Current Affairs Quiz - March 2025

Notes:
Exercise Varuna is the bilateral naval exercise between India and France, started in 1993 and named Varuna in 2001. VARUNA 2025 is the 23rd edition, scheduled to take place from March 19 to 22 in the Arabian Sea. It features high-intensity naval drills covering sub-surface, surface, and aerial operations. INS Vikrant and Charles de Gaulle participates with fighter jets, destroyers, frigates, and a Scorpene-class submarine. Key highlights include advanced air defence drills and mock air-to-air combat between French Rafale-M and Indian MiG-29K jets to improve combat readiness.

Notes:
India ranked 24th out of 33 countries in the Free Speech Index, according to a survey by The Future of Free Speech, a U.S.-based think tank. The report, “Who in the World Supports Free Speech?”, highlights a global decline in support for controversial speech. India scored 62.6, ranking between South Africa (66.9) and Lebanon (61.8). The findings suggest a gap between public perception and actual free speech conditions in India.

Notes:
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and Drone Federation India (DFI) launch National Innovation Challenge for Drone Application and Research (NIDAR) under the SwaYaan initiative to boost drone innovation. NIDAR aims to engage students and researchers in developing autonomous drones for real-world challenges. SwaYaan focuses on building human resources in Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), including drones. It was approved in July 2022. It targets training 42,560 participants through formal and non-formal programs to create a skilled drone workforce.

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Ministry of Culture launched an initiative to preserve Kamba Ramayana recitals in Tamil Nadu. Kamba Ramayana is a Tamil epic, based on Valmiki Ramayana, written by Kambar in the 12th century CE. The epic is celebrated for its poetic excellence and unique spiritual interpretations. Written in classical Tamil, it has 6 Kandams, 113 Padalams, and 10,569 verses. The epic integrates Tamil folk elements and spiritual symbolism, traditionally recited by Kamba Ramayana Mandali in temples. The initiative aims to revive and promote this cultural heritage.

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IIT Guwahati developed India’s first VR-enabled metaverse platform for schools, called Gyandhara. Gyandhara provides an immersive and engaging learning experience. It helps students understand scientific and academic concepts that are difficult to grasp through traditional learning. The platform enhances education through virtual reality, making learning interactive and effective.

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Dog-faced water snake (Cerberus rynchops) recorded for the first time in Northeast India at Garemara, Nalbari district, Assam, 800 km from its known coastal habitat. Spotted by herpetologist Jayaditya Purkayastha and a team of snake rescuers; findings published in Reptiles & Amphibians journal. The species is rear-fanged, mildly venomous, and semi-aquatic, typically found in mangroves, coastal mudflats, and estuaries. Inland records are rare, previously found in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Kerala, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Study suggests training snake rescuers for conservation research and human-snake conflict management.

Notes:
India will host the 11th Asian Swimming Championship at Naranpura Sports Complex, Ahmedabad. The Swimming Federation of India received approval from the Gujarat government and Asia Aquatics. The championship will take place from October 1 to 15. Events will include swimming, diving, artistic swimming, and water polo. Top swimmers from Japan and South Korea are expected to participate. This is the first time India is hosting the championship. The last international swimming event in India was the 10th Asian Age Group Championships in 2019.

Notes:
The ‘World Poetry Day’ is observed every year on March 21. UNESCO established World Poetry Day in 1999 to promote reading, writing, and appreciation of poetry. The day highlights poetry’s role in cultural dialogue and social harmony. The World Poetry Day 2025 theme is “Poetry as a Bridge for Peace and Inclusion.” The theme emphasizes poetry’s power to unite diverse communities and promote mutual respect globally. India has a rich literary heritage with diverse cultural and religious influences. Many legendary poets have shaped Indian literature across centuries. Notable poets include Tulsidas, Raskhan, Rabindranath Tagore, Sarojini Naidu, Mirza Ghalib, Kabir, Makhanlal Chaturvedi, Maithalisharan Gupt, and Subhadra Kumari Chauhan. Their poetry spans Hindi, English, and regional languages, reflecting India’s linguistic diversity.

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Rajasthan government launched the One Time Settlement Scheme (OTS) to support farmers and small entrepreneurs. The scheme aims to protect them from financial crises and stabilize land development banks. Borrowers who repay 100% of overdue medium and long-term loans by July 1, 2024, will get a 100% interest rebate. A 5% subsidy will help borrowers avail loans again. The scheme benefits 36,351 defaulting loan members with Rs. 760 crore overdue loans. The government will spend Rs. 200 crore to ease loan recovery and improve bank finances. It will boost new loans, production, and business recovery.

Notes:
Eminent Hindi poet and writer Vinod Kumar Shukla from Chhattisgarh has been selected for the 59th Jnanpith Award 2024. He is the first from Chhattisgarh and the 12th Hindi writer to receive this prestigious award. The 58th Jnanpith Award 2023 was awarded to Jagadguru Rambhadracharyaji for Sanskrit and Gulzar for Urdu. The Bharatiya Jnanpith Trust administers the Jnanpith and Moorti Devi Awards. The first Jnanpith Award was given to Malayalam writer G. S. Kurup. Vinod Kumar Shukla, born in Rajnandgaon, Chhattisgarh, is 88 years old and studied Krishi Vigyan in Jabalpur. His first poetry collection “Lagbhag Jai Hind” was published in 1971.