Current Affairs Quiz - April 2025

Notes:
National Civil Services Day is observed every year on April 21 by the Government of India to honour the dedication of civil servants who serve the nation. It was first celebrated in 2006 and marks the day in 1947 when Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel called civil servants the “steel frame of India”. Patel addressed Administrative Services probationers at Metcalf House, Delhi, emphasizing the true spirit of public service. On this day, the Prime Minister of India gives the Prime Minister’s (PM) Awards for Excellence in Public Administration. These awards recognise outstanding work by officers in areas like innovation and district development. This year marks the 17th Civil Services Day, with Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi addressing officers at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.

Notes:
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully completed the second docking of its two satellites, SDX01 (Chaser) and SDX02 (Target), under the Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX) mission. SpaDeX is a technology demonstration mission by ISRO to validate the ability to dock and undock small satellites in low-Earth orbit. The mission used two satellites, each weighing around 220 kg, launched by the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle-C60 into a 460 km circular orbit. The primary objective of SpaDeX was to develop and demonstrate the capability for spacecraft rendezvous, docking, and undocking. Secondary objectives include testing electric power transfer between docked spacecraft, developing spacecraft control systems, and testing payload operations after undocking for deep-space missions.

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A rare and nearly complete fossil of Alamosaurus was recently discovered by geology students at Big Bend National Park in the United States of America. Alamosaurus was one of the largest herbivorous dinosaurs and lived during the late Cretaceous period around 100.5 to 66 million years ago. It was a sauropod with a long neck, long tail, and pillar-like legs, and had armoured spikes on its back for protection. Alamosaurus is the only known sauropod from North America’s Upper Cretaceous period and was the largest land animal in the region at that time. It stood about 11 meters tall, stretched 30.5 meters long, and weighed up to 80 metric tons, rivaling the size of Argentinosaurus from South America. Alamosaurus went extinct during the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event, making it one of the last non-avian dinosaurs to exist.

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On 17th Civil Services Day, the PoshanTracker App of the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD) received the Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration 2024 under the Innovation category. The award was accepted by the Secretary of Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD). A special session titled “Promoting Nutrition for Women and Children through Mission Saksham Anganwadi and POSHAN 2.0” was held under Union Minister Smt. Annpurna Devi. The PoshanTracker also promotes citizen ownership and was praised for its impact.

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Recently, Kokborok Sahitya Parishad, an indigenous linguistic organisation, demanded the inclusion of Kokborok language in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution of India with a native script, preferably Devanagari or Bengali. Kokborok is the language of the Borok people and has been an official language of Tripura since 1979, along with Bengali and English. The word Kokborok means “the language of man” or “the language of the Borok people”. It belongs to the Tibeto-Burman group of languages under the Sino-Tibetan family. It is closely related to Bodo and Dimasa languages of Assam and is written in Devanagari, Bengali, and Roman scripts.

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India and Nepal recently inaugurated the start of electromechanical works at the Arun-3 Hydroelectric Project to ensure its timely completion. The Arun-3 Hydroelectric Project is located on the Arun River, a tributary of the Kosi River, in Sankhuwasabha District of eastern Nepal. It is a 900 Megawatt (MW) Run-of-River scheme, which means it uses the river’s natural flow without needing a large reservoir.

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The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Indian Institute of Petroleum (CSIR-IIP), Dehradun is hosting the International Conference “Shaping the Energy Future: Challenges and Opportunities” (SEFCO-2025) from 23 to 25 April 2025. This is the 7th edition of SEFCO, which was first held in 2017. SEFCO-2025 has now grown into an international event with global participation. The conference focuses on solving key issues in the energy and chemical sector. It aims to support a sustainable energy future by exploring both challenges and new possibilities. The theme for SEFCO-2025 is “Catalysing a Sustainable Future with Affordable Energy and Chemicals.”

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Madhya Pradesh government has announced that farmers who burn crop residue, also known as narwai, will be denied benefits under the Chief Minister Kisan Kalyan Yojana. They will also not be allowed to sell their crops at the Minimum Support Price (MSP) in the following year. The Mukhyamantri Kisan Kalyan Yojana was launched by the Madhya Pradesh government. This scheme aims to financially assist farmers in the state, particularly those with limited economic resources, to improve their farming capabilities and increase their income.

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The Delhi government recently launched the Ayushman Vay Vandana scheme, offering senior citizens aged 70 and above a health cover of up to ₹10 lakh annually. The scheme combines ₹5 lakh coverage from the central government’s Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) with an additional ₹5 lakh from the Delhi government. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri inaugurated the scheme at Thyagaraj Stadium. They distributed the first batch of Ayushman Vay Vandana cards to beneficiaries. These cards will store complete medical records, enable regular check-ups, and provide emergency service details.

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The World Day for Safety and Health at Work is observed annually on April 28 to promote workplace safety and protect workers’ health globally. Initiated by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in 2003, the day advocates for better workplace safety standards and employee well-being. It raises awareness about work-related casualties and health issues. This year the theme is “Revolutionising Health and Safety: The Role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Digitalisation at Work.” The theme highlights how emerging technologies are transforming Occupational Safety and Health (OSH).