the Directorate General of Shipping (DGS) and the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), a Scientific Society under Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) signed an umbrella Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), to advance technological innovation and excellence in India's maritime sector.
This MoU embodies a progressive vision for tackling challenges and leveraging opportunities in the maritime sector through technology, collaboration, and innovation. It establishes a strong foundation for building a sustainable and advanced maritime ecosystem in India.
The central government officially notified the implementation of the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS). The scheme will come into effect from April 1, 2025.
Launched in August 2024, UPS strikes a balance between the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) and the National Pension Scheme (NPS), offering government employees a guaranteed pension post-retirement,ensuring their financial security.
The scheme will be applicable only to central government employees who are covered under the NPS and choose the UPS option. According to the notification, existing central government employees, as well as future employees, can choose to either take the UPS option under the NPS or continue with the NPS without the UPS option.
The notification made it clear that those exercising the UPS option shall not be entitled to, and cannot claim, any other policy concession, policy change, financial benefit, or any other parity with subsequent retirees, etc.
The scheme, formulated after the recommendations of a high-level panel led by Cabinet Secretary TV Somanathan,
had earlier announced that employees who were covered under the NPS and have already retired would also be covered by the UPS. The present notification says that the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) will determine a mechanism for such retirees who opt for the UPS.
Micheal Martin has been elected as the Republic of Ireland’s prime minister for a second time.
Lawmakers voted 95 to 76 in support of the nomination of the Fianna Fail leader.
Martin will lead a coalition government made up of the two largest centre-right parties, in addition to independent lawmakers.
Martin, 64, was previously prime minister from 2020 to 2022 before handing the position to Fine Gael for the second half of the term. Under the coalition agreement, outgoing Prime Minister Simon Harris is set to return as premier in 2027.
For now, Harris will replace Martin as deputy prime minister and is also likely to take over as foreign minister.
The left-arm pacer of India, Arshdeep Singh, was the leading wicket-taker during India’s successful outing in the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup, and he recently became India’s highest wicket-taker in T20 internationals.His two-wicket spell against England in the first T20 of the ongoing series took his overall tally to 97 wickets, surpassing Yuzvendra Chahal’s tally of 96 wickets.
He has added yet another accolade to his name, as he was named ICC 2024 men's T20 international cricketer of the year.
The 25-year-old bowler had an exceptional year, finishing with 36 wickets in 18 T20I matches. His impressive performances also earned him spot in the ICC T20I Team of the Year 2024, alongside prominent names like Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, and Hardik P.
The Hon’ble Chairman of the 16th Finance Commission, Dr. Arvind Panagariya, launched the inaugural issue of NITI Aayog’s report titled “Fiscal Health Index (FHI) 2025” on 24th January 2025 in New Delhi.
The report provides a comprehensive assessment of the fiscal health of 18 major States, based on five key sub-indices: Quality of Expenditure, Revenue Mobilisation,
The FHI aims to throw light on the fiscal status at the sub-national level and guide policy reforms for sustainable and resilient economic growth. The report ranks States on the basis of composite fiscal index, which is based on five major sub-indices viz, quality of expenditure, revenue mobilisation, fiscal prudence, debt index, and debt sustainability.
With a cumulative score of 67.8, Odisha tops the ranking in fiscal health among 18 major States, followed by Chhattisgarh and Goa with scores of 55.2 and 53.6, respectively. The achiever States display strong fiscal health, excelling in revenue mobilization, expenditure management, and debt sustainability.
Improvements are seen in states like Jharkhand, which has strengthened fiscal prudence and debt sustainability, while Karnataka faces a decline due to weaker performance in expenditure quality and debt management. These interstate disparities highlight the need for targeted reforms to address specific fiscal challenges and ensure sustainable growth.
Madison Keys secured her first-ever Grand Slam title, defeating defending champion Aryna Sabalenka in a dramatic final at the 2025 Australian Open. The American tennis star triumphed in a match that went the full three sets, with scores of 6-3, 2-6, 7-5.
This win at the Australian Open marks Keys' first-ever Grand Slam title.
At 29, she has become the fourth-oldest player to win her first Grand Slam title. This victory also ended Sabalenka's 20-match winning streak at the Australian Open, making it even more special.
Her semifinal victory over Iga Świątek was a key moment that set her up for this thrilling final.
World Cup-winning former captain Michael Clarke has become the 64th player to be inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame, the sport's governing body in the country announced on January 23, 2024.
The induction ceremony took place at the Sydney Cricket Ground on January 22, 2024.
In his 12-year career, Clarke piled on the runs in Tests and ODIs, aggregating 8643 and 7981 respectively, at an average of 49.10 and 44.58.
He reserved his best for the longest format in which he amassed 28 hundreds including a memorable 329 against India at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
He played as many as 35 Tests against England and 22 against India, averaging more than 56 against both the top teams with seven hundreds apiece.
The 43-year-old captained Australia to a 5-0 series win the 2013-2014 Ashes and also the ODI World Cup triumph at home in 2015.
The President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu graced and addressed the 15th National Voters’ Day Celebrations in New Delhi (January 25, 2025). The President presented the Best Electoral Practices Awards to state and district officials who demonstrated exemplary performance in ensuring the smooth conduct of elections, on the occasion.
She also received the first copy of the book “India Votes 2024: A Saga of Democracy” from the Chief Election Commissioner, Shri Rajiv Kumar.
Since 2011, National Voters’ Day has been observed annually on January 25 to commemorate the foundation day of the Election Commission of India. This event aims to underline the centrality of the voter, raise electoral awareness.
Wing Commander (Retd) K. Ramchand, Founder and Director of Centre for Air Borne Systems (CABS), Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Bengaluru, passed away. He was 82.
Ramchand lead the team at DRDO for the indigenous design and development of the AEW&C aircraft.
The aircraft was inducted into the IAF in 2017 and was flown during the air strike on Balakot in 2019, providing critical air cover to Mirage 2000 fighter jets.
He was the principal author of the book “The Incredible Journey of the Indian AWACS” released at Aero India, 2019.
A recipient of the “Distinguished Alumni Award” of IISc, Ramchand held a Masters Degree and PhD at the Department of Aerospace Engineering, IISc.
During his tenure lasting over two decades in the IAF, Ramchand served in the COM Squadron and was a member of the crew that flew several VIPs.
