Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2025

Notes:
Karnataka men’s senior cricket team won its 5th Vijay Hazare Trophy by defeating Vidarbha by 36 runs in the 2024-25 final. The final was held on 18 January 2025 at Kotambi Stadium, Vadodara, Gujarat. This victory ended Karnataka’s five-year title drought in domestic cricket. Vijay Hazare Trophy, organized by BCCI, is a premier 50-over one-day tournament featuring 38 Ranji teams.

Notes:
Tropical Cyclone Dikeledi hit Mayotte in January 2025, causing severe flooding and displacing 14,500 people. It followed Tropical Cyclone Chido in December 2024, which devastated Southeast Africa with 260 km/h winds, killing 39 and displacing thousands. Mayotte, a French territory in the Mozambique Channel, is part of the Comoros Archipelago in the Indian Ocean. It comprises two islands: Grande Terre and Petite Terre. Colonized by France in 1843, Mayotte chose to remain French in a 1974 referendum. It is the poorest territory of France and the EU, despite its French overseas department status.

Notes:
The 27th International Congress on Glass (ICG) 2025 conference was held from January 20–24, 2025 at the Biswa Bangla Convention Center in Kolkata, India. The conference was inaugurated by Dr. Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State for Science and Technology. The theme of the congress was “Glass: A Smart and Indispensable Material for Sustainable Society”. The conference was organized by CSIR-Central Glass and Ceramic Research Institute (CSIR-CGCRI). Glass’s critical role in space, defense, and other sectors was highlighted. More than 550 delegates, including 150 international participants, attended ICG 2025.

Notes:
Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully tested an Active Cooled Scramjet Combustor for 120 seconds. Scramjets, an upgrade to ramjets, generate thrust via supersonic airflows and combustion. They operate at hypersonic speeds, exceeding Mach 5 (over 5,400 km/hr). Hypersonic missiles can bypass air defense systems for rapid, high-impact strikes. Countries like the USA, Russia, India, and China are advancing hypersonic technology. Scramjets are air-breathing engines sustaining supersonic combustion without moving parts. Defence Research & Development Laboratory (DRDL), a DRDO lab in Hyderabad, developed this scramjet-powered hypersonic technology. This milestone boosts hypersonic missiles, fast air transport, and low-cost satellite launches.

Notes:
Mount Ibu, a stratovolcano in Indonesia, has erupted frequently in January 2024. Stratovolcanoes are cone-shaped volcanoes built from layers of lava and ash. They are known for their explosive eruptions due to the thick, slow-moving lava. Mount Ibu is located in the Pacific Ring of Fire, a region of high volcanic activity. It is characterized by frequent eruptions, including lava flows and ash plumes.

Notes:
Kashmir’s iconic Chinar trees (Platanus orientalis) have been geo-tagged and equipped with QR codes for digital protection. The trees reach up to 30 meters and take 30 to 50 years to mature, with vibrant seasonal leaf colors. The oldest Chinar, around 700 years old, was planted by Sufi Saint Syed Qasim Shah in Budgam. Its unique leaves change colors with the seasons and have various uses, including medicine, interior furniture, and dyeing. The project, led by the J&K Forest Research Institute, aims to track changes and address risk factors in the tree’s growth and health.

Notes:
Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh flagged off ‘SANJAY – The Battlefield Surveillance System (BSS)’ on January 24, 2025, in New Delhi. SANJAY integrates ground and aerial battlefield sensor inputs to produce a Common Surveillance Picture via secured networks. It enhances battlefield transparency, supports the Army’s Decision Support System, and enables commanders in conventional and sub-conventional operations. It has been indigenously developed by the Indian Army and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) under the Buy (Indian) category for ₹2,402 crore. The system will be inducted across operational Army units in three phases (March–October 2025). It aligns with ‘Aatmanirbharta’ and the MoD’s ‘Year of Reforms’.

Notes:
The Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare held a workshop on the National Anubhav Awards Scheme, 2025, on January 23, 2025, chaired by the Secretary (Pension). The workshop included Anubhav Nodal Officers from Ministries, Departments, 12 Public Sector Banks, and Central Public Sector Enterprises. The ANUBHAV Awards Scheme, initiated in 2016 by the Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare for retiring Central Government employees, acknowledges their experiences.

Notes:
Jharkhand received the National Award for ‘Best Performing State’ for excellence in elections. CEO K. Ravi Kumar was honored by President Droupadi Murmu on National Voters’ Day in New Delhi. Key innovations during the 2024 Lok Sabha and Assembly elections included an error-free, inclusive voters’ list with booth level officials (BLOs) verifying voters multiple times. Special campaigns were launched for Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG) and accessible polling facilities like electricity, water, ramps, and wheelchairs were ensured. Polling stations were set up in remote villages, and vehicles were arranged for stations over 2 km away. Voting in Maoist-affected areas was peaceful for the first time.

Notes:
The “Hamara Samvidhan – Hamara Swabhiman” campaign marked 75 years of the Indian Constitution and Republic Day. It was organized under the Designing Innovative Solutions for Holistic Access to Justice (DISHA) Scheme by the Department of Justice, Ministry of Law and Justice. The scheme was launched in 2021. It aims to ensure “Justice” for all as stated in the Preamble and Articles 39A, 14, and 21 of the Constitution. The scheme expands access to Tele-Law, Pro Bono Legal Services (Nyaya Bandhu), and Legal Literacy programs in both quality and reach.