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Sports
KIYG 2025 — Maharashtra #1; Bihar Host; Sepak Takraw & E-Sports Debut
7th Khelo India Youth Games (KIYG 2025) held 4–15 May 2025 across 5 Bihar cities + New Delhi. Medal tally: Maharashtra #1 (158: 58G+47S+53B); Haryana #2 (117); Rajasthan #3 (60). Organised by MYAS + SAI. New additions: Sepak takraw (competitive) + E-sports (demonstration). Khelo India Programme launched: 14 October 2017.
Defence
Bhargavastra — Indigenous Counter-Drone System; 2.5 km Detection; Dual-Layer
Bhargavastra — indigenous counter-drone system by SDAL (SIIL subsidiary, Nagpur); tested at Seaward Firing Range, Gopalpur, Odisha. Detects small drones at 2.5 km; radar range 6–10 km. Two-layer defence: (1) unguided micro-rockets (lethal radius 20m, drone swarms) + (2) guided micro-missiles (precision). Deployable above 5,000m altitude. Equipped with EO/IR sensors + C4I command centre.
Business & Economy
Kantar BrandZ 2025 — Apple #1 (4th Consecutive Year); 4 Indian Brands in Top 100
Kantar BrandZ 2025: Apple #1 (USD 1.3 tn) — 4th year running. Top 5: Apple, Google (USD 944 bn), Microsoft (USD 884 bn), Amazon (USD 866 bn), Nvidia (USD 509 bn). Global Top 100 total: USD 10.7 tn (+29% YoY) — record. Indian brands: TCS 45th (USD 57 bn), HDFC Bank 56th (USD 44 bn), Airtel 66th (USD 37 bn), Infosys 73rd (USD 33 bn).
International
India-EU TTC — ₹391 Crore for Marine Plastic Litter & Waste-to-Green Hydrogen
India-EU TTC (Trade and Technology Council) launched two R&D initiatives (15 May 2025) — total ₹391 crore (41 mn euro) via Horizon Europe + GoI: (i) Marine Plastic Litter (MPL): EU €12 mn + India ₹90 cr (MoES). (ii) Waste-to-Green Hydrogen (W2GH): EU €10 mn + India ₹90 cr (MNRE). TTC established 2022 (Modi + von der Leyen); officially launched February 2023.
Business & Economy
Indian Bank — IND SECURE (444 Days, 7.15%) & IND GREEN (555 Days, 6.80%)
Indian Bank (MD & CEO Binod Kumar; HQ Chennai; Est 1907; ‘Your Own Bank’) launched: IND SECURE — 444 days; General 7.15% / Senior 7.65% / Super Senior (80+) 7.90% p.a. (till 30 Sep 2025). IND GREEN — 555 days; General 6.80% / Senior 7.30% / Super Senior 7.55%. Both: min ₹1,000 to <₹3 crore. Discontinued (8 May 2025): IND SUPER 400D + IND SUPREME 300D.
Climate
DST’s CCU Testbeds — India’s First Carbon Capture Cluster; Pilot at Ballabgarh
DST launched India’s first cluster of 5 CCU (Carbon Capture & Utilisation) testbeds for the cement industry (PPP model) across Haryana, UP, Maharashtra, AP, and Goa. Pilot facility: Ballabgarh, Haryana. Announced at 27th National Technology Day (11 May 2025), Dr. Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi. Grants by MoS Dr. Jitendra Singh (MoS&T; Udhampur, J&K).
Environment
Ethanol Blending — E20 Achieved; New Target E30 by 2030; 5.2 MT FCI Rice
India achieved E20 (20% ethanol blending) ahead of its 2025 target. New goal: E30 (30% blending) by 2030. FCI rice allocation for EBP Programme: raised from 2.4 MT → 5.2 MT (ESY 2024-25). Reserve price cut ₹2,800 → ₹2,250/quintal. Potential yield: ~2.45 billion litres at 470 L/tonne. EBP Programme launched 2003.
Governance
DFCCIL — India’s Longest Rail Flyover Girder (110.5 m) at WDFC JNPT-Nilje
DFCCIL (PSU, Ministry of Railways; est. 2006) launched India’s longest Rail Flyover (RFO) girder — 110.5 m, ~1,500 tonnes — at Kalamboli, Maharashtra on the WDFC JNPT–Nilje section. Open web steel girder; launched with 34-metre radial shift over live IR tracks without disruption — showcasing advanced railway engineering under the DFC project.
Science
LUPIN — GMV Spain’s GPS-Like Lunar Navigation System Under ESA
GMV (Grupo Mecanica del Vuelo), Spain developed LUPIN (Enabling High Performance PNT in the Lunar Environment) under an ESA programme — GPS-like navigation for the Moon using PNT (Positioning, Navigation, Timing) via lunar-orbiting satellites. Field-tested 27 Apr – 8 May 2025 at La Oliva, Fuerteventura (moon-like terrain). Supports astronauts + rovers; precursor to Mars exploration missions.
Climate
Arunabha Ghosh (CEEW) — South Asia Envoy for COP-30, Belém, Brazil
Arunabha Ghosh — Founder & CEO, CEEW (Council on Energy, Environment and Water), New Delhi (Est 2010) — appointed South Asia Envoy for COP-30 (Belém, Brazil, November 2025). One of 10 international envoys for strategic regions. Also: Vice-Chair, UN Committee for Development Policy (UNCDP). Role: facilitate South Asian dialogue and representation at COP-30.
🎴 Revision Flashcards
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KIYG 2025 — which state topped, and what two sports debuted?
Maharashtra #1 (158 medals) — Sepak takraw + E-sports
Bihar host; 5 cities + Delhi; 4–15 May 2025; Haryana 2nd; Khelo India launched 14 Oct 2017
Tap to Reveal
Bhargavastra — detection range, developer, and two defence layers?
2.5 km — SDAL (SIIL, Nagpur) — unguided micro-rockets + guided micro-missiles
Radar: 6–10 km; deployable above 5,000m; EO/IR + C4I; tested Gopalpur, Odisha
Tap to Reveal
Kantar BrandZ 2025 — Apple’s brand value and India’s highest-ranked brand?
Apple: USD 1.3 trillion — TCS: 45th (USD 57 bn)
Apple #1 for 4th consecutive year; Top 100 total: USD 10.7 tn (+29%); HDFC Bank 56th, Airtel 66th
Tap to Reveal
India-EU TTC’s two new R&D initiatives and total investment?
Marine Plastic Litter + Waste-to-Green Hydrogen — ₹391 crore (41 mn euro)
Horizon Europe + GoI; MoES for MPL; MNRE for W2GH; TTC launched Feb 2023
Tap to Reveal
Indian Bank’s IND SECURE — tenure, general rate, and valid till?
444 days — 7.15% general — valid till 30 September 2025
Senior: 7.65%; Super Senior (80+): 7.90%; IND GREEN = 555 days at 6.80%
Tap to Reveal
India’s ethanol blending milestone achieved and next target?
E20 achieved ahead of 2025 deadline — E30 target by 2030
FCI rice: 2.4 MT → 5.2 MT; reserve price: ₹2,800 → ₹2,250/quintal; EBP launched 2003
Tap to Reveal
LUPIN — what is it, who built it, and where was it tested?
GPS-like lunar navigation — GMV, Spain (ESA programme) — Fuerteventura, Canary Islands
PNT = Positioning, Navigation, Timing; lunar-orbiting satellites; precursor to Mars missions
Tap to Reveal
Who is Arunabha Ghosh and what role was he appointed to for COP-30?
Founder & CEO of CEEW — South Asia Envoy for COP-30 (Belém, Brazil)
1 of 10 international envoys; also Vice-Chair UNCDP; CEEW est. 2010, New Delhi
Think & Discuss
India’s E20 Achievement & the Road to E30: Can Ethanol Blending Deliver on Its Triple Promise of Energy Security, Farmer Income, and Cleaner Fuel?
Context from today’s quiz: India achieved 20% ethanol blending (E20) ahead of its 2025 target — a remarkable supply-chain and policy success. The government has now set a new target of 30% blending by 2030, expanding FCI rice allocation for ethanol from 2.4 MT to 5.2 MT and reducing the reserve price by ₹550/quintal to incentivise production. Meanwhile, DST has launched India’s first CCU testbeds for the cement industry, and India-EU are jointly investing in Waste-to-Green Hydrogen research — all part of India’s diversifying clean energy strategy.
🤔 Your Perspective Matters
India’s Ethanol Blending Programme was originally designed to reduce oil import bills, support sugarcane farmers, and cut vehicular emissions. Achieving E20 is a genuine policy milestone. But the shift to using FCI rice — rather than just sugarcane — for ethanol raises new questions about food security trade-offs, especially as India’s displacement data (GRID 2025) shows growing climate vulnerability in rice-producing states.
As India races toward E30 by 2030, should the ethanol blending programme be anchored primarily to agricultural surplus management — or should India instead fast-track the Waste-to-Green Hydrogen pathway (as the India-EU TTC initiative suggests) as a more sustainable long-term fuel transition?
As India races toward E30 by 2030, should the ethanol blending programme be anchored primarily to agricultural surplus management — or should India instead fast-track the Waste-to-Green Hydrogen pathway (as the India-EU TTC initiative suggests) as a more sustainable long-term fuel transition?
- Diverting FCI rice stocks to ethanol production reduces food buffer stocks — in a year when India recorded 5.4 million climate displacements (largely flood-driven, affecting rice-belt states like Assam), is this an acceptable trade-off for energy security?
- The India-EU TTC’s Waste-to-Green Hydrogen initiative (₹391 crore joint investment) targets a fundamentally different fuel pathway than crop-based ethanol — can both tracks coexist in India’s energy transition, or will ethanol crowd out green hydrogen investment?
- DST’s CCU testbeds for the cement industry (Ballabgarh pilot) represent carbon capture at the industrial source — how does this approach compare to ethanol blending in terms of net carbon reduction per rupee of public investment?
We’d love to hear your thoughts! Share your perspective in the comments.
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