Current Affairs Quiz - April 2025

Notes:
Two people in the United States are believed to have died recently from Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD), a rare and incurable brain disorder. Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) causes dementia and belongs to a group of diseases called prion disorders or transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). Its symptoms are similar to Alzheimer’s disease but progress much faster and lead to death. Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) is very rare, with only 1 to 2 cases diagnosed per million people each year worldwide. It mostly affects older adults and is always serious. The disease is caused by abnormal proteins called prions, which damage the brain by turning healthy prions into harmful ones. These abnormal prions clump together in the brain, leading to nerve cell loss and severe brain damage.

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The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) launched Operation Chakra-V to tackle transnational organized cybercrime and digital arrest scams. This is a follow-up to Operation Chakra-IV, which targeted cyber-enabled financial crime networks through a globally coordinated law enforcement effort using INTERPOL (International Criminal Police Organization) channels. A digital arrest is a type of cybercrime where fraudsters pose as law enforcement officials through audio or video calls. They scare victims by claiming they are involved in crimes and demand personal information or money as bail or bribe. This operation aims to stop such international cyber scams effectively.

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Varanasi’s cultural and craft heritage received national recognition with Geographical Indication (GI) tags given to the Banarasi Shehnai and Banarasi Tabla. The Banarasi Shehnai is a traditional wind instrument linked to the Banaras Gharana of Indian classical music. It gained national fame through Ustad Bismillah Khan, who played it at the Red Fort on India’s first Independence Day. The shehnai is considered divine and is commonly used at weddings, religious events, and temple rituals. It reflects the spiritual and artistic traditions of Varanasi and adds to the city’s unique cultural identity.

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Bank of Maharashtra, a public sector bank, has become the first bank to install an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) on a train in India. The ATM was installed on the Mumbai-Manmad Panchavati Express. This is the first time an ATM has been introduced on an Indian Railway train. Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw shared this update through his social media account. According to Indian Railways, this was a pilot project aimed at improving passenger convenience. The ATM was placed in a modified pantry car cubicle at the rear end of the coach. The cubicle has a shutter door for safety and easy access. If successful, this facility will be expanded to other trains. The initiative is part of the Indian Railway’s Innovative and Non-Revenue Ideas Scheme.

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Uttar Pradesh has ranked first in India for implementing the Pradhan Mantri Micro Food Processing Enterprises Upgradation Scheme (PMFME). The average loan approval time in Uttar Pradesh is 101 days, compared to 110 days in Bihar and 190 days in Telangana. Uttar Pradesh has achieved a 14% growth in loan disbursement under the scheme. The state spent Rs 250 crore more than in 2024. For the year 2025–26, the budget for Uttar Pradesh increased by 56%, with an additional Rs 300 crore allocated. The PMFME scheme was launched in 2020 under the Atmanirbhar Abhiyaan to support micro food enterprises.

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The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) has recently acknowledged Type 5 diabetes as a distinct form of the disease. This recognition came at the 75th Diabetes World Congress in Bangkok. Type 5 diabetes is a form of malnutrition-related diabetes that affects lean, undernourished teenagers and young adults, mostly in low- and middle-income regions. Around 20 to 25 million people globally are estimated to suffer from this type, mainly in Asia and Africa. It is caused by a severe defect in insulin secretion due to chronic undernutrition, not by insulin resistance like in Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes. It was first identified in Jamaica in 1955 as J-type diabetes. The World Health Organization (WHO) recognised it in 1985 but later withdrew support in 1999 because of limited research.

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Scientists from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay have developed lotus leaf-like solar evaporators called Dual-Sided Laser-Induced Graphene (DSLIG) for saltwater treatment. The material is made using polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and polyether sulfone (PES), with graphene engraved using laser. DSLIG is superhydrophobic, meaning it repels water like lotus leaves, helping prevent salt from sticking on its surface. It uses both solar heating and electricity-based Joule heating, making it work even on cloudy days. It improves desalination by reducing heat loss and maintaining efficiency. It also works well with highly salty water and has low carbon footprint and toxicity.

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Uttarakhand Cabinet has approved the Adarsh Sanskrit Village Programme to promote Sanskrit, the state’s second official language. In the first phase, one village from each of the 13 districts is selected to learn Sanskrit. The selected villages include Bhogpur, Mukhem, Kotgaon, Baiji, Dimmar, Goda, Urg, Pandeykota, Seri, Khark Karki, Nurpur, Pandeygaon, and Nagla Terai. The government plans to link Sanskrit learning with jobs by involving industries and forming local committees for smooth implementation.

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NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) is a joint satellite mission by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It is set to be launched in June 2025 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh using the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark II (GSLV Mk II). This is the first radar-based Earth observation mission jointly developed by India and the United States. NISAR will map the entire Earth’s surface every 12 days to provide frequent and accurate data. It will track ecosystem changes, ice movements, vegetation shifts, sea level rise, groundwater levels, and natural disasters like earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis, and landslides.

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Indian athletes won 11 medals at the 6th Asian Under-18 (U18) Athletics Championship 2025 held in Saudi Arabia from April 15 to 18. The event was organised by the Asian Athletics Association at Prince Naif Bin Abdulaziz Sports City. Athletes under 18 years from 31 Asian countries took part in the championship. India won one gold, five silver, and five bronze medals in total. Himanshu won the gold medal in the boys’ javelin throw event. In the previous 5th edition held in 2023 at Tashkent, Uzbekistan, India had won 24 medals.