Current Affairs Quiz - April 2025

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Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the four-day Sansad Khel Mahakumbh at K.D. Singh Babu Stadium in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh on 19 April 2025. The Sansad Khel Mahakumbh takes place from 19 to 22 April 2025. Traditional Indian sports like Kalaripayattu, Yoga, and Mallakhamba were showcased during the event. These efforts have enabled youth from small towns to showcase their talent in sports. More than 25,000 participants are expected to compete in eight events, including athletics, volleyball, kabaddi, basketball, football, hockey, boxing, and taekwondo.

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NASA’s Lucy spacecraft was launched in 2021 to explore Jupiter’s Trojan asteroids. The mission is named after the famous fossilized human ancestor “Lucy” discovered in Ethiopia in 1974. Lucy is the first space mission to study the Jupiter Trojan asteroids, which are ancient remnants from the early solar system. These asteroids travel in two swarms that move ahead of and behind Jupiter in its orbit around the Sun. The total mission duration is planned for 12 years. It aims to help scientists understand the origin and evolution of our solar system.

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Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), faced severe flooding in April 2025 due to poor urban planning and twin sources of floodwater. The disaster was caused by both local rainfall and runoff from the Congo Central Province, which overwhelmed rivers like the Ndjili and Lukaya. This led to 70 deaths, 150 injuries, and displacement of over 21,000 people. It also damaged 73 healthcare facilities and disrupted water and transport systems. Kinshasa is one of 38 flood hotspots in the Congo Basin due to rapid urbanisation and twin flood sources. The crisis was worsened by ongoing instability in eastern DRC caused by the M23 armed group, leading to more displacement. The Democratic Republic of Congo is the second-largest country in Africa after Algeria and the largest in Sub-Saharan Africa.

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India is now the second-largest emitter of nitrous oxide (N₂O) in the world after China, raising climate concerns due to N₂O’s high global warming potential. Nitrous oxide (N₂O) is nearly 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide (CO₂) in trapping heat in the atmosphere. Nitrogen makes up around 78% of Earth’s atmosphere and is essential for DNA, adenosine triphosphate (ATP), proteins, and chlorophyll. Plants cannot use nitrogen gas (N₂) directly, so they depend on nitrogen-fixing bacteria called diazotrophs to convert it into usable forms. In the nitrogen cycle, ammonia changes into nitrites (NO₂⁻), then nitrates (NO₃⁻), which plants absorb. Excess nitrates are returned to the atmosphere through denitrification, maintaining balance in the nitrogen cycle.

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The Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh recently approved changes to improve the Mukhyamantri Kanya Vivaah/Nikah Scheme, making it more effective and transparent. The scheme was started in 2006 by the Social Justice and Disabled Welfare Department of the Madhya Pradesh Government. It is implemented through the Deendayal Antyodaya Mission, which focuses on supporting poor and marginalized communities. The aim of the scheme is to give financial help to poor, destitute, abandoned, and widowed girls. It does this by organizing mass marriage and nikah (Muslim marriage) events. The recent changes aim to ensure better monitoring and reach of the benefits.

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The Poas volcano in Costa Rica, one of the country’s top tourist spots, erupted recently, drawing global attention. It is one of the most active volcanoes in Costa Rica and is located inside the Poás Volcano National Park. The volcano is a composite stratovolcano with an irregular shape and a base covering around 400 square kilometers. It stands 2,708 meters above sea level and features a huge main crater about 1.5 kilometers wide and 300 meters deep. This crater is one of the largest active volcanic craters in the world.

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The Uttar Pradesh government launched the Resham Sakhi Yojana to economically empower rural women. The scheme allows women to earn income through sericulture by rearing silkworms at home. It is being implemented jointly by the State Rural Livelihood Mission and the Silk Department. Women will receive training in silkworm rearing to produce mulberry silk and tussar silk. Training for mulberry silk will be conducted in Mysore, Karnataka, and for tussar silk in Ranchi, Jharkhand. The scheme aims to benefit 50,000 women in 5 years. In the first phase, 7,500 women from 15 districts will be trained by 2025-26.

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National Panchayati Raj Day is celebrated every year on 24th April to mark the enactment of the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1993. This act gave constitutional status to the Panchayati Raj system in India and emphasized local self-governance. National Panchayati Raj Day 2025 highlights India’s commitment to decentralization and grassroots democracy. Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) empower rural communities by allowing local decision-making based on people’s needs. The Government of India also presents the National Panchayat Awards annually on this day to honor innovative and impactful efforts by Gram Panchayats, Block Panchayats, and Zila Parishads.

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AIIMS Raipur has successfully performed its first Swap Kidney Transplant, also known as a Kidney Paired Transplant. With this, it became the first among the newer All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and the first government hospital in Chhattisgarh to perform this complex surgery. The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare highlighted it as a major step in advanced healthcare. This procedure helps patients with end-stage kidney disease by increasing transplant options through donor pairing. Swap Kidney Transplant is estimated to boost the number of kidney transplants by 15 percent. The National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO) has recommended all states and Union Territories adopt this method to improve donor availability.

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Dr. K. Kasturirangan, former Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), passed away at 84 in Bengaluru. He was a key architect of India’s National Education Policy. Dr. Kasturirangan played a major role in developing the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), India’s most reliable satellite launcher. He led ISRO for over nine years, stepping down as Chairman in August 2003. Dr. Kasturirangan served as Chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University and Chairman of the Karnataka Knowledge Commission. He was also a Rajya Sabha member from 2003 to 2009 and Director of the National Institute of Advanced Studies in Bengaluru.