1 Indore became India’s first beggar-free city
In May 2025 , the District Magistrate of Indore, Madhya Pradesh (MP) announced that Indore has become the first Indian city to be beggar-free, a result of the ‘ Anti-Begging Campaign ‘ launched in February 2024 to eliminate begging . The campaign launched by the city administration has been recognized by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MSJE) and the World Bank (WB) team as a model project. Indore is one of the 10 cities where MSJE has launched a pilot project to eliminate begging. Earlier, the city had 5000 beggars, including 500 children, who were rehabilitated by helping them find employment, begging children were enrolled in schools. Under the campaign, individuals found begging at intersections and streets in Indore were caught and sent to rehabilitation centers, where they were provided accommodation and food. First Information Reports (FIRs) were filed against beggars coming from other states.
2 Vice President releases Haryana Governor’s book “Janta Ki Kahani-In My Autobiography”
In May 2025, Vice President of India Jagdeep Dhankhar released the book “ Janta Ki Kahani-In Meri Aatmakatha ” an autobiography written by Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatreya at an event held at Maharashtra Sadan in New Delhi . The book traces the political and social journey of Bandaru Dattatreya, emphasizing his grassroots connect with the masses and his commitment to the upliftment of the underprivileged. It also highlights the major historical and political events witnessed by the author over the decades.
Maharashtra tops the list of top 10 Indian states with the highest Goods and Services Tax (GST) collections in FY 2024-25 (FY 2025) with Rs 3,18, 497 crore and even in April 2025 with a total GST collection of Rs 41,645 crore . However, the growth of the state’s financial capital has dropped from 13% (in April 2024) to 11% (in April 2025). Gujarat secured the second spot with Rs 1,74,938 crore and Karnataka secured the third spot with Rs 1,43,023 crore. Also, the total GST revenue collection in 2024 reached Rs 21.36 lakh crore, the highest since the introduction of GST in 2017. This represents a growth of 8.86% compared to last year’s collection. According to the latest data from the Ministry of Finance (MoF), the total GST revenue collection reached Rs 2,36,716 lakh crore in April 2025, showing an annual growth rate of 12.6%.
4 The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation-FAO has released a report on the worsening global hunger crisis in 2024
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has released a report on the worsening global hunger crisis in 2024. The report says that 29.5 million people in 53 countries are facing severe food insecurity. This figure is 13.7 million more than the figures of 2023. The findings published in the Global Food Crisis Report for the year 2025 show the sixth consecutive annual increase. Famine in Sudan and severe hunger in Gaza, South Sudan, Haiti and Mali along with ongoing conflict in many areas are the main causes of this problem. The report also warns of the looming threat of famine in Gaza between May and September 2025. The compulsion of displacement, economic shocks and weather have further aggravated this crisis. UN Food and Agriculture Organization Director Qu Dongyu said that severe food insecurity is becoming a long-term reality, especially in rural areas.
According to recent research by Ethnologue , the most authoritative source on the world’s languages , 5 Indian languages, Hindi (3rd), Bengali (7th), Urdu (11th), Marathi (16th) and Telugu (18th) , are among the 20 most spoken languages worldwide in 2025. Hindi, with 609.1 million speakers, emerged as the third most spoken language worldwide in 2025 and the most spoken language in India. Whereas, English will be the most spoken language worldwide in 2025 as it is the local and second language of 1.53 billion people in 188 countries. It is followed by Chinese Mandarin (the official language of China) , which is considered the world’s largest language when counting only native speakers, making it the second most widely spoken language in the world with a total of 1.18 billion speakers in 2025. Spanish, the official language of Spain and 20 other countries, is set to become the fourth most spoken language globally in 2025 with 558.5 million speakers.
In May 2025, Brussels (Belgium) -based International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) on behalf of South Asia Media Solidarity Network (SAMSN) released the 23rd annual South Asia Press Freedom Report (SAPFR 24-25) , titled ‘ Frontline Democracy: Media and Political Churn ‘. According to the report, India is part of a broader trend of eroding press freedom in the South Asia region . The report highlights that the Indian media has been ‘ shackled and subjected to a systematic strategy to cripple it ‘. SAPFR 24-25 was formally launched during UNESCO’s World Press Freedom Day 2025 event held in Kathmandu, Nepal . The report annually reviews the state of press freedom in 8 South Asian countries , namely: India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and Maldives . The report recorded a total of 250 media rights violations in 2024-25, including targeted killings of 20 journalists and media workers, up from 8 deaths recorded in the 2023-24 period. The report has raised several worrying trends, such as: “a growing lack of credibility in media outlets”, “the stifling of independent websites” and “the extreme precariousness of gig workers who are also facing challenges posed by artificial intelligence (AI).
Mumbai (Maharashtra)-based State Bank of India (SBI) , India’s largest public sector bank (PSB), has achieved a new milestone by becoming one of the world’s most profitable companies . With a net profit of USD 9.2 billion (Rs 77,561 crore) in the financial year 2024-25 (FY25) , SBI is now ranked 98th globally in terms of annual income, according to Bloomberg data. SBI is the third Indian company to enter the world’s top 100 most profitable companies after New Delhi (Delhi)-based Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) in 2009 and Mumbai (Maharashtra)-based Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) in 2021. SBI’s rise in the global ranking is largely due to its strong financial performance, with net profit witnessing a 31% compound annual growth (CAGR) over the last five years. This comes almost a decade after SBI’s merger with five associate banks, which made it one of the top 50 banks in the world by assets. SBI has now joined the ranks of some of the world’s most profitable companies like Alphabet, Apple, NVIDIA and JPMorgan Chase. Google’s parent company Alphabet tops the list with a profit of USD 111 billion, which shows the strong earning power of tech companies. Saudi Aramco is in second place with USD 105 billion, which proves that the energy sector still remains very profitable. Other tech giants like Apple, Microsoft, Nvidia and Meta also feature in the top 10. Companies from the United States of America (USA) top the list with 43 entries, followed by China with 19 companies and Germany with five companies.
8 Illinois Tech becomes first USA university to set up campus in India
In May 2025, the Chicago (United States, USA) -based Illinois Institute of Technology (Illinois Tech) becomes the first US university to receive approval from India’s University Grants Commission (UGC) to establish an independent, degree-granting campus in Mumbai ( Maharashtra) . The campus is scheduled to open in 2026 , marking a significant milestone in India-USA educational collaboration. The Mumbai campus will offer undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in high-demand fields such as computer science, engineering, and business. The Mumbai campus will offer the same experiential, industry-aligned curriculum as Illinois Tech’s Chicago campus, including the university’s signature Elevate program, which guarantees all students access to hands-on research, internships, and career-accelerating experiences. Courses will be delivered by internationally recruited faculty, including visiting professors from Illinois Tech’s Chicago campus and faculty with global academic credentials.
9 JSW One Platforms achieves unicorn status after US$40 million funding
On May 13, 2025 , Mumbai (Maharashtra)-based JSW One Platforms Ltd , the business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce arm of the JSW Group, secured around US$40 million (Rs 340 crore) in a funding round led by Principal Asset Management, OneUp, and JSW Steel . The investment takes the company’s valuation to US$1 billion , marking its entry into India’s unicorn club . The latest funding round represents a three-fold increase in JSW One Platforms’ valuation since April 2023, when Tokyo (Japan)-based Mitsui & Co. Ltd invested Rs 205 crore (around US$25 million) in the company.
10 ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan resigned from his post
International Criminal Court (ICC) Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan has resigned from his post amid investigation into rape allegations against him . Mr Khan is accused of raping and abusing a female assistant. However, he has denied the allegations. ICC has said that Mr Khan will remain on leave until the investigation is completed. The United Nations Office of Internal Oversight Services is investigating the allegations.
11 Taiwan tested the HIMARS rocket system supplied by the USA
On May 12, 2025, Taiwan conducted its first live-fire test of the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) supplied by the United States of America (USA) at the Jiupeng Military Base in Pingtung Country , Taiwan . The test was part of Taiwan’s annual missile exercise aimed at strengthening its asymmetric defense strategies. The exercise was conducted by the Taiwan Army’s 58th Artillery Command. During the exercise, 33 rockets were fired, each with 11 launch vehicles firing three rounds each. HIMARS was manufactured by Maryland (USA) -based Lockheed Martin Corporation , an American defense and aerospace manufacturing company.
12 Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman reviews Nirmala Laxman’s book “The Tamils: A Portrait of a Community”
In May 2025, a book titled “ The Tamils: A Portrait of a Community ” written by Nirmala Lakshman was reviewed in the India-based peer-reviewed academic journal The Book Review . The book was published by New Delhi (Delhi)-based Aleph Book Company . The review written by Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman , Ministry of Finance (MoF) praised the book for its insightful exploration of justice and fairness as central themes in Tamil culture, highlighting historical anecdotes such as the great act of justice of King Manunidhi Cholan.
13 Assam government approves plan to rename Dibrugarh airport as “Eti Koli Duti Pat”
In May 2025, the Assam Cabinet headed by Assam Chief Minister(CM) Himanta Biswa Sarma has approved the financial assistance scheme “ Eti Koli Duti Pat ” for the welfare of tea garden workers . Under this scheme, the Assam government will provide a one-time assistance of Rs 5000 to each permanent and temporary worker of tea gardens in Assam . The announcement was made on the occasion of the 200th celebrations of Assam Tea. He also approved the decision to rename the Dibrugarh Airport in Dibrugarh , Assam after Assam’s legendary singer and cultural icon Bhupen Hazarika on the occasion of his 100th birth anniversary.
14 Karnataka launches ‘Petologist App’ for pet parents, clinics and farms
In May 2025, N.S. Bosraju , Minister of Science and Technology, Government of Karnataka , officially launched ‘ Petologist ‘, an innovative veterinary application (app) developed by Bengaluru (Karnataka)-based TransduceIdeas Technologies LLP . Dr. Ashok S. Alur, Vice Chancellor of Kodagu University in Karnataka was also present on the occasion. The development of Petologist is supported under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana – Agriculture and Allied Sector Rejuvenation (RKVY-RAFTAAR) Agribusiness Incubation (R-ABI) scheme of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW).