Daily Current Affairs and GK | 28 and 29 September 2025

Topic: Awards and Prizes

1. President Droupadi Murmu presented the National Geoscience Awards (NGA) 2024 on 26th September 2025.

• Union Minister for Coal & Mines, Shri G. Kishan Reddy, attended the award ceremony.
• The National Geoscience Awards were established in 1966 by the Ministry of Mines.
• They are among the oldest and most respected honours in the field of geosciences in India.
• The awards were previously known as the National Mineral Awards until they were renamed in 2009.
• Their purpose is to acknowledge exceptional contributions in geoscience fields.
• This includes mineral exploration, mining technology, and both applied and fundamental geoscience research.
• The awards are given each year in three categories.
• These are the Lifetime Achievement Award, the National Geoscience Award, and the Young Geoscientist Award.
• In 2024, the Ministry received 208 nominations across these categories.
• A detailed three-stage selection process was carried out. Twelve awards were finalized after evaluation.
• These include nine individual awards and three team awards.
• In total, 20 geoscientists have been recognized this year.
• Prof. Shyam Sundar Rai received the Lifetime Achievement Award.
• He is a Senior Scientist with INSA and a Visiting Professor at IISER Pune.
• Shri Susobhan Neogi received the Young Geoscientist Award. He is a Senior Geologist at the Geological Survey of India.
• His work in geosciences has been recognized as outstanding.

Topic: Science and Technology

2. UAE unveiled first sovereign mobility cloud for autonomous transportation.

• The first Sovereign Mobility Cloud has been unveiled by the UAE at the Dubai World Congress for Self-Driving Transport, marking a major step in the country’s autonomous mobility strategy.
• The platform was enabled by Core42’s Sovereign Public Cloud and powered by Microsoft Azure.
• A secure digital infrastructure for next-generation transportation has been established through this initiative.
• The Sovereign Mobility Cloud was designed to ensure that all data is hosted within the UAE under national regulations.
• High-definition mapping, telematics, fleet operations, traffic management, and digital twins will be supported, and a trusted environment for collaboration between government, industry, and research institutions will be created.
• The initiative will also enable live traffic management, fleet tracking and integration of autonomous vehicles, as well as provide regulatory sandboxes and testbeds to drive innovation.
• Technical expertise and the sovereign-enabled cloud foundation will be supplied by Microsoft and Core42.
• Space42 will lead deployment through pilots and commercial rollouts of the Sovereign Mobility Cloud.
• Nearly 600,000 kilometres of driverless operations and 20,000 passenger trips without incident have already been logged by Space42’s TXAI service.
• By embedding sovereignty into transport data governance, the UAE has positioned itself as a global leader in secure and intelligent mobility infrastructure.

Topic: National News

3. Over 97,500 mobile 4G towers built with indigenous technology launched by PM Modi.

• Over 97,500 new 4G mobile towers across India, including 92,600 towers equipped with fully indigenous technology, were launched by PM Modi as part of a major push to expand digital infrastructure.
• The towers were installed at an estimated cost of ₹37,000 crore by Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited.
• Internet connectivity is expected to reach 30,000 additional villages through this rollout.
• He remarked that India had lagged behind in adopting 2G, 3G, and 4G technologies earlier.
• The Prime Minister said that BSNL’s new 4G network placed India among countries capable of building their own telecom systems.
• More than 18,900 towers funded under the Digital India Fund will connect 26,700 underserved villages, many of which are in remote and border areas.
• These solar-powered towers form the largest cluster of green telecommunications sites in India.
• These towers are spread across Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Assam, Gujarat and Bihar.

Topic: State News/Odisha

4. PM Modi inaugurated projects worth over Rs 60,000 crore in Odisha.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated and laid foundation stones for development projects worth over ₹60,000 crore in Jharsuguda.
• Projects covering railways, telecommunications, higher education, healthcare, and rural housing were included.
• The Amrit Bharat Express connecting Berhampur in Odisha to Surat in Gujarat was flagged off.
• Odisha Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati and Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi attended the event.
• Mr Modi said Odisha is progressing rapidly with the support of the double-engine government.
• The central government’s approval for two semiconductor units and a proposed semiconductor park was announced.
• The prime minister reiterated that after GST in 2017, the tax burden on citizens had been reduced.
• The upgrade of MKCG Medical College in Berhampur and VIMSAR in Burla-Sambalpur into world-class super-speciality hospitals was also announced
• Such development will help in providing better healthcare services to the people of Odisha.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

5. Senior journalist Amshi Prasannakumar awarded the Agriculture Media Award 2025.

• Senior journalist Amshi Prasannakumar from Mysuru was selected for the ‘Hombale Samhita Harinikumar Alumni Krishi Media Award – 2025’.
• It recognises journalists in print and electronic media for their contribution to agricultural reporting and for creating awareness among farmers.
• The award will be conferred on October 11, 2025, in Bengaluru.
• The ceremony will be held at the Alumni Association (R), University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, Veterinary College Campus, Hebbal.
• Mr Prasannakumar previously served as president of the Mysore District Journalists’ Association.
• He is also a member of the Karnataka Media Academy.
• The award consists of a certificate and Rs 10,000 in cash.

Topic: Sports

6. India won their ninth Asia Cup title with a win against Pakistan.

• On 28 September, India defeated Pakistan in the final to win the Asia Cup 2025 title.
• The summit clash went into the last over, where India successfully chased the target.
• Pakistan’s batting line-up was bowled out for 146 runs in the final over. India was set a target of 147 runs for the win.
• Tilak Varma scored an unbeaten 69 off 53 deliveries to guide the chase. Shivam Dube played a crucial supporting role in the partnership.
• Tilak Varma was declared Player of the Match for his innings.
• Abhishek Sharma was awarded Player of the Series.
• India holds the most Asia Cup titles, with two in the T20 format (2016 and 2025) and seven in the ODI format (1984, 1988, 1990, 1995, 2010, 2018, and 2023).
• Sri Lanka has won six editions, while Pakistan has claimed two, both in ODIs.
• The Asia Cup will next be played in 2027 in the ODI format as a lead-up to the 50-over World Cup.

Topic: National Appointments

7. Mithun Manhas has been appointed as the 37th president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

• He replaces Roger Binny, who stepped down after turning 70.
• Manhas was elected during the BCCI's Annual General Meeting.
• He was chosen as the unanimous candidate. This decision followed a private meeting of key board members in New Delhi earlier this month.
• Manhas is only the third former cricketer to become BCCI president. The other two are Sourav Ganguly and Roger Binny.
• Following are members elected as the new office bearers of BCCI:
  • President: Mithun Manhas
  • Vice President: Rajeev Shukla
  • Secretary: Devajit Saikia
  • Joint Secretary: Prabhtej Bhatia
  • Treasurer: A. Raghuram Bhat

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

8. Over ₹66,000 crore in investments were secured during a major MoU signing event in Bhavnagar on 19th September 2025.

• These agreements are expected to create more than 1.5 lakh jobs.
• They aim to significantly boost India’s role in global maritime trade.
• A total of 27 MoUs were signed. They involved government agencies, private firms, state authorities, and international partners.
• The event was part of the “Samudra Se Samriddhi” initiative.
• One key agreement was for the ₹21,500 crore Bahuda Port in Odisha.
• The port will have a capacity of 150 MTPA and create 25,000 jobs.
• The Inland Waterways Authority of India and the Bihar Government signed an MoU for a Water Metro project in Patna.
• The project is valued at ₹908 crore and will modernise urban river transport.
• Shipbuilding clusters will be set up in several coastal states. These clusters will promote green innovation and advanced shipbuilding.
• Cochin Shipyard signed an MoU with HD Korea Shipbuilding. The partnership will enable India to build large commercial vessels.
• CSL also announced a ₹3,700 crore Block Fabrication Facility in Kochi. This facility will support large-scale ship construction.
• Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders will set up a greenfield shipyard in Thoothukudi.
• An MoU was signed to prioritise the use of Indian steel in shipbuilding.
• The Gujarat Maritime Board signed multiple MoUs worth over ₹13,600 crore.
• These cover shipbuilding, repairs, offshore infrastructure, and recycling.
• Garden Reach Shipbuilders formed partnerships for projects in Gujarat and West Bengal.
• Sagarmala Finance Corporation signed MoUs with domestic and global finance institutions.
• These will fund green shipping, modern fleets, and maritime infrastructure.
• A separate MoU was signed to build a 77-metre lighthouse museum at Lothal.
• This project will blend maritime heritage with tourism development. All these initiatives aim to strengthen India’s maritime capabilities.
• They support the Atmanirbhar Bharat vision. They also position India to become a top five shipbuilding nation by 2047.

Topic: Summits/Conferences/Meetings

9. India will host the World Seafood Congress (WSC) 2026 in Chennai.

• This will be the first time the event is held in the country.
• The WSC is a major global platform focused on seafood trade, safety, sustainability, and innovation.
• The 2026 Congress is being co-organised by the Department of Fisheries and the International Association of Fish Inspectors (IAFI).
• IAFI is a United Nations-recognised non-governmental organisation.
• PDA Ventures Pvt. Ltd. will host the event. The National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB) will act as co-organiser.
• Multiple Indian ministries and institutions are supporting the Congress.
• These include MPEDA, NITI Aayog, ICAR-CIBA, ICAR-CMFRI, IMIA, and others.
• The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) is the technical partner.
• International agencies like FAO, UNIDO, and WorldFish are also involved.
• Organisers see this Congress as a key opportunity to showcase India’s seafood sector. It will also help foster new international partnerships.
• India is the sixth-largest seafood exporter in the world. It is also the second-largest producer of fish through aquaculture.
• In 2023–24, India exported 1.78 million tonnes of seafood. The exports were valued at ₹60,523.89 crore, or around USD 7.38 billion.
• India’s total fish production reached 18.40 million tonnes in the same year.
• FAO projects that global seafood trade will grow to USD 183.8 billion by 2025.
• Algae product exports are expected to hit USD 15 billion in 2025.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

10. The Ministry of Panchayati Raj will launch the ‘Sabki Yojana, Sabka Vikas’ campaign on October 2.

• This marks the beginning of the People’s Plan Campaign (PPC) 2025–26.
• The campaign will focus on preparing Panchayat Development Plans (PDPs) for the year 2026–27.
• The campaign was first introduced in 2018. It encourages inclusive, evidence-based, and coordinated development planning.
• These plans are designed to align with both local needs and national objectives.
• Since 2019–20, over 18.13 lakh development plans have been uploaded to the eGramSwaraj portal.
• This includes more than 2.52 lakh plans submitted under the ongoing 2025–26 cycle.
• The campaign will officially begin with Special Gram Sabhas on October 2.
• During these meetings, previous plans will be reviewed digitally.
• Tools like eGramSwaraj, the Meri Panchayat App, and Panchayat NIRNAY will be used for this purpose.
• Villages will also identify and prioritize unfinished projects. These are projects funded through Central Finance Commission grants.
• The planning process will be guided by the Panchayat Advancement Index (PAI).
• Digital tools like SabhaSaar will support the effort. The campaign aims to boost Own Source Revenue (OSR).
• It will also promote greater community involvement in local governance.
• A special focus will be placed on empowering tribal communities. This will be done through the Adi Karmayogi Abhiyaan.
• Overall, the campaign seeks to deepen participatory democracy. It aims to strengthen local institutions, increase transparency, and improve the delivery of services in rural areas.