Summits and Conferences in Current Affairs MCQs

Notes:
The First International Pali Conference was organized at Kandy, Sri Lanka, by India’s Assistant High Commission in Kandy in partnership with the University of Peradeniya, in August 2025. The conference focused on “The Future of the Pali Language”. The event brought together scholars from Sri Lanka, India, and other countries. Discussions focused on Theravada traditions, manuscript studies, and Pali’s journey from a classical medium to a living language. It was the first international Pali conference hosted by the University of Peradeniya. Pali is recognised as a classical language in India by the Government of India.

Notes:
North East Region Ministers’ Conference on Civil Aviation 2025 & 3rd North East Aviation Summit held in Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh. The event was organised by Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), Government of India, with participation from North Eastern States and industry stakeholders. Operational airports in the region increased from 9 in 2014 to 16 in 2025; domestic passenger traffic more than tripled. UDAN scheme and skilling initiatives highlighted for employment generation and boosting regional aviation ecosystem.

Notes:
Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh inaugurated the International Conference on Space 2025 in Bengaluru, highlighting India’s transformative space goals. India aims to establish a Bharatiya Space Station by 2035 and send an Indian astronaut to the Moon by 2040. The conference, themed “Harnessing Space for Global Progress: Innovation, Policy, and Growth,” hosted more than 500 delegates including government officials, industry leaders, academics, and startups. The conference was organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), it focused on India’s evolving space strategy.

Notes:
Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla inaugurated the 11th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) India Region Conference at Vidhana Soudha, Bengaluru. The three-day conference theme is “Debates and Discussions in the Houses of Legislature, building people’s trust, meeting people’s aspirations.” The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) is an international platform of nearly 180 Commonwealth Parliaments and Legislatures. Shri Om Birla serves as the ex-officio Chairperson of the CPA India Region Executive Committee. India is the 9th Region of the CPA and includes 31 State and Union Territory branches.

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Union Minister of New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi inaugurated the 1st Annual Green Hydrogen Research and Development (R&D) Conference in New Delhi. The conference was organised by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) on 11–12 September 2025. It featured expert sessions, interactive roundtables, and a Start-up Expo showcasing India’s green energy revolution. 25 start-ups presented innovations in electrolyser manufacturing, Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven optimisation, and biological hydrogen solutions. A ₹100 crore Call for Proposals was launched to support hydrogen innovation.

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Recently, the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare held the two-day ‘National Agriculture Conference – Rabi campaign 2025’ at the Bharat Ratna C. Subramaniam Auditorium, Pusa Campus, New Delhi on September 15–16, 2025. The conference provided a platform for agriculture experts, scientists, policymakers, and senior state representatives to plan strategies and set production targets for the 2025–26 Rabi sowing season. The conference was chaired by Union Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

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Recently, the 2nd National Conference of Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) Heads of States and Union Territories was held in New Delhi. The focus is to scale up action and execution against drugs. Strategy targets three types of cartels: entry-point operators, distributors from entry points to states, and local sellers. States are urged to adopt technologies like darknet analysis, cryptocurrency tracking, communication pattern analysis, logistics and financial flow analysis, metadata analysis, and machine learning models. Drug-Free India campaign runs in 372 districts, involving 10 crore people and 3 lakh educational institutions.

Notes:
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the two-day national conference MANTHAN 2025 in New Delhi on 18 September. The event is organised by the Directorate General of Defence Estates. Theme of conference is Strategic Roadmap to Aatmanirbhar Bharat @2047. Focus areas include re-imagining defence land management, using advanced digital tools, strengthening governance, and ensuring sustainability. The inaugural session highlighted achievements of the Defence Estates Department in defence land governance. A strategic roadmap to Viksit Bharat by 2047 was also presented.

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The 5th World Teak Conference (WTC) was held at Grand Hyatt Hotel, Kochi, Kerala on September 17, 2025. India hosted the summit for the first time. More than 350 delegates from 40+ countries attended, including forestry scientists, policymakers, researchers, and trade representatives. The conference focused on sustainable teak management, conservation, and the future of the global teak industry.

Notes:
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced that Pakistan will host the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in 2027. Authorities have been directed to begin preparations in Islamabad for the event. The next SCO Summit in 2026 will be held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. SCO is a permanent intergovernmental regional organisation focusing on political, economic, and security cooperation in Eurasia. The organisation promotes the “Shanghai Spirit”, which emphasises mutual trust, benefit, equality, and peaceful coexistence.