Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2025

Notes:
India has the third-largest operational metro rail network globally, after China and the USA. India’s metro network serves over 1 crore passengers daily, surpassing Japan in metro projects by 2022. Metro development in India began in 1969 with the Metropolitan Transport Project. PM Modi launched metro projects worth over ₹12,200 crore in Delhi on January 5.

Notes:
Union Minister of Food Processing Industries Chirag Paswan inaugurated the 8th edition of Indusfood 2025 in Greater Noida on January 8. The event is organized by the Trade Promotion Council of India (TPCI) with Department of Commerce support. Indusfood is Asia’s largest annual food and beverage trade show. The event features 2,300+ exhibitors from 30+ countries across 120,000 square meters and expects 7,500 international buyers and 15,000 Indian visitors.

Notes:
Assam government launched ‘Gunotsav 2025’ to assess more than 14 lakh students across 16,056 schools. The event runs from January 6-9, with 6,365 external evaluators. It aims to improve educational standards and create a better learning environment. The theme of ‘Gunotsav 2025’ is “Ensuring Quality Education.” The first phase evaluates 11 districts, covering 14,11,874 students with the help of external evaluators. This initiative reflects Assam’s commitment to improving education and student outcomes in the region.

Notes:
Dr. V. Narayanan, Director of Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), has been appointed as the new ISRO Chairman and Space Secretary. He will succeed S. Somanath on January 14, 2025, for a two-year term or until further orders. Dr. Narayanan, a propulsion expert, joined ISRO in 1984 and has worked on projects like ASLV, PSLV, GSLV Mk-II, and GSLV Mk-III. He chaired the expert committee for Chandrayaan-2’s hard landing and delivered propulsion systems for Chandrayaan-3. His predecessor, S. Somanath, led major missions, including Chandrayaan-3, Aditya-L1, and Gaganyaan’s first flight.

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Researchers introduced Twigstats, a tool for time-stratified ancestry analysis, in a Nature study. Twigstats significantly enhances statistical power and reduces errors in ancestry studies. It provides high-resolution, precise individual-level ancestry analysis. The tool is coded in C++ and uses the statistical language R. Twigstats enables fine-grained analysis of specific historical periods.

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Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) has moved 33 border outposts (BOPs) closer to the India-China border under its forwardisation plan. It was raised in 1962 after the Sino-Indian War. ITBP is a Central Armed Police Force under the Ministry of Home Affairs. ITBP guards the 3,488 km India-China border with 197 outposts at altitudes of 9,000 ft to 18,750 ft. It became a full-fledged force in 2004 under the Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force Act, 1992. The force’s motto is “Shaurya-Dridhata-Karma Nishtha” (Valour, Determination, Devotion to Duty).

Notes:
The artesian condition was recently observed in Taranagar village, Jaisalmer district, Rajasthan. The term “artesian” refers to water confined under pressure below layers of impermeable rock. This water is located deeper beneath the earth’s surface, surrounded by poorly permeable rocks, creating high underground pressure. Artesian conditions occur when groundwater moves from a recharge area to a discharge point at a lower elevation. Unlike normal tube wells, artesian water can naturally sprout from underground without any external assistance.

Notes:
The National River Traffic and Navigation System (NRT&NS) was launched on January 11, 2025, by the Union Minister of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways. National River Traffic and Navigation System aims to ensure safe and efficient operation of inland vessels. The launch took place during the 2nd meeting of the Inland Waterways Development Council (IWDC). IWDC, established in 2023, serves as an apex platform for policy discussions to promote inland waterways in India.

Notes:
Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute (BMCRI) has been selected by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to host South India’s first Infectious Disease Research and Diagnostic Laboratory (IRDL). The lab will focus on research and diagnostics for bacterial, fungal, and parasitic infections, enabling quicker and more accurate disease management. This is part of a nationwide initiative to enhance medical research infrastructure in India. The lab will also study antibiotic resistance, fungal infections, and tropical diseases.

Notes:
Silver nanowire-based conductive ink technology was transferred to two startups at NIT Warangal. The startups are M/s Chematico Technologies Private Limited (incubated at IIT Ropar) and M/s Vasanthbala Functional Materials Pvt Ltd (incubated at NIT Warangal). The technology was developed under a project funded by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). It aims to reduce dependency on foreign countries and tap into the growing demand for advanced electronic materials. The ink is used in flexible electronics, wearable devices, solar panels, RFID tags, and more. The global market for this ink is expected to surpass 16.87B by 2032. India imports conductive ink worth 15,72,000 annually from countries like the US, China, and Taiwan.