Current Affairs Quiz – August 2025

Notes:
India became the world’s 5th largest aviation market, handling 211 million passengers in 2024. This was reported by International Air Transport Association (IATA) in its World Air Transport Statistics (WATS) 2024. India’s passenger traffic grew by 11.1%, overtaking Japan with 205 million passengers. The United States topped the list with 876 million passengers, followed by China (741 mn), UK (261 mn), and Spain (241 mn). The Mumbai-Delhi route ranked 7th busiest globally, with 5.9 million passengers.

Notes:
Recently, a sudden landslide at the under-construction Vishnugad Pipalkoti Hydroelectric Project in Helang, Chamoli, Uttarakhand injured 12 workers, with 4 critically hurt. It is located is on the Alaknanda River, a major tributary of the Ganga River, in Chamoli district, Uttarakhand. It is a 444-megawatt run-of-river scheme expected to generate 1,665 gigawatt-hours of electricity annually.

Notes:
Pacific microstate Nauru launched its “climate resilience citizenship” programme in February 2025 to sell passports for funding climate action. Since early this year, it had approved only six applicants under the scheme. Each “golden passport” costs $105,000, aiming to raise over $5 million in the first year, equal to 66 passports. So far, only six applications have been approved. Nauru Island is located in the South Pacific Ocean. Specifically, it is situated within the Micronesia subregion of Oceania. It was a raised fossilized coral atoll with a central phosphate plateau and coral cliffs.

Notes:
Recently, under the three-day “Parthenium Free Pobitora” campaign, 5.2 hectares of Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary in Assam’s Morigaon district were cleared of the invasive weed Parthenium grass. Parthenium hysterophorus L., also called carrot weed, white top, or congress grass, is an annual plant of the Asteraceae family. This invasive weed is poisonous, aggressive, and harmful to humans and livestock, causing dermatitis, asthma, and respiratory issues. It reduces park aesthetics, blocks pathways, and invades agricultural, forest, and wasteland areas.

Notes:
Recently, Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang launched ‘Nari Adalat’ during the first Amma Samman Diwas at Rongpo. ‘Nari Adalat’ is a community-based forum run by women to provide accessible and informal justice in rural and semi-urban areas. It empowers women to address disputes and social issues affecting them without relying solely on formal courts. It resolves minor disputes such as family disagreements, non-severe domestic violence, and marital issues.

Notes:
Union Minister of State for Science & Technology Jitendra Singh inaugurated India’s first ‘Animal Stem Cell Biobank’ at National Institute of Animal Biotechnology (NIAB), Hyderabad. NIAB is under Department of Biotechnology’s Biotechnology Research Innovation Council (BRIC). The Biobank will store high-quality stem cells from various animal species and supply cost-effective culture media to veterinary clinics, research bodies, and industry.

Notes:
The Asia Rugby Under-20 Sevens Championship 2025 was held for the first time in Bihar at Rajgir Sports Complex. India won the bronze medal in the women’s category by beating Uzbekistan. China won gold in the women’s category, defeating Hong Kong. Hong Kong won gold in the men’s category by beating Sri Lanka. Malaysia secured men’s bronze by beating China. Four Bihar players – Gudia Kumari, Anshu Kumari, Alpana Kumari, and Aarti Kumari – were in India’s squad. The mascot was ‘Ashoka’, a rabbit.

Notes:
The Khelo India ASMITA Football League 2025-26 was inaugurated by Smt. Raksha Nikhil Khadse, Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports, at Godavari Engineering College Ground, Jalgaon, Maharashtra. The league promotes women’s participation in sports and nurtures young female talent, especially from tribal and minority communities. It features aspiring footballers aged 13 and under, providing opportunities from first-time players to hidden champions. The initiative aligns with the government’s ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’ and ‘Khelo Bharat Niti’ for nation-building and women’s empowerment.

Notes:
Recently, National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) issued guidelines to tackle illnesses caused by water contamination. The National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) is under the Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. It was established as a national centre of excellence for controlling communicable diseases.

Notes:
A Marathi-Hindi language row has emerged recently at the Vitthal-Rukhmini Temple in Pandharpur, Maharashtra. The temple is dedicated to Lord Vithoba, a form of Lord Vishnu or Krishna, and his consort Rukhmini. It is located on the banks of the river Bhima (also called Chandrabhaga). The temple is one of the 108 Abhimana Kshethrams of the Vaishnavate tradition. The temple follows Hemadpanti style architecture, rebuilt in the 17th century in Deccan style by Peshwas, Shindes, and Holkars.