1 President Murmu was honoured by the city of Lisbon, Portugal by handing over the “Key of Honour”
President Draupadi Murmu has been made an honorary citizen of Lisbon , the capital of Portugal , and was conferred the prestigious ” Key of Honour ” of the city of Lisbon on 7 April 2025. The key was presented to President Murmu by Lisbon Mayor Carlos Moedas at the historic Camara Municipal de Lisboa in the city. President Murmu is on a two-nation official visit to Portugal and Slovakia from 7-10 April 2025. from 7-10 April 2025. In the first leg of her visit, President Murmu will be in Portugal from 7-8 April 2025, while in her second leg she will visit Slovakia from 9-10 April 2025. An Indian President visited Portugal after 27 years. President Murmu is the second Indian President to visit Portugal after President K R Narayanan’s 1998 visit to Portugal.
2 Self-reliant India: Rs 2,385 crore contract for modernization of Mi-17 V5 helicopters
India has taken an important step to make its Mi-17 V5 helicopters more powerful and safe. Under this, these helicopters of the Indian Air Force will be equipped with modern technology. For this, the government has signed an agreement with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Bangalore for Rs 2,385 crore . Under this agreement, electronic warfare suits and aircraft modification kits will be installed in the helicopters. These systems will give the helicopter the ability to fly safely even in dangerous areas of the enemy. This technology has been completely designed and developed in India. The agreement was signed in New Delhi in the presence of Defense Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh. The special thing is that most of the parts and equipment in this project will be made in India itself and small industries (MSMEs) will also have a big participation in it.
3 Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla addresses the 150th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Sunday addressed the 150th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly held in Tashkent , the capital of Uzbekistan . During this, he said that the Indian Constitution is based on the spirit of giving equal rights and opportunities to all citizens. On the topic ” Parliamentary action for social development and justice “, he said that the Indian Constitution works towards an inclusive and welfare society by connecting the deprived and backward classes to the mainstream. Om Birla said in his address that forums like IPU strengthen global parliamentary cooperation and the theme of its 150th Assembly ” Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam ” – that is, the whole world is one family – fully matches the traditional thinking of India.
Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw inaugurated the Vinod Dham Centre of Excellence for Semiconductors and Microelectronics at Delhi Technological University-DTU . The Vinod Dham Centre of Excellence aims to provide training and promote research in critical areas such as semiconductor technology and integrated circuit manufacturing. The centre aims to strengthen the government’s India Semiconductor Mission by addressing the emerging skill gap and aligning educational programs with the demands of the semiconductor industry.
Mumbai-Seychelles-Mumbai TriShakti Nari Sailor Expedition ‘Samudra Pradakshina’ was flagged off on 7 April 2025 by Lieutenant General AK Ramesh , Commandant , College of Military Engineering (CME) from Indian Naval Sea Training Centre, Colaba , Mumbai . The expedition with a 12-member women crew from the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force embarked on a challenging 55-day voyage of 4,000 nautical miles from Mumbai-Seychelles-Mumbai on board IASV Triveni . This pioneering initiative reflects the indomitable spirit of Nari Shakti and aims to promote gender equality in maritime endeavours. The expedition will serve as a stepping stone for an even more ambitious circumnavigation expedition planned for the year 2026. Twelve women officers selected from a total of 41, have undergone rigorous training in seafaring for two years. They are set to undertake the perilous voyage at sea where they will showcase their courage and determination.
6 INS Tarkash visited with Royal New Zealand Naval Ship HMNZS Te Kaha
Indian Navy ‘s stealth frigate INS Tarkash participated in a PASSEX with Royal New Zealand Navy ‘s A Anzac-class frigate Te Kaha in the Gulf of Aden last Saturday, i.e. 04 Apr 25. The exercise marked the culmination of the New Zealand-led CTF 150 joint focused Operation ANZAC Tiger (27 Mar-04 Apr 25), which was a Combined Maritime Force (CMF) operation in which INS Tarkash was deployed on the mission. The PASSEX involved a wide range of inter-operational exercises including cross-deck landing, cross boarding, sea rider exchanges and tactical manoeuvres, all integrated with communication procedure exercises.
With Hitesh Gulia ‘s historic gold medal , the Indian boxing contingent ended its campaign at the World Boxing Cup Brazil 2025 with six medals – one gold, one silver and four bronze . Hitesh Gulia is the first Indian boxer to win a gold medal at the World Boxing Cup. India finished second in the men’s medal tally after Uzbekistan . The first leg of the World Boxing Cup 2025 was held from 31 March to 5 April 2025 at Foz do Iguaçu , Brazil , in which the world’s top male and female boxers participated. India sent a 10-member contingent to the World Boxing Cup Brazil 2025, in which there were no Indian female boxers . Hitesh Gulia became the first Indian boxer to win a gold medal at the World Boxing Cup . In the 70 kg weight category final, his opponent Odell Kamara of England gave him a walkover due to his injury. The only silver medal for India was won by Abhinash Jamwal . He lost the final to Yuri Reis of Brazil in the 65kg category and had to settle for a silver medal. Four Indian boxers were awarded bronze medals .
- Jadumani Singh Mandengbam (men’s 50kg)
- Manish Rathore (Men’s 55kg)
- Sachin (Men’s 60kg)
- Giant (Men’s 90kg)
Around 130 boxers- both men and women- from 19 countries participated in the World Boxing Cup Brazil 2025. India did not participate in the women’s category. 10 countries won medals in the men’s category while 11 countries won medals in the women’s category.
8 Rudraksh Balasaheb Patil won the gold medal in the men’s 10m air rifle shooting event at the ISSF World Cup 2025
Former world champion Rudraksh Balasaheb Patil has won the gold medal in the men’s 10m air rifle shooting event at the ISSF World Cup 2025 in Buenos Aires . This is Rudraksh Patil’s second individual gold medal at the ISSF World Cup. He had earlier won the 10m air rifle title in Cairo in 2023. With this win, India is now jointly at the top of the medal tally with China . Both countries have so far won two gold, one silver and one bronze medal each. Eight more finals are yet to be played. The US is in third place with two gold medals.
9 Nutrition Fortnight 2025 (8 April to 23 April)
The 7th edition of Poshan Pakhwada is being organized from 8th April to 22nd April 2025. The Poshan Abhiyaan aims to promote healthy and nutritious diets among children and women by combining technology and tradition. Poshan Pakhwada 2025 focuses on the first 1,000 days of a child’s life as it is a crucial period for the child’s development. Use of technology – Poshan Tracker enables real-time monitoring of nutrition services at Anganwadi centres. Beneficiaries can now self-register through the Poshan Tracker web app for better access. The Community-based Management Protocol of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) helps in early detection and community-based management of the problem. Poshan Pakhwada also focuses on childhood obesity by promoting healthy food choices.
10 World Health Day 2025
World Health Day , celebrated each year on April 7 , highlights urgent global health issues and mobilizes action to improve public health outcomes. Launched in 1950 by the World Health Organization (WHO), the day brings together governments, institutions and communities to highlight critical health priorities each year. In 2025, the day kicks off a year-long campaign focused on maternal and newborn health under the theme “ Healthy Starts, Hopeful Futures ” that urges countries to prioritize preventing preventable deaths and the long-term well-being of women.
