Daily Current Affairs- 22nd July 2025

Daily Current Affairs- 22nd July 2025

Meri Panchayat App Wins WSIS Champion Award 2025 for Digital Governance

In the News: At the WSIS+20 High-Level Event in Geneva, Switzerland, the Indian government’s “Meri Panchayat” mobile application received the prestigious WSIS Prizes 2025 Champion Award in the Cultural Diversity & Local Content category.

Key Points:

• Award & Event Details: Awarded during the WSIS+20 forum held July 7–11, 2025 in Geneva, co-hosted by ITU, UNESCO, UNDP, UNCTAD, and the Swiss Confederation. Sunita Jain (Senior Director, NIC‑MoPR) collected the award in Geneva.  A formal felicitation ceremony took place in New Delhi, where Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh (Lalan Singh) received the WSIS Champion Certificate. MoS Prof. S. P. Singh Baghel, Secretary Vivek Bharadwaj, and other senior officials also attended.
• App Overview:Launched in 2023 by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj in collaboration with NIC under MeitY. Empowers around 25 lakh elected representatives and approximately 950 million rural residents across India’s 2.65 lakh Gram Panchayats.
• Key Features:
  Real-time Data Access: Panchayat budgets, receipts, payments, development plans, and GPDPs.
  • Citizen Participation: Proposal and rating of projects, Gram Sabha agenda/reports, and social audit tools.
  • Geo-Enabled Grievance Redressal: Incorporates geo‑tagging and geo‑fencing for project tracking.
  • Multilingual Interface: Supports over 12 Indian languages for better inclusivity.
  • Additional Modules: Panchayat-wise weather forecasts, civic‑asset inventories, infrastructure services data.
• Objectives & Impact: Enhance transparency, accountability, and participatory democracy at the grassroots. Bridge information and knowledge gaps in remote rural areas, fostering inclusive governance.
• Global Recognition: Winner of the WSIS Prizes 2025 Champion Award under “Cultural Diversity & Identity, Linguistic Diversity & Local Content.” Celebrated globally as an exemplar of citizen-centric, digitally empowered rural governance. 

NeVA Initiative Marks Beginning of Paperless Lawmaking in Delhi

In the News: Delhi Legislative Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta inaugurated the National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA) Seva Centre at the Assembly Complex, marking the launch of Delhi’s first fully digital and paperless legislative session, set for the upcoming Monsoon Session in August 2025.

Key Points:

• Launch & Aim: NeVA Seva Centre inaugurated by Speaker Vijender Gupta on July 21, 2025, as part of Delhi Assembly’s transition toward paperless governance. The initiative supports the broader “Digital India” vision and embraces the concept of “One Nation, One Application.”
• Training Programme: A three-day training for MLAs was held from July 21–23, 2025, across six batches to familiarize members with NeVA’s tools and features ahead of the Monsoon Session. Training led by Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs experts using 18–20 high-speed computers and smartphones preloaded with the app.
• Digital Features & Infrastructure: NeVA enables digital access to session agendas, legislative documents, real-time updates, questions, motions, and notices.  Fully hosted on the NIC Cloud (“MeghRaj”) platform for robust workflow management and secure data handling. Centre equipped with high-speed computers and mobile access to support seamless usage by legislators.
• Objectives & Impact:Aims to enhance transparency, accountability, operational efficiency, and environmental sustainability by eliminating paper use in legislative work. Sets a precedent for other state legislatures, contributing to a national push for digitization.
• Nationwide Rollout:Under a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with a total budget of ₹ 673.94 crore, NeVA employs machine-translation via Bhashini into 22 regional languages and English, with Unicode architecture for multilingual content. • As of June 2025, 19 State/UT legislatures have gone fully digital using NeVA, with 28 signing MoUs under the scheme. 

New Bills of Lading Law 2025

In the News: During the first day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, Rajya Sabha passed The Bills of Lading Bill, 2025 (after Lok Sabha approval in March), paving the way for Presidential assent. This modern legislation replaces the colonial‑era Indian Bills of Lading Act, 1856, and is expected to reshape India’s maritime law framework.

Key Points:

• Legislative Approval: Lok Sabha passed the Bill in March 2025; Rajya Sabha approved it by voice vote on July 21, 2025. The Opposition staged a walk‑out during the session. After Presidential assent, the new Bills of Lading Act, 2025 will become law, repealing the 169‑year‑old Act of 1856.  
• Sponsor & Vision: Bill tabled by Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal (Ports, Shipping & Waterways), aligning with PM Modi’s “Viksit Bharat by 2047” vision and the Sagarmala initiative.
• Modernisation & Clarity: Simplifies archaic, colonial-era language for clearer, business-friendly terminology. Clarifies rights and obligations of carriers, shippers, consignees, and endorsees, reducing ambiguity and litigation risk.
• Transfer of Rights Provisions: Confers rights of suit and liabilities on named consignees and endorsees; enhances legal clarity over ownership transfer.
• Legal Framework & Governance: Introduces enabling clause empowering Central Government to issue implementation directions. Includes repeal and saving clause to ensure continuity of past actions under the old law.
• International Alignment: Ensures compatibility with global norms, enhancing India’s credibility in maritime trade. Recognizes and facilitates electronic bills of lading, paving the way for future e-documentation legislation.
• Parliamentary Concerns & Safeguards: MPs debated potential risks of fraud and misuse; government assured inclusion of safeguards and further measures for electronic bills.

 Monsoon Session of Parliament 2025

In the News: The 2025 Monsoon Session of the Indian Parliament commenced on July 21, 2025, and is scheduled to run until August 21, 2025, with a recess from August 12 to 18 in observance of Independence Day. Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha convene daily from 11 AM, covering a packed agenda of legislative, security, and economic issues.

Key Points:

• Session Dates & Schedule: Held from July 21 to August 21 across 21 sittings in 32 days, paused from August 12–18
• Boisterous Opening Day: Both Houses faced interruptions on Day 1, driven by opposition demands for discussion on the Pahalgam terror attack, Operation Sindoor, and the Bihar voter roll exercise. Lok Sabha proceedings were temporarily adjourned following disruptive slogan-shouting.
• Operation Sindoor Debate: Central to the opening discourse, with MPs urging government accountability on military action and cross-border terror; BJP responded with staunch support of the armed forces.
• Political Turmoil: Vice‑President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar unexpectedly resigned on Day 1, officially due to health reasons. Opposition raised suspicion of political undercurrents. Meanwhile, Deputy Chairman Harivansh took over presiding duties.
•  Judicial Accountability Push: Around 200 MPs across parties initiated impeachment proceedings against Justice Yashwant Varma over the 'cash recovery' controversy.
• Broader Governance Debates: Congress MPs sought debates on issues ranging from the escape of girls from a crisis shelter in Bihar, electoral roll revisions, drug abuse, and financial regulations.  
• Economic & Legislative Agenda: The government plans to introduce/push forward 8 new bills and 7 pending bills, including the Income-Tax Bill 2025, anti-doping, shipping, minerals and business reforms. Parliament also prepared to roll out digital MP attendance tracking. 

Gita Gopinath Resigns as IMF Deputy Chief

In the News: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced that Gita Gopinath, its First Deputy Managing Director, will step down at the end of August 2025 to return to Harvard University as a professor, marking the end of her tenure at the Fund.

Key Points:

• Resignation Announcement: Gopinath’s departure was confirmed by IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, stating she will leave her position at the end of August.
• Return to Academia: She’ll rejoin Harvard on September 1, 2025, as the inaugural Gregory & Ania Coffey Professor of Economics in the Department of Economics, marking a return to her academic roots.
• Trailblazing Career: Gopinath has been with the IMF since 2019, first as the Chief Economist (first woman in the role), and became First Deputy MD in January 2022  
• IMF Recognition: Kristalina Georgieva praised her as an “exceptional intellectual leader,” credited with steering policy during the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia–Ukraine war, cost-of-living crisis, and reforming the Fund’s global surveillance.
• S. Influence & Succession: Her exit opens the door for the U.S. Treasury—as IMF’s largest shareholder—to nominate her successor, at a time when the Trump administration is pushing for IMF reforms focusing back on its core mandate.
• Statement by Gopinath: She described her stint at the IMF as a “once‑in‑a‑lifetime opportunity” and expressed eagerness to return to academia to advance research and train future economists. 

Australia-Tuvalu Climate Migration Visa Scheme

In the News: Australia began accepting applications under its pioneering Falepili Mobility Pathway, a climate‑migration visa for Tuvalu citizens, granting legal pathways to live, work, and study in Australia. Within a month, over 5,000 Tuvaluans—nearly half the nation—registered for the limited annual quota of 280 visas .

Key Points:

• Visa Launch & Treaty Framework:The visa stems from the Australia–Tuvalu Falepili Union treaty, signed in 2023 and implemented from August 28, 2024, to address climate‑induced displacement and strengthen bilateral cooperation It allows eligible Tuvaluans (18+) to participate in a ballot-based system for permanent residency—no job offer required. 
• Record Applications: Over 3,125 Tuvaluans applied within the first four days; by July 11, the count rose to 5,157 individuals (several including family members).This equates to almost 50% of the ~11,000‑strong population registering for the ballot.
• Environmental Pressure on Tuvalu:Average elevation is ~2 m above sea level, with sea levels rising ~15 cm over 30 years. Two atolls have already mostly submerged, and much of the country could be underwater by 2050.The nation faces increasing threats from flooding, storm surges, saltwater intrusion, and freshwater shortages.
• Visa Details & Benefits: Up to 280 visas/year under a ballot; successful applicants receive permanent residency with full access to Medicare, public education, and welfare. Visa holders can sponsor relatives and apply for citizenship once eligible .
• Socio-Economic Implications: The cap aims to prevent a destabilizing brain drain, but at current rates ~4% of the population could emigrate yearly, potentially lowering the population by 40% over a decade.Tuvalu is digitizing its landscape to preserve cultural heritage as part of migration safeguards . 

China Begins World’s Largest Hydropower Dam Project

In the News: China officially commenced construction of the Medog (Yarlung Zangbo) hydropower project in Tibet—heralded by Premier Li Qiang as the “project of the century”—which is set to become the world’s largest hydropower dam.

Key Points: 

• Project Launch & Scale: Officially began on July 19–21, 2025, on the Yarlung Zangbo River in Nyingchi, Tibet, via China Yajiang Group.  Comprises five cascading hydropower stations with a combined estimated cost of 1.2 trillion yuan (~US $167 billion). Expected annual generation: 300 billion kWh—three times that of the Three Gorges Dam.
• Ambitious Engineering: Situated in a steep 50 km canyon drop of 2,000 m in Medog County.  Construction includes tunneling, rock-fill dams, and transmission lines to serve Tibet and beyond. 
• China's Rationale: Promotes green energy, economic stimulus, and regional development in Tibet—aligned with carbon neutrality goals.
   Premier Li labeled it a flagship of China’s 14th Five-Year Plan. 
• Market Reaction: Chinese and Hong Kong engineering stocks surged (~4%), as investors view the project as economic stimulus.
•  Downstream Concerns: India and Bangladesh have voiced concerns about environmental impact on the Brahmaputra River’s flow, sediment transfer, and flood control
• Environmental & Geopolitical Risks: Experts cite threats from seismic activity, landslides, ecosystem disruption, and impact on downstream agriculture and fisheries. NGO and Tibetan groups warn of cultural displacement and ecological loss.
• Timeline & Output: Construction started July 2025; generation expected in the 2030s.

Global Wetland Outlook 2025

In the News: The Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention released the Global Wetland Outlook 2025, the most comprehensive assessment to date of the world’s wetlands. The report warns that ongoing wetland loss and degradation threatens ecosystem services valued at up to USD 39 trillion annually. It was launched in Nairobi ahead of COP15 in Zimbabwe.

Key Points: 

• Wetland Extent & Loss:Global wetlands cover approximately 4–1.8 billion ha, but have lost roughly 22% (~411 million ha) of their area since 1970, at a rate of ~0.52% annually.
• Ecosystem Services Value:Remaining wetlands deliver ecosystem services valued between USD 8–39 trillion annually, despite covering just ~6% of the Earth's surface. Services include water purification, flood regulation, carbon storage, and biodiversity support.
•  Ecological Condition: Approximately 25% of the world’s remaining wetlands are in poor ecological health, with the worst degradation observed in Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean; deterioration is gaining pace even in Europe and North America.
•  Economic & Funding Gap: Restoration & conservation costs range from Int$1,000 to $70,000 per hectare annually, depending on wetland type. To meet global targets—restoring 123 million ha and conserving 428 million ha—requires annual investments of USD 275–550 billion, dramatically above current underinvestment.
• Policy & Restoration Pathways:
    – The report outlines four strategic pathways:
    Integrate wetland value into decision-making and investment.
   2. Recognize wetlands in water-cycle management.
   3. Embed wetlands into climate and biodiversity finance.
   4. Mobilize multisector partnerships and community-led restoration.
• Global Governance & Launch: Produced by the STRP of the Ramsar Convention, the Outlook supports implementation of the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (Targets 2 & 3) and the SDGs. It was officially launched on July 15, 2025, in Nairobi.

ISRO’s GSLV-F16 to Launch Joint ISRO-NASA Satellite NISAR

In the News: ISRO confirmed that its GSLV‑F16 rocket will launch the NASA‑ISRO NISAR satellite on July 30, 2025, at 17:40 IST from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota—a milestone in Earth observation and international cooperation

Key Points:

• Launch Details: Scheduled launch on July 30, 2025, at 5:40 PM IST aboard GSLV‑F16 from Sriharikota’s second pad. The rocket will insert NISAR into a 743 km sun-synchronous orbit at ~98.4° inclination.
• About NISAR:NASA‑ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) is the first satellite to carry dual-frequency radars: NASA’s L-band and ISRO’s S-band. Weighs ~2,392 kg with mission value at US $1.5 billion, making it the most expensive Earth-observation satellite yet.
• Technical Highlights: Equipped with a 12 m mesh reflector antenna and SweepSAR technology; scans Earth every 12 days with a wide 242 km swath. Capable of detecting surface deformations under 1 cm, critical for monitoring fault lines, flood plains, glaciers, vegetation, groundwater, and sea ice.
• ISRO & NASA Contributions: NASA provides L-band radar, communications, GPS, and data subsystems. ISRO provides S-band radar, satellite bus (I‑3K), GSLV‑F16 launch services, and ground operations.
• Mission Objectives & Impact: First global earth-surface monitoring mission offering all-weather, day-and-night data for environment and disaster management. Aids in disaster preparedness and scientific research on tectonics, ice caps, land cover, and more. Symbolizes deepening India‑US space cooperation and supports SDGs and climate resilience.

FIDE World Cup 2025 to Be Hosted in India

In the News: The International Chess Federation (FIDE) officially announced that India will host the FIDE World Cup 2025—a top-tier, knockout-format chess tournament featuring 206 players, scheduled from October 30 to November 27, 2025. This marks the first time India hosts the World Cup in 23 years, underscoring its rising global stature in chess.

Key Points:

• Tournament Dates & Format:Held from Oct 30–Nov 27, 2025, featuring 206 players in a single-elimination knockout format. The top 50 seeds enter in Round 2; others start in Round 1.Matches include two classical games over two days, with rapid/blitz tiebreaks on Day 3 if required.
• Qualification Stakes:The top three finishers will secure spots in the 2026 Candidates Tournament, the pathway to challenge for the World Chess Championship.
• Host Significance: India’s hosting signals its ascent as a chess powerhouse, propelled by legends like Viswanathan Anand and younger talents such as Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa, and Arjun Erigaisi. It's India's first World Cup in 23 years; host city to be selected, with contenders including Ahmedabad and Goa.
• Global Chess Context: FIDE CEO Emil Sutovsky praised the decision, anticipating enthusiastic local fan engagement and promising a wide range of side events featuring players and chess legends.
• Legacy of Domestic Chess: India recently hosted key chess events like the 2022 Chess Olympiad, 2024 FIDE World Junior U20, and the 5th leg of the 2025 Women’s Grand Prix, establishing widespread organizational success.