations within India.

  • Completion of Main Magnet System for ITER Nuclear Fusion Project. India designed and manufactured the cryostat.

  • SBOF Agrosmart Private Limited launched SBOF Agrosmart, which is being billed as India’s first AI-based all-in-one agriculture app.

  • India and Chile signed the ToR for a CEPA.

  • C-DOT and CSIR–National Physical Laboratory (CSIR-NPL) Signed MoU.

  • Launch of Non-Ferrous Metal Recycling Website and Stakeholders' Portal.

  • Water Heritage Museum Included in Global Network.

  • India Participated in RIMES Ministerial Conference.

  • India Tops Global Manufacturing, Services Activity Charts.

  • India’s First Hydrogen Fuel Cell Truck Launched for Mining Logistics.

  • BrahMos Production Unit Inaugurated in UP Defence Corridor.

  • Ethnologue Research on World Languages. English is the most widely spoken language, and 5 Indian languages are in the top 20.

  • Illinois Tech to Establish Campus in Mumbai.

  • IWAI Establishes Regional Office in Srinagar.

  • India’s GST Collections for FY2024–25 Reached ₹16.75 Lakh Crore.

  • India’s Major Ports Achieve Impressive Annual Growth.

  • Sixth Semiconductor Unit to set up under India Semiconductor Mission.

  • India Imposed Ban on Medically Important Antimicrobials during Aquaculture Sector.

  • India plans for Samudrayaan Mission by 2026 for Ocean Exploration.
    *Indian Army Conducted Integrated Field Training Exercise ‘Teesta Prahar’.

  • Anti-drone system “Bhargavastra” successfully tested at Seaward Firing Range.

  • Drydocks World and Cochin Shipyard Partner to Boost Ship Repair.

  • India and Fiji sign MoU to strengthen the health sector.

  • DFCCIL launched the India's Longest Rail Flyover Girder.

  • MoCAF&PD Approved Additional Rice for Ethanol Production.

  • India officially set Ayurveda Day as September 23 annually.

  • Renesas Electronics India Inaugurates New Design Facilities.

  • Union Ministry of Agriculture Launched three new crop varieties developed by BHU

  • Bharat Electronics Signs Contract for Integrated Drone Defence System.

  • Rajasthan’s Sangri Receives Geographical Indication Tag.

  • Union Minister of MoEFCC made a visit to Nepal for the Sagarmatha Sambaad-2025

  • Scientists drilled first geothermal production well in Northeast India in Dirang, Arunachal Pradesh.

  • ARIES Signs MoU with IRDE to Boost Space Situational Awareness.

  • India and Maldives Signed 13 MoUs to Enhance Bilateral Cooperation.

  • Rapid Glacier Retreat Commemorated in Nepal

  • DPIIT Approved Expansion of Tax Benefits for Startups.

  • IFFCO and FDRVC inked an MoU to Strengthen FPOs in India.

  • Mizoram Became First State in India to Be Fully Literate Under ULLAS Initiative.

  • Indian Army & NDRF Conduct Joint Disaster Relief Exercise