Daily Current Affairs – 31-10-2025
International News
Jio Users to Get 18 Months of Free Gemini AI from RIL and Google
Reliance Industries (RIL) and Google have partnered to offer Google AI Pro to Reliance Jio wireless subscribers. This comes shortly after OpenAI announced that it would provide ChatGPT Go plans to Indian users for free for one year.
Under this partnership, Jio users will receive the Google AI Pro plan, which includes the latest Gemini large language models, AI tools for image processing and learning, and 2 terabytes of cloud storage, free for 18 months.
This consumer-facing offer is part of a broader agreement between RIL and Google. The deal also includes Reliance Intelligence, a subsidiary set up in September to build a major data center infrastructure in Gujarat and attract global AI talent to India.
It remains unclear whether Reliance has paid Google for this offer, as Google's spokesperson did not respond to inquiries from The Hindu. The offer is open to users aged 18-25, with a wider rollout planned soon.
On the enterprise side, the RIL-Google partnership also involves a Google Cloud deal to expand access to AI hardware accelerators such as Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) and to distribute Google Cloud’s enterprise products to Indian companies. Moreover, Reliance will act as a strategic partner to sell subscriptions to Gemini's enterprise solutions.
National News
CBSE Forms Expert Committee for Introducing AI Curriculum in Schools
he Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has established an expert committee to design the curriculum for Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Computational Thinking in schools, with Professor Karthik Ram, a Data Science and AI Professor at Chennai Hub, at the helm.
The Indian government plans to implement this curriculum in schools from Grade 3 onwards, beginning in the 2026-27 academic year.
The committee, headed by Professor Karthik Ram, will include experts from CBSE, Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS), Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS), and National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT). This announcement was made by Sanjay Kumar, the acting Union Education Secretary.
Sanjay Kumar emphasized that the introduction of AI and computational thinking will enhance students’ thinking, learning, and teaching capabilities, and will also promote the broader use of AI for public welfare.
Currently, AI is taught as a skill subject from Grade 6 and an elective subject from Grades 9 to 12 in about 18,000 CBSE schools.
Justice Surya Kant Appointed as the 53rd Chief Justice of India, to Assume Office on November 24
Justice Surya Kant has been officially appointed as the 53rd Chief Justice of India (CJI) and will take charge on November 24, 2025, succeeding Justice Bhushan R. Gavai, who retires a day earlier. His tenure will continue until February 9, 2027.
The appointment was confirmed by the Department of Justice under the Union Law Ministry, with the notification quoting the President’s approval.
Born on February 10, 1962, in Petwar, Hisar (Haryana), Justice Kant earned his Law degree from Maharishi Dayanand University, Rohtak, in 1984, and began his legal career at the Hisar District Courts. In 1985, he moved to the Punjab and Haryana High Court, where he specialized in constitutional, service, and civil law.
He became Haryana’s youngest Advocate-General in 2000 and was designated a Senior Advocate. He was later appointed a permanent judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 2004, and subsequently elevated as Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court in 2018.
In 2019, he joined the Supreme Court of India, and since May 2025, he has also been serving as the Executive Chairman of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA).
Tamil Nadu News
‘Thayumanavar’ Scheme to Deliver Ration Items Door-to-Door in Tamil Nadu from November 3
The Tamil Nadu government has announced that under the ‘Thayumanavar’ Scheme, ration items will be home-delivered to new family cardholders starting from the first week of November. The Sales Cooperative Department has issued an official circular to implement the initiative.
According to the Registrar of Cooperative Societies, the doorstep ration delivery will take place on November 3 and 4. If required, holidays may be declared for fair price shops and employees based on local needs. District Joint Registrars have been empowered to decide and execute the plan in their respective regions.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin launched the "Thayumanavar Scheme" on August 12, 2025, to deliver essential ration items to the doorstep of elderly citizens (aged 70 and above) and persons with disabilities.
The scheme aims to ensure food security for beneficiaries who find it difficult to visit ration shops. The initiative is implemented by the Cooperation, Food and Consumer Protection Department and covers over 21.7 lakh people across the state.
Sports News
Chennai’s A.R. Ilamparthi Becomes India’s 90th Grandmaster
Sixteen-year-old A.R. Ilamparthi from Chennai has achieved the title of India’s 90th Grandmaster, securing his final GM norm at the Bijeljina Open Tournament in Bosnia & Herzegovina.
Ilamparthi earned his first GM norm at the Hanoi Open (Vietnam) in December 2023, followed by his second norm at the Singapore International Open 2024, and crossed the 2500 Elo mark during the 2024–25 Rilton Cup in Sweden.
Viswanathan Anand was India's first Grandmaster (GM), S. Vijayalakshmi was the first female Grandmaster, and D. Gukesh holds the record for being the youngest Grandmaster in India.
First Grandmaster: Viswanathan Anand became India's first Grandmaster in 1988.
First Female Grandmaster: S. Vijayalakshmi was the first Indian woman to achieve the Woman Grandmaster (WGM) title in 2001.
Youngest Grandmaster: D. Gukesh became the youngest Indian Grandmaster in history.
Magnus Carlsen Wins Clutch Chess 2025
World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen of Norway emerged victorious in the Clutch Chess 2025 tournament held in the United States. India’s current world champion D. Gukesh finished in fourth place with 10 points.
The final three rounds were played late on Wednesday night (IST). In the 7th round, Gukesh lost both his games against Carlsen. During the 8th round, he drew one game and lost the other to Hikaru Nakamura. In the final round, he held Fabiano Caruana to two draws.
With an unbeaten performance on the last day, Carlsen topped the standings with 25.5 points, while Caruana (16.5) and Nakamura (14) claimed the silver and bronze medals respectively. Carlsen’s consistent dominance reaffirmed his position as the world’s leading chess player.