Current Affairs Quiz - March 2025

Notes:
Zero Discrimination Day is observed on March 1 every year to promote equality and dignity for all. The day is led by UNAIDS, which raises awareness against discrimination based on sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, race, and gender. The theme for 2025 is “We Stand Together,” emphasizing collective action against discrimination. The day highlights the importance of social justice and sustainable health. UNAIDS organizes events to spread awareness and encourage efforts toward a discrimination-free society.

Notes:
The high court issued notices to South Western Railway and Directorate of Survey and Land Records (DSLR) over a PIL challenging land acquisition at Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary. It is located in the Western Ghats on Goa’s eastern border, the sanctuary covers 240 sq. km. Originally called Mollem Game Sanctuary, it was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1969 and renamed Bhagwan Mahavir. The sanctuary includes Mollem National Park and is home to Dudhsagar waterfall, Devil’s Canyon, Tambdi Surla temple, and other historic sites.

Notes:
The Geological Survey of India (GSI) is celebrating its 175th year of geoscientific legacy. It was established in 1851 by Sir Thomas Oldham to locate coal deposits for the Railways. GSI provides geological expertise for policy-making, commercial, and socio-economic needs. It documents geological processes across India’s land and offshore areas. The organization conducts geological, geophysical, and geochemical surveys with advanced techniques. Its primary functions include updating geoscientific data and assessing mineral resources. GSI operates under the Ministry of Mines as an attached office.

Notes:
The Union Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) and NITI Aayog launched the Swavalambini initiative to promote women entrepreneurship. Union Minister Jayant Chaudhary launched it on 1st March 2025 at Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut. The initiative empowers female students in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) with an entrepreneurial mindset, resources, and mentorship.

Notes:
National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) sought an action taken report from the Keonjhar district magistrate on alleged human rights violations of the Juanga tribe. Juang is one of 13 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) among 62 tribes in Odisha. As per the 2011 census, their population is around 50,000. They are mainly found in Keonjhar and Dhenkanal districts of Odisha. They speak the Juang language, part of the Munda family within Austroasiatic languages. The Juangs are known for their strong clan structure and kinship organizations.

Notes:
Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) became India’s first urban body to include a separate climate chapter in its 2025-26 budget. The “sustainable and climate budget” allocates ₹5,619.58 crore (over a third) of AMC’s ₹15,502 crore budget for climate action. The fund will support a net-zero, climate-resilient city action plan aligned with India’s net-zero target of 2070. Other metro cities like Delhi, Mumbai, and Coimbatore have been slow to institutionalize climate action in their budgets, though Mumbai has allocated 33% for climate projects in 2024-25.

Notes:
A green sea turtle carcass was found on Marina beach, Chennai. Green sea turtles are the largest hard-shelled sea turtles and are herbivores, feeding mainly on seagrasses and algae. Their diet gives their fat a greenish color, which is the origin of their name. They are found in tropical and subtropical waters worldwide, with large populations in Costa Rica and Australia. Green sea turtles migrate long distances and are classified as Endangered by the IUCN.

Notes:
Madhya Pradesh, home to the highest wolf population, is studying their ecology at Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary. Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary spans Sagar, Damoh, and Narsinghpur districts. It was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1975. It is the largest wildlife sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh. It serves as a corridor for Panna and Satpura Tiger Reserves and connects Bandhavgarh via Rani Durgawati Wildlife Sanctuary. It falls under the Deccan Peninsula biogeographic region and is part of the Ganga and Narmada basins.

Notes:
The elusive marbled cat was recently spotted through camera traps at Dehing Patkai National Park, Assam. The marbled cat (Pardofelis marmorata) is a small wild cat found in South and Southeast Asia. It is closely related to the clouded leopard and bay cat. In India, it is found in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, and Nagaland. It has a marbled fur pattern for camouflage and is an excellent climber.

Notes:
AIIMS launched ‘Payodhi’, a human milk bank for critically ill preterm babies in the NICU. Payodhi is a milk bank and lactation management centre at AIIMS, New Delhi. It collects, processes, and stores pasteurized donor milk for premature and ill newborns. The milk bank was launched in September 2024 at AIIMS’s Neonatology Division. Payodhi’s aim is to provide safe, processed human milk to NICU babies and support lactating mothers with counseling, milk donation, and storage facilities.