1 India and Thailand signed six agreements
India and Thailand signed six agreements for cooperation in various sectors including information technology, maritime, micro, small and medium enterprises, handicrafts and handlooms . These agreements came after bilateral talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister of Thailand Patongtarn Shinawatra in Bangkok. The two countries reviewed the progress of bilateral relations and discussed ways to further deepen the India-Thailand bilateral partnership. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was accorded a ceremonial Guard of Honour . As a gesture of goodwill, the Thai Government released a special postage stamp depicting 18th century Ramayana murals to mark Shri Modi’s visit. Underlining the close cultural and religious ties between the two countries, Prime Minister was presented a special edition of the Buddhist sacred text of the Tipitaka in Pali by Thai Prime Minister Shinawatra . As a sign of further deepening the close civilisational ties between India and Thailand, Prime Minister offered to send relics of Lord Buddha excavated from Gujarat to Thailand so that people can pay their respects. The theme of the 6th BIMSTEC Summit is “ BIMSTEC – Prosperous, Resilient and Open ”. The Bangkok Vision 2030 will also be adopted at the summit.
2 Defense Minister Rajnath Singh launched joint expeditions of Indian and Nepali Army for Mount Everest and Mount Kanchenjunga
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the joint expeditions of Indian and Nepali Army for Mount Everest and Mount Kanchenjunga . Major General Dhruv Prakash Shah, Director General of Military Training of Nepali Army also attended the ceremony held in New Delhi . Indian Army’s Mount Everest expedition will complete its journey through the traditional South Col route . This expedition comprising 34 mountaineers will be led by Lieutenant Colonel Manoj Joshi . The Indo-Nepal joint expedition for Mount Kanchenjunga will include 12 mountaineers of Indian Army and six mountaineers of Nepali Army. It will be led by Colonel Sarfaraz Singh of Indian Army . Apart from this, a joint NCC expedition to Mount Everest will be led by Colonel Amit Bisht . The aim of this expedition starting this month is to reach the mountain peaks by May this year.
3 Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil released Water Resources Census Application and Portal in New Delhi
Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil released the Water Resource Census Application and Portal in New Delhi . The Water Resource Census Application and Portal assists in several census schemes. These schemes include Seventh Minor Irrigation Census, Second Census of Water Bodies, First Census of Waterfalls and First Census of Major and Medium Irrigation Projects . The Jal Shakti Ministry said that the main objective of the Water Resource Census is to create a comprehensive and reliable database for effective planning and policy making in the irrigation sector including water use efficiency, water budgeting, etc. The digital application for collection and validation of data increases the accuracy of the data while reducing the time required for conducting the census.
4 Waqf Amendment Bill 2025 passed by Parliament
The Waqf Amendment Bill 2025 has been passed by the Parliament. The Rajya Sabha approved it after 12 hours of discussion. 128 members voted in favour of the amendment bill and 95 against it. This bill has already been passed by the Lok Sabha. The Waqf Amendment Bill 2025 aims to ensure proper management of Waqf assets with provisions for conservation of heritage sites and promotion of social welfare . Along with this, the administration is to be improved by increasing transparency in management and coordination between the Waqf Board and local authorities . The bill also aims to improve the economic and social condition of Muslim women, especially widows and divorced women. Under this, the Waqf Board will be made more inclusive for better administration by ensuring representation of various Muslim sects and women in the Waqf Board. The Muslim Waqf Repeal Bill 2024 has also been approved in Parliament. This bill will replace the Muslim Waqf Act 2023.
5 Delhi Metro Rail Corporation-DMRC has launched a pod hotel at New Delhi Metro station in the capital for the convenience of passengers
Delhi Metro Rail Corporation-DMRC has started a pod hotel at the New Delhi Metro station of the capital for the convenience of passengers . DMRC has specially built this hotel with the aim of providing accommodation to passengers coming to Delhi from other states.
6 SpaceX launches ‘FRAME2’ mission, the first human spaceflight over Earth’s polar regions
On 1 April 2025 , Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) successfully launched the ‘ Fram2 ‘ mission, the first human spaceflight over Earth’s polar regions . The mission was launched on a Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon capsule ‘ Resilience ‘ from Launch Complex-39A of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration ‘s (NASA) Kennedy Space Center in Florida, United States of America (USA). The mission is named after the Norwegian ‘Fram’ ship that explored both poles in the early 20th century. The privately funded mission carried 4 astronauts on an orbital journey of 3-5 days. During their 5-day trip in orbit, the crew will conduct 22 research studies, primarily focused on how space flight and zero gravity affect the human body.
7 New snakehead fish species ‘Channa Nachi’ discovered in Meghalaya
In March 2025, a newly discovered species of snakehead fish , “ Channa Nachi ” has been identified in a remote stream in South Garo Hills of Meghalaya , a biodiversity hotspot in Northeast India . It was first collected in 2021 by local fish enthusiast Farham Sangma from a shallow, slow-flowing tributary of the Simsang river system. The species was officially recognized and described in the scientific journal Zootaxa. The species has been named “Nachi” in honor of Farham Sangma, acknowledging his contribution to the discovery. The word “Nachi” is derived from the Garo language, reflecting the indigenous culture’s connection with the local biodiversity.
8 Government of India to acquire 48.99% stake in Vodafone Idea through equity conversion for Rs 36,950 crore
In March 2025 , the Government of India (GoI) has approved a proposal to increase its stake in Mumbai (Maharashtra) -based Vodafone Idea Ltd (VIL) to 48.99% by converting outstanding spectrum auction dues of Rs 36,950 crore into equity . The move, part of the September 2021 reforms and support package for the telecom sector, aims to ease financial stress on the debt-laden telecom operator. Under Section 62(4) of the Companies Act, 2013, VIL will issue 3,6.
9 Actor Manoj Kumar is no more, dies at the age of 87
Veteran actor of Hindi cinema Manoj Kumar, who made a special place in the hearts of the audience through patriotic films , died at the age of 87. Manoj Kumar gave many successful films to Bollywood including Upkaar, Purba-Paschim, Kranti, Roti-Kapda and Makaan . Due to these films, the audience also knew him as ‘ Bharat Kumar ‘. Actor Manoj Kumar was born on 24 July 1937 in Abbottabad , which became a part of Pakistan after partition . After partition, Manoj Kumar’s parents decided to stay in India. With this, he came to Delhi. Manoj Kumar started his acting career in Mumbai. His film ‘Fashion ‘ was released in 1957. After this, his film ‘ Kaanch Ki Gudiya ‘ was released in 1960. The special thing is that the veteran actor’s name remained Manoj Kumar in his films. Manoj Kumar made a film on the behest of former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri , which was named ‘ Upkaar ‘. The audience liked it very much. The sad thing is that the former PM could not see this film. Manoj Kumar received 7 Filmfare Awards for his films. In the year 1968, ‘Upkaar’ won four Filmfares for Best Film, Best Director, Best Story and Best Dialogue . In 1992, he was awarded the Padma Shri. In 2016, he was awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke Award .
