1 India launches inter-ministerial study to detect zoonotic diseases using One Health approach
In April 2025 , the New Delhi (Delhi)-based Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) launched a first-of-its-kind inter-ministerial scientific study titled “ Building a surveillance model for detecting zoonotic spillover in bird-human contact settings using a One Health approach” . The project, launched under the National One Health Mission (NOHM), aims to identify zoonotic disease risks at the intersection of human, bird and environmental health . It aims to establish India’s first early warning system (EWS) for zoonotic spillovers while enhancing preparedness against future outbreaks. The study will focus on selected bird sanctuaries and wetlands in Sikkim, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu (TN), involving migratory birds, sanctuary workers and nearby residents. In Tamil Nadu, the study will be conducted at Point Calimere Bird Sanctuary in Nagapattinam and Vaduvur Bird Sanctuary in Tiruvarur from May 2025. It uses Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) and periodic sampling of birds.
2 RBI policies expected to increase loan disbursement by 10.8% in 2025-26: ICRA report
The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) recent easing of monetary policy is expected to increase loan disbursement in the country by about 10.8 percent in the financial year 2025-26 . This loan disbursement can be between Rs 19 lakh crore to Rs 20.5 lakh crore . This information has been given in a report by credit rating agency ICRA. According to the report, steps such as RBI’s repo rate cut, deferring proposed changes in the liquidity coverage ratio (LCR), relief in additional provisions on infrastructure projects and withdrawal of increased risk weight on unsecured consumer loans and loans to NBFCs have created an environment of loan growth. Apart from this, RBI is increasing liquidity in banks through measures such as purchase of government bonds and foreign exchange swap, due to which the effect of reduction in interest rates can reach the economy faster. However, the report also says that some challenges will continue to be faced by banks, such as difficulty in raising deposits, high credit-deposit ratio and increasing risk in unsecured retail and small business loans. Due to these reasons, the loan growth rate may be slightly slower than in the financial year 2023-24.
3 India-Israel joined hands on food security, Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan signed several important agreements
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan met Israel ‘s Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter in New Delhi on Tuesday . During this, several important agreements were signed between the two countries. This agreement will strengthen cooperation in the field of soil and water management, horticulture and agricultural production, post-harvest processing technology, agricultural mechanization, animal husbandry and research and development. In the meeting, there was an in-depth discussion on jointly tackling the challenges related to food security in the future. Union Minister Chauhan said that both the countries discussed how the threat of climate change can be reduced together and seeds can be developed that can give more production even in summer. He said that there are many innovations in the field of agriculture in Israel, which can also be adopted in India. Both the countries will benefit from the exchange of these technologies and ideas.
4 Waqf Amendment Act 2025 implemented, Central Government issued notification
The Central Government has officially implemented the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025. This was confirmed by issuing a notification in the Gazette of India on Tuesday . It is worth noting that this Act became a law after getting the approval of President Draupadi Murmu last Sunday . The gazette notification said, “Exercising the powers vested in subsection (2) of section 1 of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, the Central Government declares 8 April 2025 as the date of commencement of the Act.” Many important changes have been made in this Act. This includes separation of trusts from waqf institutions, use of digital technologies in property management, establishment of a centralized online portal, and the condition of dedicating waqf properties only to practicing (religiously active) members of the Muslim community. Apart from this, this law also provides for the protection of ‘Waqf by User’ i.e. properties which have been in community use for a long time. Also, the rights of women in the family waqf system have also been recognised. The bill was first passed in the Lok Sabha and then approved in the Rajya Sabha on the morning of April 4 after a 17-hour long debate.
5 Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum meets Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi
Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi . Crown Prince Al Maktoum is also the Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister of the UAE . The two leaders discussed ways to enhance cooperation between India and the UAE, particularly in the areas of trade, investment, defence, energy, technology, education, sports and people-to-people relations. In a social media post, the Prime Minister said that Dubai has played an important role in strengthening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between India and the UAE. He said that the visit of the Crown Prince of Dubai reaffirms the deep friendship between India and the UAE and paves the way for even better relations in the future.
6 Odisha Government signed 13 MoUs with Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas at Odisha Investors Summit in New Delhi
The Odisha government signed 13 MoUs with the Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas at the Odisha Investors Summit in New Delhi . Under these agreements, a total investment of more than Rs 8 lakh 96 thousand crore will be made in Odisha. This investment is expected to create about 96 thousand employment opportunities in the state.
7 Department of Financial Services has notified the merger of 26 Regional Rural Banks on the principle of “One State One Regional Rural Bank”
The Department of Financial Services has notified the merger of 26 Regional Rural Banks on the principle of ” One State One Regional Rural Bank “. This is the fourth phase of merger of Regional Rural Banks . Keeping in mind the improvement in the efficiency of these banks due to the earlier merger, the Finance Ministry had launched a new merger plan in November last year. After consultation with stakeholders, 26 Regional Rural Banks have been merged in 10 states and one Union Territory. Its main objective is to improve efficiency and rationalize costs. At present, 43 Regional Rural Banks are working in 26 states and two Union Territories . After the merger, there will be 28 Regional Rural Banks in 26 states and 2 Union Territories . They will have more than 22 thousand branches in 700 districts. About 92 percent of these branches are in rural and semi-urban areas.
8 Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation joins hands with Ministry of Women and Child Development for Poshan Pakhwada 2025 promoting the campaign “Healthy Childhood with Clean Water and Sanitation”
The Department of Water and Sanitation (DDWS) under the Ministry of Jal Shakti is actively participating in the 7th edition of Poshan Pakhwada from 8th to 23rd April 2025. In line with the Saksham Anganwadi Scheme of the Ministry of Women and Child Development , the theme of this campaign of the department is ” Healthy Childhood with Shuddha Jal and Sanitation “. Its tagline is ” Complete Nutrition Begins with Shuddha Jal and Sanitation ” which specifically focuses on clean water regimens and sanitation as important elements for a child’s nutrition and overall health.
9 Former Kerala minister M A Baby elected sixth general secretary of CPI-M
Former Kerala minister Mariam Alexander Baby or M A Baby has been elected the sixth general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPI-M . M A Baby was elected the new general secretary of CPI-M at the party’s 24th party congress held in Madurai city of Tamil Nadu on 6 April 2025. General secretary is the highest post in the party. M A Baby replaced Prakash Karat, who became the interim coordinator of the party due to the death of general secretary Sitaram Yechury in September 2024. The CPI(M) holds its party congress once every three years where party office bearers are elected.
10 7 new products from West Bengal get GI recognition, number of states rises to 39
In April 2025 , the Chennai (Tamil Nadu, TN)-based Geographical Indications (GI) Registry under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry granted Geographical Indication (GI) tag to 7 more products from West Bengal (WB) , including ‘ Nolen Gurer Sandesh ‘, Baruipur Guava and White Bonde of Kamarpukur . With their addition, WB now has 32 products with GI tag . The move is expected to increase the recognition and market value of these local items. Several organizations helped in getting the GI tag. Mishti Udyog, a well-known group of sweet makers in West Bengal, applied for traditional sweets, Baruipur Farmers Producer Company Limited for Baruipur guavas and State Agricultural Management and Extension Training Institute of West Bengal for Radhunipagal rice.
11 Union Minister of State Dr. Jitendra Singh unveiled CSIR-NAL’s indigenous trainer aircraft ‘Hansa-3 (NG)’ to boost pilot training ecosystem
On 4th April 2025 , Union Minister of State (Independent Charge (IC)), Dr. Jitendra Singh , Ministry of Science & Technology (MoS&T), launched the indigenously built ‘ Hansa-3 (Next Generation, NG) ’ aircraft at the National Media Centre (NMC) in New Delhi (Delhi) . He also announced plans to involve the private sector to collaborate in manufacturing this aircraft. The two-seater trainer aircraft has been indigenously designed and developed by Bengaluru (Karnataka)-based Council of Scientific and Industrial Research – National Aerospace Laboratories (CSIR-NAL) . This is the first time that an aircraft will be manufactured in India using a fully indigenous design and technology.
12 Adani Group wins 4 Gold Awards at IAA Olive Crown Awards 2025
On 4th April 2025, Adani Group, India’s largest and fastest growing integrated infrastructure conglomerate based in Ahmedabad (Gujarat) bagged 4 Gold Awards in various categories at the International Advertising Association (IAA) Olive Crown Awards 2025 held in Mumbai, Maharashtra . Adani Group was honoured with the awards for Corporate Social Crusader of the Year and Green Advertiser of the Year. Fan film was honoured with 2 Gold Awards for being the Best Film in Television (TV)/Cinema (Corporate) and Digital categories. Rahul Narvekar, Speaker of Maharashtra Legislative Assembly graced the event as the Chief Guest. Mr. Ajay Kakkar, Head – Corporate Branding, Adani Group received the awards on behalf of the Group.
13 Shaleen Toshniwal takes charge as 20th Chairman of MATEXIL
In April 2025 , Shaleen Toshniwal will take over as the 20th Chairman of Mumbai (Maharashtra)-based Man-made and Technical Textiles Export Promotion Council (MATEXIL) , an organisation dedicated to promoting the export of fibres, yarns, fabrics, made-ups and technical textiles . Shaleen Toshniwal will replace Bhadresh Dodhia, who previously held the position since 2023. Prior to this role, he served as the Vice Chairman of MATEXIL.
14 Rai folk dance legend Padmashree Ram Sahai Pandey passed away
Rai folk dance legend Padma Shri Ram Sahai Pandey died at a private hospital in Sagar, Madhya Pradesh after a prolonged illness . He was 92 years old. Pandey’s contribution to Rai dance left an indelible mark. Ramsahay Pandey started performing Rai dance at the age of 12. He brought recognition to this dance worldwide. He performed his art in 24 countries . The Government of India honored him with Padma Shri in 2022. Rai dance is the most famous dance of Bundelkhand . It takes place in every major event throughout the year. Both men and women dance in it. Women who perform Rai dance are called Bedaniya and men are called Mridangdhari.
