DAILY GK 27-28 AUG 2025

 DAILY GK 27-28 AUG 2025 


1.       NHAI LAUNCHES ‘PROJECT AAROHAN’

·         The National Health Authority of India (NHAI), in partnership with Vertis Infrastructure Trust, launched “Project Aarohan”, a scholarship programme, with an aim to support the higher education of children of toll plaza employees with scholarships, mentorship, and skill-building initiatives.

·         Implementation: The scheme will be implemented by the Bharat Cares, an initiative supported by the SMEC India Foundation (SMEC Trust), which covers toll plaza personnel across the National Highways (NH) network.

·         A fund of Rs.1 Crore has been designated for the first phase for a period from July 2025 to March 2026.

·         The program provides annual scholarships of Rs. 12,000 each to 500 students from Class 11 through the final year of graduation for the financial year 2025–26(FY26).

·         Additionally, 50 postgraduate students will be awarded Rs. 50,000 each to support their higher education pursuits.

 

2.       SURVEY OF INDUSTRIES 2023-24

·         The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) published the results of the Annual Survey of Industries (ASI) for the period April 2023 to March 2024 (Financial Year 2023-24, FY24)’, referred to as ASI 2023-24.

·         Tamil Nadu (TN) was the top State in terms of the number of factories and persons employed in the manufacturing sector followed by Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh (UP), and Andhra Pradesh (AP).

·         The Fixed capital rose to Rs. 46,24,09,035 crore (cr) in FY24 from Rs. 41,21,79,458 cr in FY23.

·         Invested capital rose to Rs. 68,01,32,999 cr from Rs. 61,39,21,255 cr in FY23.

·         The total employment grew from 1,84,94,962 in FY23 to 1,95,89,131 in FY24.

·         The sector added more than 57 lakh jobs during the last decade 2014-15 to 2023-24.

·         Gross Value Added (GVA) grew by 11.89% in current prices in the FY24 over the previous year.

·         The inputs rose by 4.7%, while output increased by 5.80% in FY24.

·         Top 5 industries in respect of GVA are Basic metal, Motor vehicles, Chemical and Chemical products, Food Products and Pharmaceutical products.

·         The top 3 states by GVA in FY24 were Maharashtra at 1stfollowed by Gujarat and TN at 2nd and 3rd place respectively.

·         In terms of employment, TN tops in this category, then Gujarat at 2nd and Maharashtra at 3rd.

·         Gujarat tops under the fixed capital category, followed by Maharashtra and TN.

·         The top states by output were Gujarat, followed by Maharashtra and TN.

 

3.       REPORT ON UDISE+ 2024-25 ON SCHOOL EDUCATION OF INDIA

·         The Ministry of Education (MoE) released a comprehensive report on Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) for academic Year 2024-25 on school education of India.

·         The report showed that for the 1st time in any academic year, since the inception of UDISE+ in 2018-19, the total number of teachers has breached the mark of 1 crore (1,01,22,420) in 2024-25 as compared with 98,07,600 (in 2023-24).

·         The report revealed that Pupil-Teacher Ratio (PTR) has improved in 2024-25 compared to 2014-15 at all educational levels i.e. from 15 to 10 (foundational), from 18 to 13 (preparatory), from 26 to 17 (middle) and from 31 to 21 (secondary).

·         The data of the report showed that the total school enrolment number (from Class-I to Class XII) has decreased by 11 lakh students, from 24.8 crore (2023-24) to 24.69 crore (2024-25), all-time low since 2018-19.

·         The report highlighted that academic year 2024-25 has seen significant decrease in dropout rates across educational levels (Preparatory, Middle and Secondary) as compared to previous two academic years (2023-24 and 2022-23).

·         The report showed that Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) at the Middle and Secondary levels, increased from 89.5% to 90.3% and from 66.5% to 68.5%, respectively.

 

4.       NCW LAUNCHES NARI 2025 REPORT

·         The National Commission for Women (NCW) released the ‘National Annual Report and Index on Women’s Safety 2025 (NARI 2025)’.

·         The report was launched by Vijaya Rahatkar, Chairperson of NCW.

·         According to NARI 2025, India has a 65% safety score, capturing women’s perceptions of safety, effectiveness of law enforcement, reporting mechanisms, and experiences in public spaces.

·         The report is based on a survey of 12,770 women from 31 cities.

·         As per the report, Kohima (Nagaland), Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh, AP), and Bhubaneswar (Odisha) are the top scorers among the 7 cities that qualified as the safest for women.

·         Ranchi (Jharkhand), Srinagar (Jammu & Kashmir, J&K) and Kolkata (West Bengal, WB) were among the cities ranked at the bottom of the NARI 2025 index.

·         The NARI 2025 index also ranks Patna (Bihar), Jaipur(Rajasthan), Faridabad (Haryana), and New Delhi among the lowest in women’s safety.

 

5.       STATE ENERGY EFFICIENCY INDEX 2024

·         The Ministry of Power (MoP) released the sixth edition of the State Energy Efficiency Index for fiscal year 2023-24 (SEEI 2024) to assess and track the progress of states in managing and improving energy efficiency.

·         The index has been prepared by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) together with the Alliance for an Energy Efficient Economy (AEEE).

·         The states are grouped into four categories based on their performance:Front Runners (above 60%),Achievers (50–60%),Contenders (30–50%), and Aspirants (below 30%).

·         Maharashtra has emerged as the leader among Group 1 states with energy use above 15 MToE.

·         Andhra Pradesh led Group 2 (5–15 MToE), Assam came first in Group 3 (1–5 MToE), and Tripura topped Group 4 (<1 MToE).

·         The number of Front Runner states has reduced from seven to five, with AP, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana, and Tamil Nadu (TN) still holding this position.

·         Assam and Kerala have been placed in the Achievers category, while Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Odisha, and Uttar Pradesh (UP) are identified as Contenders.

 

6.       DRDO CONDUCTS FLIGHT TESTS OF IADWS 

·         The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully conducted the maiden flight tests of the Integrated Air Defence Weapon System (IADWS) off the coast of Odisha.

·         It consists of QRSAM (Medium-Range): Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile (QRSAM) for medium-range interception.

·         VSHORADS (Close-Range): Advanced Very Short Range Air Defence System(VSHORADS).

·         DEW (Futuristic): High-power laser-based Directed Energy Weapon(DEW).

·         It Included three different aerial targets two high-speed fixed-wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and one multi-copter drone.

·         It Supports Mission Sudarshan Chakra announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Independence Day 2025 (15 August 2025).

 

7.       FIRST INTEGRATED AIR DROP TEST FOR GAGANYAAN MISSION

·         Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), Department of Space (DoS), successfully conducted its first Integrated Air Drop Test (IADT-1) of the Crew Module Recovery System as part of India’s first human spaceflight programme ‘Gaganyaan Mission’, at Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh(AP).

·         IADT-1 was carried out to evaluate the parachute deployment sequence and capability of safe landing by the Crew Module during the re-entry and recovery operations.

·         The demonstration was carried out in coordination with the ISRO, the Indian Air Force (IAF), the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the Indian Navy (IN), and the Indian Coast Guard (ICG).

·         During the trial, a dummy version of the capsule, weighing 5 tonnes, was lifted and air dropped by the IAF Chinook helicopter(CH-47F(I) Chinook) at an altitude of approximately 3 kilometre(km), simulating the conditions re-entry when it descends through the atmosphere.

 

8.       INS HIMGIRI’ COMMISSIONED

·         Indian Navy (IN) commissioned two state-of-the-art stealth frigates, ‘Indian Naval Ship (INS) Udaygiri (Yard 12652)’ and ‘INS Himgiri (Yard 3022)’, at Eastern Naval Command (ENC) in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh (AP).

·         Both Udaygiri and Himgiri are variant vessels of the Project 17 (Shivalik) class frigates.

·         INS Udaygiri, the 2nd ship from Project 17A stealth frigates, was constructed by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL).

·         INS Himgiri, the 3rd ship of Project 17A ship and also the 1st ship of this series which was constructed by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE).

·         Both frigates were designed in-house by the IN’s Warship Design Bureau (WDB). 

·         The two frigates, following ‘INS Nilgiri’, the lead ship of the successor class to Project 17 (Shivalik-class), were inducted into the Eastern Fleet.

 

9.       ASIAN SHORT TRACK SPEED SKATING TROPHY

·         For the 1st time, India will host the Asian Short Track Speed Skating Trophy 2025, the biggest international winter sports event, which was held at Himadri Ice Rink in Dehradun, Uttarakhand.

·         Skaters from 11 Asian nations participated: India, China, Japan, Thailand, Chinese Taipei, Vietnam, Singapore, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Indonesia and Malaysia.

·         The tournament organises 9 different events.

·         Thailand led the tally with 30 medals (15 Gold, 12 Silver, 3 Bronze), followed by India with 39 medals (9 Gold, 12 Silver, 18 Bronze).

·         Japan secured third place with 23 medals (8 Gold, 8 Silver, 7 Bronze).

 

10.    DURAND CUP FOOTBALL 2025

·         North East United Football Club (NEUFC) has retained the Durand Cup trophy by defeating Diamond Harbour FC (DHFC) by 6-1 in the final match of 134th edition of the Durand Cup 2025 tournament in Kolkata, West Bengal (WB).

·         The wining team, NEUFC won the trophy as well as monetary prize of Rs.1.21 crore, the highest champion’s purse in the history of Asia’s oldest football tournament, while, runner-up team received the cash prize of Rs.60 lakh.

·         Durand Cup 2025, the 134th edition of the Durand Cup tournament, the world’s 3rd oldest football cup tournament and the oldest in Asia was 1st held in 1888.

·         The tournament featured a total of 43 matches, with 24 teams were categorised into 6 different groups.

·         Alaaeddine Ajaraie (NEUFC) won the Golden player (player of the tournament) award; and the Golden Boot (highest scorer) award.

·         Gurmeet Singh (NEUFC) won the Golden Glove (best goalkeeper) award.

 

11.    KHELO INDIA WATER SPORTS FESTIVAL

·         The inaugural Khelo India Water Sports Festival (KIWSF) 2025 was organised by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MoYAS), Government of India (GoI), at the Dal Lake in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) under the Khelo India mission.

·         The 3-day event witnessed the participation of over 500 athletes from 28 States and Union Territories (UTs) competing in rowing, canoeing, and kayaking (medal events with 24 medals) and Shikara Race, Dragon Boat Race, and Water Skiing (demonstration events).

·         The official mascot of the inaugural edition was the Himalayan Kingfisher, while the event logo highlighted a Shikara (traditional Kashmiri boat) sailing on Dal Lake.

·         Madhya Pradesh (MP) claimed the team championship with 10 golds, 3 silvers, and 5 bronzes (total 18 medals), followed by Odisha and Kerala.

·         The Sports Authority of India (SAI) has announced that the inaugural KIWSF will be upgraded into a full-fledged Khelo India Water Games from 2026.

 

12.    WORLD YOUTH ARCHERY CHAMPIONSHIPS 2025

·         The 19th edition of the World Youth Archery Championships (WYAC) 2025, a biennial global archery event, was held in Winnipeg, Canada.

·         The tournament was organised by World Archery (WA), headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland.

·         A total of 570 archers from 63 countries participated in the disciplines of Recurve and Compound, across Under-18 (Cadet) and Under-21 (Junior) categories.

·         India’s 24-member contingent secured 8 medals, placing India at second overall in the medal standings but won the most gold medals (4 Medals, tied with USA).

·         The South Korea (ROK) topped the tally by total medals of 10, and United States of America (USA) placed in the third position.

 

13.    FIDE WORLD CUP 2025

·         The International Chess Federation (FIDE) officially announced Goa as the host city for the FIDE World Cup 2025, which is scheduled to be held in oct, 2025.

·         The biennial knockout tournament will feature 206 players competing for a prize fund of USD 2 million and three qualifying spots in the 2026 CandidatesTournament.

·         The top three finishers earn direct qualification for the 2026 Candidates Tournament.