Daily Current Affairs Quiz: August 30-31, 2025

Notes:
On the inaugural day of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Japan, Rev Seishi Hirose, chief priest of the Daruma-ji temple, presented him with a Daruma Doll , an iconic cultural symbol of Japan. These dolls, considered a lucky charm in the country, vary in height from a couple of inches to several feet. The doll The Daruma is a traditional Japanese wish doll, which is typically made of papier-mâché. It is modelled after Bodhidharma, the 5th-century founder of Zen Buddhism. The doll is considered a symbol of perseverance and good luck, often used to represent setting and achieving goals.

Notes:
India’s Exclusive Economic Zone covers 2 million sq km with an estimated fisheries potential of 5.31 million tonnes annually, as per the Ministry of Fisheries. Actual marine catch is around 4.5 million tonnes yearly; LOA is required for fishing in the High Seas. Major potential also exists in Andaman & Lakshadweep.

Notes:
The Indian Army’s Spear Corps and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) conducted Exercise Achook Prahar in central Arunachal Pradesh (Aug 25–28, 2025) to validate joint operational preparedness. The drill involved mortars, machine guns, rockets, and grenades, highlighting interoperability in high-altitude warfare.

The ITBP, raised in 1962 after the Sino-Indian War, guards the 3,488 km India-China border through 197 Border Outposts at altitudes up to 18,750 ft. It functions under the Ministry of Home Affairs, is a specialised mountain force, and has the motto “Shaurya–Dridhata–Karma Nishtha”.

Notes:
The Nanjangud Rasabale banana, known for its unique taste and pulp, received a GI tag in 2005-06. Its cultivation had declined due to a soil-borne disease identified as Panama Wilt, linked to flood irrigation. Recently, Union Agriculture Minister Shivaraj Singh Chouhan announced that ICAR scientists will study ways to protect this variety. State interventions with organic bio-agents and subsidies have already helped revive its cultivation from about 30–50 acres to 150–200 acres.

Notes:
The U.S. has withdrawn the De Minimis Tax Exemption (Aug 29, 2025), a century-old rule that allowed duty-free entry of shipments under $800 per person per day. As a result, India Post suspended parcels to the U.S. (except letters and gifts under $100). This move will heavily affect Indian MSME exporters and e-commerce businesses, especially in sectors like textiles, jewellery, electronics and pharma, which relied on the duty-free threshold. Now, every parcel will attract tariffs and require detailed customs documentation, increasing costs and compliance burden.