Briefing Document: Key Events and

Developments, July 2025

Executive Summary
This document synthesizes the key events and
developments reported for July 2025. The month was
marked by significant occurrences across national and
international spheres, including major diplomatic
agreements, high-profile appointments, and notable
advancements in science and technology.
Key takeaways include the designation of the Maratha
Military Landscapes as India's 44th UNESCO World
Heritage Site, a significant cultural recognition. In national
governance, there were several major appointments,
including Sonali Mishra as the first female Director
General of the Railway Protection Force (RPF). On the
economic front, India and the United Kingdom signed a
comprehensive trade agreement aimed at reducing tariffs
and facilitating easier trade. India's global standing was also
highlighted by its improved rank in the Henley Passport
Index, moving up to 77th place.
In defense, the Indian military enhanced its capabilities
with the induction of the first batch of American Apache
AH-64E helicopters and the launch of its first indigenous
Diving Support Vessel, INS Vistar. Technologically, India
demonstrated progress with the successful trial of its first
hydrogen-powered train coach and the development of
MOSK-NET, the world's first AI tool by IIT Roorkee to
decode the Modi script. A landmark space mission, the joint
ISRO-NASA NISAR satellite, was successfully launched
to observe Earth. In sports, Italy's Jannik Sinner won his
first Wimbledon men's singles title, while India's Divya
Deshmukh became the first Indian woman to win the FIDE
Women's Chess World Cup.
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National Affairs
Government Initiatives and Policy
• SASCII Scheme: The Union Ministry of Tourism
launched the "Special Assistance to States for Capital
Investment" (SASCII) scheme to develop select iconic
tourist destinations into globally competitive, high-
quality centers.
• ShaktiShree Initiative: The Odisha government,
under Chief Minister Mohan Charan Manjhi, launched
the eight-point "ShaktiShree" initiative to ensure the
safety of female students in higher education
institutions. The initiative includes establishing
security and empowerment cells managed by women in
colleges.
• CM FLIGHT Program: The Assam government, led
by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, approved the
"Chief Minister's Foreign Language Initiative" (CM
FLIGHT) to equip the state's youth with foreign
language skills, thereby enhancing their employment
prospects abroad.
• Yashoda AI Campaign: The National Commission for
Women (NCW) launched "Yashoda AI" (Your AI Sakhi
 for Shaping Horizons with Digital Awareness), India's
first AI literacy campaign for rural women, aiming to
democratize AI education.
• Gyan Bharatam Mission: Prime Minister Narendra
Modi inaugurated the Gyan Bharatam Mission, a
program under the Ministry of Culture announced in
the 2025-26 Union Budget.
• Journalist Pension Scheme: The Bihar government
introduced the "Patrakar Samman Pension Yojana,"
offering a monthly pension of ₹15,000 to retired
journalists.
• Operation Kaalnemi: The Uttarakhand government
launched "Operation Kaalnemi" to take action against
fraudulent individuals posing as sadhus who deceive
people in the name of religious faith.
• Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Poverty Free Village
Scheme: The Rajasthan government announced this
scheme with the objective of eliminating rural poverty.
• Charan Paduka Scheme: The Chhattisgarh
government launched this scheme to provide a pair of
shoes annually to two members (aged 18 or older) of
each family involved in Tendu leaf collection.
• Nai Bhatta Yatra Yojana: The Uttar Pradesh
government started a new scheme to provide an annual
travel allowance of ₹6,000 to students in remote areas.
• Gajmitra Yojana: The Assam government approved
this scheme to control human-elephant conflict.
• Safaai Karmachari Aayog: The Bihar government
announced the formation of a commission for
sanitation workers.
• Animal Husbandry as Agriculture: Maharashtra
became the first Indian state to formally grant
agricultural status to animal husbandry and poultry
farming.
State-Specific Developments
• First Digital Nomad Village: Yakten village in
Sikkim's Pakyong district was declared India's first
Digital Nomad Village, designed to provide a
technologically equipped and serene environment for
remote professionals.
• UNESCO World Heritage Site: The "Maratha
Military Landscapes," comprising 11 forts in
Maharashtra and one in Tamil Nadu (Ginjee Fort),
were collectively inscribed as India's 44th UNESCO
World Heritage Site.
• India's Cleanest City: Indore, Madhya Pradesh, was
named India's cleanest city for the eighth consecutive
time in the Swachh Survekshan 2024-25 awards. Surat
(Gujarat) and Navi Mumbai (Maharashtra) were ranked
second and third, respectively. Noida was named the
cleanest city in the 3 to 10 lakh population category.
• Mining Tourism: Jharkhand became the first Indian
state to launch mining tourism.
• Conference on Good Governance Practices: The
National Conference on Good Governance Practices
was held in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, organized by the
Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions.
It was inaugurated by Odisha CM Mohan Charan
Manjhi and Union Minister of State Dr. Jitendra Singh.
• Geothermal Power Plant: India's first fully
indigenous 50 kW geothermal power plant is being
developed in Arunachal Pradesh.
• First Paperless Legislature: The NeVA (National e-
Vidhan Application) was inaugurated by Vijender
Gupta to make Delhi's legislature paperless.
• Delhi Health System: Delhi's Chief Minister Rekha
Gupta launched the expanded Health Information
Management System (HIMS), a digital platform to
streamline access to government hospital services.
• Bihar Electoral Reform: Bihar became the first state
in India to ensure all its polling stations have fewer
than 1,200 voters.
• Mastercard Tourism Partnership: Mastercard signed
an agreement with the Andhra Pradesh government to
promote tourism in the state.
• CM Sehat Yojana: The Punjab government launched
this scheme to provide cashless treatment up to ₹10
lakh per family.
• Atal Mohalla Clinic Renamed: The Jharkhand
government renamed the Atal Mohalla Clinic to
Mother Teresa Advanced Health Clinic.
• First AI+ Campus: India's first AI+ Campus will be
established in Amravati, Andhra Pradesh.
• Jungle Safari in Aravalli: The Haryana government
planned to develop Asia's largest jungle safari in the
Aravalli hills.
• Maharashtra's First Glass Bridge: The state's first
glass bridge was inaugurated at the Nepane waterfall.
 • Hydrogen Train Coach Trial: India conducted a
successful trial of its first hydrogen-powered train
coach at the Integral Coach Factory in Chennai.

Rankings and Reports

• Henley Passport Index 2025: India's rank improved
by eight positions, moving from 85th to 77th. The
number of countries offering visa-free access to Indian
passport holders increased from 57 to 59. Singapore
ranked first.
• Global Tourism Economies 2024-25: India was
ranked 8th in the list of global tourism economies. The
United States, China, and Germany held the top three
spots.
• CREA Report on Pollution: A study by CREA for the
first half of 2025 identified Byrnihat, Meghalaya, as
India's most polluted city, followed by New Delhi and
Hajipur, Bihar.
• Rare Earth Elements Report: According to the
KAREJ Report 2025, India ranks third globally with
8% of the world's rare earth element reserves. China
and Brazil are ranked first and second, respectively.
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International Relations & Geopolitics
Bilateral and Multilateral Agreements
• India-UK Trade Agreement: India's Union Minister
of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, and the UK's
 Secretary of State for Business and Trade, Jonathan
Reynolds, signed a Comprehensive Economic Trade
Agreement. The free trade agreement aims to make
trade between the two nations easier, cheaper, and
faster, notably by eliminating tariffs on 99% of
products exported from India to the UK.
• AUKUS Geelong Treaty: Australia and the United
Kingdom signed the 50-year Geelong Treaty under the
AUKUS agreement. Signed by Australian Deputy PM
Richard Marles and UK Defence Secretary John
Healey, the treaty aims to enhance cooperation in the
construction of nuclear-powered submarines.
• India-Maldives Loan Agreement: During Prime
Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the Maldives, India
signed an MOU to provide a loan assistance of ₹4,850
crore to the island nation. PM Modi was the chief guest
for the Maldives' 60th independence anniversary
celebrations.
Summits and Conferences
• 17th BRICS Summit 2025: The summit was held in
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from July 6-7, 2025. Brazil held
the presidency for the year. The theme was
"Strengthening Global South Cooperation for More
Inclusive and Sustainable Governance."
• Ramsar Convention COP15: The 15th Conference of
the Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands was
held in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, from July 23-31,
2025. Union Minister Bhupender Yadav led the Indian
delegation.
 • NATO Summit 2025: The summit took place in The
Hague, Netherlands, on June 24-25, 2025.
• Global Manuscript Heritage Conference: The first-
ever Global Manuscript Heritage Conference 2025 was
held in New Delhi.
• Maritime Finance Summit 2025: Hosted by the
Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways in New
Delhi to promote the blue economy. India proposed a
Maritime Development Fund during the summit.
Global Policy and Diplomatic Actions
• Britain Lowers Voting Age: The UK lowered the
minimum voting age in general elections from 18 to
16.
• France Recognizes Palestine: France became the first
G7 country to formally recognize Palestine as an
independent state in September 2025.
• Bulgaria Adopts Euro: Bulgaria is set to become the
21st member of the Eurozone by adopting the Euro as
its official currency from January 1, 2026.
• UAE Bans OTP Verification: The Central Bank of the
UAE issued an order to completely discontinue SMS
and email-based OTP verification.
• Typhoon Wipha: Hong Kong issued its most severe
warning, T10, due to Typhoon Wipha.
• India Reissues Tourist Visas for China: After a five-
year suspension, the Indian government resumed
issuing tourist visas to Chinese citizens.
• Asoka Pillar Replica in Sri Lanka: A replica of the
Asoka Pillar was unveiled at the Vaskaduwa Sri
Subodhi Viharaya, a famous Buddhist temple in Sri
Lanka.
 Appointments and Resignations
National Appointments

Position Appointee Organization/State

First Female DG, RPF Sonali Mishra Railway Protection Force

Haryana (succeeding Bandaru

Governor of Haryana Ashim Kumar Ghosh
Dattatreya)
Pusapati Ashok Gajapati
Governor of Goa Goa
Raju

Lt. Governor of Ladakh Kavinder Gupta Ladakh

National Financial Reporting

Chairman, NFRA Nitin Gupta
Authority
Mission Director, Atal
Deepak Bagla Atal Innovation Mission
Innovation Mission
Insurance Regulatory and
Chairman, IRDAI Ajay Seth
Development Authority

CEO, ICC Sanjog Gupta International Cricket Council

Indira Gandhi National Open

First Female VC, IGNOU Prof. Uma Kanjilal
University
Chief Justice, Rajasthan High Justice Kalpati
Rajasthan High Court
Court Rajendran Sriram

MD & CEO, LIC R. Doraiswamy Life Insurance Corporation of India

DG, SSB Sanjay Singal Sashastra Seema Bal

Director on Central Board, RBI Anuradha Thakur Reserve Bank of India

First Female CEO & MD, HUL Priya Nair Hindustan Unilever Limited

87th Grandmaster of India Harikrishnan A. Rane Chess

Chairman, National Turmeric

Palle Gangadhar Reddy National Turmeric Board
Board
International Appointments
• Prime Minister of Ukraine: Yulia Svyrydenko was
appointed, succeeding Denys Shmyhal.
Notable Resignations
• Vice President of India: Jagdeep Dhankhar became
the first Vice President to resign from his post during a
Parliament session.
• Deputy Managing Director, IMF: Gita Gopinath
resigned from her position at the International
Monetary Fund.
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Defense and Security
Military Acquisitions and Inductions
• Apache Helicopters: The Indian Army received its
first batch of three Apache AH-64E attack helicopters
from the United States. The deal for six helicopters was
approved in February 2020 with the American
company Boeing.
• GE F404 Engines: India received the second batch of
GE F404 engines from the USA, which are critical for
the indigenous Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA)
Mk1 program.
• INS Vistar and INS Nistar: The Indian Navy inducted
its first indigenously designed and built Diving Support
Vessels, INS Vistar and INS Nistar. The ships were
built by Hindustan Shipyard Limited in
Visakhapatnam.
 • Pollution Control Vessel 'Samudra Prachet': A new
pollution control vessel was inducted into the Indian
Coast Guard.
• Fast Patrol Vessel 'Atal': The latest Fast Patrol Vessel
(FPV) for the Indian Coast Guard was launched in
Goa.

Joint Exercises and Operations

• Operation Fire Trail: The Directorate of Revenue
Intelligence seized illegal Chinese firecrackers worth
approximately ₹35 crore under this operation.
• Operation Mahadev: Security forces eliminated three
terrorists, including the mastermind Musa, of the
Pahalgam attack in Jammu & Kashmir.
• Operation Vihali: The Indian Army conducted this
campaign in Jammu & Kashmir.
• Bold Kurukshetra 2025: A joint military exercise was
conducted between India and Singapore.
• Jaa-Mata Exercise: A coast guard exercise was held
between India and Japan off the Chennai coast. The
Japan Coast Guard ship Itsukushima participated.
• Talisman Sabre 2025: India is set to participate for the
first time in this trilateral military exercise, which will
be held in Australia and Papua New Guinea.
• Divya Drishti Exercise: The Indian Army conducted
this advanced technology exercise in East Sikkim.
• Drone Prahar Exercise: The Indian Army conducted
this exercise in Arunachal Pradesh.
 Retirements and Anniversaries
• MiG-21 Retirement: The Indian Air Force will
formally retire its MiG-21 fighter aircraft on
September 19, 2025, after 62 years of service.
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Science, Technology, and Environment
Space Missions and Technology
• TRACERS Mission: NASA launched the TRACERS
(Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics
Reconnaissance Satellites) mission. This twin-satellite
mission, launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, is
designed to study the effects of magnetic reconnection.
• NISAR Satellite Launch: The joint NASA-ISRO
Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) Earth observation
satellite was launched on July 30, 2025, from Satish
Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, aboard a GSLV Mk
II rocket. The satellite will study changes in Earth's
surface, glaciers, and natural disasters using two radar
frequencies (L-band provided by NASA and S-band by
ISRO).
• CIMON Robot on ISS: Astronauts on the
International Space Station (ISS) received a new AI-
powered robotic assistant named CIMON (Crew
Interactive Mobile Companion).
• Dror-1 Satellite: Israel successfully launched its first
fully digital communication satellite, Dror-1.
 Artificial Intelligence and Digital Initiatives
• MOSK-NET: IIT Roorkee developed MOSK-NET
(Modi Script Network), the world's first AI tool to
decode the Modi script, a historical script used
primarily to write the Marathi language, into
Devanagari.
• Meri Panchayat App: This Indian mobile app was
honored with the WSIS Champion Award 2025 in
Geneva, Switzerland.
• Precision Guided Missile ALPGM-V3: The DRDO
successfully tested the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
(UAV) launched Precision Guided Missile (ALPGM-
V3) from Kurnool. Developed under the Make in India
initiative with Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), it is
an air-to-surface missile.

Environmental Discoveries and Conservation

• New Lichen Species: A new lichen species,
Allographa diffuso-radiata, was discovered in the
Western Ghats of Kerala.
• Rare Earth Elements Discovery: The Geological
Survey of India (GSI) discovered large reserves of rare
earth elements in Bhati Kheda village, located in the
Siwana tehsil of Balotra, Rajasthan.
• Pasture Bird Census: The first-ever pasture bird
census was conducted in Kaziranga National Park,
Assam.
• Global Spects 2030: The World Health Organization
(WHO) launched this global initiative.
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Economy and Business
Corporate Milestones
• Nvidia's Market Cap: Nvidia became the world's first
publicly listed company to achieve a market
capitalization of $4 trillion. Microsoft and Apple were
the second and third largest companies by market cap.
Economic Agreements and Schemes
• 20% Ethanol Blending Target: India achieved its
target of 20% ethanol blending in petrol in 2025, well
ahead of the original deadline of 2030.
• Animal Overpass Corridor: India's longest animal
overpass corridor was unveiled on the Delhi-Mumbai
Expressway within the Ranthambore Tiger Reserve
area in Rajasthan.
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Sports
Major Tournament Results
Event Winner(s) Runner-up(s) Notes
 Sinner
became the
Carlos Alcaraz
Wimbledon 2025 - Men's Singles Jannik Sinner (Italy) first Italian
(Spain)
man to win
the title.
Won with a
Wimbledon 2025 - Women's Singles Iga Świątek (Poland) - "double
bagel" score.

Japan Badminton Open 2025 - Men's

Shi Yuqi -
Singles
Japan Badminton Open 2025 - An Se-young (South
-
Women's Singles Korea)
Deshmukh
became the
first Indian
Divya Deshmukh Koneru Humpy
FIDE Women's Chess World Cup 2025 woman to win
(India) (India)
and India's
88th
Grandmaster.

England won
for the second
Women's Euro Cup 2025 (Football) England Spain
consecutive
time.

FIFA Club World Cup 2025 Chelsea Football Club -

ICC Player of the Month (June 2025) -
Aiden Markram -
Men
ICC Player of the Month (June 2025) - Hayley Matthews
-
Women (West Indies)
• Venus Williams: At 45, became the second-oldest
woman to win a WTA professional singles match.
• FISU World University Games 2025: India finished
20th with 12 medals (2 Gold, 5 Silver, 5 Bronze). The
event was held in Rhine-Ruhr, Germany.
• Archery World Cup 2025 Stage 4: Held in Madrid,
Spain, India finished 8th with 3 medals (1 Silver, 2
Bronze).
Hosting Rights and Future Events
 • World Test Championship Final (until 2031):
England will host the finals.
• FIDE Chess World Cup 2025: India will host the
event.
• I S S F Wo r l d C u p 2 0 2 7 & J u n i o r Wo r l d
Championship 2028: India will host both events.
• 18th BRICS Summit 2026: India will host the
summit.
Brand Ambassadors
• Indian Golf Premier League: Yuvraj Singh was
appointed as the brand ambassador.
• Jharkhand Tourism: Mahendra Singh Dhoni was
appointed as the new brand ambassador.
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Awards and Honors
International Awards
• PEN Translate Award 2025: Indian author and
International Booker Prize winner Gitanjali Shree
received the award for her book Once Elephants Lived
Here. The book was translated from Hindi to English
by Daisy Rockwell.
• Best Magic Creator Award: Indian artist Suhani Shah
became the first from India to win this award at the
FISM World Championship of Magic 2025, often
called the "Oscars of Magicians."
• Prix Versailles Award 2025: Yantai Penglai
International Airport in China was named the "World's
Most Beautiful Airport."
• UN Nelson Mandela Prize 2025: Awarded to Brenda
Rains and Kennedy Odedde for their service to
humanity.
• PEN Pinter Prize 2025: Awarded to author Leila
Aboulela for her writing on migration and faith.
• Booker Prize Nomination: Indian author Kiran
Desai's novel The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny was
included in the nomination list for the Booker Prize.
• Awards for PM Narendra Modi:
◦ Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago:
Trinidad and Tobago's highest civilian honor.
◦ Collar of the National Order of the Southern
Cross: Brazil's highest civilian honor.
◦ Officer of the Order of the Star: Ghana's
national honor.
◦ Primary Key of the City: Awarded by Argentina.
◦ Dharma Chakra Samman: Awarded by the Jain
community in June 2025.

National Awards
• GP Birla Memorial Award 2025: Awarded to Dr. V.
Narayanan.
• Kalinga Ratna Puraskar 2024: Awarded to
Dharmendra Pradhan by President Droupadi Murmu.
• Delhi Olympic Prize Money: The Delhi government
announced an award of ₹7 crore for Olympic gold
medal winners, ₹5 crore for silver, and ₹3 crore for
 bronze, surpassing Haryana as the state with the
highest prize money for Olympic medalists.
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Important Days and Themes: July 2025
Date Day Theme 2025

July 1 National Doctors' Day

Behind the Mask: Who Heals
the Healers?
GST: Simplifying Tax,
July 1 Goods and Services Tax (GST) Day
Empowering Citizens
July 10 Global Energy Independence Day -
Empowering young people to
July 11 World Population Day create the families they want
in a fair and hopeful world.
Youth Empowerment Through
July 15 World Youth Skills Day Artificial Intelligence and
Digital Skills
Empowering Inclusion,
July 17 World Day for International Justice Bridging the Gaps for Social
Justice
The Power to End Poverty
July 18 Nelson Mandela International Day and Inequality is in All Our
Hands
One Moon, One Vision, One
July 20 International Moon Day
Future
One Nation, One Flag: United
July 22 National Flag Day in Sacrifice, Committed to
Peace
July 22 World Brain Day Brain Health for All Ages
Empowering Inclusion,
July 25 International Judicial Welfare Day Bridging Gaps for Social
Justice
Connecting People and
July 28 World Nature Conservation Day
Plants: Exploring Digital
Innovation in Wildlife
Conservation
July 28 World Hepatitis Day Hepatitis: Let's Break It Down
Securing the Future of Tigers
July 29 International Tiger Day
with Indigenous Peoples and
Local Communities at the
Heart
Protecting the Earth Through
June 30 International Asteroid Day Awareness, Science, and
Global Unity