🇮🇳 National News
The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare (MoA&FW), led by Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, issued comprehensive guidelines for establishing Bio-Input Resource Centres (BRCs) under the National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF), promoting chemical-free agriculture at cluster level.
- Eligibility – Individuals or groups actively practising natural farming or willing to adopt it immediately. If no eligible candidate is found, the State Natural Farming Cell nominates a farmer to start from the next crop cycle.
- Financial Assistance – Each BRC receives ₹1 lakh, disbursed in two equal tranches of ₹50,000 each.
Union Minister: Shivraj Singh Chouhan | MoS: Ram Nath Thakur (Bihar, Rajya Sabha) & Bhagirath Choudhary (Ajmer, Rajasthan).
Under Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban (SBM-U), the Ghaziabad Nagar Nigam (GNN) raised ₹150 crore through India’s first Certified Green Municipal Bond (GMB), listed on the BSE Bond platform at an annual coupon rate of 8.1%.
Proceeds fund a 40 MLD Tertiary Sewage Treatment Plant (TSTP) in Indirapuram, developed under the Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM) — 40% municipal, 60% private. Total project cost: ~₹320 crore.
- Technology – Microfiltration, ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, and Reverse Osmosis (RO)
- Distribution – Treated water supplied via a 95 km pipeline network to 1,400+ industrial units
- Award – Ghaziabad won the Best Municipal Treated Water Reuse Award at the 19th Water Digest World Water Awards 2024–25
- Foundation Stone – Laid in January 2022 by CM Yogi Adityanath
On 29 April 2025, PM Modi addressed ‘YUGM: Uniting Academia, Industry & Innovators for Viksit Bharat’ at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, organised by the Ministry of Education (MoE) with the Wadhwani Foundation.
- IIT Kanpur Superhub – Focused on AI & Intelligent Systems
- IIT Bombay Superhub – Focused on Biosciences, Biotechnology, Health & Medicine
- LoE Signed – Between the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) and Wadhwani Foundation for co-funding research with societal impact
- WIN Centres – Wadhwani Innovation Network Centres to be set up at leading research institutions
On 29 April 2025, Madhya Pradesh became the first Indian state to deploy an AI-Based Real-Time Forest Alert System to detect forest encroachments and illegal tree felling.
Integrates Google Earth Engine satellite data, machine learning, and field feedback to detect forest changes as small as 10×10 metres. Sends instant alerts to the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO).
- Pilot Districts – Shivpuri, Guna, Vidisha, Burhanpur, and Khandwa
- Statewide Rollout – From 7 June 2025
- Conceptualised by – Akshay Rathore, DFO Guna & IIT Roorkee alumnus; supported by IFS officer Aseem Shrivastava (Head of Forest Force, MP) and S. Annigeri (APCCF-IT, MP)
The Ministry of Labour & Employment (MoL&E) signed an MoU with Bengaluru-based Rapido Private Limited in the presence of Union Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, to list 50 lakh verified job opportunities on the National Career Service (NCS) portal over 1–2 years.
- Roles Listed – Bike taxi, auto, and cab drivers via API-based integration for real-time updates
- Focus Areas – Youth, women, and individuals seeking flexible work
- Pink Rapido – Rapido’s initiative specifically targeting employment for women
The NCS portal has 1.75 crore active job seekers and 40 lakh registered employers, integrated with My Bharat and eShram.
📊 Index & Rankings
Mumbai-based CareEdge Ratings (formerly CARE Ratings, est. 1993; Chairman: Najib Shah) released its second annual state rankings.
| Rank | State | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maharashtra | 56.5 |
| 2 | Gujarat | 52.4 |
| 3 | Karnataka | 51.9 |
The framework evaluates states across 7 pillars — Economic, Fiscal, Infrastructure, Financial Development, Social, Governance, and Environment — covering 50 indicators. Western and southern states dominated the top five.
In the Group B category (North-East, Hilly & Small States), Goa ranked first. The inaugural edition of this report was released in 2023.
| Rank | Country | GDP (USD Trillion) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | USA | 30.51 |
| 2 | China | 19.53 |
| 3 | Germany | 4.92 |
| 4 | India | 4.39 |
India is forecast to be the fastest-growing major economy over the next two years and is projected to surpass Germany and Japan by 2030, provided growth momentum is sustained. The IMF cautioned that ongoing global trade conflicts risk weakening global growth and destabilising the international financial system.
💼 Business & Economy
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), under Governor Sanjay Malhotra, launched three surveys on 29 April 2025 to assess public inflation expectations and consumer confidence.
- IESH (Inflation Expectations Survey of Households) – Captures household perceptions on price movements; conducted across 19 cities
- UCCS (Urban Consumer Confidence Survey) – Assesses economic sentiments of urban households; conducted across 19 cities
- RCCS (Rural Consumer Confidence Survey) – Gauges rural/semi-urban households’ economic outlook and spending; spans 31 states and UTs
RBI cut the repo rate by 25 bps to 6.00% in April 2025’s 1st Bi-monthly Monetary Policy for FY2025–26.
The Department of Posts (DoP / India Post) signed an MoU with SBI Funds Management Limited (SBIFM) — a JV between SBI and France’s Amundi Asset Management — to streamline KYC and MF investor onboarding at post offices. Signed at Dak Bhawan, New Delhi on 29 April 2025.
Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia (MoC) also launched ‘Gyan Post’ — a new India Post service to deliver educational, social, cultural, and religious books at affordable rates across India.
Pune-based Bajaj Allianz General Insurance (JV: Bajaj Finserv + Germany’s Allianz SE) launched ‘ClimateSafe’ on 29 April 2025 — India’s first parametric climate risk insurance product.
- Auto Payouts – Triggered when IMD-recorded weather thresholds (temperature, rainfall, AQI) are breached — no manual claim required; settlements within 7 days
- Coverage – Income loss for daily/gig workers, supply chain disruptions, flood/heatwave damage
- ‘Strike’ Definition – AQI exceeding 400 for at least 3 of the previous 5 days; after 2 strikes, eligible workers receive up to ₹6,000
- Customisation – Risk location, period (1–30 days), sum insured, and weather triggers
The RBI approved an interim ‘Committee of Executives’ to run IndusInd Bank for up to 3 months after CEO Sumant Kathpalia resigned.
| Role | Person |
|---|---|
| Committee Member | Soumitra Sen – Head, Consumer Banking |
| Committee Member | Anil Rao – CAO |
| Oversight Chair | Sunil Mehta – Board Chairman |
The crisis followed discovery of a ₹1,959.98 crore adverse P&L impact from improper handling of internal derivative trades, identified by an external investigation. Deputy CEO Arun Khurana had also earlier resigned for the same reason.
👔 Appointments
In the 28 April general elections, Kamla Susheila Persad-Bissessar led the UNC-Coalition of Interests (CoI) to a 26/41-seat victory, securing her second term as PM from 30 April 2025. She succeeded Stuart Richard Young (PNM).
- T&T’s first and only female PM
- First woman to serve as Attorney General, Opposition Leader, and Chairperson-in-Office of the Commonwealth of Nations in T&T
- Honoured with the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman in 2012 by the Government of India
Capital: Port of Spain | Currency: TTD | President: Christine Carla Kangaloo
On 28 April 2025, Canada’s Liberal Party under Mark Carney defeated Pierre Poilievre’s Conservative Party — the Liberals’ fourth consecutive mandate.
Carney, sworn in as PM in March 2025 after Justin Trudeau’s resignation, became Canada’s 24th PM and the first unelected PM at time of swearing-in.
He served as Governor of the Bank of Canada (2008–13) and the first non-British Governor of the Bank of England (2013–20) — making him the only person to have led central banks of two G7 economies. He was also UN Special Envoy for Climate Action & Finance from 2019.
📅 Important Days
The WHO-led World Immunization Week (WIW) was observed from 24–30 April 2025. Theme: ‘Immunization for All is Humanly Possible’. WIW originated in 2003 in the Americas and expanded to all six WHO regions by 2012.
Union Minister J.P. Nadda (MoH&FW) virtually launched the National Zero Measles-Rubella Elimination Campaign 2025–26 to eradicate measles and rubella by 2026 through intensified vaccination drives.
RR’s Vaibhav Suryavanshi, aged 14 years and 32 days, became the youngest player to score a century in IPL history, scoring 100 off just 35 balls against Gujarat Titans at Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur.
| Stat | Detail |
|---|---|
| Final Score | 101 off 38 balls (SR: 265.79) |
| Sixes | 11 (joint-most by an Indian in an IPL innings) |
| Fours | 7 |
| Boundary % | 94% of runs via boundaries |
| Century Speed | 2nd-fastest IPL century ever (behind Chris Gayle’s 30-ball ton, 2013) |
He surpassed Riyan Parag’s record (17 years, 175 days) as youngest IPL centurion and Manish Pandey’s record as youngest T20 centurion (19 years).
The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and AINAGOC officially confirmed Cricket and MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) for the 2026 Asian Games (Sep 19 – Oct 4) at the 41st AINAGOC Board meeting in Nagoya.
- Cricket – Returns for its 4th Asian Games appearance (previously: 2010, 2014, 2022) in T20I format in Aichi Prefecture. Aligns with cricket’s return to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics after a 128-year gap.
- MMA – Makes its debut with six medal events; classified under combat sports alongside kurash and jujitsu. India’s medal hopes rest with Anshul Jubli and Pooja Tomar.
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