Current Affairs Quiz – July 2025

Notes:
The Department of Hospital Administration at Army Hospital Research & Referral (AHRR), New Delhi, recently organised SHAPE 2025, the first-ever Armed Forces National Conference on Sustainable Hospital Architecture, Planning, Infrastructure and Equipment, on July 26–27, 2025. SHAPE 2025 aligned with the Viksit Bharat@2047 vision, marking a step toward future-ready and resilient healthcare infrastructure. The conference stressed the shift from traditional hospital design to environmentally conscious, technology-enabled, and patient-friendly planning. It called sustainability a strategic need for health equity, disaster readiness, and national preparedness.

Notes:
Divya Deshmukh, a 19-year-old International Master (IM) from Nagpur, Maharashtra, won the FIDE 2025 Women’s Chess World Cup. She defeated Grandmaster (GM) Humpy Koneru 1.5–0.5 in the 15+10 rapid tiebreaks to claim the title. She became the third-ever winner of the Women’s World Cup, after GM Alexandra Kosteniuk (2021) and GM Aleksandra Goryachkina (2023). Divya showed resilience and precision, drawing the first game and winning the second as Black, capitalising on Humpy’s time pressure. With this win, she earned the Grandmaster (GM) title and a USD 50,000 prize.

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Recently, the Prime Minister offered prayers at Brihadeeswara Temple in Tamil Nadu. The Prime Minister was welcomed by temple priests with “poorana kumbham”, a traditional temple honour. Brihadeeswara Temple is also called Peruvudaiyar Kovil and is located in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu. It is a fine example of Dravidian architecture from the Chola Period. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva, represented by a massive Lingam. It was built around 1010 AD by Chola king Rajaraja Chola I.

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The Bihar Government launched the Bihar Patrakar Samman Yojana (BPSY) for retired journalists. Bihar Chief Minister announced a pension hike for retired journalists under this scheme. The monthly pension has been increased from ₹6,000 to ₹15,000. In case of the journalist’s death, the dependents or spouse will now receive ₹10,000 per month, up from ₹3,000. The scheme highlights the important role of journalists as the fourth pillar of democracy. The state reaffirmed its commitment to ensure dignity and support for journalists after retirement.

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Recently, the Government launched the ‘Setubandha Vidwan Yojana’ to support gurukul-trained scholars without formal degrees. The scheme is backed by the Ministry of Education and implemented by the Indian Knowledge System (IKS) division of Central Sanskrit University (CSU). It allows students trained in traditional gurukuls for at least 5 years to pursue research at premier Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs). Scholars are not required to hold conventional degrees but must show excellence in Shastras or traditional knowledge. The initiative integrates India’s ancient knowledge systems with modern academic research, as recommended by the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

Notes:
Recently, the Government launched the Revised SHAKTI Policy 2025 for transparent coal allocation. SHAKTI stands for Scheme for Harnessing and Allocating Koyala (Coal) Transparently in India. It ensures transparent coal linkages for all power producers, including Central Generating Companies (GENCOs), State GENCOs, and Independent Power Producers (IPPs). It replaces the SHAKTI Policy, 2017 by simplifying coal linkage into only two windows. The policy promotes competition, efficiency, pit-head thermal capacity, and affordable power. It boosts coal availability, mining, and revenue for coal-bearing states.

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Recently, Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh was approved to host India’s first Hindi-medium MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery) college. The academic session will begin from 2027–28 with 50 MBBS seats initially. The decision was approved by the Executive Council of Madhya Pradesh Medical University. Hindi-translated textbooks already prepared will be used for teaching. Clinical training will be conducted at the existing government hospital. The college plans to expand further to offer MD (Doctor of Medicine) and MS (Master of Surgery) courses in Hindi. This initiative aims to remove language barriers in medical education.

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Recently, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis inaugurated India’s first Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered Anganwadi in Waddhamna village, Nagpur district, Maharashtra. The center is a pilot project under Mission Bal Bharari and uses AI dashboards, Virtual Reality (VR) headsets, and interactive content. It offers immersive learning in poems, songs, and early education, making learning joyful and engaging for rural children. This AI Anganwadi brings tech-rich education to rural areas, bridging the digital divide between rural and urban children.

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Recently, 27 states—except West Bengal—received central approval to set up PM Ekta Malls under the One District, One Product (ODOP) initiative. PM Ekta Mall was announced in Union Budget 2023–24 to promote ODOP, Geographical Indication (GI) goods, and local handicrafts. The scheme is implemented under Part-VI of Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI) by the Ministry of Finance. ₹4,796 crore worth of projects were approved in FY 2023–24 under this scheme. Uttar Pradesh received the highest ₹370.25 crore for malls in Agra, Lucknow, and Varanasi.

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Recently, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) started building its first indigenously made Air Cushion Vehicle (ACV) at Chowgule & Company Pvt. Ltd. shipyard in Goa. This marks a milestone under a contract signed on 24 October 2024 with the Ministry of Defence to build six such hovercraft. The ACV is based on Griffon Hoverwork designs but is customized by Indian experts for coastal security tasks. These ACVs will improve ICG’s speed, flexibility, and operations in shallow waters. They will boost patrolling, interdiction, and rescue missions along India’s long coastline.