Current Affairs Quiz – July 2025

Notes:
Recently, Indian Navy’s INS Sandhayak made its maiden port call at Port Klang, Malaysia for hydrographic cooperation. INS Sandhayak is the first indigenously designed and built Sandhayak-class hydrographic survey ship. It was commissioned in February 2024. The ship was built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata. It is capable of full-scale coastal and deep-water hydrographic surveys and oceanographic data collection.

Notes:
International Moon Day is celebrated every year on 20 July. It marks the first human moon landing by NASA’s Apollo 11 mission in 1969. The United Nations General Assembly officially recognised this day in 2021. The proposal was recommended by the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS). The day highlights global progress in moon exploration and promotes peaceful and sustainable space activities.

Notes:
Recently, more than 300 people were killed in a week of violent clashes between Syria’s Druze minority and Sunni Bedouin tribes in and around Sweida city. The Bedouins are nomadic, Arabic-speaking tribes who have lived in the Middle East and North Africa deserts for centuries. The word Bedouin comes from Arabic “badawi”, meaning “desert dweller”. They survive mainly by herding camels, sheep, and goats, moving seasonally across arid lands. Bedouin tribes are often classified based on the animal species they herd.

Notes:
Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Department of Rural Development to promote Bima Sakhi Yojana in rural India. The MoU was signed during the financial inclusion conclave ‘Anubhuti’ held in Goa in July 2025. Bima Sakhi Yojana is a performance-based stipendiary scheme launched by Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) for women empowerment. Selected women receive training and monthly stipends for three years — ₹7,000 in the first year, ₹6,000 in the second, and ₹5,000 in the third. The scheme aims to appoint two lakh Bima Sakhis across India over the next three years.

Notes:
Bihar has become the first Indian state to ensure that all polling stations have fewer than 1,200 electors. This move is aimed at reducing overcrowding and improving voter convenience during elections. The Election Commission of India (ECI) added 12,817 new polling stations in Bihar. The total number of polling stations has increased from 77,895 to 90,712. This follows the State Instructional Representation (SIR) order issued on June 24, 2025. The SIR order revised the voter limit per polling station from 1,500 to 1,200. This model may serve as a guideline for other states and Union Territories.

Notes:
July 23 is observed as National Broadcasting Day in India. It commemorates the first radio broadcast in India on July 23, 1927 from Bombay Station under the Indian Broadcasting Company. On June 8, 1936, the Indian State Broadcasting Service was renamed All India Radio (AIR). In 1956, AIR adopted the name AKASHVANI as the National Broadcaster. Broadcasting played a vital role in the freedom struggle, spreading information and fostering unity. Post-independence, it supported literacy, health awareness, and agricultural education, especially in rural India.

Notes:
Recently, the Tamil Nadu government announced the development of Chola Gangam Lake. The lake is also known as Ponneri Lake, meaning “Golden Lake.” It is located in Ariyalur district, Tamil Nadu. It was built by Rajendra Chola I in Gangaikondacholapuram, his newly established capital. Gangaikondacholapuram was founded to commemorate his victorious northern campaign. Rajendra Chola I had conquered the Gangetic plains during this campaign.

Notes:
On 21st July 2025, a replica of the Ashoka Pillar was unveiled at Waskaduwa Sri Subhuthi Viharaya in Kalutara district, Southern Province, Sri Lanka. The replica was fully sponsored by H.E. Kyabje Ling Rinpoche, a top spiritual leader in Tibetan Buddhism. The foundation stone was laid on 28 January 2024 by Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Shri Santosh Jha and Venerable Shartse Khensur Jangchup Choeden Rinpoche, Secretary General of International Buddhist Confederation (IBC). The pillar honors Emperor Ashoka for introducing Buddhism to Sri Lanka through his children Arhat Mahinda Thero and Arhat Sangamitta Therani. The temple was chosen as it houses authentic Kapilavastu relics of Lord Buddha.

Notes:
Jharkhand launched India’s first-ever mining tourism initiative. The state partnered with Central Coalfields Limited (CCL) through a five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). This initiative was inspired by Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s recent visit to the Gava Museum of Mines in Barcelona, Spain. The project aims to transform Jharkhand’s industrial identity into an educational and eco-industrial tourism experience. Tourists can witness live mining operations and visit nearby natural attractions. The initiative is implemented by the Jharkhand Tourism Development Corporation (JTDC).

Notes:
A team at National Institute of Technology (NIT) Calicut has recently developed a low-cost, highly sensitive point-of-care device for early detection of sepsis. The device uses an electrochemical biosensor to detect endotoxins, which are key biomarkers of infection from Gram-negative bacteria. Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that can cause organ failure, shock, and even death if not treated early. The device can detect Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a toxic component of bacterial membranes, within 10 minutes using blood serum.