In Current Affairs for 17 October 2025, we will see the latest national and international current affairs news. These important current affairs will be beneficial for your upcoming NDA, CDS, CDS OTA, AFCAT, TA, Agniveer Army, Agniveer Navy, Agniveer Air Force, Women Military Police, INET, MNS, ACC exams, SCO, PCSL, CAPF, and SSB interviews, and direct entries for Army, Navy, and Air Force like SSC Tech, TGC, JAG, NCC, TES, 10+2 Cadet. Download a PDF file about current events at the end of this article. Let us now see the Current Affairs.
Current Affairs 17 October 2025
International Day for the Eradication of Poverty 2025
Every year, October 17 is observed globally as the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, as designated by the United Nations. This observance serves as a reminder of the need to address inequality, social injustice, and economic disparity across the world. The day emphasizes human dignity, justice, and inclusive development as key pillars of global progress.
The 2025 theme for the day is “Ending social and institutional maltreatment by ensuring respect and effective support for families.” It aims to highlight the importance of family welfare and the role of social systems in eliminating poverty and promoting human rights.
The observance has its roots in 1987, when it was first commemorated in Paris as the World Day to Overcome Poverty. Later, in 1992, the United Nations General Assembly officially recognized it as the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.
In India, efforts to alleviate poverty have shown significant results. According to NITI Aayog’s National Multidimensional Poverty Index (2023), around 13.5 crore people moved out of multidimensional poverty between 2015–16 and 2019–21, reflecting the country’s progress in improving living standards through targeted social welfare initiatives.
ICC Players of the Month – October 2025
Indian cricket received global recognition when Abhishek Sharma and Smriti Mandhana were named ICC Players of the Month for September 2025 for their remarkable performances in international cricket.
Both players, known for their aggressive left-handed batting, made headlines with record-breaking performances and consistent match-winning contributions.
Abhishek Sharma, aged 25, became one of the standout performers in the Asia Cup T20I 2025, scoring 314 runs in 7 matches at an average of 44.85 and a phenomenal strike rate of 200. His explosive batting helped India dominate the tournament and earned him wide appreciation.
Smriti Mandhana, on the other hand, was honoured as the ICC Women’s Player of the Month. She triumphed over Tazmin Brits (South Africa) and Sidra Amin (Pakistan) for the award. Her crucial innings during India’s campaign in the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 played a decisive role in the team’s success.
MERCOSUR–India Trade Agreement Expansion
India and the MERCOSUR trade bloc have expressed a shared commitment to expand their existing Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) to strengthen trade and investment relations. The announcement was made following discussions between Piyush Goyal, India’s Minister of Commerce and Industry, and Geraldo Alckmin, Vice President of Brazil and Minister of Development, Industry, Trade, and Services.
MERCOSUR (Southern Common Market), established by the Treaty of Asunción (1991) and Protocol of Ouro Preto (1994), comprises Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay as full members. Venezuela, though a full member, has been suspended since December 2016.
The framework for cooperation between India and MERCOSUR was initially signed on 17 June 2003 to promote trade in alignment with World Trade Organization (WTO) principles.
The current expansion discussions aim to:
- Broaden the scope of the agreement to include tariff and non-tariff measures.
- Enhance the participation of private stakeholders in trade negotiations.
- Establish a Joint Administration Committee (Article 23 of the PTA) to define the framework for future collaboration.
- Conclude the negotiation process within one year from its commencement.
This move is expected to create new opportunities in bilateral trade, technology exchange, and industrial cooperation between India and South America.
AI Impact Summit 2025 – Dehradun
The Government of Uttarakhand, in partnership with the India AI Mission and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), is hosting the Uttarakhand AI Impact Summit 2025 on October 17, 2025, at Hotel Ramada, Dehradun.
The event serves as a pre-summit to the India–AI Impact Summit 2026, which will take place on February 19–20, 2026, at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. The 2026 summit is significant as it will be the first global AI forum hosted in the Global South, underscoring India’s leadership in shaping the global artificial intelligence landscape.
The summit’s guiding principles—People, Planet, and Progress—reflect the vision of using AI to benefit humanity, protect the environment, and foster inclusive development.
The India AI Mission, originally launched in 2023 as a joint initiative between MeitY and NASSCOM, has now evolved into a government-led project with an investment of ₹10,371.92 crore.
The mission’s key objectives are:
- “Making AI in India” – Promoting indigenous AI innovation and solutions.
- “Making AI Work for India” – Using AI to boost key sectors such as healthcare, agriculture, and education.
A major component of this initiative is AI Kosha, India’s national AI dataset platform that provides diverse language and cultural data for developing robust AI models tailored to Indian contexts.
National Conclave on Adi Karmayogi Abhiyan 2025
Aligned with the vision of Viksit Bharat, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs will organize the National Conclave on Adi Karmayogi Abhiyan on October 17, 2025, at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. This conclave symbolizes India’s commitment to empowering tribal communities and promoting participatory governance.
The event forms a part of Janjatiya Gaurav Varsh (15 November 2024 – 15 November 2025), a year-long celebration honoring the courage, heritage, and contributions of tribal communities under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The conclave will focus on the theme “Tribal Village Vision 2030 – From Ideas to Implementation,” emphasizing policy planning and actionable frameworks based on over 50,000+ Village Action Plans developed through community consultations.
Deliberations will be organized across five key thematic areas:
- Education & Skill Development
- Health & Nutrition
- Livelihood & Entrepreneurship
- Infrastructure (Housing, Power, Roads, Connectivity)
- Governance & Institutional Strengthening
This initiative marks a transformative step toward building self-reliant tribal villages and ensuring holistic, inclusive development across India’s tribal regions.
Review Questions
- The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty is observed every year on:
A. October 15
B. October 16
C. October 17
D. October 18
ANSWER: C - What is the theme for the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
2025?
A. Working together for a sustainable future
B. Empowering the poor through education
C. Ending social and institutional maltreatment by ensuring respect and effective
support for families
D. Equality and dignity for all
ANSWER: C - Who were named the ICC Players of the Month (September 2025)?
A. Rohit Sharma and Harmanpreet Kaur
B. Virat Kohli and Jemimah Rodrigues
C. Abhishek Sharma and Smriti Mandhana
D. Shubman Gill and Deepti Sharma
ANSWER: C - The National Conclave on Adi Karmayogi Abhiyan (2025) held at:
A. Rashtrapati Bhawan, New Delhi
B. Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi
C. Parliament House, New Delhi
D. India Habitat Centre, New Delhi
ANSWER: B - The Adi Karmayogi Abhiyan is organized under which ministry?
A. Ministry of Home Affairs
B. Ministry of Education
C. Ministry of Tribal Affairs
D. Ministry of Rural Development
ANSWER: C - The India AI Mission was first launched in:
A. 2022
B. 2023
C. 2024
D. 2025
ANSWER: B - Which organizations jointly launched the India AI Mission initially?
A. NITI Aayog and Google India
B. Ministry of Science & Technology and IIT Delhi
C. Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and Nasscom
D. Ministry of Skill Development and Infosys
ANSWER: C - What is the total outlay of the India AI Mission?
A. ₹5,000 crore
B. ₹7,500 crore
C. ₹9,200 crore
D. ₹10,371.92 crore
ANSWER: D - The Uttarakhand AI Impact Summit 2025 is being organized in collaboration
with:
A. NITI Aayog and Microsoft India
B. IIT Roorkee and Nasscom
C. Government of Uttarakhand and India AI Mission (MeitY)
D. DRDO and MeitY
ANSWER: C - At which institution Nirmala Sitharaman inaugurated the dhaRti BioNest
Incubation Centre?
A. IISc Bengaluru
B. IIT Madras
C. IIT Dharwad
D. NIT Surathkal
ANSWER: C
