Daily Current Affairs and GK | 24 September 2025

Topic: Awards and Prizes

1. The 69th Ballon d’Or ceremony organised on 22 September 2025 at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris.

• Ousmane Dembele won the Ballon d’Or 2025. He led Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) to their first-ever UEFA Champions League title.
• He was named UEFA Champions League Player of the Season.
• Aitana Bonmati won third consecutive women's award. She is the first female player to win three consecutive Women's Ballon d'Or awards.
• Ballon d’Or awards were first presented in 1956. They are football's finest achievements. Thry recognise the best footballers in the world.
• The list of winners is given below.
  • Men’s Ballon d’Or 2025: Ousmane Dembele
  • Women’s Ballon d’Or 2025: Aitana Bonmati
  • Men’s Club of the Year: PSG
  • Women’s Club of the Year: Arsenal
  • Men’s Coach of the Year: Luis Enrique
  • Women’s Coach of the Year: Sarina Wiegman
  • Men’s striker of the Year - Viktor Gyokeres
  • Women’s striker of the Year - Ewa Pajor
  • Men’s goalkeeper of the Year - Gianluigi Donnarumma
  • Women’s goalkeeper of the Year - Hannah Hampton
  • Best male young player - Lamine Yamal
  • Best female young player - Vicky Lopez
  • Socrates Award - The Xana Foundation

Topic: Important Days

2. National Ayurveda Day 2025: September 23

• The 10th edition of National Ayurveda Day observed on September 23, 2025.
• The theme for 2025 is “Ayurveda for People & Planet”, which emphasised harmony between the individual and the environment through Ayurveda.
• The main event was held at the All-India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) in Goa, while nationwide celebrations took place across all states and union territories.
• Earlier, Ayurveda Day was celebrated every year on Dhanteras based on the lunar calendar in honour of Lord Dhanvantari, the physician of the gods.
• The Government of India has declared 23 September every year as Ayurveda Day starting from 2025, as notified in March 2025.
• To commemorate this important event and advance the global Ayurveda movement, several key initiatives and features were launched during the celebrations:
  • “Desh ka Swasthya Parikshan”—a nationwide campaign to assess community health using the CCRAS-Swasthya Assessment Scale
  • DRAVYA portal (Digitized Retrieval Application for Versatile Yardstick of AYUSH Substances)– a digital platform for Ayush substance information
  • APTA Portal (Admirable Personalities to Transform Ayurveda)
  • Guidelines on Ayush interventions released by DPIIT
• On 9 November 2014, the Ministry of AYUSH was created to support the promotion and development of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy) systems in India.
• This is one of the primary objectives of the National AYUSH Mission launched in 2014.
• The World Ayurveda Congress (WAC), established by the World Ayurveda Foundation, is held every two years with the aim of promoting Ayurveda globally and integrating it into current global healthcare systems.

Topic: National Appointment

3. Ms. Vandana Gupta assumed charge as CGCA.

• Ms. Vandana Gupta was appointed as the Controller General of Communication Accounts in New Delhi on 22 September 2025.
• The charge was assumed by her after elevation to the Apex Grade.
• She is a 1990 batch officer of the Indian Post & Telecommunication Accounts and Finance Service (IP&TAFS).
• Important positions were earlier held by her across the Maharashtra, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, and Gujarat Circles.
• She also served at the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) Headquarters and in the Department of Posts.
• On central deputation, she worked as Principal Director, GASAB, in the office of the CAG, Delhi.
• She also served as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Women and Child Development.

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

4. An MoU signed between India and Morocco to deepen defence cooperation.

• A bilateral meeting was held between Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh and Morocco’s Defence Minister Abdeltif Loudiyi in Rabat on 22 September 2025.
• A Memorandum of Understanding on defence cooperation was signed during the meeting.
• The MoU provided an institutional framework for defence partnership.
• Collaboration was planned in defence industry, joint exercises, training, and capacity building.
• A roadmap was agreed upon covering counter-terrorism, maritime security, cyber defence and peacekeeping operations.
• Military medicine, expert exchanges, and co-development opportunities were also included.
• To give impetus to these initiatives, the Defence Minister announced the opening of a new Defence Wing at the Indian Embassy in Rabat.
• Appreciating the maturity of India's defence industry and its cutting-edge capabilities, including drone and anti-drone technologies, the Moroccan side was assured that Indian companies are well placed to meet the requirements of the Moroccan Defence Forces.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

5. Gram Panchayats bagged the National e-Governance Awards 2025.

• Gram Panchayats were awarded the National Awards for e-Governance 2025 on 22 September 2025 in Visakhapatnam.
• Awards were conferred under a new category for grassroots-level digital service delivery.
• The awards were presented by Dr. Jitendra Singh during the 28th National Conference on e-Governance.
• Winners are:

• Each award consists of a trophy, a certificate, and a financial incentive of Rs 10 lakh (Gold) and Rs 5 lakh (Silver), which will be reinvested in strengthening citizen-centric initiatives.
• Rohini Gram Panchayat became the first in Maharashtra to adopt a fully paperless e-Office system.
• West Majlishpur introduced digital monitoring of birth, death, marriage, and property services.
• Palsana Gram Panchayat integrated Digital Gujarat and Gram Suvidha for QR/UPI tax payments, grievance redressal, and welfare services, benefiting over 10,000 citizens annually.
• Suakati Gram Panchayat enabled 24/7 digital services with real-time tracking through OdishaOne and Seva Odisha, ensuring inclusive and women-led service delivery.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

6. Viksit Bharat Buildathon 2025 launched by Union Education Minister.

• On 23 September, Viksit Bharat Buildathon 2025 was launched by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in New Delhi.
• The initiative aims to nurture creativity, problem-solving, and self-reliance among students.
• The Department of School Education and Literacy is organising the programme with NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission.
• The Buildathon will be held on 13 October 2025.
• Students were allowed to register from 22 September to 6 October 2025.
• A participation of nearly 12 crore students from six lakh schools is expected.
• He said that over the past eleven years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has prioritized innovation.
• He said the government has also launched the Atal Innovation Mission to promote innovation among school students.
• Mr. Pradhan said that more than ten thousand Atal Tinkering Labs are operational in the country.

Topic: State News/Maharashtra

7. The Ahmednagar railway station has been officially renamed to Ahilyanagar.

• This change honours the legacy of Lokmata Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar.
• The Union Home Ministry approved the renaming.
• The approval came after a proposal from the Maharashtra Government.
• The district was renamed Ahilyanagar earlier in 2025.
• The station’s name has now been brought in line with the district’s new name.
• Central Railway confirmed the update on September 16, 2025.
• The station code ANG will remain the same.
• Local residents and community groups had repeatedly demanded the change.

Topic: Summits/ Conferences/ Meetings

8. The second session of the India-France Special Task Force on Civil Nuclear Energy was held in New Delhi.

• Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and France’s Secretary-General Anne-Marie Descôtes co-chaired the meeting.
• They led discussions on various aspects of bilateral cooperation.
• The meeting included a detailed review of progress made over the past year.
• Both sides agreed to maintain close coordination on key areas of civil nuclear collaboration.
• They highlighted their shared commitment to developing advanced nuclear technologies.
• This includes cooperation on Small and Advanced Modular Reactors.
• The effort aligns with the Declaration of Intent signed in February 2025.
• The meeting also focused on strengthening ties in innovation, technology, defence, and space.
• They discussed expanding counter-terrorism cooperation.
• Both countries explored new opportunities for trilateral partnerships with other nations.
• They also exchanged views on major global and regional developments.
• This included the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the situation in West Asia.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

9. President Droupadi Murmu presented the 71st National Film Awards.

• 12th Fail was declared Best Feature Film.
• Flowering Man won the award for Best Non-Feature Film.
• God Vulture and Human received the award for Best Documentary.
• Shah Rukh Khan and Vikrant Massey were named Best Actors for Jawan and 12th Fail respectively.
• Rani Mukerji was honoured as Best Actress for her performance in Mrs. Chatterjee Vs Norway.
• Vijayaraghavan and Muthupettai Somu Bhaskar received the Best Supporting Actor award.
• Urvashi and Janki Bodiwala were awarded Best Supporting Actress.
• Hanu-Man was recognised as the Best Film in the AVGC (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming & Comic) category.
• Giddh: The Scavenger won the award for Best Short Film.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

10. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer was honoured with the 'Living Bridge' award.

• He was recognised for strengthening India-UK relations and securing the Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
• Seema Malhotra, Minister for the Indo-Pacific, accepted the award on his behalf.
• The ceremony took place at the House of Lords in London.
• The Living Bridge Awards are hosted annually by the India Business Group (IBG).
• They celebrate individuals and organisations that bring India and the UK closer.
• This year’s winners included India’s GMR Group and businessman G P Hinduja.
• Other recipients were KPMG UK chair Bina Mehta and the University of Southampton.
• The India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) aims to double bilateral trade.
• It targets USD 120 billion in trade by 2030. The agreement is awaiting UK parliamentary ratification.