Masaki Kashiwara has won the 2025 Abel prize, sometimes called the Nobel prize of mathematics, for his work on algebraic analysis.

• Masaki Kashiwara is a professor at Kyoto University, Japan.
• He received the award “for his fundamental contributions to algebraic analysis and representation theory, in particular the development of the theory of D-modules and the discovery of crystal bases.
• Kashiwara’s vital work on D-modules, a highly specific area of algebraic analysis involving linear PDEs, was done surprisingly early in his career, during his PhD thesis.
• He has worked with over 70 collaborators. Kashiwara told New Scientist he was happy to win the Abel prize, but is still actively working and hopes to make further contributions.

About Abel Prize

The Able Prize is awarded annually by the King of Norway to one or more outstanding mathematicians. It is named after the Norwegian mathematician Niels Henrik Abel and directly modeled after the Nobel Prizes as such, it is widely considered the Nobel Prize of mathematics. It comes with a monetary award of 7.5 million Norwegian kroner .

The Indian Navy and Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) have completed a flight-test of the indigenously developed vertically-launched short-range surface-to-air missile (VL-SRSAM).  

• The test, conducted from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Chandipur, Odisha, showcased the missile’s near-boundary-low altitude interception capabilities. 
• The missile was launched from a land-based vertical launcher, and engaged a high-speed aerial target at very close range and low altitude. 
• It successfully obliterated the target by performing the high turn rate necessary for engaging targets at close distances. 
• The successful interception demonstrated the missile’s agility, reliability, and precision.  

About vertically-launched short-range surface-to-air missile (VL-SRSAM)

The Vertical Launch – Short Range Surface to Air Missile, or VL-SRSAM is a quick reaction surface-to-air missile developed by the Indian Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). VL-SRSAM being tested from vertical launch system by DRDO and Indian Navy.

Specifications

The Ministry of Defence inked a 2,500 crore rupees contract for the procurement of the Nag Missile System (NAMIS), an anti-tank weapon platform, and 5,000 light vehicles.

The Ministry, in a statement, said that the procurement of NAMIS and light vehicles will enhance indigenisation and national defence equipment manufacturing capabilities.

• NAMIS (Tr) is one of the most sophisticated anti-tank weapon systems against enemy armour, with a fire-and-forget anti-tank missile and sighting system for enhanced firepower and lethality.
• It marks a significant milestone in the modernisation of the anti-tank capability of Mechanised Infantry, enhancing the Indian Army’s operational readiness across a varied spectrum of operations.
• The light vehicles are designed as per contemporary vehicle technology with enhanced engine power to cater to a payload of 800 kilograms. They will provide mobility to the Armed Forces in all types of terrain and operational conditions.

The work on Jammu and Kashmir's Zojila Tunnel, which will provide all-weather connectivity between the Ladakh region and the rest of the country, is now 70 per cent completed, Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari told Parliament Thursday ( 27 March 2025).

• The 13-kilometre-long tunnel, set for completion by 2026, will become the longest in Asia and will be located in a sub-zero temperature zone.
• Mr Gadkari, speaking in Lok Sabha, said that initially, the tunnel was estimated to be constructed for over Rs 12,000 crore, but it will be completed at just around Rs 5,500 crore.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the Zojilla tunnel in 2018.
• It is a 7.57 m high horseshoe-shaped single-tube, 2-lane tunnel and will pass under the Zojila Pass in the Himalayas between Ganderbal in Kashmir and Drass in the Kargil district of Ladakh.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the new Pamban rail bridge, connecting Ramanathapuram with Rameswaram Island, on April 6, 2025 on the occasion of Ram Navmi.

• The new Pamban Bridge will replace the old 1914-built bridge, which was closed in 2022 due to corrosion problems.
• The bridge spans over 2.5 km and is built at a cost of Rs 535 crore by Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL).
• The new Pamban bridge is the first vertical lift bridge in Asia.
• The bridge will allow trains to cross the sea between mainland India and the Rameswaram island in less than 5 minutes, as compared to 25-30 minutes through the old colonial-era bridge.