NATIONAL NEWS

Delhi Assembly- 1st In The Country To Be Fully Powered By Solar Power

The Delhi Legislative Assembly will become the first legislative assembly in the country to be fully powered by solar energy.

The Delhi legislative assembly speaker, Vijendra Gupta and Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, Vinai Kumar Saxena, jointly laid the foundation stone of a 500 kilowatt solar power plant in the Delhi legislative assembly premises on 12 May 2025.

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta was the chief guest

This will be another achievement for Delhi in solar power generation. Recently, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) installed the country's first vertical bi-facial solar plant at its Okhla Vihar Metro station in New Delhi.

Currently, a 200-kilowatt rooftop solar power plant partially meets the Delhi legislative assembly’s power requirement. The existing solar power plant will be dismantled, and a new rooftop solar power plant will be established.

The new 500 kilowatt rooftop solar power plant will be spread over 3,250 square feet, which is expected to be completed in 45 days.

It is expected to be fully commissioned before the start of the next Delhi legislative assembly monsoon session.

The Rs 2 crore power project is expected to generate a cumulative 8,20,000 units which will be enough to meet the annual electricity requirement of 7,00,000 units of the assembly.

These surplus units will be fed into the national electricity grid, earning revenue for the assembly.

Uttar Pradesh Adds 12 New Products Under ODOP Scheme

The Uttar Pradesh government has included 12 new products under its One District, One Product (ODOP) Scheme, bringing the total number of products under the ODOP scheme to 74.

The Yogi Adityanath government launched the ODOP scheme in Uttar Pradesh on 24 January 2018. The scheme aims to popularise and boost the sales of indigenous and specialised products/crafts in the 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh.

Uttar Pradesh pioneered the ‘One District One Product’ scheme in India, which has been replicated in many states.

The Scheme, which Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath launched on 24 January 2018.

Unique products of a district are identified and given a GI (Geographical Indication) tag, which certifies that they are products of a specific region.

The state government provides financial support to the manufacturer, a common marketing facility, etc, to promote the products in the national and international markets.

The scheme's objective is to create employment opportunities in the state, boost exports from the state, and help the state achieve a one-trillion-dollar economy by 2029.

Uttar Pradesh Launches UP AGREES and AI Pragya with World Bank Support

Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath, alongside World Bank President Ajay Banga, inaugurated two flagship programmes—UP AGREES and AI Pragya—to drive agricultural innovation and digital upskilling.

These World Bank–backed initiatives aim to boost rural productivity across Bundelkhand and Purvanchal and prepare 1 million youth for the AI-driven economy.

UP AGREES (Uttar Pradesh Accelerated Growth through Resilient, Equitable and Sustainable Agriculture) Targets 28 districts including Jhansi, Varanasi, Gorakhpur, and Banda and Promotes technology-driven farming and climate-resilient practices to enhance productivity.

AI Pragya seeks to train 10 lakh young people in Artificial Intelligence and digital technologies.

Focus areas include government services, education, healthcare, and agriculture.

 

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Tata Consultancy Services Unveils GenAI and Agentic AI-Driven MasterCraft

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has launched an enhanced version of TCS MasterCraft integrated with GenAI and Agentic AI.

The updated tool is designed to automate legacy application modernisation, reducing costs by over 70% and doubling the speed of results compared to traditional methods.

The upgraded TCS Master Craft allows for faster and more accurate extraction of business logic from old systems.

One of North America’s largest banks has utilized the GenAI-powered TCS MasterCraft to modernize its mainframe applications.

Dream Sports Partners with Microsoft

Dream Sports, India's leading sports technology company, has entered into a strategic collaboration with global tech giant Microsoft.

The announcement was made during the inaugural edition of the World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit 2025 (WAVES) held in Mumbai.

The two companies signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore a range of opportunities in India’s rapidly growing gaming market.

The collaboration combines Dream Sports’ extensive ecosystem of over 250 million users with Microsoft’s cutting-edge technical and artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities.

 

BANKING

India's Sovereign Credit Rating Upgraded to 'BBB' with a 'Stable' Outlook

Morningstar DBRS, a global sovereign credit rating agency, has upgraded India’s Long-Term Foreign and Local Currency – Issuer Ratings from BBB (low) to BBB with a stable trend.

India’s Short-Term Foreign and Local Currency Issuer Ratings were also upgraded to R-2 (high) from R-2 (middle) with a stable trend.

The key drivers for the upgrade include:

Structural reforms through infrastructure investments, digitalisation, and other initiatives facilitating fiscal consolidation (declining debt and deficit).

Sustained high growth, with an average GDP growth of 8.2% during FY22-25.

Macroeconomic stability, with stabilised inflation, a range-bound exchange rate, and sound external balance.

A resilient banking system, characterized by well-capitalised banks, a high capital adequacy ratio, and non-performing loans at a 13-year low.

The credit rating may be further upgraded if India continues to implement reforms that raise the investment rate, enhancing medium-term growth prospects.

Despite the current public debt levels, risks to debt sustainability are limited due to local currency denomination and long maturity structures.

Further upgrades could occur if the public debt-to-GDP ratio continues to reduce through reforms.

RBI Eases Rules for Foreign Portfolio Investors Investments

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has relaxed the norms for Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) investing in corporate debt securities through the general route.

The relaxation specifically removes the requirements related to the short-term investment limit and the concentration limit for FPI investments in corporate debt securities.

The RBI's decision aims to provide greater ease of investment for FPIs, encouraging more participation in India's corporate debt market.

FPIs no longer need to comply with the restrictions on short-term investments in corporate debt securities.

The requirement to limit the concentration of investments in corporate debt securities has been withdrawn for FPIs.

The relaxation applies to investments made via the general route for both government and corporate debt securities by FPIs, subject to specified investment limits and macroprudential limits.

The relaxation is effective immediately, providing FPIs with enhanced flexibility in their investments in corporate debt securities.

By easing these investment norms, the RBI is likely aiming to increase foreign participation and investments in India's corporate debt markets, contributing to overall market liquidity and stability.

 

AWARDS & PRIZES

La Prensa Awarded UNESCO Press Freedom Prize

La Prensa, Nicaragua’s historic newspaper, was honored with the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize for its unflinching commitment to truth and accountability.

Despite enduring systemic repression under the Ortega-Murillo regime—including arrests, asset confiscation, and forced exile of its staff—La Prensa has maintained its fearless journalism.

The UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize was awarded to La Prensa on World Press Freedom Day (May 3, 2025), acknowledging its resilience in the face of authoritarian control.

Founded in 1926, La Prensa is one of Nicaragua’s most respected newspapers and has faced decades of political pressure, including violent crackdowns and censorship.

CIVICUS and the Central American Association for Development and Democracy (ACADD) have expressed solidarity with La Prensa and called for global support for Nicaraguan journalists facing criminalization and repression.

 

SPORTS

Cricket Icon Virat Kohli Announces Retirement From Test Cricket

Cricket Icon and one of the most passionate supporters of Test cricket in the world, Virat Kohli, announced his retirement from Test cricket. Virat announced his retirement from cricket's longest format -Test cricket- in a social media post on 12 May 2025.

Virat played his last Test match against Australia at Sydney in January 2025.

His retirement comes after Indian cricket captain Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from Test cricket on 7 May 2025.

Both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli had announced their retirement from the game's shortest format -T20 internationals -in June 2024 after India won the 9th ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2024.

However, like Rohit Sharma, Virat will be available for India's One-day internationals (ODIs) and will play in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

In 123 Tests, he scored 9230 runs, with an average of 46.85. His highest score was 254 not out against South Africa in Pune in 2019.

He scored 30 Test hundreds and is fourth in the list, just behind Sachin Tendulkar (51 hundreds), Rahul Dravid (36), and Sunil Gavaskar (34).

Kohli has also scored seven double hundreds, the most by an Indian.

India won the Tri-Nation ODI Series

The Harmanpreet Kaur-led Indian women's cricket team won the three-nation One-Day International (ODI) Tri-Series, beating the host Sri Lanka in the final by 97 runs. Hosts Sri Lanka, India and the South African women’s team participated in the Tri-series, which was held in Sri Lanka from 27 April to 11 May 2025.

All the Tri-Series matches were played at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

During the league stages, India won one and lost one match against the host Sri Lankan side, while it won both its matches against the South African side.

The Indian team topped the points table in the league stage and qualified for the final. Sri Lanka was second on the points table and qualified for the final, which was played on 11th May at the Premadasa Stadium.

The Indian team scored 342 for the loss of seven wickets in their allotted 50 overs.

The Indian Vice-Captain Smriti Mandhana scored a brilliant 116 runs off 101 balls in hot and humid conditions. It was her 11th ODI hundred.

Player of the Final- Smriti Mandhana

Player of the Series - Sneh Rana for 15 wickets in the series.

 

IMPORTANT DAYS

National Technology Day

National Technology Day is celebrated every year on May 11.

This day is observed to commemorate the importance of Scientists, Research, etc. This day is celebrated to raise awareness about the Technology that is developed day by day.

National Technology Day was first observed on May 11, 1999.

In May 1998, India conducted three nuclear tests in the Pokhran Test range in Rajasthan under the operation Operation Sakthi.

These tests are done by APJ Abdul Kalam and carried out by Bhabha Atomic Research Center (BARC), Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), and Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMDER).

Technology Development Board (TDB) has instituted a national award for promoting the importance of National Technology Day.

International Nurses Day

International Nurses Day is celebrated every year on May 12.

Nurses Day is celebrated to praise the Nurses who contribute their work to the Society.

International Nurses Day is to commemorate the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birthday.

The theme for International Nurses Day 2025 is "Our Nurses. Our Future. Caring for nurses strengthens economies".

In 1953, US Department of Health, Education, and Welfare officer Dorothy Sutherland contacted US President Dwight.D.Elsenhower to celebrate “Nurses Day”.

Since 1965, the International Council of Nurses (ICN) has celebrated this day.

From January 1974, May 12 was officially declared “International Nurses Day”.

On this special day, the International Council of Nurses (ICN) distributed the Nurses Day kit to the people to know the importance of nurses.

In Bangladesh, where the number of nurses is half of the number of doctors.