Current Affairs

Answer: The Infosys Prize 2025 in Mathematical Sciences (Bengaluru, announced Nov 2025) and the Vigyan Yuva–Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar under the Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar 2025 (announced Oct 2025)

Sabyasachi Mukherjee of TIFR Mumbai was recognised twice in 2025 for his work in complex dynamics and connections between Mandelbrot sets and Kleinian groups. The Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar 2025 was announced on 26 October 2025 by the Ministry of Science and Technology (PIB PRID:2182615). The Infosys Prize 2025 was announced on 12 November 2025. Both recognitions cover the same body of mathematical research, from two entirely different institutions.

Answer: Nikhil Agarwal (MIT) — for market design, including methodology for studying school choice, medical residency matching, and kidney exchange mechanisms

Nikhil Agarwal is the Paul A. Samuelson Professor of Economics at MIT and a co-director of Blueprint Labs. He received the Infosys Prize 2025 in Economics for developing empirical methods to study and improve allocation mechanisms — practical systems like school admission lotteries, medical residency matching, and kidney exchange programmes that need to match people to places or resources without using prices.

Answer: Replacing fossil-fuel-based Haber-Bosch ammonia synthesis with electrochemical routes using renewable electricity

The conventional Haber-Bosch process produces ammonia (used in fertilisers feeding ~50% of the world) by reacting nitrogen with hydrogen at high temperature and pressure, using natural gas as both fuel and hydrogen source. Manthiram at Caltech developed electrochemical pathways — including lithium-mediated nitrogen reduction and oxygen-atom transfer catalysis — that use renewable electricity instead, at room temperature and pressure, reducing the process's carbon footprint.

Answer: Prakrit languages — the family of ancient South Asian spoken languages in which significant Buddhist, Jain, and secular Indian literary heritage was composed

Andrew Ollett of the University of Chicago is the world's leading scholar of Prakrit languages — the ancient South Asian spoken languages distinct from Sanskrit, including Pali, Ardhamagadhi, and Maharashtri. His work covers Prakrit grammar, the cultural history of why authors chose Prakrit over Sanskrit, and the circulation of Prakrit texts across the subcontinent. He is the first Prakrit language scholar to win the Infosys Prize Humanities category.

Answer: Designing "absurdly fast" algorithms — near-linear time solutions for network flow and linear programming problems

Sushant Sachdeva of the University of Toronto received the Infosys Prize 2025 in Engineering and Computer Science for his advances in mathematical optimisation, particularly developing near-linear-time algorithms for flow networks and linear programs. His results have been described as producing "absurdly fast" algorithms because they approach what theorists consider the theoretical limit of speed for these problems.

Answer: Anjana Badrinarayanan — National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Bengaluru

Anjana Badrinarayanan at NCBS Bengaluru received the Infosys Prize 2025 in Life Sciences for her work on DNA damage repair, particularly for discovering novel mitochondrial DNA damage response pathways. She is the only winner in the 2025 Infosys Prize cohort who is based in India.

Answer: Harmanpreet Kaur

Harmanpreet Kaur, who captained the Indian women's cricket team to a T20 World Cup title, was awarded the Padma Shri in 2026. She is among the sports awardees in the 2026 Padma Shri list.

Answer: Second

The Padma Vibhushan is the second-highest civilian honour in India, ranking after the Bharat Ratna (the highest). Padma Bhushan is the third and Padma Shri is the fourth-highest civilian honour.

Answer: Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma, the World Cup-winning captain of the Indian men's cricket team, received the Padma Shri in 2026. He is among the 113 Padma Shri awardees. The Padma Shri is the fourth-highest civilian honour in India.

Answer: Padma Bhushan

Alka Yagnik was conferred the Padma Bhushan in 2026 for her distinguished contribution to Indian playback singing. She is among the 13 Padma Bhushan awardees of 2026. The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian honour in India.

Answer: Dharmendra Singh Deol

Late Bollywood legend Dharmendra Singh Deol was conferred the Padma Vibhushan posthumously in 2026 for his exceptional contribution to Indian cinema spanning over six decades. He is among the 5 Padma Vibhushan awardees of 2026.

Answer: 131

The Government of India announced 131 Padma Awards for 2026, comprising 5 Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan, and 113 Padma Shri. The list includes 16 posthumous and 19 women awardees.

Answer: Manipur

Shri Yumnam Jatra Singh from Manipur was posthumously awarded Padma Shri 2026 in the field of Art.

Answer: Georgia

Shri Vladimer Mestvirishvili from Georgia was posthumously awarded Padma Shri 2026 in the field of Sports.

Answer: True

Shri Vempaty Kutumba Sastry from Andhra Pradesh was awarded Padma Shri 2026 in the field of Literature and Education.

Answer: Tamil Nadu

Shri Veezhinathan Kamakoti from Tamil Nadu was awarded Padma Shri 2026 in the field of Science and Engineering.

Answer: West Bengal

Ms. Tripti Mukherjee from West Bengal was awarded Padma Shri 2026 in the field of Art.

Answer: True

Shri Thiruvaarur Bakthavathsalam from Tamil Nadu was awarded Padma Shri 2026 in the field of Art.

Answer: Arunachal Pradesh

Shri Techi Gubin from Arunachal Pradesh was awarded Padma Shri 2026 in the field of Social Work.

Answer: Art

Shri Tarun Bhattacharya, the renowned santoor maestro, was awarded Padma Shri 2026 in the field of Art from West Bengal.