Daily Current Affairs and GK | 31 May 2025

Topic: Sports

1. Lando Norris won the Monaco Grand Prix on May 25, 2025.

• This victory cut Oscar Piastri’s Formula One championship lead to three points.
• Charles Leclerc finished second at his home race. He had won the same race the previous year.
• Oscar Piastri came in third. Max Verstappen finished fourth.
• All four drivers finished in the same order they started.
• For the first time, the race included two mandatory pit stops.
• Verstappen delayed his final pit stop until the penultimate lap.
• Norris kept his composure and led without overtaking.
• This was Norris’ second win this season. It was McLaren’s first Monaco win since 2008.
• Lando Norris is a British racing driver. Lando Norris competes in Formula One for McLaren.
• Monaco Grand Prix is a Formula One motor racing event. It is held annually on the Circuit de Monaco in late May or early June.

Topic: Important Days

2. World No Tobacco Day 2025: 31 May

• Every year on 31 May, World No Tobacco Day is celebrated across the world.
• World No Tobacco Day is observed every year to spread awareness about the potential risks of tobacco.
• The main objective of the day is to bring global attention towards the tobacco epidemic and the preventable death and disease it causes.
• The World Health Assembly had started the World No Tobacco Day by passing a resolution in 1987.
• The nicotine present in tobacco causes cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.
• The theme of World No Tobacco Day 2025 is “Unmasking the appeal: Exposing industry tactics on tobacco and nicotine products.”
• This year's WNTD campaign aims to highlight the strategies used by the tobacco and nicotine industries to make their harmful products attractive, especially to young people.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

3. The President of India conferred the National Florence Nightingale Awards 2025.

• On 30 May, the president, Smt. Droupadi Murmu, honored 15 exceptional nurses at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
• The awardees were recognized for exemplary service in public health and community welfare.
• The awards include a Certificate of Merit, a ₹1,00,000 cash prize, and a medal symbolizing the nation’s gratitude for the invaluable service rendered by these health warriors.
• The award honors Registered Nurses, Midwives, Auxiliary Nurse Midwives, and Lady Health Visitors from government and voluntary organizations.
• The recent National Nursing and Midwifery Commission Act will prove to be an important milestone in the modernization of nursing education and regulatory framework.
• Additionally, the establishment of 157 nursing colleges alongside medical colleges reflects the government's commitment to building a skilled and competent nursing workforce.
• These initiatives aim to create a skilled, empowered nursing workforce for better healthcare outcomes.
• The nurses who were awarded are as follows:

Topic: State News/Bihar

4. PM Modi laid the foundation stone and inaugurated development projects worth ₹48,520 crore in Karakat, Bihar, on 30 May.

• The prime minister laid the foundation stone for the Nabinagar Super Thermal Power Project Stage II (3×800 MW) in Aurangabad district, worth over ₹29,930 crore.
• The project aims to boost power infrastructure and ensure energy security for Bihar and eastern India.
• He laid the foundation stone for major road projects, including the four-laning of the Patna–Arrah–Sasaram section of NH-119A and the six-laning of the Varanasi–Ranchi–Kolkata highway (NH-319B) and Ramnagar–Kacchi Dargah stretch (NH-119D).
• He also announced the construction of a new Ganga bridge between Buxar and Bharauli to enhance regional connectivity.
• He also inaugurated the four-laning work of the Patna-Gaya-Dobhi section of NH-22 and the four-laning of the elevated highway and grade improvement works at Gopalganj Town on NH-27 at a cost of about Rs 5,520 crore.
• Reaffirming his commitment to enhancing rail infrastructure, the Prime Minister dedicated to the nation the 3rd Rail Line between Son Nagar and Mohammad Ganj, built at a cost of over Rs 1,330 crore.
• The Prime Minister announced that a major NTPC power project is under construction at Nabinagar with an investment of Rs 30,000 crore, and this project will provide 1,500 MW of power to Bihar.

• On 29 May, he had also inaugurated a new terminal at Patna Airport, increasing capacity to 1 crore passengers annually, and announced a ₹1,400 crore investment for Bihta Airport.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

5. Sadhguru honoured with the 'Global Indian of the Year' award by the Canada India Foundation.

• The ‘Global Indian of the Year’ award was conferred upon Sadhguru, the founder of Isha Foundation, by the Canada India Foundation (CIF).

• The award recognized his significant contributions in promoting ecological sustainability and raising human consciousness through the Conscious Planet movement.
• The formal presentation of the award, including a CAD 50,000 cash prize, was held at a ceremony in Toronto.
• CIF Chair Ritesh Malik and National Convenor Sunita Vyas presented the honor to Sadhguru.
• Sadhguru dedicated the cash prize to the ‘Cauvery Calling’ initiative, which is focused on revitalizing the Cauvery River and supporting large-scale tree planting in its basin.
• The initiative aims to improve the livelihoods of millions of people residing in the Cauvery River region.
• The award had been announced earlier in October 2024.

Topic: State News/ Goa

6. Goa celebrated its 39th statehood day on 30 May.

• President Draupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted the people of Goa on their Statehood Day.
• On 30 May 1987, the Government of India officially granted full statehood to Goa, making it the 25th state of India.
• Portuguese ruled over Goa even after 14 years of Independence.
• Goa become independent from the Portuguese on 19th December 1961.
• Goa, along with Daman and Diu was made union territory by the 12th Constitutional Amendment Act 1962.
• Goa:
  • Goa is a state in western India, and its coastline stretches along the Arabian Sea.
  • It is located on the western coast of the Indian Peninsula. Its main towns are Panaji, Margao, Vasco, Mapusa and Ponda.
  • The Chief Minister of the state is Pramod Sawant and Governor P S Sreedharan Pillai.
  • The capital of Goa is Panaji.
  • The state bird of Goa is Flame Throated Bulbul, State Animal Gaur and State Tree Matti.

Topic: State News/Uttar Pradesh

7. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated defence and infrastructure projects worth around ₹47,600 crore during his visit to Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh.

• The visit was originally scheduled for April 24. It was postponed due to the terrorist attacks in Pahalgam.

• He paid tribute to Shubham Dwivedi, a resident of Kanpur who was killed in the attack.
• He spoke about Operation Sindoor, launched in response to the attacks.
• Modi said India’s response to terrorism will be bold and decisive.
• He made it clear that India will not tolerate nuclear threats.
• Operation Sindoor is still ongoing. Modi said India will eliminate threats wherever they exist.
• He praised the role of Indian-made weapons in the operation. The BrahMos missile, developed domestically, hit its targets with precision.
• The Prime Minister said India is moving away from dependence on foreign weapons.
• He reaffirmed the goal of becoming fully self-reliant in defence.
• Uttar Pradesh is playing a key role in this shift. Seven old ordnance factories, including one in Kanpur, have been upgraded into modern defence production units.
• The Kanpur node of the Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor is becoming a major centre for India’s self-reliance in defence.
• Production of AK-203 assault rifles has started in Amethi.
• A new BrahMos missile facility has also been set up in the state.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

8. On May 30, 2025, Union Minister Shri Prataprao Jadhav launched the Ayush Suraksha Portal.

• The event took place at Ayush Bhawan in New Delhi.
• This digital platform is meant to address false advertising and monitor harmful reactions to Ayush medicines.
• It enables the public and health professionals to report misleading promotions and unsafe products.
• The portal gathers data from State Licensing Authorities, pharmacovigilance centres, and major regulatory bodies.
• Its launch follows a Supreme Court order issued on July 30, 2024.
• The Court instructed the Union Government to create a central system to report misleading ads and adverse drug reactions.
• The deadline set by the Court was June 2025.
• The Ministry of Ayush has launched the portal ahead of the deadline.
• The Central Council for Research in Siddha (CCRS) provided the technical expertise for the portal’s development.
• The platform is aligned with the National Pharmacovigilance Program.
• It promotes consistent and evidence-based monitoring of Ayush products.
• The system allows real-time data analysis and coordinated regulatory actions.
• The portal offers a centralized dashboard for case tracking and enforcement.
• It helps ensure quick responses and transparency in handling complaints.
• Citizens can directly submit reports and view the status of actions taken.

Topic: National News

9. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced that India will launch its first indigenous semiconductor chip this year.

• The chip is built using 28-90 nanometer technology.
• He made the announcement at the CII Annual Business Summit.
• Currently, six semiconductor fabrication units are under development in India.
• India began its semiconductor manufacturing journey in 2022.
• The upcoming chip rollout marks a major achievement in this initiative.
• These chips will serve key sectors like automotive, telecom, energy, and railways.
• Vaishnaw stressed the equal importance of manufacturing and services for India’s growth.
• Vaishnaw highlighted the transformative impact of Artificial Intelligence.
• He said AI will disrupt industries much like the internet did in the past.
• The minister stated that AI models must reflect Indian culture, languages, and values.
• He mentioned that Sarvam is building one of the first such India-specific AI models.
• As Railway Minister, Vaishnaw also spoke about progress in the rail sector.
• He said Indian Railways is now the second-largest freight carrier in the world.
• India has moved ahead of the U.S. and Russia by transporting 1,612 million tonnes of cargo.

Topic: State News/Goa

10. Goa has officially achieved full literacy through the ULLAS - Nav Bharat Saaksharta Karyakram.

• Chief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant announced this milestone on Goa’s 39th Statehood Day, May 30, 2025, in Panaji.
• Goa is the second state in India to surpass the 95% literacy benchmark.
• This success supports the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 goal of achieving full literacy nationwide by 2030.
• The PLFS Report 2023-24 showed Goa’s literacy rate at 93.60%.
• However, a recent state survey indicates that Goa has now reached full literacy.
• The government used a Whole-of-Government strategy to expand literacy outreach.
• Swayampurna Mitras conducted awareness campaigns.
• They also assisted learners in obtaining literacy certificates and joining educational programs.
• Goa’s achievement shows the effectiveness of community-based, volunteer-driven literacy campaigns.
• The ULLAS scheme is a centrally funded program running from 2022 to 2027.
• It focuses on educating adults aged 15 and above who missed formal schooling.
• The program has five main components: Foundational Literacy and Numeracy, Critical Life Skills, Basic Education, Vocational Training, and Continuing Education.