Current Affairs One-liners — 21 August 2025

Thu, 21 Aug 2025

• Rajya Sabha passed the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025 on 21 August 2025, a day after the Lok Sabha, banning online money games while promoting e-sports and online social games; it received Presidential assent on 22 August as Act No. 32 of 2025.
• The Monsoon Session 2025 of Parliament, which began on 21 July, was adjourned sine die on 21 August 2025 after 21 sittings over 32 days, with 15 Bills passed by both Houses.
• Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya declared the inaugural Khelo India Water Sports Festival open on 21 August 2025 at Dal Lake, Srinagar, with more than 500 athletes from 28 states and UTs.
• India was elected Chairman of the Executive Board of the Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD) with the highest number of votes at the 23rd AIBD General Conference held in Phuket, Thailand, from 19 to 21 August 2025.
• The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) on 21 August 2025 rolled out a framework enabling all 34 State Cooperative Banks and 352 District Central Cooperative Banks to offer Aadhaar-based authentication services.
• Lord Swraj Paul, the India-born British industrialist who founded the Caparo Group, passed away in London on 21 August 2025 at the age of 94.
• The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seized 72.024 kg of hydroponic weed worth about ₹72 crore in a pan-India operation named 'WeedOut', with interceptions at Bengaluru and Bhopal on 20–21 August 2025.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a phone call from French President Emmanuel Macron on 21 August 2025, in which the leaders discussed efforts to resolve the conflicts in Ukraine and West Asia and reviewed bilateral ties.
• Principal Scientific Adviser Ajay Kumar Sood chaired the 28th Prime Minister's Science, Technology & Innovation Advisory Council (PM-STIAC) meeting on 21 August 2025 at NASC, New Delhi, to discuss the National Plant Health Initiative.