Current Affairs Quiz - April 2025

Notes:
The Green Credit Programme (GCP) was launched by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) despite concerns from the Law Ministry over its legal validity. Green Credit (GC) is an incentive unit for engaging in environmentally positive activities and can be traded like carbon credits. The Green Credit Programme (GCP) operates under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. It aims to increase forest cover, promote sustainable practices, and reward pro-environmental actions. Individuals, communities, and industries can earn Green Credits by participating in afforestation, water conservation, and sustainable agriculture. These credits can be sold to industries needing to meet environmental obligations like compensatory afforestation.

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Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman launched the “NITI NCAER States Economic Forum” portal on April 1, 2025, in New Delhi. NITI Aayog and the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) have developed a portal on State Finances covering 1990-91 to 2022-23. The portal has four components: State Reports, Data Repository, State Fiscal and Economic Dashboard, and Research and Commentary. It provides accessible macro, fiscal, demographic, and socio-economic data for informed policymaking. The portal enables benchmarking across states, facilitates research, and helps track trends for evidence-based policy decisions.

Notes:
The Arctic region is a global flashpoint due to geopolitical tensions, climate change, and resource competition. The Arctic Council, formed in 1996 through the Ottawa Declaration, governs the Arctic. The Council has 8 member states: Canada, Denmark (Greenland), Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and the United States. These countries control land territories and have rights over resources within their Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs). Six Indigenous groups are permanent participants representing Arctic inhabitants. Thirteen countries, including India, and various organizations are observers. All decisions require consensus from the eight Arctic States and consultation with permanent participants.

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The Indian Naval Sailing Vessel Tarini reached Cape Town, South Africa, in its final international stop of the Navika Sagar Parikrama II global circumnavigation. INSV Tarini is a 56-foot, indigenously built sailing vessel commissioned in February 2017 by the Indian Navy. It was built by Aquarius Shipyard Ltd., Goa, under the Make in India initiative. It has advanced navigation, satellite communication, and emergency steering for extreme conditions. It was named after the Tara-Tarini hill shrine in Odisha, historically revered by sailors. The expedition began on October 2, 2024, covering 23,400 nautical miles across three oceans and three major capes in eight months.

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The Minister of State for Heavy Industries and Steel informed Parliament about four Smart Advanced Manufacturing and Rapid Transformation Hub (SAMARTH) Centres. These centres were established under the Scheme for Enhancement of Competitiveness in the Indian Capital Goods Sector. SAMARTH Udyog Bharat 4.0 is an Industry 4.0 initiative by the Ministry of Heavy Industry and Public Enterprises. Industry 4.0 involves digital technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), and robotics to improve efficiency and decision-making. These centres assist industries, including Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), by training the workforce through workshops, consultancy, and incubation support for startups.

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India recorded 4,515 child adoptions in the financial year 2024-25, the highest ever. The Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) added 8,598 newly identified children to the adoption pool. CARA was established in 1990 and functions as a statutory body under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015. It operates under the Ministry of Women and Child Development. CARA is the nodal agency for adoption of Indian children and regulates both in-country and inter-country adoptions. It manages adoptions through the Child Adoption Resource Information & Guidance System (CARINGS).

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India ranked 36th out of 170 countries in the 2025 Technology and Innovation Report by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), improving from 48th in 2022. The Readiness for Frontier Technologies Index includes Information and Communication Technology (ICT), skills, Research and Development (R&D), industrial capacity, and finance access. The report shows countries like India, Brazil, China, and the Philippines are doing well despite lower incomes, and must adapt fast to tech changes.

Notes:
The indigenously developed Hansa-3 trainer aircraft has been approved for training aircrew to get pilot licences. It will now be manufactured in India by private industry. Hansa-3 is India’s first indigenous flying trainer aircraft. It was designed and developed by the CSIR-National Aerospace Laboratories (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-NAL), Bangalore. It was built to meet the needs of Indian flying clubs. It is ideal for Commercial Pilot Licensing (CPL) because of its low cost, simple operation, and low fuel consumption.

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A major fire recently broke out in Mukundra Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan due to sparks from stone crushing. Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve is located near Kota in southeastern Rajasthan. It is named after two long, flat-topped hills from the Vindhyan range, stretching 80 km in length and 2 to 5 km in width. The reserve was declared in 2013 and includes Mukundra National Park, Dara Sanctuary, Jawahar Sagar Sanctuary, and part of Chambal Sanctuary. Earlier, it was the royal hunting ground of the Maharaja of Kota.

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Bangladesh has become the 54th country to sign the Artemis Accords, a global agreement for safe and peaceful space exploration. The signing took place in Dhaka, where Secretary of Defense Ashraf Uddin represented Bangladesh. The Artemis Accords promote cooperation, transparency, and responsible behavior in space missions like those to the Moon and beyond. It was originally launched in 2020 by NASA and the US Department of State. They are based on the Outer Space Treaty and other agreements like the Rescue and Return Agreement. Bangladesh’s entry marks its growing role in global space efforts and strengthens ties with NASA and international partners.