Prelims Current Affairs includes NotOnMap, National Awards to Teachers 2024, Vibrant Villages Programme (VVP), FIDE World Cup 2025, Project Aarohan, Government of India has constituted three high-level committee and Lithuanian Parliament has officially approved Inga Ruginiene.

APPOINTMENT

1. LITHUANIA’S NEW PRIME MINISTER

Current Context:
The Lithuanian Parliament has officially approved Inga Ruginiene, a Social Democrat and former labour leader, as the new Prime Minister of Lithuania.

ABOUT INGA RUGINIENE

• Political Party: Social Democrat

• Previous Role: Minister of Social Security and Labour

• Significance: First time a former trade union and labour leader has risen to the post of Prime Minister in Lithuania.

ABOUT LITHUANIA

• Official Name: Republic of Lithuania (Lietuvos Respublika)

• Location: A country in the Baltic region of Europe, along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea.

• Borders: Latvia (north), Belarus (east and south), Poland (south), and Russia’s Kaliningrad Oblast (southwest).

• Capital: Vilnius

• Official Language: Lithuanian (one of the oldest Indo-European languages still spoken).

• Currency: Euro (€) (since 2015)

POLICY AND PROGRAMME

2. CENTRE FORMS COMMITTEES TO HONOUR PATEL, VAJPAYEE, BIRSA MUNDA

Current Context: The Government of India has constituted three high-level committees chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to commemorate:

• 150th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

• 150th birth anniversary of Birsa Munda

• Birth centenary of Atal Bihari Vajpayee

HONOURING SARDAR VALLABHBHAI PATEL

• Born: 31 October 1875, Nadiad, Gujarat

• Known As: “Iron Man of India”

• Contributions:

  • Integrated 565 princely states into the Indian Union

  • Strengthened India’s unity and administrative framework

  • Guided civil services and democratic institutions post-independence

• Committee Focus: National unity, integration campaigns, leadership awareness.

CELEBRATING BIRSA MUNDA’S TRIBAL LEGACY

• Born: 15 November 1875

• Role: Tribal freedom fighter, leader of Ulgulan (The Great Tumult) Movement

• Significance: Fought against British exploitation and land alienation; symbol of tribal identity.

• Committee Focus:

  • Celebrating tribal heritage and culture

  • Awareness of tribal resistance movements

  • Promoting Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas (already observed on 15th November).

MARKING ATAL BIHARI VAJPAYEE’S BIRTH CENTENARY

• Born: 25 December 1924

• Known For: Oratory, inclusive leadership, poet, and statesman

• Major Contributions:

  • Pokhran-II nuclear tests (1998)

  • Golden Quadrilateral project for infrastructure

  • Good Governance reforms

• Honours: Bharat Ratna (2015); his birthday observed as Good Governance Day.

• Committee Focus: Public campaigns, seminars, cultural events, publications, contests on Vajpayee’s vision and leadership.

3. PROJECT AAROHAN

Current Context: The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has launched ‘Project Aarohan’ (2025–2026) to support education of toll plaza employees’ children.

ABOUT PROJECT AAROHAN

• Launched By: NHAI Chairman Shri Santosh Kumar Yadav at NHAI HQ, New Delhi.

• Implementation: By SMEC Trust’s Bharat Cares.

• Funding: ₹1 crore (Phase 1: July 2025 – March 2026).

• Focus Areas:

  • Girls from low-income households

  • First-generation learners

  • Students from SC, ST, OBC, minority communities

SCHOLARSHIP FEATURES

• 500 students (Class 11 to Graduation): ₹12,000 annually

• 50 meritorious students (Post-graduation & higher studies): ₹50,000 each

• Objective: To break financial barriers, ensure inclusive education, and nurture future contributors to India’s growth.

4. VIBRANT VILLAGES PROGRAMME (VVP)

Current Context: Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation recently inaugurated a two-day workshop on the Vibrant Villages Programme (VVP) in New Delhi, organised by the Border Management Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs.

ABOUT VIBRANT VILLAGES PROGRAMME (VVP-I)

• Type: Centrally Sponsored Scheme

• Implementation Period: 2022-23 to 2025-26

• Coverage: 2,967 villages in 46 blocks across 19 districts along the northern border in Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, and Ladakh (UT).

• Objective:

  • Comprehensive development of northern border villages

  • Encourage residents to stay in their native places, reversing outmigration

  • Strengthen border security through village development

KEY FEATURES

• Infrastructure: Roads, housing, village facilities, renewable energy, television & telecom connectivity

• Livelihoods: Tourism, cultural heritage, skill development, entrepreneurship, cooperative societies, agriculture, horticulture, medicinal plants cultivation

• Governance:

  • Vibrant Village Action Plans (VVAPs) prepared by district administration with Gram Panchayats

  • 100% saturation of Central and State schemes

• Note: No overlap with the Border Area Development Programme (BADP)

ABOUT VIBRANT VILLAGES PROGRAMME – II (VVP-II)

• Type: Central Sector Scheme (100% Centre funding)

• Approved By: Union Cabinet, April 2025

• Vision: Part of Viksit Bharat@2047 for “Safe, Secured & Vibrant Land Borders”

• Outlay: ₹6,839 crore

• Coverage: Strategic villages in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tripura, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal

SPORTS

5. FIDE WORLD CUP 2025

Current Context: India will host the FIDE World Cup 2025 in Goa from 30 October to 27 November 2025.

ABOUT FIDE WORLD CUP 2025

• Organizer: International Chess Federation (FIDE)

• Participants: 206 top players from 90+ countries

• Prize Pool: $2 million

• Significance: Qualifier for 2026 Candidates Tournament

TOURNAMENT FORMAT

• Structure: 8-round knockout event

• Match Rules:

  • 2 classical games

  • Rapid & blitz tie-breakers if required

• Seeding: Top 50 players get byes into Round 2

AWARDS

6. NATIONAL AWARDS TO TEACHERS (NAT)

Current Context: The Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education has selected 16 teachers from Higher Educational Institutions and Polytechnic Institutes for National Awards to Teachers 2024.

ABOUT NATIONAL AWARDS TO TEACHERS

• Established: 1958

• Purpose: To recognise meritorious teachers and headmasters for improving the quality of education and enriching learning experiences.

• Presented By: President of India / Vice-President of India on 5th September (Teachers’ Day) every year.

• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Education

ELIGIBILITY

• Teachers & Heads of Schools in:

  • State Govt./UT schools, local body schools, aided schools, and private schools affiliated to State/UT Boards

  • Central Govt. schools (KVs, JNVs, Sainik Schools, AEES, EMRS)

• Service Requirement: Minimum 10 years of service (only regular teachers)

• Exclusions: Retired teachers (except partial service till 30th April of the award year), educational administrators, inspectors, training institute staff, contractual teachers, Shiksha Mitras, and those engaged in private tuition.

HIMACHAL RELEVANCE: SOLAN TEACHER SELECTED FOR NAT 2025

• Awardee: Shashi Paul, teacher from Solan, Himachal Pradesh

• Experience: 14+ years in education

• Contributions:

  • Promoted inclusive education, digital innovations, and community-based school transformation

  • Provided free online classes during COVID-19, enabling 220+ students to secure admission in JNVs and reputed institutions

  • Established science & learning labs in rural schools

  • Contributed to curriculum design under SCERT Solan and Samagra Shiksha

HIMACHAL NEWS

7. COMMUNITY-DRIVEN TOURISM: NOTONMAP

Current Context: NotOnMap, a community-driven sustainable tourism initiative founded in Chamba, Himachal Pradesh, received international recognition at the Harvard-University of Tokyo Asia Conference (ACONF) 2025, held from 20–24 August 2025 in Tokyo.

ABOUT NOTONMAP

• Founded In: Chamba, Himachal Pradesh

• Model: Connects travellers with rural and heritage communities

• Focus Areas:

  • Preserving local culture

  • Promoting cultural exchange

  • Strengthening rural livelihoods

ABOUT HPAIR (Harvard Project for Asian & International Relations)

• Established: 1991

• Objective: Dialogue on major political, social, and economic issues in the Asia-Pacific

• Past Partners: World Bank, UNHCR, Schwarzman Scholars

• 2025 Partners: JR East (Japan Metro Operator), International Institute for Strategy & Information Analysis (IISIA)

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