Current Affairs | National | International | SSC | UPSC 2nd May 2025

 National News 

1. National Seminar on Road Safety Policy 2025 organized by the government in New Delhi 

•  On 1 May, a one-day National Brainstorming Seminar on Road Safety Policy 2025 was organized by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in New Delhi.
•   The seminar aimed to enhance road safety, enable proactive measures, and bring behavioral change among road users. 
•  The seminar focused on eight thematic areas that would provide an action plan for road safety. 
•  Panel discussions were held with stakeholders and industry experts on various topics, including accident site improvement and proactive hazard mitigation, improving the effectiveness of District Road Safety Committees, school zone road safety, highway rescue and cashless remedies, and others.
•  During the session, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari highlighted that interventions must be made during the Detailed Project Report (DPR) stage to address critical engineering aspects, including school zone safety. 
•  In line with India’s goal to reduce road accident casualties by 50% by 2030, a day-long seminar addressed key road safety issues and outlined policy directions for safer roads. 

2.The ECI initiated new measures to clean up voter lists and enhance voter services 

•  New initiatives have been launched by the Election Commission of India (ECI) to improve the accuracy of electoral rolls and make the voting process more accessible for citizens. 
•  These measures are part of the reforms outlined by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar during the Chief Electoral Officers’ Conference held in March this year. 
•  Death registration data will now be obtained electronically by the Commission from the Registrar General of India, ensuring that timely information about registered deaths is received by Electoral Registration Officers (EROs). 
•  The data shared will be re-verified by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) through on-ground field visits to ensure its authenticity. 
•  The Commission has decided to redesign Voter Information Slips to make them more voter-friendly, with the serial number and part number of the voter now being displayed more prominently. 
• All BLOs will be issued standardised photo identity cards to enhance credibility and facilitate smoother public interaction during verification drives. 

International News 

3. U.S. gains access to Ukraine’s minerals

•  The U.S. and Ukraine on Wednesday signed an agreement granting American access to Ukraine’s vast mineral resources, FInalising a deal months in the making that could enable continued military aid to Kyiv.
• The development comes amid concerns that President Donald Trump might scale back support in ongoing peace negotiations with Russia. 
• The two sides offered only the bare bones about the structure of the deal, which they called the United States-Ukraine Reinvestment Fund. 
•  But it is expected to give the U.S. access to Ukraine’s valuable rare earth minerals while providing Kyiv a measure of assurance about continued American support in its grinding war with Russia.
•   "Commitment to peace’ “This agreement signals clearly to Russia that the Trump administration is committed to a peace process centered on a free, sovereign, and prosperous Ukraine over the long term,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement. 
• “President Trump envisioned this partnership between the American people and the Ukrainian people to show both sides’ commitment to lasting peace and prosperity in Ukraine.”
•   The signing comes two months after a different but similar agreement was nearly signed before being derailed in a tense Oval Office meeting involving President Donald Trump, Vice-President J.D. Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. 
•  Mr. Trump said on Wednesday night that the deal, “in theory,” means that the U.S. will get more from Ukraine than it contributed. “I wanted to be protected,” he said, adding that he didn’t want to look “foolish” by not getting money back for the investment 

4. India gets U.S. support in fight against terror

•   The U.S. stands “in solidarity” with India and supports its “right to defend itself”, Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth said in a conversation with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, while the latter said Pakistan had a “history” of supporting, training and funding terrorist organisations, the first direct reference to Pakistan by a senior minister in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack. 
•  The call between the Defence Ministers came after the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, calling on India and Pakistan to “work together” to de-escalate tensions. 
•  Naval exercises Meanwhile, the Indian Navy and the Pakistan Navy began simultaneous exercises in the Arabian Sea with both issuing ‘NavArea' warnings amid speculation of punitive strikes by the Indian military and a tense situation between the two countries.
•   On the Line of Control (LoC), there was no let-up in ceasefire violations, which have been going on for a week now. 
•  “Secretary Hegseth said the U.S. stands in solidarity with India and supports India’s right to defend itself. He reiterated the strong support of the U.S. government in India’s fight against terrorism,” Mr. Singh’s offence was said in a post on X. 
• “During the conversation, Mr. Singh said that Pakistan has a history of supporting, training and funding terrorist organisations. 
•  He further said that it is important for the global community to explicitly and unequivocally condemn and call out such heinous acts of terrorism,” the post added. Mr. Jaishankar wrote on his X account: “[I] Discussed the Pahalgam terrorist attack with U.S. Secretary of State Rubio.” 
•  He added, “Its perpetrators, backers and planners must be brought to justice.” 

State News 

5. Madhya Pradesh Government imposes ban on stubble burning to protect environment and soil health. 

•  A complete ban on stubble burning has been enforced in Madhya Pradesh following a surge in such incidents after crop harvesting. 
• The decision has been taken to safeguard soil fertility, environmental balance, and long-term agricultural productivity. 
•  Farmers found burning stubble will be disqualified from availing benefits under the Chief Minister Kisan Kalyan Yojana. 
•  The ₹6,000 benefit provided annually under the scheme will be withheld from violators as per the directive issued by the government.Additionally, such farmers will be barred from selling their crops at the minimum support price (MSP). 
• It was highlighted that burning stubble leads to the destruction of essential soil nutrients and reduces land fertility.The new rule has come into immediate effect from 1 May 2025 to ensure better compliance and promote sustainable agricultural practices. 
• This year, over 17,000 stubble burning cases were recorded in the state, resulting in fines totaling ₹25 lakh and more than 100 FIRs being registered. 

Defence News 

6. HAL clears Army and Air Force versions of Dhruv helicopter 

•  The Army and the Air Force versions of the advanced light helicopter (ALH) Dhruv have been cleared for operations after being grounded since January. 
• Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL), which is the manufacturer of the helicopter, on Thursday said that based on the Defect Investigation (DI) Committee recommendations, the Army and Air Force versions of the helicopter had been cleared for operations. 
• Time-bound plan ready “It is now intimated that the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv Army and Air Force versions are cleared for operations based on the Defect Investigation (DI) Committee recommendations,” the defence PSU said in a statement. 
•  It further added that a time-bound plan for the resumption of operations has been worked out with the users. 
•  The armed forces had temporarily grounded all their 330 ALHs following the January 5 crash of an ALH Mark-III of the Indian Coast Guard in Porbandar, Gujarat during a training sortie that killed all three crew members aboard the helicopter. 
•  Besides, the HAL had also advised civilian operators to ground the helicopter till the cause of the crash is identified. Dhruv was missing in action at the Aero India, 2025.
• The Indian Air Force’s Sarang Helicopter Display Team, which has displayed its formation aerobatics skills in the show for the past two decades, did not participate this time due to the grounding of the Dhruv helicopter. 
• Shortage of helicopters Following the grounding of the indigenous helicopter, the armed forces had been facing a shortage of helicopters and their military operations were affected. 
•  However, last week in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 tourists were killed, the Army version of the ALH had resumed flying in the Anantnag area of Jammu and Kashmir. Business news 

7. ₹850 crore to be invested in India’s creator economy, says YouTube chief 

•  YouTube chief executive officer Neal Mohan on Thursday announced an investment of ₹850 crore to accelerate India’s creator economy. 
•  During a session at the WAVES summit, Mr. Mohan said there were more than 15,000 Indian YouTube channels with over a million subscribers each. Joined by global creators Mark Rober and Gautami Kawale, Mr. Mohan underlined YouTube’s role in taking Indian stories globally. 
•  “India isn’t just leading in music and film, it’s now a creator nation,” Mr. Mohan said. Economy News 

8. Jet fuel price cut by 4%, rate of commercial LPG reduced 

• The price of jet fuel, or ATF, was reduced by 4.4% on Thursday — marking the second major cut within a month. 
• Additionally, the price of commercial LPG used in hotels and restaurants was lowered by ₹14.50 per cylinder, in line with international benchmarks. 
• The aviation turbine fuel (ATF) price was reduced by ₹3,954.38 per kilolitre, or 4.4%, to ₹85,486.80 a kl in the national capital, according to state-owned fuel retailers. 
• Oil firms reduced the price of commercial LPG by ₹14.50 a 19-kg cylinder. The reduction follows a ₹41 per cylinder cut in rates on April 1. 
• The rate of cooking gas used in domestic households, however, remained unchanged at ₹853 a 14.2-kg cylinder. 
• Prices of ATF and LPG differ from State to State depending on the incidence of local taxes, including VAT.

 Schemes and Committees News 

9. Centre and UNDP joined hands to empower waste pickers under the Namaste scheme 

• A Letter of Agreement (LoA) was signed on Labour Day between the Centre and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to enhance the working conditions and financial access for waste pickers. 
•  The agreement was exchanged between Amit Yadav, Secretary of the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment, and Angela Lusigi, UNDP’s Resident Representative in India. 
•  The initiative is being implemented under the expanded scope of the National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE), which included waste pickers as a key target group in 2024. 
•  As part of the agreement, financial support will be extended by the UNDP to establish state project management units (PMUs) to improve coordination and implementation between central and state authorities.
•   The waste-picking component of Namaste aims to formally identify and provide assistance to around 2.5 lakh people engaged in this activity across the country through a digital profiling and registration drive.Benefits such as occupational photo ID cards, Ayushman Bharat-PMJAY health insurance, skill development, PPE kits, and capital subsidies for waste collection vehicles will be provided under the scheme. 
•  Over 5,000 waste pickers have already been digitally profiled, marking a significant step in their formal recognition and inclusion in India’s sanitation workforce. 

10. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has appointed BJP MP Sanjay Jaiswal as the head of the Estimates Committee for 2025–26 

•  The committee will function until April 30, 2026. It has 30 members.The members come from various political parties.
•  These include the BJP, Congress, Samajwadi Party, TMC, DMK, and Shiv Sena (UBT).BJP MP Baijayant Panda has been chosen to lead the Committee on Public Undertakings. 
• His term will also cover the 2025–26 period.This committee has 22 members. Fifteen of them are from the Lok Sabha. Seven are from the Rajya Sabha. 
•  Estimates Committee:During the post-independence period, first estimates committee was set up in 1950.It was set up on the recommendation of then Finance Minister John Mathai. 
•  Its all members are from Lok Sabha. Rajya Sabha has no representation in it.It examines the estimates included in the budget.Committee on Public Undertakings:It was created in 1964. 
•  It was created on the recommendation of Krishna Menon Committee.It has members from both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.It examines reports and accounts of public sector undertakings. 

Important Day news 

11.Foundation day of Ramkrishna Mission: 01 May 

• Swami Vivekananda established the mission on May 1, 1897.It was founded at the home of Balaram Basu in North Kolkata.Balaram Basu was a devoted disciple of Thakur Ramakrishna. 
•  Thakur Ramakrishna was a key figure in the Ramakrishna movement.The mission aimed to promote his teachings and values. 
•  The occasion was observed at Belur Math and Balaram Mandir. 
•  Special prayers and ceremonies were held to celebrate the day.Ramakrishna Mission:Ramakrishna Mission is a spiritual and philanthropic organisation.
•  It is headquartered in Belur Math, West Bengal.It propagates philosophy of Vedanta–Advaita Vedanta.It bases its work on the principles of Karma Yoga.

 Award News 

12. Badminton players Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy have received the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award for 2023 

•  The award ceremony was held in New Delhi.Union Sports Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya presented the award to them.In 2023, the duo reached the No. 1 spot in the Badminton World Federation rankings. 
• They also won a gold medal at the Asian Games in Hangzhou.They were chosen for the Khel Ratna in 2023.However, they could not attend the earlier ceremony due to tournament commitments. 

Infrastructure and Energy News 

13. On 2 May, Vizhinjam International Port—India’s First Semi-Automated Port inaugurated by PM Modi 

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Kerala for a two-day visit ahead of the inauguration of the Vizhinjam International Port. 
• The 'Vizhinjam International Deepwater Multipurpose Seaport,' worth ₹8,900 crore, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 
• The Vizhinjam Port, located in Thiruvananthapuram, developed under a public-private partnership with Adani Ports and SEZ Ltd. 
• The Prime Minister visited the port's operations building and inspected its advanced control systems. 
• The first phase of the port’s construction had been substantially completed by December 2024.Vizhinjam Port, the dream project of the state of Kerala, is finally becoming a reality after a long wait of almost three decades. 

Sports News

 14. Cricket will be part of the 2026 Asian Games.Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) will make its debut in the games 

•  The games will be held from September 19 to October 4, 2026.Aichi and Nagoya in Japan will host the event.
•   This will be cricket's fourth inclusion in the Asian Games.Cricket was first introduced as a medal event in the 2010 Guangzhou Games. 
• It was also part of the 2014 Incheon Games, but the matches were not international.At the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, the ICC gave international status to all cricket matches. 

Obituary News

 15.Prof. Sunny Thomas has passed away at the age of 83 

•  He is a former national shooting coach. He died in Uzhavoor, in Kerala’s Kottayam district. He was a Dronacharya Award recipient. Prof. Thomas played a major role in raising India’s profile in international shooting. He was originally an English professor. 
•  After retiring from academics, he became a full-time shooting coach. He served as India’s national coach from 1993 to 2012. 
•  He coached several top Indian shooters. His trainees included Rajya Vardhan Singh Rathore, Abhinav Bindra, Vijay Kumar, and Gagan Narang.