News Summary · 2 minutes read
“Samudra Pradakshina” begins on September 11, 2025, from Mumbai. Photo: X/@rajnathsingh
Stay ahead in your UPSC CSE preparation with our daily News Summary. Designed to save time, it highlights key national and international events from leading newspapers and government websites.
Border Wing Home Guards (BWHGs)
- Ministry of Home Affairs is contemplating the deployment of BWHGs along the India-China border.
- Who are the BWHGs?
- A voluntary force drawn from the civilian population living in the border areas to act as an ancillary to Indian Armed Forces during emergencies.
- Act as constables and are usually enlisted for 3-4 years.
- 25% cost of training and financial support is borne by the Central Govt.
- 7 States are authorised to have BWHGs — Meghalaya, Tripura, Assam, West Bengal, Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat.
- Currently, BWHGs are active only in Rajasthan.
State visit of PM of Mauritius to India
- Mauritius Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam is undertaking a state visit to India from 9-16 September 2025.
- List of outcomes includes several MoUs/agreements/announcements, such as:
- MoU between CSIR-NIO and Mauritius Oceanography Institute
- MoU between Karmayogi Bharat (DoPT) and the Ministry of Public Service and Administrative Reforms, Mauritius
- Announcement to take forward the G2G proposal to set up a floating Solar PV Project at Tamarind Falls.
- India – Mauritius Joint Announcement includes several projects, such as:
- AYUSH Centre of Excellence in Mauritius
- India’s assistance in development of Chagos Marine Protected Area.
Samudra Pradakshina
- First-ever tri-service all-women circumnavigation sailing expedition → virtually flagged off from Mumbai by the Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on September 11, 2025.
- Ten women officers will sail onboard the indigenous Indian Army Sailing Vessel Triveni over the next 9 months.
- It will cover nearly 26,000 nautical miles, cross the equator twice and round the three great Capes — Leeuwin, Horn and Good Hope.
History of circumnavigation
- Robin Knox-Johnston (UK) was the first to complete a solo non-stop circumnavigation in 1969.
- In India, Dilip Donde completed the first solo circumnavigation (2009–10), and Abhilash Tomy was the first Indian to circumnavigate non-stop in 2012–13.
- Navika Sagar Parikrama (2017–18) and Navika Sagar Parikrama-II (2024-25) by Indian Navy on INSV Tarini have been previous successful circumnavigation expeditions.
Miscellaneous
- India aims to eliminate malaria by 2030.
- India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have signed a loan agreement to promote sustainable tourism and rural development in the Tehri Lake region of Uttarakhand.
- Perpetual bond: a fixed-income security that pays interest (coupon) forever but never repays the principal amount, as it has no maturity date.
- Scarborough Shoal: an atoll located in South China Sea, within Philippines’ exclusive economic zone → disputed between Philippines and China → also known as Panatag Shoal and Huangyan Island.
- Pugad Island: located in Manila Bay, Philippines → sinking due to rising sea levels.
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