1 DRDO successfully conducted first flight test of Stratospheric Airship Platform
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on Saturday achieved a major milestone by successfully testing the first flight of the Stratospheric Airship Platform . The test was conducted from the test site at Sheopur in Madhya Pradesh . The state-of-the-art airship, developed by the Agra – based Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment , was launched with an instrumental payload to an altitude of about 17 kilometres . The total flight duration was about 62 minutes and the test team successfully recovered the system. The system will significantly enhance India’s earth observation and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities .
2 Lawrence Wong wins big in Singapore general election
The ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) has once again won a big victory in the general elections held in Singapore . Prime Minister Lawrence Wong ‘s party has won 87 out of 97 seats . This is the 14th consecutive time that the PAP has got a majority in the election . Now it is clear that Lawrence Wong will become the Prime Minister of Singapore again. Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Lawrence Wong on this victory. PAP has been in power since the independence of Singapore i.e. since 1965. The party got 83 seats in the 2020 elections. At that time it got 61.24% votes, while in 2015 this figure was 69.86%. The opposition Workers’ Party won 6 seats in 2015 and 10 seats in 2020.
3 Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the YUGM Innovation Conclave in New Delhi
On April 29, 2025 , Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi addressed the ‘ YUGM: Integrated Education, Industry and Innovators for a Developed India ’ Innovation Conclave at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi , Delhi. Organised by the Ministry of Education (MoE) in collaboration with the Wadhwani Foundation , the event brought together leaders from the government, academia and industry to promote innovation and technological advancement in India. Several key initiatives were launched during the conclave, including, setting up of a Superhub focused on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Intelligent Systems at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur , Uttar Pradesh (UP) , and a Centre of Specialisation in Biosciences, Biotechnology, Health and Medicine at IIT Bombay , Mumbai (Maharashtra) . Additionally, Wadhwani Innovation Network (WIN) centres will be set up at leading research institutions to accelerate research commercialisation . Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) and Wadhwani Foundation exchanged Letters of Intent (LoE) to co-fund and pursue research that can lead to concrete societal impact.
The Andhra Pradesh government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Creative Land Asia Pvt Ltd to develop the first “ Transmedia Entertainment City ” in the state. Representatives of both the parties signed the agreement on May 1 in Amaravati. With this project, Andhra Pradesh will ” in the state. Representatives of both the parties signed the agreement in Amaravati on May 1. The project will help make Amaravati a creator land in Andhra Pradesh .
5 Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan released India’s first two genome edited rice varieties developed by ICAR in New Delhi
Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan released India’s first two genome enhanced rice varieties ‘ DRR Rice 100 (Kamala) and Pusa DST Rice 1 ‘ developed by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research – ICAR in New Delhi . These varieties have been developed for Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh. These rice varieties have been prepared using a technology called CRISPR-CAS . In this , very subtle changes are made in the genes of the plant, but no external (foreign) gene is inserted . This technology is considered safe and has been approved for cultivation in India. These varieties developed through this technology have two main advantages. The first of which is that the crop is ready quickly. While the second advantage is that good yield is obtained even in less water.
The US has approved the sale of Hawkeye 360 technology to further strengthen India’s security system . This will strengthen India’s position in the Indo-Pacific region . The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency said that Hawkeye 360 technology will enable India to better face current and future challenges. Hawkeye 360 uses a satellite located in low Earth orbit . This technology will be useful in detecting illegal activities and monitoring the Special Economic Zone . This technology, costing more than Rs 13 crore, is helpful in detecting radio frequency signals, which will help in detecting ships operating secretly in the disputed area. This technology will also be helpful in monitoring cases of illegal fishing and smuggling. Till now the Indian Navy used P8-I aircraft for these tasks.
7 Madhya Pradesh becomes the first state in India to launch AI-based real-time forest alert system
On April 29, 2025, Madhya Pradesh (MP) became the first state in India to implement an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based real-time forest alert system to monitor forest encroachment and felling of trees . The pilot project has been launched in 5 districts of MP namely Shivpuri, Guna, Vidisha, Burhanpur and Khandwa and will expand across the state from June 7, 2025. The system uses satellite imagery, machine learning and field feedback to detect changes in forest areas as small as 10×10 metres (m). It integrates satellite data from Google Earth Engine, AI algorithms and ground feedback on a unified platform. The system was conceptualised and coded by Guna DFO Akshay Rathore, an alumnus of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee (Uttarakhand) and supported by Indian Forest Service (IFS) Chief of Forest Force (HoFF) Aseem Shrivastava and Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (APCCF-IT) S. Annigeri in Madhya Pradesh.
8 Election Commission to launch a single-platform app ECINET
The Election Commission will launch a single-platform app ECINET , which will provide all election-related services at one place. This app will bring together more than 40 existing mobile and web applications of the Election Commission . It will be a new digital interface for voters, election officials, political parties and other stakeholders. This will save users from downloading multiple apps. This app will provide important election-related information on desktop or smartphone.
9 Maharashtra, Gujarat and Karnataka lead the 2025 CareAge state rankings
In April 2025 , Mumbai (Maharashtra)-based CareAge Ratings (formerly Care Ratings Ltd) released the second edition of its state rankings , Maharashtra emerged as the best in the overall composite ranking with a score of 56.5 , followed by Gujarat (52.4) and Karnataka (51.9) . Goa topped the smaller states, particularly excelling in financial development, fiscal sustainability and infrastructure. The rankings were based on seven key pillars—economic, fiscal, infrastructure, financial development, social, governance and environment—with a total of 50 indicators evaluated. Maharashtra, Gujarat and Karnataka have been declared India’s best performing states in the latest CareEdge Ratings State Rankings 2025, reflecting their strong performance across various sectors.
10 Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the seventh edition of Bihar Khelo India Youth Games 2025
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the seventh edition of Bihar Khelo India Youth Games 2025 through a video message . In his address, the Prime Minister said that his government has developed a culture of sports in the country and the Khelo India umbrella event is an example of this. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Union Sports Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya addressed the inaugural ceremony at the Patliputra Sports Complex in Patna.
11 World number-1 female tennis player Arina Sabalenka of Belarus won the Madrid Open
World number-1 women’s tennis player Arina Sabalenka of Belarus has won the Madrid Open . She defeated Coco Gauff of America in the final . This is Sabalenka’s third Madrid title and third WTA title of this year. So far, apart from Sabalenka, only Petra Kvitova has won the Madrid Open three times.