Governance & Rural
SVAMITVA β 5 Years, 65 Lakh Property Cards
SVAMITVA (Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas) was launched on April 24, 2020 (National Panchayati Raj Day) by PM Modi. Implemented by MoPR with Survey of India (SoI, Dehradun) and NICSI as tech partner. As of January 18, 2025: 65 lakh property cards across 50,000+ villages in 10 states + 2 UTs. Budget: Rs 566.23 crore (FY21βFY22); extended till FY26.
Security & Diplomacy
Pahalgam Terror Attack β India’s 5-Point Action Plan
Following the Pahalgam terror attack (J&K) that killed 26 people, the CCS (chaired by PM Modi) announced a 5-point action plan against Pakistan: (i) Suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) with immediate effect; (ii) Closure of AttariβWagah border (return access allowed till May 1, 2025 for those already crossing); (iii) Expulsion of Pakistani military/naval/air advisors from the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi β declared Persona Non Grata within one week.
Banking & Finance
HDFC Bank β 3rd Indian Company Above Rs 15 Lakh Crore Market Cap
HDFC Bank (Mumbai) crossed Rs 15 lakh crore market cap (Rs 15,01,289.37 crore as of March 31, 2025) β becoming the 3rd Indian company after Reliance Industries and TCS. Q4 FY25: Net Profit Rs 17,616 crore (+6.7% YoY); NII Rs 32,070 crore (+10.3% YoY).
Digital Banking
RBI ‘.bank.in’ Domain Migration β IDRBT as Registrar
RBI mandated all banks to migrate to the ‘.bank.in’ domain by October 31, 2025 to combat cyber fraud in online banking. Registrar: IDRBT (Hyderabad), authorised by NIXI (National Internet Exchange of India) under MeitY. Contact: sahyog@idrbt.ac.in. Initiative first introduced February 7, 2025. T. Rabi Sankar is a Member of IDRBT’s Governing Council.
Diplomacy
PM Modi’s Saudi Arabia Visit β 2nd IndiaβSaudi SPC Meeting
PM Modi visited Saudi Arabia (April 22β23, 2025) β his 3rd visit and 15th Gulf trip since 2014. He and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) co-chaired the 2nd meeting of the IndiaβSaudi Arabia Strategic Partnership Council (SPC). A new Ministerial Committee on Defence Cooperation, Tourism, and Cultural Cooperation was formed. 4 MoUs were signed. Saudi PM: MBS; Capital: Riyadh; Currency: SAR.
Economy
World Bank South Asia Update β India FY26 at 6.3%
World Bank’s ‘South Asia Development Update April 2025’ revised India’s FY26 GDP to 6.3% β a 0.4 pp cut from 6.7% β citing slower private investment, reduced public capex, and global challenges. India’s FY25 growth: 6.5% (slowest in 4 years; vs 9.2% in FY24). South Asia projected at 5.8% (2025) and 6.1% (2026). World Bank President: Ajay Banga; HQ: Washington DC; est. 1944; 189 members.
Defence & Space
South Korea’s 425 Project β 4th Spy Satellite (SAR)
South Korea launched its 4th military surveillance satellite (Unit 4, SAR type) on April 22, 2025 via a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. Part of the 425 Project (North Korea surveillance). SAR enables imaging in all weather/night conditions. Timeline: Unit 1 (EO/IR, Dec 2023) β Unit 2 (SAR, Apr 2024) β Unit 3 (SAR, Dec 2024) β Unit 4 (SAR, Apr 2025) β Unit 5 (SAR, later 2025).
Sports
Neeraj Chopra β Gold at Potch 2025; New Coach Jan Ε½eleznΓ½
Neeraj Chopra won gold at the NWU Potch Invitational 2025, Potchefstroom, South Africa, with a throw of 84.52 m (Indian season-best). His first competition under new coach Jan Ε½eleznΓ½ (Czech; 3Γ Olympic gold medallist; world record 98.48 m). Neeraj’s personal best: 89.94 m (June 2022). Defeated Douw Smit (SA, 82.44 m) and Duncan Robertson (SA, 71.22 m).
Defence & Exports
BrahMos β 2nd Batch to Philippines; Vietnam Next
India dispatched the 2nd batch of BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles to the Philippines (1st BrahMos importer; USD 375 million deal, Jan 2022; 3 batteries). BrahMos specs: Range 290 km, Speed Mach 2.8, Payload 200β300 kg. Developed by DRDO + Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyeniya (NPOM); 83% indigenised. Vietnam is the 2nd Asian buyer (Rs 5,990 crore / USD 700 million deal).
Technology
China’s 10G Broadband β 9,834 Mbps via Huawei & China Unicom
China launched the world’s first 10G broadband network in Sunan County, Hebei Province, via Huawei and China Unicom, using 50G PON (Passive Optical Network) and DWDM technologies. Test results: Download 9,834 Mbps, Upload 1,008 Mbps, Latency 3 ms. Applications: cloud gaming, remote surgery, AI smart homes, telemedicine, autonomous driving.