UPPSC PCS Prelims 2025: Current Affairs: From Indian Express

UP BUDGET 2025-26: Key Takeaways

• On February 20, 2025, the Finance Minister of Uttar Pradesh (UP), Suresh Khanna, presented the Budget for the state for the financial year 2025-26. Notably, Article 202 of the Constitution of India mentions the “annual financial statement” for the state. It details the estimated receipts and expenditure for the upcoming financial year (April 1 to March 31).
• The theme of UP Budget 2025-26 is “vanchit ko vareeyeta” (priority to the deprived). It is the biggest budget of UP so far.
• The Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) of Uttar Pradesh for the Financial year 2025-26 (at current prices) is projected to be Rs 30.8 lakh crore, representing a 12% growth over 2024-25.

Main Budgetary Allocations Sector-wise

• Infrastructure development: 22%
• Education: 13%
• Agriculture and allied services: 11%
• Medical and health: 6%
• Social security programmes: 4%

Rupee Comes In, 2025-26 (B.E.)

• State’s Own Tax Revenue: 37.4%
• Central Tax Transfer: 32.4%
• Public Debt Receipts: 14.4%
• Centre’s Grants-in-Aid: 11.1%
• Non-Tax Revenue: 3.1%
• Public Account Receipts: 1.2%
• Recovery of Loans and Advances: 0.4%

Rupees Goes To, FY 2025-26 (B.E.)

• Capital Outlay Expenditure: 20.4%
• Other Expenditure: 16.8%
• Salary-Government Employee: 12.4%
• Pension: 11.2%
• Salary-Aided Institution Employee: 9.8%
• Interest Payment: 7.9%
• Debt Repayment: 6.4%
• Grant-in-aid: 6.4%
• Subsidy: 4.3%
• Devolution to Local Bodies: 3.3%
• Disbursement of Loan & Advances: 1.1%

UP SPECIAL CURRENT AFFAIRS

‘UP AGREES’ and ‘AI Pragya’ projects

The Uttar Pradesh government and the World Bank on 9th May launched two programmes — one to enhance agricultural productivity in the Purvanchal and Bundelkhand regions with technology-driven farming and the other to usher in digital transformation in the state.

Lucknow as India’s First AI City

Lucknow has officially been named India’s first AI City, backed by a Rs 10,732 crore investment under the IndiaAI Mission the largest AI infrastructure push.

NAVYA Scheme

On 24th June, the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD), in convergence with the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), launched ‘NAVYA’ (Nurturing Aspirations through Vocational Training for Young Adolescent Girls) in Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh.

UP holds the maximum number of GI tags in India

As of April 2025, Uttar Pradesh holds the highest number of Geographical Indication (GI) tags in the country at 77. Some of the newly added GI tag products are Banarasi Tabla, Banarasi Stuffed Chilli, Mural Painting, Red Peda, Thandai, Tricolour Barfi, Bareilly furniture, Mathura’s Sanjhi Craft, Kathia wheat of Bundelkhand, Flute of Pilibhit, Wood Craft of Chitrakoot, Stone inlay work of Agra and Imarti of Jaunpur.

POLITY

Census 2027

The government has formally announced that the 16th Census of India will take place in two phases, with the reference dates set as March 1, 2027, for most of the country and October 1, 2026, for snow-bound and remote regions. This Census will include the first nationwide caste enumeration since 1931.

Schemes launched by the Union Government

ECONOMY

Economic Survey 2024-25

It projected a growth rate of 6.3-6.8 per cent for 2025-26 on the back of a “strong external account, calibrated fiscal consolidation and stable private consumption”, much lower than what is needed to become a developed country.

Union Budget 2025-26

The Budget lists four engines of development that are agriculture, MSMEs, investments, and exports. The Budget aims to initiate transformative reforms across 6 domains: Taxation, power sector, urban development, mining, financial sector, and regulatory reforms.

AWARDS/ACHIEVEMENTS

Sahitya Academy Awards

Awards are currently given for 24 languages; the most recent additions being Bodo and Santhali in 2005. Awards in English began in 1960 (1st recipient was R K Narayan for ‘The Guide’).

85th Golden Globes 2025

71st National Film Awards

INDICES

SPORTS

World Chess Champion

• D Gukesh became the youngest world chess champion after defeating defending champ Ding Liren in Singapore. He became the 18th World Champion.
• Gukesh is the second grandmaster from his country to hold the world title. Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand was the undisputed world champion for six years starting in 2007.

FIDE Women’s World Cup 2025

• Divya Deshmukh, aged 19, became the FIDE Women’s World Cup champion by defeating the veteran Koneru Humpy, 38, in the final via the tiebreakers on 28th July. She became the first-ever Indian woman to win the FIDE Women’s World Cup.
• India is the host of the FIDE World Cup 2025 to be played from October 30 to November 27. Goa will be hosting it.

FIFA World Cup 2034

• Saudi Arabia was officially announced as the host of the FIFA World Cup 2034 while the 2030 edition will take place in Morocco, Spain and Portugal.

ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year

• Sir Garfield Sobers Award for ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year: Jasprit Bumrah (Previous winners: Rahul Dravid (2004), Sachin Tendulkar (2010), Ravichandran Ashwin (2016) and Virat Kohli (2017, 2018))

Doha Diamond League

• Neeraj Chopra breached the elusive 90m frontier with a 90.23m throw to finish second in the league. He became the third Asian and 25th man in history to achieve the feat.

38th National Games

• The 38th National Games were held in Uttarakhand. Services Sports Control Board (SSCB) won 121 medals – 68 gold, 26 silvers and 27 bronze – to claim the overall title.
• The tagline for the Games was “Sankalp Se Shikhar Tak” (From Resolve to Zenith) and the mascot was “Mauli,” inspired by the Monal, the state bird of Uttarakhand.

Khelo India Youth Games

• The 7th edition of the Khelo India Youth Games 2025 was organised in Bihar from 4th May to 15th May. It was organised in 5 cities of Bihar – Patna, Gaya, Nalanda, Bhagalpur, and Begusarai.
• Gajasimha was the mascot of the game which is based on the elephant-lion statues found in old temples of Nalanda and Bodh Gaya from the during pala period.
• Maharashtra topped the medal table. Uttar Pradesh was ranked 7th with 52 medals – 14 Golds, 20 Silvers, and 18 Bronze.

Kho-Kho World Cup

• The inaugural edition of the World Kho-Kho competition was held in New Delhi from January 13 to 19.
• The Indian women’s team won after defeating Nepal. The Indian Men’s Kho Kho team defeated Nepal to win the cup.

18th IPL 2025

• Royal Challengers Bengaluru beat Punjab Kings by 6 runs to win their first IPL trophy.

World Test Championship

• South Africa claimed its first International Cricket Council (ICC) trophy in 27 years after beating Australia in finals at Lord’s.

12th Men’s Hero Asia Cup Hockey Championship 2025

• It was held at the Rajgir International Stadium in Rajgir, Bihar, from 29th August to 7th September.
• Winner: India beat South Korea 4-1.
• With this win, India have qualified for the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2026 in the Netherlands and Belgium. India have ended the eight-year wait to regain title. They have now won the Asia Cup title four times overall, behind only South Korea’s total of five.
• Mascot: “Chand”. It was inspired by the national animal, the tiger. The name “Chand” is inspired by hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand.

Grand Slam Winners 2025