Current Affairs Quiz – August 2025

Notes:
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has made it mandatory to submit Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry (APAAR) IDs for board exam registration. APAAR ID was introduced under the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020 to track a student’s academic journey from pre-primary to higher education. It is a lifelong unique number, linked to Digilocker, ensuring authenticity of report cards and eliminating fake certificates. The Ministry of Education mandated APAAR IDs as part of the Digital Public Infrastructure for Education. Linking will start for the 2026 board exams to improve data accuracy and remove duplication.

Notes:
Andaman and Nicobar Command organised a first-ever seven-day educational and cultural tour ‘Aarohan: Dweep to Delhi’ for 30 meritorious tribal higher secondary students. Students were selected by the Directorate of Education from all three districts — North Andaman, South Andaman, and Nicobar group — with equal boys and girls. Many participants experienced air, train, and metro travel for the first time. Visits include Red Fort, India Gate, National War Memorial, Qutub Minar, Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, and modern hubs like Dilli Haat and Connaught Place. A key highlight was witnessing the Prime Minister’s Independence Day address at Red Fort.

Notes:
On 15 August 2025, during India’s 79th Independence Day, a High-Power Demography Mission was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from the Red Fort. The mission aims to counter a premeditated conspiracy to alter India’s demographic composition through illegal infiltration. Concerns were raised that infiltrators are threatening national security, especially in border areas. Infiltrators were accused of snatching jobs from youth, targeting women, and misleading tribal communities to capture forest land. It was stressed that no nation can tolerate intruders, as demographic changes create unity, integrity, and security challenges.

Notes:
On August 14, 2025, Dr. Vece Paes, a 1972 Munich Olympics bronze medal-winning hockey player, passed away in Kolkata at the age of 80 after prolonged illness. He was suffering from an advanced stage of Parkinson’s disease. Born in 1945 in Goa, he combined careers as a medical practitioner and a hockey player. He made his international debut in 1966 at the Hamburg International Cup and later won a bronze at the 1971 World Cup and 1972 Olympics. He represented clubs like Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, winning multiple Beighton Cups and Calcutta League titles.

Notes:
Post Operation Sindoor, the Indian Air Force (IAF) is pushing for rapid progress on Project Kusha. Project Kusha, also called Program Long Range Surface to Air Missile (PGLRSAM), was approved in 2022 with a budget of ₹21,700 crore. It is an indigenous initiative led by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to develop a long-range air defence missile system. Phase 1 includes four interceptor variants: M1 (range 150 km), M2 (250 km), M3 (350–400 km), and Naval variant (200–300 km). Phase 2 aims to develop an even longer-range interceptor exceeding 600 km. The project strengthens India’s strategic air defence capabilities.

Notes:
Recently, researchers discovered a new palm species named Phoenix roxburghii. It is named after William Roxburgh, known as the father of Indian Botany. The species grows between 12 to 16 metres tall. It is similar to Phoenix sylvestris, but has a taller solitary trunk, larger leaves and leaflets, musty-scented staminate flowers and bigger obovoid orange-yellow fruits. Its distribution is recorded along India’s eastern coast, in Bangladesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Pakistan. The discovery highlights the rich plant diversity of the region.

Notes:
Recently, ten States along with the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) recorded a disposal rate of over 100 percent in July 2025. NCDRC achieved 122 percent disposal, while Tamil Nadu led with 277 percent, followed by Rajasthan 214 percent, Telangana 158 percent, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand 150 percent each. Other high performers include Meghalaya 140 percent, Kerala 122 percent, Puducherry 111 percent, Chhattisgarh 108 percent, and Uttar Pradesh 101 percent. Overall disposal of cases in July 2025 was much higher than July 2024, showing progress in timely resolution.

Notes:
Scientists have recorded the sliteye shark for the first time in the Great Chagos Bank, the world’s largest coral atoll. The shark is named for its narrow slit-like eyes and was filmed in deep seagrass habitats on the southern rim of the Bank. Two sharks were recorded 11 km apart at depths of 23–29 metres using Baited Remote Underwater Video systems. The species usually lives in deep waters but also adapts to shallow clear seas. The study shows that sliteye sharks also depend on these meadows, highlighting their biodiversity value. Sliteye sharks are listed as near-threatened and may decline by 30% in 15 years due to fishing pressure.

Notes:
Recently, Palmyra palm trees in Odisha were found to reduce lightning-related deaths and provide food for elephants during lean seasons. The tree is commonly known as sugar palm, toddy palm, or fan palm. It is native to tropical Africa but widely cultivated and naturalized in India, often planted as a windbreak on plains. Palmyra trees act as natural shelters for birds, bats, and wild animals. The main product is sweet sap (toddy), which ferments quickly and is used as a beverage.

Notes:
On 19th August 2025, Press Registrar General of India (PRGI) launched the Press Sewa portal as a single-window digital platform. The portal will simplify and speed up registration for newspapers and periodicals across India. It is designed to enhance transparency, reduce approval delays, and improve ease of doing business for publishers. The initiative will remove bureaucratic hurdles and provide clarity in the registration process. The announcement was made during Vartalap, an interaction programme organized by Press Information Bureau (PIB) Hyderabad under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.