Current Affairs | National | International | SSC | UPSC 30th April 2025

International News 

1. Ax-4 mission: Indian astronaut Shukla to fly to ISS on May 29 

• Indian astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla’s mission to the International Space Station (ISS) is scheduled to be launched on May 29 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. 
• Group Captain Shukla will be the pilot of the Axiom-4 mission (Ax-4) and the launch is targeted no earlier than 1.03 p.m. EDT (Eastern Daylight Time) on May 29, NASA announced on Tuesday.
•   The Axiom Mission 4 crew will be launched aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft to the ISS and will spend up to 14 days at the orbiting laboratory. 
• Group Captain Shukla, who is also one of the four astronauts-designated for the Gaganyaan mission of ISRO, will become the first Indian astronaut to go to the ISS. 

Defence News 

2. Forces have a free hand to respond to terror, says PM 

• A firming that it is India’s “national resolve to deal a crushing blow to terrorism”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reportedly said on Tuesday that the Indian armed forces had his full confidence and “complete operational freedom to decide on the mode, targets, and timing” of India’s response in the aftermath of last week’s terror attack at Pahalgam that left 26 people dead. 
•  The Prime Minister is reported to have said this during a meeting with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi, Air Force chief Air Marshal A.P. Singh, and Navy chief Admiral Dinesh Tripathi. 
•  The meeting was held at the Prime Minister’s residence on Tuesday. Government sources said that the high-level huddle was held a day before the Prime Minister is set to preside over a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security, the second such meeting after the Pahalgam attack. 
•  “Prime Minister Modi expressed complete faith and confidence in the professional abilities of the Indian Armed Forces,” said a source in the government. 
•  “He added that they [the armed forces] have complete operational freedom to decide on the mode, targets, and timing of our response,” the source added.
•   Tuesday's meeting indicates that some military action is being considered to follow a series of diplomatic measures announced against Pakistan following the Pahalgam attack.
•  Meanwhile intelligence-based targeted counter terror operations continued in Kashmir on Tuesday, defence sources said, even as cease violations along the Line of Control continued for the fifth consecutive night.

Business News 

3. Insucient support for deep tech start-ups in India: study

•  Only about one in four public-funded research and development organisations in India gives incubation support to start-ups and only one in six provides support to ‘deep tech’ start-ups. 
• Only 15% collaborated with industry overseas and only half opened their facilities to outside researchers and students, say the findings of a study commissioned by the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser and executed by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Centre for Technology, Innovation, and Economic Research. 
• The study, via a detailed questionnaire, asked labs to rate themselves and supply data on 62 parameters such as their spend on R&D; the number of young scientists, patents filed, and technologies developed; and participation of women scientists and their contribution to “national missions” such as the Deep Ocean Mission and National Quantum Mission. 
• Labs of the “strategic sector”, such as those belonging to defence, space, and atomic energy research — all of which constitute the lion’s share of India’s overall Research and Development (R&D) spend — were excluded from the study due to the “sensitive nature of their work”. 
• The labs studied were those affiliated to the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, the Department of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, and so on. 
• The Union government expenditure on R&D was around ₹55,685 crore in 2020-21, the figure cited in the study and the latest available says. Excluding the expenditure of the strategic departments such as the DRDO (defence), DAE (atomic energy) and DoS (space), the spending by key scientific agencies and other Central government departments was ₹24,587 crore. 
• Around 25% of the participating institutions reported spending between 75% and 100% of their budget on R&D. 
• The organisations that reported less than the median share of spending on R&D and S&T (Science and Technology) in the overall budget were largely from ICAR (Agricultural research), CSIR, ICMR (medical research), Ministry of AYUSH (Ayurveda and traditional medicine) and DST (Science and Technology).
•  Staff strength down A large number of labs/institutes reported a decrease in the number of permanent staff in 2022-23 compared with the previous year and an increased reliance on contractual staff.
•  The median share of young researchers increased in 2022-23 to around 58% from 54% in the previous year. 
• “This is the second time that we have had such an analysis. What we intend is that the data from such a study be closely analysed by institutions so that they can identify areas of improvement,” said Dr. Ajay Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser. 
• “Overall, several research institutes seem to have oriented themselves from being centres of scientific inquiry to innovation centres. I see that as a positive development. 
• Academia and product innovation must go hand in hand.” As part of its recommendation, the report advocates that every lab should be “mandated to review their existing mandates”. 

Science and Technology News 

4. Changes in monsoon aect marine productivity in Bay of Bengal: study 

• Strong and weak monsoons can infuence marine productivity in the Bay of Bengal, a study exploring fluctuations in the Indian summer monsoon over the past 22,000 years has found. 
• Marine productivity is a proxy for growth of plankton, the main source of nourishment for aquatic life. The study is significant given that several climate models warn of significant disruption to the monsoon, under the impact of human-caused warming. 
• The study, which appears in the peer-reviewed Nature Geoscience, brought together scientists from India, China, Europe. and the United States. 
• “By analysing their chemistry and tracking the abundance of certain types that thrive in productive waters, we reconstructed long-term changes in rainfall, ocean temperatures and marine life in the Bay of Bengal,” Kaustubh Thirumalai of the University of Austin, the lead author of the study, said. “Together, these chemical signals helped us understand how the monsoon and ocean conditions responded to global climate changes over the past 22,000 years.” 
• Despite covering less than 1% of the world’s ocean area, the Bay of Bengal accounts for nearly 8% of global fishery production. 
• Its nutrient-rich coastal waters are vital to the densely populated communities along its shores, many of whom rely heavily on sheries for food and income. 
• “Millions of people living along the Bay of Bengal rely on the sea for protein, particularly from fisheries,” said Yair Rosenthal of Rutgers University, a co-author. 
• “If ocean productivity declines, it will powerfully ect the ecosystem, ultimately reducing sh stocks and threatening food security for coastal communities.” 
•  The study found that both abnormally strong and weak monsoons throughout history had caused major disruptions in ocean mixing, leading to a 50% reduction in food for marine life in the surface waters. 
•  This occurs because extreme monsoon conditions interfere with the vertical movement of nutrient-rich waters from the deep ocean to the surface. 
• By comparing ancient patterns with modern ocean data and climate model projections, researchers identified “worrying” similarities, the authors said in a statement. 

National News 

NMCG Approves Annual Master Plan to Promote River-Sensitive Urban Planning Under RCA 

• The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) has approved the annual master plan under the River Cities Alliance (RCA) to chart a roadmap of initiatives to be undertaken across the year. 
• As per the Jal Shakti Ministry, the plan focuses on integrating river-sensitive urban planning within India’s growing cities. It encompasses a series of capacity-building programs, knowledge exchange platforms, development of technical tools, expert guidance, and thematic case studies. 
• The promotion of river considerations within city master plans through the organisation of River-Sensitive Master Planning training programs across states will also be in focus this year. To support the formulation of Urban River Management Plans, the NMCG will conduct training sessions, including onboarding programs specifically for RCA cities in Tamil Nadu, with further sessions planned for additional states. 

BEML Hands Over India’s Largest Indigenous Electric Rope Shovel to Coal India 

• State-owned BEML has officially handed over India’s largest indigenously developed electric rope shovel, BRS21, to Northern Coalfields Ltd, a subsidiary of Coal India. 
• The BRS21 shovel weighs 720 tonnes and features a 21 cubic metre bottom dump bucket, making it one of the most capable shovels globally for large-scale open cast mining. 
•  Developed in just 24 months, the BRS21 marks a significant achievement in India’s push for self-reliant industrial manufacturing under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat mission. 
•  This milestone showcases BEML’s engineering strength and reinforces sustainable, high-capacity mining solutions for India’s growing energy needs. 

India & Nepal Sign MoU on cross-border transmission infrastructure 

•  India and Nepal have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop cross-border power transmission infrastructure, which will facilitate the evacuation of power from Nepal and its supply to India. 
•  The MoU was signed during the visit of the Union Minister of Power and Housing & Urban Affairs, Manohar Lal Khattar, to Nepal recently. 
•  He also visited the Arun 3 hydropower project, which is financed by India, and inaugurated the commencement of electromechanical works at the project site. 
• The MoU was signed between the Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (Power Grid) and the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA). 

Sarvam AI Selected to Build India’s First Sovereign Large Language Model under IndiaAI Mission 

•  Bengaluru-based AI startup Sarvam has been selected by the Government of India under the IndiaAI Mission to build India’s first sovereign large language model (LLM).
•  The model, which will be developed from scratch, will feature reasoning capabilities and be designed for voice fluency in multiple Indian languages. 
•  Sarvam aims to create multi-modal, multi-scale foundational models, with a goal of achieving secure, large-scale deployment for national AI infrastructure. 
• The company has already proven its ability to create cost-effective and scalable models, focusing on Indian language proficiency and supporting governments, nonprofits, and enterprises.

 5th Marine Census launched at the 2025 Coastal States Fisheries Meet 

• The government of India has launched the 5th Marine Census, accompanied by the introduction of a mobile application, Vyas-NAV, for digital-based data collection. The last Marine census was conducted in 2016 in the country. 
•  The mobile application was launched during the Coastal States Fisheries Meet 2025 in Mumbai, which was chaired by the Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying, Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh. 
•  The Kochi-based Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) has developed the Vyas-NAV (Village Jetty Appraisal NAVigator) app. Census supervisors will use the Vyas-NAV app for field verification of fishing villages, fish landing centres and fishing harbours. 
• The 5th Marine census is being coordinated by the Department of Fisheries of the Union Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying. The Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) is the nodal agency for implementing the marine fisheries census in nine coastal states: Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and West Bengal. 
• The census enumerators are from CMFRI, the Fisheries Survey of India, and the Fisheries Departments of the nine coastal states. 

MP first state to launch AI-based real-time forest alert system 

• Madhya Pradesh has become the first state to implement an AI-based real-time alert system on a pilot basis for active forest management using satellite images, mobile feedback, and machine learning. 
• The Artificial Intelligence system will enable the forest department to detect land encroachment, land use change, and forest degradation. 
• This system is being implemented as a pilot project in five sensitive forest divisions including Shivpuri, Guna, Vidisha, Burhanpur and Khandwa, which have reported several encroachment and tree felling incidents. 

Appointment 

Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s UNC secures victory in Trinidad and Tobago elections 

•  In a major political shift, the United National Congress (UNC), under the leadership of Kamla Persad-Bissessar, has won the general elections in Trinidad and Tobago, unseating the People’s National Movement (PNM) from governance. 
•  Kamla Persad-Bissessar, who served as the nation’s first female Prime Minister between 2010 and 2015, is now set for a prominent return to national politics. 
• An election was held in Trinidad and Tobago on April 28, 2025, to elect the 41 members of the House of Representatives for a new five-year term.

Khunying Patama Leeswadtrakul Elected BWF President 

• Khunying Patama Leeswadtrakul of Thailand has been elected as the 20th president of the Badminton World Federation (BWF), succeeding Poul-Erik Høyer of Denmark, who held the position for 12 years. 
•  She is only the second woman to lead the BWF, after Lu Shengrong of China (1993–2001), and brings a strong leadership track record as the president of the Badminton Association of Thailand. 

Recent Appointments 

• Jury of the 78th Cannes Film Festival 2025 – Payal Kapadia 
• MD for YouTube India – Gunjan Soni (replace Ishan Chatterjee) 
•  CEO of India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) – Amitesh Kumar Sinha (replace Sushil Pal) 
•  Chairman and Public Interest Director of NSE International Exchange – Neeraj Kumar Gupta 
•  CMD of REC Limited – Jitendra Srivastava (replace Vivek Kumar Dewangan) 

Ruchir Dixit Appointed Chairperson of IESA for FY2025-26 

•  Ruchir Dixit has been appointed as the Chairperson of the India Electronics and Semiconductor Association (IESA) for the financial year 2025-26, leading the industry’s efforts in electronics system design and manufacturing. 
•  Six new members have been elected to IESA’s Executive Council, including leaders from MediaTech, Applied Materials, 7Rays, Kaynes SemiCon, Alphawave Semi, and Analog Devices. 
•  Continuing members from the previous year include Navin Bishnoi (Vice Chairperson), Rajeev Khushu, Sanjeev Keskar (Treasurer), Veerappan VV (Advisor), and Ashok Chandak (President).

 Sports 

Barcelona Beats Real Madrid 3-2 to Win Record 32nd Copa del Rey Title 

•  Barcelona defeated Real Madrid 3-2 in a thrilling Copa del Rey final at Estadio de La Cartuja, winning a record-extending 32nd Spanish Cup title. 
•  Jules Kounde’s late extra-time strike secured Barcelona’s second trophy of the season, after their Spanish Super Cup victory over Real Madrid. 
•  In a dramatic match, Pedri’s first-half goal and Ferran Torres’ equalizer forced extra time, where Barcelona clinched the win after a tense 3-2 scoreline.

 Important day 

28 April – World Day for Safety and Health at Work 

• World Day for Safety and Health at Work is celebrated on April 28 to promote safe and healthy working conditions worldwide. 
• The day aims to raise awareness about occupational safety and health, highlighting the importance of preventing work-related injuries, illnesses, and deaths. 
•  Theme 2025 – Revolutionising health and safety: The role of AI and digitalisation at work. 

30 April – International Jazz Day 

• International Jazz Day is celebrated on April 30 every year to promote peace, cultural dialogue, diversity, and respect for human rights through the universal language of jazz. 
•  International Jazz Day aims to unite people worldwide, fostering intercultural dialogue, mutual understanding, and international cooperation through jazz music. 
•  The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2011. 
•  Theme 2025 – Learning for Lasting Peace – SDG Goal 4: Quality

 Education 30 April – Ayushman Bharat Diwas 

• Ayushman Bharat Diwas is observed every year on April 30 in India. The day is observed to spread awareness about the Ayushman Bharat Yojana, which is one of the world’s largest healthcare schemes. 
•  The aim of this special day is to remind people about the importance of good health and to make them aware of the benefits they can get through the government’s free healthcare services. 
•  The Ayushman Bharat Yojana was launched by the Government of India in 2018 under the National Health Policy. It is also known as the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY). 
•  The main goal of this scheme is to provide free health insurance to poor and low-income families. It helps them get treatment in hospitals without having to pay from their pockets. Each eligible family can receive up to Rs 5 lakh per year for hospital care 

 Famous filmmaker Shaji N Karun passed away at 73. 

• Veteran Malayalam filmmaker and cinematographer Shaji N Karun passed away in Thiruvananthapuram.
•  Shaji N Karun was among the few filmmakers who took the legacy of Malayalam cinema to the international audience. 
• His debut film, Piravi (1988), was screened at nearly 70 international film festivals, and his second film, Swaham (1994), was nominated for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival
• . His films have won seven national awards and as many Kerala State Awards. 

Telangana appoints K. Ramakrishna Rao as new Chief Secretary.

•  Telangana state Government has appointed K. 
• Ramakrishna Rao as the Chief Secretary of Telangana in place of A. Santhi Kumari. 
• Ramakrishna Rao has been working in the Finance Department since 2014.
•  Ramakrishna Rao played a key role in making decisions regarding finances and seeking funds from the Centre. 

• Chief Secretary: 

• The Chief Secretary is the highest-ranking executive official and civil servant of the government of a state. 
• He/ She acts as the principal advisor to the chief minister on all matters of state administration. 
• The Chief Secretary acts as an ex-officio secretary to the state cabinet, therefore called "Secretary to the Cabinet". 

State News/ Bihar 

Two Guinness World Records were set by Bihar in Madhubani Painting and Buddhist Monk Performance. 

• In Bihar, two Guinness World Records were achieved in different categories of Madhubani painting and singing bowl ensemble performances by Buddhist monks. 
• A large-sized Madhubani painting measuring 18.69 square meters was created at Madhubani Painting Institution under the guidance of famous artist Bauaa Devi and others to offer tributes to Padma Shri Jagdamba Devi. 
• Madhubani painting, also known as Mithila painting, is a traditional folk art form of Bihar. Pure colors are used to paint various religious themes and nature-based themes. 
• 375 monks from various monasteries spanning from the age of five years to 70 years came together at Bodhgaya and achieved the world record for the biggest gathering of Buddhist monks for a singing bowl ensemble. 
• The singing bowl practice is related to Buddhist traditions for meditation, rituals and ceremonies. 
• For the first time, the Mahabodhi Temple played host to the largest singing bowl ensemble in history, culminating in a prestigious Guinness World Record. 

Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai will be the next CJI wef 14 May 2025. 

• Justice Gavai will be the 52nd Chief Justice of India. 
• President Droupadi Murmu has appointed Justice Gavai as the next Chief Justice of India. 
• He will replace current Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna, whose tenure will end on 13 May 2025.
•  H. J. Kania was the first Chief Justice of India. 
• The Chief Justice of India is appointed by the President of India. 
• Conventionally, the most senior judge of the Supreme Court is recommended for the post. 
• The appointment is made after consultation with the judges of the Supreme Court as per Article 124(2) of the Constitution.

 8. Mark Carney continues as Prime Minister of Canada. 

• Mark Carney will continue as Prime Minister of Canada as Liberal Party has won the election for House of Commons. 
• Opposition Conservative party leader Pierre Poilievre failed to bring an end to the dominance of the Liberal Party. 
• Liberal Party is leading in 168 seats, while they need 172 for a majority government. 
• If they get less than 172 seats – as they did under Justin Trudeau in 2021 – they will need the support of other parties.

 Canada: 

• It is a country in North America that shares the world’s longest international land border with the US.
•  Its capital is Ottawa and its currency is the Canadian dollar. 
• It is the world’s second-largest country by total area. …..

10. Red-Crowned Roofed Turtle returns to the Ganga after three decades under Namami Gange Mission. 

• On April 26, 2025, 20 turtles were transferred from the Garhaita Turtle Conservation Center located within and under supervision of National Chambal Sanctuary, UP and released into the Haiderpur Wetland. 
• During the monsoon season, the Haiderpur Wetland will completely connect with the main channel of the Ganga, allowing the turtles to disperse at their own pace.
•  This is the first attempt at reintroducing this species into the Ganga. 
• This important initiative will not only conserve turtle species but will also inspire the improvement of the ecosystem in Uttar Pradesh. 
• Red-crowned roofed turtle or Bengal roof turtle (Batagur kachuga) is a species of freshwater turtle endemic to South Asia. Its IUCN status is Critically Endangered.

 Namami Gange Programme:

•  It was launched in June 2014 for a period up to 31st March 2021 but was subsequently extended up to 31st March 2026.
•  It was launched to rejuvenate the River Ganga and its tributaries. 
• It is managed by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) under the Ministry of Jal Shakti.