Historical Context: India (1905-1950)

• 7 August 1905: Swadeshi Movement initiated in Kolkata's Town Hall, advocating boycott of foreign goods in protest against Bengal Partition.
• 16 October 1905: Bengal Partition came into effect, observed as Raksha Bandhan Day.
• 1907: Surat Session of Congress: Ras Bihari Ghosh presided; Congress split into 'Garam Dal' (extremists) and 'Naram Dal' (moderates).
• 1909: Morley-Minto Act introduced communal electoral system.
• 9 January 1915: Mahatma Gandhi returned to India (celebrated as Pravasi Bharatiya Divas).
• 1916:
  • Lucknow Session of Congress: Ambika Charan Mazumdar presided; Congress and Muslim League signed a pact; Moderates and Extremists reunited.
  • Banaras Hindu University (BHU) established.
  • Home Rule League Movement launched by Annie Besant and Bal Gangadhar Tilak.
• 1917:
  • Kolkata Session of Congress: Annie Besant became the first female President of Congress.
  • Champaran Satyagraha in Bihar: Mahatma Gandhi led protest against indigo cultivation and Tinkathia system.
• 1919:
  • Rowlatt Act ("no appeal, no argument, no lawyer") enacted.
  • Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms introduced diarchy in provinces.
  • 13 April 1919: Jallianwala Bagh Massacre in Amritsar.
• 1920: Non-Cooperation Movement began; Mahatma Gandhi renounced his 'Kaiser-i-Hind' title.
• February 1922: Chauri Chaura incident in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, led to the calling off of the Non-Cooperation Movement.
• 1923: Swaraj Party founded by C.R. Das and Motilal Nehru.
• 1924: Belgaum Session of Congress: Mahatma Gandhi presided for the only time.
• 1925: Kanpur Session of Congress: Sarojini Naidu became the first Indian woman President of Congress.
• 9 August 1925: Kakori Train Action (formerly Kakori Train Robbery) involved figures like Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaqulla Khan, and Chandrashekhar Azad.
• 1927: Simon Commission formed.
• 1928: Simon Commission arrived in India, faced protests ("Simon Go Back"); Nehru Report presented by Motilal Nehru.
• 1929: Lahore Session of Congress: Jawaharlal Nehru presided; demand for 'Poorna Swaraj' (complete independence) made.
• 26 January 1930: 'Poorna Swaraj Divas' declared.
• 1930:
  • Civil Disobedience Movement commenced.
  • 12 March - 6 April 1930: Dandi March from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi, protesting salt tax (part of Civil Disobedience Movement).
  • First Round Table Conference held (Congress did not participate).
• 5 March 1931: Gandhi-Irwin Pact signed, allowing Congress to participate in the Second Round Table Conference.
• 23 March 1931: Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Sukhdev executed.
• 1931: Second Round Table Conference (Mahatma Gandhi participated, traveling by Rajputana ship).
• 1932:
  • Communal Award announced by British PM Ramsay MacDonald.
  • September 1932: Poona Pact signed between Mahatma Gandhi and B.R. Ambedkar.
• 1940:
  • August Offer announced.
  • Individual Satyagraha Movement started; Vinoba Bhave was the first Satyagrahi.
• 9 August 1942: Quit India Movement started; Lord Linlithgow was Viceroy; "Do or Die" slogan given; Operation Zero Hour launched.
• March 1946: Cabinet Mission formed (Pethick Lawrence - Chairman, A.V. Alexander, Stafford Cripps); proposed Constituent Assembly with 389 seats based on 1 seat per 1 million population.
• 9 December 1946: First meeting of the Constituent Assembly; सच्चिदानंद Sinha appointed temporary President.
• 13 December 1946: Objective Resolution (Preamble) presented by Jawaharlal Nehru.
• 22 January 1947: Objective Resolution adopted.
• 3 June 1947: Mountbatten Plan announced, proposing partition of India and Pakistan.
• 18 July 1947: Indian Independence Act enacted.
• 22 July 1947: National Flag adopted.
• 26 November 1949: Indian Constitution adopted.
• 24 January 1950: National Anthem and National Song adopted; Constitution signed.
• 26 January 1950: Indian Constitution fully came into effect; 16 articles, including Citizenship (Part 2), had been partially enforced earlier (Article 394).
• 28 January 1950: Supreme Court of India established.

Space and Technology

• Australia's first orbital rocket, Aries, failed its maiden launch after 14 seconds; built by Gilmour Space Company.
• South Korea launched its space agency, KASA.
• SpaceX's largest Starship rocket reportedly exploded over the Indian Ocean in May 2025 (as per lecturer).

Government and Governance

• Myanmar's new central government formed under Prime Minister U Noe Saab, announced by the military which had declared emergency in 2021 after deposing Aung San Suu Kyi.
• India elected as a member of the UN's ECOSOC (Economic and Social Council) for 2026-28. ECOSOC has 54 members.
• Lt. Gen. Pushpendra Singh appointed as the new Vice Chief of Army Staff, replacing Lt. Gen. N.S. Subramani.
• Dr. A. Rajarajan appointed as the new head of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala).
• Utpal Kumar Singh is the Secretary-General of Lok Sabha and CEO of Sansad TV.
• Sanjay Kol is the new CEO of GIFT City.
• Anuradha Thakur is a director on the RRB Central Board.

Sports Achievements

• ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 will be hosted by India.
• India won a bronze medal in the 2025 World Junior Team Squash Championship (held in Cairo, Egypt) after 13 years. Anahat Singh won bronze in the women's event.
  • World Squash Federation: Founded 1967, HQ in Hastings, UK.
• French Open 2025 winners: Carlos Alcaraz (men's singles, Spain) and Coco Gauff (women's singles, USA).
• Pro Kabaddi League 2024 winner: Haryana.
• Lakshya Sen won a bronze medal at the King Cup International Badminton Open 2024.
• ICC Hall of Fame: MS Dhoni (11th Indian male cricketer), Nitu David, and Diana Edulji (Indian women) were inducted.

Awards and Recognitions

• 16th Finance Commission: Arvind Panagariya (Head), Ritvik Ranjan Pandey (Secretary), T. Ravishankar (Part-time Member).
• PM Modi received the Grand Cross of Makarios III (highest honor of Cyprus).
• Food Planet Award 2025 (world's largest environmental prize) awarded to NitroCAPT (Sweden).
• Kamya Karthikeyan is the youngest female mountaineer to climb the highest peaks on seven continents.
• Micheal Dougherty received the Astronomer Royal title in Britain.

Infrastructure and Development

• India's first AI-focused Special Economic Zone to start in Raipur, Chhattisgarh.
• India's first Vande Bharat rail maintenance depot to be built in Jodhpur, Rajasthan (Bhagat Ki Kothi station).
• India's first indigenous hovercraft construction started in Goa for the Indian Coast Guard by Chougule Company. A small indigenous prototype called Nandi was developed 50 years ago under Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.
• India's longest animal overpass corridor built on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway near Ranthambore Tiger Reserve.
• India's first 1 MW green hydrogen plant started in Kandla.
• India's first coastal and wader bird census conducted in Jamnagar, Gujarat.

Policies and Initiatives

• Kerala became the first state to implement a pilot project for faceless GST adjudication (online resolution of GST disputes).
• Sikkim introduced Vishram Avkash Yojana (rest leave scheme) for government employees to develop skills or pursue studies (365 to 1080 days leave with 50% salary).
• Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann lifted a 28-year-old ban on traditional sports like bullock cart racing and pigeon racing, which were banned under the 1960 Animal Cruelty Act.
• PM Modi to release the 20th installment of PM Kisan Yojana from Varanasi (₹6000/year in three ₹2000 installments).
• Indian government set AC cooling limit in homes, hotels, and cars to 20-28 degrees Celsius.
• Srijan mobile app launched by Punjab to reduce maternal mortality. (Note: Also mentioned for mobile-based e-voting in Bihar for voter list cleanup).
• Bihar launched a mobile-based e-voting system to remove names of deceased or relocated voters from lists.

Environmental and Conservation

• Latest National Ramsar sites added: Khichan (Phalodi) and Menar (Udaipur) in Rajasthan. Total 91 Ramsar sites in India.
• Gauri/Rai Festival: A 40-day cultural and spiritual Bhil festival in Rajasthan's Mewar region, starting on Raksha Bandhan (Shravan Purnima), dedicated to Devi Ghokhiya (Parvati form). Male actors play female roles. First time exhibited at India International Centre of Art Gallery in 2025.
• International Big Cat Alliance: First head is Dr. Bhupendra Yadav (India's Environment Minister).
• Arlaam Butterfly Sanctuary opened in Kerala.
• Climate Navi Mission to become the world's first energy-literate city started by Indore.
• Cambodia adopted Assam's Hargila Army conservation model for biodiversity.
• Bhopal Tragedy (1984) toxic waste disposed of in Pithampur, Madhya Pradesh.

International Relations

• Tiger Claw exercise: India and USA.
• PM Modi was the first Indian PM to visit Croatia (Zagreb).
• US attack on Iranian nuclear sites: Operation Midnight Hammer.
• G7 Summit 2025 will be hosted by Canada.
• World's fastest (400 km/hr) high-speed train prototype CR450 launched by China.
• Klyuchevskaya Sopka volcano erupted in Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia.
• C192 (ILO convention on occupational hazards) mentioned.
• Big Beautiful Bill related to the USA.

Health and Science

• New rare blood group CRIB discovered in a woman at Rotary Blood Center, Bengaluru. Named after the 'Cromer' antigen found on the surface of red blood cells (RBCs).
• Blood is a liquid connective tissue.
• Blood groups (ABO system) discovered by Karl Landsteiner.
• Universal donor: O-minus; Universal recipient: AB-plus.
• RH factor discovered by Weiner (on Rhesus monkey).
• World Blood Donor Day: June 14 (Karl Landsteiner's birthday).
• SRY gene test for sex determination mentioned in context of Athletics Federation.

Important Days and Events

• World Wide Web Day: August 1 (commemorates Tim Berners-Lee's creation in 1989, made public in 1991). Theme: 'Strengthening the Future'.
• National Mountaineering Day: August 1.
• CRPF Raising Day: July 27.
• World Mangrove Day: July 26 (same as Kargil Vijay Diwas).
• Test series: Andersen Tendulkar Trophy (India vs. England), formerly Pataudi Trophy.
• The One is a book by Shikhar Dhawan.
• Divya Drishti (divine sight) organized in high altitudes (Arunachal Pradesh, Ladakh, Sikkim).