1 Vinod Kumar Shukla will be awarded this year’s biggest literary award, the Jnanpith Award
Vinod Kumar Shukla, a famous Hindi poet and writer from Chhattisgarh , will be given this year’s biggest literary honour , the Jnanpith Award . This was announced in New Delhi. Mr. Shukla lives in the capital Raipur and was born on January 1, 1947 in Rajnandgaon. He has been involved in literary writing for the last fifty years. His first collection of poems, ” Kaariv Jai Hind “, was published in 1971. His novels ” Naukar ki Kameez “, ” Khilega to dekhenge ” and ” Deewar mein ek khidki ” are considered to be the best Hindi novels. Along with this, his collections of stories ” Peed par Kamra ” and ” Mahavidyalaya ” have also been in the news. Among his poems, ” Woh aadmi chala gaya, naya garam court pehen kar “, ” Aakash dharti ko khatakta hai ” and ” Kavita se lambi kavita ” have become very popular. Mr. Shukla has also written books for children. His books have also been translated into many languages.
In Namibia , Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has been sworn in as the country’s first female president . 72-year-old Nandi-Ndaitwah won the presidential election in November last year by securing 58% of the vote. She replaced Nangolo Mbumba, who took over as interim president after the death of President Hage Geingob in February 2024. Nandi-Ndaitwah has been an MP since 1990. She has also served as Namibia’s Foreign Minister and Vice President.
3 Fourth India-EU Maritime Security Dialogue emphasizes on global welfare and security
India and the European Union (EU) held the fourth India-EU Maritime Security Dialogue in Delhi on March 21. In this, both sides discussed strengthening security in the maritime sector and increasing cooperation for global welfare. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the Indian delegation was led by Muanpui Sayavi, Joint Secretary. At the same time, the EU delegation was led by Sieg Stadzek , Director (Security and Defense Policy), European External Action Service. In the meeting, both sides agreed to increase cooperation on issues such as promoting maritime security, preventing illegal maritime activities (IMA) and protecting critical maritime infrastructure.
4 Eminent Distorians’: Utpal Kumar’s new book exposes the tampering with Indian history
Writer and journalist Utpal Kumar is introducing readers to some new and untouched aspects of history through his new book ‘ Eminent Distorians: Twists and Truths’ . Earlier, Utpal Kumar’s book ‘ Bharat Rising: dharma democracy diplomacy ‘ was in the news a lot. In the new book Eminent Distorians, Utpal Kumar has described the tampering with the facts of history through many historical evidences and quotes from books . Utpal Kumar has given the message of ‘tampering with history’ in the name of the book itself. ‘Distorians’ means ‘one who presents an event in a distorted manner’ in English. Utpal Kumar argues that India’s ‘famous historians’ have presented the facts in a distorted manner. In the new book, Utpal Kumar has tried to explain through many incidents how Indian history has been presented in a wrong way to the people.
Justice P.N. Prakash, former Judge of the Madras High Court(HC) and former Special Public Prosecutor, National Investigation Agency(NIA), Government of India(GoI) released the book ‘ Memories and Milestones ‘ in Chennai, Tamil Nadu(TN) . Written by historian V. Sriram and Lashman, the book documents the 60-year journey of Blue Cross of India .
6 Indian literary theorist Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak to receive 2025 Holberg Prize
In March 2025 , Indian literary theorist and postcolonial scholar Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak was named the recipient of the 2025 Holberg Prize . The award recognises her groundbreaking work in postcolonial studies, feminist theory, and literary criticism. The prize, worth US$540,000 (Rs 4.6 crore), will be presented on June 5, 2025, by Norway’s Crown Prince Haakon at the University of Bergen, Norway.
7 Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain-2025 launched on World Water Day
On World Water Day , Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil launched the nationwide Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain-2025 from Panchkula , Haryana . The campaign has been launched in collaboration with the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Government of Haryana. The Jal Shakti Minister also e-launched the ‘ Mukhyamantri Jal Sanchay Yojana ‘ and Water Resources Atlas for Haryana , which helps in scientific water resources management. He also unveiled innovative water management projects in Haryana including community sanitation complexes, liquid waste management system, Gobar-Dhan project and a solid waste management shed. Union Jal Shakti Minister Shri R.R. Patil also launched ‘Jal-Jangal-Jan: Ek Prakritik Bandhan Abhiyan’ that strengthens ecological links between rivers, springs and forests. On this occasion, progressive farmers, women, water user associations, industries and NGOs were felicitated with awards for their outstanding contribution in water conservation.
8 Second vessel of Project 1135.6 built by GSL launched
Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) launched the second ship in the series of Project 1135.6 follow-on frigates. It is named ‘ Tavsya ’ and was launched by Smt. Neeta Seth at GSL, Goa on 22 March 2025 in presence of Minister of State for Defence Shri Sanjay Seth and FOC-in-C West Vice Admiral Sanjay J Singh. These warships are follow-on frigates of P1135.6 which are now being built indigenously by Indian shipyards. The ship is named ‘Tavsya’ after the mace of the great warrior ‘ Bhima ’ from the ‘ Mahabharata ’ . It represents the indomitable spirit and growing potential of the Indian Navy. The contract for construction of two Project 1135.6 follow-on frigates was signed between Ministry of Defence and Goa Shipyard Limited on 25 January 2019. The first ship ‘ Triput ’ was launched on 23 July 2024. These ships are designed for surface, sub-surface and air warfare operations. ‘Triput’ and ‘Tavsya’ are 124.8 meters long and 15.2 meters wide and have a draft of 4.5 meters. Its displacement is about 3600 tons and maximum speed is 28 knots.
9 Shri Ashok Singh Thakur has been elected as the President of Indian Cultural Trust (INTACH)
The Annual Meeting of the Indian Cultural Heritage (INTACH) was held on 22 March 2025 at its headquarters in New Delhi . Elections for the President and Governing Council members were successfully conducted. After following the prescribed procedure, the results were declared and Shri Ashok Singh Thakur has been elected as the President for a term of 3 years.
10 Former cricketer Krishnamachari Srikkanth appointed as Goodwill Ambassador for Vision 2020 India
On March 19, 2025, Former Indian national cricket team captain Krishnamachari Srikkanth has been appointed as the goodwill ambassador for ‘ Vision 2020 India ’ , a national initiative focused on eliminating avoidable blindness and visual impairment across India. The announcement was made during an event organised by Sankara Nethralaya, a premier eye care institute in Chennai, Tamil Nadu(TN) which is an integral member of Vision 2020 India.
11 World famous boxer George Foreman dies at the age of 76
World famous boxer George Foreman has died. He was 76 years old. Born in Texas in 1949 , Mr Foreman started boxing at the age of 16. Known as Big George in the ring , Foreman had the longest career in boxing history. He first came into the limelight by winning a gold medal at the 1968 Olympics . He also won the heavyweight world title twice.