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1. Manu Bhaker recently won a bronze medal in the women's 10m air pistol event at the Paris 2024 Olympics, marking India's first medal at these Games and the country's first shooting medal since London 2012. Hailing from Jhajjar, Haryana, Manu is the first Indian female shooter to secure an Olympic medal and reached an Olympic final in an individual shooting event for the first time in 20 years. She joins the ranks of other Indian shooters who have won Olympic medals, including Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Abhinav Bindra, Vijay Kumar, and Gagan Narang. Manu's previous achievements include multiple gold medals at national and international events, including the Commonwealth Games and various World Cups.
2. Established in 2003 by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, the National Mission for Manuscripts aims to document, conserve, digitize, and disseminate India's vast manuscript heritage. With over 100 Manuscripts Resource and Conservation Centres across India, it manages approximately ten million manuscripts, the largest collection globally. Manuscripts are handwritten works of significant value found in various materials and languages. Created in 1996 under the Charitable Endowment Act, the National Culture Fund (NCF) facilitates Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) to enhance the protection and preservation of India's cultural heritage. It supports projects in monument restoration, museum development, and cultural documentation. NCF is governed by a Council chaired by the Minister of Culture and an Executive Committee, and its accounts are audited annually by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India.
3. The government has revamped the Model Skill Loan Scheme, raising the maximum loan limit from ₹1.5 lakh to ₹7.5 lakh. Launched in 2015 but initially underused due to low loan limits, the revised scheme was announced in the Union Budget 2024-2025. It aims to support 25,000 students annually and now includes non-banking financial companies (NBFCs), NBFC-MFIs (micro-finance institutions), and small finance banks as lenders. The scheme expands course eligibility to include both National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF)-aligned courses and non-NSQF courses listed on the Skill India Digital Hub. As of March 2024, ₹115.75 crore in loans were disbursed to 10,077 borrowers, reflecting previous low uptake linked to high course fees.
4. Indian tennis legends Leander Paes and Vijay Amritraj have recently been inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Leander Paes entered the Hall of Fame in the Player Category. He boasts 18 Grand Slam titles in doubles and mixed doubles and was a former doubles world No. 1. Paes has also received the Padma Shri (2001) and Padma Bhushan (2014) awards. Vijay Amritraj was inducted in the Contributor Category. He began his Grand Prix career in 1970 and played pivotal roles in the Indian Davis Cup teams that reached the finals in 1974 and 1987. Amritraj was honored with the Padma Shri in 1983 and served as a UN ambassador for peace in 2001. The International Tennis Hall of Fame, located in Newport, Rhode Island, celebrates exceptional contributions to tennis.
5. The 125th Constitutional Amendment Bill proposes to enhance the powers of tribal autonomous councils under the Sixth Schedule by introducing Village and Municipal Councils alongside existing District and Regional Councils. It allows District Councils to define the structure and functions of these new councils. The Bill also empowers the Governor to create rules for devolving powers to these councils, including economic development and land use. Additionally, it calls for a State Finance Commission to manage financial distribution and oversee elections through the State Election Commission. Introduced in 2019, the Bill remains pending due to concerns raised by a Standing Committee. The Sixth Schedule facilitates governance in tribal areas of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram, with Autonomous District Councils managing local affairs and preserving tribal cultures.