General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - May 2018

May 2018

Jun 17, 2025

India Appoints Ambassador to North Korea after 4 Years

India appointed Aliawati Longkumer as its next ambassador to North Korea, marking a step in re-establishing diplomatic engagement with Pyongyang after a four-year hiatus.
India reopened its embassy in Pyongyang in December 2024, nearly four years after it was shut down in July 2021 amid pandemic-related disruptions. Atul Malhari Gotsurve was the last ambassador posted in North Korea before the closure. Ahead of resuming operations, New Delhi undertook security assessments and anti-surveillance measures.

Amitabh Kant Resigns as India's G20 Sherpa

Amitabh Kant stepped down as India's G20 Sherpa, ending a 45-year career in government service. The former NITI Aayog CEO, who represented India at the G20 since 2022 and played a key role during its 2023 presidency, announced that he will now engage with start-ups, think tanks, and academic institutions in a personal capacity.
Kant served as NITI Aayog's longest-tenured CEO, holding the post for over six years from February 2016 to June 2022, before being appointed India's G20 Sherpa in July 2022.

Jun 16, 2025

Maharashtra Panchayat Adopts eOffice System

A panchayat in the tribal belt of Maharashtra adopted paperless governance, courtesy the eOffice system extending its reach to the grassroots level.
Rohini, located in Maharashtra's Dhule district, is possibly the first village panchayat in the country to implement the eOffice system, a digital workplace solution for government offices.

India's 16th Census Announced for 2027

The Government of India officially notified that the country's 16^th national census, and the 8^th after Independence, will be conducted in 2027, with caste enumeration being included for the first time since 2011. The census will adopt a digital format, involve self-enumeration, and deploy strict data security protocols. It marks a significant step in India's demographic, social, and policy planning landscape.
Reference Date (Mainland India): 00:00 hours, March 1, 2027
Reference Date (Snow-bound areas): October 1, 2026, for Ladakh, parts of Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

India's First Agri-Drone Indigenisation Hub in Chennai

Union Minister of State for Rural Development Kamlesh Paswan inaugurated India's first Agri-Drone Indigenisation Facility of Garuda Aerospace in Chennai. Alongside the launch, the Minister also unveiled 300 Centres of Excellence (CoEs) and flagged off the DGCA-approved Train the Trainer (TTT) programme, positioning India at the forefront of drone innovation, self-reliance, and skill development. The initiative is a significant step towards fulfilling Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of transforming India into a Global Drone Hub by 2030.

PM Modi Makes Historic First Visit to Cyprus

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Cyprus, marking the first-ever visit by an Indian PM to the island nation. The visit was an important stopover ahead of the G7 Summit in Canada and a reflection of India's renewed focus on strengthening ties with European partners.
PM Modi was received by the President of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides. His was described described as a historic moment by both Indian and Cyprus diplomatic sources.
Prime Minister Modi held delegation-level talks with the President of Cyprus. Key issues on the agenda included expanding cooperation in trade and investment, IT and innovation, defence, shipping, renewable energy, and people-to-people ties.
PM Modi visited Cyprus at the invitation of President Nicos Christodoulides and was accompanied by a large delegation of around 100 officials.

Jun 14, 2025

"Empower Citizens, Expose Corruption"- Lokpal of India Adopts a New Motto

The full bench of Lokpal of India adopted a new motto "Empower Citizens, Expose Corruption".
The Lokpal is a statutory anti-corruption body established under the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013.
It consists of a Chairperson and up to 8 members, with at least 50% being judicial members.
50% of members must belong to SC/ST/OBC, minorities, or women.
Appointment Process: Appointed by the President based on recommendations from a Selection Committee.

Jun 13, 2025

Piyush Goyal Concludes Official Visit to Switzerland and Sweden to Strengthen Trade Ties

Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, concluded his official visit to Switzerland on June 9, 2025, as part of his ongoing visit to Switzerland and Sweden from June 9 to 13, 2025. This visit underscored India's steadfast commitment to deepening strategic and economic partnerships with key European nations, advancing robust trade and investment ties, and supporting a shared vision for resilient global growth.
The visit marks a key milestone in enhancing India's engagement with two of Europe's most innovative economies. Minister Goyal's meetings are designed to facilitate high-impact interactions with senior government officials, industry leaders, and business associations in both countries.

Jun 12, 2025

Puducherry Adopts NeVA

Union Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs, L. Murugan inaugurated the National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA) for Puducherry Legislative Assembly. It is a major stride towards transparent, efficient, and environment-friendly governance. Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry K. Kailashnathan, Chief Minister of Puducherry N. Rangasamy, Speaker of Puducherry Legislative Assembly R. Selvam were also present at the inauguration ceremony.
With this launch, Puducherry became the 19th legislature in the country to adopt the NeVA platform, aligning with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of Digital India. The initiative, which enables paperless legislative functioning, is funded through 100% Central Assistance by the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs.

India Hosts ITU's FG-AINN Meet: Shaping the Future of AI-Native Telecom Networks

India took center stage in global telecom innovation by hosting the 3rd International Telecommunication Union (ITU-T) Focus Group on AI-Native for Telecommunication Networks (FG-AINN) in New Delhi from June 11–13, 2025. The meeting, organised by the Telecommunication Engineering Centre (TEC) under the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), aimed to redefine how future telecom networks operate using Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a core, rather than an auxiliary, component. This marked a significant step forward in shaping globally intelligent, adaptive, and autonomous communication systems.

Share on

TCY Analytics (View Subscription Plans)

Subscribe to GK Updates

I want to receive

GK Tags

July GK, June GK, May GK, INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS, ENVIRONMENT, BUSINESS AND ECONOMY, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, SPORTS, NATIONAL AFFAIRS, DEFENCE, PERSONS IN NEWS, DAYS AND EVENTS, AWARDS AND HONOURS, GOVERNMENT POLICIES AND SCHEMES, GENDER/ HEALTH/ EDUCATION, ART AND CULTURE, BOOKS AND AUTHORS, TOURISM AND HOTEL INDUSTRY AWARENESS, ART AND CULTURE, LAW AND CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Start Discussion

On any topic

Take Tests

Compiled from GK updates

Login

Sign Up

Forgot Password

Download TCY App

Unlock All Services And Enjoy The Premium Benefits

US$ 10

US$ 13

US$ 15

US$ 17

US$ 19

US$ 20

US$ 21

US$ 22

US$ 23

US$ 24

US$ 25

US$ 26