Awards, Honours & Persons in News Current Affairs MCQs

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Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), Hyderabad has been awarded the prestigious Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar for 2025 in the Institutional Category. This award recognizes INCOIS’s significant contributions to disaster management in India, particularly in tsunami early warning, cyclone forecasting, and coastal risk mitigation. INCOIS operates the Indian Tsunami Early Warning Centre (ITEWC), recognized globally by UNESCO. The organization has developed innovative tools like SARAT and SynOPS to enhance disaster response capabilities. This award highlights India’s advancements in disaster management and the crucial role of institutions like INCOIS in safeguarding lives and livelihoods.

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Christine Carla Kangaloo, President of Trinidad and Tobago, was awarded the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award for her contributions to public affairs and promoting India’s global prestige. She served as the chief guest at the 18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, in January 2025. Kangaloo highlighted the deep historical ties between India and Trinidad, dating back to 1845 with the arrival of Indian indentured workers. She praised India’s global contributions in education, medicine, and mathematics, and acknowledged the Indian diaspora’s impact worldwide.

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Doordarshan received an award for its voter awareness campaign during the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections. It won in the Electronic Media category for its special series “Chunav Ka Parv Desh Ka Garv”. The initiative helped educate first-time voters and strengthened India’s democratic process. President Droupadi Murmu presented the award to Doordarshan’s Director-General Kanchan Prasad on Republic Day 2025. The award recognizes Doordarshan’s commitment to responsible media outreach across India.

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Latika Katt, a renowned Indian sculptor, passed away at 76 in Jaipur. She was known for larger-than-life sculptures, public busts, and capturing nature’s organic forms. Her works include a 20-ft bronze sculpture of Jawaharlal Nehru at Jawahar Bhawan, Delhi. She experimented with terracotta, papier-mâché, stone, and bronze over five decades. She won the Beijing Art Biennale Award (2010) for Makarsankranti Nahan at Dashaswamedh Ghat.

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The government posthumously honored Chaman Arora with the Sahitya Akademi Award 2024 in the Dogri language category. He received the award for his book Ik Hor Ashwthama. The Ministry of Culture confirmed the selection based on a unanimous jury recommendation. Sahitya Akademi President Madhav Kaushik approved the decision. The award includes a casket with an engraved copper plaque and a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh. Arora’s family will receive the award at a special event on March 8 in New Delhi.

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The Ministry of Ayush has opened nominations for the Prime Minister’s Yoga Awards for International Day of Yoga (IDY2025). The awards recognize individuals and organizations for their significant contributions to promoting Yoga nationally and internationally. It was established to honor Yoga’s impact on society, the awards celebrate its role in disease prevention and health promotion. Winners in four categories (National/International Individual and Organization) will receive a trophy, certificate, and Rs. 25 lakh cash. Nominees must be at least 40 years old with 20 years of service in Yoga promotion. A screening committee will review applications, and an evaluation jury will make final decisions.

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Gyanesh Kumar has been appointed as the new Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), replacing Rajiv Kumar. He is a 1988-batch IAS officer from the Kerala cadre and senior to the other commissioners. Vivek Joshi has been appointed as Election Commissioner; he was the former Registrar General of India and Census Commissioner. This is the first appointment under the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioner Act, 2023.

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Vishvaa Rajakumar, a 20-year-old Indian student, won the Memory League World Championship 2025. He memorized 80 random numbers in 13.50 seconds and 30 images in 8.40 seconds. The Memory League World Championship is a top-level online memory competition. Rajakumar, ranked No. 1 with a score of 5,000, studies at Manakula Vinayagar Institute of Technology, Puducherry. He credits hydration for improving memory speed and clarity. His goal is to become a memory trainer and establish a memory institute in India.

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Purnima Devi Barman, an Indian biologist and wildlife conservationist, is named in TIME Magazine’s Women of the Year 2025 list. She is the only Indian woman on the list, alongside global figures like Nicole Kidman and Gisele Pelicot. The award recognizes extraordinary leaders working for a more equitable and sustainable world. Barman is known for her efforts in conserving the greater adjutant stork (Hargila). Her work has transformed both environmental and social landscapes, making a significant impact on wildlife conservation.

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The Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) and the Satyarthi Movement for Global Compassion held a discussion on Diyaslai. Diyaslai is the autobiography of Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi, detailing his journey from Vidisha to his fight for child rights. Kailash Satyarthi, born in 1954 in Madhya Pradesh, has led global efforts against child slavery and exploitation in 140 countries. His organization has rescued over 1,38,000 children from child labour and trafficking. He highlighted that compassion is the key to solving global issues.