1. India Launches Digital Marine Fisheries Census 2025

On 31st October 2025, Union Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, launched the Marine Fisheries Census (MFC) 2025 Household Enumeration and the VYAS–BHARAT and VYAS–SUTRA mobile applications at Kochi, marking a complete digital transformation of India’s national fisheries census.

Key Points

• Digital Census Initiative: MFC 2025 replaces traditional paper-based surveys with a fully digital, geo-referenced data collection system, covering 1.2 million fisher households across 5,000 marine fishing villages in 13 coastal States and Union Territories, including the Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep.
• Census Duration: The enumeration will be conducted from November 3 to December 18, 2025, over a span of 45 days.
• Technological Backbone: The census will use multilingual Android apps developed by ICAR–Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI)—
  • VYAS–NAV: For validating fishing villages and harbours.
  • VYAS–BHARAT: For household and infrastructure enumeration.
  • VYAS–SUTRA: For real-time supervision and monitoring.
• Enhanced Accuracy & Transparency: The digital and geo-referenced approach enables real-time supervision through multi-tier web dashboards, improving data accuracy, efficiency, and accountability.
• Socio-Economic Data Collection: For the first time, MFC 2025 will capture expanded socio-economic details, including family income, home ownership, liabilities, credit sources, and insurance status. It will also record the impact of COVID-19 and the reach of welfare schemes such as PMMSY and PM-MKSSY.
• Drone Integration: The Department of Fisheries and CMFRI have introduced drone-based aerial enumeration of fishing crafts at major harbours (Vizag, Kakinada, Tuticorin, Mangaluru, Beypore, and Puthiyappa) to ensure neutral and verifiable records.

2. Lucknow Named UNESCO Creative City for Gastronomy

On 30th October 2025, Lucknow was officially added to the list of UNESCO Creative Cities for its rich and diverse culinary heritage, earning global recognition in the Gastronomy category at the 43rd session of UNESCO’s General Conference held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

• With this recognition, Lucknow joins the ranks of 70 gastronomy cities worldwide and becomes the second Indian city, after Hyderabad, to receive the prestigious title in the field of culinary arts.
• The UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) now comprises 408 cities across more than 100 countries, representing excellence across various creative fields such as gastronomy, music, literature, film, crafts, and design.
• UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay announced the addition of 58 new cities to the network, each recognized for fostering creativity as a strategic factor in sustainable urban development.
• The recognition celebrates Lucknow’s centuries-old Awadhi cuisine, renowned for its royal culinary traditions, distinctive flavours, and fine cooking techniques such as dum pukht, which have shaped India’s gastronomic identity.

3. Chavang Kut Festival

On 1st November 2025, Manipur will celebrate Chavang Kut, the post-harvest festival of the Chin-Kuki-Mizo communities, marking the end of the harvesting season and expressing gratitude to the Almighty for a bountiful yield.

• Chavang Kut is one of the most vibrant and culturally significant festivals of the Chin-Kuki-Mizo communities, celebrated not only in Manipur but also across the Northeast Region where these communities reside.
• The festival symbolizes thanksgiving for a good harvest, signifying prosperity, gratitude, and the harmonious relationship between people and nature.
• Celebrations include colorful cultural dances, melodious folk songs, indigenous games, and other traditional performances, highlighting the rich heritage and unity of the participating communities.
• Due to its wide cultural significance and popularity, Chavang Kut was declared a State Holiday in 1982, allowing people across Manipur to participate in the festivities with joy and togetherness.

4. India Sets Three Guinness World Records

On 31st October 2025, India achieved three Guinness World Record titles under the Swasth Nari, Sashakt Parivar Abhiyaan, a national health campaign that ran from 17th September to 2nd October 2025, showcasing extraordinary community participation and digital health engagement.

• The campaign achieved the record for the highest number of people registering on a health care platform in a single month, with over 3 crore 21 lakh registrations, reflecting India’s strong push toward digital health inclusion.
• A second record was set for the most people to sign up for a breast cancer screening online in one week, with over 9 lakh 94 thousand women participating in this large-scale preventive health initiative.
• The third Guinness record recognized the highest number of people signing up for vital signs screening online in one week at the state level, where 1 lakh 25 thousand participants took part, underscoring the growing awareness of preventive health measures.
• The initiative witnessed grassroots engagement on an unprecedented scale, with over 5 lakh Panchayati Raj representatives, 1.14 crore school and college students, 94 lakh Self-Help Group members, and 5 lakh members from other community platforms contributing to its success.

5. Vice Admiral B Sivakumar

On 1st November 2025, Vice Admiral B Sivakumar, AVSM, VSM, assumed charge as the 40th Chief of Materiel of the Indian Navy, succeeding Vice Admiral Kiran Deshmukh, AVSM, VSM, who retired after over 39 years of distinguished service.

• Vice Admiral B Sivakumar is an alumnus of the 70th Course of the National Defence Academy (NDA) and was commissioned as an Electrical Officer into the Indian Navy on 1st July 1987, marking the beginning of a remarkable career spanning more than 38 years.
• He holds a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from IIT Chennai, a Postgraduate Diploma in Higher Defence Management from Osmania University, an MPhil from Madras University, and is also an alumnus of the prestigious National Defence College, reflecting his strong academic and professional foundation.
• Throughout his illustrious career, Vice Admiral Sivakumar has held several key appointments across Naval Headquarters, HQ ATVP, Naval Dockyards, and Command Headquarters, where he contributed to diverse areas of technology, projects, and technical administration.

6. India and Norway Review Progress Under NIPI

On 31st October 2025, Union Health Secretary chaired the annual meeting of the Norway India Partnership Initiative (NIPI) in New Delhi, alongside Norway’s Ambassador to India. The meeting reviewed the ongoing cooperation between India and Norway in the field of public health.

Key Points

• Collaborative Approach: Health Secretary emphasized that NIPI demonstrates the power of convergence, where collaborative efforts between partners lead to impactful outcomes in healthcare.
• Whole-of-Government Strategy: Health Secretary highlighted that the Government of India is pursuing a whole-of-government approach, ensuring coordination with States and Union Territories to achieve national health goals.
• Long-standing Partnership: Established in 2006, the Norway India Partnership Initiative focuses on strengthening maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) and promoting health system strengthening through innovation, capacity building, and sustainable models.