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GK Update

Wed 17 Dec, 2025

National News

Filmfare OTT Awards – 6th Edition

  • The sixth edition of the Filmfare OTT Awards was held in Mumbai.
  • The ceremony honored web series and films released on OTT platforms between 1 August 2024 and 31 July 2025.

Key Winners (Series) :

  • Best Series (Popular): Black Warrant
  • Best Series (Critics): Paatal Lok Season 2
  • Best Actor (Male) – Drama: Jaideep Ahlawat for Paatal Lok Season 2
  • Best Actor (Female) – Drama: Monika Panwar for Khauf
  • Best Actor (Male) – Comedy: Barun Sobti and Sparsh Shrivastava for Raat Jawan Hai and Dupahiya
  • Best Actor (Female) – Comedy: Ananya Panday for Call Me Bae
  • Best Director (Series): Vikramaditya Motwane and others for Black Warrant

‘ASPIRE’ Scheme

  • The Government of India is implementing the ASPIRE (A Scheme for Promotion of Innovation, Rural Industries and Entrepreneurship) scheme to promote entrepreneurship and livelihoods in rural areas. The scheme aims to empower rural youth and women by supporting skill development, incubation centres (Livelihood Business Incubators – LBIs), and micro-enterprises, enabling them to generate employment and become economically self-reliant.

Relevant Facts:

  • This scheme is implemented by the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MoMSME) and involves collaboration with research institutions and banks, such as SBI, which provides digital loans to trained entrepreneurs.
  • Implementation: MoMSME implements this scheme through Mentor Institutions, such as IIE Guwahati.
  • Beneficiaries: Rural youth, women, and people from SC/ST communities who wish to become entrepreneurs in the agro-rural sector.
  • Currently, 109 Livelihood Business Incubators have been approved across the country. A total of 1,16,726 beneficiaries have been trained under this scheme, of whom 18,444 have become self-employed,
  • 13,824 have secured salaried employment, and 1,141 micro-enterprises have been established.
  • Of the total 56,721 beneficiaries trained since 2022, 27,970 are women, 8,365 are from Scheduled Castes, and 9,311 are from Scheduled Tribes.

Inauguration of the Param Vir Gallery

  • On the occasion of Vijay Diwas, President Droupadi Murmu inaugurated the Param Vir Gallery at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on 16 December 2025.

Related Facts:

  • Date of inauguration: 16 December 2025 (Vijay Diwas)
  • Inaugurated by: President Droupadi Murmu
  • Location: Rashtrapati Bhavan
  • Exhibition: Portraits of all 21 Param Vir Chakra awardees
  • Param Vir Chakra: India’s highest military gallantry award
  • Message of the initiative: Moving away from colonial legacy and promoting national pride by honoring India’s heroes and their supreme sacrifice

Nuclear Energy (Sustainable Use and Advancement) Bill, 2025

  • The Minister of State for Atomic Energy, Dr. Jitendra Singh, introduced the Nuclear Energy (Sustainable Use and Advancement) Bill, 2025 in the Lok Sabha.
  • The objective of the Bill is to promote the development and use of nuclear energy and ionizing radiation for nuclear power generation.

Related Facts:

  • The Bill provides for the constitution of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) and the establishment of a Nuclear Energy Redressal Advisory Council.
  • It also lays down provisions to fix the accountability of the Central Government in the event of a nuclear accident.

Indian Film Homebound

  • The Indian film Homebound has been nominated for the Best Feature Film category at the 98th Academy Awards.
  • Directed by Neeraj Ghaywan, the film is among the 15 films shortlisted in this category.
  • The winner will be announced on 15 March.

VB-G-RAM-G Bill

  • The Viksit Bharat–Employment and Livelihood Mission–Rural (VB-G-RAM-G) Bill, a new rural employment law set to replace MGNREGA, was introduced in the Lok Sabha.

The Bill guarantees 125 days of paid employment per year to rural households.

MGNREGA vs VB-G-RAM-G (Key Differences) :

Feature MGNREGA (Old) VB-G-RAM-G (New)
Guaranteed workdays 100 days 125 days
Primary objective Unskilled manual labour Skill development + creation of productive assets
Approach Demand-based relief Livelihood generation aligned with the Viksit Bharat vision
Technology Limited digital use

AI- and data-analytics–based monitoring

 

State News

Unveiling of Playback Singer SP Balasubrahmanyam’s Statue in Hyderabad

  • A statue of the legendary playback singer SP Balasubrahmanyam (SPB) was unveiled at the government cultural complex, Ravindra Bharati, in Hyderabad, the capital of Telangana.

Related Details:

  • Who unveiled it: The statue was jointly unveiled by former Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu, Telangana Industries Minister D. Sridhar Babu, and former Governor of Haryana Bandaru Dattatreya.
  • Presence: SPB's wife Savitri, his son S.P. Charan, daughter Pallavi, and other family members, including actor Subhalekha Sudhakar, were also present on the occasion.

Features of the statue:

  • Material and size: The statue is 7.2 feet tall and made of bronze.
  • Construction: It was crafted in the East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh.
  • Location: It has been installed in the Ravindra Bharathi complex, right next to the statue of the legendary singer Ghantasala.
  • Significance: 60-year journey: This event was also significant as it marked 60 years since SPB's first Telugu song.

Playback singer S.P. Balasubrahmanyam (SPB):

  • Full name: Sripathi Panditaradhyula Balasubrahmanyam
  • Born: June 4, 1946, Nellore, Andhra Pradesh
  • Died: September 25, 2020
  • Profession: Playback singer, music director, actor, dubbing artist
  • Languages: Sang in over 16 languages, including Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, and Hindi
  • Record: 40,000+ songs (Guinness World Record holder)
  • Awards and Honors: Padma Shri (2001), Padma Bhushan (2011), Padma Vibhushan (posthumous, 2021), National Film Award (Best Male Playback Singer): 6 times

Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP)

  • The Delhi government has announced a compensation of ₹10,000 for construction workers affected by the implementation of GRAP-3 (Graded Response Action Plan).
  • This assistance will be provided only to registered and verified workers who remained unemployed for 16 days due to pollution control measures.

International news

Five Key Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) Signed Between India and Jordan

  • During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit, India and Jordan signed five major Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs).
  • These cover culture, renewable energy, water management, digital public infrastructure, and Petra-Ellora twinning.
  • Both countries have set a target to double bilateral trade from the current $2.8 billion to $5 billion over the next five years.

Related Details:

  • Twinning Agreement between Petra and Ellora: A special "twinning" agreement was signed between two renowned UNESCO World Heritage Sites—Petra in Jordan and the Ellora Caves in India. The aim is to promote tourism and share experiences in heritage preservation.
  • Cultural Exchange Programme (2025-2029): To further deepen cultural ties between India and Jordan, the Cultural Exchange Programme (CEP) was renewed for the next four years (2025-2029).
  • Sharing of Digital Solutions (Digital Transformation): A Letter of Intent (LoI) was signed to share India's successful Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and population-scale digital solutions (such as UPI and other digital services) with Jordan.

70 Years of Diplomatic Relations Between India and Oman

  • India and Oman are celebrating 70 years of diplomatic relations, which were established in 1955.
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Oman on 17–18 December 2025 marks this historic milestone, highlighting centuries-old cultural and trade ties between the two nations.

Oman:

  • Official Name: Sultanate of Oman
  • Capital: Muscat
  • Sultan: Haitham bin Tariq
  • Currency: Omani Rial (OMR)
  • Geographical Location: Southeastern Arabian Peninsula, bordering Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Yemen

118th National Day of Bhutan

  • Bhutan celebrated its 118th National Day on 17 December 2025.
  • The day commemorates the coronation of Ugyen Wangchuck, the founder of the Wangchuck dynasty in 1907, which symbolizes the foundation of modern Bhutan.

Bhutan:

  • Official Name: Kingdom of Bhutan
  • Capital: Thimphu
  • King: Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck
  • Currency: Bhutanese Ngultrum (Nu)
  • Language: Dzongkha
  • Official Language: Dzongkha
  • State Religion: Vajrayana Buddhism

Awards and honors

‘Great Honor of Ethiopia’ Award

  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi was conferred with Ethiopia’s highest civilian honor, the “Great Honor of Ethiopia.”

Related Details:

  • The award was presented by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali at a ceremony held at the Addis International Convention Centre.
  • This 140-year-old honor was established by Emperor Menelik II of Ethiopia and is awarded to foreign leaders for their notable contributions.
  • With this, PM Modi has received a total of 28 highest foreign honors, reflecting his global stature and popularity.

 

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