UPSC Weekly Current Affairs, July 14–20, 2025 – Key Topics for GS

Events

— Union Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports and Labour & Employment, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, inaugurated the ‘Youth Spiritual Summit’ on 19th July in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. The theme is ‘Nasha Mukt Yuva for Viksit Bharat’.

— Organised by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, this Summit reflects the Government of India’s unwavering commitment to building a value-based youth movement for a Nasha Mukt Bharat.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ Message on World Youth Skills Day 2025

— To highlight the importance of equipping young people with skills for employment, decent work, and entrepreneurship, the United Nations General Assembly in November 2014 designated July 15 to be celebrated as World Youth Skills Day.

— This year’s theme centres on youth empowerment through AI and digital skills, emphasising that the importance of equipping youth with AI and future-ready skills can address today’s challenges and build a more peaceful, inclusive, and sustainable future.

— According to UN data, approximately 450 million young people (7 out of 10) are economically disengaged due to a lack of necessary skills to thrive in the labour market.

Astronaut Neil Armstrong on the Moon in this image from NASA.

— The United Nations General Assembly declared July 20 every year to be celebrated as International Moon Day.

— It is celebrated to mark the anniversary of the day when humans first landed on the Moon as part of NASA’s Apollo 11 mission. Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the Moon in a location that they then named Tranquility Base, on July 20, 1969.

— UN’s General Assembly declared it as an international day to be observed in its resolution 76/76 on “International cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space” in 2021.

 

Awards

Ahmedabad, Bhopal, and Lucknow emerge as India’s new clean cities. (Source: X/@MoHUA_India)

— Swachh Survekshan 2024-25 awards were announced on 17th July, 2025. The ceremony was held at at Vigyan Bhagwan, New Delhi.

— The awards, instituted under the Swachh Bharat Mission under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, were started in 2016 with 73 cities.

— The 9th edition of Swachh Survekshan (SS) awards, which was announced by the President, has a revamped format. It has introduced a special category – the Super Swachh League, creating a separate league of cities excelling in cleanliness.

President of India, Droupadi Murmu, conferred the Super Swachh League Cities Awards to 23 cities. (Source: X/@SwachhBharatGov)

— For the first time, cities were classified into five population-based categories: (i) Very Small Cities (< 20,000 population); (ii) Small Cities (20,000 – 50,000 population); (iii) Medium Cities (50,000 – 3 Lakh population); (iv) Big Cities (3 – 10 Lakh population); and  (v) Million Plus Cities (&gt; 10 Lakh population).

— Ahmedabad was named the cleanest big city in the country, followed by Bhopal and Lucknow.

↪ The Cleanest Ganga Town Award was given to Prayagraj.

↪ The Cleanest Cantonment Board Award was given to Secunderabad Cantt.

↪ The Safaimitra Surakshit Shehar Awards were given to Gvmc Visakhapatnam, Jabalpur, And Gorakhpur.

↪ A special mention was given in recognition of the special initiative of Swachh Mahakumbh 2025.

— President Droupadi Murmu was on a two-day visit to Odisha where she awarded the Kalinga Ratna Award-2024 to the Union Minister for Education, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan.

— It is one of Odisha’s most esteemed honours, given to individuals who have made remarkable contributions at the national or international level across diverse fields.

 

Polity

— The Union Cabinet has approved the Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana (PMDDKY), a scheme to develop 100 agricultural districts through the convergence of 36 schemes of 11 ministries. It was announced in the Union Budget of this year.

— The scheme has an outlay of Rs 24,000 crore per year, and will be implemented for six years beginning with the current financial year, 2025-26.

— The ADP is based on the 3 Cs, Convergence (of central and state schemes), Collaboration (of central and state level nodal officers and District Collectors), and Competition among districts through monthly delta ranking.

— It is based on incremental progress in 49 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) under five broad socio-economic themes: Health & Nutrition, Education, Agriculture & Water Resources, Financial Inclusion & Skill Development, and Infrastructure.

— PMDDKY districts, too, will be ranked based on their performance. The progress of the scheme in each Dhan-Dhaanya district will be monitored on a monthly basis on 117 Key Performance Indicators.

—The Union Cabinet has approved the National Sports Policy 2025, which aims to prepare the Indian sports ecosystem for the 2036 edition of the Games.

— The policy focuses on making India a sports tourism destination by hosting major sporting events, integrating sports into school curricula through the National Education Policy 2020, building ‘world-class systems for training, coaching and holistic athlete support’, and strengthening ‘sports manufacturing ecosystem’.

— The policy is anchored on five key pillars: Excellence on the global stage, Sports for economic development, Sports for social development, Sports as people’s movement, and Integrating with education (NEP,2020).

 

International Cooperation

— In a sharply-worded response to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte’s warning, the Ministry of External Affairs Thursday cautioned against “double standards” and underlined that “securing the energy needs of our people is understandably an overriding priority for us”.

— NATO is a Western security alliance founded on April 4, 1949, with 12 founding members – Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom and the United States.

— They signed the Washington Treaty, which gets its power from Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, “which reaffirms the inherent right of independent states to individual or collective defence.”

— At present, NATO has 32 member countries. Sweden was the latest country to join NATO in 2024.

— The US State Department on Friday designated The Resistance Front (TRF), a shadow outfit of Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

— TRF had claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam terror attack, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT).

— Designating an organisation as an FTO makes financing, aiding, advising and helping such organisations a crime under US law.

 

Economy

Crypto. (File photo)

— Last month, the US Senate passed the GENIUS Act, a landmark legislation that gives American banks and even large companies like Amazon and Walmart the legal green light to issue digital dollars — known as stablecoins — on public blockchains.

— Stablecoins are fully backed, 1:1, by US government Treasury Bills. In simple terms, this means a bank in the US would be able to issue a digital version of the dollar, backed by government bonds, and it can be used for payments across the world. This brings together the trust of government securities and the speed and transparency of blockchain technology.

— HDFC Bank, the country’s leading private sector lender, is planning to reward its shareholders with a bonus issue and a special interim dividend.

— A bonus issue, or bonus shares, is when a company distributes additional shares to existing shareholders free of cost, usually in proportion to the shares they already own. For instance, in a 1:1 bonus, shareholders receive one additional share for every one they hold.

— For investors, this means getting more shares without paying anything. It typically leads to better market liquidity, as the number of shares in circulation increases.

— The country’s largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) has launched its qualified institutional placement (QIP) of up to Rs 25,000 crore at a floor price of Rs 811.05 per equity share.

— QIP is one of the capital raising instruments used by listed companies to raise funds by issuing equity shares to qualified institutional buyers (QIBs), including venture capital funds, pension funds and mutual funds. It is one of the important sources for fundraising for the listed players.

— A listed company trades its securities on a stock exchange and are regulated by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).

Environment

— The Union Environment Ministry defended its July 11 order which introduced a revised framework for thermal power plants to meet sulphur dioxide (SO2) emission norms. The revised framework exempted a large number of coal- and lignite-based plants from the mandate of retro-fitting plants with flue gas desulphurization devices.

— Flue gas desulphurisation (FGD) describes a process that removes sulphur dioxide (SO2) from a flue gas (exhaust gas) stream.

— SO2 is a harmful gas and is emitted when coal is burned in energy production. It also aids formation of particulate matter that is lethal and can enter the bloodstream.

— The SO2 emission norms for coal and lignite power plants were first introduced in 2015. Later, the compliance timelines for plants were divided into three categories, based on the location of the plants.

— ‘Category A’ plants are located within a 10-km radius of Delhi-NCR or cities with over a million population as per the 2011 Census have to continue complying with the norms by the end of 2027.

— ‘Category B’ – located within a 10-km radius of critically polluted areas or cities not in compliance with national air quality standards – on those plants SO2 norms will be applicable on a “case to case” basis.

—  ‘Category C’ plants, which are neither near Delhi-NCR nor near critically polluted areas, have been completely exempted from meeting the sulphur emission norms.

 

Science and Technology

— In what is a pioneering effort to tackle the rise of deepfake content, Denmark has proposed extending copyright protections to individuals’ facial features, appearance, and voice.

— Deepfakes are a form of synthetic media that depict believable and realistic videos, pictures, or audio of events that never happened — they show real people doing or saying things that they never did or said.

— It is an amalgamation of the words “deep learning” and “fake” and it means fabricated videos generated from existing face-swapping techniques and technology.

AI model developed by IIT Roorkee. (Source: X/@iitroorkee)

• AI model for transliterating

— Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee has developed the world’s first AI framework for transliterating the historic Modi script into Devanagari.

— The model “MoScNet”, leveraging a Vision-Language Model (VLM) architecture, offers a powerful tool for preserving medieval manuscripts and supporting large-scale digitization under initiatives like Digital India and Bhashini.

— Modi was a script used to write Marathi for an estimated 700 years. Today, Marathi is written only in Devanagri. The script continued to be used through the British era and was still taught in schools in post-Independence India before it was phased out in the 1950s.

(Source: iitr.ac.in)

— PM Modi has commissioned India’s most powerful High-Performance Computing (HPC) systems Arka and Arunika.

— Arka system at IITM Pune has a 11.77 Peta Flop capacity and will, for the first time, help improve the country’s horizontal resolution of its global weather prediction models to 6 km from the existing 12 km.

— HPC Arunika, at the National Center for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF) in Noida, comes with a 8.24 Peta Flop capacity. This HPC will prove beneficial in upgrading weather forecast resolution at the block level.

 

History

— After J&K CM Omar Abdullah was put under house detention, he drove to the cemetery in the old city to pay tributes to the 22 people killed by the Dogra regime on July 13, 1931. As police and paramilitary forces tried to stop him, Omar climbed the fence of the cemetery to enter.

— July 13, ‘Martyrs’ Day’ was an official holiday in Kashmir before it was scrapped after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.

— July 13 was officially commemorated as Martyrs’ Day in the erstwhile state as a tribute to 22 people killed by the Dogra regime in 1931. They had been assembled outside Srinagar’s central jail in protest when they were shot by the police.

Background

— In June 1931, Abdul Qadeer Khan gave a fiery speech against the Dogras and asked the people to rise against them. He was charged by the Dogra regime for sedition. A large gathering of people assembled outside the Srinagar jail after being shifted from the court to witness the trial. They tried to enter the premises of the jail. It is here that the Dogra police opened fire, killing 22 Kashmiri Muslims and injuring many.

— Another dominant narrative of the incident is that the people were camped outside the jail and began shouting slogans when the then Srinagar deputy commissioner arrived at the scene. As a local Muslim stood up to call for the noon prayers, he was fired at by the police. The police then opened fire on the protestors, killing 22.

— The slain protestors were taken to Srinagar’s grand mosque and buried in the premises of the shrine of a Muslim saint, Khawja Bahaudin Naqashbandi.

— The protests on July 13, 1931 were seen as the first assertion of Muslim identity in Jammu and Kashmir and the beginning of the struggle for freedom.

 

Persons in News

(Just FYI: Noting historical personalities’ anniversaries aids UPSC prep. UPSC often includes such personalities in questions, so revisiting their lives refreshes your static syllabus.)

— Senior IPS officer Sonali Mishra has been named as the first woman Director General of the Railway Protection Force (RPF).

— Mishra will be the first woman officer to head the RPF, which is entrusted with the responsibility of the security of railway property and passengers, among other duties.

— Mishra was appointed in July 2021 as the first woman commander to head the BSF formation along the India-Pakistan border in Punjab.

— The RPF was constituted by an Act of Parliament in 1957. The force could enquire, arrest, and prosecute the offenders involved in the unlawful possession of railway property in 1966. It was given the status of “an armed force of the Union” on September 20, 1985.

Veteran marathon runner Fauja Singh died on Monday after being hit by a car. (Express Archives)

— Veteran marathon runner Fauja Singh, who had completed a full marathon at the age of 100 thus becoming the oldest person to be doing so, died on Monday (14th July) after being hit by an unidentified vehicle at his native Beas village in Punjab’s Jalandhar district. He was 114.

— Fauja Singh, fondly called ‘Turbaned Tornado’, turned 114 on April 1 this year and had run a total of nine full marathons in his career spanning 14 years (2000 to 2013).

— He became the face of Adidas campaign ‘Impossible is Nothing’ which also included boxing legend Muhammad Ali and football legend David Beckham.

— Fauja Singh was given the British Empire Medal for his services to sport and charity in 2015. He was awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honour by the National Ethnic Coalition in 2013 in the US apart from being the one of the torchbearers for the London Olympics.

— The government has nominated four people of eminence to the Rajya Sabha, including former foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla, Special Public Prosecutor in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks case Ujjwal Nikam, Kerala BJP leader C Sadanandan Master, and historian Meenakshi Jain.

— Article 80 of the Constitution (“Composition of the Council of States”) provides provisions on nominated members of the upper house.

Do nominated members have the right to vote during the election of the President? Click here to understand the powers and provisions related to the nominated members.

— President Droupadi Murmu graced the birth anniversary celebration of Adikabi Sarala Das and presented the Kalinga Ratna Award-2024 at Cuttack. This also marks the 600th birth anniversary celebration of Adikabi Sarala Das.

— Adikabi Sarala Das was born in the 15th century,  born in the village Kanakavati Patana, otherwise known as Kanakapura in the modern Jagatsinghpur District of Odisha.

— He is considered the originator of Odia literature as he was the first scholar to write in Odia. He is best known for three Odia epics – Mahabharata, Vilanka Ramayana, and Chandi Purana. He also wrote the book Laxmi Narayana Vachanika.

— The early life of Sarala Dasa is not accurately known. He was a contemporary of Gajapati king Kapilendra Dev. Though the actual date of his birth has not so far been determined, he can safely be placed to the 15th century. By then Odia language had developed to its modern form.

 

Places in News

(Just FYI: The location of the place is important, considering that UPSC has asked several questions about places that were in the news, such as Aleppo and Kirkuk, in the 2018 UPSC Prelims. The best way to remember them is to plot them on a world map.)

— Tourists can now enjoy the picturesque meadows, crystal clear streams, flora, and fauna at Bhal Padri in the hilly Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir. This is possible after the construction of a 10-km road from Padri to the ‘Valley of Flowers’.

— Surrounded by dense forest of pine, fir and the betula utilis (Himalayan birch, or Bhojpatra) trees, Bhal Padri, locally called the ‘Valley of Flowers’, is connected by road from Padri. It is spread across 11 kms located at the higher reaches of the Kailash range.

Don’t confuse it with the Valley of Flowers of Uttarakhand

— Located in Chamoli district, the Valley of Flowers is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

— The Valley of Flowers is located within the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, spread over an area of 87 sq km. Nanda Devi, the second-highest mountain in India (after Kangchenjunga), also holds religious significance, as Nanda is considered the patron goddess of Garhwal and Kumaon.

(FYI: In UPSC Prelims 2019, there was a question on the ‘Valley of Flowers.’)

— The United States has deported five foreign nationals convicted of serious crimes to Eswatini, a small southern African kingdom ruled by Africa’s last absolute monarch.

— Formerly known as Swaziland, Eswatini changed its name in 2018 to reflect its pre-colonial identity. It remains one of the few countries in the world, and the only one in Africa, governed by an absolute monarch. Eswatini means ‘land of the Swazis’ in the Swazi language.

— Yakten, a village in Sikkim’s Pakyong district, was officially declared India’s first digital nomad village under the state government’s ‘Nomad Sikkim’ initiative.

— ‘Nomad Sikkim’, is a joint initiative of the District Administrative Centre, Pakyong, and Sarvahitey NGO to develop a digital nomad hub for working professionals. It is designed for professionals seeking a balance between remote work and a peaceful lifestyle.

— The village is equipped with high-speed Wi-Fi networks to ensure reliable connectivity, while also promoting eco-friendly practices and fostering a sustainable remote work environment.

(Source: sikkim.gov.in)

 

Test Your Knowledge

(Note: The best way to remember facts for UPSC and other competitive exams is to recall them through MCQs. Try to solve the following questions on your own.)

(1) Which one of the following National Parks lies completely in the temperate alpine zone? (UPSC CSE 2019)

(a) Manas National Park

(b) Namdapha National Park

(c) Neora Valley National Park

(d) Valley of Flowers National Park

(2) Consider the following statements:

1. NATO is a Western security alliance founded in 1945 after the end of WWII.

2. Sweden is the latest country to join the alliance in January this year, taking the total membership to 32.

3. Ukraine is a member of NATO.

Which of the following statements is/are incorrect?

(a) 1, 2, and 3

(b) 1 and 3 only

(c) 2 and 3 only

(d) None of the above

(3) Consider the following statements:

1. Youth Spiritual Summit with the theme ‘Nasha Mukt Yuva for Viksit Bharat’ was held in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh.

2. World Youth Skills Day is celebrated on July 15 every year.

3. The United Nations General Assembly declared July 21 every year to be celebrated as International Moon Day.

Which of the following statements is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 1 and 3 only

(c) 2 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2, and 3

 

Prelims Answer Key

1. (d)    2. (a)   3. (b)

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