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GK Update

Fri 18 Jul, 2025

National News

Swachh Survekshan 2024-25 Awards

  • President Smt. Droupadi Murmu presented the Swachh Survekshan 2024-25 Awards on 17th July 2025.
  • The event was organized by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

Swachh Survekshan 2024-25 Awards :

Super Swachh League Cities :

  • Above 10 Lakh: Indore>Surat>Navi Mumbai>Vijayawada
  • 3 Lakh - 10 Lakh: Noida>Chandigarh>Mysore>Ujjain> Gandhinagar>Guntur
  • 50,000 - 3 Lakh: New Delhi Municipal Council>Tirupati> Ambikapur>Lonavala
  • 20,000 - 50,000 : Vita > Saswad > Deolali Pravara > Dungarpur
  • Less than 20,000 : Panchgani > Patan > Panhala > Bishrampur > Budni

Best Ganga City Award : Prayagraj

  • Best Cantonment Board Award : Secunderabad Cantonment
  • Best Saifai Mitra Safe City Declared : GVMC Visakhapatnam, Jabalpur and Gorakhpur
  • Total Awards : 78, in 4 different categories
  •  

‘Khelo Bharat Conclave 2025’

  • The Khelo Bharat Conclave was organized on 17th July 2025 in New Delhi.
  • The conclave was attended by Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, Minister of State for Sports Raksha Nikhil Khadse, along with representatives from National Sports Federations, coaches, athletes, corporate entities, and various sports organizations.

Related Facts:

  • The conclave is a part of the Khelo India Programme.
  • Objective: To identify grassroots talent and promote a sporting culture in the country through athletic tournaments and infrastructure development.
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the first edition of the Khelo India Youth Games on 21st January 2018 at Indira Gandhi Arena, New Delhi.
  • Three types of events have been started under the Khelo India programme. Khelo India School Games, Khelo India University Games and Khelo India Winter Games.

State Specific News

Drone Delivery Service

  • With the launch of the drone delivery service in Arunachal Pradesh, essential medicines and medical supplies are now being rapidly delivered to hilly and remote areas.
  • A state-of-the-art drone port has been inaugurated at the Tomo Riba Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (TRIHMS).
  • This drone port is established on the hospital rooftop, from where drones will swiftly transport essential medicines to the people.

Arunachal Pradesh:

  • Meaning: Land of the Rising Sun
  • Capital: Itanagar
  • Official language: English
  • Other languages: Hindi, Nyishi, Apatani, Mishmi, etc. tribal languages
  • Borders: North – China (Tibet), East – Myanmar, West – Bhutan, South – Assam and Nagaland
  • Major rivers: Brahmaputra (Tsangpo), Subansiri, Dibang
  • Major mountains: Eastern branch of the Himalayas
  • Major tribes: Monpa, Nyishi, Mishmi, Galo, Apatani
  • Famous places: Tawang Monastery, Sela Pass, Namdapha National Park, Bum La Pass
  • Major festivals: Losar, Nyokum, Solung, Dri, Syang

Inauguration of Infrastructure Projects Worth Over ₹7,200 Crore in Bihar

  • On 18th July 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for multiple infrastructure projects worth over ₹7,200 crore in Motihari, Bihar.
  • These projects are related to sectors such as railways, fisheries, and other key areas.

Bihar:

  • Bihar Day: 22 March
  • Chief Minister: Nitish Kumar
  • Governor: Arif Mohammad Khan
  • Protected Areas: Valmiki National Park, Kaimur Wildlife Sanctuary, Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Wildlife Sanctuary

State-Level SVEEP Icons Appointed

  • The Election Department of Bihar has appointed actor Kranti Prakash Jha and actress Neetu Chandra as state-level SVEEP (Systematic Voters' Education and Electoral Participation) icons.

International news

TRF Designated as Foreign Terrorist Organization

  • In response to the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir, the United States on 22nd April 2025 officially designated "The Resistance Front" (TRF) — an offshoot of Pakistan-based terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) — as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT).

United States of America (USA):

  • Capital: Washington, D.C.
  • President: Joe Biden
  • Type of Government: Federal Republic, Presidential System
  • Continent: North America
  • Currency: US Dollar (US Dollar - USD)
  • Official Language: English, declared by President Donald Trump in 2025
  • NASA: US Space Agency

New Prime Minister Appointed in Ukraine

  • Yulia Svyrydenko has been appointed as the new Prime Minister of Ukraine.
  • She succeeds former Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, who has now been appointed as the Defence Minister of Ukraine.

Ukraine :

  • Capital: Kyiv
  • President: Volodymyr Zelensky
  • Official language: Ukrainian
  • Currency: Ukrainian hryvnia

Hurun India U30 List 2025

  • Avendus Wealth and Hurun India jointly released the Hurun India U30 List 2025.
  • This is the first edition under the "Uth Series", featuring 79 Indian entrepreneurs and next-generation business leaders aged 30 or below, who have made remarkable achievements across various sectors in the country.

Related facts:

  • Top rankings: Kaivalya Vohra and Adit Palicha, 22-year-old co-founders of quick-commerce startup Zepto, top the list as the richest and youngest entrepreneurs
  • City-wise figures:
  • Mumbai: Most (21) entrepreneurs in the U30 list
  • Karnataka (Bengaluru): 10 entrepreneurs

Awards and Honours

United Nations Mandela Prize 2025

  • Brenda Reynolds (Canada) and Kennedy Odede (Kenya) have been honored with the United Nations Mandela Prize 2025.
  • They received this award in recognition of their outstanding contributions to social upliftment and justice.

Related Facts:

  • The United Nations Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela Prize was established in 2014 through a resolution of the UN General Assembly, to honor Nelson Mandela’s values and legacy of service.
  • The statute of the award was adopted on 2nd April 2015.
  • Since 2015, the award is presented every five years to individuals who have made remarkable contributions to the service of humanity and human rights.

Defense News

Test of Prithvi-II and Agni-I Ballistic Missiles

  • The Ministry of Defence successfully conducted test launches of short-range ballistic missiles – Prithvi-II and Agni-I from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Chandipur, Odisha.
  • The tests were conducted under the supervision of the Strategic Forces Command (SFC).

Related Facts:

Prithvi-II Missile:

  • Short-range surface-to-surface ballistic missile
  • Range: 250–350 km
  • Payload capacity: 500 to 1000 kg
  • Can carry both nuclear and conventional warheads
  • Indigenously developed by DRDO
  • In service with Indian Army since 2003

Agni-I Missile:

  • Single stage, surface-to-surface short to medium range ballistic missile
  • Range: Up to 700 km
  • Payload capacity: 1000 kg
  • Solid fuel based, high accuracy
  • Can carry nuclear weapons; key pillar of India’s minimum deterrence strategy
  • In service since 2004

Launch of ‘Nistar’

  • In a historic milestone, the Indian Navy will launch its first indigenously designed and built Diving Support Vessel (DSV) ‘Nistar’ on 18th July 2025 at the Naval Dockyard in Visakhapatnam.

Related Facts:

  • Ship Name: INS Nistar
  • Design and Built: Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL), Visakhapatnam
  • Type: Diving Support Vessel (DSV) – Useful for deep sea diving and rescue operations

Indian Navy:

  • Indian Navy Day: 4 December (in memory of Operation 'Trishul', 1971)
  • Headquarters: New Delhi
  • Navy Chief: Admiral D.K. Tripathi
  • Divided into three commands
  • India's first indigenous aircraft carrier: INS Vikrant

Successful Test of Akash Prime Defence System

  • In July 2025, the Indian Army successfully tested the indigenously developed Akash Prime Defence System at an altitude of 15,000 feet in Ladakh.
  • Akash Prime is an upgraded version of the original Akash missile, developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO):

  • Established: 1958
  • Headquarters: New Delhi
  • Ministry of Work: Ministry of Defence, Government of India
  • Current Chief: Dr. Sameer V. Kamat

Important Days

Nelson Mandela International Day

  • Nelson Mandela International Day is observed every year on 18th July, marking the birth anniversary of Nelson Mandela, the first Black President of South Africa and a global symbol of peace, justice, and human rights.
  • This day was officially designated by the United Nations in 2009.

Nelson Mandela:

  • Full name: Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela
  • Born: 18 July 1918 – Mvezo, Transkei, South Africa
  • Died: 5 December 2013 – Johannesburg, South Africa
  • Main identity: First black president of South Africa (1994–1999), icon of the anti-apartheid movement, leader of the African National Congress (ANC)
  • Presidential term: 10 May 1994 to 14 June 1999
  • Famous titles: "Madiba" (his tribal honorific), "Father of the Nation"
  • Awards: Nobel Peace Prize (1993) – with Frederik Willem de Klerk, Bharat Ratna (1990)

 

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