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UPPSC PCS Prelims 2025 Current Affairs: The Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) will conduct the PCS exam on 12 October 2025 for recruitment to various UP government posts. The Preliminary exam includes two papers : General Studies-I (150 questions, 200 marks) and General Studies-II (100 questions, 200 marks). They are held on the same day, each lasting two hours.
Both papers follow the UPSC-style negative marking of 1/3rd for incorrect answers. GS-I includes 20–25 current affairs questions. Many UPSC aspirants also appear for UPPSC, where current affairs play a key role in the Prelims.
Here are a few topics from different areas that are worth looking at before you appear for UPPSC Prelims this year.
— The government has formally announced that the 16th Census of India will take place in two phases, with the reference dates set as March 1, 2027, for most of the country and October 1, 2026, for snow-bound and remote regions. This Census will include the first nationwide caste enumeration since 1931.
— The 2027 Census will be the first digital census in India’s history, with the use of mobile apps, online self-enumeration, and near-real-time monitoring.
— Historical Background of Census: First non-synchronous census (by Lord Mayo) in 1872. First synchronous, pan-India census under Lord Ripon in 1881.
Census 2011 Key Facts
— The Indian government has launched a new digital address system called DIGIPIN that aims to enable the precise identification of locations in the country. DIGIPIN is a unique ten-character alphanumeric code that can be generated for any property that is approximately 4 by 4 square meters on Indian land.
— The Department of Posts has developed the underlying technology of DIGIPIN in collaboration with Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Hyderabad and the National Remote Sensing Centre. The DIGIPIN will not replace the traditional six-digit PIN system.
— The Union Cabinet has approved the National Sports Policy 2025, which aims to prepare the Indian sports ecosystem for the 2036 edition of the Games.
— Union Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports and Labour & Employment, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, inaugurated the ‘Youth Spiritual Summit’ on 19th July in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. The theme is ‘Nasha Mukt Yuva for Viksit Bharat’.
| Scheme | Objective |
| PM Vidyalaxmi Scheme | Launched on 6th November, 2025. It is a Central Sector scheme that seeks to provide financial support to students. |
| Mission Mausam | With a budget outlay of Rs. 20,000 crore, it aims to enhance India’s ability to predict and respond to extreme weather events and impacts of climate change. |
| One Nation One Subscription | Under this scheme all centrally-run and state-run higher education institutions will have access to reputed journals published by international publishers on a single platform. |
| Bharat Ranbhoomi Darshan | On the occasion of the 77th Army Day (15th January), Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched the “Bharat Ranbhoomi Darshan” which is a dedicated website for visitors, including information on the 77 sites, their stories, and how to get there. |
| National Critical Minerals Mission (NCMM) | Rs 16,300-crore NCMM was launched in January 2025 to promote the exploration of critical minerals within the country and at offshore locations. |
| Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana (PMDDKY) | In the Budget 2025, FM announced the launch of PMDDKY with an annual outlay of Rs24,000 crore for 6 years. It will target 100 low-performing agri-districts. It draws on insights from the successful Aspirational District Programme. |
| NAKSHA Scheme | Launched in February 2025, ‘NAtional geospatial Knowledge-based land Survey of urban HAbitations’ (NAKSHA) is a city survey initiative under the existing Digital India Land Records Modernization Programme (DILRMP) |
— It projected a growth rate of 6.3-6.8 per cent for 2025-26 on the back of a “strong external account, calibrated fiscal consolidation and stable private consumption”, much lower than what is needed to become a developed country
— The Survey has flagged two main concerns: rising trade protectionism leading to stagnation in the global economy and the dominance of China as the world’s manufacturing superpower.
— The Budget lists four engines of development that are agriculture, MSMEs, investments, and exports. The Budget aims to initiate transformative reforms across 6 domains: Taxation, power sector, urban development, mining, financial sector, and regulatory reforms.
— On 15th September, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the National Makhana Board in Purnea, Bihar. The announcement for the creation of the Makhana Board was made in the Union Budget 2025-26.
— In a major reform, the FDI limit in the insurance sector has been raised from 74% to 100%.
— Expenditure of major items in the Budget: Defence (4,91,732 Cr) > Rural Development (2,66,817 Cr) > Home Affairs (2, 33, 211 Cr) > Agriculture and Allied Sector (1,71,437 Cr) > Education (1,28,650 Cr).
— UNGA has adopted a resolution to declare December 21, observed as Winter Solstice, as World Meditation Day.
— In 2014, India declared June 21 as the International Day of Yoga.
— The first-ever World Day for Glaciers was observed on March 21. UNESCO released The United Nations World Water Development Report 2025 – Mountains and Glaciers: Water Towers.
— It was organised in collaboration with the State Government of Odisha from 08-10 January 2025 in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. PBD is observed once every two years on January 9th.
— It was celebrated under the theme, “The Diaspora’s Contribution to a Viksit Bharat” .
— It was held in New Delhi for the first time from May 7 to 9, 2025.
Theme: “Reaching New Worlds: A Space Exploration Renaissance.”
— The third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) was held in Nice, France, from June 9 to 13, 2025. France co-host the event with Costa Rica. Theme : “Accelerating action and mobilizing all actors to conserve and sustainably use the ocean.”
— Manuscripts of the Bhagavad Gita and Bharat Muni’s Natyashastra are among 74 new documentary heritage collections added to UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register, taking the total number of inscriptions from India in the list to 14.
— The ‘Maratha Military Landscapes’ were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. This is India’s 44th property to receive the recognition.
— It was co-chaired by India and France on 10 and 11 February 2025.
— The 2026 AI Summit will be hosted by India. (1st was at United Kingdom in 2023 ; 2nd in Seoul, South Korea in 2024).
— It was held in New Delhi on June 16. On January 23, the IBCA formally became a full-fledged treaty-based intergovernmental organization.
— Notably, it was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in April 2023 in Mysuru commemorating the 50th anniversary of Project Tiger for the global conservation of seven big cats.
— The objective of the IBCA is to ensure cooperation for the conservation of seven big cats: lion, tiger, leopard, cheetah, snow leopard, jaguar, and puma, and enhance knowledge exchange and threats associated with them.
| Award and Honour | Country |
| Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger | Nigeria |
| The Order of Excellence | Guyana |
| Dominica Award of Honour | Dominica |
| The Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago’ | Trinidad and Tobago’ |
| Key to the City of Buenos Aires | Argentina |
| Grand Collar of the National Order of the Southern Cross | Brazil |
| Order of the Most Ancient Welwitschia Mirabilis | Namibia |
— Brazil launched the Global Alliance for Hunger and Poverty at the G20 Summit in Rio with an initial 41 participating members.
— The members have pledged to lift 500 million people out of poverty through cash transfers and social protection systems.
— South Africa will host the G20 in 2025, followed by the United States of America in 2026.
— The 6th Summit of the Heads of State/Government of the member States of BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) was held in Thailand on 4th April, 2025.
— The theme of the summit was “Prosperous, resilient, and open BIMSTEC (PRO BIMSTEC).”
— The BRICS 2025 summit of heads of state and representatives was held from 6-7 July in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The motto of the Brazilian presidency of BRICS is “Strengthening Global South Cooperation for More Inclusive and Sustainable Governance”.
— The 2026 BRICS Summit will be hosted by India.
— India launched ‘Operation Sindhu’ to evacuate Indian nationals from Iran as fears of an all-out Israeli-American military strike on Iran increased.
— On July 24, the India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) was signed. It ensures comprehensive market access for goods across all sectors, covering all of India’s export interests.
— The Axiom-4 Mission was launched on 25th June, 2025. Shubhanshu Shukla became the second Indian to travel to space and first to reach the International Space Station. He came back to Earth on July 15, 2025.
— There are three other astronauts on the mission: Peggy Whitson from America as commander of the mission, Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland, and Tibor Kapu of Hungary.
— The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has developed the world’s first genome-edited (GE) rice varieties with superior yields, drought and salinity tolerance, and high nitrogen-use efficiency traits. They are named ‘Kamala’ and ‘Pusa DST Rice 1’.
— They have bred improved GE mutants of the popular Samba Mahsuri (BPT-5204) and Cottondora Sannalu (MTU-1010) varieties using CRISPR-Cas SDN-1 (Site-Directed Nucleases-1) technologies.
— A team of researchers from the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences (SKUAST) in Srinagar has produced India’s first gene-edited sheep.
— SpaDeX mission was lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on December 30 by PSLV-C60 and successfully placed two satellites in the desired lower earth orbit.
— The SpaDeX or Space Docking Experiment is key to ISRO’s future missions – sample return from the Moon, an Indian on the Moon, the building and operation of the Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS).
— The success of this mission will make India the fourth country in the world with space docking technology – after Russia (the former USSR), US and China.
— The United States Food and Drug Administration approved a new type of non-opioid painkiller, Suzetrigine.
— Opioids are a class of drugs that “derive from, or mimic, natural substances found in the opium poppy plant”. Some common opioids include oxycodone, morphine, codeine, heroin, and fentanyl.
— Danish pharma giant Novo Nordisk has launched weight loss drug Wegovy. Ozempic is also developed and manufactured by Novo Nordisk.
— US-based pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly has also launched its diabetes and weight-loss drug named Mounjaro.
| Name of Exercise | Participating Countries | Venue |
| Dharma Guardian | India and Japan | East Fuji training area in Japan |
| Maritime Security Belt 2025 | China, Iran, and Russia | Gulf of Oman |
| Varuna Exercise | India and France | Coast of Goa |
| Dustlik | India and Uzbekistan | Aundh, Pune |
| Nomadic Elephant | India and Mongolia | Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia |
| Yudh Abhyas | India and America | Fort Wainwright in Alaska |
— Awards are currently given for 24 languages; the most recent additions being Bodo and Santhali in 2005. Awards in English began in 1960 ( 1st recipient was R K Narayan for ‘The Guide’).
| Category | Awardees |
| Poetry | Sameer Tanti (Assamese), Dileep Jhaveri (Gujarati), Gagan Gill (Hindi), K. Jayakumar (Malayalam), Haobam Satyabati Devi (Manipuri), Paul Kaur (Punjabi), Mukut Maniraj (Rajasthani), Dipak Kumar Sharma (Sanskrit) |
| Novel | Aron Raja (Bodo), Easterine Kire (English), Sohal Koul (Kashmiri) |
| Short Stories | Yuva Baral (Nepali), Hundraj Balwani (Sindhi) |
| Best Film (Drama) | The Brutalist |
| Best Film (Musical or Comedy) | Emilia Pérez |
| Best Male Actor in a Film (Musical or Comedy) | Sebastian Stan, A Different Man |
| Best Male Actor in a Film (Drama) | Adrien Brody, The Brutalist |
| Best Female Actor In a Film (Drama) | Fernanda Torres, I’m Still Here |
| Best Television Series (Drama) | Shogun |
| Best Television Series (Musical or Comedy) | Hacks |
| Best Film (Animated) | Flow |
| Winners of the 71st National Film Awards | |
| Dadasaheb Phalke Award | Mohanlal |
| Best Feature Film | 12th Fail |
| Best Feature Actor | Shah Rukh Khan (Jawaan), Vikrant Massey (12th Fail) |
| Best Feature Actress | Rani Mukerji (Mrs. Chatterjee vs Norway) |
| Best Feature Director | Sudipto Sen for The Kerala Story |
| Best Debut Film | Ashish Bende for his film Aatmapamphlet (Marathi) |
| Best Popular Film providing wholesome entertainment | Karan Johar-directorial Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani |
| Best Feature Film promoting national, social, and environmental values | Meghna Gulzar’s Sam Bahadur |
| Best Children’s Film | Naal 2 (Marathi) directed by Sudhakar Reddy Yakkanti |
| Best Film in the animation, visual effects, gaming and comic | Hanu-Man (Telugu) |
— Vinod Kumar Shukla (Hindi Literature), 88.
— Winner: Kannada author Banu Mushtaq’s short story collection Heart Lamp. It interprets and inhabits the faultlines and silent revolts in the everyday lives of Muslim women.
— Winner: Indian-origin Scottish artist Jasleen Kaur for her exhibition “Alter Altar”, that reflects on plurality, personal and political themes.
— Awardees: Foundation to Educate Girls Globally from India, Shaahina Ali from the Maldives, for her environmental work, and Flaviano Antonio L Villanueva from the Philippines.
| Name of Index | Released by | Description |
| Global Innovative Index, 2025 | World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) | India has risen significantly from 81st in 2015 to 38th in 2025. Switzerland ranks at the top. |
| Fiscal Health Index | NITI Aayog | Launched for the first time by NITI aayog. Covering 18 major states for the financial year 2022-23, the index assigned a score to each state on the basis of five parameters – the quality of expenditure, revenue mobilisation, fiscal prudence, debt index, and debt sustainability.
Rank 1: Odisha (67.8) Rank 7: Uttar Pradesh (45.9) Rank 15: Kerala (25.4) |
| Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) | Transparency International report. | The index uses a scale of 0 to 100, where 0 is highly corrupt and 100 is corruption clean. The rank tells the country’s position relative to other countries in the index.
Rank 1: Denmark Rank 98: India (score 38) |
| Panchayat Devolution Index | Union Ministry of Panchayati Raj | The index was last published in 2014 and, over the past decade, the national average score rose from 39.92 to 43.89. |
| World Happiness Report 2025 | Wellbeing Research Centre | Rank 1: Finland
Rank 118: India |
| Human Development Report | United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) | Titled “A matter of choice: People and possibilities in the age of AI.”
Rank 1: Iceland Rank 130: India (HDI value: 0.685) |
| Gender Gap Index 2025 | World Economic Forum (WEF) | The global gender gap is at 68.8 per cent for 148 countries.
Rank 1: Iceland Rank 131: India (Score: 0.644) |
| Global Peace Index 2025 | Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) | Rank 1: Iceland
Rank 115: India (Score: 2.229) |
| Global Terrorism Index 2025 | Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) | Burkina Faso was at the top with a score of 8.581.
India ranked 14th with a score of 6.411. |
| Sustainable Development Report (SDR) | Sustainable Development Solution Network’s SDG Transformation Center | This year’s SDG index covers 167 of the 193 UN member states with the focus on “Financing the SDGs by 2030 and Mid-Century”.
India, for the first time, breaks into the top 100 of the Sustainable Development Index with the rank of 99 and score of 67. Rank 1: Finland Rank 99: India (Score: 67) |
— D Gukesh became the youngest world chess champion after defeating defending champ Ding Liren in Singapore. He became the 18th World Champion.
— Gukesh is the second grandmaster from his country to hold the world title. Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand was the undisputed world champion for six years starting in 2007.
— Divya Deshmukh, aged 19, became the FIDE Women’s World Cup champion by defeating the veteran Koneru Humpy, 38, in the final via the tiebreakers on 28th July. She became the first-ever Indian woman to win the FIDE Women’s World Cup.
— India is the host of the FIDE World Cup 2025 to be played from October 30 to November 27. Goa will be hosting it.
— Saudi Arabia was officially announced as the host of the FIFA World Cup 2034 while the 2030 edition will take place in Morocco, Spain and Portugal.
— Sir Garfield Sobers Award for ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year: Jasprit Bumrah (Previous winners: Rahul Dravid (2004), Sachin Tendulkar (2010), Ravichandran Ashwin (2016) and Virat Kohli (2017, 2018))
—Neeraj Chopra breached the elusive 90m frontier with a 90.23m throw to finish second in the league. He became the third Asian and 25th man in history to achieve the feat.
— The 38th National Games were held in Uttarakhand. Services Sports Control Board (SSCB) won 121 medals – 68 gold, 26 silvers and 27 bronze – to claim the overall title.
— The tagline for the Games was “Sankalp Se Shikhar Tak” (From Resolve to Zenith) and the mascot was “Mauli,” inspired by the Monal, the state bird of Uttarakhand.
— The 7th edition of the Khelo India Youth Games 2025 was organised in Bihar from 4th May to 15th May. It was organised in 5 cities of Bihar – Patna, Gaya, Nalanda, Bhagalpur, and Begusarai.
— Gajasimha was the mascot of the game which is based on the elephant-lion statues found in old temples of Nalanda and Bodh Gaya from the during pala period.
— Maharashtra topped the medal table. Uttar Pradesh was ranked 7th with 52 medals – 14 Golds, 20 Silvers, and 18 Bronze.
— The inaugural edition of the World Kho-Kho competition was held in New Delhi from January 13 to 19.
— The Indian women’s team won after defeating Nepal. The Indian Men’s Kho Kho team defeated Nepal to win the cup.
— Royal Challengers Bengaluru beat Punjab Kings by 6 runs to win their first IPL trophy.
— South Africa claimed its first International Cricket Council (ICC) trophy in 27 years after beating Australia in finals at Lord’s.
— It was held at the Rajgir International Stadium in Rajgir, Bihar, from 29th August to 7th September.
— Winner : India beat South Korea 4-1.
— With this win, India have qualified for the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2026 in the Netherlands and Belgium. India have ended the eight-year wait to regain title. They have now won the Asia Cup title four times overall, behind only South Korea’s total of five.
— Mascot: “Chand”. It was inspired by the national animal, the tiger. The name “Chand” is inspired by hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand.
| Grand Slam | Men’s Winner | Women’s Winner |
| Australia Open 2025 | Jannik Sinner (Italian) won after defeating Alexander Zverev (German) | Madison Keys (USA) defeated Aryna Sabalenka (Belarusian). |
| French Open 2025 | Carlos Alcaraz (Spanish) defeated Jannik Sinner | Coco Gauff (American) defeated Aryna Sabalenka |
| Wimbledon 2025 | Jannik Sinner defeated Carlos Alcaraz | Iga Swiatek (Polish) defeated Amanda Anisimova (American) |
| US Open 2025 | Carlos Alcaraz (Spanish) defeated Jannik Sinner | Aryna Sabalenka defeated Amanda Anisimova. |
| K. Sanjay Murthy | He was appointed Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India on |
| Sanjay Malhotra | He was appointed as 26th Governor of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on December 11, 2024. |
| Gyanesh Kumar | He was elevated to 26th Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) on 17th February 2025. |
| Kirsty Coventry | First woman and African to be as the President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC); former Olympic swimmer from Zimbabwe |
| Masaki Kashiwara | Japanese mathematician; awarded this year’s Able Prize “for his fundamental contributions to algebraic analysis and representation theory” |
| Mark Carney | The new Prime Minister of Canada after the Liberal Party won the election, marking the fourth term in the Parliament |
| Pope Leo XIV | 267th Pope, Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost elected; first American Pope; age 69 |
| Dr Ajay Kumar | New UPSC chairperson. He succeeds Preeti Sudan. |
| Opal Suchata Chuangsri (Thailand) | She was crowned Miss World 2025 after the grand finale in Hyderabad. Ethiopia’s Hasset Dereje Admassu was declared Miss World 2025 runner-up. |
| Lieutenant Commander Yashaswi Solankee | The first woman officer to be appointed as an Aide-de-Camp (ADC) to the President of India. |
| Manika Vishwakarma
(Rajasthan) |
She was crowned as the winner of Miss Universe India 2025. |
— The Uttar Pradesh government and the World Bank on 9th May launched two programmes — one to enhance agricultural productivity in the Purvanchal and Bundelkhand regions with technology-driven farming and the other to usher in digital transformation in the state.
— Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath along with World Bank President Ajay Banga unveiled the and ‘AI Pragya’ projects in Lucknow.
— Under the UP AGREES project, the state government will get Rs 2,737 crore loan from the World Bank for a period of six years, which will directly benefit farmers, farmer organisations, fishers, and agriculture-based micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), the government said in a statement.
— Under the ‘AI Pragya’ initiative, the state government aims to train 10 lakh youth in artificial intelligence (AI) and other emerging digital technologies.
— Lucknow has officially been named India’s first AI City, backed by a Rs 10,732 crore investment under the IndiaAI Mission the largest AI infrastructure push.
— Recently, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurated India’s first private AI-augmented multidisciplinary university in Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao district, calling it a milestone in building a modern India.
— On 24th June, the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD), in convergence with the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), launched ‘NAVYA’ (Nurturing Aspirations through Vocational Training for Young Adolescent Girls) in Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh.
— The programme aims to equip adolescent girls aged 16 to 18 years with vocational training mainly in non-traditional and emerging job roles.
— The Gorakhpur Link Expressway was inaugurated on 20th June by the UP’s Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath. The total length of the fully access-controlled expressway is 91.352 km.
— The starting point of the Gorakhpur Link Expressway is Jaitpur (Gorakhpur) on NH-27, and the ending point is Salarpur (Azamgarh) at the Purvanchal Expressway. Districts falling on the expressway are Gorakhpur, Azamgarh, Ambedkar Nagar, and Sant Kabir Nagar.
— The UP government has launched the Resham Sakhi Yojana to economically empower rural women. The scheme allows women to earn income through sericulture by rearing silkworms at home. The scheme targets to connect 50 thousand women over the next 5 years.
— As of April 2025, Uttar Pradesh holds the highest number of Geographical Indication (GI) tags in the country at 77. Some of the newly added GI tag products are Banarasi Tabla, Banarasi Stuffed Chilli, Mural Painting, Red Peda, Thandai, Tricolour Barfi, Bareilly furniture, Mathura’s Sanjhi Craft, Kathia wheat of Bundelkhand, Flute of Pilibhit, Wood Craft of Chitrakoot, Stone inlay work of Agra and Imarti of Jaunpur.
— The Uttar Pradesh government has decided to form district-level task forces to make the state completely child labour-free by 2027, officials said.
— The Maharaja Suheldev memorial was inaugurated by the CM Yogi Adityanath on 10th June on the banks of Chittaura Lake in Bahraich. The state government has built the memorial at a cost of around Rs 40 crore and has also established a 40-ft bronze equestrian statue of Maharaja Suheldev.
— The Chief Minister also announced that a grand memorial would be built in Lucknow in honour of Maharaja Bijli Pasi, who defeated foreign invaders. The government has also announced plans to build a memorial in honour of freedom fighter Chittu Pandey in Ballia district.
— Maharaja Suheldev was a king of Shravasti, popularly known for defeating and killing the Ghaznavid general Ghazi Miyan at Bahraich in 1034.
— As part of its efforts to attract global investment, the Uttar Pradesh government has rolled out the Global Capability Centres (GCC) Policy, which was cleared by the Cabinet in May.
— The policy is aimed at making the state the next “global service centre” of the country and also helping UP achieve its $1-trillion dollar economy mark, officials said.
— Notably, the Uttar Pradesh GCC Conclave 2025 was held on 10th June in Lucknow.
– In May this year, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurated India’s largest titanium and superalloy materials plant and laid the foundation stones for additional state-of-the-art facilities under India’s first strategic materials technology complex at Lucknow.
— In May this year the Union Minister Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw inaugurated two new state-of-the-art centres, India’s first 3-nanometre (3 nm) chip design centres, in Noida and Bengaluru.
— Shashi Prakash Goyal, a 1989-batch IAS officer assumed charge as the new Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary, replacing Manoj Kumar Singh who retired from service.
— In a major push to establish Uttar Pradesh as an eco-tourism hub, the Forest and Wildlife Department of UP launched the ‘Buffer Mein Safar Yojana’ in May.
— This scheme promotes sustainable tourism by developing safari routes within the buffer zones of major tiger reserves. Key areas like Dudhwa, Pilibhit, and Uttar Kheri—including Bhira and Mohammadi—will be transformed into eco-tourism hotspots, offering visitors a chance to experience the state’s rich biodiversity while supporting conservation and local livelihoods.
— The Uttar Pradesh government has introduced Vistadome coach service connecting the Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary in Bahraich district to the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve in Pilibhit.
— This initiative marks Uttar Pradesh as the first state in the country to offer a jungle safari experience via a Vistadome train.
— The Uttar Pradesh government has announced plans to set up a dolphin safari in Varanasi to promote eco-tourism. The safari will be established between Kaithi and Dhakhwa village of Varanasi district.
— Under the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban, in April, Ghaziabad took a landmark step in promoting sustainable infrastructure and urban resilience by successfully issuing India’s first Certified Green Municipal Bond, raising Rs 150 crore for the development of a cutting-edge Tertiary Sewage Treatment Plant (TSTP).
— India celebrated its 76th Republic Day on 26th January 2025. Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto graced the event as the Chief Guest this year, with military contingents from the country participating in a march-past.
— With depictions of ‘Samudra Manthan’, ‘Amrit Kalash’ and holy men bathing on the banks of Sangam, the Republic Day tableau of Uttar Pradesh celebrated the ongoing Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj and won the first prize.
— Claiming that “a big step has been taken today”, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on 18th August inaugurated the state’s first green hydrogen plant in Gorakhpur, with the project aiming to produce 72,000 tonnes of green fuel in a year.
— Uttar Pradesh’s first and the country’s second waste-to-CNG plant is being set up in Prayagraj. It will produce biofuel (Bio-CNG) from straw, cow dung, poultry litter and wet waste. Notably, India’s first bio-CNG plant is in Pune, Maharashtra.
— In March 2025, the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Minister of Uttar Pradesh announced that the country’s first textile machine park will be set up on 875 acres of land near Kanpur. It will be developed in Chaparghata village of Bhongaon area near Kanpur.
— A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between National Highways Logistics Management Limited (NHLML) and Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) was signed on 11th March 2025. The MoU aims to construct a state-of-the-art Multi-Modal Logistics Park (MMLP) in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
— In March of this year, Lohum Company launched India’s first lithium-grade refinery in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh. The refinery will produce 1,000 metric tonnes of battery-grade lithium annually. Its capacity will increase to 20 thousand tonnes in the year 2029. Lithium is a soft and silver-white metal.
— The third edition of Kashi Tamil Sangamam, a cultural exchange programme, was organised from February 14 to 25 in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. The theme for this year was Rishi Agastya.
— The first edition of the programme, which is organised by the Ministry of Education, was held in 2022, and it is meant to mark the bond in terms of civilisation and culture between Varanasi and Tamil Nadu.
— Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Aadityanath laid the foundation stone of the nation’s first biopolymer plant at Kumbhi in the Lakhimpur Kheri district.
— On 25th December, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of the Ken- Betwa River Linking National Project (KBLP). The project envisages transferring water from the Ken river to the Betwa river, both tributaries of the Yamuna.
— It is the first project under the National Perspective Plan for the interlinking of rivers, which was prepared in 1980. It is part of the PM’s package for the development of the drought-prone Bundelkhand region.
— The UP government started ‘Zero Poverty Abhiyan’ on October 02, 2024, on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti. Under this campaign, action is being taken to identify the poorest families from each Gram Panchayat and meet their basic needs and bring their annual income to at least Rs 125,000.
— In September last year, a pack of wolves killed eight people, mostly children, and injured 18 others in Mahasi tehsil of the district. The Forest Department had then launched ‘Operation Bhediya’, during which six wolves purportedly linked to the attacks were captured.
— The UP government has launched an intensified campaign to eradicate Malaria from the state by 2027. The initiative involves a thorough investigation and complete treatment of every malaria case. Notably, Malaria is a life-threatening mosquito-borne blood disease caused by Plasmodium parasites.
— UP has established the world’s first Asian king vulture conservation and breeding center in Maharajganj district. The facility will improve the population of critically endangered species listed in the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s red list since 2007. The centre is named Jatayu Conservation and Breeding Centre.
— On February 20, 2025, the Finance Minister of Uttar Pradesh (UP), Suresh Khanna, presented the Budget for the state for the financial year 2025-26. Notably, Article 202 of the Constitution of India mentions the “annual financial statement” for the state. It details the estimated receipts and expenditure for the upcoming financial year (April 1 to March 31).
— The theme of UP Budget 2025-26 is “vanchit ko vareeyeta” (priority to the deprived). It is the biggest budget of UP so far.
— The Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) of Uttar Pradesh for the Financial year 2025-26 (at current prices) is projected to be Rs 30.8 lakh crore, representing a 12% growth over 2024-25.
| Description | Amount/ Percentage |
| Size of budget | Rs 8,08,736.06 crore (9.8% high from the last budget) |
| Capital outlay | 20.5% of total budget |
| Total Receipts | Rs 7,79,242.65 crore |
| Revenue Surplus | Rs 79,516.36 crore (2.58% of GSDP) |
| Total expenditure | Rs 8,08,736.06 crore |
| Expenditure on revenue account | Rs 5,83,174.57 crore |
| Capital account expenditure | Rs 2,25,561.49 crore |
| Fiscal Deficit: | Rs 91,399.80 crore (2.97% of GSDP). |
| Total debt on the government: | Rs 9,03,924.54 crore (29.4% of UP GSDP) |
| Main Budgetary Allocations Sector-wise | |
| Infrastructure development: | 22% |
| Education: | 13% |
| Agriculture and allied services: | 11% |
| Medical and health: | 6% |
| Social security programmes: | 4% |
📍Rupee Comes In, 2025-26 (B.E.)
📍Rupees Goes To, FY 2025-26 (B.E.).
📍Fiscal Status of UP
— 2024-25 Estimated Economy: Rs 27.51 lakh crore (almost doubled)
— State GDP Growth Rate (2023-24): 11.6% (higher than the national average of 9.6%).
— UP GSDP (2023-24) Highest contributor sector-wise: Tertiary sector (47.5%) > Secondary sector (28.35%) > Primary sector (24.15%)
— As per NITI Aayog’s Fiscal Health Index, Uttar Pradesh has been placed in the category of front runner states. It is ranked at #7 in the index, with the score improved from 37.0 (2014-2019) to 45.9 (2022-23).
— Fiscal Deficit: At 2.97%, it remains within the prescribed limit, helping reduce the debt burden.
— UP’s Debt to GSDP: Decreased from 36.7% to 30.4%.
— UP’s per capita income at current price is Rs 93,514 and Rs 50,875 at constant price.
— UP’s own revenue comes from: State GST > Excise duty > Sales Tax > Stamp and registration fee
📍New Schemes and Initiatives
—The budget includes new schemes worth Rs 28,478.34 crore.
— Establishment of Science City & Science Parks.
— Transforming 58 municipal headquarters into “Model Smart Cities”.
— Kamgar Addas: Facilities for laborers at district HQs, including drinking water, toilets, and canteens.
📍Infrastructure and Industrial development
— Four new expressways will be constructed at the cost of Rs 1,050 crore. These include:
(i) Agra-Lucknow expressway,
(ii) Ganga expressway (It will be extended till Haridwar.)
(iii) Vindhya expressway, and
(iv) Bundelkhand-Riwa express way.
— To improve connectivity, new village roads will be constructed and existing roads will be repaired under the Mukhya Mantri Gram Yojana. Rs 200 crore has been allocated for this.
— State Capital Region (SCR): Like NCR , SCR will be formed, which will include 6 districts – Lucknow, Hardoi, Sitapur, Unnao, Rae Bareli and Barabanki.
— A defence industrial corridor will be set up along the Bundelkhand-Riwa expressway at a cost of Rs 461 crore.
— Rs 100 crore has been allocated for the construction of the Mathura-Vrindavan Banke Bihari Temple Corridor.
— Rs 4500 crore allocated for the Jal Jeevan Mission.
— Aviation:
■ Airport Expansion: Before 2017: 4 functional airports Now: 16 operational airports.
■ International Airports: 4 currently, with Jewar Airport, total will be 5.
📍Education
— Rs 300 crore has been allocated for PM Shri Yojana.
— Rs 10 crore has been allocated for the Polytechnic Smart Classroom.
— Guru Gorakhanath Ayush University (to be completed in 2025 Gorakhpur).
— Announcement of Government Medical College in Ballia and Balrampur.
— Rs 100 crore allocation has been proposed for the establishment of Ved Vigyan Kendra in Naimisharanya of Sitapur district.
📍Agriculture and Rural Development
— 11% of the budget is allocated for agriculture and allied services.
— UP Agriculture growth rate target: 5.1 %
— Rs 251 crore has been allocated for Seed park development under UP Beej Swayambhalan Niti, 2024.
— Rs 124 crore has been allocated for the National Mission on Natural Farming.
— Rs 509 crore has been allocated for solar pumps under PM Kusum Yojana.
— Rs 200 crore has been allocated for Uttar Pradesh Agriculture Growth and Rural Enterprise Ecosystem Strengthening (UP AGREES) Project. The World Bank will provide assistance in this project.
— Rs 100 crore allocated for Mahatma Buddha Agriculture & Tech University, Kushinagar.
— Rs 195 crore for Matsya Sampada Yojana.
📍Health
— 5.13 crore Ayushman cards issued under Ayushman Bharat PMJAY; UP ranks first in India.
— Establishment of Government Medical College and establishment of Government Homeopathy Medical College in Varanasi.
📍Youth Development and Empowerment
— A provision of Rs 1000 crore is proposed for Chief Minister Yuva Udyami Vikas Abhiyan in the financial year 2025-26. It was launched in the FY 2024-25, with the aim of setting up new micro industries by connecting educated youth with self-employment.
— Rs 225 crore is proposed for the Chief Minister Youth Self-Employment Scheme.
— Swami Vivekananda Yuva Sashaktikaran Yojana: 49.86 lakh smartphones/tablets distributed.
— Mukhyamantri Abhyudaya Yojana: Free coaching for competitive exams.
📍Women and Child Development
— 31 lakh women identified, 2 lakh have already become millionaires under the Lakhpati Mahila Yojana.
— Mahila Samarthya Yojana supports formation of women-led producer companies.
— Rs 400 crore rupees for Rani Laxmibai Scooty Scheme.
— Rs 700 crore for Chief Minister Kanya Sumangala Yojana .
— Rs 4119 crore is proposed for value-integrated child development for the nutrition programme.
— Proposal to make a provision of Rs 100 crore for Chief Minister Saksham Nutrition Scheme.
📍Handloom and Textile Industry
— The handloom industry provides maximum employment in the state.
— Rs 300 crore has been allocated for setting up of a textile park under PM Mitra Yojana.
— Provision of Rs 150 crore for the implementation of Uttar Pradesh Textile Garmenting Policy, 2022.
— Rs 400 crore for the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Powerloom Scheme.
— Rs 150 crore for the PM Mitra Textile Scheme.
📍Social Welfare
— Rs 8105 crore allocated for the Old Age/Farmer Pension Scheme.
— Rs 4848 crore allocated for PM Awas Yojana Scheme .
— For the ‘Zero Poverty Uttar Pradesh Campaign’, a provision of Rs 250 crore has been made to ensure adequate availability of food and clothing, good education, medical and housing facilities as well as sustainable income to poor families of the state.
— Another Rs 3.82 crore provision has been made for construction of hostels for working women. Eight ‘Shramik Mahila Hostels’ with a capacity of 500 each have been proposed in Gautam Buddha Nagar and Lucknow districts.
📍Forest and Environment
— Uttar Pradesh ranks second in the entire country in terms of increase in forest cover and tree cover.
— Uttar Pradesh Forestry and Horticulture University will be established in Gorakhpur.
— Tiger Population: Increased from 173 (2018) to 205 (2022), Pilibhit Tiger Reserve won the TX-2 award.
— A provision of Rs 98 crore has been made for the multi-sectoral ‘Uttar Pradesh Clean Air Management Project’ to be implemented through a special purpose vehicle (SPV). Notably, it is a World Bank-aided project.
📍IT and Energy
— UP Semiconductor Policy 2024: UP becomes the 4th state to implement it.
— The existing data centre policy of the state envisages setting up three data centre parks. This target will be revised to set up eight data centre parks across the state with a capacity of 900 MW.
— UP Solar Energy Policy-2022: 22,000 MW target.
