Key Highlights
- Severe Cyclone Shakti devastated Maharashtra’s coastline, illustrating climate‑driven intensity.
- UIDAI announced free biometric updates for children 5‑17, cutting a major affordability hurdle.
- Coal India’s first all‑women Central Store Unit demonstrated women‑led digital inventory management.
- Border Roads Organisation completed the world’s highest motorable road at 19 400 ft in Ladakh.
- Bolstering education, the PM SETU scheme will upgrade 1,000 ITIs, and India’s para‑athletes secured a historic medal haul in New Delhi.
Detailed Insights
In October 2025, the World Meteorological Organization‑named Cyclone Shakti approached the Arabian Sea with sea‑surface temperatures exceeding 30 °C, low wind shear and a favourable Coriolis effect, leading to a rapid intensification into a severe cyclonic storm. Its eye, approximately 35 km wide, tracked north‑west toward Maharashtra, raising coastal‑storm‑surge warnings, threatening mangroves, ports and the livelihoods of millions. The Indian Meteorological Department classified the system as a 3‑category cyclone on the Indian scale, prompting a multi‑agency evacuation of hundreds of thousands.
The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) rolled back the mandatory biometric update fee for Aadhaar holders between ages 5 and 17, effective from 1 October 2025. This move is expected to raise enrolment compliance to 95 % and ease access to government subsidies, scholarships, and health services that are now linked to a verified biometric identity.
Coal India’s Central Stores at SECL Korba inaugurated an all‑women unit headed by Ms Sapna Ikka. Using a cloud‑based SAP inventory platform, the eight officers manage more than 10,000 spares and consumables for a 400 MW lignite plant, proving that digital tools and gender inclusivity can coexist within heavy‑industry logistics.
The Border Roads Organisation’s Project Himank extended a 3 km gravel spur to Mig La Pass (19 400 ft), breaking its previous record set at Umling‑La. The road, 300 m wide, serves strategic defence logistics, enables rapid medical evacuation, and unlocks high‑altitude tourism, thereby diversifying Ladakh’s limited economic base.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the PM SETU (Skill Tuning) scheme with a ₹60 000 crore investment to modernise 1,000 industrial training institutes across 25 states. The program focuses on industry‑aligned curricula, laboratory upgrades, and trainer centres of excellence. Meanwhile, para‐athletes Simran Sharma, Nishad Kumar and others claimed 18 medals at the World Para Athletics Championships, the best tally India has ever achieved.