Current Affairs Quiz – July 2025

Notes:
Recently, the Union Minister for Environment, Forest, and Climate Change released details of new Animal Discoveries and Plant Discoveries for 2024. The Zoological Survey of India publishes Animal Discoveries, while the Botanical Survey of India publishes Plant Discoveries every year. In 2024, India added 683 new faunal species, including 459 new species and 224 new records. It also added 433 plant taxa, with 410 species and 23 infra-specific taxa. Kerala topped faunal discoveries with 101 species, followed by Karnataka with 82, and Tamil Nadu with 63. In the northeast, Arunachal Pradesh found 72 species, Meghalaya 42, and West Bengal 56. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands recorded 43 faunal discoveries.

Notes:
Recently, the Union government ordered fast-tracking of 52 surveillance satellites under the Space-Based Surveillance-III (SBS-III) programme. The SBS-III was approved in October 2023 by the Cabinet Committee on Security led by the Prime Minister. It plans 21 satellites by Indian Space Research Organisation and 31 by private companies. The first launch is due by April 2026, with the full network ready by 2029. The Defence Space Agency under Integrated Defence Staff leads this project and coordinates with Indian Space Research Organisation, Defence Research and Development Organisation, and the armed forces for space security.

Notes:
Recently, Ayush Shetty from Karnataka won the prestigious United States Open badminton title at Council Bluffs, Iowa, becoming the first Indian to win a men’s singles title there since Lakshya Sen’s 2023 Canada Open win. Ayush’s first international title followed consistent performances against top players like Loh Kean Yew and Kidambi Srikanth. Ayush earlier won a bronze at the 2023 World Junior Championships and was runner-up in other tournaments.

Notes:
Recently, Bihar launched the Mukhya Mantri Pratigya scheme to give financial support to youths for internships after Class 12. Youths aged 18–28 with Class 12, Industrial Training Institutes diploma, graduation, or post-graduation will get support for internships lasting 3–12 months. They will get ₹4,000–₹6,000 per month, with extra ₹2,000 for internships outside their district and ₹5,000 outside the state for up to three months. Payment will go directly to bank accounts, monitored by a special committee.

Notes:
The Union Railway Minister recently launched the RailOne app in New Delhi. RailOne is a new super app to handle all railway-related passenger needs in one place. It was developed by the Centre for Railway Information Systems, a Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) of Indian Railways. RailOne combines services like ticket booking, real-time tracking, food ordering, Passenger Name Record (PNR) status, refunds, porter booking, and last-mile taxi.

Notes:
The Central Adoption Resource Authority recently clarified that adoptive parents do not need hard copies of adoption orders as digitally certified copies sent by e-mail are legally valid. The Central Adoption Resource Authority is a statutory body under the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India. It was set up in 1990 as an autonomous body. Under Section 68 of the Juvenile Justice Care and Protection of Children Act 2015, it became a statutory body. It is the nodal agency to monitor and regulate adoption of Indian children within the country and abroad.

Notes:
Recently, the Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister of India approved the Research Development and Innovation Scheme with a fund of Rs 1 Lakh Crore. The Research Development and Innovation Scheme aims to give long-term financing or refinancing with low or zero interest rates to boost private sector investment. It will help overcome funding challenges faced by the private sector. The Governing Board of Anusandhan National Research Foundation chaired by the Prime Minister will guide the scheme. The Department of Science and Technology is the nodal department to implement the scheme.

Notes:
Recently, the Union Minister of Jal Shakti inaugurated the C-FLOOD platform. C-FLOOD means “Unified Inundation Forecasting System”. It is developed by Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Pune and Central Water Commission (CWC), Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation (DoWR, RD & GR), Ministry of Jal Shakti. It is part of the National Supercomputing Mission (NSM) run by Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and Department of Science and Technology (DST).

Notes:
Recently, India reached 50 percent enrolment in its Phase III clinical trial of the indigenous tetravalent dengue vaccine, DengiAll. DengiAll is developed by Panacea Biotec Limited under a licence from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), United States. It contains weakened forms of all four dengue virus subtypes, similar to the NIH vaccine except for inactive ingredients. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is evaluating its safety and effectiveness through multiple institutes.

Notes:
Recently, it was announced that the first-ever Khelo India Water Sports Festival will be held at Dal Lake in Srinagar from 21st to 23rd August. It is part of the growing Khelo India sports calendar after the first Khelo India Beach Games in Diu in May. The festival will feature five sports: kayaking and canoeing, rowing, water skiing, shikara race, and dragon boat. The event aims to broaden sports opportunities across India and make Khelo India more inclusive. This will be the fifth Khelo India event in 2025 after Winter Games, Para Games, Youth Games, and Beach Games.