Current Affairs Quiz - April 2025

Notes:
Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan inaugurated Techkriti 2025, Asia’s largest intercollegiate technical and entrepreneurial festival, at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur. The event focused on modernization of the Indian Armed Forces and future challenges in Cyber, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Quantum, and Cognitive domains. The theme “Panta Rhei” (Everything Flows) highlighted the continuous evolution of technology and innovation. A special Defence Expo ‘Rakshakriti’ showcased cutting-edge defence technology, fostering collaboration between armed forces, academia, and industry. The event promoted autonomous drones, advanced security tech, and reduced import dependence, inspiring students towards defence and technology careers.

Notes:
A 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck near Tonga, triggering a tsunami warning. Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga, is an archipelago of 169 islands, with 36 inhabited. It lies south of Samoa, east of Fiji, and north of the Tropic of Capricorn in the South Pacific Ocean. The western islands are volcanic, with four active volcanoes, while the eastern islands are coral and low-lying. Tongatapu, Ha’apai, and Vava’u are the largest islands, with Nuku‘alofa as the capital. Located in the Pacific Ring of Fire, Tonga frequently experiences volcanic activity.

Notes:
Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) CARTOSAT-3 satellite captured high-resolution images of earthquake damage in Myanmar. A 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar on March 28, 2025. Post-disaster images from March 29 were compared with pre-event data from March 18 to assess damage in Mandalay and Sagaing. CARTOSAT-3 is a third-generation agile advanced Earth observation satellite developed by ISRO. It replaces the Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) series and has high-resolution imaging capabilities. It was launched aboard the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C47).

Notes:
The ‘Kumbakonam Betel Leaf’ from Thanjavur and the ‘Thovalai Flower Garland’ from Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, have been granted a Geographical Indication (GI) Tag by the central government. With this recognition, Tamil Nadu now has a total of 62 GI-tagged products. The GI Tag prevents misuse of these names for commercial purposes and protects against forgery.

Notes:
The Haryana Government has declared Mitathal and Tighrana, two Harappan sites in Bhiwani district, as protected archaeological sites. These sites are now protected under a 10-acre demarcated area at Mitathal, as per a government notification issued on March 13, 2025. Mitathal site dates back to the 3rd–2nd millennium BCE and shows Harappan town planning with red pottery featuring black painted motifs. Tighrana site contains post-Harappan and pre-Harappan layers and is linked to the Sothian culture of Chalcolithic farmers. Mud-brick houses, early fortifications, and bichrome wheel-made pottery were found, along with green carnelian bangles, indicating a bead and jewelry industry. The sites show uninterrupted human settlement from Pre-Siswal to Post-Harappan periods, offering insights into early agriculture, craftsmanship, and community structure.

Notes:
The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports organized the Viksit Bharat Youth Parliament from April 1 to 3, 2025, under Union Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya. This event reimagines the traditional Youth Parliament, providing young individuals a platform to engage in politics and public policy. For the first time since COVID-19, all 300 District Nodal Rounds were conducted in person, ensuring greater participation. More than 75,000 young people from all States and Union Territories submitted video entries through the MY Bharat portal. The digital selection process highlights the increasing role of technology in governance initiatives. The event aims to promote youth-led policy engagement and national progress.

Notes:
The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly has unanimously passed a resolution urging the Union government to retrieve Katchatheevu from Sri Lanka. Katchatheevu is a 285-acre uninhabited island located in the Palk Strait between India and Sri Lanka. It is 33 km northeast of Rameswaram (India) and 62 km southwest of Jaffna (Sri Lanka). The island serves as a maritime boundary marker between the two nations and is rich in fisheries, crucial for Tamil Nadu’s fishing economy.

Notes:
Chhattisgarh State Power Generation Company Limited (CSPGCL) is building its first Supercritical Thermal Power Project (SCTPP) in Korba district to boost power generation. The new plant is an expansion of the existing Hasdeo Thermal Power Station (HTPS) and was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 30, 2025. The project involves an investment of ₹15,800 crore and will add 1,320 megawatts (MW) to the current 1,340 MW capacity. Supercritical thermal power plants operate above the critical pressure of 22.1 mega pascals (MPa) and temperature of 374°C for higher energy efficiency. In supercritical conditions, water and steam merge into a single phase, improving power output with less fuel.

Notes:
Kannadippaya, a traditional tribal handicraft from Kerala, has received the Geographical Indication (GI) tag, which protects its unique identity and origin. The name “Kannadippaya” means ‘mirror mat’ due to its shiny, reflective design. It is made from the soft inner layers of reed bamboo, giving it excellent thermal qualities—warm in winter and cool in summer. This craft is mainly done by tribal communities like the Oorali, Mannan, Muthuva, Malayan, Kadar, Ulladan, Malayarayan, and Hill Pulaya in Idukki, Thrissur, Ernakulam, and Palakkad districts.

Notes:
India urged BRICS nations—Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa—to support the Baku to Belém Roadmap. It was adopted at Conference of the Parties 29 (COP29) in 2024. The roadmap aims to mobilize USD 1.3 trillion to help developing nations meet their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement. It focuses on defining a New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) on climate finance post-2025 and ensuring finance is predictable, adequate, and accessible. As BRICS countries now represent 47% of the world’s population and 36% of global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Purchasing Power Parity (PPP), their united climate efforts are crucial for a fair global transition.