Dr. Soumya Swaminathan and Prof. Manindra Agrawal Elected as Fellows of the Royal Society
Dr. Swaminathan (former Chief Scientist at WHO and Director General of ICMR) and her late father M S Swaminathan make history as the first Indian father-daughter duo to hold this prestigious title.
With this election, Dr. Swaminathan becomes the second Indian woman scientist to join the Royal Society, following vaccine researcher Gagandeep Kang.
Prof. Manindra Agrawal was honored for his pioneering contributions to Theoretical Computer Science, notably the development of the AKS (Agrawal–Kayal–Saxena) Primality Test.
Exam Perspective: The FRS is among the oldest and most respected scientific distinctions globally, making newly elected Indian members major points of focus in general awareness papers.
Key Facts / Static GK
Professor Manindra Agrawal was previously awarded the Padma Shri in 2013 for his milestone work in Science and Engineering.
Practice Quiz — 25 May 2026
Q1. Which banking institution registered the highest target achievement of 288% under the Atal Pension Yojana (APY) mobilization campaign during the financial year 2025-26?
Q2. Under which statutory legislation did the Reserve Bank of India grant the final Prepaid Payment Instrument (PPI) issuer authorization to ZikZuk Technologies?
Q3. Which mathematical model is utilized to structure the benchmark of India's first exchange-traded weather derivatives contract 'RAINMUMBAI'?
Q4. Who has been appointed to chair the newly formed PFRDA committee tasked with exploring new asset classes to maximize returns under the National Pension System (NPS)?
Q5. Which of the following represents the largest infrastructure development approved under India's recent ₹2,600 crore allocation for the Chenab river basin?
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