Current Affairs Quiz – August 2025

Notes:
Recently, Manipur won the Junior Boys’ National Football Championship for the Dr. B.C. Roy Trophy (Tier 1) after 25 years. They defeated defending champions West Bengal 3-0 in the final on July 30, 2025, at Guru Nanak Dev University Sports Complex. The Junior Boys’ National Football Championship for the Dr. B.C. Roy Trophy 2025–26 was held in Amritsar, Punjab. This tournament is also known as the B.C. Roy Trophy. It is an Indian football competition for under-15 boys representing different states. It aims to promote young football talent across India at the grassroots level.

Notes:
Recently, International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) launched AI-powered climate advisory services for farmers on July 30, 2025, in Hyderabad. The initiative is named “AI-powered Context-Specific Agromet Advisory Services for Climate-Resilient Agriculture at Scale.” It is a joint project by International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). It uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) to deliver real-time, personalised climate and weather advisories.

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Renowned economist and UK House of Lords member Lord Meghnad Desai passed away recently at age 85. He was born in 1940 in Vadodara, Gujarat as Meghnad Jagdishchandra Desai. He earned BA and MA in Economics from University of Mumbai and completed PhD from University of Pennsylvania in 1963. He authored over 200 academic papers and 8 books, including Marxian Economic Theory and The Rediscovery of India. He was a pioneer in Marxian economics, globalisation, and development economics. In 1991, he became the first Indian-origin Labour Party peer in the House of Lords.

Notes:
Recently, Deendayal Port Authority (DPA) commissioned India’s first Make-in-India 1 megawatt (MW) green hydrogen plant at Kandla Port, Gujarat. This is the first green hydrogen project at any Indian port and part of a planned 10MW facility. Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurated the plant, calling it a “new benchmark” in green hydrogen execution. The plant was completed in just 4 months using fully indigenous technology and Indian engineers. The electrolyzer used is made in India, producing 140 metric tonnes of green hydrogen annually.

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Recently, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced that its Digital Payments Index (RBI-DPI) rose to 493.22 in March 2025. This is a sharp increase from 465.33 recorded in September 2024, showing rapid growth in digital transactions. The Digital Payments Index is a tool created by RBI to measure the extent of digitisation of payments across India. It was first launched in January 2021 to track and encourage the adoption of digital payment systems. It is the first-of-its-kind index to map the nationwide spread of digital transactions. The base year for the index is March 2018, with the score for that year set at 100.

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Recently, Sikkim became the first Indian state to launch a formal Sabbatical Leave scheme for its government employees. The scheme was introduced in August 2023 for regular employees with at least five years of continuous service. Eligible employees can take leave from 365 days up to 1,080 days with 50% of their basic pay during leave. Their seniority and continuity of service are protected during the leave period. The government can recall an employee anytime with a one-month notice.

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Recently, the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) launched two key schemes—Swayamshakti Sahakar Yojna and Nandini Sahakar—to empower women-led cooperatives. Swayamshakti Sahakar Yojna aims to provide low-cost credit to women-led Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and cooperatives for sustainable livelihood activities. It targets Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS), District Central Cooperative Banks (DCCBs), State Cooperative Banks (StCBs), and federated SHG cooperatives. The scheme boosts financial inclusion and promotes self-reliance among rural women. Nandini Sahakar provides holistic support including financial aid, capacity building, and business model development.

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Recently, Bengaluru-based space company Protoplanet launched the Human Outer Planetary Exploration (HOPE) station in Ladakh’s Tso Kar region. HOPE is a moon and Mars simulation research station mimicking off-Earth terrain and environment. It is located in the high-altitude cold desert of Tso Kar basin, Ladakh. The project is developed by Protoplanet with technical and financial support from Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It aims to study human psychological, physiological, and epigenetic responses in extreme isolation. It supports India’s long-term space goals including a crewed lunar mission by 2040 and a space station by 2035.

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Recently, the Cabinet approved ₹6,520 crore for the Central Sector Scheme “Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana” (PMKSY) during the 15th Finance Commission Cycle. This includes an additional outlay of ₹1,920 crore for ongoing PMKSY components. ₹1,000 crore has been allocated to set up 50 Multi Product Food Irradiation Units under Integrated Cold Chain and Value Addition Infrastructure (ICCVAI). is a Central Sector Scheme implemented by Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI). It was earlier known as SAMPADA – Scheme for Agro-Marine Processing and Development of Agro-Processing Clusters.

Notes:
Chile launched a major conservation drive to save the endangered Darwin’s frog. Darwin’s frog is also known as the Southern Darwin’s frog. It was discovered by Charles Darwin in 1834 in Chile’s southern Chiloé Islands. The frog is tiny, measuring only 3 cm (1.18 inches), and has leaf-like skin. It is a diurnal species, active during the day and sleeping at night. When threatened, it plays dead by lying still on the forest floor or floating in streams. It is found in Chile and Argentina in humid forests and forest streams. The species includes two types: Rhinoderma darwinii (endangered) and Rhinoderma rufum (critically endangered and nearly extinct).