National News

'Pariksha Pe Charcha' Program Enters Guinness World Records

• Union Ministers Dharmendra Pradhan, Ashwini Vaishnaw, and Jitin Prasada were recognized in the Guinness World Records for the annual event 'Pariksha Pe Charcha' led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• #PPC2025 set a world record with over 3.53 crore (35.3 million) registrations and more than 21 crore (210 million) TV viewers.
• Pariksha Pe Charcha, a flagship initiative of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has been organized by the Ministry of Education in collaboration with MyGov since 2018.

Pariksha Pe Charcha:

India-UN Global Capacity-Building Initiative

• India launched the first set of four development projects under the India-UN Global Capacity-Building Initiative.
• This initiative aims to support countries of the Global South in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• The initiative was announced during the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly in September 2023.

Projects under the First Phase of the India-UN Global Capacity-Building Initiative:

Heritage Train Resumes on Patalpani-Kalakund Line

• After a temporary suspension due to a decline in tourist numbers, the Western Railway has resumed the operation of heritage trains on the 155-year-old Patalpani-Kalakund line last week.
• Located in Madhya Pradesh, the 9.5 km-long Patalpani-Kalakund section on the Dr. Ambedkar Nagar (formerly Mhow)–Khandwa route is considered one of the six heritage railway lines of Indian Railways.

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State News

Special Intensive Revision (SIR): Bihar

• Opposition parties in Bihar have alleged that the Election Commission of India (EC) has made it difficult to compare the voter list released in January 2024 (ahead of the Lok Sabha elections) with the newly released list under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) dated August 1, 2025.

Election Commission of India (ECI) :

Ban on Employment of Adolescent Girls: Odisha

• The Odisha government has issued a notification outlining measures to ensure a safe working environment for women at workplaces. It has imposed a ban on employing adolescent girls in night shifts.
• The state government has also made it mandatory to comply with the provisions of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 (Act No. 14 of 2023).

Odisha:

Kaleshwaram Report

• Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has announced that the report of the Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose Commission, which investigated the irregularities in the Kaleshwaram Project, will be tabled in the State Assembly.
• The Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project is a multipurpose and the world’s largest multi-stage lift irrigation project built on the Godavari River in India.

Telangana:

Inauguration of VinFast’s First Manufacturing Plant: Tamil Nadu

• Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin inaugurated Vietnamese electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer VinFast’s first manufacturing plant in India on August 4, 2025, at Thoothukudi.
• The plant will have an initial production capacity of 50,000 vehicles per year, which can be scaled up to 1,50,000 vehicles annually to meet future demand.

Tamil Nadu :

Report on Internal Reservation for Scheduled Castes: Karnataka

• Retired judge H.N. Nagamohan Das submitted long-awaited recommendations on internal reservation for Scheduled Castes in Karnataka on August 4, 2025.
• Before suggesting sub-quotas within the existing 17% reservation for Scheduled Castes in public education and employment, the commission considered factors such as social-educational backwardness and representation in employment.

Karnataka :

Books and Authors

"A Treatise for the Remarkable Rohit"

• The book "A Treatise for the Remarkable Rohit" is authored by R. Kaushik.
• It provides an in-depth account of Indian cricketer Rohit Sharma’s journey in cricket, highlighting his achievements, struggles, and personal growth.

Rohit Sharma :

"The Conscience Network"

• The Conscience Network is a book authored by Sugata Srinivasaraju.
• It narrates the story of the struggle and resistance of young Indian diaspora members in the United States who opposed the dictatorial regime imposed during India's Emergency period (1975–77).

Related Facts:

Economy and Banking

Aadhaar-Based Face Authentication Service Launched

• India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) launched the Aadhaar-based face authentication service across the country on August 1, 2025.
• Through this service, customers will be able to conduct banking transactions using facial recognition, eliminating the need for fingerprints or OTPs.

India Post Payments Bank (IPPB):

Reports and Indexes

Fifth largest aviation market

• According to the International Airport Transport Association (IATA), India has become the fifth largest aviation market in the world with 211 million passengers.

Related Facts:

“Unlocking a $200 Billion Opportunity for Electric Vehicles in India”

• On August 5, 2025, NITI Aayog released a report titled “Unlocking a $200 Billion Opportunity for Electric Vehicles in India” along with the first edition of the India Electric Mobility Index (IEMI).
• The report focuses on transitioning from incentive-based policies to mandates and disincentives, while concentrating on high-potential vehicle segments and geographic regions to unlock a $200 billion opportunity in India’s electric vehicle sector.

NITI Aayog:

Defense News

Meeting of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee on Defence: August 2025

• A meeting of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee on Defence, chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, was held on August 4, 2025.
• During the meeting, information related to the representation of women in the Armed Forces was presented.

Related Facts:

Environment News

Manouria Emys Released into Community Reserve

• The Asian giant tortoise (Manouria emys), the largest tortoise species in Asia, was released back into the wild at a community reserve in Nagaland.
• This species is listed as Critically Endangered and is on the brink of extinction.

Asian Giant Tortoise:

Krasheninnikov Volcano

• The Krasheninnikov Volcano, located on Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula, has erupted after nearly 600 years.
• This is the first known activity of the volcano since the 15th century, with its last recorded eruption believed to have occurred around the year 1463.

Major volcanoes of the world:

Sports News

First Chess Esports World Cup

• Magnus Carlsen won the inaugural Chess Esports World Cup 2025 held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
• This was the first-ever World Cup chess tournament conducted in an esports format. The total prize pool was USD 1.5 million, with the winner receiving USD 250,000.

Related Facts:

Person In News

Satyapal Malik

• Former Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Satyapal Malik died on 5 August 2025 at the age of 79 at Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in Delhi.

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