Modern Indian History (1901-1947)

• 1905: Partition of Bengal and Swadeshi Movement
  • August 7, 1905: Boycott of foreign goods initiated at Kolkata's Town Hall in protest against Bengal partition.
  • October 16, 1905: Bengal partition officially took effect, observed as Raksha Bandhan Day.
• 1907: Surat Split
  • Indian National Congress session in Surat, presided by Ras Bihari Ghosh.
  • Congress split into Moderate and Extremist factions.
• 1909: Morley-Minto Reforms
  • Introduced the communal electorate system in India.
• 1915: Gandhi's Return
  • January 9, 1915: Mahatma Gandhi returned to India from South Africa, commemorated as Pravasi Bharatiya Divas.
• 1916: Lucknow Pact and Home Rule
  • Lucknow Session of Congress, presided by Ambica Charan Mazumdar.
  • Congress and Muslim League signed a pact; Moderates and Extremists reunited.
  • Establishment of Banaras Hindu University (BHU).
  • Home Rule League Movement initiated by Annie Besant and Bal Gangadhar Tilak.
• 1917: First Female Congress President and Champaran Satyagraha
  • Kolkata Session of Congress, Annie Besant became the first female President.
  • Champaran Satyagraha in Bihar: Mahatma Gandhi's first participation in a Satyagraha, against indigo cultivation and the Tinkathia system.
• 1919: Landmark Acts and Massacre
  • Rowlatt Act ("no appeal, no argument, no lawyer").
  • Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms: Introduced a dual system of governance in provinces.
  • April 13, 1919: Jallianwala Bagh Massacre in Amritsar, Sir Shankar Nair resigned as lawyer in protest.
• 1920: Non-Cooperation Movement
  • Launched by Mahatma Gandhi, who renounced his 'Kaiser-i-Hind' title.
• 1922: Chauri Chaura Incident
  • February 1922: Incident in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, leading to the suspension of the Non-Cooperation Movement.
• 1923: Swaraj Party Formation
  • Founded by Chittaranjan Das and Motilal Nehru.
• 1924: Gandhi as Congress President
  • Belgaum Session of Congress, Mahatma Gandhi served as President (his only time).
• 1925: First Indian Female Congress President & Kakori Train Action
  • Kanpur Session of Congress, Sarojini Naidu became the first Indian female President.
  • August 9, 1925: Kakori Train Action (formerly Kakori Train Robbery), involving Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaqulla Khan, Rajendra Lahiri, Roshan Singh, and Chandrashekhar Azad.
• 1927-1928: Simon Commission and Nehru Report
  • 1927: Simon Commission formed with 7 foreign members.
  • 1928: Simon Commission arrived in India, facing protests ("Simon Go Back").
  • Nehru Report presented by Motilal Nehru.
• 1929-1930: Demand for Purna Swaraj
  • 1929: Lahore Session of Congress, presided by Jawaharlal Nehru, demanded Purna Swaraj (complete independence).
  • January 26, 1930: Purna Swaraj Day declared.
• 1930: Civil Disobedience and Dandi March
  • Civil Disobedience Movement launched.
  • March 12, 1930: Dandi March began from Sabarmati Ashram, concluding on April 6, 1930, at Dandi, protesting the salt tax.
  • First Round Table Conference held (Congress did not participate).
• 1931: Gandhi-Irwin Pact & Executions
  • March 5, 1931: Gandhi-Irwin Pact signed, leading to Congress participation in the Second Round Table Conference.
  • March 23, 1931: Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Sukhdev were executed.
  • Second Round Table Conference held, Mahatma Gandhi participated.
• 1932: Communal Award & Poona Pact
  • Communal Award announced by British Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald.
  • September 1932: Poona Pact signed between Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.
• 1940: August Offer & Individual Satyagraha
  • August Offer announced.
  • Individual Satyagraha launched, with Vinoba Bhave as the first Satyagrahi.
• 1942: Quit India Movement
  • August 9, 1942: Quit India Movement launched.
  • Lord Linlithgow was the Viceroy of India.
  • "Do or Die" slogan given; Operation Zero Hour initiated.
• 1946: Cabinet Mission & Constituent Assembly
  • March 1946: Cabinet Mission arrived in India (Pethick Lawrence (Chairman), A.V. Alexander, Stafford Cripps).
  • Proposed formation of a Constituent Assembly, allocating one seat per 10 lakh population, totaling 389 seats.
  • December 9, 1946: First meeting of the Constituent Assembly, Sachchidananda Sinha appointed as temporary President.
  • December 13, 1946: Objective Resolution (Preamble) presented by Jawaharlal Nehru, adopted on January 22, 1947.
• 1947: Independence and Nation Formation
  • June 3, 1947: Mountbatten Plan announced, proposing the partition of India into two separate nations (India and Pakistan).
  • July 18, 1947: Indian Independence Act passed.
  • July 22, 1947: National Flag adopted.
• 1949-1950: Constitution and Republic
  • November 26, 1949: Constitution of India adopted.
  • January 24, 1950: National Anthem and National Song adopted.
  • January 26, 1950: Constitution of India fully enforced (16 articles partially enforced on November 26, 1949, as per Article 394).
  • January 28, 1950: Supreme Court of India formed.

Daily Current Affairs (July 16, 2025)

Space & Technology

• ISS Astronaut Return (Axiom 04 Mission)
  • Pilot: Group Captain Subhanshu Shukla, first Indian astronaut to visit the International Space Station (ISS).
  • Return: Landed successfully on July 15, 2025, after 18 days on ISS.
  • Vehicle: Grace Capsule (SpaceX company).
  • Landing Site: San Diego, California, USA (via 'splashdown').
  • Research conducted on ISS: Seed germination (fenugreek and moong seeds), microalgae (potential source of oxygen, food, and biofuel in space), cyanobacteria, and Indian species of Tardigrades.
  • Significance: Crucial for India's Gaganyaan human spaceflight mission.
  • Origin: Subhanshu Shukla is from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
• India's First AI Campus
  • Developer: BITS Pilani (Aditya Birla Group).
  • Location: Amravati, Andhra Pradesh.
  • Admissions: Expected to begin in 2027.
  • Group Head: Kumar Mangalam Birla, recently awarded the Lata Deenanath Mangeshkar Award.
• Digital Nomadic Village
  • Village: Yakten Village in Pakyong district, Sikkim.
  • Status: India's first digital nomadic village, offering continuous power backup and broadband/Wi-Fi for remote workers and tourists.
• First Affordable Carbon Fiber Foot Prosthesis
  • Developers: DRDO and AIIMS BB Nagar (Telangana).
  • Product: India's first indigenously built affordable advanced carbon fiber foot prosthesis (artificial limb).
  • Features: Lightweight, strong (can bear up to 125 kg), and cost-effective.
• NASA Mission
  • Mission: SPHEREx.
  • Objective: To study events immediately following the Big Bang.
• Quantum Chip
  • First: Oslo.
  • Developer: Amazon.

Defence & Security

• Prachand Shakti Military Exercise
  • Location: Khadga Field Training Area, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh.
  • Participants: Indian Army's Ram Division.
  • Objective: To enhance military capabilities using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and drones.
  • Context: 2025 is designated as the 'Year of Technological Integration' for the Indian Army.
• Tri-Service Joint Exercise Desert Hunt
  • Location: Rajasthan.
• Tiger Triumph Exercise
  • Participants: India and USA.
• Tiger Claw Exercise
  • Status: First-ever exercise between India and USA.
• Zircon Hypersonic Missile
  • Developer: Russia.
  • Capability: Mach 9 speed.
• Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile
  • Name: Gandiva.
• Khunjerab Exercise
  • Participants: India and Kyrgyzstan.

Infrastructure

• Second Longest Cable-Stayed Singdoor Bridge
  • Inaugurated by: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari.
  • Location: Shivamogga District, Karnataka.
  • River: Built over the backwaters of the Shravathi River (famous for Jog/Gersoppa Waterfalls).
  • Length: 2.44 km.
  • Width: 16 meters.
  • Connectivity: Connects Sagar to Markutika on National Highway 369E.
  • Note: The longest cable-stayed bridge in India is in Gujarat.
• Anji Khad Bridge
  • Location: Jammu & Kashmir.
  • River: Built on the Anji River, a tributary of the Chenab River.
• Chenab River Arc Bridge
  • Location: Jammu & Kashmir.
  • Features: World's highest railway bridge (359 meters high, 1315 meters long) on the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla railway link.
• Bhupen Hazarika Bridge (Dhola-Sadiya Bridge)
  • Status: Longest bridge over a river in India.
• Atal Setu (Mumbai Trans Harbour Sea Link)
  • Status: Longest bridge built over the sea in India, connecting Mumbai to Navi Mumbai.

Sports

• Junior National Rugby Sevens 2025 (Under-18 Boys)
  • Host: Dehradun (Maharana Pratap Sports Complex).
  • Winner: Bihar (17 points).
  • Runner-up: Odisha (15 points).
  • Edition: 10th.
  • Other Rugby Events in Bihar: Women's Kabaddi World Cup (Rajgir), Sepak Takraw World Cup.
• Cricket Record - West Indies
  • Match: Test match against Australia in Kingston.
  • Record: West Indies all out for 27 runs in their second innings, marking the second-lowest score in Test history.
  • Previous Record: New Zealand (26 runs in 1955).
• Senior Asian Wrestling Championship 2025
  • Gold Medal (India): Manisha Bhanwala.
• Ranji Trophy 2025
  • Winner: Vidarbha.
  • Runner-up: Kerala.
• Wimbledon 2025 Men's Title
  • Winner: Jannik Sinner.
• Champions Trophy 2025
  • Winner: India.
  • Host: Pakistan.
  • Runner-up: New Zealand.

Awards & Appointments

• SEBI Chief
  • 11th Chief: Tuhinkanta Pandey.
• Commonwealth Secretary-General
  • First African Woman: Sharlee Botchwey (from Ghana).
• Pritzker Architecture Award 2025
  • Recipient: Liu Jiakun.
• Barbados Honorary Order of Freedom Award
  • Recipient: Indian Prime Minister Modi.
• First Female Law Secretary of India
  • Appointed: Anju Rathi Rana.

Environment & Science

• New Butterfly Species
  • Species: Jogrophetus Mathvi.
  • Discovery Location: Western Ghats (Kerala).
  • Named after: George Mathew, a renowned entomologist (a specialist in insects).
  • Context: India's first butterfly sanctuary is in Aralam, Kerala.
• Years of Designation (2025)
  • Year of Cooperation.
  • Glacier Conservation Year.
  • Year of Peace and Development.
  • Year of Quantum Technology.
• Jubin Portal
  • Purpose: Launched by the central government to monitor stock of anti-rabies and anti-snake venom.
• Bhagirath App
  • Purpose: For water conservation.
  • Launch State: Uttarakhand.
• Top State for Solar Energy Plants on Railway Stations
  • State: Rajasthan.
• Zero Poverty Policy
  • State: Andhra Pradesh.

Events & Summits

• World Youth Skills Day 2025
  • Date: July 15.
  • Occasion: 10th anniversary.
  • Theme: "Empowering youth through Artificial Intelligence and Digital Skills."
• 12th Regional 3R & Circular Economy Forum
  • Location: Jaipur.
• Startup Mahakumbh
  • Location: Delhi.
  • Award: Bihar received the 'Maharathi Award' at this event.
• 3rd National Conference 'Shalyakon 2025'
  • Organizer: All India Institute of Ayurveda.
  • Location: New Delhi.
  • Dates: July 13-15.
• PM Modi in Thailand
  • Purpose: Attended BIMSTEC meeting.
  • Activity: Watched a performance of Ramakien Ramayana.
• Indian Navy's First Maritime Training
  • Initiative: Indian Ocean Region (IOR) Initiative.
  • Location: Kochi.

Other News

• Official Language
  • USA: English designated as an official language.
• Internet Shutdown Report
  • India Ranking: 2nd highest number of internet shutdowns.
  • 1st Ranking: Myanmar.
• Book Launch
  • Book: 'The Great Conciliator'.
  • Author: Sanjeev Chopra.
  • Subject: On Lal Bahadur Shastri.
• Obituaries
  • Fauja Singh (114 years old): Marathon runner, passed away in a road accident. Known as 'Turbaned Tornado' (also his autobiography title). World's oldest marathon runner.
  • Saroja Devi: Famous actress (Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Kannada films), known as 'Abhinaya Saraswati'. Received Padma Bhushan in 1992.
  • Manoj Kumar: Actor, known as 'Bharat Kumar'.
• Retirement from International Career
  • Vandana Katariya: Hockey player.
  • Sharath Kamal: Table Tennis player.
• Sarhul Festival
  • State: Jharkhand.