Current Affairs Quiz - April 2025

Notes:
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) released the report “Education and Nutrition: Learn to Eat Well” at the ‘Nutrition for Growth’ event in France on March 27-28, 2025. The report highlights poor nutritional quality in school meals and urges governments to improve food standards. In 2024, 47% of primary school students received school meals, but many lacked proper nutrition. In 2022, 27% of school meals were not designed with nutritionist input. Out of 187 countries, only 93 had school food policies, and 65% had cafeteria food standards. Childhood obesity has more than doubled since 1990, while food insecurity remains a challenge. UNESCO recommends fresh, locally sourced food over ultra-processed options.

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:
Lok Sabha passed a bill to establish Tribhuvan Sahkari University in Anand, Gujarat. The university is named after Tribhuvandas Patel, a pioneer of India’s cooperative movement. Tribhuvandas Kishibhai Patel was an Indian independence activist, lawyer, and politician. He was a follower of Mahatma Gandhi and involved in movements like civil disobedience and rural development. He founded Kaira District Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union Ltd. (KDCMPUL) in 1946. Inspired by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, he fought against farmers’ exploitation by Polson Dairy. He served as President of Harijan Sevak Samiti from 1948 to 1983.

Notes:
SpaceX recently launched a private astronaut crew on a historic polar-orbiting mission from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard a Falcon 9 rocket. A Polar Orbit (PO) is a type of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) between 200 km and 1,000 km in altitude. Unlike equatorial orbits, satellites in a polar orbit travel from pole to pole. Polar orbits allow satellites to cover the entire Earth’s surface as the planet rotates. These orbits are crucial for Earth observation, climate monitoring, and reconnaissance. The Fram2 mission is the first human spaceflight to use this trajectory, marking a milestone in space exploration.

Notes:
World Autism Awareness Day is observed every year on April 2 to raise awareness about Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). ASD is a developmental brain disorder that affects social interaction, communication, and behavior. Symptoms include difficulty in socializing, repetitive behaviors, and challenges in daily functioning. There is no cure for ASD, but early and intensive treatment can help improve quality of life. The 2025 theme is “Advancing Neurodiversity and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)”. The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) designated April 2 as World Autism Awareness Day in 2007 to promote acceptance and inclusion.

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:
The Union Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) released a report titled “How Does Climate Change Impact Women and Children Across Agroecological Zones”. The report shows that women and children face a higher risk of death during disasters than men due to existing social roles and responsibilities. It highlights the urgent need for gender-disaggregated data to create better disaster response and climate policies. India has 20 agroecological zones with varied climates, which affect the level of vulnerability differently across regions. States like Jharkhand, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh have five agroecosystems each, while zones like the North Eastern Hills (Region 17) and Western Coastal Plains (Region 19) span multiple states. This overlap calls for coordinated climate adaptation strategies across states for better protection of women and children.

Notes:
West Bengal has launched a ‘Triple Elimination’ pilot project to stop mother-to-child transmission of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), syphilis, and Hepatitis B by 2026. This is India’s first such initiative and is being carried out with the William J Clinton Foundation (WJCF) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Led by the State Health Department, the project focuses on preventing sexual and vertical (mother-to-child) transmission. All three diseases have long incubation periods and cause lifelong health issues. Infected mothers and newborns face high health risks like deformities from congenital syphilis and liver disease from early Hepatitis B infection.

Notes:
The Union Cabinet approved the second phase of the Vibrant Villages Programme (VVP) with an outlay of ₹6,839 crore for border villages. Vibrant Villages Programme was launched in 2023 for the all-round development of villages near the International Border. The first phase covered villages in 46 blocks along the northern border in 19 districts of Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, and Ladakh. Under the programme, 17 border villages will be developed as tourist destinations. The second phase will cover Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Punjab to boost livelihood, prosperity, and safety. Vibrant Villages Programme is implemented by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.

Notes:
The Ministry of Finance is launching the One State-One Regional Rural Bank (RRB) policy to improve efficiency and cut costs by reducing RRBs from 43 to 28. This is part of the fourth phase of RRB consolidation, with 15 RRBs set to be merged across several states. Andhra Pradesh, with four RRBs, will see major restructuring, while Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, each with three RRBs, will also undergo consolidation. States like Bihar, Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, and Rajasthan, each having two RRBs, will see mergers. RRBs were created under the Regional Rural Bank Act, 1976 to support rural credit for farmers, artisans, and workers.