Current Affairs One - Liner : 17th October 2025

National:

• On 14 Oct 2025, IndiaAI (under MeitY’s Digital India Corporation) launched the Face Authentication Challenge with a ₹2.5 crore prize pool. It invites startups and firms to build AI‑based face verification and de‑duplication systems to curb exam fraud and impersonation. The challenge is part of the IndiaAI Application Development Initiative (IADI), with applications open till 25 Oct 2025.

• On 15 Oct 2025, A.R. Rahman teamed up with Google Cloud to launch Secret Mountain, an AI‑powered digital avatar band. It features six hyper‑realistic avatars like Cara (Irish singer), Zen Tam (Tamil rapper), and Blessing (African percussionist). Using Google’s AI models, the avatars can sing, perform, and interact in real time. The project blends music, AI, and storytelling into a new immersive entertainment experience.
• On 14 October 2025, India and Panama established a 20‑member Inter‑Parliamentary Friendship Group at the National Assembly of Panama. The ceremony was attended by Ambassador Dr. Sumit Seth, Walkiria Chandler (President, Commission for External Relations), and Jorge Bloise (President of the Group). The group comprises 20 Panamanian legislators and aims to boost parliamentary diplomacy and bilateral cooperation.
• The 8th Rashtriya Poshan Maah 2025 was celebrated from 17 Sept – 16 Oct 2025 under Mission Poshan 2.0, concluding at Dehradun, Uttarakhand. The campaign, led by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, focused on nutrition awareness, behavioural change, and community participation.The initiative emphasized the first 1,000 days of a child’s life, reduction of junk food, and promotion of local diets. It aligns with the vision of a Suposhit Bharat by 2047.

Banking:

• On 15 October 2025, Universal Sompo General Insurance partnered with Andhra Pradesh Grameena Bank (APGB) to expand insurance services across all 26 districts of Andhra Pradesh. With APGB’s 1,351 branches, the alliance will deliver customised insurance products for farmers, SHGs, MSMEs, and rural households.

MoUs:

• On 15 October 2025, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) signed an MoU with the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) at DRDO Bhawan, New Delhi. The agreement is for setting up 300 Megawatt (MW) solar power projects across DRDO establishments in India. Its aim is to make DRDO campuses self‑reliant and Net‑Zero by 2027, promoting clean energy adoption.
• On 14 October 2025, Paras Defence and Space Technologies Limited (PDSTL) signed an MoU with Israel’s Cielo Inertial Solutions Limited (CIELO) in Mumbai. The collaboration focuses on joint development and manufacturing of inertial sensors and closed‑loop Fibre Optic Gyroscope (FOG)‑based solutions. Its aim is to localise high‑precision Inertial Navigation Systems (INS) for defence, aerospace, and space applications.
• On 15 October 2025, the Dr. Ambedkar Foundation signed MoUs to establish Dr. Ambedkar Chairs at the University of Mumbai, Jaipur National University, and G.B. Pant University of Agriculture & Technology (Uttarakhand). The signing ceremony was held at the Dr. Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi, presided over by Union Minister Dr. Virendra Kumar. The initiative aims to promote research, teaching, and policy discourse on Ambedkar’s vision of social justice, equality, and empowerment.
• On 16 October 2025, the Indian Navy and IIT Delhi signed an MoU in New Delhi to collaborate on crew‑centric warship design. The agreement was signed by Rear Admiral Arvind Rawal and Prof. Rangan Banerjee. The initiative aims to create Subject Matter Expertise in improving habitability, safety, ergonomics, and efficiency onboard naval ships.

Science & Technology:

• On 15 October 2025, ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan announced that India’s first human spaceflight mission Gaganyaan will launch in 2027 after three uncrewed test flights. The mission will include a test with the humanoid robot Vyommitra in December 2025. ISRO also set a target for a crewed Moon mission by 2040, as directed by the Prime Minister.

Summits & Conferences:

• The National Conference of State Tourism Ministers 2025 was held in Udaipur, Rajasthan, on 14–15 October, organised by the Ministry of Tourism and chaired by Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat. The theme was “One State: One Global Destination”, aiming to develop 50 world‑class tourist sites across India. States/UTs presented proposals, including Nagaland’s nomination of Dzükou Valley.
• The 19th Mid‑Term Ministerial Conference of the Non‑Aligned Movement (NAM) was held in Kampala, Uganda, on 15–16 October 2025, under the theme “Deepening Cooperation for Shared Global Affluence”. India was represented by MoS Kirti Vardhan Singh, who called for NAM to act as a platform for the Global South, reaffirming India’s support for multilateralism, equitable development, and the two‑state solution to the Palestine issue.
• The United Nations Troop Contributing Countries’ (UNTCC) Chiefs Conclave 2025 was held in New Delhi from 14–16 October 2025, organised by the Indian Army and chaired by COAS General Upendra Dwivedi. It brought together 32 troop‑contributing nations under the theme “Strengthening UN Peacekeeping: Challenges, Opportunities, and the Way Forward”. The aim was to enhance troop safety, interoperability, inclusivity, and technology adoption in UN peacekeeping missions.
• On 16 October 2025, Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated the ‘Extradition of Fugitives: Challenges and Strategies’ Conference at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. The two‑day event was organised by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) with participation from MEA, MHA, and senior police officers. The conference aimed to strengthen international cooperation for extradition, address legal and diplomatic hurdles, and leverage technology for tracking fugitives.

Defence:

• India successfully tested the indigenously developed Military Combat Parachute System (MCPS) at an altitude of 32,000 feet on 15 October 2025, marking a major milestone in self-reliant defence capabilities. The system, designed by DRDO, is now the only parachute system in operational use by the Indian Armed Forces capable of deployment above 25,000 feet.

Committees:

• The 3rd India–Central Asia NSA/Secretaries of Security Council Meeting was held on 16 Oct 2025 in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic, chaired by Marat Imankulov. It was attended by NSA Ajit Doval (India) and representatives from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. The dialogue aimed at counter‑terrorism, radicalisation, narcotics control, and Afghanistan’s stability, while also stressing connectivity and economic cooperation.
• The 78th WHO Regional Committee for South-East Asia was held in Colombo, Sri Lanka (13–15 Oct 2025), chaired by Sri Lanka’s Health Minister Nalinda Jayatissa. It brought together Health Ministers from 11 SEAR member states along with WHO leadership. The theme was “Healthy Ageing through strengthened primary health care”. The aim was to prepare health systems for ageing populations while advancing UHC, SDGs, and health security. The session adopted the Colombo Declaration.

Important Days:

• The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare inaugurated CPR Awareness Week 2025 on October 13 in New Delhi, led by Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava. The campaign, observed from October 13–17, aims to train citizens in lifesaving hands-only CPR techniques. With the theme “Every Household, Workplace, School – One CPR-Trained Person”, it emphasizes community preparedness against sudden cardiac arrest.

Appointments:

• On 17 October 2025, transgender rights activist Akkai Padmashali became the first transgender person to be appointed to a Supreme Court‑appointed committee. The panel, headed by former Delhi High Court judge Justice Asha Menon, was constituted to draft a National Equal Opportunity Policy for transgender persons.
• On 17 October 2025, Colonel Michael Randrianirina, commander of Madagascar’s elite CAPSAT unit, was sworn in as Transitional President at the High Constitutional Court in Antananarivo. He seized power on 14 October after Gen Z‑led protests over shortages and corruption forced President Andry Rajoelina to flee. Parliament impeached Rajoelina on 15 October.

Awards & Honours:

• On 10 October 2025, Dr. Sonali Ghosh, Field Director of Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve, became the first Indian to win the Kenton R. Miller Award, presented by the IUCN’s World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) at the World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi. She was jointly awarded with Roque Simón Sevilla Larrea of Ecuador.

Obituaries:

• Kancha Sherpa, the last surviving member of the historic 1953 Mount Everest expedition, passed away in Kathmandu on 16 October 2025 at the age of 92. At just 19, he was part of the support team that enabled Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay’s first successful ascent of Everest.

Questions:

Q.1 According to ISRO Chairman Dr. V. Narayanan, India’s first human spaceflight mission Gaganyaan will launch in:
a) 2025
b) 2026
c) 2028
d) 2027

Answer: d) The mission will follow three uncrewed test flights, including one with the humanoid robot Vyommitra in Dec 2025.

Q.2 Akkai Padmashali was appointed to a Supreme Court-constituted committee to draft which policy framework?
a) National Equal Opportunity Policy for Transgender Persons
b) National Transgender Welfare Act
c) Gender Inclusion Charter for Employment
d) National Policy for Social Equity

Answer: a) She is the first transgender member of a Supreme Court-appointed panel headed by Justice Asha Menon.