Current Affairs Quiz - March 2025

Notes:
The Indian women’s Kabaddi team won their fifth Asian Women’s Kabaddi Championship title. They defeated Iran 32-25 in the final held in Tehran on 8th March 2025. The 6th Asian Women’s Kabaddi Championship 2025 took place in Tehran from 6th to 8th March 2025. Iran hosted the tournament for the third time, previously in 2007 and 2017.

Notes:
DRDO has unveiled the BM-04, a short-range ballistic missile with hypersonic speed. It enhances India’s military capability against anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) threats. The missile has a range of 400 to 1500 km and carries a 500 kg warhead. It has high accuracy with a circular error probability (CEP) of less than 30 metres. Designed for quick deployment using a mobile launcher. It places India among the few nations with hypersonic missile technology. BM-04 shares design similarities with Agni I-class missiles, showing progress in hypersonic weaponry.

Notes:
On 8 March 2025, the Chief Minister of Bihar launched the Valmiki Mahotsav 2025. The festival honors Maharishi Valmiki and promotes Bihar’s cultural heritage. It was held at the River Valley Project School in Valmiki Tiger Reserve, West Champaran. The event began with the presentation of ‘Bihar Geet’ followed by a short film on Maharishi Valmiki. The film highlighted the significance of Valmikinagar as a sacred place.

Notes:
Chinese architect Liu Jiakun won the 2025 Pritzker Architecture Prize for designs that celebrate everyday life. The Pritzker Prize is the most prestigious award in international architecture. Liu is the 54th laureate and was chosen for his focus on people and communities over his 40-year career. He is the third Chinese architect to win, after IM Pei and Wang Shu. The Pritzker Architecture Prize, often called “architecture’s Nobel Prize,” is an international award established in 1979 by the Pritzker family through their Hyatt Foundation, recognizing a living architect (or architects) for their significant contributions to humanity and the built environment.

Notes:
The Matho Nagrang Festival is a two-day Buddhist celebration held at the Matho Monastery in Ladakh. It takes place on the 14th and 15th days of the first month of the Tibetan calendar, typically falling in February or March. The festival is known as the “Festival of Oracles” and involves two oracles, or “Rongtsans,” who deliver prophetic guidance to the community. The festival is a significant cultural and spiritual event for the people of Ladakh.

Notes:
Tamulidoba Beel, a major wetland in Assam’s Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary, is drying up, highlighting the need for better habitat management. Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary, located in eastern Guwahati, Assam, was established in 1998 and spans 48.81 sq km. It consists of the Rajamayong Reserve Forest and Pobitora Reserve Forest. 72% of its area is covered by wet savannah grasses, but water hyacinth poses a threat to waterfowl. It has the highest density of Greater One-Horned Rhinoceros in India, along with leopards, wild boars, and migratory birds. It was declared a reserved forest in 1971 and is part of the Indian Rhino Vision 2020 program.

Notes:
Tata Power has launched Club Enerji Eco Crew, India’s largest energy literacy movement to promote solar energy among school students. The initiative aims to reach over 5 lakh students in 1,000 schools across 24 towns, including Lucknow, Varanasi, Ayodhya, Meerut, Agra, and Kanpur. It educates students on solar power adoption and sustainable practices through workshops, energy audits, competitions, and hands-on projects. Tata Power’s mascot Globey simplifies sustainability concepts for young students.

Notes:
National Vaccination Day is observed on March 16 to highlight India’s commitment to immunisation. It marks the first dose of the oral polio vaccine given on March 16, 1995, under the Pulse Polio Immunisation Programme. This programme played a key role in eliminating polio from India. The day emphasises the need for universal vaccination coverage. It reflects on India’s immunisation achievements. The focus remains on protecting future generations through vaccines.

Notes:
An Indian long-billed vulture was spotted with its chick at Ramadevarabetta, Karnataka, India’s only vulture sanctuary. It was established in 2012. The Indian long-billed vulture (Gyps indicus) is a medium-sized bird with pale brown feathers and a semi-bald head. It has a long bill and broad wings, making it easily identifiable. It mainly lives on cliffs, hilly crags, and open landscapes in central and southern India.

Notes:
Subacute Sclerosing Panencephalitis (SSPE) is a rare but serious brain disorder linked to measles (rubeola) infection. It remains a health concern in Lucknow and Uttar Pradesh due to low measles vaccination coverage. SSPE appears years after measles infection, even in those who seemed fully recovered. It is caused by an abnormal immune response or a variant form of the measles virus. This leads to long-term brain inflammation, often resulting in death. SSPE is rare worldwide but more common in unvaccinated regions. It mostly affects children and adolescents, with males at higher risk.