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National news
GoI sets up interministerial committee headed by BVR Subrahmanyam to frame NMM
In April 2025, the Government of India (GoI) established an inter-ministerial committee to outline the framework for the proposed National Manufacturing Mission (NMM), aiming to further strengthen the Make in India initiative.
The committee is headed by BVR Subrahmanyam, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NITI Aayog, the policy think tank of India.
Currently, the manufacturing sector contributes around 16–17% to India’s GDP, and the mission targets a significant increase in this share.
About National Manufacturing Mission (NMM):
- Announced in the Union Budget 2025–26.
- Purpose: To enhance India’s manufacturing sector and boost the Make in India program.
Key Focus Areas:
- Ease and cost of doing business
- Building a future-ready workforce for high-demand jobs
- Developing a vibrant MSME sector (Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises)
- Ensuring access to advanced technology and high-quality products
- Inclusion of both large industries and MSMEs
Mission Objectives:
- Provide policy support, implementation strategies, and a governance and monitoring framework for central ministries and state governments.
- Promote Clean Tech Manufacturing by enhancing Domestic Value Addition (DVA).
- Develop the ecosystem for:
- Solar PV cells
- EV batteries, motors, and controllers
- Electrolyzers
- Wind turbines
- High-voltage transmission equipment
- Grid-scale batteries
- Support in designing and manufacturing non-leather footwear components and machinery, along with leather footwear and related products.
Recent Related News:
On March 12, 2025, Union Minister of State (MoS) Bhupathiraju Srinivasa Varma (Ministry of Steel and Ministry of Heavy Industries – MoHI) launched:
- Three R&D schemes
- ‘SteelCollab’ web portal
under the Steel Research Technology Mission of India (SRTMI) to drive innovation in the steel sector.
IEPFA hosts Preparatory Meeting for ‘Niveshak Shivir’
On 28th April 2025, the “Coastal States Fisheries Meet: 2025” was organized in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The event was chaired by Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh, who heads both the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (MoFAH&D) and the Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR).
Key Dignitaries Present:
- Prof. S.P. Singh Baghel, Union Minister of State (MoS), MoFAH&D and MoPR
- George Kurian, Union MoS, MoFAH&D and Ministry of Minority Affairs (MoMA)
- Governors and Fisheries Ministers from 7 coastal states/Union Territories (UTs)
Major Initiatives Launched:
- Fisheries Projects worth ₹255.30 crore were inaugurated and foundation laid under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), benefiting 7 coastal States/UTs.
- Launch of the 5th Marine Fisheries Census (MFC 2025) to gather comprehensive data on the marine fisheries sector.
- Release of:
- Guidelines on Turtle Excluder Device
- Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for Vessel Communication and Support System
- Distribution of tablets equipped with the Digital Application “Vyas-NAV” (Village Jetty Appraisal NAVigator) to aid coastal infrastructure assessment.
- Awarded the first-ever Aqua Insurance (One Time Incentive Sanction-cum-Release Order) to beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Kisan Samridhi Sah-Yojana (PM-MKSSY).
CBDT Grants Income Tax Exemption to NMCG
In April 2025, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), a statutory body under the Department of Revenue (DoR), Ministry of Finance (MoF), Government of India (GoI), granted Income Tax (IT) exemption status to the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), headquartered in New Delhi, under the Ministry of Jal Shakti (MoJS).
This exemption supports the execution of the Union Government’s flagship programme — Namami Gange Programme (NGP), launched in 2014.
Tax Exemption Details:
- NMCG is now eligible for IT exemption under clause (46A), Section 10 of the Income Tax Act, 1961.
- Effective from Assessment Year (AY) 2024–25.
- Granted as NMCG fulfills sub-clause (a) of clause (46A), meant for entities created under Central/State Acts engaged in:
- Environmental conservation
- Sustainable development
- Public welfare activities
About NMCG:
- Acts as the implementation body of the Namami Gange Programme (NGP).
- Constituted as an authority under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
- Primary objective: Restoration of the Ganga River ecosystem.
International news
UN DESA Releases “World Social Report 2025”
In April 2025, the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) released its flagship report titled:
“World Social Report 2025: A New Policy Consensus to Accelerate Social Progress.”
The report was jointly produced by:
- United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER)
- Division for Inclusive Social Development (DISD), UN DESA
Core Message of the Report:
The report calls for a new policy consensus anchored on three foundational principles:
- Equity
- Economic Security for All
- Solidarity
These principles are deemed crucial to strengthening the social, economic, and environmental dimensions of sustainable development.
Global Challenges Highlighted:
- 60% of the global population lives under economic insecurity
- Over 690 million people are still in extreme poverty
- Climate change is disrupting livelihoods and threatening future generations
- Low-income countries face the brunt of environmental degradation, while high-income nations are the largest polluters
ADB-WEF Report 2025: Asia-Pacific Lags in Grid Readiness Despite USD729.4 Billion Clean Energy Investment
In April 2025, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), headquartered in Manila, Philippines, in partnership with the World Economic Forum (WEF), based in Cologny, Switzerland, released a key report titled Energy Transition Readiness Assessment (ETRA) for Developing Asia and the Pacific.
This marks ADB’s first-ever initiative to evaluate the energy transition capacity of regional countries, using a new readiness framework modeled on the WEF’s Energy Transition Index (ETI).
Key highlights from the report:
- The assessment emphasizes the urgent need for large-scale investments to modernize and interconnect power grids in developing nations across Asia and the Pacific. These steps are essential to unlock the full benefits of the clean energy transition.
- Between 2013 and 2023, clean energy investments in developing Asia rose by over 900 percent, reaching 729.4 billion US dollars in 2023. This figure represents 45 percent of total global clean energy investments.
- According to the International Finance Corporation (IFC), to effectively unlock private capital for the energy transition, India, ASEAN countries, and other Emerging Markets and Developing Economies (EMDEs) will require around 23 billion US dollars annually in concessional funds.
Banking news
RBI instructs all banks, financial companies, and other regulated entities to use PRAVAAH portal from 1st May 2025
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced that starting 1st May 2025, all banks, financial institutions, and regulated entities must submit their applications for regulatory authorisations, licences, and approvals only through the Platform for Regulatory Application, Validation And Authorisation (PRAVAAH) portal.
This directive covers a wide range of institutions including Scheduled Commercial Banks (SCBs), Small Finance Banks (SFBs), Local Area Banks (LABs), Regional Rural Banks (RRBs), Urban Co-operative Banks (UCBs), State Co-operative Banks, Central Co-operative Banks, All-India Financial Institutions (AIFIs), Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) including Housing Finance Companies (HFCs), Primary Dealers (PDs), Payment System Operators (PSOs), and Credit Information Companies (CICs).
About PRAVAAH Portal:
- Launched in May 2024, the PRAVAAH portal is a secure, centralized, web-based platform that allows individuals and entities to seek licences, authorisations, or regulatory approvals from the RBI.
- Since its launch, the portal has received nearly 4,000 applications or requests.
Key Features of PRAVAAH:
- Online application submission
- Ability to track and monitor application status
- Respond to RBI queries or clarifications
- Time-bound decision-making by RBI
- To assist users, the portal provides a user manual, instructions, FAQs, and tutorial videos.
- In exceptional cases, if individuals are unable to apply online, they can submit applications directly to the RBI, but such submissions will still be processed via the PRAVAAH system, and applicants will be informed accordingly.
The PRAVAAH portal reflects RBI’s commitment to end-to-end digitization of its internal regulatory processes, ensuring efficiency, transparency, and timely service delivery.
RBI extends deadline for BIS-compliant note sorting machines to November 1 2025
In April 2025, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) extended the deadline for banks to deploy Note Sorting Machines (NSMs) that comply with the latest Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) norms. The new deadline is November 1, 2025, a six-month extension from the original date.
Additionally, the RBI has directed all banks and White Label ATM Operators (WLAOs) to ensure that Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) regularly dispense Rs 100 and Rs 200 denomination notes.
About BIS Standards for Note Sorting Machines:
- To improve the banknote sorting infrastructure, BIS published new standards titled IS 18663: 2024 in the Gazette of India on March 19, 2024, following consultations with the RBI and other stakeholders.
- Initially, it was mandated that from May 1, 2025, banks must use only those NSM models that are certified by BIS and conform to these standards.
ATM Dispensation Directive:
The RBI has instructed that by September 30, 2025, at least 75 percent of ATMs must dispense either Rs 100 or Rs 200 notes from at least one cassette.
ranks and report news
5th Marine Census launched at the 2025 Coastal States Fisheries Meet
The Government of India has launched the 5th Marine Census and introduced a mobile application, Vyas-NAV, for digital-based data collection. The app was launched during the Coastal States Fisheries Meet 2025 in Mumbai on April 28, 2025, chaired by the Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying, Rajiv Ranjan Singh (also known as Lalan Singh). The last marine census was conducted in 2016.
About the Vyas-NAV Mobile App and Digital Census:
- The Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), based in Kochi, 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.
Highlights of the Census:
- The 5th Marine Census will be a digital, geo-referenced, app-based system.
- Census enumerators will be provided with tablets pre-installed with the Vyas-NAV app.
- The app will help enumerators fill in the census data digitally, minimizing errors in data collection and tabulation.
- The system will ensure transparency and efficiency in the process.
Features of the 5th Marine Census:
- The census will be conducted from April to December 2025.
- It will cover marine fishing villages, marine fish landing centres, and 1.2 million households across 9 coastal states.
- The census will gather demographic and socio-economic data on fisheries households.
- It will document the impact of government schemes on the livelihood of these households.
- The census will also assess the infrastructure of fishing villages and fishing harbours.
Agencies Involved:
- The Department of Fisheries of the Union Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying is coordinating the 5th Marine Census.
- The CMFRI is the nodal agency for implementing the census across the nine coastal states: Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and West Bengal.
- The enumerators are from CMFRI, the Fisheries Survey of India, and the Fisheries Departments of the nine coastal states.
Marine Census in India:
- First Marine Census (1948-49): Conducted by CMFRI.
- Second Marine Census (1980): Conducted by CMFRI in all coastal states except Maharashtra (which conducted its own in 1979).
- Third Marine Census (2005): Conducted with the support of the Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries (DAHDF), covering all maritime states and two Union Territories.
- Fourth Marine Census (2010): Jointly conducted by CMFRI and DAHDF, covering all nine coastal states and two Union Territories.
Science and tech news
India Deploys 34 Supercomputers with 35 Petaflops Power under NSM
On 28 April 2025, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) announced that a total of 34 supercomputers with a combined computing power of 35 Petaflops (equivalent to 10 lakh gigabytes (GB)) have been deployed across India under the National Supercomputing Mission (NSM). This initiative has significantly expanded access to high-performance computing (HPC), especially for researchers in Tier-II and Tier-III cities, by providing them with world-class supercomputing infrastructure.
These supercomputers have been installed in prestigious institutions like the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), various Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), and other prominent academic and research centers across India.
🔹 About the National Supercomputing Mission (NSM):
- Launched in 2015 by the Government of India (GoI).
- Objective: To make India a global leader in supercomputing technology by developing indigenous HPC systems.
- Jointly steered by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and MeitY.
- Implemented by:
- Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Pune
- Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru (Karnataka)
About the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY):
- Union Minister: Ashwini Vaishnaw (Rajya Sabha – Odisha)
- Minister of State (MoS): Jitin Prasada (Pilibhit – Uttar Pradesh)
Amazon Launches First 27 Satellites for ‘Project Kuiper’ internet constellation into orbit
On April 28, 2025, Amazon.com, Inc., based in Washington, D.C., USA, successfully launched the first 27 satellites of its Project Kuiper broadband internet constellation from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, USA. The mission, designated as Kuiper Atlas 1 or KA-01, used an Atlas V rocket, developed by United Launch Alliance (ULA), a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin.
The satellites were deployed into Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at 280 miles (450 km) above Earth’s surface and will ascend to 393 miles (630 km) using onboard propulsion.
About Project Kuiper:
- Project Kuiper is a USD 10 billion global broadband initiative aiming to provide high-speed, low-latency broadband internet to underserved and remote areas worldwide.
- The full constellation will include 3,236 satellites, positioned in three orbital shells between 590 km and 630 km above Earth.
- The system will integrate with Amazon Web Services (AWS), enhancing data processing capabilities for applications like satellite imagery analysis and weather forecasting.
Previous Test Launches:
- In October 2023, Amazon launched two prototype satellites, KuiperSat-1 and KuiperSat-2, to test the system’s technology. After successful tests, these prototypes were deorbited and burned up in Earth’s atmosphere. The final satellite design has updated subsystems.
About Amazon.com, Inc.:
- CEO: Andy Jassy
- Headquarters: Washington, D.C., USA
- Founded: 1994
Sarvam to build India’s 1st AI large language model under AI Mission
The Government of India has selected Bengaluru-based startup Sarvam AI to develop the country’s first foundational large language model (LLM) under the India AI Mission. Sarvam AI was chosen from 67 applications received by the government to build India’s first indigenous LLM.
This initiative comes in the wake of the success of the Chinese startup DeepSeek.
Sarvam AI to Develop LLM in Six Months:
- The Indian government has given Sarvam AI six months to develop the LLM model.
- The model will be developed in India using local infrastructure and engineers and will incorporate a wide range of data from Indian languages and cultures.
- Sarvam AI’s LLM will focus on voice-based tasks in Indian languages and excel in advanced reasoning.
- The model will have 70 billion parameters and include several innovations in programming and engineering.
- It is expected to be comparable to models like OpenAI’s Chat GPT-3 and GPT-4, Meta’s Llama models, etc.
Government Support to Sarvam AI:
- The Government of India will provide 4,000 high-end GPUs (Graphics Processing Units) to support Sarvam AI in the development of the LLM over the next six months.
- Yotta Data Services, Tata Communications, and E2E Networks will provide the GPUs necessary for building the indigenous model.
India AI Mission:
- Launched on 7th March 2024, the India AI Mission has an allocation of Rs 10,300 crore for the 2024-2029 period.
- The mission’s objectives include:
- Developing indigenous AI capabilities to provide solutions in Indian languages and contexts.
- Establishing a high-end common computing facility in India with 18,693 GPUs.
- Developing an indigenous GPU within the next 3 to 5 years.
- Building semiconductor manufacturing capacity in India.
- Providing open access to AI infrastructure for startups, researchers, and students at nominal costs.
About LLM:
- A large language model (LLM) is an AI program capable of understanding and generating natural language and other complex content.
- LLMs are built using machine learning to process vast amounts of data to interpret human language and perform tasks like contextual reasoning, translation, summarization, and question-answering.
- Appointment news
- Amitesh Kumar Sinha Appointed as CEO of ISM
- In April 2025, Amitesh Kumar Sinha, Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), was appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM). He succeeds Sushil Pal, a 1999 batch officer of the Indian Civil Accounts Service (ICAS).
- As CEO, Sinha will lead the Phase-II rollout of the ISM, with a strong focus on semiconductor fabrication, packaging, and design-linked incentives (DLI) to advance India’s semiconductor ecosystem.
- Indian-origin Tejpaul Bhatia appointed as Axiom Space’s CEO
- In April 2025, Axiom Space Inc., based in Texas (USA), appointed Tejpaul Bhatia, an executive of Indian origin, as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). He succeeds Dr. Kam Ghaffarian, the co-founder and Executive Chairman of Axiom Space, who had been serving as the interim CEO following Michael Suffredini‘s transition to the company’s Board of Directors in August 2024.
- Tejpaul Bhatia, who previously served as the Chief Revenue Officer (CRO), brings over 20 years of experience in technology and business leadership, including founding three investor-backed startups with two successful acquisitions. He joined Axiom Space in 2021 and played a pivotal role in forging international partnerships and advancing commercial space initiatives. Under his leadership, Axiom Space aims to accelerate investments in next-generation technologies, including spacesuits, orbital infrastructure, and microgravity research and manufacturing.
Sports news
Brazil to host the 10th edition of FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027
Brazil has been awarded the bid to host the 10th edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027, receiving the highest number of votes at the FIFA Congress, held in Bangkok, Thailand, on April 25, 2025. This marks the first time a South American country will host the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Australia and New Zealand jointly hosted the 9th edition in 2023, which was won by Spain, defeating England in the final.
Brazil, a football powerhouse, previously hosted the FIFA Men’s World Cup in 1950 and 2014.
Brazil Defeats Joint Bid from Belgium, Netherlands, and Germany
For the first time, the FIFA Congress, representing FIFA’s member countries, voted to decide the host of the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup. In the past, the FIFA Council, FIFA’s highest decision-making body, chose the host.
In Bangkok, there were only two bidders: Brazil and a joint bid from Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany.
- Brazil secured 119 votes, while the joint bid of Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany received 78 votes.
- 207 member countries of FIFA were eligible to vote at the FIFA Congress in Bangkok.
32 teams, including the host country, will compete in the 10th edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027.
About the FIFA Women’s World Cup
The first FIFA Women’s World Cup was held in 1991 in China. The tournament occurs every four years.
Five countries have won the World Cup:
- USA (4 times)
- Germany (2 times)
- Norway, Japan, and Spain (once each)
FIFA Women’s World Cup Editions:
| Edition | Year | Host | Winner | Runners-Up | Teams |
| 1 | 1991 | China | USA | Norway | 12 |
| 2 | 1995 | Sweden | Norway | Germany | 12 |
| 3 | 1999 | USA | USA | Norway | 16 |
| 4 | 2003 | USA | Germany | Sweden | 16 |
| 5 | 2007 | China | Germany | Brazil | 16 |
| 6 | 2011 | Germany | Japan | USA | 16 |
| 7 | 2015 | Canada | USA | Japan | 24 |
| 8 | 2019 | France | USA | Netherlands | 24 |
| 9 | 2023 | Australia & New Zealand | Spain | England | 32 |
| 10 | 2027 | Brazil | – | – | 32 |
About FIFA
FIFA is the governing body of football, established in 1904. It is headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, with Gianni Infantino serving as the President.
- Total members: 211 countries’ football associations.
Also Read: Saudi Arabia will host the 2034 Men’s FIFA World Cup.
India Sweeps 2nd Asian Yogasana Sport Championship with 83 Gold Medal
India concluded their participation in the 2nd Asian Yogasana Sport Championship 2025, winning a total of 87 medals: 83 gold, 3 silver, and 1 bronze. India topped the medal table, followed by Japan and Mongolia.
The event was held at the KD Jadhav Arena, Indira Gandhi Sports Complex, New Delhi, from April 25 to 27, 2025. The first edition of the Asian Yogasana Sport Championship took place in Bangkok, Thailand, in 2022.
Organizers of the 2nd Asian Yogasana Sport Championship 2025:
The event was organized by Yogasana Bharat with the support of the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and the Sports Authority of India.
Inauguration:
The Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Mansukh Mandaviya, inaugurated the championship on April 25, 2025. The Chief Guest of the event was Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, and the Guest of Honour was Union Minister of Culture and Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.
Participants:
A total of 21 countries, including India, participated in the 2nd Asian Yogasana Sport Championship 2025. 200 elite athletes from Sri Lanka, Mongolia, Japan, Uzbekistan, Nepal, Oman, Thailand, Kazakhstan, Bhutan, and other countries competed in the event.
Competitions were held in four age categories: 10-18, 18-28, 28-35, and 35-45 years.
Final Medal Tally:
The following are the top five medal-winning countries in the 2nd Asian Yogasana Sport Championship 2025:
| Rank | Country | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 | India | 83 | 3 | 1 | 87 |
| 2 | Japan | 3 | 3 | 4 | 10 |
| 3 | Mongolia | 1 | 11 | 6 | 18 |
| 4 | Oman | 1 | 3 | 7 | 11 |
| 5 | Nepal | 0 | 27 | 12 | 39 |
About Yogasana Bharat:
Yogasana Bharat is the national sports federation for Yogasana in India and aims to promote the growth of Yogasana as a competitive sport. It is recognized by the Government of India and the Indian Olympic Association (IOC), and is affiliated with World Yogasana.
- Headquarters: New Delhi
- President: Udit Seth
Manush & Diya win mixed doubles title at WTT Contender Tunis 2025
The Indian table tennis mixed pair of Manush Shah and Diya Chitale won the mixed doubles title at the WTT Contender Tunis 2025. They became the second Indian pair to win the mixed title at any WTT Contender event since 2021, following the victory of Manika Batra and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran at the 2021 WTT Contender Budapest.
The WTT Contender Tunis was held at Salle Omnisport de Rades, Tunis, Tunisia, from April 22-27, 2025, with a prize money of USD 1 lakh. The WTT Contender events are ranking tournaments where players earn valuable points to progress to higher-ranking WTT Series events.
Title Win for Manush and Diya:
In the final, Manush Shah and Diya Chitale faced the Japanese pair of Sora Matsushima and Miwa Harimoto. This was the second time these two pairs met in a final. In their first encounter at the 2025 WTT Star Contender Doha, the Japanese pair defeated the Indian duo 3-0.
However, the Indian pair avenged their defeat by defeating the Japanese pair 3-2 in the Tunis final. Miwa Harimoto later went on to win the singles and women’s doubles titles at the Tunis event. This marked her third consecutive singles title, having won in 2023 and 2024.
In the semi-finals, Manush and Diya defeated Wassim Essid (Tunisia) and Hana Goda (Egypt) 3-0.
Winners of the WTT Contender Tunis 2025:
Here is a list of winners from the WTT Contender Tunis 2025:
| Serial Number | Events | Winner and their Nationality | Runners Up and their Nationality |
| 1 | Women’s Singles | Miwa Harimoto (Japan) | Satsuki Ode (Japan) |
| 2 | Men’s Singles | Felix Lebrun (France) | Anders Lind (Denmark) |
| 3 | Women’s Doubles | Miwa Harimoto & Miyuu Kihara (Japan) | Satsuki Odo & Sakura Yokoi (Japan) |
| 4 | Men’s Doubles | Benedikt Duda & Bendre Bertelsmeier (Germany) | Li Hechen & Wu Yifei (China) |
About World Table Tennis (WTT):
The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) created World Table Tennis (WTT) in 2019 to promote professional table tennis.
WTT organizes the WTT Series, WTT Feeder Series, and WTT Youth Series. The WTT Series is the highest-ranked tournament, with top-tier events including Grand Slams, WTT Finals, and WTT Champions.
The WTT Contender is a second-tier event within the WTT Series. The WTT has further divided the Contender series into Star and Contender, with the WTT Star Contender being ranked higher than the WTT Contender.
Rajasthan Royal’s Vaibhav Suryavanshi youngest Centurion in IPL
Vaibhav Suryavanshi of the Rajasthan Royals scored 101 runs off just 38 balls against the Gujarat Titans in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match, making him the youngest player to score a century in IPL history.
In the match at Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on April 28, 2025, Suryavanshi hit 11 sixes and 7 fours, leading his team to successfully chase the 210-run target set by the Gujarat Titans.
Records by Vaibhav Suryavanshi:
- Vaibhav Suryavanshi, from Bihar, is the youngest player to play in the IPL. He was bought by Rajasthan Royals for Rs 1.1 crore at the IPL auction held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on November 24-25, 2024.
- At the time of the auction, he was just 13 years and 243 days old.
- At the age of 14 years and 32 days, Suryavanshi became the youngest to score a century in IPL history.
- He scored the second-fastest century in IPL history, after Chris Gayle‘s record.
- Chris Gayle scored 175 runs off 66 balls for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Pune Warriors in 2013 at Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. His score of 175 is still the highest in a T20 match.
- Suryavanshi also broke the record for the fastest century by an Indian, previously held by Yusuf Pathan, who scored 100 runs in 37 balls against Mumbai Indians at Brabourne Stadium in 2010.
Koneru Humpy Wins 2025 Pune Chess Grand Prix:
- Koneru Humpy, Indian Women Grandmaster (GM), won the 2025 Pune FIDE Women’s Grand Prix by defeating International Master (IM) Nurgyul Salimova of Bulgaria in the final round.
- Humpy finished the tournament with 7 points, while Chinese GM Zhu Jiner also finished with 7 points but lost the tiebreaker, securing second place.
- Both Humpy and Zhu Jiner won USD 17,600 and earned 117.5 ranking points.
- IM Divya Deshmukh, also from India, finished third with 5.5 points.
- The FIDE Pune Grand Prix is a qualifier for the 2026 FIDE Women’s Candidate Tournament, where the winner will challenge the current Women’s World Chess Champion, Ju Wenjun of China, for the title.
Important days
International Dance Day 2025 – April 29
International Dance Day, also known as World Dance Day, is celebrated annually on April 29 to raise public awareness about dance as an important art form, cultural expression, and educational tool.
- The observance is promoted by the International Dance Council (CID), based in Paris, France, and the International Theatre Institute (ITI), based in Shanghai, China, in association with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- In 2025, the message for International Dance Day is delivered by Mikhail Baryshnikov, one of the most influential figures in contemporary dance.
Background:
- International Dance Day was established in 1982 by the Dance Committee of ITI in collaboration with UNESCO to celebrate and honor the art of dance.
- The first International Dance Day was celebrated on April 29, 1982.
- The date of April 29 was specifically chosen to commemorate the birth anniversary of Jean-Georges Noverre (1727–1810), a renowned French dancer and choreographer, recognized as the pioneer of modern ballet.
