Daily Current Affairs Quiz: August 22, 2025

Notes:
Champa Raspeda from Malkangiri district, Odisha, became the first member of the Didayi tribe to clear National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) 2025. The Didayi tribe is one of 13 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG) in Odisha. They belong to the Proto-Australoid racial stock and speak a language of the Austroasiatic family. Their society is patriarchal and follows animism with reverence for nature. They live in remote forest villages of the Eastern Ghats with thatched mud houses.

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Indian Army launched Exercise Samanvay Shakti 2025 at Laipuli, Tinsukia district, Assam. The exercise is a Military-Civil Integration initiative with Assam and Manipur officials. The purpose is to build synergy between security forces, government departments and civil institutions for regional challenges. A similar exercise is being held in Manipur (20–30 August 2025) covering disaster management, healthcare, education, narcotics, infrastructure, employment, and Operation Sadbhavna. It focuses on better communication, practical rehearsals, refined procedures, and trust-building with local communities.

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The Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) is a programme of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) launched in 2002 at the World Summit for Sustainable Development. It was created to address threats to family farming and traditional agriculture such as climate change, displacement and biodiversity loss. Recently, the Minister of State for Agriculture informed the Lok Sabha that India has three GIAHS sites. Koraput in Odisha is known for paddy diversity, medicinal plants and tribal knowledge systems. Kuttanad in Kerala is a unique below-sea-level farming area with paddy, coconut, fishing and shell collection. Saffron Park in Kashmir is rich in saffron cultivation.

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Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a gram-negative, aerobic, non-spore-forming rod bacterium commonly found in soil and water. It is the most common type of Pseudomonas causing human infections in the blood, lungs (pneumonia), urinary tract, and post-surgery sites. Researchers from Germany found that P. aeruginosa shows bistable expression of the glpD gene, meaning activity varies among genetically identical cells. This variation affects its infection-causing ability, as shown in tests on moth larvae and mouse immune cells. Targeting glpD gene’s variable expression could help combat hospital-acquired P. aeruginosa infections. This discovery highlights new directions for infection control and antibiotic strategies.

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Recently, India successfully test-fired the Agni-5 missile from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur, Odisha. Agni-5 is a nuclear-capable land-based Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) with Multiple Independently Targetable Reentry Vehicle (MIRV) technology. It has been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The missile has a range of over 5,000 kilometers, making it one of India’s most advanced long-range missiles. It is equipped with modern navigation, guidance, warhead and engine systems. Agni-5 can carry and fire up to three nuclear warheads simultaneously, boosting India’s strategic deterrence capability.