Awards, Honours & Persons in News Current Affairs MCQs

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Recently, G P Birla Memorial Award was conferred on V. Narayanan, Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Secretary of the Department of Space. The award was presented by Nirmala Birla, Chairperson of G P Birla Archaeological Astronomical and Scientific Institute. The award has a prestigious legacy and has earlier been given to 32 Nobel laureates. Past recipients include Nobel Prize winner Venkataraman Ramakrishnan, physicist Jogesh Pati, former President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, and former ISRO chief Kasturirangan. The award recognises global leaders for their contributions to scientific progress and innovation.

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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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Laura Dahlmeier, a 31-year-old German mountaineer and Olympic biathlon champion, died during an expedition on Laila Peak in the Karakoram mountains. She was caught in a rockfall at around 5,700 metres (18,700 feet) altitude. She was a double Olympic gold medallist in biathlon at Pyeongchang 2018 and won 15 World Championship medals.

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The Bibi Fatima Women’s Self-Help Group (SHG) from Dharwad district won the Equator Initiative Award 2025. The award is presented every two years by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) under the Equator Initiative. It supports Indigenous Peoples and local communities in tackling land degradation, conserving biodiversity, and improving livelihoods. The award is often called the Nobel Prize for Biodiversity Conservation. Bibi Fatima SHG introduced millet-based mixed cropping on rainfed farms. They promoted climate-resilient farming, livestock rearing, horticulture, and popularised millets.

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The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD) under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying has opened nominations for the National Gopal Ratna Awards (NGRA) 2025. National Gopal Ratna Awards (NGRA) is one of the highest national honours in the livestock and dairy sector. It was launched in 2021 under the Rashtriya Gokul Mission. The awards encourage excellence among farmers, Dairy Cooperatives, Milk Producer Companies (MPCs), Dairy Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), and Artificial Insemination Technicians (AITs). The focus is on promoting indigenous cattle and buffalo breeds that are robust and vital for the economy.

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L. Ganesan, Governor of Nagaland and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader from Tamil Nadu, passed away in Chennai on August 15, 2025, at the age of 80. He had earlier served as Governor of Manipur and held additional charge as Governor of West Bengal. He joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) during school days and became its chief organiser in Tamil Nadu during the Emergency. He was admired for his role in Hindu unity during Meenakshipuram conversions and Mandaikkadu riots. In 1991, he shifted to BJP, serving as Tamil Nadu unit president, general secretary, and later as BJP vice-president. He was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh in 2017.

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Senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Satish Golcha took charge as Police Commissioner of Delhi. Mr Golcha is a 1992-batch IPS officer. The Central Government appointed Satish Golcha yesterday as the New Delhi Police Commissioner. He replaced IPS officer SBK Singh. SBK Singh was given additional charge of Delhi Police Commissioner along with his responsibility as Director General of Home Guards in Delhi. The appointment aims to ensure smooth functioning and leadership in Delhi Police. This change is part of administrative reshuffles in key police positions in Delhi.

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Former Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) Director General Anish Dayal Singh has been appointed Deputy National Security Advisor (NSA). Anish Dayal Singh, a 1988-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer from Manipur cadre, retired in December 2024. He served nearly 30 years in the Intelligence Bureau before leading ITBP and CRPF. He will handle internal affairs as Deputy NSA. Former Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) chief Rajinder Khanna is the Additional NSA.

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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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The Assam Olympic Association (AOA) launched the Bhogeswar Baruah National Sports Award on September 3, 2025 in Guwahati. The awards honour Bhogeswar Baruah, Assam’s first Asian Games gold medallist and Arjuna Awardee. Awards will be given annually in six categories: Best Sportsperson, Emerging Player, and Lifetime Achievement at National and State levels. National awardees are Manu Bhaker (Best Sportsperson), Sunil Chhetri (Lifetime Achievement) and Bedabrat Bharali (Emerging Player). Assam awardees are Lovlina Borgohain (Best Sportsperson), Dipankar Bhattacharya (Lifetime Achievement) and Priyanuj Bhattacharya (Emerging Player).