Awards & Recognitions — National & International

Why This Chapter Matters

Current affairs typically decides eight to ten marks in RRB NTPC's General Awareness section, more than any single static topic in this book. It is also the section students most often ignore until the last month, which is exactly backwards. Static GK does not change; current affairs does, every single week, and the marks it carries are too large to leave to a rushed final revision.

The single biggest mistake aspirants make with this section is treating it as "just read the newspaper." That approach drowns you in noise. Exams test a narrow, predictable band of current affairs: government schemes and their launch details, appointments to constitutional and major public posts, sporting achievements at the national and international level, railway sector developments (because this is a railway exam, after all), and major science or space milestones. This chapter builds that band deliberately, using events from 2025 that had already settled into the exam-tested record by the time this book went to print. Read this chapter as your foundation, not your final word. Current affairs ages fast, and you must supplement it with a fresh one-month or three-month compilation from a reliable source closer to your actual exam date, because new appointments, new schemes, and new records will have appeared by then.

1. National Governance and Policy Developments

Union Budget 2025-26

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget for 2025-26 on February 1, 2025, her eighth consecutive budget presentation, extending her own record as the finance minister with the most consecutive budget presentations in India's history, surpassing Morarji Desai's earlier tally counted differently across sources. A headline feature of this budget was a significant increase in the income tax exemption threshold under the new tax regime, raising the no-tax income limit and widening relief for the middle class, a change widely reported as one of the largest personal income tax reliefs in recent budget history.

Exam trap: Do not confuse the "new tax regime" with the "old tax regime" when a question cites the revised exemption limit. The higher exemption applies to taxpayers who opt for the new, simplified regime introduced in earlier budgets; the old regime with its various deductions continues to exist separately as an option.

A New Income Tax Law

Parliament passed the Income Tax Act, 2025, intended to replace the Income Tax Act of 1961 with simplified language and a shorter, more navigable structure, without changing tax rates or slabs on its own. This is worth remembering as a legislative milestone: India's income tax law had operated under the 1961 framework for over six decades before this rewrite.

Waqf Amendment

Parliament passed the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, altering the governance and composition of Waqf Boards, including provisions for non-Muslim members on Waqf bodies and changes to the process for identifying and registering Waqf properties. The amendment generated substantial political and legal debate and was challenged before the Supreme Court, making it a live and testable current-affairs topic through 2025 and into 2026.

Judicial and Institutional Appointments

Justice B.R. Gavai took charge as the Chief Justice of India in 2025, succeeding Justice Sanjiv Khanna, who had earlier succeeded Justice D.Y. Chandrachud in late 2024. Track this chain carefully in your revision: Chandrachud → Khanna → Gavai, each transition marking a change at the top of India's judiciary within a short span, a sequence exams like testing precisely because it moved quickly enough to trip up anyone revising from outdated notes.

Sanjay Malhotra took charge as the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India in December 2024, succeeding Shaktikanta Das. Remember this pairing distinctly from the CJI sequence above; RBI Governor and Chief Justice of India are separate constitutional-adjacent posts that exams frequently pair in the same question to test whether you can tell institutions apart under pressure.

Padma Awards 2025

The Padma Awards 2025, India's civilian honours announced around Republic Day, recognised achievers across fields including science, art, public affairs, and social work, continuing the annual tradition of India's three-tier civilian honour system: Padma Vibhushan (highest), Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri. As with every year's list, expect exam questions to focus on a handful of especially notable recipients rather than the full list, so when you read a fresh compilation closer to your exam, flag names connected to fields already tested in earlier GK papers.

Republic Day 2026

Republic Day 2026 marks 76 years since the Constitution of India came into force on January 26, 1950. Chief guests at Republic Day parades are a recurring GK question; note the identity of the chief guest each year as part of your monthly current-affairs revision, since this detail is announced fresh annually and cannot be predicted in advance.

2. National Security and the Pahalgam-Operation Sindoor Sequence

A terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, in April 2025 killed a number of civilian tourists and drew nationwide condemnation. In response, India launched Operation Sindoor in May 2025, a military operation targeting terror infrastructure, which led to a short but intense period of cross-border military exchanges between India and Pakistan before a cessation of hostilities was reached. This sequence is significant enough that it will likely remain a tested current-affairs topic through the 2026 exam cycle; know the broad outline (attack location, month, the operation's name, and its general aim) rather than granular military details, since exact figures and follow-on developments continued to evolve.

Exam trap: "Operation Sindoor" is the name tested most often in this context. Do not confuse it with older operation names from previous India-Pakistan conflicts, such as Operation Vijay (Kargil, 1999) or Operation Parakram (2001-02) — each belongs to a distinct year and a distinct trigger event, and exams sometimes list several operation names together to test whether you can match each to its correct year.

3. Sports Achievements

Cricket

India won the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, played in a hybrid format across Pakistan and the UAE due to India's matches being relocated to neutral venues; the final was played in Dubai, with India defeating New Zealand. This continued India's strong run in ICC events across the mid-2020s and is a safe, settled fact for exam purposes since the tournament and result are already concluded and widely recorded.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 was won by Royal Challengers Bengaluru, the franchise's first IPL title after appearing in the final on earlier occasions without winning. This is a notable "first-time winner" fact, a category examiners favour because it is unambiguous and memorable.

Chess

D. Gukesh became the youngest-ever undisputed World Chess Champion, defeating Ding Liren of China in the World Championship match held in Singapore in December 2024, at the age of 18. This remains one of the most tested current-affairs chess facts heading into 2026 exams, both for its "youngest ever" superlative and because it followed a long line of Indian chess achievement built on the foundation laid by Viswanathan Anand, India's first-ever World Chess Champion.

Memory hook: Anand opened the door for Indian chess on the world stage in the 2000s; Gukesh walked through it as the youngest ever to hold the undisputed title two decades later. Picture it as a relay race with only two runners so far, separated by roughly twenty years, both finishing at the same finish line: World Champion.

Athletics and Olympics-adjacent Events

Neeraj Chopra continued to be India's most prominent track and field name through 2025, maintaining his position among the world's leading javelin throwers following his Olympic gold at Tokyo 2020 and Olympic silver at Paris 2024. Exam questions on Chopra typically test his Olympic medal history (gold in Tokyo 2020, silver in Paris 2024) rather than any single meet result, since those Olympic results are permanent, settled facts.

Major Upcoming Sporting Events (2026)

Two major global sporting events fall within the 2026 calendar and are worth knowing even before they conclude, since "host country" and "host cities" style questions are asked before an event as often as after it:

• The 2026 Winter Olympics are scheduled to be held in Milan-Cortina, Italy, in February 2026, marking Italy's return as a Winter Olympics host after Turin 2006.
• The 2026 FIFA World Cup is scheduled to be co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, the first World Cup hosted by three nations jointly and the first since 1994 to be held in the United States. The tournament is also set to expand to 48 teams, up from 32, the largest format change in the competition's history.

Exam trap: Do not confuse Milan-Cortina 2026 (Winter Olympics) with any Summer Olympics host; the next Summer Olympics after Paris 2024 is scheduled for Los Angeles in 2028. Winter and Summer Games alternate on a two-year offset from each other, and mixing up which city hosts which is one of the most common current-affairs errors in exam halls.

4. Railway Sector Developments

Since this is an RRB exam, railway-specific current affairs deserves close attention; expect direct questions on new train categories, safety systems, and infrastructure milestones.

Vande Bharat Expansion

The Vande Bharat Express network, India's indigenously manufactured semi-high-speed train series, continued its expansion through 2025, adding new routes connecting state capitals and major cities across the country. Alongside the original chair-car format, Indian Railways began rolling out Vande Bharat Sleeper trains, designed for overnight long-distance routes, marking the series' evolution from a day-service concept into a broader long-distance replacement for older express trains.

Amrit Bharat and Namo Bharat

Amrit Bharat Express trains, a lower-cost, non-air-conditioned counterpart to Vande Bharat aimed at long-distance general and sleeper-class passengers, entered service on select routes, extending modern rolling-stock benefits to budget-conscious travellers rather than only premium-fare passengers.

Namo Bharat, operating under the RRTS (Regional Rapid Transit System) brand on the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut corridor, represents a new category distinct from both Vande Bharat and Amrit Bharat: it is a regional rapid transit service, not a long-distance train, designed for high-frequency commuter travel between NCR cities at speeds well above typical metro systems.

Exam trap: Vande Bharat, Amrit Bharat, and Namo Bharat sound alike and are easy to confuse in an exam hall. Anchor the distinction by purpose: Vande Bharat is premium semi-high-speed intercity travel; Amrit Bharat is affordable long-distance travel; Namo Bharat is high-frequency regional commuter transit under RRTS, a fundamentally different transport category from the other two.

Kavach Safety System

Kavach, India's indigenously developed Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system, continued its rollout across additional railway route kilometres through 2025, aimed at preventing train collisions by automatically applying brakes if a driver fails to respond to speed restrictions or signal warnings. Kavach is a frequently tested safety-technology topic precisely because it is indigenous, DRDO/RDSO-linked in its development lineage, and directly tied to passenger safety, a theme examiners consider inherently important for a railway recruitment exam.

Infrastructure and Project Milestones

The Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail project, India's first bullet train corridor, continued construction through 2025, with several viaduct and station sections progressing toward completion, though full commercial operation remained a target for later years rather than an achieved milestone as of this writing.

Indian Railways also continued work on Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFCs), separating freight traffic from passenger traffic on key routes to improve both freight speed and passenger punctuality, with substantial stretches of the Eastern and Western DFCs operational by 2025.

Exam trap: Remember that "bullet train" in the Indian exam context refers specifically to the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail corridor, using Japanese Shinkansen technology. Do not confuse this with Vande Bharat, which is semi-high-speed (roughly 160-180 km/h on upgraded existing track) rather than true high-speed rail on dedicated new track (design speeds above 300 km/h for the bullet train corridor).

5. Science and Space Developments

ISRO Milestones

ISRO continued preparatory work for Gaganyaan, India's human spaceflight programme, including uncrewed test flights of the crew module and escape systems, moving toward an eventual crewed orbital mission. ISRO also worked with NASA on the NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) satellite mission, a joint Earth-observation satellite launched to monitor changes in the planet's land and ice surfaces, representing one of the most significant India-US space collaborations to date.

Planning continued for Chandrayaan-4, envisioned as a lunar sample-return mission building on the success of Chandrayaan-3's 2023 south-pole landing, though its launch was expected later in the decade rather than within the 2025-26 window.

Exam trap: Do not confuse NISAR (a joint India-US Earth-observation satellite) with any lunar or Mars mission; NISAR studies Earth itself, not another celestial body, making it fundamentally different in purpose from Chandrayaan or Mangalyaan.

Nobel Prizes 2025

The Nobel Peace Prize for 2025 was awarded to Maria Corina Machado, a Venezuelan opposition politician, recognised for her pro-democracy activism. As with all recent-year Nobel announcements, treat the science and literature categories as topics to verify against a fresh source closer to your exam date rather than memorising from this chapter alone, since laureate names in physics, chemistry, medicine, and literature change every year and this book cannot guarantee it captures the most current announcement by the time you read it.

6. Notable Appointments and Elections

Bihar Legislative Assembly elections were held in November 2025, with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) securing a majority and Nitish Kumar continuing as Chief Minister of Bihar, extending his long tenure leading the state across multiple political alignments over the past two decades. State election results are a recurring current-affairs category; always note the state, the winning alliance or party, and the Chief Minister's name as the three core facts worth retaining.

The Noida International Airport at Jewar, Uttar Pradesh, progressed toward operational readiness through 2025, positioned to become one of India's largest airports by planned capacity once fully operational, and expected to ease congestion at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport by serving the National Capital Region's growing air traffic demand.

7. A Note on Using This Chapter

Static GK facts, once settled, stay true for years. Current affairs is different by nature: an appointment tested today may be superseded next year, a scheme's numbers may be revised in the next budget, and a sporting record may be broken within months. This chapter captures a snapshot that was accurate and exam-relevant as of early 2026, deliberately choosing events significant enough that they will still be asked about in exams held later in 2026 and even into 2027, since RRB question banks often recycle "recent history" facts for a year or two after the event itself.

Even so, treat this chapter as your base layer, not your complete current-affairs preparation. In the final one to two months before your actual exam date, get a fresh monthly or quarterly current-affairs compilation from a reliable coaching source or government press releases (PIB is the most exam-trusted primary source for Indian government current affairs), and specifically look for: any new Chief Justice of India, RBI Governor, Army/Navy/Air Force Chief, or CDS appointed after this book's writing; any new government scheme launched in the interim; any sporting event concluded after early 2026, especially the Winter Olympics and FIFA World Cup outcomes; and any new Vande Bharat routes, railway safety milestones, or ISRO missions completed since. A ten-minute weekly habit of reading one trusted current-affairs digest will do more for this section than rereading this chapter five times.

Exam trap: A frequent examiner tactic is to ask about the "latest" holder of a post using slightly outdated options deliberately, testing whether a candidate revised close to the exam date or relied on stale notes. Always cross-check "who is the current X" questions against the most recent update you have, not the first name you memorised months earlier.

Quick Revision — One-Line Facts

• Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget 2025-26 on February 1, 2025, her eighth consecutive budget.
• The Income Tax Act, 2025 replaced the Income Tax Act of 1961 with simplified language.
• Parliament passed the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, altering Waqf Board governance.
• Justice B.R. Gavai became Chief Justice of India in 2025, succeeding Justice Sanjiv Khanna.
• Sanjay Malhotra became RBI Governor in December 2024, succeeding Shaktikanta Das.
• A terror attack in Pahalgam, J&K, occurred in April 2025.
• India launched Operation Sindoor in May 2025 in response to the Pahalgam attack.
• India won the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, defeating New Zealand in the Dubai final.
• Royal Challengers Bengaluru won their first-ever IPL title in 2025.
• D. Gukesh became the youngest-ever undisputed World Chess Champion in December 2024, defeating Ding Liren.
• Viswanathan Anand remains India's first World Chess Champion, preceding Gukesh by two decades.
• Neeraj Chopra holds Olympic gold (Tokyo 2020) and silver (Paris 2024) in javelin throw.
• The 2026 Winter Olympics are set for Milan-Cortina, Italy.
• The 2026 FIFA World Cup is co-hosted by the USA, Canada, and Mexico, expanding to 48 teams.
• The next Summer Olympics after Paris 2024 is scheduled for Los Angeles in 2028.
• Vande Bharat Sleeper trains extended the Vande Bharat series to overnight long-distance routes.
• Amrit Bharat Express trains offer a budget, non-AC counterpart to Vande Bharat.
• Namo Bharat operates under RRTS on the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut corridor.
• Kavach is India's indigenously developed Automatic Train Protection system.
• The Mumbai-Ahmedabad corridor is India's first bullet train (high-speed rail) project.
• NISAR is a joint India-US Earth-observation satellite mission by ISRO and NASA.
• Chandrayaan-4 is planned as a lunar sample-return mission, building on Chandrayaan-3.
• The Nobel Peace Prize 2025 was awarded to Maria Corina Machado of Venezuela.
• Bihar Assembly elections in November 2025 returned the NDA to power under Nitish Kumar.
• Noida International Airport at Jewar, UP, progressed toward operational readiness through 2025.
• Republic Day 2026 marks 76 years since the Constitution came into force on January 26, 1950.
• Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri form India's three-tier civilian honour system.
• The Eastern and Western Dedicated Freight Corridors saw substantial operational stretches by 2025.
• India's CJI sequence moved quickly: Chandrachud to Khanna to Gavai within about a year.
• Always verify "current officeholder" questions against the latest update before an exam.

Memory Tables

Table A — Key Appointments and Transitions (2024-2026)

Post	New Holder	Predecessor	Approximate Timing
Chief Justice of India	B.R. Gavai	Sanjiv Khanna	2025
Chief Justice of India (earlier link)	Sanjiv Khanna	D.Y. Chandrachud	Late 2024
RBI Governor	Sanjay Malhotra	Shaktikanta Das	December 2024
World Chess Champion	D. Gukesh	Ding Liren	December 2024
Bihar Chief Minister	Nitish Kumar (continuing)	—	After November 2025 election

Table B — Railway Train Categories at a Glance

Category	Speed Class	Typical Use	Fare Positioning
Vande Bharat (chair car)	Semi-high-speed	Day intercity travel	Premium
Vande Bharat Sleeper	Semi-high-speed	Overnight long-distance	Premium
Amrit Bharat	Standard express, upgraded coaches	Long-distance general/sleeper	Budget
Namo Bharat (RRTS)	Regional rapid transit	High-frequency NCR commuting	Commuter
Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train	True high-speed rail	Dedicated new corridor	Premium (under construction)

Practice MCQs

Q1. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget 2025-26 on which date? (a) January 31, 2025 (b) February 1, 2025 (c) March 1, 2025 (d) April 1, 2025

Q2. The Income Tax Act, 2025 was passed to replace which earlier legislation? (a) Income Tax Act, 1922 (b) Income Tax Act, 1961 (c) Direct Tax Code, 2010 (d) Finance Act, 1994

Q3. Who became the Chief Justice of India in 2025, succeeding Justice Sanjiv Khanna? (a) Justice D.Y. Chandrachud (b) Justice B.R. Gavai (c) Justice U.U. Lalit (d) Justice N.V. Ramana

Q4. Sanjay Malhotra took charge as Governor of the Reserve Bank of India in December 2024, succeeding: (a) Urjit Patel (b) Raghuram Rajan (c) Shaktikanta Das (d) D. Subbarao

Q5. "Operation Sindoor," launched by India in May 2025, was a response to a terror attack in: (a) Pulwama (b) Uri (c) Pahalgam (d) Poonch

Q6. India won the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, defeating which team in the final held at Dubai? (a) Australia (b) South Africa (c) New Zealand (d) England

Q7. Which IPL franchise won its first-ever title in the 2025 season? (a) Chennai Super Kings (b) Royal Challengers Bengaluru (c) Punjab Kings (d) Rajasthan Royals

Q8. D. Gukesh became the youngest-ever undisputed World Chess Champion in December 2024 by defeating: (a) Magnus Carlsen (b) Ding Liren (c) Viswanathan Anand (d) Fabiano Caruana

Q9. The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be jointly hosted by: (a) Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE (b) USA, Canada, Mexico (c) Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay (d) Germany, France, Italy

Q10. "Namo Bharat" trains operate under which transit system on the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut corridor? (a) Vande Bharat network (b) Metro Rail network (c) RRTS (Regional Rapid Transit System) (d) Dedicated Freight Corridor

Q11. "Kavach," frequently in railway current affairs, refers to India's indigenously developed: (a) Freight wagon design (b) Automatic Train Protection system (c) Ticketing software (d) Track-laying machine

Q12. India's first bullet train (true high-speed rail) corridor under construction connects: (a) Delhi-Mumbai (b) Mumbai-Ahmedabad (c) Chennai-Bengaluru (d) Kolkata-Patna

Q13. NISAR, a joint satellite mission launched by ISRO with international collaboration, is designed primarily to: (a) Search for water on the Moon (b) Study Mars' atmosphere (c) Monitor changes on Earth's land and ice surfaces (d) Track asteroids near Earth

Q14. The Nobel Peace Prize for 2025 was awarded to: (a) Malala Yousafzai (b) Maria Corina Machado (c) Kailash Satyarthi (d) Denis Mukwege

Q15. Consider the following statements about the 2026 Winter Olympics:

1. It is scheduled to be held in Milan-Cortina, Italy.
2. It marks Italy's first time ever hosting a Winter Olympics. Which of the statements is/are correct? (a) Only 1 (b) Only 2 (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer Key

Q	Answer	One-line reason
1	(b)	Sitharaman presented her eighth consecutive budget on February 1, 2025, the now-standard budget date.
2	(b)	The Income Tax Act, 2025 replaces the six-decades-old Income Tax Act of 1961.
3	(b)	Justice B.R. Gavai took over as CJI in 2025 after Justice Sanjiv Khanna's short tenure.
4	(c)	Sanjay Malhotra succeeded Shaktikanta Das as RBI Governor in December 2024.
5	(c)	The April 2025 Pahalgam attack triggered India's May 2025 Operation Sindoor response.
6	(c)	India defeated New Zealand in the Champions Trophy 2025 final at Dubai.
7	(b)	RCB won its maiden IPL title in 2025 after several earlier final appearances without a win.
8	(b)	Gukesh defeated Ding Liren of China to become undisputed World Chess Champion.
9	(b)	The USA, Canada, and Mexico jointly host the 2026 FIFA World Cup, expanded to 48 teams.
10	(c)	Namo Bharat runs under the RRTS brand, a regional rapid transit system distinct from metro or long-distance rail.
11	(b)	Kavach automatically applies brakes to prevent collisions, functioning as India's Automatic Train Protection system.
12	(b)	The Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail corridor is India's first true bullet train project.
13	(c)	NISAR is an Earth-observation satellite studying land and ice changes, not a lunar or Mars mission.
14	(b)	Maria Corina Machado, Venezuelan opposition leader, received the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize.
15	(a)	Milan-Cortina hosts in 2026, but Italy already hosted the Winter Olympics once before, at Turin in 2006, so statement 2 is false.