Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2025

Notes:
India celebrated its 76th Republic Day with a colorful parade in New Delhi, showcasing military strength, with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto as the guest of honor. Indonesia was also India’s chief guest on its first Republic Day in 1950. India and Indonesia signed pacts on maritime security, health, traditional medicine, and are working on a defense cooperation framework. This includes technology sharing for surface-to-surface missiles, air defense systems, and submarine construction. India welcomed Indonesia’s decision to join the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure early.

Notes:
Uttarakhand becomes the first state in India to implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) from January 27, 2025. The UCC aims to bring uniformity in personal civil matters, eliminating discrimination based on caste, religion, or gender. It covers marriage, divorce, succession, and inheritance laws, ensuring equal rights for all. Marriage registration will be mandatory within 60 days, with special provisions for older marriages. Scheduled Tribes and some protected communities are excluded from the Act.

Notes:
Alexander Lukashenko won a seventh term as Belarusian president with 86.8% of the vote, per the Central Election Commission. Lukashenko has won every presidential election since 1994, often amid controversy. Belarus is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It shares borders with Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia. The capital and largest city of Belarus is Minsk.

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A new research paper identifies Chronic Pulmonary Aspergillosis (CPA), a life-threatening fungal infection, mostly in tuberculosis survivors in Assam’s tea plantations. Chronic Pulmonary Aspergillosis (CPA) is caused by Aspergillus fumigatus, a fungus that infects individuals with weak immune systems. It commonly affects people with pre-existing lung damage, like from TB, and shares symptoms with TB. Symptoms include coughing up blood, weight loss, fatigue, shortness of breath, and wheezing. Treatment involves antifungal medication and sometimes surgery. Aspergillus fungi are widely found in soil, decaying plants, and grains, but only a few species pose a threat to humans.

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A scene featuring Lezim dance in the film, based on Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, has sparked controversy in Maharashtra. Lezim is a traditional folk dance of Maharashtra performed with a wooden stick fitted with jingling cymbals. It is both a dance and a rigorous physical drill, often performed in formations of twos, fours, or circles. The dance is accompanied by dhol or dholki, with no wind or string instruments. Lezim was traditionally used in all folk dances but is now mainly seen in Ganesha processions. Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, son of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, took power in 1681 after a battle with his half-brother Rajaram.

Notes:
SEBI plans to launch a “when-listed” platform for trading shares of companies after their initial public offering (IPO) but before listing on stock exchanges. This aims to reduce grey market activity, which is unregulated and influences IPO listings. Currently, shares are listed T+3 days after an IPO, with allotment on T+1. Between allotment and listing, trading occurs in the grey market, an unofficial, unregulated market where shares are traded based on supply and demand. Investors often check the grey market premium before deciding to invest in an IPO.

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A 2-year-old tigress was found dead in Kanha Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh. Kanha Tiger Reserve, also called Kanha National Park, is the largest national park in Madhya Pradesh. It is located in Mandla and Balaghat districts and lies in the Maikal hills, east of the Satpura range. Established as a national park in 1955, it became a tiger reserve in 1973. The forest in Rudyard Kipling’s “The Jungle Book” is believed to be inspired by this region. The Gond and Baiga tribes inhabit the area.

Notes:
Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have officially left ECOWAS due to diplomatic tensions. ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) was founded in 1975 to promote economic cooperation and development. Citizens of ECOWAS can live, work, and move freely across member states. After the withdrawal, ECOWAS now has 12 members: Benin, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.

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The Union Minister for Labour & Employment launched State and Union Territory Microsites under the e-Shram initiative and the Occupational Shortage Index (OSI). e-Shram Microsites are state-specific platforms linked to the national e-Shram database, providing workers seamless access to welfare programs and employment opportunities. The microsites offer multilingual support, real-time updates, and data-driven insights for policy-making. The OSI uses real-time labour data to address job market demand-supply gaps, helping align skills with industry needs and support skill development and job matching.

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Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath launched the Uttar Pradesh Agriculture Growth and Rural Enterprise Ecosystem Strengthening (UP-AGREES), aimed at boosting agricultural productivity and rural enterprises. The project targets increasing farmers’ yield from 10 quintals to 14-15 quintals per acre, benefiting the agricultural economy. Uttar Pradesh holds 45% of India’s cultivable land, with 75% of it located in UP, making it highly fertile and productive. UP leads in the production of wheat, potatoes, mangoes, guavas, peas, mushrooms, and more. It accounts for 15% of vegetable and 11% of fruit production in India, contributing over 23% to the country’s food grain output.