Awards, Honours & Persons in News Current Affairs MCQs

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi received the Honorary Order of Freedom of Barbados award. The award recognizes his strategic leadership and assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is one of the highest national honors of Barbados, given for significant contributions to the country or international relations.

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Gold Mercury International awarded the Gold Mercury Award 2025 to Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama. The award recognizes his efforts in promoting peace, compassion, and sustainability. The Dalai Lama urged world leaders to unite for global peace, cooperation, and environmental protection. He emphasized non-violence, wisdom, and environmental harmony as key values. Rooted in Buddhist philosophy, he advocates for all living beings and ecological balance. He remains a global symbol of non-violence and a strong voice for Tibetan rights and environmental conservation.

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Renowned Odia poet and former bureaucrat Ramakanta Rath passed away, leaving a rich literary legacy. Born on December 30, 1934, in Puri, he studied English literature at Ravenshaw College, Cuttack. He joined the Indian Administrative Service in 1956 and held key positions in Central and State governments. His first poetry collection, Kete Dinara (1962), introduced a new poetic movement in Odia literature. Saptama Ritu (1977) won him the Kendriya Sahitya Akademi Award in 1978. His most celebrated work, Sri Radha (1985), won the Saraswati Samman. He received the Padma Bhushan (2006) and Atibadi Jagannath Das Award (2018).

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Veteran sculptor Ram Sutar has been selected for the Maharashtra Bhushan 2024, the highest civilian award of Maharashtra. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced the award on March 20, 2025, in the state legislative assembly. A committee led by the Chief Minister unanimously chose him for the honor. Ram Sutar, a gold medalist from J.J. School of Art, Mumbai, is a master of bronze sculpting. He designed the Statue of Unity, a 182m tall statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in Kevadia, Gujarat. He created the seated Mahatma Gandhi statue in India’s Parliament and Gandhi busts in 450+ cities worldwide. His 108-ft statue of Kempa Gowda stands at Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru. Previously, he received the Padma Shri in 1999 and the Padma Bhushan in 2016 for his contributions to art.

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Eminent Hindi poet and writer Vinod Kumar Shukla from Chhattisgarh has been selected for the 59th Jnanpith Award 2024. He is the first from Chhattisgarh and the 12th Hindi writer to receive this prestigious award. The 58th Jnanpith Award 2023 was awarded to Jagadguru Rambhadracharyaji for Sanskrit and Gulzar for Urdu. The Bharatiya Jnanpith Trust administers the Jnanpith and Moorti Devi Awards. The first Jnanpith Award was given to Malayalam writer G. S. Kurup. Vinod Kumar Shukla, born in Rajnandgaon, Chhattisgarh, is 88 years old and studied Krishi Vigyan in Jabalpur. His first poetry collection “Lagbhag Jai Hind” was published in 1971.

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The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) was held on 22nd March 2025 in New Delhi. Elections for the post of Chairman and Governing Council members were conducted successfully. Shri. Ashok Singh Thakur was elected as Chairman for a 3-year term. INTACH, India’s premier heritage conservation organisation, was established on 27th January 1984. It is a national registered Society under the Societies Registration Act (1860). INTACH works to conserve heritage, environment, and intangible culture while providing financial and technical expertise. The INTACH Charter, adopted in 2004, is being revised for interdisciplinary heritage conservation.

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Indian sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik became the first Indian to receive the Fred Darrington Sand Master Award for excellence in sand art. The award was presented at the Sandworld 2025 International Sand Art Festival in Dorset, England, marking the 100th birth anniversary of British sculptor Fred Darrington. To celebrate, Pattnaik made a 10-foot-high sand sculpture of Lord Ganesha with the message of “World Peace”. A Padma Shri awardee from Odisha, he has taken part in over 65 international sand art events, gaining global fame for his spiritual and social themes. The Sandworld exhibition at Lodmoor Park features global artists using only sand and water to craft giant sculptures.

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Padmashree Ram Sahay Pandey, who recently passed away, was a renowned figure associated with the Rai folk dance of the Bundelkhand region. Pandey dedicated his life to promoting and preserving the Rai folk dance, a tradition that was once stigmatized. He is credited with bringing respectability to the art form and taking it from the heart of Bundelkhand to international platforms. The Rai dance is a traditional folk dance from the Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 2022 for his contributions to the preservation and promotion of Rai dance.

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President Droupadi Murmu was honoured with the “Key of Honour” and made an honorary citizen of Lisbon, the capital of Portugal, on 7 April 2025. The award was presented by Carlos Moedas, Mayor of Lisbon, at the historic Câmara Municipal de Lisboa. This honour marks deepening ties between India and Portugal and acknowledges her role in promoting global friendship. President Murmu is on a two-nation official visit to Portugal and Slovakia from 7 to 10 April 2025.

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The Uttar Pradesh Police’s “Investigation, Prosecution, and Conviction Portal” recently won the SKOCH Award in the “Police & Safety” category. This in-house development by the Technical Services Unit of UP Police has been recognized for its role in enhancing justice delivery and public trust, particularly in identifying and monitoring serious crimes and facilitating timely convictions. The portal has led to nearly 85,000 convictions and resolved over 40,000 pending cases.