Daily GK Update- 23rd July, 2025

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Core Industries Growth Slows to 1.7% in June 2025; Coal Sector Contracts Sharply, Steel Leads Gains: June 2025 saw a modest 7% growth in the Index of Eight Core Industries, marking a three-month high but falling sharply from 5% growth in June 2024 and significantly below the FY 2024-25 average of 6.3%; five out of eight sectors reported contraction.The coal sector witnessed the steepest contraction at -6.8%, followed by declines in natural gas (-2.8%), crude oil (-1.2%), and electricity (-2.8%) in June 2025, as per data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry on July 21, 2025.Steel (9.3%), cement (9.2%), and refinery products (3.4%) were the only sectors to show positive growth in June 2025, with steel posting the highest year-on-year gain among all sectors.The ICI measures the combined and individual performance of production of eight core industries viz. Coal, Crude Oil, Natural Gas, Refinery Products, Fertilizers, Steel, Cement and Electricity. The Eight Core Industries comprise 40.27 percent of the weight of items included in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP).

 

2. Parliament Passes ‘Bills of Lading, 2025’ to Modernize Maritime Shipping Laws: On the first day of the Monsoon Session, the ‘Bills of Lading, 2025’ bill was passed by the Rajya Sabha, after already being cleared by the Lok Sabha, and now awaits Presidential assent to become law.The bill seeks to replace the 169-year-old Indian Lading Act, 1856, introducing a modern and globally aligned legal framework for maritime shipping documentation in India.It aims to simplify legal language, reduce ambiguity, clarify rights and obligations of all parties involved in shipping, and minimize litigation, thus supporting Ease of Doing Business (EODB) and India’s global trade standing.The bill includes an enabling clause empowering the Central Government for effective implementation and features a repeal and saving clause to ensure legal continuity of actions under the old Act.

 

3. NESTS Signs MoU with Avanti Fellows to Provide JEE & NEET Coaching for Tribal Students from 2025: The National Education Society for Tribal Students (NESTS) signed a five-year MoU with Avanti Fellows to provide IIT-JEE and NEET coaching to tribal students studying in Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRSs), effective from the academic year 2025–26.Under the initiative, a Centre of Excellence (CoE) will be established at EMRS Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) with a batch of 80 selected students, aiming to offer structured, high-quality academic support to tribal youth for national-level entrance exams.The collaboration seeks to bridge the educational gap, promote inclusive education, and empower tribal students with the tools, mentorship, and confidence needed to excel in competitive exams and realize their full potential.

 

4. Jharkhand Becomes First State to Launch Mining Tourism: Jharkhand has become the first Indian state to launch mining tourism, an initiative announced by CM Hemant Soren and inspired by his visit to the Gava Museum of Mines in Barcelona, aiming to showcase the state’s rich industrial and mineral heritage.Home to nearly 40% of India’s mineral wealth, Jharkhand has partnered with Central Coalfields Limited (CCL) through an MoU to open mining sites to tourists, students, and the general public for educational and experiential visits.The Jharkhand Tourism Development Corporation (JTDC) will manage the project’s operations with the support of CCL and other stakeholders, promoting the state’s mining identity and boosting tourism diversification.

 

5. L&T to Build India’s Largest Green Hydrogen Plant at IOCL Panipat Refinery Under 25-Year Agreement: L&T Energy GreenTech (LTEG), a wholly owned subsidiary of Larsen & Toubro, will set up India’s largest green hydrogen plant at IOCL’s Panipat refinery in Haryana, supplying 10,000 tonnes of green hydrogen annually for 25 years under a build-own-operate (BOO) model.

The plant will be powered entirely by renewable energy and will use indigenously manufactured high-pressure alkaline electrolysers from L&T Electrolysers Ltd’s Hazira facility, supporting the goals of the National Green Hydrogen Mission and Aatmanirbhar Bharat.

 

6. Anup Kumar Saha Resigns as Bajaj Finance MD; Rajeev Jain Reappointed Till 2028: Anup Kumar Saha resigned as Managing Director of Bajaj Finance just four months after his appointment, citing personal reasons.Rajeev Jain has been reappointed as Managing Director till March 31, 2028; he previously held the same role and will also continue serving as Vice Chairman of the company.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. First Deputy Managing Director Gita Gopinath to Leave the IMF to Rejoin the Harvard Economics Faculty: International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva announced that Gita Gopinath, First Deputy Managing Director (FDMD), would be leaving the Fund at the end of August to return to Harvard University, where she will be the inaugural Gregory and Ania Coffey Professor of Economics in the Department of Economics.Gopinath joined the Fund in January 2019 as Chief Economist and was promoted to First Deputy Managing Director in January 2022.

 

2. Hazardous Sewer Cleaning Risks and Safety Measures in India: Recent reports show critical safety lapses among sewer and septic tank workers in India. Over 90% of workers who died during hazardous cleaning lacked proper safety gear. A government-commissioned social audit has revealed alarming gaps in safety protocols, training and worker consent. This has prompted the launch of targeted schemes to improve conditions. Between 2022 and 2023, 150 deaths occurred due to hazardous sewer and septic tank cleaning. The audit examined 54 cases across eight States and Union Territories. It found that in 49 cases, workers had no protective equipment. Only gloves and gumboots were sometimes provided. Mechanised cleaning tools were almost never used. Training on safety measures was nearly absent.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

DEFENCE

 

1. Indigenous Anti-Submarine Warfare Ship Ajay: The Indian Navy marked a key milestone with the launch of Yard 3034 Ajay, the eighth and final ship of the Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW SWC) series. Built indigenously by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) in Kolkata, this launch reinforces India’s push for self-reliance in defence shipbuilding under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative. Yard 3034 Ajay was launched on 21 July 2025 at GRSE’s Kolkata yard. The event was graced by Vice Admiral Kiran Deshmukh, Chief of Materiel, and Mrs Priya Deshmukh, who ceremonially launched the ship. Senior officials from the Indian Navy and GRSE attended. The launch comes shortly after the commissioning of the first ship of the class, INS Arnala, on 18 June 2025. The second ship, INS Androth, is ready for delivery following successful sea trials.

 

SPORTS

 

1. National Sports Governance Bill 2025: The National Sports Governance Bill 2025 was introduced in India’s Parliament to improve transparency and accountability in sports administration. It targets national sports bodies including the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The bill aims to establish a robust regulatory framework to govern sports federations and promote athlete welfare. The bill seeks to enhance governance in Indian sports by enforcing transparency and ethical practices. It focuses on athlete welfare, fair play, and integrity. The legislation intends to resolve long-standing issues such as opaque election processes and weak athlete representation. It aims to create a culture of good governance based on universally accepted principles. The bill mandates the formation of key bodies like the National Olympic Committee, National Paralympic Committee, National Sports Federations (NSFs), and Regional Sports Federations. Each body will govern specific recognised sports disciplines. This structure is designed to streamline administration and promote consistent standards across all sports.

 

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

 

1. MSDE Launches AI-Powered ‘Skill India Assistant’ Chatbot to Boost Skilling Access via WhatsApp: The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has launched the Skill India Assistant (SIA), an AI-powered chatbot developed by Meta and NSDC to provide personalised skilling and employment support through WhatsApp and the Skill India Digital Hub (SIDH) platform.Built on Meta’s open-source LLaMA model, SIA offers multilingual, multimodal support (voice/text in English, Hindi, and Hinglish), and provides services such as course recommendations, job listings, nearby training locators, and doubt-clearing quizzes — all available 24/7, even in low-bandwidth areas.With a focus on inclusivity and accessibility, SIA is India’s first large-scale public AI deployment in the skilling sector, designed to reach rural and underserved communities through WhatsApp and supported by a national awareness campaign.

2. 23 July – National Broadcasting Day: National Broadcasting Day is observed in India on 23rd July every year.The day commemorates the first-ever radio broadcast in India, which was aired on July 23, 1927, from the Bombay Station of the Indian Broadcasting Company (IBC).Later, the IBC was taken over by the government and renamed All India Radio (AIR) in 1936. The day recognizes the vital role broadcasting, especially radio, has played in informing, educating, and entertaining the public, particularly in rural and remote areas.

 

3. Comet AI Browser: The launch of Comet, an AI-first web browser by Perplexity, marks shift in internet usage in 2025. Designed to delegate web tasks to AI agents, Comet promises a new browsing experience where users interact less with websites and more with intelligent assistants that act on their behalf. Currently in early access under the Perplexity Max plan, Comet is shaping the future of browsing through automation and contextual understanding. Comet was developed to overcome limitations of traditional browsers and AI tools embedded within them. Unlike browsers that rely on cloud-based agents or extensions, Comet is a standalone application built on the Chromium framework. This gives it compatibility with popular Chrome extensions and user settings while maintaining full control over AI integration. The browser’s AI agents are deeply embedded, allowing seamless interaction across tabs and services without repeated logins or manual data transfer.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. ADB Sanctions ₹975 Crore for Industrial Infrastructure in Tripura: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has sanctioned a ₹975.26 crore loan to build world-class infrastructure—such as industrial sheds, roads, power substations, and fire stations—across nine industrial zones in Tripura, including Bodhjungnagar, R K Nagar, Dukli, and AN Nagar.The Tripura Industrial Development Corporation (TIDC) has begun work in newly allotted industrial areas at Santirbazar (127 acres) and Fatikroy (28 acres), while also reclaiming 28 acres from inactive units to promote efficient land use and support emerging entrepreneurs.

 

2. Income Tax Bill 2025: The Income Tax Bill 2025 has recently sparked debate over privacy concerns linked to its digital search and seizure provisions. The Bill grants tax authorities powers to override digital security measures and access social media and encrypted communications. Despite objections, a Parliamentary Select Committee has recommended retaining these powers with minimal changes. This move reflects the government’s intent to adapt tax enforcement to the digital age while balancing privacy and legal safeguards. The Bill defines virtual digital space broadly, covering all digital platforms where users interact and communicate. Tax officials can bypass passwords and encryption on social media, emails, and messaging apps to uncover financial data hidden in encrypted chats. This aims to tackle tax evasion through digital means but raises privacy issues.

 

 

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. “Meri Panchayat” App Wins WSIS Prizes 2025 Champion Award for Advancing Digital Rural Governance: The “Meri Panchayat” mobile application received the WSIS Prizes 2025 Champion Award under the category of Cultural Diversity and Identity, Linguistic Diversity, and Local Content at the WSIS+20 High-Level Event held in Geneva, Switzerland.Developed by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj and NIC, the app empowers over 25 lakh elected representatives and nearly 950 million rural citizens across 2.65 lakh Gram Panchayats, promoting digital inclusion and transparent rural governance.The app provides real-time access to Panchayat budgets, development plans, public services, weather updates, and grievance redressal in 12+ Indian languages, with geo-tagging and social audit features enhancing accountability.

 

2. Sant Kabir and National Handloom Awards 2024 Announced: The Ministry of Textiles will confer the Sant Kabir Handloom Awards and National Handloom Awards 2024 to honor 24 outstanding contributors to the handloom sector, including weavers, designers, startups, marketers, and producer companies under the National Handloom Development Programme (NHDP)A total of 5 Sant Kabir Awards and 19 National Handloom Awards will be presented during the 11th National Handloom Day celebrations on August 7, 2025, at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, in the presence of the Hon’ble President of India and other dignitaries.The Sant Kabir Handloom Award includes a cash prize of ₹3.5 lakh, a gold coin (mounted), a Tamrapatra (certificate), shawl, and a certificate of recognition, awarded to weavers with exceptional contributions to weaving traditions, innovation, and community development.The National Handloom Award recognizes excellence in craftsmanship and innovation, offering a cash prize of ₹2 lakh, along with a Tamrapatra, shawl, and certificate, to motivate and inspire handloom artisans across the country.