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2 August 2025

Headlines

India-UN Global Capacity Building Initiative

  • India launched the first set of four development projects under the “India-UN Global Capacity Building Initiative,”

  • Aim: to support countries of the Global South in meeting Sustainable

Development Goals.

  • The initiative builds on India’s 2023 G20 Presidency and is oriented

toward fulfilling SDG 17 i.e. strengthening international partnerships for

sustainable development.

  • The projects were officially launched by the Ministry of External Affairs,

on 01 August 2025.

In the first phase of this programme –

  • Support rice fortification and supply chain management in Nepal with the help of the World Food Programme (WFP)

  • Develop digital health platforms in Zambia and Lao PDR with the support of UNDP

  • Census preparedness training for Barbados, Belize, St Kitts & Nevis, Suriname & Trinidad & Tobago with the help of UNFPA.

  • Provide vocational training in South Sudan with the support of UNESCO.

  • These programmes are set to begin in September 2025 through designated Indian training institutes under ITEC.

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Launch of the Matri Van Initiative

  • Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav and Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal today launched Matri Van Initiative, in Gurugram.

  • It is a theme-based Urban Forest spread over 750 acres in the Aravalli Hill area. The Matri van green cover will act as a heart and lungs for the whole of Delhi-NCR.

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Nitin Gadkari to receive Lokmanya National award

  • The award honors individuals whose contributions to India’s progress and development are considered extraordinary.

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  • The award is conferred every year on August 1, the death anniversary of Bal Gangadhar Tilak.

  • On 105th death anniversary of Tilak, this award was given to Nitin Gadkari (Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways), on August 01,2025 for his instrumental role in national infrastructure.

About Award​s

  • It was instituted in 1983 by the Tilak Smarak Mandir Trust in Pune.

  • First recipient: Shreedhar Mahadev Joshi
  • Established by: Kesari-Mahratta Trust
  • Price: 1 Lakh
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Mount Lewotobi Erupts Twice

  • In Indonesia, Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki Volcano in East Nusa Tenggara, erupted twice from Friday night.

  • Mount Lewotobi is one of Indonesia’s 127 active volcanoes. The country is prone to volcanic eruptions due to its location along the “Ring of Fire.” The 'Ring of Fire' is a volcanic chain surrounding the Pacific Ocean, famous for its regular earthquakes and volcanic activity.

  • Mount Merapi, One of the most active and dangerous volcanoes in Indonesia, eruption seen in 2024-25

Facts​

  • Mount Semeru, tallest volcano in Java; erupted in 2024

  • Mount Kerinci, erupted in 2024, Highest volcano in Indonesia

  • Mount Bromo, erupted in 2023, part of Tengger Caldera

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India’s Forex reserves surge to more than 2.7 bn dollars in July

  • India’s foreign exchange reserves rose more than $2.7 billion , reaching over 698.19 billion dollars in the week ending on 25th of July.

  • India ranked fourth in the world in Foreing exchange reserve after China, Japan, and Switzwerland

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Project Cimon

CIMON stands for Crew Interactive Mobile Companion.

  • It is an AI-powered robotic assistant designed to interact with astronauts aboard the

International Space Station (ISS) and assist with various tasks.

👨‍🚀 Key Developers

  • Airbus (main contractor)

  • IBM (provided the AI based on IBM Watson)

  • DLR (German Aerospace Center)

  • ESA (European Space Agency)

🚀 Purpose and Goals

  • Act as an intelligent assistant for astronauts

  • Display procedures, offer step-by-step guidance

  • Help manage experiments and documentation

  • Provide hands-free voice control

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