Current Context: President Droupadi Murmu presented the Padma Awards 2025 at the Civil Investiture Ceremony-II held at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi.

ABOUT PADMA AWARDS 2025

The awards are announced on the occasion of Republic Day every year.

Categories & Criteria

• Padma Vibhushan: For Exceptional and distinguished service.
• Padma Bhushan: For distinguished service of high order.
• Padma Shri: Distinguished service in any field.
• Fields Covered: Art, Social Work, Public Affairs, Science & Engineering, Trade & Industry, Medicine, Literature & Education, Sports, Civil Service, Others.

2025 Statistics

• Total Awards: 139
• Padma Vibhushan: 7
• Padma Bhushan: 19
• Padma Shri: 113
• Posthumous Recipients: 13
• Foreign/NRI/PIO/OCI: 10
• Women Awardees: 23

❖ Padma Vibhushan (7 Awardees)

Celebrated annually on 29 May.

• Aim : This day honors the service and sacrifice of United Nations peacekeepers.
• History: Established to commemorate the creation of the UN’s first peacekeeping mission, the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO), in 1948.

Current Context: Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh launched the Bharat Forecast System, an indigenously developed high-resolution weather forecasting model, marking a significant advancement in India’s meteorological capabilities.

ABOUT:

Bharat Forecast System:

• Developed by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune.
• One of the world’s first indigenous high-resolution weather forecast models.
• Uses the ‘Triangular Cubic Octahedral Grid model’ for real-time weather modelling.

Technological Advances:

• Improves weather forecast resolution to 6 km from the earlier 12 km.
• Provides more precise village-level weather predictions.
• Demonstrated a 30% improvement in forecasting extreme rainfall events.
• Shows a 64% enhancement in prediction accuracy in core monsoon zones.

Current Context: The University of Liverpool has received formal approval from the University Grants Commission (UGC) to establish its first overseas campus in Bengaluru, Karnataka.

This campus will be the second from the prestigious Russell Group of UK universities to set up in India, following the University of Southampton’s campus in Gurugram. 

ABOUT:

• University of Liverpool:
  • A member of the UK’s Russell Group, representing 24 leading UK universities committed to maintaining the highest research and teaching standards.
  • Offers a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate programs across various disciplines.
• India Campus:
  • Will offer degrees equivalent to those awarded in the UK, ensuring international recognition.
  • Plans to offer programs in Business, Computing, Engineering, Economics, Law, Art and Design, with potential future expansions into Biomedicine and Biotechnology.
• Strategic Importance:
  • Aligns with India’s National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which encourages the establishment of foreign university campuses in India.

Current Context: Major Rohit Kadian of the Indian Army clinched four medals at the 11^th World Masters Games held in Taiwan from May 17 to 30, 2025, showcasing exceptional athletic prowess.

Major Kadian secured a gold medal in the 1500m race (40–45 age category), silver medals in the 800m and 5000m races, and a bronze in the 400m event.

About World Masters Games:

• Held in Taiwan from May 17 to 30, 2025.
• An international multi-sport event for athletes aged 35 and above.
• Held every four years, recognized by the International Olympic Committee.
• Promotes lifelong fitness and sportsmanship among veteran athletes.

About Major Rohit Kadian:

• Indian Army officer and accomplished athlete.
• Won gold in 1500m (40-45 age group), becoming world champion in this category.
• Secured silver medals in 800m and 5000m races, and bronze in 400m.

Current Context : Uttar Pradesh government, in collaboration with Indian Railways, launched India’s first Vistadome Jungle Safari Train, connecting Dudhwa and Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuaries.

ABOUT the Safari Train

• Objective:
  • Promote eco-tourism and wildlife education
  • Support local employment and biodiversity awareness
• Initiative: Part of “One Destination, Three Forests” project by Uttar Pradesh Eco-Tourism Board.
• Route: 107 km
• Stations Covered: Includes Dudhwa, Palia Kalan, Tikunia, among 9 total stops.
• Forests Covered:
  • Dudhwa National Park
  • Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary
  • Kishanpur Wildlife Sanctuary

Current Context : China is set to launch its ambitious Tianwen-2 mission on May 29, 2025, aiming to collect samples from the near-Earth asteroid 469219 Kamoʻoalewa.

ABOUT Tianwen-2 Mission

• Launch Vehicle: Long March 3B/E
• Launch Site: Xichang Satellite Launch Center
• Mission Duration: ~10 years
• Target Object: Asteroid 469219 Kamo‘oalewa
  • Quasi-satellite discovered in 2016.
  • Appears to orbit Earth due to its unique orbit.
  • Believed to be made of lunar material ejected via collision.
• Mission Objectives:
  • Survey asteroid surface.
  • Return samples (≥100g) to Earth.
  • Continue to main asteroid belt for comet 311P/PANSTARRS study.

Current Context : Tamil Nadu became the third Indian state (after Gujarat and Karnataka) to approve a dedicated Space Industrial Policy, targeting ₹10,000 crore investment and 10,000 jobs.

ABOUT IN-SPACe

• Full Form: Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Center.
• Type: Single-window, autonomous agency under the Department of Space (DoS).
• Purpose: Enables and authorizes non-governmental entities (NGEs) in:
  • Facilitate the development of launch vehicles and satellites by private entities.
  • Use of ISRO/DoS infrastructure
  • Space-based services
• Function:
  • Interface between ISRO and private players
  • Facilitates innovation, academic partnerships, and space-tech incubation.
• Headquarters: Bopal, Ahmedabad.
• Space Bay Plan: Similar to Florida’s Space Coast, spanning Thoothukudi, Madurai, Tirunelveli, Virudhunagar.

Current Context : Prime Minister recently visited the Karni Mata Temple in Deshnoke, Rajasthan, emphasizing its religious and cultural importance.

About Karni Mata Temple

• Location: Deshnoke town, 30 km from Bikaner, Rajasthan.
• Deity: Dedicated to Karni Mata, believed to be an incarnation of Goddess Durga.
• Historical Background:
  • Built by Rao Jaitasi, to commemorate the victory of the Bikaner King over Mughal King Kumaran.
  • Present structure completed under Maharaja Ganga Singh of Bikaner.
• Religious Sect: Belongs to Shakta Sampradaya.
• Unique Feature:
  • Inhabited by over 25,000 rats (kābā) which are considered sacred.
  • White rats are seen as manifestations of Karni Mata and her family.
  • Despite the vast rat population, no plague outbreak has ever been recorded.
• Architecture: Carved marble façade with silver doors showing legends of Karni Mata.
• Festivals: Major fairs are held twice a year during Navratri (March-April & September-October).

Current Context: The Solan Municipal Corporation secured the top rank in the Swachh Shehar–Samridh Shehar rankings among the eight municipal corporations in Himachal Pradesh.

ABOUT SWACHH SHEHAR RANKING

• Rankings (State Level – Himachal Pradesh)

1. Solan – 1st position
2. Dharamsala – 2nd position
3. Palampur – 3rd position

• Objective
• Part of Urban Cleanliness initiatives
• Aims to promote sustainable sanitation and municipal performance benchmarking
• Organising Authority
• Conducted under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Government of India
• Part of the broader Swachh Bharat Mission – Urban