Current Context: The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) released the Human Development Report 2025 titled “A Matter of Choice: People and Possibilities in the Age of AI,” ranking India 130th out of 193 countries.

Relevant Data:

• HDI Value: India’s Human Development Index (HDI) value improved to 0.685 from 0.676 in 2022.
• Life Expectancy: Increased to 72 years in 2023.
• Education: Average mean years of schooling reached 13 years.
• GNI per Capita: India’s Gross National Income per capita rank is seven positions below its HDI rank.
• Gender Inequality: India ranks 102nd on the Gender Inequality Index, indicating significant gender disparities.
• Global Trends: The report notes a slowdown in human development progress globally, with increasing inequality between low and very high HDI countries for the fourth consecutive year.
• About UNDP: The United Nations Development Programme is the UN’s global development network, advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience, and resources to help people build a better life.

Current Context : The winners of the 2025 Pulitzer Prizes—America’s top journalism and arts awards—were announced by Columbia University.

About Pulitzer Prizes:

• Established by: Joseph Pulitzer, newspaper publisher.
• First awarded in:
• Administered by: Columbia University, USA.
• Awarded in: 23 categories (15 for journalism, 8 for arts/books/music).
• Selection Process: Winners are selected by the Pulitzer Prize Board.

Key Journalism Winners (2025):

• Public Service: ProPublica
• Investigative Reporting: Reuters (for fentanyl drug investigation)
• International Reporting: New York Times (on Sudan conflict)
• Breaking News Reporting: Washington Post (on assassination attempt of Donald Trump)
• Photography: Doug Mills, NYT (photo of bullet in air during Trump speech)
• Editorial Writing: Houston Chronicle team
• Audio Reporting: The New Yorker

Key Arts & Letters Winners:

• Fiction: “James” by Percival Everett
• Drama: “Purpose” by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
• Biography: “Every Living Thing” by Jason Roberts
• History: “Combee” by Edda L. Fields-Black
• Poetry: “New and Selected Poems” by Marie Howe
• General Non-Fiction: “To the Success of Our Hopeless Cause” by Benjamin Nathans
• Music: “Sky Islands” by Susie Ibarra

Current Context: The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has extended the tenure of Praveen Sood as the Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) by one year, effective beyond May 24, 2025.

About Praveen Sood:

• A 1986-batch IPS officer from the Karnataka cadre.
• Assumed charge as CBI Director on May 25, 2023.
• Previously served as the Director General of Police in Karnataka.

Appointment Process:
As per the Delhi Special Police Establishment (DSPE) Act, 1946, the CBI Director is appointed by the Central Government on the recommendation of a three-member committee comprising:

• Prime Minister (Chairperson)
• Chief Justice of India or a Supreme Court judge nominated by him
• Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha or the leader of the single largest opposition party in the Lok Sabha

Tenure: The Director’s tenure is for two years, extendable up to five years with annual extensions.

Current Context : Parameswaran Iyer has been appointed as India’s new Executive Director at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in May 2025, replacing Krishnamurthy Subramanian.

• He is an IAS officer of 1981-batch.
• Former CEO of NITI Aayog and credited with leading the Swachh Bharat Mission.
• Previously served as an Executive Director at the World Bank.

About IMF Executive Board:

• Composed of 25 Executive Directors, each representing a country or group of countries.
• Oversees the day-to-day operations of the IMF and is chaired by the IMF Managing Director.
• Approves lending arrangements, surveillance reports, and policy decisions.

About the IMF:

• Founded: 1944 at Bretton Woods Conference; began functioning in 1945.
• Headquarters: Washington, D.C., USA.
• Members: 190 countries (as of 2025).
• Mandate: Ensure global monetary cooperation, financial stability, and facilitate international trade.
• Key Functions:
  • Providing financial assistance to member countries.
  • Monitoring economic and financial policies.

Observed on 9 May 2025 (25th day of Boishakh as per Bengali calendar).

Aim : To commemorate the birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore, the first Asian Nobel Laureate.

About

• Born on 7 May 1861 in Kolkata.
• Also known as Gurudev, Tagore was a poet, philosopher, dramatist, painter, and social reformer.
• Nobel Prize: Received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913 for his book Gitanjali, becoming the first non-European Nobel laureate in literature.
• Legacy:
• Composed the national anthems of both India (Jana Gana Mana) and Bangladesh (Amar Shonar Bangla).
• Founded Visva-Bharati University in Santiniketan, West Bengal.

Current Context: Hyderabad-based fintech company Goldsikka has unveiled the world’s first AI-powered Gold-Melting ATM, enhancing the way users interact with gold transactions.

Features and Functionalities:

• Services Offered:
  • Buy and sell gold
  • Melting and purity testing
  • Instant valuation based on real-time market prices
  • Direct bank transfer within 30 minutes
• Technological Integrations:
  • Augmented Reality (AR) for virtual jewellery try-on
  • AI-based security measures, including Aadhaar verification and ID proof checks
  • Automated crime detection and alert systems

Current Context: Recently, Sujata Chaturvedi, a 1989-batch IAS officer of the Bihar cadre, was appointed as a Member of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).

Profile:

• Educational Background: Postgraduate degree in History, M.Phil in Public Administration, and a Diploma in Russian language
• Career Highlights: Served in various key positions at both state and central levels, including as Sports Secretary
• Tenure: Her term as UPSC member will be governed by Article 316 of the Constitution of India.

Current Context: The seventh edition of the Khelo India Youth Games commenced on May 4, 2025, in Bihar, marking the state’s inaugural hosting of this national multi-sport event.

Key Highlights:

• Duration: May 4 – 15, 2025
• Host Cities: Patna, Rajgir, Gaya, Bhagalpur, Begusarai, and events in New Delhi
• Participants: Over 10,000, including more than 6,000 athletes
• Sports: 27 disciplines, with esports introduced as a demonstration sport
• Notable Additions: Inclusion of sepaktakraw as a medal sport.

Current Context: The Indian Army has received a new batch of Russian-made Igla-S man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS) to bolster its capabilities against low-flying aerial threats.

About Igla-S:

• Type: Very Short Range Air Defence System (VSHORADS)
• Features:
  • Infrared homing for target acquisition
  • Effective against drones, helicopters, and low-flying aircraft
  • Range: Up to 6 km; Altitude: Up to 3.5 km
• Deployment: Supplied to forward formations to counter threats along the borders.

Current Context: India has developed the world’s first genome-edited rice varieties, DRR Dhan 100 (Kamala) and Pusa DST Rice 1, using CRISPR-Cas technology to enhance yield and climate resilience.

About Genome-Edited Rice Varieties:

• DRR Dhan 100 (Kamala): Developed by ICAR–IIRR (Indian Institute of Rice Research), Hyderabad, by targeting the CKX2 (Cytokinin Oxidase 2) gene to increase grain numbers per panicle.
• Pusa DST Rice 1: Developed by ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi, as an improved version of the fine-grain rice MTU1010 (Cottondora Sannalu).
• Benefits: These varieties promise a 20-30% yield increase, superior drought tolerance, high nitrogen-utilization efficiency, reduced water consumption, and lower greenhouse gas emissions from rice cultivation.
• Approval: Genome editing of Site Directed Nuclease 1 (SDN1) and SDN2 types of genes has been approved under India’s biosafety regulations for general crops.