MoD Signs Rs.2385.36 Crore Contract with BEL for EW Suites for Mi-17 V5 Helicopters

In April 2025, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) signed
a Rs. 2,385.36 crore contract with Bengaluru (Karnataka)-based Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL),
a Navratna Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) under the
MoD, for the supply and installation of indigenous
Electronic Warfare (EW) Suites and aircraft modification kits for Mi-17 V5 helicopters of the Indian Air Force (IAF).

✓ The contract was signed under the Buy (Indian–Indigenously Designed Developed and Manufactured, IDDM) category of the Defence
Acquisition Procedure (DAP).

Agricultural Product ‘Amalsad Chikoo’ from Gujarat Gets GI Tag

In April 2025, “Amalsad Chikoo” (sapodilla), a
horticultural fruit from South Gujarat, became the first
agricultural product from the region to receive the Geographical Indication (GI) tag, granted by the Chennai (Tamil Nadu, TN) based GI Registry, under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal
Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry(MoC&I).

💠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)

✍Credit : preet kaur

💠Recent Award

🔸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

🔸Knighthood for his services to Cricket – James Andersons
Key to the City of Lisbon – President Droupadi Murmu

✍Credit : preet kaur

Palna Scheme under Mission Shakti: A Journey of Women Empowerment and Child
Care

The Palna Scheme, integrated into the Samarthya sub- scheme of Mission Shakti, is a significant initiative by the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD) aimed at providing comprehensive day-care facilities for children aged six months to six years.

✓ To address the difficulties faced by the working mothers in giving due child care and protection to their children, day-care crèche facilities are being provided through this Palna Scheme.

✓ The Palna Scheme, launched in 2022, reorganised and renamed the erstwhile National Creche Scheme.

✓ Palna is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) with a funding ratio of 60:40 between Centre and State Governments and Union
Territory (UTs) with legislature except North East & Special Category States where ratio
is 90:10.

Union Minister Piyush Goyal Inaugurates Startup Mahakumbh 2025 in New Delhi

Union Minister Piyush Goyal, Ministry of Commerce
and Industry (MoC&I) inaugurated the 2nd edition
of Startup Mahakumbh which was held from April 3 to
5, 2025 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, Delhi.

✓ The Startup Mahakumbh 2025, the world’s
largest event for startups and innovation, was
organized by the New Delhi-based Federation
of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry
(FICCI), with support from various key industry
associations such as the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE), the Indian Venture and Alternate Capital
Association (IVCA), and the Bootstrap Foundation.

✓ During the event, Union Minister Piyush Goyal,
announced the approval of a Second Fund of Funds for Startups (FFS) with a corpus of Rs.10,000 crore (USD 1.17 billion).

✓ At Startup Mahakumbh 2025, Union Minister Piyush Goyal, presented the Startup Maharathi Challenge 2025, recognising the remarkable efforts of startups that are shaping India’s innovation journey.

✓ The India Fintech Foundation (IFF), has been officially launched as a proposed self-
regulatory organisation (SRO) for India’s fintech sector. The logo of IFF was unveiled by
Amitabh Kant, India’s G20 (Group of 20) Sherpa.

➤ Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri confirms the implementation of ceasefire during the Press Briefing on #OperationSindoor

Director General of Military Operations of Pakistan called the Director General of Military Operations of India at 15:35 hours, earlier this afternoon. It was agreed between them that both sides would stop all firing and military action on land, in the air, and sea with effect from 17:00 hours IST today

Instructions have been given on both sides to give effect to this understanding. The Directors General of Military Operations will talk again on May 12 at 12:00 hours, states the Foreign Secretary

President Droupadi Murmu gives assent to Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025

On April 05,2025, President Droupadi Murmu gave her
assent to the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025. The Bill was passed by Parliament after three days of intense
debate in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.

✓ The objective of the Waqf (Amendment) Act,2025, is to amend the Waqf Act, 1995, to redress the issues and challenges in regulating
and managing Waqf properties. The Amendment Act seeks to improve the administration and management of waqf properties in India.

India-Nepal Supreme Courts Signed MoU to Enhance Judicial Cooperation

In April 2025, the Supreme Court(SC) of India signed a
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the SC of Nepal to strengthen judicial cooperation between the two nations in New Delhi (Delhi).

✓ The MoU aims to enhance mutual judicial cooperation through structured interactions, exchange visits, short- and long-term training, and academic initiatives among judges and judicial officers of both countries.

📅 12th May 2025

🪷 Buddha Purnima 2025 🪷

📍 Significance: Birth, Enlightenment & Parinirvana of Gautama Buddha
✍️ Celebrated on the Full Moon day (Purnima) in the month of Vaisakha

🟢 RELATION
▪️Father: Śuddhodana – King of the Shakya clan.
▪️Mother: Maya Devi – Died 7 days after his birth.
▪️Foster Mother: Mahaprajapati Gautami – Raised Buddha after Maya Devi’s death.
▪️Wife: Yashodhara – Married at age 16.
▪️Son: Rahula

🟢Quick Facts from PYQs
▪️Buddha was born in Lumbini (Nepal)
▪️Obtained his Enlightenment in Bodh Gaya
▪️Gave his first sermon in Sarnath, and died (Mahaparinirvana) in Kushinagar (UP)
▪️Sarnath is the place where Gautama Buddha first taught the Dharma then Buddhist Sangha has originated.
▪️Gautam Budhha is the founder of the world religion of Buddhism.

UN Recognition: Celebrated as "Vesak" by the United Nations

✍Credit : Arvιnd Kυмar ⛥

✅️ Daily The Hindu Vocabulary 12 MAY 2025.

1. CONTEND (VERB): (संघर्ष करना): Face
Synonyms: Cope with, Grapple with
Antonyms: Surrender, Allow
Example Sentence:
She had to contend with his uncertain temper.

2. BAR (VERB): (वर्जित): Prohibit
Synonyms: Debar,Preclude
Antonyms: Admit, Accept
Example Sentence:
Journalists had been barred from covering the elections.

3. SANCTIFY (VERB): (शुद्ध करना): Consecrate
Synonyms: Bless, Ordain
Antonyms: Deconsecrate
Example Sentence:
He was consecrated bishop of York.

4. FURNISH (VERB): (प्रस्तुत): Supply
Synonyms: Equip, Provide
Antonyms: Divest
Example Sentence:
Fish furnish an important source of protein.

5. INCONSPICUOUS (ADJECTIVE): (अगोचर): Unnoticeable
Synonyms: Unobtrusive, Unremarkable
Antonyms: Conspicuous, Noticeable
Example Sentence:
That was an inconspicuous red-brick building.

6. VAUNT (VERB): (डींग हांकना): Boast
Synonyms: Show off
Antonyms: Criticized, Unsung
Example Sentence:
They have utterly eclipsed their vaunted American rivals.

7. HEFT (VERB): (वज़न करना): Lift
Synonyms: Raise, Raise up
Antonyms: Put down
Example Sentence:
He lifted crates and hefted boxes.

8. VINDICATE (VERB): (साबित कर देना): Justify
Synonyms: Warrant, Substantiate
Antonyms: Disprove
Example Sentence:
More sober views were vindicated by events.

9. STAMPEDE (NOUN): (भगदड़): Panic
Synonyms: Rush, Flight
Antonyms: Retreat, Standing
Example Sentence:
The herd was fleeing back to the high land in a wild stampede.

10. DISCOURSE (NOUN): (बातचीत): Discussion
Synonyms: Conversation, Talk
Antonyms: Silence
Example Sentence:
They understand the language of political discourse only.

Ꭻᴏɪɴ🔥 ⃝➥ @EnglishquizzClub
Ꭻᴏɪɴ🔥 ⃝➥ @english_mcq

Tri-Services All-Women Circumnavigation Sailing Expedition “Samudra Pradakshina” Flagged Off from Mumbai

In April 2025, Lieutenant General (Lt Gen) AK Ramesh,
Commandant of the Pune (Maharashtra) based
College of Military Engineering (CME), flagged off
India’s first all-women tri-services circumnavigation
sailing expedition, “Samudra Pradakshina”, from the
Indian Naval Watermanship Training Centre (NWTC) in
Colaba, Mumbai (Maharashtra).

✓ This initiative aims to promote gender parity in
maritime endeavors and showcases the indomitable spirit of Nari Shakti (women power). It also serves as a preparatory phase for a more ambitious global circumnavigation sailing expedition planned for 2026.

MoF Announced ‘One State, One RRB’ Implementation from May 01, 2025

In April 2025, the Department of Financial Services (DFS), Ministry of Finance (MoF) announced ‘One State-One RRB’ through official notification for amalgamation of 26 Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) across 11 States which include 10 states and 1 Union Territory (UT), effective from May 01, 2025.

✓ The merger of these RRBs is in line with the powers granted under Section 23A (1) of RRB Act, 1976. This also marks the 4th round of consolidation of RRBs, thereby reducing the number of RRBs from existing 43 to 28.

India & Israel Forge Strategic Partnership to Boost Agricultural Productivity

In April 2025, the Government of India(GoI) and the Government of Israel signed key agreements to enhance bilateral cooperation in agriculture, aiming to boost agricultural productivity, innovation, and sustainability.

✓ The primary purpose of this partnership is to address the challenges posed by climate change and population growth. A central initiative of the discussions was the proposal of a Five-Year Seed Improvement Plan (FYSIP).

❇️ 14-May-1796

🧪 Dr. Edward Jenner discovered the first vaccine to save life of a boy against smallpox.

🦠 A virus is an infectious agent that replicates only inside the living cells of an organism.
Viruses consist of genetic material, DNA or RNA, with a coat of protein around them.
The virus was discovered by Dmitri Ivanovsky.
The study of viruses is known as virology.

🟢 DISEASE CAUSED BY VIRUS
Smallpox, Chickenpox, COVID-19, Influenza, SARS, Human papillomavirus, Polio, Rabies, Mumps, Dengue fever, Measles, Common cold

🟢 DISEASE CAUSED BY BACTERIA
Cholera, Leprosy, Tuberculosis, Typhoid, Plague, Syphilis, Anthrax, Diphtheria, Pneumonia, Pertussis.

🟢 DISEASE CAUSED BY PROTOZOA
Malaria, Kala Azar, Amoebiasis, Giardiasis, Trypanosomiasis (African sleeping sickness), Leishmaniasis.

🟢 DISEASE CAUSED BY FUNGUS
Ringworm, Athlete's foot, Yeast infections, Aspergillosis, Candidiasis.

✍ Credit : Arvιnd Kυмar ⛥

First-Ever PAI Baseline Report for FY23: Gujarat and Telangana Lead as Front Runners

In April 2025, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR)
launched the first-ever ‘Panchayat Advancement
Index (PAI) baseline report’ for the Financial Year 2022-23 (FY23) toward localizing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

✓ This transformative tool evaluates the performance of over 2.5 lakh Gram Panchayats (GPs) across India using a comprehensive, evidence-based framework aligned with the SDG 2030 Agenda.

✓ Based on the PAI and thematic scores achieved by different GPs, these GPs are grouped into one of the categories of performance: Achiever (90 and above), Front Runner (75 to below 90), Performer (60 to below 75), Aspirant (40 to below 60) and Beginners (below 40).

Cabinet Approvals on April 09,

2025 On April 09 2025, the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi has approved the following proposals/schemes:

✓ Approved Rs 1,600 crore new sub-scheme named ‘Modernisation of Command Area Development and Water Management (M-CADWM)’ under the Pradhan MantriKrishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) for the period 2025-2026.

✓ Approved the construction of 6-lane access controlled Zirakpur Bypass in the state of Punjab and Haryana on Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM).

✓ Approved the doubling of 104 kilometre(km)- long Tirupati-Pakala-Katpadi single railway line section in Andhra Pradesh (AP) and Tamil Nadu (TN) with an estimated cost of Rs 1,332 crore.