Recent Current Affairs related to Modi

The inaugural meeting of the India-Kuwait Joint Defence Committee (JDC) was held in New Delhi.

During the meeting, both nations agreed to strengthen bilateral defence cooperation across various sectors, including training, military exercises, military medicine, staff talks, defence industry, and Research & Development (R&D).

Vice President CP Radhakrishnan has released a book titled “Sankalp Se Siddhi Ka Modi Yug” at Uprashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.

The book is authored by Ghanshyam Tiwari, a Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament.

Partition Horrors Remembrance Day (Vibhajan Vibhishika Smriti Diwas)

Day - August 14

Commemorating - The victims and sufferings of people during the partition of India in 1947

PM Narendra Modi addressed the nation from the Red Fort on the 80th Independence Day of India, marking his 13th consecutive address.

It is to be noted that this is the second-highest after the 17 consecutive speeches of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. The celebration featured two themes: the 150 years of the national song “Vande Mataram” and “Yuva Shakti-Leading the Journey to Viksit Bharat@ 2047”.

The Indian Army (IA) served as the coordinating service for the event. The Guard of Honour comprised 25 personnel each from the IA, Indian Air Force (IAF), and Delhi Police. Captain Sonia Singh Chauhan of the IA assisted the PM in hoisting the national flag, followed by the first-ever performance of “Vande Mataram” at the Red Fort by the Army band.

PM Modi unveiled “Shakti Ki Saptadhara”, a seven-pronged strategy focusing on manufacturing, agriculture, technology, infrastructure, defence, the green and blue economy, and soft power.

He highlighted that 1 crore young Indians will be trained in AI skills over the next year and announced a target of 6 crore “Lakhpati Didis”. India also aims to reach 100 Giga-Watt (GW) of nuclear power capacity by 2047, with 5 new nuclear reactors starting within the current decade.

A total of 1,057 personnel were awarded Gallantry and Service Medals, including 301 Medals of Gallantry (GM) and 92 President’s Medals for Distinguished Service. President Droupadi Murmu approved 78 Gallantry Awards for the Armed Forces and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel, with 13 posthumous honours.

The Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), launched by PM Narendra Modi in 2019 under the Ministry of Jal Shakti (MoJS), has completed seven years of implementation. The Union Cabinet has extended the implementation deadline for the mission to December 2028.

The primary objective of the JJM is to provide a Functional Household Tap Connection (FHTC) to every rural household, ensuring a supply of 55 litres of water per person per day. It is to be noted that rural tap-water coverage under the mission has increased to over 15.91 crore households, and more than 2 lakh villages have been officially declared ‘Har Ghar Jal’ certified.

PM Narendra Modi has inaugurated ‘Param Pragya’, an AI-enabled high-performance supercomputing facility at the Sonipat (Haryana) campus of the IIT Delhi. The inauguration took place during the 57th convocation of IIT Delhi, where he attended as the Chief Guest.

Union Minister Amit Shah has flagged off the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga Yatra’ campaign at Murugaa Theatre Signal in Puducherry. The special focus of the campaign this year is the commemoration of 150 years of “Vande Mataram”.

It is to be noted that the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ initiative was launched by PM Narendra Modi in 2022 under ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’. The campaign encourages citizens to celebrate the Tricolour as a symbol of national unity, sovereignty, and identity.

PM Narendra Modi has released the autobiography of Ram Nath Kovind, the 14th President of India, titled “Triumph of the Indian Republic: My Life, My Struggles” at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi.

The PM Viksit Bharat Rojgar Yojana (PM-VBRY) has completed one year of implementation, during which more than 72 lakh first-time employees have joined the formal workforce. The scheme is implemented by the Ministry of Labour & Employment (MoL&E) through the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO).

The scheme, scheduled to run from August 2025 to July 2027, has a total financial outlay of ₹99,446 crore. It consists of two components: an employee-focused part that provides financial assistance to first-time formal workforce entrants, and an employer-focused part that offers incentives to establishments for generating additional employment.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved a 1-year extension for TV Somanathan as the Cabinet Secretary of India. He is the 33rd Cabinet Secretary and succeeded Rajiv Gauba.

PM Narendra Modi has visited Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka to inaugurate and lay the foundation stones for various development projects.

In Andhra Pradesh, he inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for projects worth over ₹17,900 crore. This includes the inauguration of the Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport at Bhogapuram in the Vizianagaram district, developed at a cost of over ₹5,640 crore by GMR Visakhapatnam International Airport Ltd (GVIAL).

In Karnataka, he inaugurated the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Youth Centre, also known as Viveka Smaraka, in Mysuru to commemorate Swami Vivekananda’s historic visit to the city in 1892.

PM Narendra Modi has launched the 'Nasha Mukt Yuva for Viksit Bharat Sankalp Abhiyan', a 100-week nationwide campaign to eradicate substance abuse among the youth.

The initiative includes a 'Jan Bhagidari' (people participation) drive to engage the community. To raise awareness, the campaign will conduct weekly activities every Sunday, such as sports, meditation, and cultural events.

The Union Cabinet has approved amendments to the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 to curb paper leak incidents. The minimum prison sentence for those convicted has been increased from 3 years to 5 years, while the maximum is 10 years.

For organized crimes, the financial penalty has been increased to ₹10 crore from the previous ₹1 crore. The legislation also mandates a fast-track mechanism to complete investigations, trials, and judgments within a 3-month timeframe.

PM Narendra Modi has announced the formation of a high-powered task force to suggest reforms for the examinations conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA). The task force is chaired by Nandan Nilekani (Infosys co-founder).

The committee members include S Somanath (former Chairman of the ISRO), V Kamakoti (Director of the IIT Madras), Tapan Deka, Anita Karwal, and Amrit Lal Meena.

Anurag Jain has been appointed as the CEO of the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog for a tenure of 2 years. He succeeds Nidhi Chhibber.

Pralhad Joshi has assumed charge as the Union Minister of Education. He succeeds Dharmendra Pradhan, who resigned from the post following nationwide protests regarding the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) paper leak controversy.

PM Narendra Modi has inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for rail and road infrastructure projects worth over ₹5,470 crore at Jalandhar Cantonment in Punjab.

This includes the inauguration of 75 redeveloped railway stations across 20 states under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, executed at a cost of ₹1,570 crore.

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has approved projects worth ₹2,719.80 crore under the Urban Challenge Fund (UCF) initiated by PM Narendra Modi. The funding is designated for 6 transformative urban development initiatives in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

PM Narendra Modi has visited New Zealand at the invitation of PM Christopher Luxon, marking the final leg of his 3-nation tour which also included Indonesia and Australia. He received a traditional Maori powhiri ceremonial welcome at the Government House in Auckland, followed by bilateral talks.

The meeting resulted in 18 major outcomes, including the signing of 10 MoUs and the elevation of India-New Zealand bilateral ties to a Strategic Partnership (SP). Both nations also adopted the 'Roadmap to 2030'.

Key announcements included a target to double bilateral trade to NZD 7 billion (₹35,000 crore) by 2030 and the establishment of a Maritime Security Dialogue. It is to be noted that New Zealand has nominated Maritime Security as a priority pillar under the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) and has officially joined the Global Biofuels Alliance (GBA), led by India.

PM Narendra Modi has dedicated development projects worth ₹14,700 crore to the nation in Haryana, aimed at enhancing road connectivity and medical infrastructure.

During the event, he flagged off India's first hydrogen-powered train. He also inaugurated the 157.92 km long, four-lane, fully access-controlled Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway, developed at a cost of ₹9,680 crore.