Rajasthan

Appearance

Defence and Security ​

  • SLINEX 2025 Maritime Exercise: The 12th edition of the SLINEX maritime exercise was conducted between the navies of India and Sri Lanka in Colombo. Indian Naval Ships (INS) Rana and Jyoti participated. The exercise concept originated in 2005.
  • Mitra Shakti Exercise: This exercise is conducted between India and Sri Lanka.
  • Dosti Exercise: This exercise involves India, Maldives, and Sri Lanka.
  • Operation Sindoor: The Indian Army launched Operation Sindoor to attack nine terrorist structures in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoK).

Science and Technology ​

  • Moon Nuclear Reactor (NASA): NASA announced plans to establish a nuclear reactor on the Moon by 2030 as part of its Artemis mission, aiming to enable the safe return of humans from the lunar surface. The reactor will be small, capable of generating up to 100 kilowatts of electricity. China aims to establish a similar reactor by 2035.
  • ISRO's Pasang Wangchuk Sona Space Lab: ISRO inaugurated the Pasang Wangchuk Sona space laboratory in Arunachal Pradesh (Siomi district). It was established with the support of the Muskaan Foundation.
  • Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO):
    • Established: August 15, 1969.
    • Headquarters: Bengaluru.
    • Founder: Vikram Sarabhai.
    • Current Head: V. Narayanan.
    • SPADEX Mission: Launched by PSLV C60.
    • 100th Mission: Launched by GSLV F15, carrying the NVS-02 navigation satellite.
    • NISAR Mission: A joint NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar mission, launched by GSLV F16.
    • Chandrayaan-3 Mission: Landed on the Moon's South Pole on August 23rd, at a point named Shiv Shakti. The lander was Vikram, and the rover was Pragyan.
    • National Space Day: Celebrated on August 23rd.
  • First Indigenous 32-bit Microprocessor: India's first indigenous 32-bit microprocessor, Vikram 32001, was developed by ISRO.
  • Indian Nuclear Power Plants:
    • Kudankulam, Kalpakkam: Tamil Nadu
    • Narora: Uttar Pradesh
    • Rawatbhata: Rajasthan
    • Tarapur: Maharashtra
    • Kaiga: Karnataka
    • Kakrapar: Gujarat

Governance and Policy ​

  • Demise of Nagaland Governor: La Ganesan, Governor of Nagaland, passed away. The additional charge of Nagaland Governor was given to Ajay Kumar Bhalla, the Governor of Manipur.
    • Constitutional Provisions for Governors: Article 153 states there shall be a Governor for each state. The 7th Constitutional Amendment (1956) allowed one Governor for two or more states. Article 155 states the Governor is appointed by the President. Article 159 outlines the Governor's oath.
  • C.P. Radhakrishnan: Governor of Maharashtra, nominated as NDA's Vice Presidential candidate for the September 9th election.
  • De Jure Transfer Day (Puducherry): Celebrated on August 16th in Puducherry to mark the formal transfer of the former French settlements (Puducherry, Karaikal, Mahe, and Yanam) to the Indian Union following a treaty in 1962. France had left Puducherry in 1954.
    • Puducherry: The only Union Territory spread across three states (Yanam in Andhra Pradesh, Karaikal and Puducherry in Tamil Nadu, Mahe in Kerala). Its High Court is the Madras High Court. Puducherry has an assembly with 30 seats.
    • Puducherry Foundation Day: July 1st.
  • Indian Higher Education Commission: The central government announced the integration of the University Grants Commission (UGC), All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) into a single body called the Indian Higher Education Commission, based on the recommendations of the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020 (K. Kasturirangan Committee). The aim is to modernize curriculum and improve student outcomes.
  • Development Rights (Supreme Court): The Supreme Court recognized the "right to development" in the Oravila Foundation Case 2025, stating that development is necessary alongside environmental protection.
  • Time Limit for Presidential Decision on State Bills: The Supreme Court set a three-month time limit for the President to decide on state bills (under Article 200), replacing the concept of a pocket veto.
  • Estimates Committee: Sanjay Jaiswal was appointed Chairman of the Estimates Committee, which has 30 members, all from the Lok Sabha.
  • First State to Implement Uniform Civil Code: Uttarakhand.
  • First State to Achieve Full Functional Literacy: Mizoram.
  • Amrit Stations Initiative: Prime Minister Modi inaugurated 103 Amrit Stations nationwide from Deshnoke, Bikaner.
  • Electric Locomotive Plant: Prime Minister Modi inaugurated India's first 9000 HP electric locomotive plant in Dahod, Gujarat.

Culture and Festivals ​

  • Sholay Film Golden Jubilee: The Maharashtra Postal Circle issued a picture postcard and a presentation pack to commemorate the Golden Jubilee (50 years) of the film "Sholay" (released in 1975, directed by G.P. Sippy). It is the first Indian film to have a postcard issued in its honor.
  • Ganesh Utsav: In Maharashtra, Ganesh Utsav was granted 'State Festival' status. It was started by Bal Gangadhar Tilak.
  • Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) 2025: The 16th edition was held in Melbourne, Australia.
    • Best Film: "Homebound" (directed by Neeraghayvan, starring Janhvi Kapoor).
    • Best Director: Neeraghayvan.
    • Best Actor: Abhishek Bachchan (for "I Want to Talk").
    • Chief Guest: Aamir Khan.
    • National Film Award: "12th Fail" received the National Film Award this year.
  • International Kite Festival: The 4th International Kite Festival was held in Mamallapuram, Tamil Nadu.
  • Nauruz: The Parsi New Year, Nauruz, was celebrated.
  • Indian Flag at Space Needle, Seattle: On the 79th Independence Day, the Indian flag was hoisted on the 605-foot-tall Space Needle in Seattle, USA.

Sports ​

  • Asian Open Short Track Speed Skating Trophy 2025: India will host this event for the first time in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, at the Maharana Pratap Sports Complex. 11 Asian countries will participate, with Abdul Qadir as the captain of the Indian team.
  • Asian Hockey Cup: The upcoming Asian Hockey Cup will be held in Rajgir, Bihar. Its mascot is "Chand" (moon), symbolizing both the tiger from Valmiki Tiger Reserve and Major Dhyan Chand.
  • 38th National Games: Held in Uttarakhand, with Services team securing the first rank. The next National Games will be held in Meghalaya.
  • Lohorias World Sports Award 2025: Mondo Duplantis (pole vault) won the World Sportsman of the Year award.
  • Khelo India Youth Games: The 7th edition was inaugurated by PM Modi in Bihar. Its mascot is Gat Singh.
  • First Khelo India Beach Games: Held in Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, with Manipur ranking first.
  • Doha Diamond League: Neeraj Chopra won a silver medal in the javelin throw with a personal best of over 90m.
  • Indian Chess Grandmasters:
    • 86th: L.R. Srihari
    • 87th: Shyam Nikhil
    • 88th: Divya Deshmukh
    • 89th: Rohit Krishnan
  • Kabaddi World Cup 2025: Held in England, won by India (England was runner-up).
  • Sepak Takraw World Cup 2025: Held in Bihar, Indian men's Regu team won Gold.

Awards and Honors ​

  • Ramcharan Award for Wetland Conservation: Jayashree Venkatraman received this award, becoming the first Indian environmentalist to do so.
  • Lata Deenanath Mangeshkar Award 2025: Awarded to Kumar Mangalam Birla.
  • International Booker Prize 2025: Awarded to Bhanu Mustaq for "Heartam".
  • Vinod Kumar Shukla: The Hindi writer from Chhattisgarh was selected for the 59th Jnanpith Award. His famous work is "Deewar Mein Khidki" (Window in the Wall).
  • International Olympic Committee (IOC) First Female President: Kirsty Coventry (from Zimbabwe) was appointed.

Other Important Events ​

  • International Day of Hope: Celebrated on July 12th by the UN General Assembly.
  • Women's Premier League (WPL) 2025: Won by Mumbai Indians.
  • Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore: Returned to Earth in a Dragon Capsule (SpaceX company) after 9 months in space.
  • BIMSTEC Summit: Thailand was the host country for the 6th BIMSTEC Summit.
  • Operation Brahma: India launched Operation Brahma to aid people affected by an earthquake in Myanmar.
  • Doha Diamond League: Neeraj Chopra won a silver medal with a throw of over 90 meters.
  • Transshipment Port (Vizhinjam): Prime Minister Modi inaugurated India's first transshipment port in Vizhinjam, Kerala.
  • Global Press Freedom Index: India's rank is 151.
  • Baglihar Dam: India stopped the flow of water from Baglihar Dam to Pakistan; the dam is on the Chenab River.
  • New Pope: Robert Prevost/Leo XIV, from America, was appointed the new Pope.
  • Web Summit 2025: Prime Minister Modi inaugurated the first Web Summit in Mumbai.