Today's Brief 5/10/2025

1 .The PM-SETU 

General Studies Paper-II (250 Marks) – Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International Relations

(Pradhan Mantri Skilling and Employability Transformation through Upgraded ITIs) scheme is a major national initiative by the Government of India designed to modernize and transform the ecosystem of Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) across the country.

The core objective of PM-SETU is to enhance the skilling and employability of India's youth by ensuring that the training imparted is directly aligned with the current and future demands of the industry, and even global skill requirements.

With a substantial financial outlay (e.g., ₹60,000 crore mentioned in initial announcements), the scheme focuses on upgrading ITIs with new and modern machinery, updating the curriculum, and integrating industry expertise into the training process.

This is often executed through a Hub-and-Spoke model, where a main 'Hub' ITI is connected to several smaller 'Spoke' ITIs, forming a cluster that shares resources, advanced infrastructure, and incubation facilities, ultimately preparing the workforce to be "future-ready" and contributing to the vision of an Aatmanirbhar Bharat (Self-Reliant India).

2 .Project Himank:

General Studies Paper-II (250 Marks) – Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International Relations

the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), through its dedicated Project Himank, has shattered its own Guinness World Record by constructing the world's highest motorable road at Mig La Pass in Ladakh, India.

The new road crests at an astonishing altitude of 19,400 feet above sea level, surpassing the BRO's previous record set at Umling La Pass (19,024 feet).

This new high-altitude connection is part of the strategic Likaru-Mig La-Fukche road alignment.

3 .Sanae Takaichi Following the resignation of Shigeru Ishiba, the political landscape in Japan has shifted, with Sanae Takaichi emerging as the new leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) after winning the party's presidential election on October 4, 2025.

Given the LDP's parliamentary majority, Takaichi is now poised to be formally elected and installed as the Prime Minister of Japan in the Diet vote expected later in October, which will make her the nation's first-ever female Prime Minister.