Current Affairs Quiz – August 2025

Notes:
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.

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).

Notes:
On 1 August 2025, the Union Government informed Lok Sabha that 13 river stretches in Gujarat are officially classified as polluted. Sabarmati River, especially the stretch between Raysan to Vautha, is the worst affected with a Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) level of 292 mg/litre. Sabarmati River is a monsoon-fed, west-flowing river. It originates from the Aravalli Mountain Range in Udaipur district, Rajasthan. The river is called Wakal in its early course and flows southwest through Rajasthan and Gujarat. It empties into the Gulf of Khambhat in the Arabian Sea.

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Recently, Kerala became the first state in India to implement faceless adjudication under State Goods and Services Tax (GST). The pilot project was launched today in two districts of Kerala. Faceless adjudication means all procedures are done digitally without any face-to-face interaction between taxpayers and GST officials. All steps including issuing show cause notices, receiving responses, and passing final orders will be done on an online platform. This move aims to ensure transparency, reduce corruption, and improve ease of doing business.

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Recently, the Union Government highlighted the progress of Pradhan Mantri National Dialysis Programme (PMNDP) in Parliament. It was launched on 7th April 2016 under the National Health Mission (NHM) to provide free dialysis services to poor patients. It has two components: Hemodialysis (HD) services and Peritoneal Dialysis (PD) services. As of 30th June 2025, the programme is running in all 36 States and Union Territories (UTs) across 751 districts. A total of 1,704 dialysis centres are operational under this programme. The Government of India has advised setting up HD centres in all district hospitals and later expanding to Community Health Centres (CHCs) at taluka level.

Notes:
Recently, a new blood group named CRIB was discovered in a South Indian woman from Kolar district, Karnataka. The discovery was announced at the 35th Regional Congress of the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT) held in Milan, Italy. CRIB stands for Cromer India Bangalore and is part of the Cromer (CR) blood group system. This blood group was previously unidentified anywhere in the world. The discovery took 10 months of research and molecular testing by international experts.

Notes:
Recently, Telangana Police rescued over 7,600 children under the nationwide Operation Muskaan-XI initiative. The month-long drive ended on 31st July and was led by the Women Safety Wing. It was conducted in coordination with the Women Development and Child Welfare Department, Labour Department, health officials, NGOs, and child protection units. Out of the rescued children, 529 were girls.

Notes:
Recently, the first phase of the Darwin Tree of Life (DToL) project is nearing completion. The project aims to sequence the genomes of 70,000 eukaryotic species in Britain and Ireland. It is part of the global Earth BioGenome Project which targets sequencing all complex life on Earth. The project collects species samples and uses advanced DNA sequencing technologies to create high-quality genomes. It applies modern computational tools to study how DNA sequences relate to biodiversity.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin recently announced the start of production of the Oreshnik hypersonic missile. Russia plans to deploy the Oreshnik missile in Belarus by the end of 2025. Oreshnik is a Russian intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile named after the Russian word for “hazel tree.” It made its operational debut on November 21, 2024, in a precision strike on the Pivdenmash defence facility in Dnipro, Ukraine. The missile is mobile and uses solid fuel, enhancing its rapid deployment capability. It can reach speeds up to Mach 10, which is ten times the speed of sound.

Notes:
The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas launched the ‘Apna Ghar’ initiative to support truck drivers during long journeys. A total of 368 ‘Apna Ghar’ units with 4,611 beds have been set up by Public Sector Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) at highway fuel stations. These units provide dormitory beds, restaurants or dhabas, clean toilets, bathing facilities, cooking spaces, and purified drinking water. The initiative aims to ensure safe, hygienic, and comfortable resting spaces for truckers across national and state highways.