Awards, Honours & Persons in News Current Affairs MCQs

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Mohan Chandra Kandpal becomes the first person from Uttarakhand to receive the National Water Award for Best Individual in the Water Sector (North Zone). President Droupadi Murmu presented the award at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. He has worked over 36 years reviving springs, naulas and water sources in Himalayan villages. He leads the grassroots campaign “Pani Boao–Pani Uggao” (Sow Water–Grow Water). His efforts replenished water in nearly 40 villages in the Riskan river belt, combating deforestation and soil degradation.

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The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) won the Gold Prize for Public Outreach and Communication at the India International Trade Fair (IITF) 2025 in New Delhi. The award recognised its innovative, inclusive, and people-friendly communication through the GST and Customs Pavilion. The pavilion ran from 14–27 November 2025 with the theme “Next-Gen Goods and Services Tax (GST): Simple Tax, Prosperous Nation.”

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UN Environment Programme (UNEP) awarded IAS officer Supriya Sahu the 2025 UN Champions of the Earth award in the Inspiration and Action category. She was honoured for her long-standing leadership in plastic reduction, wildlife conservation, and especially sustainable cooling. Her key initiative, Tamil Nadu’s Cool Roof Project, lowered indoor temperatures by 5–8°C using high Solar Reflective Index paint, offering a low-cost cooling solution. UNEP called it a game changer for cities facing extreme heat, showing scalable climate action.

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Retired Indian Administrative Service officer Raj Kumar Goyal was sworn in as the Chief Information Commissioner of the Central Information Commission. President Droupadi Murmu administered the oath of office at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Raj Kumar Goyal is a 1990-batch Indian Administrative Service officer. He retired as Secretary in the Department of Justice under the Ministry of Law and Justice. He also served as Secretary for Border Management in the Ministry of Home Affairs. He succeeded Heeralal Samariya as Chief Information Commissioner. His appointment was made under Section 12 of the Right to Information Act, 2005, and took effect from December 15.

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The Vice-President of India, Shri C.P. Radhakrishnan, released the book Sanatan Sanskriti Ki Atal Drishti by Shri Vasudev Devnani, Speaker of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly, at the Vice-President’s Enclave, New Delhi. The book is a tribute to former Prime Minister Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his centenary birth anniversary. The Vice-President praised Vajpayee as an institution whose life embodied principles, values, and visionary leadership.

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Renowned Indian ecologist Madhav Dhananjaya Gadgil passed away on 7 January 2026 in Pune at the age of 82. He was the founder of the Centre for Ecological Sciences at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru. He chaired the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP) in 2010, known as the Gadgil Commission. He played a key role in establishing India’s first biosphere reserve, the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve (1986). He significantly contributed to the Biological Diversity Act, 2002 and People’s Biodiversity Registers. He received major honours including Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, and United Nations Champions of the Earth Award (2024).

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Senior Indian diplomat DB Venkatesh Varma has been nominated by the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General to chair the Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters for 2026–27. This is the first time an Indian has been appointed as chair of the board, established in 1978. Indian diplomats have previously served as members, but never as chair. DB Venkatesh Varma is a leading expert on disarmament and Russia, with key roles in India’s Prime Minister’s Office, including during India–US nuclear deal negotiations. He also served as India’s ambassador to Russia, managing bilateral ties during Covid-era coordination and launching India’s Act Far East policy from Vladivostok in 2019.

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Recently, the Centre for Development of Telematics received the SKOCH Award 2025 at the 104th SKOCH Summit themed “Resourcing Viksit Bharat”. The award was given for its Cell Broadcast Solution, an indigenous disaster and emergency alert platform. The system integrates agencies like India Meteorological Department, Central Water Commission, Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services, Defence Geo-informatics Research Establishment, and Forest Survey of India. It delivers near real-time, geo-targeted, multilingual disaster alerts through mobile networks with approval from State and National Disaster Management Authorities.

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Vice President Dr C. P. Radhakrishnan launched the book Chalice of Ambrosia: Ram Janmabhoomi–Challenge and Response in New Delhi. The book is authored by Surendra Kumar Pachauri, a former secretary to the Government of India. Dr Radhakrishnan stated that Ram Mandir at Ayodhya represents a defining moment in India’s civilisational journey, where faith, law, and democracy converged. The 2019 Supreme Court verdict fulfilled the aspirations of millions and highlighted the strength of Indian democracy.

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Uttar Pradesh won the national award for Most Proactive State under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS)–UDAN in the Non-Priority Area category. The award recognises states that are neither hill states nor in the North-East, highlighting UP’s aviation expansion under CM Yogi Adityanath. Air passenger numbers grew from 59.97 lakh in 2016 to 1.28 crore in 2024 and 1.55 crore in 2025. Air cargo volume increased from 5,895 metric tonnes in 2016 to 29,761 metric tonnes in 2025, a CAGR of 17.58% over nine years.