Current Affairs Quiz – June 2025

Notes:
Union Agriculture Minister launched the Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan (VKSA-2025) at the Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture (ICAR-CIFA), Bhubaneswar. The campaign aims to empower over 1.5 crore farmers by accelerating agricultural transformation in India. It is led by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare and coordinated by ICAR-CIFA. The goal is to spread advanced technologies in agriculture and fisheries to rural areas. It promotes self-reliance, sustainability, and resilience in farming and aquaculture. The campaign supports the vision of Viksit Bharat, meaning Developed India. It targets over 5 crore farmers across all districts through training, demos, and farmer-scientist interactions. It highlights fisheries as an essential part of rural development and livelihood security.

Notes:
Recently, a United States federal court blocked President Donald Trump’s broad tariffs, stating that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) does not allow him to impose sweeping import taxes. The International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 (IEEPA) was legislated on 28 October 1977. It gives the US president the power to regulate financial transactions after declaring a national emergency. The IEEPA allows the president to act against unusual and exceptional threats to national security, foreign policy, and the economy, especially if the threat comes from outside the country. It empowers the president to freeze assets and restrict transactions.

Notes:
The Archaeological Survey of India recently found one of the earliest rock grooves in Kanniyakumari district, made during the Neolithic Age to sharpen weapons. The Neolithic Age, also known as the New Stone Age, was the last phase of prehistoric human development. It marked the shift from hunting and gathering to farming and animal domestication. This period began around 10,000 BCE during the Holocene Epoch. The Neolithic Revolution started in the Fertile Crescent in the Middle East and later spread to India and other regions.

Notes:
Recently, Calotes zolaiking, a rare garden lizard species, was recorded for the first time in Meghalaya. It was first described in 2019 from Aizawl district in Mizoram by a team of scientists. This lizard is about 5 inches long and has green shades with dark patches and sharp ridged scales called “strongly keeled” scales. Calotes belong to the Agamidae family and are arboreal, meaning they live in trees. India is home to 14 Calotes species, found in gardens and forests across India, Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia, and some Pacific islands.

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Recently, Goa became India’s second fully literate state under the ULLAS – Nav Bharat Saaksharta Karyakram (New India Literacy Programme) after Mizoram. Goa used a Whole-of-Government approach, involving departments like Panchayats, Municipal Administration, Social Welfare, Planning & Statistics, and Women & Child Development. The ULLAS scheme is a centrally sponsored programme from 2022 to 2027, aiming to educate adults aged 15 and above through five components including literacy, life skills, and vocational training.

Notes:
Recently, the Prime Minister of India dedicated Unit-1 of the Ghatampur Thermal Power Project in Kanpur Nagar, Uttar Pradesh, with a capacity of 660 megawatts (MW). The plant is located in Ghatampur, Kanpur Nagar district, Uttar Pradesh. It is implemented by Neyveli Uttar Pradesh Power Limited (NUPPL), a joint venture between NLC India Limited (51%) and Uttar Pradesh Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited (UPRVUNL) (49%). The project has three units of 660 MW each, totaling 1,980 MW. The total cost of the project is ₹21,780.94 crore.

Notes:
Furnace and iron slag were recently found at Daojali Hading, showing early metallurgical practices during the Neolithic Age. Daojali Hading is a Neolithic site in Assam’s Dima Hasao district near the Brahmaputra valley. It gave India its first evidence of an Eastern Asiatic Neolithic complex, including double-shouldered celts and cord-marked pottery.

Notes:
World Bicycle Day is celebrated annually on June 3rd. The United Nations General Assembly declared June 3 as World Bicycle Day in April 2018. Recently, the 25th edition of Fit India Sundays on Cycle was celebrated with a special Tiranga Rally in India. The rally paid tribute to Operation Sindoor and also marked the occasion of World Bicycle Day. It highlighted cycling as a symbol of unity, health, and sustainability.

Notes:
In May 2025, Japan passed a new law called the Act on the Promotion of Research, Development and Utilisation of Artificial Intelligence-Related Technologies. This law aims to make Artificial Intelligence (AI) the core of Japan’s digital leadership and economic growth. Unlike strict global rules, Japan’s approach encourages coordination and voluntary responsibility instead of heavy regulation. This is different from the European Union’s AI Act passed in 2024. The EU law divides AI into risk levels like “Unacceptable” and “Minimal” and places strict rules on high-risk uses. Japan’s flexible model reflects a major shift in global AI policy thinking.

Notes:
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) recently celebrated its 50th anniversary, marking five decades since its establishment. ECOWAS was created on May 28, 1975, through the Lagos Treaty signed in Lagos, Nigeria. It was formed to promote regional cooperation, economic integration, and peace across West Africa. The bloc aims for a single economic union with a common currency and shared policies in trade, energy, transport, and more.