Current Affairs Quiz - April 2025

Notes:
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:
World Health Day is observed every year on April 7th to promote global health awareness and mark the founding of the World Health Organization (WHO), a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN), established in 1950. The theme for World Health Day 2025 is “Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures”, focusing on improving health from the start of life. The campaign urges governments and health organizations to invest in effective programs that support maternal and newborn health. The goal is to reduce preventable deaths and ensure the long-term well-being of both mothers and infants worldwide.

Notes:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi received the ‘Mithra Vibhushana’ medal from the Government of Sri Lanka for strengthening India-Sri Lanka ties and shared cultural heritage. This is the highest civilian honour of Sri Lanka, instituted in 2008 by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa. The award was given by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake at a ceremony in Colombo. It is the 22nd international award given to PM Modi by a foreign nation. The medal features the Dharma Chakra for Buddhist heritage, Pun Kalasa for prosperity, Navarathna for deep friendship, and the Sun and Moon for eternal relations.

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The seventh edition of Khelo India Youth Games will be held in five cities of Bihar from May 4 to 15, 2025. Bihar will also host the Khelo India Para Games in the same month. Khelo India initiative was launched in 2018 to boost sports culture and identify young talent for the Olympics. It includes youth, university, and winter games to promote talent development. It focuses on building and upgrading sports infrastructure across India. Khelo India Centres and Academies offer expert coaching in various sports. It promotes fitness, inclusiveness, gender equality, disability sports, and indigenous games.

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The International Day of Sport for Development and Peace (IDSDP) is observed every year on April 6 to highlight the role of sports in promoting peace and development. It shows how sports improve physical and mental health, build cooperation, leadership, and social skills, and support personal growth. The United Nations (UN) uses sports to unite people, support development programs, and raise awareness through campaigns. The 2025 theme by the International Olympic Committee is “Levelling the Playing Field: Sport for Social Inclusion.” The UN General Assembly (UNGA) declared April 6 as International Day of Sport for Development and Peace (IDSDP) in August 2013, linking it to the first Modern Olympics in 1896.

Notes:
A recent international multicentre clinical study found that Semaglutide, a medicine for type 2 diabetes and obesity, can lower the risk of major heart-related events by 14%. Semaglutide is a Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonist (GLP-1 RA) that acts like a natural hormone to control blood sugar and appetite. It helps treat Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) by boosting insulin and lowering blood sugar levels. It also supports weight loss when combined with proper diet and exercise. Semaglutide is available as injections and oral tablets.

Notes:
India will commission its first dedicated nuclear submarine base, INS Varsha, in Andhra Pradesh in 2026 under Project Varsha. It is a secret naval infrastructure project by the Indian Navy, located near Rambilli, 50 km south of Visakhapatnam. The base will boost India’s maritime power in the Bay of Bengal and Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and counter China’s growing presence. INS Varsha will have underground submarine pens, tunnels, and space to dock 12 nuclear submarines safely. Its proximity to Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) Atchutapuram gives it access to advanced nuclear support.

Notes:
Union Home Minister spoke at Bastar Pandum festival in Dantewada, Chhattisgarh, to celebrate tribal culture and progress. Bastar Pandum is a three-day festival that revives and showcases the tribal traditions, customs, arts, and food of the Bastar region, Chhattisgarh. Events included competitions in tribal dance, folk songs, dramas, musical instruments, traditional costumes, jewelry, crafts, and cuisine. The festival aims to bring tribal culture to national and international attention. The minister also highlighted government efforts to end Naxalism and promote complete development in tribal areas, ensuring peace, culture, and growth go hand-in-hand.

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Scientists at Raman Research Institute (RRI) have created a low-cost electro-fluidic micropore device to screen for Sickle Cell Disease (SCD). The device measures red blood cell (RBC) stiffness with high resolution and speed, helping detect blood disorders early. This portable tool could support mass screening for SCD and may also help detect tumors or improve drug-delivery hydrogels.

Notes:
Former world champion Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil won gold in the men’s 10-metre air rifle event at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup 2025 in Buenos Aires. This is his second individual ISSF World Cup gold, the first being in Cairo in 2023. The ISSF World Cup is organized by the International Shooting Sport Federation.