Awards, Honours & Persons in News Current Affairs MCQs

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Bhuwan Ribhu became the first Indian lawyer to receive the Medal of Honour from the World Jurist Association, a global legal recognition. The award acknowledges his lifelong legal work against child labour, trafficking, child marriage, and sexual abuse. He is the founder of Just Rights for Children (JRC), a global legal network with over 250 partner organisations in India, Nepal, Kenya, and the United States of America (USA). Bhuwan Ribhu has led more than 60 Public Interest Litigations (PILs) related to child rights in Indian courts. He was key in getting the Supreme Court of India to adopt the United Nations (UN) Protocol definition of trafficking. His efforts helped classify trafficking as a criminal offence in Indian law. He also ensured that First Information Reports (FIRs) became mandatory for missing children. He played a major role in banning child labour in hazardous occupations.

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Dr. Subbanna Ayyappan, a renowned fisheries scientist and Padma Shri awardee, was found dead in the Cauvery River near Srirangapatna, Karnataka, on May 10, 2025. He was known as the architect of India’s Blue Revolution, which boosted fish production through scientific aquaculture. He was 70 years old at the time of his death.

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President Draupadi Murmu recently presented the 58th Jnanpith Award to Sanskrit scholar Jagadguru Rambhadracharya and poet-lyricist Gulzar at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi. Jagadguru Rambhadracharya, despite being blind, has made great contributions to Sanskrit and Hindi literature by memorizing texts like ‘Ramcharitmanas’ and the ‘Gita’. Gulzar is a famous poet, songwriter, and Oscar and Grammy winner, known for his work in literature, cinema, and television. The Jnanpith Award is India’s highest literary honour, established in 1961 by the Bharatiya Jnanpith Trust. It is given to writers working in the languages listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution and in English. The award includes ₹11 lakh, a bronze statue of Goddess Saraswati, and a citation. The first award was given in 1965 to Malayalam poet G. Sankara Kurup for ‘Odakkuzhal’.

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Banu Mushtaq, an Indian writer, lawyer, and activist, became the first author writing in Kannada to win the International Booker prize 2025. She won for her short story collection Heart Lamp. Heart Lamp is the first short story collection to win the £50,000 prize. The International Booker Prize began in 2005 as the Man Booker International Prize. It is awarded annually for a single book translated into English and published in the UK or Ireland. Its goal is to encourage reading quality fiction from non-English languages. The prize promotes global fiction among English-speaking readers, covering novels and short story collections.

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Recently, the President of India presented the National Florence Nightingale Awards for the year 2025 to nurses at a ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The National Florence Nightingale Award was started in 1973 by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. It is a prestigious national honour given to outstanding nursing personnel from Central Government, State and Union Territories, and Voluntary Organizations. The award recognizes the meritorious services of nurses in hospitals, communities, education, or administration. The award includes a Certificate of Merit, a Cash Award of ₹1,00,000, and a medal.

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Former German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock was elected President of the 80th session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly on June 2. She won the secret ballot with 167 votes, while 14 countries chose to abstain. Baerbock is the first woman from the Western European group and the fifth woman overall to lead the UN General Assembly. The 80th session begins on September 9, 2025, and will focus on global crises and reforms like the UN80 initiative and choosing the next Secretary-General before 2026.

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Dr. Srinivas ‘Bobby’ Mukkamala has been elected as the first Indian-origin president of the American Medical Association (AMA) in its 178-year history. He will serve as the 180th president of the AMA, the largest association of physicians in the United States. Dr. Mukkamala, an ENT specialist from Michigan, has led the AMA Substance Use and Pain Care Task Force. He has advocated evidence-based policies to address the overdose epidemic in the U.S. He graduated from the University of Michigan Medical School and completed residency at Loyola University, Chicago.

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Lieutenant Commander Yashaswi Solankee, aged 27, became the first woman officer to be appointed as an Aide-de-Camp (ADC) to the President of India. The President usually has five ADCs — three from the Indian Army, and one each from the Indian Navy and Indian Air Force. Until now, no woman officer had ever served in this prestigious role. Solankee, from Bharuch in Gujarat, was selected in April 2025 and completed a month-long orientation. She received her aiguillette from President Droupadi Murmu after training. The ADC manages presidential schedules, attends all ceremonies, and serves as a 24/7 liaison with government and military.

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The Swedish startup NitroCapt won the 2025 Food Planet Prize for their innovative green fertilizer technology. This technology uses plasma and renewable energy to extract nitrogen from the air, eliminating the need for fossil fuels in fertilizer production. The $2 million prize, awarded by the Curt Bergfors Foundation, will help NitroCapt scale up its operations and further disrupt the global nitrogen fertilizer industry.

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Renowned environmentalist and Padma Shri awardee Maruti Chitampalli, also known as ‘Aranya Rishi’, passed away at 93 in Solapur, Maharashtra due to age-related issues. He devoted his life to forests, wildlife, and environmental literature, earning national recognition. He was honoured with the Padma Shri by the President of India on April 30, 2025. Chitampalli served in the Forest Department for 36 years and travelled over 5 lakh kilometres across India for research. His scientific works include ‘Pakshikosha’ (Birds), ‘Pashukosha’ (Animals), and ‘Matsyakosha’ (Fish).