Daily Current Affairs- 15th July 2025

Daily Current Affairs- 15th July 2025

Indian Army Showcases ‘Prachand Shakti’ in Meerut

In the News: On July 14–15, 2025, the Ram Division of the Indian Army demonstrated its military drill 'Prachand Shakti’ at the Kharga Corps Field Training Area in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, to highlight the integration of advanced drone, AI, and loitering-munition technologies in modern infantry operations.

Key Points:

• Exercise Aim: ‘Prachand Shakti’ was designed to display how disruptive technologies such as UAVs, AI-enabled combat systems, autonomous platforms, and loitering munitions can be effectively employed by infantry units in deep offensive operations.
• Strike Corps Enhancement: Conducted by the Ram Division within a Strike Corps formation, the drill emphasized improvements in agility, lethality, and survivability of frontline troops.
• Tech Adoption Year: The drill was part of the Indian Army’s “Year of Tech Absorption”, aimed at integrating indigenous and cutting-edge civilian innovations into its military capabilities.
• Aatmanirbhar Bharat Push: Reflecting India’s push for self-reliance, the demonstration showcased homegrown solutions and reduced dependence on foreign-made systems. 

India-Greece Conduct PASSEX to Boost Naval Cooperation

In the News: On July 10, 2025, the Indian Navy and Hellenic Navy (Greece) conducted a joint Passing Exercise (PASSEX) off the coast of Mumbai, marking a strategic milestone in bilateral maritime collaboration.

Key Points:

• Naval Drill Conducted: INS Tarkash of the Indian Navy and HS Psara of the Hellenic Navy participated in PAS SEX featuring tactical maneuvers, surface firing, cross-deck landings, and at-sea replenishment—enhancing real-world operational readiness and coordination.
• Communication & Best Practices: The exercise facilitated validation of communication protocols and sharing of institutional best practices, with both navies improving interoperability and joint combat preparedness.
• Strategic Partnership Background: The drill builds on the elevation of India–Greece ties to a Strategic Partnership in 2023 and follows coordinated defence engagements, including air exercises in 2024 and 2025.
• Geopolitical Implications: Analysts note that increased naval cooperation with Greece expands India’s maritime engagement in the Mediterranean and Arabian Sea, reinforcing patterns of strategic outreach in line with its broader geopolitical alignment. 

NCDEX and IMD Join Hands for India’s First Weather Derivatives

In the News: On June 26, 2025, the National Commodity & Derivatives Exchange (NCDEX) signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the India Meteorological Department (IMD), laying the foundation for launching India’s first-ever weather derivatives—long anticipated tools to help hedge climate-related financial risks across agriculture and allied industries .

Key Points:

• MoU Signed: NCDEX and IMD formalized their collaboration on June 26, 2025, to co-create weather-index derivatives based on rainfall and other weather metrics.
• Product Vision: The initial offerings will be rainfall-based derivatives that leverage IMD’s historical and real-time weather data, enabling contracts tailored to season and location-specific needs.
• Beneficiaries: These instruments are expected to support farmers, agribusinesses, transporters, and other weather-sensitive sectors by offering tools to hedge against erratic monsoons, heatwaves, and unseasonal weather.
• Capacity Building: The partnership includes training programs, joint research, and awareness campaigns aimed at farmer-producer organizations, traders, analysts, and policy planners
• Climate Resilience Tool: By converting weather risk into financial instruments, the initiative advances a proactive approach to climate resilience, shifting from relief-oriented responses to risk-sharing and prevention. 

India’s First Digital Nomad Village Opens in Sikkim

In the News: On July 14, 2025, Yakten in Pakyong district was officially inaugurated as India’s first Digital Nomad Village under the “Nomad Sikkim” initiative. The program, led by the District Administration and Sarvahitey NGO, aims to attract remote-working professionals from across the country and the globe, immersing them in the Himalayan lifestyle while providing modern amenities

Key Points:

• Launch & Infrastructure: Yakten is equipped with high-speed dual internet lines, village-wide Wi‑Fi, and power backups, ensuring continual broadband service—essential for remote professionals.
• Sustainable Development: The village embraces eco-friendly principles, operates as a zero-waste community, promotes local homestays, and plans to resolve water scarcity under the Jal Jeevan Mission.
• Economic & Social Impact: This initiative addresses seasonal tourism gaps by offering year-round occupancy, potentially increasing local earnings by fivefold and enabling youth entrepreneurship under the “One Family, One Entrepreneur” scheme.
• Cultural Immersion: Digital nomads stay in broadband-ready homestays with cultural immersion—participating in folk art, nature trails, community meals, and monastery visits—to balance work with rural experiences.
• Pilot for National Model: Serving as a prototype for integrating remote work with rural livelihood, Yakten’s model may inspire similar projects nationwide, promoting decentralized digital economies and rural tourism. 

Sudanese-Scottish Author Leila Aboulela Wins 2025 PEN Pinter Prize

In the News: On July 9, 2025, the Sudanese‑Scottish author Leila Aboulela was awarded the prestigious 2025 PEN Pinter Prize—an annual recognition honouring writers who deliver a steadfast, truth‑filled gaze on society—at English PEN’s summertime event in London .

Key Points:

• Award Recognition: The PEN Pinter Prize celebrates writers with an “unflinching, unswerving gaze” who courageously articulate the truths of our societies.
• Author Profile: Born in Khartoum and resident in Aberdeen since 1990, Aboulela’s acclaimed works include The Translator, Minaret, and River Spirit—notable for their nuanced exploration of migration, faith, and Muslim women's experiences.
• Critical Acclaim: Judges praised her writing as “a balm, a shelter, and an inspiration,” highlighting how her portrayal of faith and Muslim women offers rich, reflective perspectives on displacement and identity.
• Ceremony Details: She will receive the award on October 10 at the British Library in London, where she will also select the Writer of Courage—an honouree who shows bravery in defence of free expression.
• Literary Legacy: Previous recipients include prominent authors such as Arundhati Roy, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and Salman Rushdie—placing Aboulela amongst esteemed literary figures . 

WHO Launches Integrated Guidelines on Arboviral Diseases

In the News: In early July 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) released its first comprehensive clinical guidelines for managing arboviral diseases—dengue, chikungunya, Zika, and yellow fever—a crucial step in standardizing care for over 5.6 billion people at risk from mosquito-borne infections .

Key Points:

• Unified Protocol: WHO introduced integrated, evidence-based treatment protocols for mild and severe arboviral infections, replacing fragmented and outdated approaches.
• Mild Case Management: Recommendations include oral fluid therapy, use of paracetamol or metamizole for fever/pain, and explicit avoidance of NSAIDs and corticosteroids to reduce bleeding and adverse events.
• Severe Case Management: For hospitalised cases, intravenous crystalloid fluids, monitoring of capillary refill time and lactate, passive leg-raise tests, and restrictive platelet transfusion protocols are advised. Liver-supportive care for yellow fever includes IV N-acetylcysteine; experimental treatments are limited to clinical trials.
• System-wide Benefits: The unified guidelines aim to reduce misdiagnoses, ease healthcare system burdens during outbreaks, and support regions new to arboviral threats in strengthening readiness and response. 

E5 for Trials, E10 for Launch For India’s Bullet Train

In the News: India's Mumbai–Ahmedabad high-speed rail corridor will first deploy Japan’s E5 series Shinkansen trains for trial runs in FY 2026‑27 before upgrading to the advanced E10 series, making India the first country outside Japan to introduce E10 in tandem with Japan by around 2030 .

Key Points:

• Trial Runs: The E5 Shinkansen trains will be imported from Japan to conduct initial tests on the Gujarat stretch of the corridor in financial year 2026‑27.
• E10 Launch: The E10 series—Japan’s latest high-speed train model—is scheduled for launch in both India and Japan around 2030, signifying a synchronized rollout.
• Technological Edge: The E10 variant builds on advanced safety systems from experimental ALFA‑X trains and offers improved aerodynamics, energy efficiency, and earthquake safety features.
• Strategic Partnership: This initiative underscores India–Japan collaboration in high-speed rail, reflecting strategic intent to adopt cutting-edge rail technology and modernize India’s transport infrastructure.