⦿Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the M.S. Swaminathan Centenary International Conference at ICAR PUSA in New Delhi
⦿ On the occasion, Mr. Modi will address the gathering and also confer the first M.S. Swaminathan Award for Food and Peace.
⦿ The theme of the conference is “Evergreen Revolution, The Pathway to Biohappiness” which reflects Professor M.S Swaminathan’s lifelong dedication to ensuring food for all.
⦿This international award will recognise individuals from developing countries who have made contributions to improving food security and advancing climate justice, equity, and peace for vulnerable and marginalised communities.
⦿The event will provide an opportunity to scientists, policymakers, development professionals, and other stakeholders to discuss and deliberate on furthering the principles of the conference’s theme.
Extra Facts :
⦿ Monkomb Sambasivan (MS) Swaminathan, hailed as the ‘Father of the India’s Green Revolution,’ passed away at the age of 98.
⦿He served as the Director General of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), where he played a crucial role in advancing agricultural research and education in India.
⦿He was widely recognized for his pivotal role in the Green Revolution, a transformative phase in Indian agriculture that significantly increased crop productivity and ensured Food Security for the nation.
⦿Swaminathan’s groundbreaking work with Norman Borlaug in developing high-yielding wheat and rice varieties, notably the semi-dwarf wheat varieties, revolutionized agriculture in India during the 1960s and ’70s.
⦿One of its recommendations, that Minimum Support Prices (MSP) should at least be 50% more than average production costs, continues to be a primary demand of farm unions across India. MSP is the price at which the government purchases crops directly from farmers.
Anganwadi
⦿India’s first Artificial intelligence (AI) powered Anganwadi was launched in Waddhamna village, Nagpur district, Maharashtra.
⦿This pilot project is being hailed as a major leap in bridging the rural-urban digital divide in early childhood education, marking a significant advancement in public service delivery.
⦿Maharashtra’s AI-enabled Anganwadi integrates with the Poshan Tracker to monitor children’s nutrition and health in real time.
⦿AI integration facilitates targeted delivery of supplementary nutrition under Integrated Child Development Scheme.
⦿BharatGen, a government-funded multimodal AI model, aims to enhance public service delivery in language, speech, and computer vision, catering to India’s diverse population.
⦿At Mahakumbh 2025, AI tools were used to manage railway passenger flow, optimize crowd dispersal, and power multilingual chatbots, setting a global benchmark in tech-driven mass event management.
⦿ Digital India BHASHINI, Sarvam-1 break language barriers, making services available in multiple Indian languages, and enhancing inclusivity for differently-abled individuals.
⦿ SUPACE (Supreme Court Portal for Assistance in Court’s Efficiency) helps judges with legal research.
⦿ Project Farm Vibes, developed by Microsoft Research and the Agricultural Development Trust, Baramati, is transforming farming with data-driven insights.
⦿Mission Mausam, which aims to make India “Weather Ready” and “Climate Smart,” uses AI and satellite data from the Indian Meteorological Department and flood monitoring systems to improve disaster preparedness and flood forecasting.
⦿MuleHunter.ai, developed by RBI, detects mule accounts used in financial scams.
⦿Centres of Excellence (CoEs) in AI for healthcare are developing solutions like disease prediction, which will holistically benefit the health of rural and urban populations across the country.
⦿Sharavathi Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Project in Karnataka has got in-principle approval from the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL).
⦿ Ecological concerns over its impact on the Sharavathi Valley Lion-tailed Macaque Sanctuary in the Western Ghats.
⦿ It is located in the Sharavathi River Valley in Shivamogga District of Karnataka, spans 431.23 sq. km in the Western Ghats.
⦿National Board for Wildlife constituted in 2003 under Section 5A of Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, replacing the Indian Board for Wildlife (1952) as an apex advisory body on wildlife conservation and forest development.
⦿The NBWL is a 47-member statutory board, chaired by the Prime Minister, with the Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change as the Vice Chairperson.
⦿ It is an advisory body to the Central Government, responsible for guiding wildlife conservation policies, reviewing matters related to wildlife protection.
⦿The Lion-tailed Macaque (Macaca silenus) is an old-world monkey species endemic to the Western Ghats of India.
⦿Also called the “wanderoo” or “beard ape”, it is known for its distinctive light-coloured mane surrounding its black face and chin.
Typhoon Kajiki
Typhoon Kajiki struck Vietnam’s coastal provinces, resulting in extensive flooding, significant crop losses, and multiple fatalities.
It originated over the Philippines, strengthened over the South China Sea and hit China & Vietnam, as a Category 2 storm on Saffir-Simpson (SS) Scale.
Typhoons are tropical cyclones originating from western Pacific Ocean, particularly in Southeast Asia & China.
Project 17Alpha (P-17A)
Two advanced Nilgiri-class (Project 17Alpha (P-17A)) multi-mission stealth frigates, INS Udaygiri and INS Himgiri have been commissioned.
The seven ships under Project 17A, are INS Nilgiri, INS Udaygiri, INS Himgiri, INS Taragiri, INS Mahendragiri, INS Dunagiri, and INS Vindhyagiri.
The Project 17A design incorporates ‘State of the Art’ weapons and sensors that include supersonic surface-to-surface missiles, medium-range surface-to-air missiles, and rapid-fire Close-in Weapon Systems.
The ships are configured with Combined Diesel or Gas (CODOG) main propulsion plants, comprising a Diesel Engine and Gas turbine, driving a Controllable Pitch Propeller (CPP) on each shaft.
INS Himgiri: First P-17A stealth frigate built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE).
INS Udaygiri: Second P-17A stealth frigate built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd (MDL).
Gaganyaan Mission
India’s first human spaceflight program, aiming to send a crew of 3 astronauts to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at 400 km for 3 days and return them safely to Earth.
Includes unmanned test missions followed by the first manned mission expected to happen in early 2027.
Gaganyaan success will place India among the elite group of nations (US, Russia, China) with human spaceflight capability.
Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, Group Captain Ajit Krishnan, Group Captain Angad Pratap, and Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla are India’s astronauts-designated for Gaganyaan.
It is a modified version of ISRO’s LVM3 rocket. It includes solid, liquid, and cryogenic stages, re-configured to meet human rating requirements.