Current Affairs is the most important area in all competitive exams. But the difficulty level is very high. That’s why many aspirants get confused, how to select Current Affairs for Preparation of Competitive Examination? In this Post, Daily Current Affairs 11 July 2025, we have tried to cover each and every point and also included all important facts from National/ International news that are useful for upcoming competitive examinations such as UPSC, SSC, Railway, State Govt. etc.

Daily Current Affairs – 11 July 2025

List of Top 10 Biggest Tourism Economies In 2024–25

The global travel and tourism industry is not only in recovery; it is rewriting economic records. In an incredible demonstration of resilience and restored consumer confidence, the industry contributed an adjured US$10.9 trillion to the global economy in 2023. Projections for 2024 – 25 indicate sustainability and even stronger performance based on the statistical trends and forecasts outlined by the WTTC. This economic growth has occurred despite ongoing impacts from a pandemic and more recent negative conditions such as climate pressures and regional tourism fatigue.

The WTTC ‘2024 Economic Impact Trends Report’ outlines an intention to deal in an aggressive positive direction. On an even grander err, the World Economic Forum (WEF) mentions this strong performance in their predictions regarding the sector on its way to USD $16 trillion sector by 2034, which would account for over 11 percent of global GDP. This is widely viewed as very strong performance and matters now and moving forward as a primary economic driver and job creator.

The Titans of Tourism: A Look at the Top 10 Economies

To no one’s surprise, the United States remains firmly at number one as the leading economy in tourism, with a record contribution of $2.36 trillion to the economy in 2024. This places the United States in a category all its own, with nearly double the result of the United States’ nearest competitor. This appears to speak to the scale and diversity of the travel and tourism economy in the United States, despite it being mostly domestic travel such as visiting family and friends, which attracts full numbers to the travel and tourism economy.

Coming in a solid second place is China, with a respective $1.3 trillion contribution. Looking forward, the WTTC estimates China is likely to overtake the United States and move to first place within a decade, changing the dynamic of travel and tourism in ways yet unseen.

The 2024-25 rankings reveal a blend of long-established and well-known European destinations and recent rising tourism economies or markets. Germany comes in third place with a contribution of $487.6 billion, evidence of established consumer demand based on unique cultural and historical offerings. Notably, a strong upward movement in the rankings has been observed for Japan, which is in fourth place, resulting in their $297 billion contribution as they harvest the benefits of tourism boom.

The United Kingdom, France, Italy, and Spain remain consistently within the top ten tourism economies, due in no small part to long-established tourism infrastructure that has remained relevant and in demand.

List of the world’s top 10 biggest tourism economies for 2024–25 (According to the WTTC Economic Impact Research)

The Indian Surge: A New Giant Awakens

India’s rise in the global tourism rankings is one of the most encouraging stories of 2024. India has moved from tenth to eighth with an economic impact of $231.6 billion, a leap that underscores India’s evolving importance on the world tourism stage.

Most importantly, there is an extraordinary depth of cultural heritage, with India’s 42 UNESCO World Heritage sites ranking it sixth in the world, there is an overwhelming scope for tourism. For every tourist, India has something to offer and they will find something to enjoy. The scenic beauty of the country is stunning from the Himalayan mountains to the warm golden sands of the southern part of the India.

The WTTC is very optimistic that over the next decade India will rise to fourth place. One reason for this optimism is the rapidly growing middle class with higher disposable incomes for travel, as well as government investments in tourism infrastructure along with a desire from Indian authorities to promote a range of tourism products connected together with spiritual and wellness tourism, adventure tourism products and eco-tourism offerings too.

Maharashtra Government Declares Ganeshotsav as State Festival

Maharashtra government announces Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav an official state festival. Cultural Affairs Minister Ashish Shelar announced this declaration during the Legislative Assembly session. Though, this is a major decision on its own, giving government support and funding to possibly the biggest cultural festival in the state is an important and significant step.

Ganeshotsav State Festival

The announcement of Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav as a state festival was a major announcement by Ashish Shelar, the state’s Cultural Affairs Minister, during the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. This means that the state government will now be responsible for the costs of organising the large-scale Ganesh festivals across various cities and villages in Maharashtra.

This decision is viewed by many as a step to preserve and promote a significant part of the culture and traditions of Maharashtra. Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav or Public Ganesh Festival is one of the most celebrated festivals in the state of Maharashtra.

History and Cultural Significance

The minister also stated that freedom fighter Lokmanya Tilak, who would come to be known as the father of Indian nationalism, started the Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav in 1893 with two important objectives. One aim was to unite people and another was to stoke the spirit of freedom and nationalism during the British rule.

Minister Shelar stated that the festival is not simply a religious celebration. It is also a symbol of unity, Marathi pride and cultural identity to the state of Maharashtra. He concluded, “Ganeshotsav is more than just a festival, it is a symbol of Maharashtra’s cultural pride”.

By making it a state festival, the Maharashtra government will now take care of promotion, management, and expenses related to the festival. This will include support for local organising committees, decoration, and public events.

Assam Launches ‘Gajah Mitra’ Scheme to Protect People and Elephants

The Assam Cabinet, during its meeting on 20 October, 2022, approved a new framework called Gajah Mitra, to reduce the incidents of human-elephant conflict in the state as it is being reported that there have been hundreds of deaths of both people and elephants. The new scheme seeks to protect wildlife and create safe zones for elephants, and recognize the challenges villages are facing by embracing non-violent means of dealing with the situation.

A New Scheme for Co-existence

Gajah Mitra was approved at a Cabinet meeting on 20 October, 2022, is now Assam’s response to the growing challenge of human-elephant conflict. The cabinet will focus on the initial implementation in 80 high-risk regions in the state, where elephants roam into villages and encounter humans. Local and district governments will grow bamboo and Napier grass, two of the main foods preferred by elephants, to provide a buffer zone for elephants and minimize their contact with humans in the villages.

A quick response team from the Government of Assam will arrive in just such locations to link with villagers and formulate and execute a plan to assist them in safely guiding elephant herds away from the village, without harm to either party.

Why the Scheme Is Needed

The Wildlife Institute of India (WFI) reports that between 2000-2023 there have been over 1,400 people and 1,209 elephants that have died from human-elephant conflict. Of the elephants, WFI states that there was 626 that have died at the hands of humans, either from electrocution from illegal or unsafe fences (often to prevent elephants from raiding crops) that mishap poses a danger for both animals and humans.

Assistant Manager Chief Minister, Himanta Biswas Sarma made it clear “right now the situation is not controllable”, and that it is a “serious challenge” for the government to act for the safety of both people and elephants.

Affected Areas and Rising Death

Areas like Nagaon, Sonitpur West, Dhanasiri, and Karbi Anglong East had the most elephant deaths. The WII report notes that villages impacted by elephants amount to a total of 527 affected villages; of which the Goalpara area took the brunt of deaths.

Elephants die due to territorial fighting (81 deaths) and natural causes (158 deaths) and the rest of the deaths are due to loss of access to food and migration routes. This loss gives elephants no choice but to wander farmlands and villages, causing death to elephants through confrontations and destruction of crops by elephants.

What Now for Assam

The government is working to build sustainable eco-habitats and to remake food access to change elephant movement to human impacted areas. Part of the scheme will be community involvement through education and support in time of needs to elephants. The key hope through Gajah Mitra is to provide a model of management for people to coexist with wildlife.

Carnac Bridge Renamed as Sindoor Flyover in Mumbai

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis officially opened the newly reconstructed Carnac bridge in Mumbai which has been renamed the ‘Sindoor Bridge.’ The name change thanks to recent military operations against terrorist camps in Pakistan, ‘Operation Sindoor.’ It also frees the city from the legacy of the colonial period and British Governor James Rivett-Carnac, who ruled at a time when brutal oppression of the citizens took place.

Renaming and Official Opening of the Bridge

On July 10, 2025 Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis will publicly open the newly built bridge formerly known as Carnac Bridge. Devendra Fadnavis said, the newly renamed ‘Sindoor Bridge’ was named only after Operation Sindoor, through which now Indian soldiers will be honoured for their bravery, and secondly to rid the bridge of Governor Carnac and the colonial memory that it represented for Indians…Governor, James Rivett-Carnac conspired to oppress the people of India that did exist during the British rule, as reflected in Prabodhankar Thackeray writings about Carnac, in the conspiracy against Chhatrapati Pratap Singh Raje of Satara and his relative Rango Bapuji.”

Fadnavis eluded to the importance of the renaming of this bridge, as it represents small victories in the larger fight to remove symbols of colonial oppression.

Bridge construction details

The bridge is 328 meters long in spans that we have seen previously, the four lane bridge will ease vehicular traffic in congested, high volume areas such as Crawford Market, Kalbadevi, and Dhobi Talao. The old two lane Carnac Bridge built in 1868 and resurfaced in 2013 was demolished in 2022 after deemed structurally unsafe by an audit.

Why its delayed

It is important to note that construction was completed on (the bridge) June 13, 2025, but the ‘officially’ public opening was delayed due to additional work required like signboard installation and No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Central Railway. Protests ahead of the opening were staged on July 2, by both the Shiv Sena (UBT) and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS).

Historical Background of Carnac Bridge

The original bridge was named after James Rivett-Carnac, the Governor of Bombay from 1839 to 1841. He was one of many colonial administrators whose names remain on infrastructure across India. The new name, Sindoor, is intended to reflect India’s present-day strength and break away from its colonial past.

Uttarakhand to Launch Operation Kalanemi Against Fake Saints

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami announced ‘Operation Kalanemi’, a police operation that is set to take strict action against people pretending to be saints, and who are cheating people, and tarnishing the name of Sanatana Dharma. The decision comes after discussions with the Chief Minister about ensuring religious harmony, and stopping fraud in the name of faith.

Why ‘Operation Kalanemi’?

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami informed that the name ‘Operation Kalanemi’ comes from the name Kalanemi who, in Hindu mythology, dressed like a saint and misled people. Just like Kalanemi, there are people today who wear the robe of sadhus (saints) and cheat innocent devotees and especially target women as their prey.

The Chief Minister stated that these impersonators mislead the public, hurt their religious sentiments and disturb society. He told them that nobody would be spared as action would be takent regardless of their religion.

Strong Government Action to Be Taken

Mr. Dhami has directed the Uttarakhand Police to commence the operation without delay. The police are asked to identify and apprehend fake saints who are abusing religion for personal profit. Police units would work in teams across the state with the goal of finding malefactors engaged in those activities.

The Chief Minister stated that this action is to protect the integrity of true religious practice and protect innocent people from fraud, abuse, in the name of spirituality.

Public and Religious Significance

It has become relevant to carry out this operation due to what is happening in the state in regard to the increasing number of religious gatherings and pilgrimages. In Uttarakhand, religious sites, including Haridwar, Rishikesh, and Kedarnath – sites that attract thousands of pilgrims from every corner of the country – play a huge role in the lives of so many people. The government believes that it is essential to protect people’s beliefs and faith, and to guarantee that they are led by true spiritual leaders and not fakes.

This operation is all about stopping those individuals and groups that damage the goodwill of Sanatana Dharma and affect social harmony.

Telangana Wins National Award for Battery Manufacturing

Telangana has been awarded the India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA) Industry Excellence Award 2025 in the State Leadership – Battery Manufacturing category. The award was presented as part of the 11th India Energy Storage Week (IESW) 2025″ conference in New Delhi. The award demonstrates Telangana’s commitment to support battery manufacturing in the state and clean energy solutions in India.

Award for Leading State in Battery Manufacturing

S.K. Sharma, Director of Electronics and EV&ESS, accepted and collected the IESA Industry Excellence Award 2025 on behalf of the state of Telangana. The award recognizes the state of Telangana’s framework for harnessing a strong system for battery production and new energy technologies.

The award was presented during the 11th India Energy Storage Week (IESW), a flagship event in the energy and clean-tech sector held in New Delhi.

Telangana Energy Strategy

Telangana has emerged to promote advanced energy manufacturing, battery production, electric vehicle (EV) assembly, and energy storage systems. The state’s intent is supported by the Telangana EV & Energy Storage Policy, Telangana Renewable Energy Policy, and others.

In the state’s push to promote battery manufacturing and electric vehicle production, they have also created special industrial zones that target battery manufacturing and electric vehicle production. These and other initiatives have allowed the state to secure large investments and form a complete supply chain for battery manufacturing and production of EV components.

Official statement

The IT, Electronics and Communications Department of Telangana supports, the award exemplifies the state’s solid commitment to innovation, infrastructure and green energy. Telangana will continue to strengthen clean energy development while establishing itself as a national leader for the energy storage and EV space. This award should help lure more industries and investment to the state to further ingratiate Telangana as a leader in the new energy economy.