Daily Current Affairs Quiz: November 16-17, 2025

Notes:
A recent study mapped Bolivia’s Uturuncu Volcano and found its unusual ground movement is caused by hot fluids and gases, not rising magma indicating an eruption. Uturuncu is a dormant stratovolcano in the Andes Mountains of southwestern Bolivia. It is 6,008 metres above sea level and is the tallest peak in southern Bolivia. It last erupted 2,50,000 years ago but remains seismically active with hundreds of small quakes each year. It sits above the Altiplano-Puna Magma Body, a 200-kilometre-wide active magma reservoir. Its “zombie” behaviour is due to underground liquid and gas movement with low eruption risk.

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Recently, the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) reviewed the progress of the Rural Technology Action Group (RuTAG) 2.0 to push rural technology solutions. RuTAG is an initiative of the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (OPSA) launched in 2004 to bring Science and Technology support to rural areas. It focuses on demand-driven interventions to fill technology gaps at the grassroots level. It upgrades local technologies and provides training and demonstrations through innovative projects. It connects stakeholders like Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Self Help Groups (SHGs), community bodies, and start-ups to identify technology needs.

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Recently, the Assam Chief Minister went to London to start the process of bringing back the sacred Vrindavani Vastra from the British Museum. Vrindavani Vastra is a 400-year-old Assamese textile depicting Lord Krishna’s childhood stories and divine acts in Vrindavan. It is woven in silk using the complex ‘lampas’ technique that requires two weavers working together. It uses many coloured threads like red, white, black, yellow, and green. It was created under Srimanta Sankardeva on the request of Koch king Nara Narayan. Nara Narayan had sheltered Sankardeva when he was targeted by the Ahom kingdom.

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Recently, the Assam State Zoo team reported the first case of albinism in the checkered keelback, also called the Asian water snake. The checkered keelback is a medium-sized non-venomous snake native to Asia. It is widely found across India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. It lives in freshwater habitats like ponds, marshes, and rice fields. It is listed as Least Concern on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.

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Recently, the Centre sanctioned ₹9 crore under the Jan Man Scheme for development, welfare, and cultural preservation of the Maram Naga tribe in Manipur. The Maram Naga tribe is part of the larger Naga ethnic group and mainly lives in Senapati district, Manipur. They belong to the Tibeto-Burman family of the Mongoloid race. They speak the Maram language, a Sino-Tibetan language written in the Roman script. Agriculture is their main occupation, with shifting and wet cultivation widely practiced. Their major festivals are Punghi in July, Kanghi in December, and the women-centric Mangkang festival in April.