Asian Seed Congress 2025

Context: Recently, the Union Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister launched the Asian Seed Congress 2025 in Mumbai.

About Asian Seed Congress 2025

• The theme for 2025 Congress is "Sowing the Seeds of Prosperity through Quality Seeds." 

• The theme emphasises the role of high-quality seeds in food security, agricultural resilience, and economic growth.

• This congress is hosted by the Asia and Pacific Seed Association (APSA) in collaboration with the Federation of Seed Industry of India (FSII) and the National Seed Association of India (NSAI) from November 17–21, 2025.

• The Asia and Pacific Seed Association (APSA) is the world's largest regional seed association, founded in 1994 to promote quality seed production and marketing in the Asia-Pacific region.
• The Federation of Seed Industry of India (FSII) is an association of R&D based plant science industry, engaged in the production of high-performance quality seeds for food, feed and fibre in the country.
• The National Seed Association of India (NSAI) is the primary organisation representing the Indian seed industry. Its mission is to promote a research-based industry that provides high-quality seeds to meet farmers' needs.

• The first Asian Seed Congress was held in 1994 in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Since then, it has been held annually. 

• Including the 2025 Congress in Mumbai, India has hosted the Asian Seed Congress five times—in 1995 (New Delhi), 2000 (Bangalore), 2008 (Hyderabad), and 2015 (Goa).

Purpose & Significance

• It serves as a major platform for networking, business development, and collaboration.

• It facilitates knowledge exchange, technical discussions, and policy dialogue.

• It enables engagement with high-growth, strategic markets across the Asia-Pacific region.

Smart technological solutions for national security

Context: Recently, Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya (GSV) and Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop smart technological solutions for national security.

More on the News

• The collaboration is expected to facilitate the development of technological solutions for deployment aspects of indigenous defence systems.

• The MoU shall be a medium for collaborative studies and R&D directed toward the areas of Logistics Management, Operational logistics at tactical, operational and strategic level for analysis of concepts and validation of operational logistics plan, Chip Design & Hardware Security and Homomorphic / Block Chain based Encryption.

• The key focus shall be to build capacities of researchers and scientists in the operational and military science domain, logistics management and technical research.

Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya (GSV) 

• GSV was established as a Central University by the Central Universities (Amendment) Act in 2022.

• It functions under the Ministry of Railways, Government of India.

• It is India’s first university dedicated to the Transportation and Logistics sector.

• The university covers all major transport domains, including Railways, Highways, Ports, Aviation, Maritime, and Shipping.

India Concludes First-Ever Major LPG Import Deal with the US

Context: Recently, the Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas announced that Indian PSU oil companies have successfully concluded a one-year structured contract to import around 2.2 MTPA of LPG from the US Gulf Coast for the contract year 2026.

More on the News

• This is the first structured US LPG contract for India and accounts for nearly ten percent of India’s annual LPG imports.

• A team from IndianOil, BPCL and HPCL travelled to the United States in July 2025 to negotiate with major US producers using Mont Belvieu as the benchmark.

• Mont Belvieu benchmarks are the global price benchmarks for natural gas liquids (NGLs), particularly for propane and butane, which are set at a major hub in Mont Belvieu, Texas.

• The government has kept domestic LPG prices low for Ujjwala beneficiaries despite high global prices by absorbing significant subsidy expenditure.

Key reasons for the LPG import deal

• India required a structured long-term LPG supply contract because the country is one of the largest and fastest-growing LPG markets in the world and needs stable import sources.

• India’s LPG imports account for a significant share of domestic consumption and a reliable supply arrangement strengthens national Energy security.

• The contract marks a major Diversification in India’s LPG sourcing strategy as India expands supply options beyond traditional exporters.

• India signed the contract because global LPG prices increased sharply in the previous year and a predictable supply from the US helps in managing price volatility.

Maharashtra Joins Centre’s Nuclear Power Initiative

Context: Maharashtra became the first state to join the Centre’s nuclear-based power generation initiative.

More on the News

• An MoU was signed between Mahagenco (Maharashtra State Power Generation Company Limited) and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) in Mumbai.

• NPCIL is a public sector undertaking under the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) that is responsible for the design, construction, commissioning, and operation of nuclear power plants in India.

• The agreement aims to jointly develop nuclear power capacity in Maharashtra and enhance access to clean and uninterrupted power.

• The agreement marks the first state-level partnership under the Centre’s nuclear power initiative and signals a broader push to involve states in nuclear energy development.

• The MoU allows Mahagenco to work with NPCIL to plan and execute nuclear power projects by using NPCIL’s technical and operational expertise.

• The partnership aims to provide Maharashtra with reliable and round-the-clock clean energy to support economic growth and long-term development goals up to 2047.

India’s Nuclear Energy Expansion Plan

• The government has initiated steps to increase nuclear power capacity from the current 8,180 MW to 22,480 MW by 2031-32.

• This expansion includes the construction and commissioning of ten reactors, totalling 8,000 MW, across Gujarat, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Karnataka, and Madhya Pradesh.

US declares Saudi Arabia a major non-NATO ally

Context: The US President designated Saudi Arabia as a Major Non-NATO Ally during the Saudi Crown Prince’s visit to the White House.

More on the News

• The US and Saudi Arabia signed a historic Strategic Defence Agreement aimed at strengthening their eight-decade defence partnership and enhancing regional deterrence.

• A "U.S. ally" is a country that has a formal agreement to support and cooperate with the United States, particularly in matters of national security.

• India is not an official U.S. ally, as it has historically prioritized foreign policy independence and is not part of any formal U.S. military alliance like NATO. 

• The visit included discussions on defence sales such as F-35 jets, investment commitments, nuclear energy cooperation, critical minerals, and artificial intelligence collaboration.

• Saudi Crown Prince announced an increase in Saudi investment in the US to one trillion dollars, up from the earlier pledge of six hundred billion dollars.

Significance of the Move for Both Countries

• The move enhances US influence in the Middle East by securing a long-term strategic partner.

• The US gains preferable conditions for defence sales, allowing American companies easier access to the Saudi market.

• The designation allows Saudi Arabia easier access to advanced American defence technologies, including F-35 fighter jets.

• It elevates Saudi Arabia’s strategic status and strengthens its ambitions to become a regional power.

6^th National Water Awards

Context:  Recently, the President of India conferred the 6th National Water Awards, and Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari Awards (1.0) at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi.

More on the News

• Forty-six winners across ten categories received citations, trophies and cash prizes for their work in water conservation and management.

• One hundred distinguished achievers were honoured for their role in building groundwater recharge structures under the Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari Awards initiative.

• Reports on the National Groundwater Resource Assessment 2025 and National Groundwater Quality Assessment 2025 were released during the event.

• The President of India appreciated the “Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari” scheme and congratulated the Ministry for completing more than 35 lakh groundwater recharge structures since the launch of the scheme last year.

National Water Awards

• The first National Water Award was launched by the Jal Shakti Ministry in 2018.

• The National Water Awards are generally given annually, but the schedule has been disrupted by events like the COVID-19 pandemic. The awards were not given in 2021, but the Ministry of Jal Shakti launched the 6th National Water Awards for 2024.

• In the 6th National Water Awards, the category of Best State, the first prize has been conferred upon Maharashtra, with Gujarat securing the second position, and Haryana securing the third position.

Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari Awards (1.0)

• The Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari Awards, launched in 2024 under Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain (JSA: CTR) campaign, to honour outstanding community-driven water conservation efforts.

• The JSJB initiative, launched in September 2024, set targets of 10,000 recharge structures for districts and Municipal Corporations, and 3,000 for hilly districts.

• Under the JSJB awards, districts in Category 1 receive ₹2 crore, those in Category 2 receive ₹1 crore and Category 3 districts receive ₹25 lakh.