Current Affairs Quiz – July 2025

Notes:
Maharashtra has launched a hedging desk in Pune to help farmers lock in prices, reduce risks, and boost incomes under the SMART Project, which stands for Balasaheb Thackeray Agribusiness and Rural Transformation Project. The desk will first cover cotton, turmeric, and maize crops to protect farmers from market price fluctuations. The initiative will expand to include more crops in the future. It is supported by the National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange and its research wing National Institute of Commodity Research (NICR).

Notes:
The fourth International Conference on Financing for Development began in Spain, focusing on the debt crisis holding back developing nations. Sovereign debt in developing countries rose from 16% of global debt in 2010 to 30% in 2023, growing twice as fast as in developed nations. Many developing nations face a debt trap dating back to 1970s oil shocks, leading to repeated borrowing to pay earlier loans. More than half of developing nations now spend 8% or more of government revenue on interest payments, limiting funds for healthcare, education, and climate goals.

Notes:
The Hurun Global Unicorn Index 2025 reported a record 1,523 unicorns, which are privately held startup companies valued over $1 billion. This marks an increase of 70 unicorns compared to last year, with a total combined valuation of $5.6 trillion. The United States of America leads with 758 unicorns, including 55 new ones, and has six of the ten most valuable unicorns. China holds second place with 343 unicorns. India ranks third with 64 unicorns, with Bengaluru at rank 7 globally, Mumbai at 22, and Gurugram debuting at 27.

Notes:
Recently, Suriname became the first country in the Amazon region to get malaria-free certification from the World Health Organisation on 30 June 2025. This recognition comes after nearly 70 years of efforts by the Suriname government and people to eliminate malaria across rainforests and diverse communities. WHO gives this certification after confirming no indigenous malaria transmission for at least three continuous years.

Notes:
Recently, a deadly accident occurred at the pharma unit of Sigachi Industries in Hyderabad, raising the death toll to 36. The unit manufactures Microcrystalline Cellulose (MCC). Microcrystalline Cellulose (MCC) is a free-flowing powder extracted from refined wood pulp. It is inert, nontoxic, fiber-rich, chewable, and not absorbed during digestion. Wood is the main source of pharmaceutical MCC, with cellulose chains bound by polymers and hydrogen bonds.

Notes:
Recently, Assam’s Woolah Tea secured a patent for India’s first bagless tea. Woolah’s tea uses whole leaf bundles instead of conventional tea bags. It is made from compressed bundles of eti koli duti paat (one bud and two leaves) tied with a natural string. This design removes the need for traditional tea bags, stopping microplastics from entering tea. The founders filed for the patent in 2020.

Notes:
Recently, Puducherry became the first state to include tuberculosis (TB) screening under the “Family Adoption Program” where medical students adopt families for community outreach. Medical students screen all family members for TB and help with diagnosis and treatment if symptoms are found. The National Medical Commission made it mandatory for students to adopt 3–5 families and follow them for three years. Puducherry also uses Verbal Autopsy to study TB deaths and find reasons behind late treatment.

Notes:
Recently, on 3rd July 2025, Russia became the first country to formally recognise the Taliban government in Afghanistan since it took power in 2021. Russia removed the Taliban from its list of outlawed organisations. The Russian Foreign Ministry accepted credentials from Afghanistan’s newly appointed Ambassador Gul Hassan Hassan. Russia stated that this recognition will support productive bilateral cooperation between the two countries. Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry called the move historic and hoped it would encourage other countries to follow.

Notes:
Recently, comet 3I/ATLAS from outside our solar system was spotted by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) in Chile. ATLAS is an asteroid impact early warning system developed by the University of Hawaii and funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). It uses four telescopes — two in Hawaii, one in Chile, and one in South Africa. These telescopes scan the sky every night for moving objects. ATLAS also detects dwarf planets, supernova explosions, and light from stars eaten by supermassive black holes.

Notes:
The union Minister of State for Science and Technology inaugurated the Phenome India National Biobank at the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB). It is launched under the Phenome India Project. The biobank will collect genomic, lifestyle, and clinical data from 10,000 people across India. It aims to capture India’s diversity across geography, ethnicity, and socio-economic backgrounds.