The 18th International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA) opened in Mumbai on 12 August 2025, marking the largest edition in the competition’s history. The event, organised by the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE), part of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), brings together over 300 high school students from 64 countries for a 10-day celebration of science, learning, and international collaboration.

The opening ceremony was held at 4 PM at the Jio World Convention Centre.

Record Participation

• Total Countries: 64 (highest so far).
• Participants: 288 students, including 57 women — the highest number of female participants in IOAA history.
• First-Time Participants (12 countries): Algeria, Australia, Bolivia, Ethiopia, France, Ghana, Hong Kong, Italy, Laos, Moldova, Palestine, Qatar, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Turkmenistan.
• Ghana participates as an observer nation.
• Returning After 3 Years: Four nations rejoined after a hiatus.

Special Highlights

War-affected nations like Ukraine, Iraq, and Palestine are participating, showcasing the unifying power of science. Russia is absent this year; Belarus is competing under the IOAA flag. Pakistan withdrew after the Pahalgam attack citing security concerns.

Competition Structure

Participants will compete in,

• Theory Exams – testing conceptual understanding of astronomy and astrophysics.
• Data Analysis Exams – interpreting astronomical datasets.
• Observational Exams – using telescopes and instruments.
• Team Competitions – collaborative problem-solving.
• Sky Observation Sessions will be hosted at the Nehru Planetarium, Mumbai.
• Mumbai hosts record-breaking IOAA 2025 with 64 nations, 12 first-time participants, and highest-ever women representation in the competition’s history.

Significance

Strengthens India’s position as a hub for international science Olympiads. Encourages STEM education and astronomy awareness among youth. Promotes global scientific diplomacy and cross-cultural exchange. Offers practical astronomical experience through observational sessions.

In a landmark move for Indian sports, Parliament has passed two transformative laws—the National Sports Governance Bill, 2025 and the National Anti-Doping (Amendment) Bill, 2025—aimed at reforming sports administration, strengthening athlete protections, and aligning India with global anti-doping norms.

Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya called the bills “a decisive step towards ethical governance and athlete-centric sports policy,” noting their significance in India’s bid to host the 2036 Olympic Games.

Why These Reforms Were Needed

For years, Indian sports governance has faced criticism for,

1. Administrative inefficiency in national sports federations.
2. Prolonged legal disputes affecting athletes’ careers.
3. Weak enforcement of anti-doping rules.
4. Limited representation for women in sports bodies.

The 2025 bills aim to professionalize sports governance, ensure speedy dispute resolution, and protect athletes from unfair practices—bringing India closer to international standards.

National Sports Governance Bill, 2025

Key Provisions

Ensures greater voice for athletes in decision-making within sports bodies. Tribunal for Sports Disputes,  Independent body to resolve disputes quickly. Reduces reliance on lengthy court proceedings. Mandatory Women’s Representation: Gender diversity in all sports administration bodies. Transparent elections, term limits for officials, and financial disclosures.

Impact

• Cuts down bureaucratic delays in athlete selections and policy decisions.
• Prevents power concentration in sports federations.
• Aligns governance structures with International Olympic Committee (IOC) standards.

National Anti-Doping (Amendment) Bill, 2025

Key Provisions

Updates India’s laws to match World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Code 2021. Enhanced sanctions for athletes, coaches, or officials involved in doping. Streamlined process for doping hearings and appeals. Increased out-of-competition testing and advanced lab capabilities.

Impact

• Strengthens India’s credibility in global sports forums.
• Protects clean athletes and ensures fair play.
• Helps India avoid international sanctions for non-compliance.

On 12 August 2025, the Lok Sabha passed the Indian Ports Bill, 2025, a landmark reform aimed at modernizing port governance, streamlining trade processes, and aligning India’s maritime sector with global best practices.

Introduced by Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, Shri Sarbananda Sonowal, the bill replaces the Indian Ports Act, 1908, a colonial-era law, with a future-ready legal framework supporting the Prime Minister’s vision of “Ports for Prosperity.”

Background

• Indian Ports Act, 1908 Enacted during the colonial era, it governed port administration for over a century but had become outdated in the face of modern logistics and trade demands.
• Need for Change: Rapid growth in global trade, containerized cargo, and environmental concerns necessitated a digitized, sustainable, and competitive port ecosystem.
• Government’s Vision: Linked to initiatives like Sagarmala Programme and Maritime India Vision 2030, aiming to make India a top global maritime nation by 2047.

Key Objectives of the Indian Ports Bill, 2025

• Replace archaic legislation with modern, transparent, and efficiency-focused port governance.
• Boost cooperative federalism via the Maritime State Development Council (MSDC).
• Enhance ease of doing business (EODB) by digitizing port procedures.
• Ensure environmental sustainability through green port initiatives and pollution control.
• Promote investment through clear Public-Private Partnership (PPP) and FDI provisions.
• Standardize safety and operational protocols across all Indian ports.

Major Provisions

Institutional Reforms

Maritime State Development Council (MSDC)

• Includes representatives from Central and State Governments.
• Coordinates national port development strategies.
• Resolves inter-state and port authority disputes.

State Maritime Boards

• Strengthened to manage non-major ports effectively.
• Empowered to undertake port expansion and modernization.

Dispute Resolution Committees

• Fast-track resolution of conflicts between ports, users, and service providers.

Operational Reforms

• Tariff Autonomy: Ports can set competitive tariffs under a transparent framework.
• Integrated Planning: Long-term development strategies for cargo growth and connectivity.
• Boost to Coastal Shipping: Seamless integration with inland waterways and multimodal transport.
• Digitalization: Fully online port operations to cut red tape and reduce turnaround time.

Environmental & Safety Measures

• Waste Reception Facilities at all ports.
• Compliance with MARPOL (Marine Pollution) and Ballast Water Management conventions.
• Emergency Preparedness Plans for disasters and security threats.
• Promotion of renewable energy and shore power systems to cut emissions.

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), India’s premier recruitment body for senior government services, will mark 100 years of its existence with a year-long Centenary Year celebration starting 1 October 2025 and concluding on 1 October 2026.

Chairman Shri Ajay Kumar announced that the celebrations will include special events, a commemorative logo, and new reforms aimed at further strengthening transparency, fairness, and meritocracy in recruitment.

Historical Background

The UPSC’s origins date back to the Government of India Act, 1919 and the recommendations of the Lee Commission (1924), which emphasized the need for an independent body to recruit for higher civil services.

Key historical milestones,

• 1 October 1926: Public Service Commission established in India.
• 1937: Renamed Federal Public Service Commission under the Government of India Act, 1935.
• 26 January 1950: Became the Union Public Service Commission under the Constitution of India (Article 315).
• Over the decades, UPSC has remained the guardian of merit-based recruitment, playing a pivotal role in shaping India’s administrative framework.

Centenary Year Highlights

The Centenary celebrations will reflect both heritage and modernization,

• Launch of a special logo and tagline symbolizing UPSC’s century-long service to the nation.
• New reforms in recruitment and examination processes to enhance fairness, efficiency, and reach.
• Employee participation through suggestions, ensuring that the celebrations reflect the views of those who serve within the institution.
• Public outreach programs to showcase UPSC’s legacy and role in nation-building.

UPSC’s Legacy and Role

For a century, the UPSC has stood for integrity, impartiality, and professionalism. It has,

• Conducted some of the most competitive exams in the country.
• Ensured equal opportunity for aspirants from diverse backgrounds.
• Adapted to changing administrative needs while upholding constitutional values.
• Chairman Shri Ajay Kumar emphasized that the Centenary Year is a time to look back with pride, introspect for improvement, and plan for the next 100 years of excellence.

On 12 August 2025, the Union Health Ministry unveiled SHRESTH – the State Health Regulatory Excellence Index, marking a significant milestone in India’s public health governance. This first-of-its-kind national initiative is designed to benchmark and strengthen state drug regulatory systems through a transparent, data-driven framework.

The program reflects India’s growing emphasis on medicine quality, safety, and efficacy, reaffirming the government’s commitment to ensuring that every Indian—regardless of location—receives safe and effective medicines.

Background: Why SHRESTH Was Needed

India’s pharmaceutical sector is one of the largest in the world, often referred to as the “Pharmacy of the World” for its role in supplying affordable drugs globally.

However, regulatory capacity at the state level has varied significantly. With States/UTs playing a frontline role in manufacturing oversight, licensing, and distribution, the need for standardized evaluation and harmonized practices became urgent.

Past successes, like India’s WHO ML3 status for vaccines, have set the stage for similar advancements in drug regulation.

What is SHRESTH?

SHRESTH stands for State Health Regulatory Excellence Index and functions as a virtual gap assessment tool for states.

It will,

• Benchmark performance of state drug regulatory authorities.
• Identify gaps in human resources, infrastructure, licensing, surveillance, and responsiveness.
• Guide states towards maturity certification in line with global standards.

Framework & Implementation

The Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) will oversee SHRESTH.

States will be divided into two categories,

Manufacturing States – evaluated on 27 indices under five themes,

• Human Resources
• Infrastructure
• Licensing Activities
• Surveillance Activities
• Responsiveness

Primarily Distribution States/UTs – evaluated on 23 indices across similar parameters.

Data Submission & Ranking Process,

• States submit data by the 25th of every month.
• Metrics are scored on the 1st of the next month.
• Rankings shared with all States/UTs for transparency.

Significance for Public Health

Union Health Secretary Smt. Punya Salila Srivastava emphasized that medicine quality is the first line of public health defense. SHRESTH aims to ensure that medicines manufactured in India are trusted worldwide, beginning with citizens at home.

The index will,

• Strengthen regulatory systems.
• Enhance consumer trust in medicines.
• Ensure uniform implementation of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.
• Encourage best practice sharing between states.

Additional Initiatives Linked to SHRESTH

Alongside SHRESTH, the ministry announced,

• Expansion of the Not of Standard Quality (NSQ) Dashboard to all states.
• A National Symposium on Drugs Regulatory Systems.
• Joint trainings and audits for regulatory staff.
• Capacity-building workshops to align state systems with international standards.

In a major boost to India’s chip manufacturing ecosystem, the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved ₹4,600 crore for four new semiconductor manufacturing projects in Odisha, Punjab, and Andhra Pradesh. These will be set up under the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM), bringing the total number of approved semiconductor projects to 10 across six states.

India’s Expanding Semiconductor Ecosystem

• Total Projects Approved: 10 (including earlier six projects)
• Total Investment: ~₹1.60 lakh crore
• Direct Jobs Created: Over 2,000 skilled positions
• Indirect Jobs: Several thousand more in supporting industries
• Target Sectors: Telecom, automotive, data centres, consumer electronics, industrial automation, renewable energy, and defense.

The Four New Semiconductor Projects

1. SiCSem Private Limited – Odisha

• Partnership: Clas-SiC Wafer Fab Ltd., UK
• Location: Info Valley, Bhubaneswar, Odisha
• Significance: First commercial Silicon Carbide (SiC) compound semiconductor fab in India
• Capacity: 60,000 wafers/year & 96 million packaging units/year
• Applications: Defence, electric vehicles, railways, data centres, solar inverters, consumer electronics.

2. 3D Glass Solutions Inc. – Odisha

• Technology: Vertically integrated advanced packaging & embedded glass substrate manufacturing
• Capacity: 69,600 glass panel substrates/year & 50 million assembled units/year
• Applications: High-performance computing, AI, automotive, photonics, defense.

3. ASIP Technologies – Andhra Pradesh

• Partnership: APACT Co. Ltd., South Korea
• Capacity: 96 million units/year
• Products: Semiconductor components for mobile phones, set-top boxes, automotive electronics, consumer devices.

4. Continental Device India Pvt. Ltd. (CDIL) – Punjab

• Location: Mohali (brownfield expansion)
• Products: High-power devices — MOSFETs, IGBTs, Schottky diodes, transistors (Silicon & SiC)
• Capacity: 158 million units/year
• Applications: EVs, renewable energy, power conversion, communication systems.

Strategic Importance of the Projects

• First SiC Compound Fab in India: Strengthens domestic supply chain for high-performance electronics.
• Balanced Regional Development: Spread across east (Odisha), north (Punjab), and south (Andhra Pradesh).
• Import Reduction: Reduces reliance on foreign semiconductor imports.
• Global Competitiveness: Positions India as a potential chip manufacturing hub in Asia.

Supporting Ecosystem and Talent Development

The government is also building a strong semiconductor design ecosystem,

• 278 academic institutions supported for R&D and design initiatives.
• 72 chip design startups receiving incentives.
• 60,000+ students trained for semiconductor industry needs.