Awards, Honours & Persons in News Current Affairs MCQs

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Devadas Chimakode (also spelled Chimkode), a veteran folk artist, has been selected for the Karnataka Janapada Academy’s annual honorary award for 2026. The award recognises his 35 years of dedication to preserving and promoting traditional folk arts in Karnataka. His contributions include folk singing, instrumental music, Suggi Kunitha (folk dance) and Halage (folk instrumental music). The 56-year-old artist hails from Chimakod village in Bidar taluk, Bidar district, Karnataka.
The award carries a cash prize of ₹25,000 and a citation.

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Radhakrishnan M.S., an architecture student from Kochi, won the 28th Charles Correa Gold Medal on October 22, 2026, in Mumbai. He is a student at Seed APJ Abdul School of Environmental Design, Kochi, Kerala. His award-winning project was titled “Energy Commons: Reimagining Energy Infrastructure as a Place for Civic Engagement.” The project reimagines essential energy infrastructure as a shared civic resource, transforming traditionally restricted spaces into places for public interaction. The Charles Correa Gold Medal was established in 1998 to recognise outstanding undergraduate architectural thesis projects addressing challenges related to the built environment. The award ceremony was held at TARQ Gallery in Mumbai.

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Vummidi Ethiraj, a veteran Chennai-based jeweller who contributed to the creation of the historic Sengol, died in October, 2026, at the age of 99. He played an important role in crafting the Sengol, a gold-plated silver sceptre presented to India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, on the eve of Independence in 1947. The Sengol symbolises the transfer of power from British rule to independent India and is associated with India’s historical and cultural heritage. The Sengol was installed in India’s new Parliament building in 2023, bringing renewed national attention to the family’s traditional jewellery craftsmanship.

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The Viksit Bharat Buildathon 2025 received Guinness World Records certification as the “Largest Innovation Solution Competition”, with 2,87,967 project submissions from across India. The initiative was organised by the Department of School Education and Literacy, in collaboration with the Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog, and AICTE. It aims to encourage creativity, scientific curiosity, entrepreneurship and problem-solving among school students. The Buildathon focused on four pillars: Atmanirbhar Bharat, Swadeshi, Vocal for Local and Samriddh Bharat.

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The National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) received an award for the best passenger service and satisfaction for the Delhi–Meerut Namo Bharat corridor. The award was presented at the 19th Urban Mobility India (UMI) Conference and Expo 2026 held in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. The award category was “Metro Rail with the Best Passenger Service and Satisfaction.” NCRTC also won first prize for Best Exhibitor at the conference for the second consecutive year. NCRTC is responsible for implementing the Namo Bharat project, India’s Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS), in the National Capital Region.

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Eminent neurosurgeon and Padma Shri awardee Professor Dr Ashok Kumar Mahapatra passed away at the age of 74 while undergoing treatment at AIIMS, New Delhi. He was a distinguished medical professional from Odisha who made significant contributions to neurosurgery and medical education. He served as the founding Director of AIIMS Bhubaneswar and headed the Department of Neurosurgery at AIIMS, New Delhi. He was the Vice-Chancellor of Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan University, Bhubaneswar. He received the Padma Shri in 2025 for his outstanding contribution to the field of medicine.

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A documentary titled ‘Mothers of Courage’, based on a women-led grassroots movement in Bihar to promote girls’ education and prevent child marriage, won the United Nations SDG Action Award 2026 in the Creativity category. The documentary received the award in Rome, Italy, and was selected from more than 7,000 entries representing 190 countries and territories. Directed by Vandana R. Jayakumar and produced by Butterfly Effect Media, the film highlights the Shikshagraha movement and the role of women leaders in preventing girls from dropping out of school. The campaign has mobilised more than 11.9 lakh people across rural India. The award was dedicated to mothers and women leaders working for social change in their villages.

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Journalist, author and Director of The Hindu Group Nirmala Lakshman won the Sharjah Award for the Best International Non-Fiction Book for her book The Tamils: A Portrait of a Community. The award was presented on 4 November 2026 by Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi at the 45th Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF 2026). The award carries a cash prize of AED 50,000. The Tamils: A Portrait of a Community explores Tamil history, culture and global presence through historical, archaeological and field research. The award recognises outstanding international non-fiction writing and highlights the contribution of Indian authors to global literature.

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Vice President C. P. Radhakrishnan presented the PM Surya Ghar Excellence Award to the Ministry of Railways at the Renewable Energy Summit & Expo 2026. The event was held at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. The Ministry of Railways secured the top position among Central ministries and departments in the category “Maximum Buildings Solarized by Central Ministries/Departments.” The award was presented under the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana. Out of 15,868 railway buildings identified as suitable for rooftop solar installations, 12,495 buildings (79%) have been equipped with solar systems. Indian Railways has commissioned 351 MW of rooftop solar capacity against a target of 424 MW.

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Filipino structural engineer Aldrei Ong won the 2026 James Dyson Award – Global Sustainability Prize for developing an innovative sensor called Sentinel. The invention received a prize of £30,000 to support further development. Sentinel is designed to detect hidden structural damage in concrete buildings after earthquakes, helping engineers identify potentially unsafe structures. It uses self-sensing concrete, which contains conductive materials that allow electricity to pass through it. It enables engineers to monitor building conditions remotely and identify structures requiring further inspection.