Current Affairs Quiz - April 2025

Notes:
The 37th Kathak Mahotsav 2025, organized by Kathak Kendra, New Delhi, a unit of Sangeet Natak Akademi, concluded successfully. The six-day festival featured the world’s first-ever Kathak Literary Festival, along with seminars, exhibitions, and dance performances. All major Kathak gharanas—Lucknow, Jaipur, Banaras, and Raigarh—were showcased through performances by renowned artists. The event was a landmark celebration of Kathak, bringing together scholars, dancers, and art enthusiasts.

Notes:
Cheiraoba is considered to be one of the most important festivals of Manipur and it marks the beginning of the lunar new year for the people of Meitei community of Manipur and across the globe. The festival is also called as Sajibu Nongma Pānba which means “First day of Sajibu Month”.

Notes:
The Army Commanders’ Conference is held in New Delhi from April 1-4, 2025. It is a platform for senior Indian Army officials to review security and discuss key operational priorities. The conference aims to make the Army more agile, adaptive, and technologically enabled while improving decision-making, welfare, and quality of life for soldiers and their families.

Notes:
Uttar Pradesh government has announced a dolphin safari in Varanasi to boost conservation and eco-tourism. The safari will be set up between Kaithi and Dhakhwa villages, home to the highest number of dolphins in the region. Dolphin Mitras have been appointed for Ganges River Dolphin conservation. The goals include increasing dolphin populations, protecting their habitat, promoting eco-tourism, and educating people on dolphin conservation.

Notes:
Uttar Pradesh won the 47th National Junior Girls’ Handball Championship by defeating Himachal Pradesh 19-17 at KD Singh ‘Babu’ Stadium. UP made a strong comeback after trailing 10-8 at halftime, showing greater intensity and agility in the second half. Himachal Pradesh missed crucial opportunities, while UP goalkeeper Niharika played a key role by stopping multiple attacks. The 47th National Junior Girls’ Handball Championship took place in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, from March 26 to 30, 2025.

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:
On 3rd April 2025, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced that Hungary is withdrawing from the International Criminal Court (ICC), becoming the first European country to do so. The International Criminal Court was established in 2002 to prosecute individuals responsible for serious global crimes. It is the only permanent international criminal tribunal. The ICC was created by the Rome Statute, an international agreement adopted on 17 July 1998. The Rome Statute defines the Court’s powers, structure, and responsibilities and came into force on 1 July 2002. The ICC investigates and prosecutes genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and the crime of aggression.

Notes:
Kazakhstan has found a major deposit of Rare Earth Elements (REEs) at the Kuirektykol site in the Karaganda Region, estimated to hold 1 million tons, which can support clean energy technologies globally. The Karaganda Region, in central Kazakhstan, is known for arid plains, hills, and seasonal streams, with major landscapes like Karkaraly National Park, Mount Aksoran, and Lake Balkhash. Important rivers in the region include the Ishim (Esil) and Nura, supported by the Irtysh–Karaganda Canal. Once known for coal mining and Gulag camps during Soviet times, it remains an industrial and mineral-rich hub. Rare Earth Elements (REEs) are 17 similar elements used in electric vehicles, wind turbines, smartphones, lasers, and defence technologies.

Notes:
Nikhil Singhal, Founder of Vigor Media Worldwide and President of the Noida High Rise Federation, received the Uttar Pradesh Anmol Ratan Award for his outstanding work in public relations and strategic communication. The award was presented by Shri Akhilesh Yadav, former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, during a grand ceremony on March 31, 2025, at the Taj Lucknow, organized by the Tapasya Foundation Trust. The event gathered leading figures from media, corporate communications, and governance, recognizing Singhal’s role in transforming the public relations (PR) industry with innovative and impactful strategies.

Notes:
Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Army successfully conducted four flight-tests of the Army version of Medium-Range Surface-to-Air Missile (MRSAM) on April 3 and 4, 2025 from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island, Odisha. The tests involved intercepting high-speed aerial targets at long-range, short-range, high altitude, and low altitude, achieving direct hits and proving operational capability. The weapon system was tested in real conditions, and its performance was verified using radars and electro-optical tracking systems from the Integrated Test Range, Chandipur. The trials were conducted under DRDO’s guidance by the Indian Army’s Eastern and Southern Commands. MRSAM is jointly developed by DRDO and Israel Aerospace Industries and includes multi-function radar, command post, mobile launcher, and other vehicles. These trials pave the way for weapon system deployment in two Army Regiments.