Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2025

Notes:
Kerala won their first Senior National Men’s Handball Championship title with a 34-31 victory over Chandigarh. Kerala reached the final after a close semi-final win against Services, 23-21. Chandigarh advanced to the final by defeating Indian Railways 32-30. Kerala’s Devendar was named ‘Best Player of the Championship,’ Rahul won ‘Best Goalkeeper,’ and Sujith was honored as ‘Best Left Wing Player.’ Services and Indian Railways shared third place in the tournament.

Notes:
Researchers using South Africa’s MeerKAT radio telescope detected a loud gravitational wave background through the MeerKAT Pulsar Timing Array. The gravitational wave background’s “hot spot” in the Southern Hemisphere was mapped in unprecedented detail. MeerKAT is a radio telescope array in Northern Cape, South Africa, originally called the Karoo Array Telescope (KAT). Initially planned with 20 receptors, it was expanded to 64 receptors and renamed “MeerKAT,” meaning “more of KAT.” It is part of South Africa’s contribution to the global Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project, the world’s largest radio telescope initiative.

Notes:
China launched its first domestically developed deep-sea exploration ship, Tansuo-3 (Exploration-3). The ship officially entered service in Sanya City, Hainan province. Tansuo-3 has a range of 17,261 miles and includes icebreaking capabilities. It will strengthen China’s deep-sea exploration, alongside other icebreakers like Xuelong, Xuelong 2, and Jidi.

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Telangana will implement the Rythu Bharosa scheme, replacing the Rythu Bandhu scheme, starting from Sankranti. The scheme, launched in 2018-19, provides investment support to farmers for agriculture and horticulture crops. It offers Rs. 5,000 per acre per season for the purchase of inputs, with no cap on the number of acres. Eligible farmers must be residents of Telangana, own agricultural land, and have a Record of Forest Rights (ROFR) document if cultivating forest land. Small, marginal, and Scheduled Tribe farmers are eligible, but commercial and tenant farmers are not.

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Romania and Bulgaria became full members of the EU’s Schengen area on January 1, 2025. Previously, both countries held partial membership in the Schengen area. The Schengen area operates as a single jurisdiction with a common visa policy for international travel.

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Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh chaired a meeting to review progress on defense reforms and projects. 2025 has been declared the ‘Year of Reforms’ for the Ministry of Defence (MoD). The goal is to transform the Armed Forces into a technologically advanced, combat-ready force. Key focus areas include improving Jointness & Integration, enhancing cyber and space capabilities, and integrating emerging technologies like AI, robotics, and hypersonics. Acquisition procedures will be simplified, and public-private partnerships will be promoted. The reforms aim to improve defense exports, optimize resources, and ensure veterans’ welfare.

Notes:
Tripura recorded the Banded Royal butterfly (Rachana jalindra indra) for the first time in Sepahijala Wildlife Sanctuary. It is a lycaenid butterfly found in South and Southeast Asia, including forests in Northeast India. Three subspecies exist in India: macantia (Southwest India to Goa), tarpina (Andamans), and indra (Orissa to West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Jharkhand). Males have deep purple sheen; females are brownish with white markings. The underwings are pale brown with white bands, giving a “banded” look.

Notes:
Eminent physicist Rajagopala Chidambaram, key figure in India’s nuclear tests of 1974 and 1998, passed away at 88. Born in 1936, Chidambaram studied at Presidency College, Chennai, and Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru.. He served as Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India (2001-2018) and director of BARC (1990-1993). Chidambaram was chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission and Secretary, DAE (1993-2000). He also chaired the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in 1994-1995.

Notes:
The Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways announces the completion of the 2.35 km Banihal Bypass on NH-44 in Jammu & Kashmir. Built at a cost of ₹224.44 crore, it is a four-lane bypass addressing traffic bottlenecks in Banihal town. The bypass eliminates congestion caused by roadside markets and shops, ensuring smoother traffic flow. It significantly reduces travel time for tourists and defense vehicles heading to the Kashmir Valley.

Notes:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the Central Ayurveda Research Institute (CARI) building in Rohini, Delhi. The state-of-the-art facility spans 2.92 acres, costs ₹187 crore, and will be completed in 30 months. The institute will include a 100-bed research hospital with advanced clinical research, education, and treatment facilities. The project supports the “Heal in India” initiative and aims to make India a global health and wellness hub. CARI, established in 1979, focuses on Ayurvedic research, particularly in preventive cardiology.