SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Shubhanshu Shukla to Fly to International Space Station

Indian Air Force Group Captain Subahanshu Shukla will become the second Indian to go into space after Rakesh Sharma’s historic space journey in 1984.

Indian Air Force (IAF) Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla will be part of the Axiom 4 Mission, which will be launched on 29 May 2025 by the private American company Axiom Space Inc.

The schedule of the upcoming Axian 4 mission was announced by the company on 29 April 2025.

Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma of the Indian Air Force was the first Indian to go to space . He went to space on board the Soviet rocket Soyuz T-11 on 3rd April 1984.

Subhanshu Shukla will also be the first Indian to board an orbiting space station.

According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Subhanshu Shukla will pilot the 4 member Axiom Mission 4. The other crew members of the mission are Peggy Whitson, a former NASA astronaut and mission commander; Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewsk, a Polish astronaut; and Tibor Kapu, a Hungarian astronaut.

They will be launched on board the Spacex Crew Dragon capsule on a Falcon 9 rocket.

The rocket will be launched from the Kennedy Space Centre, Cape Canaveral, Florida, in the United States of America, on May 29, 2025.

The crew will fly to the International Space Station orbiting the Earth. They will stay 14 days on the International Space Station, conducting a variety of scientific missions.

Amazon Launches Satellites To Compete With Starlinks Of Elon Musk

American Multinational web services and e-commerce giant Amazon has launched the first batch of its 27 satellites under Project Kuiper to provide an affordable broadband internet network worldwide.

Jeff Bezos’ company, Amazon, is planning to compete with Elon Musk’s Spacex Starlink space-based broadband link network.

Starlink is the largest satellite-based internet service provider with more than 50 lakh internet users in around 125 countries.

The first set of 27 satellites was launched into space on board an Atlas V rocket of the United Launch Alliance company. The rocket was launched from its launch pad at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, United States of America.

The United Launch Alliance company is a joint venture of Lockheed Martin and Boeing.

Project Kuiper is an ambitious initiative by Amazon to provide global high-speed internet access worldwide through a constellation of more than 3,000 satellites placed in low Earth orbit.

Amazon aims to provide high-speed, low-latency broadband facilities in areas that have little or no internet connectivity.

 

BANKING

IEPFA Signs Memorandum of Understanding with Kotak Mahindra Bank

The Investor Education and Protection Fund Authority (IEPFA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Kotak Mahindra Bank Limited (KMBL) to boost investor awareness across India.

This strategic partnership will feature IEPFA’s educational content on Kotak Mahindra Bank’s ATMs, kiosks, websites, mobile apps, and social media platforms.

The initiative will focus on educating investors about responsible investing, financial fraud prevention, and protecting investor rights.

The campaign will be rolled out during the financial year 2025-2026, with no financial commitment from IEPFA.

The partnership leverages Kotak Mahindra Bank’s 2000 branches and 3000 ATMs for extensive outreach

Meesho To Rename Indian Parent Company As Meesho Private Limited

Meesho’s board has approved the renaming of its Indian entity from Fashnear Technologies to Meesho Pvt Ltd.

The company has applied for approval from the Ministry of Corporate Affairs to formalise the name change.

Meesho has also filed an application with the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) as part of its redomiciling process.

Once completed, Meesho Pvt Ltd will become the parent company for its marketplace operations.

Meesho stated the name change would align corporate identity with its brand, improving brand recall, stakeholder confidence, and business positioning.

The move is similar to Zepto's recent name change from Kiranakart Technologies Private Ltd to Zepto Private Ltd.

 

RANKS, INDICES & REPORTS

United States Has Retained India In The Priority Watch List Category

The United States has retained India in the Priority Watch List category of the 2025 Special 301 list for its failure to provide adequate and effective protection and enforcement of intellectual property (IP) rights on American goods and services.

26 trading partners of the United States of America including India were identified as countries of concern where there was inadequate protection of the intellectual property rights of the American goods and services.

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) under the Trade Act of 1974 has to prepare an annual report for the United States Congress on the status of protection of intellectual property rights on American goods in the world.

The USTR puts the country on the Priority Watch List and the Watch List. The countries in which the USTR feels there is the most serious violation of intellectual property rights are put in the Priority Watch List.

Under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, the USTR investigated those countries that had been included in the Priority Watch List and Watch List.

If India does not take steps to address the US concern, then the United States government can take appropriate action like imposing higher tariffs on india goods and services, investigate Indian trade practices and take more retaliatory measures.

 

AWARDS & PRIZES

Padma Awards 2025

President Droupadi Murmu conferred the Padma Awards on 71 distinguished individuals at the Civil Investiture Ceremony held at the Durbar Hall of Rashtrapati Bhawan.

The Padma Awards are among the highest civilian honours in India.

Fields recognized include Art, Literature and Education, Science and Engineering, Public Affairs, Social Work, Medicine, and Sports.

Padma Vibhushan (Art – Music)

L. Subramaniam – Renowned violinist, awarded Padma Vibhushan for his outstanding contribution to Indian classical music.

Padma Bhushan Awardees (Notable Names)

Pankaj Udhas (Posthumous) – Legendary ghazal singer, awarded for contributions to Indian music. Award received by his wife, Farida Udhas.

Nandamuri Balakrishna – Veteran actor and legislator from Andhra Pradesh, honoured for contribution to cinema and public life.

S. Ajith Kumar – Prominent Indian film actor, awarded for his impact on Indian cinema.

P. R. Sreejesh – Former Indian hockey goalkeeper, recognised for achievements in sports, especially during India’s Olympic campaigns.

Padma Shri Awardees (Notable Names)

Jaspinder Narula – Acclaimed playback singer, awarded for her contribution to Indian music.

Ravichandran Ashwin – Indian cricketer, honoured for excellence in cricket.

Ganeshwar Shastri Dravid – Renowned Vedic scholar, known for determining auspicious timings for major religious events like the Ram Lalla consecration and Kashi Vishwanath Corridor.

Stephen Knapp – American author and Vedic researcher, awarded for promoting Vedic culture and spirituality, under literature and education.

 

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

52nd Chief Justice of the Supreme Court

President of India Droupadi Murmu has appointed Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai (B R Gavai) as the 52nd Chief Justice of India (CJI).

The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court is referred to as the Chief Justice of India (CJI). Justice BR Gavai, who is presently the senior-most Judge in the Supreme Court, will assume his office on May 14, 2025.

He will succeed Justice Sanjiv Khanna, who retires on 13th May 2025.

Clause 2 of Article 124 of the Constitution grants the President of India the power to appoint the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

Justice BR Gavai is the second Dalit to become the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court after Justice KG Balakrishnan.

Chief Executive Officer of India Semiconductor Mission

Amitesh Kumar Sinha has been appointed as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM).

Sinha was also appointed as Additional Secretary at the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).

He has previously served as the CEO of ISM.

He was earlier a Joint Secretary at MeitY, where he was responsible for policy formation and promotion of the electronics industry.

His work included implementation of Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) Schemes for mobiles, IT hardware, electronic components, and the semiconductor sector under the Semicon India Programme.

Sinha is an officer of the 1996 batch of the Indian Railway Accounts Service (IRAS).

His appointment comes at a crucial phase as the government is preparing to launch the second phase of the India Semiconductor Mission.

He succeeds Sushil Pal in this role.

 

BOOKS & AUTHORS

Book On Ramanujan’s Life And Legacy To Be Launched In New Delhi

The National Archives of India, in collaboration with Vani Prakashan, will launch the book "Ramanujan: Journey of a Great Mathematician" on April 30, 2025.

It was authored by Arun Singhal and Devendra Kumar Sharma, the book celebrates the life and legacy of Srinivasa Ramanujan, one of India’s greatest mathematicians.

The book delves into the extraordinary life of Srinivasa Ramanujan, highlighting his genius and contributions to mathematics, despite limited formal education.

The book explores both his genius and the struggles he faced, providing context to the historical and cultural influences on his work.

 

IMPORTANT DAYS

Ayushman Bharat Diwas

In India, Ayushman Bharat Diwas is observed on April 30.

The Ayushman Bharat Diwas is observed to uplift the ideals of the Ayushman Bharat Yojana.

The scheme of the Ayushman Bharat Diwas reflects the fulfillment of the objectives of the Indian government that align with the Sustainable Development Goals under the United Nations.

The Ayushman Bharat Diwas revolves around the Ayushman Bharat Yojna which was launched by the Prime minister of India Narendra Modi in 2018.

The main aim of this day is to provide healthcare benefits to a major population of India who cannot afford the required medical facilities for themselves.

The Ayushman Bharat concerned departs and authorities launch various schemes and initiatives manually for the economic and social development of our country.

The day uplifts the ideals of the Ayushman Bharat Yojana. The scheme reflects the fulfillment of the objectives of the government of India that align with the Sustainable Development Goals under the United Nations (UN).

The main goal of the UN concerning universal health coverage is to “leave no one behind.”