Daily Current Affairs Quiz: August 17-18, 2025

Notes:
A newly found unidentified early hominin fossil may represent a new species. It confirms that Australopithecus and Homo species coexisted in the same African region and timeframe. Australopithecus is a genus of extinct primates, closest relatives of humans (genus Homo). They lived between 4.4 million to 1.4 million years ago during the Pliocene and Pleistocene epochs. Fossils were discovered in eastern, north-central, and southern Africa. The name means “southern ape,” first identified in South Africa. The most famous specimen is “Lucy,” a 3.2-million-year-old fossil from Ethiopia.

Notes:
The Prime Minister recently praised the success of PM Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) Yojana for empowering street vendors. It is a central-sector micro-credit scheme launched on 1st June 2020 by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA). The scheme provides affordable working capital loans to street vendors affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. It is implemented by the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI). Vendors can avail loans up to Rs. 10,000, repayable in one year through monthly installments.

Notes:
Indian Naval Ships INS Rana and INS Jyoti took part in the 12th edition of Sri Lanka–India Naval Exercise (SLINEX-25). SLINEX is a bilateral naval exercise between India and Sri Lanka, started in 2005. It has enhanced maritime cooperation and interoperability for nearly two decades. The last edition was held in Visakhapatnam, India, in 2024. SLINEX-25 is conducted in two phases – Harbour phase and Sea phase. Harbour phase includes Subject Matter Expert Exchange (SMEE), cultural programs, yoga, sports, and best practice sharing. Sea phase covers gunnery firing, navigation, seamanship, fueling at sea, communication, and Visit Board Search and Seizure (VBSS).

Notes:
The Prime Minister recently announced the Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana to boost formal job creation. The scheme aims to create over 3.5 crore jobs in two years. It provides direct cash incentives to both employees and employers. Part A supports first-time employees registered with Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) with one-month EPF wage up to Rs. 15,000 in two instalments after 6 and 12 months along with a financial literacy programme. Part B gives incentives to employers up to Rs. 3000 per employee per month for two years and for the manufacturing sector the support continues for the 3rd and 4th year. The scheme will also formalize the workforce and expand social security coverage for crores of youth.

Notes:
Scientists recently recorded the rare nocturnal moth species Antitrisuloides catocalina in Choolannur Peafowl Sanctuary, Palakkad district, Kerala. This is the first time the species has been found in the Western Ghats. It belongs to the genus Antitrisuloides and is part of the Noctuidae family. The genus has only two known species worldwide. The specimen in Kerala was earlier reported only from North-East India.