Current Affairs Quiz – July 2025

Notes:
Forest officials in Arunachal Pradesh recently discovered a new flowering plant species named Begonia nyishiorum in the East Kameng district. Begonia nyishiorum is a flowering plant that grows only in East Kameng, making it an endemic species. It grows on moist, shaded mountain slopes at altitudes between 1,500 and 3,000 metres above sea level. The name “nyishiorum” honours the Nyishi tribal community for their forest protection efforts.

Notes:
Recently, the National Sample Survey Office (NSO) under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) launched the Government of India Statistics (GoIStats) mobile application on Statistics Day 2025. The GoIStats app aims to build a strong data ecosystem where everyone can easily access official data anytime. It has an interactive Key Trends dashboard showing important socio-economic indicators like Gross Domestic Product (GDP), inflation, and employment through dynamic visuals.

Notes:
Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla recently launched path-breaking Myogenesis experiments on the International Space Station (ISS), showing India’s progress in space research. Myogenesis is the process of forming muscle fibers. It is a complex and controlled process important for developing and maintaining skeletal muscle tissue. Myogenesis helps build body muscles that support movement, posture, and metabolism. It happens through the transformation of precursor cells called myoblasts into multinucleated muscle fibers. Studying myogenesis helps understand muscle diseases and develop therapies.

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Recently, the Union Minister for Education distributed Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) footballs under the Football for Schools (F4S) programme at PM Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) Kendriya Vidyalaya, Fort William, Kolkata, West Bengal. It is run by FIFA in collaboration with United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). It aims to help educate, develop, and empower about 700 million children. In India, it runs through the Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSEL) with help from the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and Sports Authority of India (SAI).

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The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) recently announced the Central Sector Scheme of Scholarship for College and University Students (CSSS) for the academic year 2025–26 and invited applications through the National Scholarship Portal at scholarships.gov.in. The scheme is officially called “Pradhan Mantri Uchchatar Shiksha Protsahan (PM-USP) Central Sector Scheme of Scholarship for College and University Students” and is run by the Department of Higher Education under the Ministry of Education. It aims to provide financial help to bright students from poor families to support their daily expenses while pursuing higher studies.

Notes:
Recently, in the ‘Mann Ki Baat’ programme, the Prime Minister of India announced that India has been declared free of Trachoma, a bacterial eye disease. Trachoma is caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis and spreads through contact with the eyes, eyelids, or throat secretions of infected people. The World Health Organization (WHO) calls it a neglected tropical disease, affecting around 150 million people worldwide. In 2017, India was declared free from infective Trachoma, with surveillance continuing until 2024.

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:
India’s Defence Minister recently gifted a Madhubani painting to his Chinese counterpart during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ Meeting in Qingdao, China. Madhubani painting, also called Mithila painting, comes from the Madhubani district in the Mithila region of Bihar. It is traditionally made by women using fingers, twigs, nib-pens, matchsticks, and brushes with natural dyes and bright earthy colours.

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The United Kingdom has officially launched the Synthetic Human Genome Project, a groundbreaking effort to build human DNA from scratch. This project shifts from reading DNA, like in the Human Genome Project, to writing and assembling it synthetically. Scientists aim to create disease-resistant cells to repair damaged organs such as the heart, liver, and immune system. It could help treat genetic and age-related diseases by studying how genes control repair and development.
Critics warn about ethical concerns like designer humans and synthetic life.

Notes:
Recently, Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla inaugurated the Annual Conference of Zone II of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) India Region at Tapovan, Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, on 30 June 2025. Zone II includes Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Punjab. The conference aims to strengthen democratic institutions, share best practices, and explore new ideas for better governance and legislative work. The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association is a global group that connects parliamentarians to promote parliamentary democracy.