Current Affairs | National | International | SSC | UPSC 11th May 2025

 National News 

1. Government set 354.64 MT target of foodgrain Production for 2025-26 

•  India sets a foodgrain production target at 354.64 million tonnes for the 2025–26 crop year, up from 341.55 million tonnes in 2024–25, buoyed by expectations of a better monsoon.
•  Current production has reached 330.92 million tonnes from the Kharif and Rabi seasons in 2024–25; estimates for the summer (zaid) season are still awaited. 
•  For rice, the government aims to produce 147.35 million tonnes in 2025–26, compared to 136.44 million tonnes estimated from Kharif and Rabi in the current year. 
• For wheat, which is grown only in the Rabi season, the target is set at 117.40 million tonnes for 2025–26, slightly higher than the 115.43 million tonnes estimated in 2024–25. 

2. India Champions Inclusive Land Governance at World Bank Land Conference 2025 with SVAMITVA and Gram Manchitra 

•  India, led by Vivek Bharadwaj, Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, served as a Country Champion at the World Bank Land Conference 2025 (Washington D.C.), highlighting the SVAMITVA Scheme and Gram Manchitra platform as exemplary models of technology-driven rural governance. 
•  The SVAMITVA Scheme, discussed in a plenary and a special session titled “Securing Land Rights for a Billion People,” has surveyed 68,000 sq. km, monetized ₹16 trillion in land, and empowered rural livelihoods, particularly for women, by providing secure land ownership and access to credit. 
•  In a special technical session, Gram Manchitra, a geospatial planning tool, was showcased by Alok Prem Nagar, emphasizing its role in climate resilience, disaster preparedness, and localized planning, earning appreciation for its relevance to the Global South. 

3. Five key figures of LeT, JeM killed in Operation Sindoor: security agencies 

•  At least five top figures of the Pakistan-based banned flights, the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), were killed during the precision strikes carried out on May 7 in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack of April 22, security agencies said on Saturday. 
• They include Mudassar Khadian Khas, also known as Mudassar and Abu Jundal, in-charge of the LeT’s headquarters, Markaz Taiba, in Pakistan’s Muridke; and JeM chief Masood Azhar’s eldest brother-in-law Haz Muhammed Jameel, and another brother-in-law Mohammad Yusuf Azhar, who also operated under the code names ‘Ustad-Ji’, ‘Mohammed Salim’, and ‘Ghosi Sahab’. 
• Two others have been identified by Indian government agencies as Khalid of the LeT, and Mohammad Hassan Khan of the JeM. 
• According to Indian agencies, Abu Jundal received a guard of honour at his funeral from the Pakistan Army, and wreaths were laid on his grave on behalf of the head of the Pakistan Army and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz. Azhar’s brother-in-law Jameel was in charge of the Markaz Subhan Allah, Bahawalpur, the JeM’s headquarters. 
•  Flight hijacking case The third terrorist, Ustad Ji, headed the Balakot training camp, the agencies said. He was also wanted for the Flight IC-814 hijacking in 1999, after which the Indian government had to release three terrorists, including Azhar, in exchange for the passengers and crew aboard the aircraft. 
•  An Interpol notice was issued against Azhar in 2000 on charges of hijacking, kidnapping, and murder. 
•  The fourth terrorist, named Khalid, aka. Abu Akasha, of the LeT, was also involved in several terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, and was smuggling weapons from Afghanistan, according to the government agencies. His funeral, held in Faisalabad, was attended by senior Pakistan Army officers and the area Deputy Commissioner, the agencies said.
•  The JeM’s Hassan Khan was the son of Mufti Asghar Khan Kashmiri, an ‘operational commander’ of the fight in Pakistan occupied Jammu & Kashmir (PoJK). “His funeral was held at a sports stadium,” an agency said.

 International News 

4. Bhutan signs MoU with Adani for 5,000 MW hydropower

 

•  Adani Group and Bhutan’s Druk Green Power Corporation (DGPC) have signed an MoU to jointly develop 5,000 MW of hydropower projects in Bhutan.
• The MoU was signed in Thimphu in the presence of Bhutanese Prime Minister Dasho Tshering Tobgay and other senior dignitaries, strengthening Indo-Bhutan energy cooperation. 
•  This collaboration expands on their ongoing partnership in the Wangchhu Hydropower Project (570/900 MW), with DGPC holding 51% stake and Adani holding 49% stake. 

5. Nicaragua’s La Prensa Newspaper Awarded 2025 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize 

•  La Prensa, a Nicaraguan newspaper, has been honored with the 2025 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize for its outstanding commitment to press freedom and journalistic integrity. 
•  The award highlights La Prensa’s resilience in upholding independent journalism, often under challenging circumstances, as recognized by UNESCO’s international jury. 
• The UNESCO/Guillermo Cano Prize, named after the assassinated Colombian journalist, celebrates contributions to free expression, with La Prensa joining a legacy of global defenders of press rights. 
•  UNESCO’s Guillermo Cano Prize 
•  UNESCO member states created the World Press Freedom Prize in 1997. 
•  The only UN prize awarded to journalists, it is named after Colombian newspaper journalist Guillermo Cano Isaza, who was assassinated in Colombia’s capital, Bogota, in 1986. 

State News 

6. Haryana Govt Approves ₹10,000 Monthly Honorarium Scheme for Artists 

• The Haryana government has decided to implement a new scheme titled “Pandit Lakhmi Chand Kalakar Samajik Samman Yojana”, under which eligible artistes will receive a monthly honorarium of Rs 10,000 as financial support from the government. 
• The scheme aims to improve the financial and socio-economic conditions of senior artistes and art scholars who made significant contributions to the field of art during their active lives or who are still contributing to the field but are no longer actively participating due to old age. 
• About Haryana Capital – Chandigarh Chief Minister – Nayab Singh Saini(11th) Governor – Bandaru Dattatreya 

7. Railways sanctions survey for new railway line in Sikkim 

• The Ministry of Railways has sanctioned a final location survey for a new railway line in Sikkim. 
• The Guwahati-headquartered Northeast Frontier Railway will conduct the ₹2.25 crore survey for the project, which is envisaged to connect Melli with West Bengal, to Dentam on the India-Nepal border, a spokesperson of the railway zone said. The proposed route, about 75 km long, would be a “strategic extension” of the under-construction Sivok-Rangpo railway line, which is expected to be operational by 2027. Sivok is in West Bengal, and Rangpo is in Sikkim. 
• Melli, a key entry point to southern and western Sikkim, is likely to serve as a junction for the proposed extension. 8. Kerala, Maharashtra, T.N. attain U.N. SDGs in mortality ratios, says report 
• Three States in India — Kerala, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu — have attained the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) targets in Maternal Mortality Rate or MMR (<=70 by 2030); Under-Five Mortality Rate or U5MR (<=25 by 2030); and Neonatal Mortality Rate or NMR (<=12 by 2030), according to the Sample Registration System Report 2021 released by the Registrar-General of India earlier this week. 
• According to the report, eight States have already attained the MMR SDG target, including Kerala (20), Maharashtra (38), Telangana (45), Andhra Pradesh (46), Tamil Nadu (49), Jharkhand (51), Gujarat (53), and Karnataka (63). Twelve States/Union Territories have already attained the U5MR SDG target — Kerala (eight), Delhi (14), Tamil Nadu (14), Jammu and Kashmir (16), Maharashtra (16), West Bengal (20), Karnataka (21), Punjab (22), Telangana (22), Himachal Pradesh (23), Andhra Pradesh (24), and Gujarat (24). Six States/Union Territories have already attained the NMR SDG target — Kerala (four), Delhi (eight), Tamil Nadu (nine), Maharashtra (11), Jammu & Kashmir (12), and Himachal Pradesh (12).
•  India has continued to see significant improvement in key maternal and child health indicators, the report said. 
•  A special bulletin on MMR in India in 2019-21, based on data from the Sample Registration System, found India’s MMR had shown a marked reduction, declining by 37 points from 130 per lakh live births in 2014-16 to 93 in 2019-21.
•  The downward trend in child mortality indicators also continues. 

Appointment and Resignation News 

9. Titan names Tanishq CEO Ajoy Chawla as next MD 

•  Titan Company has appointed Ajoy Chawla, the current CEO of Tanishq, as its next Managing Director (MD). 
•  Ajoy Chawla will succeed C.K. Venkataraman, who is set to retire in 31 December 2025, after completing his term. 
•  Chawla has played a crucial role in expanding the Tanishq brand and driving growth across Titan’s jewellery division. 

 

Appointments 

10. Director of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) – Praveen Sood (one year extension)

•  MD of National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) – Prakash Magdum
•   CMD of Oriental Insurance Company Limited (OICL) – Sanjay Joshi 
•  MD & CEO of FMCG major Marico – Saugata Gupta (reappointment for 2 years) 
•  MD of National Film Development Corporation – Prakash Magdum 

Award News 

11.Sonu Sood to Receive Humanitarian Award at Miss World 2025 for Covid-19 Relief Eorts

•   Actor Sonu Sood will be honored with the Humanitarian Award at the 72nd Miss World Festival at HITEX Arena, Hyderabad, for his extensive relief work during the Covid-19 pandemic through the Sood Charity Foundation.
•  Julia Morley, Chairperson of the Miss World Organisation, praised Sood’s efforts as embodying ‘Beauty With A Purpose,’ noting his inspiring contributions to humanity, while Sood will also serve as a judge at the Miss World 2025 grand finale.
•  During the lockdown, Sood facilitated transport for stranded workers, provided medical aid, and launched free education and job training programs, significantly impacting lives. 12. Medal of Honour from World Jurist Association – Bhuwan Ribhu (renowned child rights lawyer and founder of Just Rights for Children) 
•  Companion of the Order of Fiji – Karnataka-based humanitarian Madhusudan Sai 
•  Lata Deenanath Mangeshkar Award 2025 – Kumar Mangalam Birla, Shraddha Kapoor, Sunil Shetty, Sachin Pilgaonkar, Sonali Kulkarni, and violinist Dr N Rajams 
• Gurudev Kalicharan Brahma Award 2025 – Achyuta Samanta
•  Breakthrough Prize 2025 for Contribution to ALICE Collaboration at CERN – Bose Institute’s High-Energy Physics Team 

Sports News 

13. Aryna Sabalenka Clinches Third Madrid Open Title with Win Over Coco Gau

•  World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka defeated Coco Gauff 6-3, 7-6 (7/3) to win her third Madrid Open title, marking her 31st career victory on Madrid clay. 
• This was Sabalenka’s sixth final of the year and her 37th overall, and she has now won WTA titles in Brisbane, Miami, and Madrid in 2024. 
•  Gauff, who had defeated Iga Swiatek in the semifinals, was overpowered by Sabalenka’s consistent play and a tie-break finish sealed by Gauff’s double fault.