Home  /  2025 ( Page 102 )

Yearly Archives: 2025

News in Short – 14 October, 2025

In News

  • UNESCO officially launched the Virtual Museum of Stolen Cultural Objects at MONDIACULT 2025.

    • UNESCO’s new Virtual Museum of Stolen Cultural Objects

  • It was developed in response to Member States’ call for coordinated action against illicit trafficking and  it is the first global initiative of its kind.
  • It offers a globally accessible, immersive digital platform to raise awareness about stolen heritage. 
  • It currently showcases around 240 missing objects from 46 countries, with the goal of gradually “emptying itself” as items are recovered and returned to their countries of origin.
  • It was introduced by architect Francis Kéré and uses 3D modelling and virtual reality to digitally reconstruct stolen cultural items submitted by Member States.

    • Read More

    Achieving Centre’s Rooftop Solar Targets to Remain a Challenge: Study

    Context

  • A report on the performance of PM Surya Ghar Yojana has been jointly published by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) and JMK Research & Analytics.

    • Major Highlights

  • Target Achieved: Despite a near four-fold increase in applications between 2024 and 2025, only 13.1% of the target 1 crore solar rooftop installations, has been achieved.
  • In this scenario, the FY2027 target [of 1 crore installations] continues to be viewed as a considerable challenge.
  • Subsidies Released: Just 14.1% of the allocated ₹65,700 crore in subsidies has been released till July 2025.
  • Share in Total Capacity: As of July 2025, the 4.9 GW of installations added under the PMSGY accounted for approximately 44.5% of the country’s total residential rooftop capacity.

    • Read More

    Strengthening and Safeguarding Dams in India

    Context

  • Recently, the Supreme Court of India issued notices to various stakeholders calling for urgent directions to reinforce the aging structure of the 130-year-old Mullaperiyar dam.

    • Mullaperiyar Dam

  • It is a gravity dam built on the Periyar River in the Idukki district of Kerala that was constructed between 1887 and 1895.
  • The dam is operated and maintained by Tamil Nadu, under a 999-year lease agreement signed in 1886 between the Maharaja of Travancore and the British government.
  • It diverts water to the Vaigai basin in Tamil Nadu for irrigation across 68,558 hectares.

    • Read More

    Nobel Prize in Economics 2025

    Context

  • The 2025 Economics Nobel prize was awarded to Joel Mokyr, Philippe Aghion, and Peter Howitt for their groundbreaking work on innovation and economic growth.

    • Historical Roots of Modern Economic Growth

  • The research explored why sustained economic growth emerged only in the last two centuries despite technological progress throughout history.
  • It argued that before the Industrial Revolution, technological knowledge was largely “prescriptive” i.e. people knew how to make things work but not why they worked.
  • The Scientific Revolution during the 16th–17th centuries transformed this into “propositional” knowledge i.e. linking empirical understanding with scientific reasoning.
  • This fusion of science and technology created the foundation for “useful knowledge,” enabling systematic innovation.

    • Read More

    Civil Registration System (CRS) 2023 Report

    Context

  • The Registrar General of India (RGI) released the “Vital Statistics of India Based on the Civil Registration System (CRS)”, highlighting key demographic trends, a decline in births, a marginal rise in deaths, and regional variations in sex ratio at birth and registration levels.

    • Key Findings of the CRS 2023 Report

  • Births Registered: 2.52 crore births were registered in 2023, around 2.32 lakh fewer than in 2022.
  • Overall birth registration stood at 98.4%, indicating near-complete coverage.
  • Institutional births: 74.7% of total registered births.

    • Read More

    Canadian FM Visit to India 

    Context

  • The Canadian Foreign Minister paid a state visit to India where both sides agreed to restore relations, including relaunching the energy dialogue.

    • About

  • The process of normalisation of diplomatic relations began when PM Modi met his Canadian counterpart, on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, this year. 
  • It was followed by both countries reinstating high commissioners in each other’s capitals. 

    • Read More

    Twenty Years of Right To Information (RTI)

    The Right to Information (RTI) Act, which once empowered the ordinary Indian to challenge the extraordinary opacity of governance, facing the challenges of erosion of its power, governance and others.

    scroll to top