Awards, Honours & Persons in News Current Affairs MCQs

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Recently, Lieutenant General Pushpendra Singh of the Parachute Regiment has been appointed as the Vice-Chief of Army Staff (VCOAS). He succeeded Lt. Gen. NS Raja Subramani, who became Vice-Chief of Army Staff (VCOAS) on 1st July 2024. Lt. Gen. Pushpendra Singh has over 35 years of service in the Indian Army. He is an alumnus of the Indian Military Academy and was commissioned into 4 Para (Special Forces) in December 1987. He participated in several operations like Pawan, Meghdoot, Rakshak, and Orchid. He served in UN Peacekeeping Missions in Lebanon and Sri Lanka. He was the General Officer Commanding of the Rising Star Corps since April 2022.

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Recently, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari received the 43rd Lokmanya Tilak National Award in Pune. The award was instituted in 1983 by the Tilak Smarak Mandir Trust. It is given annually on 1st August, the death anniversary of Lokmanya Tilak. The award honours individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to the progress and development of the nation. Lokmanya Tilak was born as Keshav Gangadhar Tilak and was a key figure in India’s freedom struggle. He was a nationalist, social reformer, and strong advocate of Swaraj or Self-Rule.

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Shashi Prakash Goyal, a 1989-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, assumed charge as the new Chief Secretary of Uttar Pradesh (UP) on 1st August 2025. He replaced Manoj Kumar Singh, an IAS officer of the 1988 batch, who retired from service. Goyal earlier served as Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister (CM), handling Protocol, Civil Aviation, and Estate departments.

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Hiromasa Urakawa, a 28-year-old Japanese boxer, died from brain injuries sustained in a fight in Tokyo. He was knocked out in the eighth round against Yoji Saito on August 2 and later died after surgery for subdural haematoma, a bleeding between the skull and brain. This comes after Shigetoshi Kotari also died from similar injuries in the same event at Korakuen Hall. The Japan Boxing Commission reduced all Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) title fights from 12 to 10 rounds. Urakawa is the third high-profile boxing death in 2025, after Irish boxer John Cooney’s death from intracranial haemorrhage in February.

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Ajay Singh was re-elected as Boxing Federation of India (BFI) president for a third consecutive term on August 21, 2025. Singh defeated Olympian boxer Jaslal Pradhan with 40 votes against 26 in Gurugram. Pramod Kumar elected as Secretary-General and Pon Baskaran as Treasurer. Election was overseen by Justice (Retd) Rajesh Tandon and Fairuz Mohammed, WB (World Boxing) representative. Ajay Singh prioritized grassroots development, empowering junior and youth athletes, and strengthening India’s international boxing presence.

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New Development Bank (NDB), established by BRICS nations—Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa—appointed Dr. Rajiv Ranjan as Vice President and Chief Risk Officer for a five-year term. Ranjan started his career at Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in 1989 and was Executive Director and Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) member since May 2022. NDB finances India’s infrastructure projects in transport, clean energy, water, sanitation, environmental protection, and digital infrastructure. India holds the largest NDB project portfolio in BRICS at $7.5 billion, second only to China.

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Anand V. Patil has been honoured with Prof. V.K. Gokak Award. The award ceremony is held in Bengaluru on September 7 2025. The award is named after Prof. Vinayaka Krishna Gokak, a prominent Indian literary figure. It recognises individuals with significant contributions to Indian literature, especially in the Kannada language. The award highlights the importance of promoting regional literature and nurturing young readers. Anand V. Patil’s recognition reflects his lasting impact on children’s literary culture in India.

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Sankarshan Thakur, Editor of The Telegraph, passed away on September 8, 2025, in a Gurgaon hospital at the age of 63. Thakur was known for incisive political analysis, fearless commentary, and sharp ground reporting. He authored famous books like Making of Laloo Yadav, The Unmaking of Bihar, Single Man: The Life and Times of Nitish Kumar, and The Brothers Bihari. He began his career with Sunday magazine of Ananda Bazar Patrika group. He worked with The Indian Express and Tehelka, later becoming National Affairs Editor and then Editor of The Telegraph. He won the Prem Bhatia Award (2001) for excellence in political journalism. His ground reporting in Manipur (2001) after the ceasefire extension with NSCN-IM was widely acclaimed.

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Recently, Nagaland’s Hornbill Festival was honoured with the ‘Silver Banyan Award for Best Cultural Music & Dance’ at THE WEEK Heritage Awards. The award ceremony was held in New Delhi. The award was received on behalf of the state by the Joint Resident Commissioner of Nagaland House, New Delhi. THE WEEK Heritage Awards aim to protect, preserve, and promote India’s rich heritage and culture. The recognition highlights the Hornbill Festival’s role in showcasing traditional music, dance, and cultural identity of Nagaland at the national level.

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Bidar district (Karnataka) won the Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari (JSJB) Award under the Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain campaign. Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari (JSJB) initiative was launched in 2024 by the Ministry of Jal Shakti. The initiative aims to enhance water recharge through rainwater harvesting, aquifer recharge, borewell recharge, and recharge shafts. The objective is to conserve every drop of water using a whole-of-society and whole-of-government approach.