Exercise “Surya Kiran”
⦿ The 18th edition of Indo-Nepal joint training Exercise “Surya Kiran” between India and Nepal is being conducted at Saljhandi, Nepal in January 2025.
⦿ The 17th edition of the exercise was held in December 2023 in Uttarakhand.
⦿ Exercise Surya Kiran: It is a military exercise conducted annually between India and Nepal, held alternately in both countries.
⦿ Enhance interoperability between the two armies in Counter-Terrorism (CT) Operations, jungle warfare, and mountain operations.
FIDE (International Chess Federation) World Rapid Championship
⦿ Grand Master Koneru Humpy won the 2024 FIDE (International Chess Federation) World Rapid Championship in New York, marking an exceptional year for Indian chess.
⦿ Koneru Humpy defeated Irene Sukandar of Indonesia in the final and became the 1st Indian and only the 2nd player after China’s Wenjun Ju to win the women’s rapid world title more than once.
⦿ Humpy won her first World Rapid title in 2019 in Georgia.
⦿ She won a bronze in the 2012 World Rapid Championship and 2nd place in 2023 in Uzbekistan.
⦿ D Gukesh became the youngest world champion after defeating Ding Liren (China) in the World Chess Championship 2024 in Singapore.
Vembanad lake
⦿ The Alappuzha district administration in Kerala will launch a mega plastic cleaning drive as part of the Vembanad lake rejuvenation project.
⦿ Vembanad is the largest lake in Kerala and the longest lake in India.
⦿ Vembanad-Kol is the largest brackish, humid tropical wetland ecosystem on the southwest coast of India.
⦿ It is also included in the National Wetlands Conservation Programme by the Government of India.
⦿ Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary, also known as the Vembanad Bird Sanctuary, is located on the lake’s east coast.
Statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj
⦿ A statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was inaugurated on the banks of Pangong Tso at an altitude of 14,300 feet.
⦿ It is an endorheic lake in the Himalayas situated at a height of about 4,350 m (14,270 ft).
⦿ It is one of the world’s highest brackish water lakes, formed as a tectonic lake during the collision of the Indian plate with the Eurasian plate.
Digital infrastructure in India
⦿ Contributing 11.74% to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2022-23 and projected to reach 20% of GDP by 2029-30.
⦿ Union Budget 2025-26 has sanctioned Rs 2,000 crore for the IndiaAI Mission to develop AI infrastructure and skill-building programs.
⦿ UPI was launched in 2016, it now powers 49% of global real-time transactions
⦿ Digital transactions rose from Rs 707.93 crore (2016) to Rs 23.24 lakh crore (2024), with participating banks increasing from 35 to 641.
⦿ Internet connections grew from 25.15 crore (2014) to 96.96 crore (2024), an increase of 285%.
⦿ Broadband penetration rose by 1,452% from 6.1 crore (2014) to 94.92 crore (2024).
⦿ BharatNet, launched in 2011 to provide affordable high-speed internet to Gram Panchayats has connected 2.14 lakh Gram Panchayats by 2025 with 6.92 lakh km of optical fiber cable laid, and 1.04 lakh Wi-Fi hotspots installed.
⦿ Aadhaar, launched in 2009, serves as a digital identity framework, linking biometric and demographic data. It has enabled direct benefit transfers, financial inclusion, and reduced corruption.
⦿ By March 2023, 136.65 crore Aadhaar cards were issued.
⦿ DigiLocker launched in 2015
⦿ UMANG app, launched to integrate e-Gov services, has 7.34 crore registered users in 2024, up from 0.25 lakh (2017).
⦿ BHASHINI has enhanced digital access in 22+ Indian languages, facilitating 100 million+ inferences monthly and has over 500,000 app downloads, promoting inclusive digital governance and bridging linguistic divides. Digital infrastructure in India
⦿ Contributing 11.74% to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2022-23 and projected to reach 20% of GDP by 2029-30.
⦿ Union Budget 2025-26 has sanctioned Rs 2,000 crore for the IndiaAI Mission to develop AI infrastructure and skill-building programs.
⦿ UPI was launched in 2016, it now powers 49% of global real-time transactions
⦿ Digital transactions rose from Rs 707.93 crore (2016) to Rs 23.24 lakh crore (2024), with participating banks increasing from 35 to 641.
⦿ Internet connections grew from 25.15 crore (2014) to 96.96 crore (2024), an increase of 285%.
⦿ Broadband penetration rose by 1,452% from 6.1 crore (2014) to 94.92 crore (2024).
⦿ BharatNet, launched in 2011 to provide affordable high-speed internet to Gram Panchayats has connected 2.14 lakh Gram Panchayats by 2025 with 6.92 lakh km of optical fiber cable laid, and 1.04 lakh Wi-Fi hotspots installed.
⦿ Aadhaar, launched in 2009, serves as a digital identity framework, linking biometric and demographic data. It has enabled direct benefit transfers, financial inclusion, and reduced corruption.
⦿ By March 2023, 136.65 crore Aadhaar cards were issued.
⦿ DigiLocker launched in 2015
⦿ UMANG app, launched to integrate e-Gov services, has 7.34 crore registered users in 2024, up from 0.25 lakh (2017).
⦿ BHASHINI has enhanced digital access in 22+ Indian languages, facilitating 100 million+ inferences monthly and has over 500,000 app downloads, promoting inclusive digital governance and bridging linguistic divides.