Awards, Honours & Persons in News Current Affairs MCQs

Notes:
Recently, Vivek Menon, an Indian wildlife conservationist, was elected Chair of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission (SSC) for 2025–2029. He is the first Asian to hold this position in the commission’s 75-year history. The SSC is a global network of over 11,000 experts working to protect biodiversity and ensure species survival. Menon is the founder of the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) and co-founder of five conservation groups. He has received awards like the Clark R. Bavin Award, Whitley Continuation Award, and is a Fellow of the Linnean Society of London (FLS).

Notes:
Sunil Amrith, Indian-origin historian and Professor of History at Yale University, won the British Academy Book Prize 2025 for his book The Burning Earth: An Environmental History of the Last 500 Years. The prize awards £25,000 for outstanding non-fiction works in humanities and social sciences. Amrith was born in Kenya to South Indian parents, grew up in Singapore, and graduated from the University of Cambridge, England. The book explores 500 years of environmental history, linking human activity, colonisation, industrialisation, and settlement patterns to the current climate crisis.

Notes:
Dr. Eknath Vasant Chitnis, pioneering Indian space scientist, passed away on 22 October 2025 at age 100 in Pune, Maharashtra. He was born on 25 July 1925 in Kolhapur, Maharashtra. He received the Padma Bhushan in 1985 for his contributions to science and technology. He was a key architect of India’s early space programme and a close associate of Dr. Vikram Sarabhai, founder of India’s space programme. He helped establish the Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR), which evolved into the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Dr. Chitnis was instrumental in selecting Thumba, Kerala, for India’s first rocket launch.

Notes:
Union Minister Rajnath Singh, Ministry of Defence (MoD), released the book Civil-Military Fusion as a Metric of National Power and Comprehensive Security in October 2025. Lieutenant General Raj Shukla (Retired) authored the book. The book release event was held at the United Service Institution of India (USI), New Delhi, Delhi. The book was published by Notion Press. The book focuses on evolving civil-military relations into Civil-Military Fusion (CMF) for deeper integration of civilian industry, academia, and defense technology. The book emphasizes asset-based thinking rather than deficit-based thinking.

Notes:
On October 24, 2025, Maharashtra Governor Acharya Devvrat released a book titled “Modi’s Mission” in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The book is authored by Berjis Desai, a renowned lawyer and former journalist. It is published by Rupa Publications India Private Limited. The book traces the journey of Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi from his early life in Vadnagar, Gujarat to the PM’s office in New Delhi, Delhi. It highlights how PM Modi’s formative years shaped his socioeconomic vision and governance style.

Notes:
Queen Mother Sirikit of Thailand passed away at age 93 on 24 October at Chulalongkorn Hospital, Bangkok. She was the mother of King Maha Vajiralongkorn and wife of the longest-reigning monarch, King Bhumibol Adulyadej. King Vajiralongkorn has ordered a year-long mourning period for the royal family. She had been hospitalised since 2019, recently battling a blood infection. Queen Mother Sirikit was renowned for rural development, preserving traditional crafts, environmental protection, and forest conservation. Her birthday, August 12, is celebrated as Mother’s Day in Thailand.

Notes:
In November 2025, Heritage Foods Limited (HFL), a private-sector dairy company, received the Golden Peacock Award for Excellence in Corporate Governance (GPAECG) 2025. The award was presented by the Institute of Directors (IOD), India, during the IOD London Global Convention on Corporate Governance & Sustainability held from 4th to 7th November 2025 in London, United Kingdom (UK). Heritage Foods Limited (HFL) was among 11 national winners and the only Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) firm to win the honour this year. The Golden Peacock Awards were instituted in 1991 by IOD India to promote ethical leadership, good governance, and sustainable business practices.

Notes:
Maharashtra secured first position in the Best State category of the 6th National Water Awards for 2024. The awards were announced by Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Paatil. Gujarat and Haryana were placed second and third respectively. This year, 46 winners were selected across ten categories, including Best District, Best Village Panchayat, Best Urban Local Body, and Best Institution. The 1st National Water Awards were launched in 2018 by the Department of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation (DoWR, RD & GR) to promote awareness and best water usage practices.

Notes:
India mourns Padma Shri awardee Saalumarada Thimmakka, a globally respected environmentalist known for grassroots afforestation. She was born in Gubbi taluk, Tumakuru district, and later lived in Hulikal. Her life was marked by poverty and personal struggles, but she turned grief into environmental service. Starting in the 1950s, she and her husband Bikkala Chikkayya walked miles daily to water saplings and protected them using thorny branches. They planted mainly during monsoons, creating a green corridor that offers shade, supports birds and stabilises the local climate. Her work shaped Karnataka’s afforestation policies and inspired tree-planting movements across India.

Notes:
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.