Current Affairs Quiz – July 2025

Notes:
Bihar recently became the first state in India to launch electronic voting (e-Voting) through mobile applications for municipal body elections and by-polls. Polling is happening in six Nagar Panchayats and 36 other municipal bodies. This facility is meant for people who cannot go to polling booths to vote. Senior citizens, disabled people, and pregnant women can use this option. Voters need to install the Electronic State Election Commission Bihar (E-SECBHR) app, which is currently available only for Android users.

Notes:
Recently, India celebrated GST Day on July 1 to mark eight years since the Goods and Services Tax was implemented in 2017. Goods and Services Tax transformed the indirect tax system by making compliance easier, reducing business costs, and enabling free movement of goods across states. It boosted transparency and efficiency, supporting a stronger and more unified economy. In 2024–2025, gross Goods and Services Tax collections reached a record ₹22.08 lakh crore. This shows a 9.4 percent yearly growth, reflecting better tax compliance and higher formalisation of the economy.

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:
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:
Recently, India’s Divyanshi Bhowmick won gold in the Under-15 Girls’ Singles at the 29th Asian Youth Table Tennis Championship 2025. She defeated China’s Zhu Qihi 4-2 in the final match. The championship was held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan from June 26 to July 2, 2025. India finished the tournament with one gold, one silver, and two bronze medals.

Notes:
Recently, Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) in Madhya Pradesh launched India’s first digital house address project. It was started on a pilot basis from ward number 82 in Sudama Nagar area. Special digital plates with unique Quick Response (QR) codes are installed outside every house. The project is linked to the Digipin (Digital Postal Index Number) system of the central government. Scanning the QR code shows the Global Positioning System (GPS)-based digital address of the house.

Notes:
Recently, Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla inaugurated the first national conference of Urban Local Bodies chairpersons at International Centre for Automotive Technology, Manesar, Gurugram, Haryana on 3rd July 2025. The theme is “Role of Urban Local Bodies in Strengthening Constitutional Democracy and Nation Building”. It aims to showcase Urban Local Bodies as pillars of democracy, engines of growth, and architects of Viksit Bharat 2047. It focuses on women empowerment, good municipal governance, and best practices.

Notes:
Recently, Trinidad and Tobago became the first Caribbean country to adopt Unified Payments Interface (UPI), India’s flagship digital payment platform. Both countries agreed to explore further cooperation on India Stack solutions like DigiLocker, e-Sign, and Government e-Marketplace (GeM). Trinidad and Tobago requested India’s support to digitise and upgrade its state land registration systems. The leaders highlighted that digital governance and public service delivery can drive inclusive development.

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.