Governance
Maharashtra Shipbuilding Policy 2025
India’s first dedicated shipbuilding policy approved by Maharashtra targets ₹6,600 crore investment and 40,000 jobs by 2030. Key incentives: 15% capital subsidy, ₹1 crore for skill development, ₹25 crore per R&D project, and 30-year concessional land leases. Aligns with Maritime India Vision 2030 and Amrit Kaal Vision 2047.
Geography
India’s Revised Coastline — 11,098.81 km
India’s coastline was revised from 7,516.60 km to 11,098.81 km (~50% increase) by the National Hydrographic Organisation (NHO), Dehradun, using GIS at 1:2,50,000 scale. The old count excluded 1,298 offshore islands and islets. Revision accepted at a January 2024 NSCS meeting.
Geography
Coastline Rankings — States & UTs
Among states: Gujarat has the longest coastline; Goa has the shortest. Among UTs: Andaman & Nicobar Islands has the longest; Puducherry the shortest. India’s revised total: 11,098.81 km across 9 coastal states and 4 UTs.
Science & Health
India’s First Gene Therapy Trial — Haemophilia A
India’s first human gene therapy trial for Haemophilia A used autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cells (HSCs) modified via lentiviral vectors to express the deficient Factor VIII gene. Conducted jointly by BRIC-inStem (Bengaluru) and CMC Vellore; announced by Ministry of Science & Technology.
Environment
UNESCO Global Geoparks — April 2025 Update
16 new sites added across 11 countries during the 10th anniversary of the UNESCO Global Geoparks Network. Notable firsts: North Korea (Mt. Paektu) and Saudi Arabia (North Riyadh & Salma). Network now totals 229 sites in 50 countries spanning ~855,000 sq km. India was not among the new additions.
Business & Economy
SBI–LPAI MoU for Border Trade
SBI signed an MoU with Land Ports Authority of India (LPAI) to grow annual border trade from ₹80,000 crore (2025) to ₹2 trillion by 2030. SBI will deploy Forex, LC/BG, cargo insurance, YONO 2.0, and e-Trade across 26 land ports on Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Myanmar borders within 6 months.
Culture & Heritage
SRFTI Film at Cannes 78 — La Cinef
‘A Doll Made Up of Clay’ directed by Ethiopian ICCR scholar Kokob Gebrehweria Tesfay (SRFTI, Kolkata) selected for La Cinef at the 78th Cannes Film Festival — a section exclusively for film school works. The 23-minute experimental film uniquely blends Yoruba and Bengali languages.
Environment
FAO AIM4NatuRe — Kunming-Montreal Target 2
FAO’s AIM4NatuRe (Accelerating Innovative Monitoring for Nature Restoration, 2025–28) supports Kunming-Montreal GBF Target 2: restoring 30% of degraded ecosystems by 2030. A CBD survey found 80% of countries lacked restoration monitoring capacity. UK contributed £7 million (~USD 9.38 mn) to fund the initiative.
Culture & Heritage
Gopalkrishna Gandhi — ‘The Undying Light’
‘The Undying Light: A Personal History of Independent India’ is a 624-page memoir by Gopalkrishna Gandhi — grandson of both Mahatma Gandhi and C. Rajagopalachari (India’s last Governor-General). Published by Aleph Book Company, New Delhi; opens with the author’s memory of Gandhi’s assassination at age three.
International
World Tuna Day — 2 May
World Tuna Day observed on 2 May was established by UNGA Resolution A/RES/71/124 on 7 December 2016, championed by Pacific Island nations — Fiji, Kiribati, and Samoa — where tuna sustains livelihoods and national GDP. First observed on 2 May 2017.