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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Rabih Alameddine won the National Book Award for Fiction for “The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother)”. Omar El Akkad won the Nonfiction prize for “One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This”. Patricia Smith won the Poetry award for “The Intentions of Thunder: New and Selected Poems”. Daniel Nayeri won for Young People’s Literature with “The Teacher of Nomad Land: A World War II Story”. Gabriela Cabezón Cámara was recognised in Translated Literature for “We Are Green and Trembling”, translated by Robin Myers. The 76th National Book Awards ceremony took place at Cipriani Wall Street, Manhattan, hosted by Jeff Heller with musical performance by Corinne Rae Bailey.

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Dr. Tessy Thomas, called the Missile Woman of India, received the 8th Dr. Paulos Mar Gregorios Award 2025 for excellence in science and women empowerment. She is a senior scientist at the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). She was the first Indian woman to lead a missile project and headed Agni-IV and Agni-V ballistic missile programmes. She is also known as “Agniputri”, meaning one born of fire. The award is given by the Sophia Society of the Malankara Orthodox Church in memory of Dr. Paulos Mar Gregorios.

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On 5 December 2025, during the 2026 Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup draw in Washington, D.C., FIFA President Gianni Infantino awarded the first-ever FIFA Peace Prize to U.S. President Donald Trump. The FIFA Peace Prize, officially named “Football Unites the World,” was created to honour individuals who take exceptional actions to promote peace and global unity. Donald Trump became the first recipient of this new award category, with FIFA praising his claimed efforts in global diplomacy and conflict de-escalation.

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Parveen Shaikh, a scientist with the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), won the Sanctuary Wildlife Service Award 2025 for leading community-based conservation of the endangered Indian Skimmer (Rynchops albicollis). She began her research in 2016 at the National Chambal Sanctuary (National Chambal Gharial Wildlife Sanctuary) located along the Chambal River in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan. Her work focused on understanding nesting behaviour, tracking survival rates, and identifying threats to the bird colonies. She found that Indian Skimmers nest on exposed sandbars, making eggs highly vulnerable to predators, livestock, and changing river flows.

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People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India has named award-winning Bollywood actor Raveena Tandon as its 2025 Person of the Year for her commitment to a meat-free lifestyle, wildlife protection, and advocacy for animal welfare. Earlier in 2025, she partnered with PETA India to donate a life-sized mechanical elephant to Karnataka’s Thousand Pillars Jain Temple, recognizing the temple’s decision not to own or hire live elephants. She has championed humane education through PETA India’s Compassionate Citizen programme, which fosters empathy in young learners toward animals.

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Elan Group, with Invincible Publishers, launched “The Art of Doing Nothing Right”, debut book by Ajit Navraj Hans, on 9th December 2025 at Elan Epic Mall, Gurugram. The event was attended by Daler Mehndi, Hans Raj Hans (Padma Shri), and Navraj Hans, celebrating creative legacy and family inspiration. The book explores embracing imperfections, learning from mistakes, and celebrating authenticity and resilience.

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Union Minister for Communications, Jyotiraditya Scindia, praised the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT) for winning the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Standards Association (IEEE SA) Corporate Award 2025. C-DOT is the first organisation from India and only the fifth globally to receive this award in the 140-year history of IEEE. The award recognises C-DOT’s contributions to advancing IEEE standards in wireless broadband, rural 5G, telecom education, and developing globally recognised, standards-based innovation frameworks from India.

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Singapore Changi Airport has been named the best international airport in the world for 2025 at India’s Best Awards by Travel+Leisure (T+L). The airport is known for sky-lit interiors, indoor gardens, art-filled spaces, and attractions like the world’s tallest indoor waterfall and butterfly gardens. The award was part of the 14th India’s Best Awards, reflecting traveller preferences through online voting. Changi Airport sets global benchmarks by combining efficiency, comfort, and design, making it a destination in itself.

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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.