1 Mizoram was declared a fully literate state, becoming the first state in the country to achieve this feat
Mizoram has been declared a fully literate state , making it the first state in the country to achieve this feat. Chief Minister Lalduhoma made the announcement in the presence of Union Minister of State for Education Jayant Chaudhary at Mizoram University in Aizawl . The achievement comes after the implementation of the New India Literacy Programme , under which 3,026 illiterates were identified and educated with the help of 292 dedicated volunteer teachers. The literacy rate now stands at 98.2 per cent . Reaffirming the Government of India’s commitment to inclusive growth and regional empowerment, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) launched a strategic pilot scheme to promote apprenticeship training in the North Eastern Region. The scheme was jointly launched by Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Shri Jayant Chaudhary and Chief Minister of Mizoram Shri Lalduhoma at Aizawl.
2 India’s diplomatic initiative will begin on Operation Sindoor
The first of the 7 all-party delegations formed for India’s diplomatic global outreach on Operation Sindoor against terrorism after the Pahalgam terror attack is leaving for 4 countries. The delegation, led by Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde, will visit UAE, Liberia, Congo and Sierra Leone . Two delegations, led by Janata Dal United MP Sanjay Jha and DMK party MP Kanimozhi, will leave for Indonesia, Malaysia, Korea, Japan and Singapore and Spain, Greece, Slovenia, Latvia and Russia . These multi-party delegations will project the national commitment and firm resolve to deal with terrorism as per India’s zero tolerance policy. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri briefed the members of these three delegations on India’s diplomatic approach at Parliament House in New Delhi.
3 IB chief Tapan Kumar Deka’s tenure extended by one more year
The central government has extended the tenure of Intelligence Bureau (IB) Director Tapan Kumar Deka by one more year . His tenure was going to end next month. Tapan Deka, a 1988 batch Indian Police Service officer of Himachal Pradesh cadre, has special experience of anti-terrorism operations in Kashmir. He has been working as director since 2022. Deka has played many roles in the intelligence department.
4 Bharti Airtel and Google partnered, users will get cloud storage service for 6 months free
Bharti Airtel and Google on Tuesday announced a partnership to offer ‘ Google One Cloud Storage Subscription Service ‘ for Airtel users . This partnership between Google and Airtel will solve the problem of limited device storage of users. All postpaid and Wi-Fi customers will get 100 GB Google One cloud storage facility for six months at no extra cost . Airtel users will also be able to share this storage with five additional people, the companies said in a statement. 100 GB cloud storage will be available at no extra cost for the first six months from the date of activation, allowing customers to backup their data and experience the convenience of cloud storage. After 100 GB storage for six months at no charge, a fee of Rs 125 per month will be added to the customer’s monthly bill.
5 ITI Chalo campaign started in UP
The Uttar Pradesh government has launched the ‘ ITI Chalo Abhiyan ‘ to connect the youth of the state with technical education and employment . This campaign has been launched to promote admission in government and private Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) for the academic session of 2025 , the process of which has started from May 12. The aim of this campaign is to prepare a strong generation of skilled youth in Uttar Pradesh in line with the schemes of the Central Government like ‘Make in India’, ‘Startup and Standup’ and ‘Digital India’. The government believes that vocational and technical education is the backbone of the overall development of society and the country. Therefore, this campaign focuses on making the youth of urban and rural areas employable by giving them technical knowledge. 11 long-term training courses have been started in collaboration with Tata Technology Limited in 149 government ITI institutes of Uttar Pradesh. These courses are based on the current demand of the industries and modern technologies, which prepare the youth for jobs with practical knowledge.
6 Major initiative in cooperative dairy sector chaired by Amit Shah, three new multi-state committees announced
Union Home Minister and Cooperative Minister Amit Shah held an important meeting on Tuesday in New Delhi to promote development and circular economy in the cooperative dairy sector . The meeting was attended by Union Minister of State for Cooperation Krishan Pal Gurjar, Muralidhar Mohol, Secretary, Ministry of Cooperation Ashish Bhutani, Chairman, National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) Dr. Meenesh Shah and Chairman, NABARD Shaji KV. During this, taking forward the mantra of “Sahkar se Samriddhi” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it was decided to set up three new multi-state cooperative societies for the cooperative dairy sector in the meeting. The first committee will focus on animal feed production, disease control and artificial insemination . The second committee will promote cow dung management model and the third committee will promote circular use of remains of dead animals .
7 President Draupadi Murmu appointed Justice Kempaiah Somasekhar, judge of Karnataka High Court as Chief Justice of Manipur High Court
President Draupadi Murmu has appointed Justice Kempaiah Somshekhar, a judge of the Karnataka High Court , as the Chief Justice of the Manipur High Court . The Ministry of Law and Justice gave information about this in a press release.
8 Aam Aadmi Party’s national convenor Arvind Kejriwal announced the change of name of the party’s student wing
Aam Aadmi Party ‘s national convenor Arvind Kejriwal announced the change of name of his party’s student wing in New Delhi . Mr Kejriwal said that the name of his party’s student wing will now be Association of Students for Alternative Politics (ASAP) .
9 Manipur: Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla inaugurated the 5th edition of the State Level Shirui Lily Festival 2025
Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla inaugurated the 5th edition of the State Level Shirui Lily Festival 2025 at Wangyan Heritage Site at the foot of Shirui Hills in Ukhrul district of Manipur . The Governor also inaugurated the Art Residence cum Exhibition Centre constructed by the Manipur Forest Department at the heritage site. With the launch of the five-day festival, various activities and competitions of the festival including hiking, movie screenings, rock shows, literary activities, sports, beauty contests were started. The Governor and the Chief Secretary climbed the hill to witness the blooming of the State Flower- Shirui Lily. The Shirui Lily Festival is celebrated to showcase and promote the endangered plant- Lilium Maculinea, locally known as Shirui Lily which blooms exclusively in the Shirui Hills of Ukhrul district.
10 Britain and the EU signed a comprehensive agreement
Britain and the European Union have signed a comprehensive deal that is expected to generate more than $12 billion in the UK economy by 2040. The deal was revealed ahead of the first UK-EU summit held in London . Both sides described the meeting as historic. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described the deal as a new chapter in relations and said both sides wanted to reset ties after years of post-Brexit tensions. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the deal would reduce red tape for exporters and lower food prices in British supermarkets.
11 Banu Mushtaq of India won the International Booker Prize
Indian writer, lawyer and activist Banu Mushtaq has won the International Booker Prize for her book ‘ Heart Lamp ‘. Banu Mushtaq is from Karnataka . Banu Mushtaq has received the prestigious Booker Prize for the year 2025 for her Kannada story collection Heart Lamp . This is the first time that a book written in Kannada language has won the Booker Prize. She created history by winning this book. Deepa Bhasthi translated this book from Kannada to English .
12 Release of the book ‘The Constitution We Adopted (with Artworks)’ edited by Shri Vijay Hansaria, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court
In New Delhi , Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar said the time has come to reconsider the K. Veeraswamy vs Union of India and others judgment. The 1991 Supreme Court judgment considered the issue of whether the Prevention of Corruption Act applies to High Court judges . Terming the 1991 judgment as “judicial shenanigans”, Mr. Dhankhar said the origin of the problem of corruption in the judiciary lies in the K. Veeraswamy judgment. Citing the example of the Supreme Court’s action when a large sum of cash was recovered from the official residence of a Delhi High Court judge, Mr. Dhankhar said, “Now the time has come for us to make a change. And I have full faith in the present Supreme Court, which is a court of eminent people and people of integrity. In a very short span of time, the present Chief Justice has shown that things are pleasant for the common man.” The Vice President spoke at the launch of the book, The Constitution We Adopted (With Artworks), edited by senior Supreme Court advocate Vijay Hansaria .
13 Government launched Depot Darpan, Anna Mitra and Anna Sahayata apps for PDS
The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Government of India has launched three apps- Depot Darpan, Anna Mitra and Anna Sahayta to modernize the country’s agriculture infrastructure and public distribution system through digital innovation . These three apps were launched by Prahlad Joshi, Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, on 20 May 2025 in New Delhi. The Depot Darpan mobile app will help supervisory officers to track the warehouse performance at any point of time. The app is integrated with smart warehousing technology, CCTV surveillance and IoT sensors. Anna Sahayta App is a complaint lodging system where citizens can register complaints in their local languages with real-time tracking and feedback. The message can be registered in both text and voice message formats. The Anna Mitra app will act as a real-time command center for ration distribution for FDS dealers, food inspectors and district officials.
14 Famous senior scientist and astronomer Dr. Jayant Narlikar
Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the demise of renowned astronomer, author and science communicator Dr. Jayant Vishnu Narlikar . He was born on 19 July 1938 in Kolhapur. Narlikar, who did his PhD from Cambridge University, did important research on cosmology and relativity . He propounded the ‘ Hoyle-Narlikar theory ‘ along with renowned scientist Fred Hoyle . He made valuable contributions to the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) and the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy (IUCAA) . He also wrote several books in Marathi for the promotion of science. Dr. Jayant Narlikar was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1965, the Padma Vibhushan in 2004 and many other awards. His work brought global recognition to Indian astronomy. He wrote Marathi-English books like ‘ Virus ‘, ‘ Yaksha’s Uphaar ‘, ‘ Aristotle’s Message ‘ and ‘ Seven Wonders of the Universe ‘ to promote science. His writings brought astronomy to the general public and propagated a scientific outlook.