Daily Current Affairs and GK | 20 August 2025

Topic: Sports

1. India’s Girish Gupta secured gold in the 10m air pistol men’s youth category at the 16th Asian Shooting Championship in Shymkent, Kazakhstan.

• He scored 241.3 in the final. Dev Pratap, who is just 14 years old, won silver in the same event. He achieved a score of 238.6.
• Kapil Bainsla from Palwal, Haryana, earned India its first gold of the championship.
• He won the junior men’s 10m air pistol final with a score of 243.0.
• Ilkhombek Obidjonov of Uzbekistan came second in the junior final. He scored 242.4.
• Jonathan Gavin Antony from India took bronze in the junior event. He scored 220.7.
• Kapil, Jonathan, and Vijay Tomar competed together in the junior men’s team event.
• They secured silver with a combined total of 1723.
• South Korea won the team gold in this category with 1734 points.
• Kazakhstan finished third and took the bronze.
• In the senior men’s 10m air pistol event, India also won a team silver.
• Anmol Jain, Aditya Malra, and Saurabh Chaudhary contributed to a total of 1735.
• India concluded the first day of the championship with two gold and three silver medals.

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

2. Assam Rifles and IIT Manipur signed MoU to promote drone technology.

• The MoU was signed at Mantripukhri on 18 August to promote drone technology for defence and security.
• Maj Gen Ravroop Singh, IG Assam Rifles (South), and the Director of IIIT Manipur attended the event.
• This highlights the importance of defence-academia cooperation.
• Under the initiative, an Advanced Drone Training and Refresher Course was introduced for Assam Rifles personnel.
• The course covers drone flight operations, maintenance, and DGCA-certified training.
• The Assam Rifles is a paramilitary force of India. Its primary duty is guarding Indo-Myanmar border.

Topic: National News

3. Infrastructure projects for traffic management in Rajasthan & Odisha approved by the government.

• The development of a Green Field Airport at Kota-Bundi in Rajasthan has been approved by the Cabinet at a cost of ₹1,507 crore.

• A terminal building of 20,000 square meters capable of handling 1000 peak-hour passengers is included in the project.
• Kota is known as the industrial capital of Rajasthan and is also famous as an educational coaching hub.
• The airport project has been viewed as a critical step to manage future traffic growth in the region.
• The project is expected to boost both educational and industrial connectivity in Kota.
• The Cabinet has also cleared a 6-lane access-controlled Capital Region Ring Road project in Odisha at a cost of ₹8,307.74 crore.
• This Bhubaneswar Bypass is planned to divert heavy commercial vehicles away from the cities of Cuttack, Bhubaneswar, and Khordha.
• The road is expected to enhance freight movement efficiency while reducing logistics costs in Odisha and nearby eastern states.
• Socioeconomic growth and trade development in the region are expected to be strengthened.
• Nearly 74.43 lakh person-days of direct and 93.04 lakh person-days of indirect employment will be generated.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

4. Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan will begin from 3rd October.

• Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has announced the launch of Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan on 3rd October, 2025.
• The aim of this campaign is to promote direct contact between farmers and agricultural scientists.
• The campaign will continue till 18th October.
• During the campaign, thousands of scientists and agriculture department officials will visit villages.
• They will interact with farmers and make them aware of new technologies to increase food production.
• The farmers will be informed about new technologies to increase food production.
• The focus of the government is being placed on scientific farming practices and sustainability.
• During the last such campaign in May, interaction was held with over 1 crore 33 lakh farmers

Topic: Summits/Conferences/Meetings

5. External Affairs Minister Jaishankar co-chaired the India-Russia Commission in Moscow.

• On 20 August, External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar co-chaired the 26th India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission session in Moscow.

• The session is focused on trade, economic, scientific, technological and cultural cooperation.
• The session is being held with the aim to further deepen bilateral relations, which is a key event of his three-day official visit to Russia from August 19 to 21.
• The MEA has highlighted that bilateral relations will be further deepened through this session.
• Dr. Jaishankar also addressed the India-Russia Business Forum during this visit.
• The visit has been made on the invitation of Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov.
• Talks are expected to be held with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov as well.
• The strategic partnership between the two countries is being considered long-standing and time-tested.
• The meeting is viewed as part of regular high-level exchanges between India and Russia.
• The visit comes ahead of a possible visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to India.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

6. 'Homebound' wins top honors at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne 2025.

• Neeraj Ghaywan’s film Homebound has won the Best Film and Best Director awards at IFFM 2025.
• The festival has recognized the film for its exploration of belonging and emotional return to home.
• The movie will also serve as the festival’s closing film on 24 August.
• Aamir Khan has been honored with the Excellence in Cinema Award for his long contribution.
• Abhishek Bachchan was awarded Best Actor (Male) for I Want to Talk.
• Geetha Kailasam received Best Actor (Female) for Angammal, which also won Best Indie Film.
• The Best Series award has gone to Vikramaditya Motwane’s Black Warrant.
• IFFM remains the largest Indian film festival outside India and is celebrating its 16th year.
• Winners List:

Topic: Miscellaneous

7. The Lok Sabha has approved the Indian Institutes of Management (Amendment) Bill, 2025.

• This Bill aims to revise the Indian Institutes of Management Act, 2017.

• It includes a proposal to set up a new IIM in Guwahati, Assam.
• Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said the move meets a long-standing regional demand.
• The government has allocated ₹550 crore for the new IIM in Guwahati.
• At present, 21 IIMs are operating across the country.
• There is growing interest in opening IIM campuses in other countries.
• An IIM campus in Dubai will begin functioning next month.

Topic: International News

8. Nepal has partnered with TikTok to promote its tourism sector.

• A partnership to promote Nepal’s tourism sector through a creator-led campaign has been jointly announced by TikTok and the Nepal Tourism Board.
• TikTok will feature a special in-app experience to highlight popular and lesser-known destinations.
• The Nepal Tourism Board and TikTok will work with both local and international travel influencers.
• These creators will be supported to visit Nepal and produce short, engaging travel videos.
• The content will highlight Nepal’s natural beauty, cultural traditions, festivals, food, and arts.
• Videos will be shared throughout 2025 using the #VisitNepal hashtag on TikTok.
• A dedicated space on the app will host this content.
• TikTok was banned in Nepal on November 13, 2023, over concerns about harmful and inappropriate content.
• The ban was lifted in August 2024 after TikTok agreed to address these concerns.
• TikTok also committed to working with authorities to help manage cybercrime and protect social harmony.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

9. Manika Vishwakarma from Rajasthan has won the Miss Universe India 2025 title.

• The final event was held in Jaipur, Rajasthan.
• She was crowned by Rhea Singha, the outgoing Miss Universe India 2024.
• Tanya Sharma from Uttar Pradesh was named the first runner-up.
• Mehak Dhingra from Haryana was announced as the second runner-up.
• Manika is originally from Sri Ganganagar in Rajasthan. She currently lives in Delhi.
• She is in her final year of studying Political Science and Economics.
• Before winning the national title, she was crowned Miss Universe Rajasthan.
• She will represent India at the 74th Miss Universe pageant.
• The international competition will take place in Thailand this November.
• India has a proud history at the Miss Universe pageant.
• Sushmita Sen was the first Indian to win the title in 1994. Lara Dutta won it in 2000.
• Harnaaz Sandhu brought the crown back to India in 2021.

Topic: Sports

10. Carlos Alcaraz won his first Cincinnati Open title in Ohio.

• The victory came after World No. 1 Jannik Sinner retired due to illness.

• Sinner was trailing 0-5 early in the match.
• The final lasted only 23 minutes before Sinner gave up.
• Alcaraz became the third Spanish player to win the Cincinnati Open.
• The other two Spaniards are Carlos Moya and Rafael Nadal.
• This is the 22nd title in Alcaraz’s career.
• At 22 years old, Alcaraz leads the ATP Tour with six titles this year.
• He has won four major titles in 2025.
• He claimed Masters 1000 trophies in Monte-Carlo, Rome, and Cincinnati.
• Alcaraz also won a Grand Slam at Roland Garros in 2025.