Current Affairs Quiz - March 2025

Notes:
A strong 6.7 magnitude earthquake struck off New Zealand’s South Island recently. South Island is the larger and southernmost of New Zealand’s two main islands, located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It is separated from North Island by Cook Strait and from Stewart Island by Foveaux Strait. The island is mostly mountainous, dominated by the Southern Alps, with Mount Cook (3,754m) as its highest peak.

Notes:
Microsoft announced a quantum computing chip called Majorana 1, aiming to solve industrial-scale problems in years, not decades. The chip is named Majorana 1 because it consists of Majorana particles, which are unique subatomic particles that are their own anti-particles. Neutrinos are a potential Majorana particle and are the second-most abundant subatomic particles after photons. Neutrinos are produced in the Big Bang, supernovae, cosmic rays, and nuclear fusion but are hard to detect. A major unknown in physics is the mass of neutrinos.

Notes:
World Theatre Day was initiated in 1961 by the International Theatre Institute (ITI). It is celebrated annually on 27th March, marking the 1962 Theatre of Nations season opening in Paris. The day highlights theatres’ historical importance and their role in entertainment, education, and social change. The day promotes support for the theatre community from governments, individuals, and organizations.

Notes:
Telangana won the Best National Performance Award in NAAT (Nucleic Acid Amplification Test) testing under the 100-Day ‘TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan’ campaign. The award was presented by Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda on World TB Day in New Delhi. Telangana achieved over 100% screening in nine TB-affected districts, identifying over 4,600 new TB cases.

Notes:
India’s bioeconomy is valued at over $165 billion, contributing 4.2% of GDP, as per the India BioEconomy Report 2024. The sector is projected to grow to $300 billion by 2030 and $1 trillion by 2047. Bioeconomy involves using biological resources for industrial production, including biofuels, bioplastics, and pharmaceuticals. The industrial sector contributed $78 billion (47%), while pharma contributed 35%, led by vaccines. Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, Gujarat, and Andhra Pradesh generated over two-thirds of bioeconomy value. Eastern and Northeastern regions contributed less than 6%. India BioEconomy Report 2024 is released by Department of Biotechnology.

Notes:
The Abel Prize for mathematics was awarded to Japanese mathematician Masaki Kashiwara. He is a specialist in algebraic analysis, representation theory, and sheaf theory. The 78-year-old was honoured for his work on D-modules and crystal bases. D-modules introduced a new way to study linear differential equations. The prize is named after Norwegian mathematician Niels Henrik Abel. It was created by Norway’s government to compensate for the lack of a Nobel Prize in mathematics.

Notes:
Kasampatty Sacred Grove has been declared Tamil Nadu’s second Biodiversity Heritage Site (BHS), after Arittapatti in Madurai. It is located near the Alagarmalai Reserve Forest in Dindigul district. BHS are ecologically fragile areas with rich biodiversity, including rare, endemic, and threatened species. They are notified under Section 37(1) of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002. The State Government, in consultation with local bodies, designates these areas in the Official Gazette to protect their ecological importance.

Notes:
The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India signed an agreement with Bhaskaracharya National Institute of Space Application and Geo-informatics (BISAG-N) to use advanced GIS and remote sensing technologies. BISAG-N is an autonomous scientific society under the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY). It is located in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. It focuses on technology development, research, and capacity building in geospatial technology. It specializes in satellite communication, geo-informatics, and geo-spatial technology. BISAG-N provides GIS solutions, including database design, map creation, software development, and technical consulting. It offers end-to-end GIS system implementation, integrating hardware, software, and customized solutions.

Notes:
National Hydroelectric Power Corporation Private Limited successfully completed the trial run of Unit 2 (200 MW) of the Parbati-II Hydroelectric Project in Himachal Pradesh. The Parbati-II Hydroelectric Project is a run-of-the-river project in Sainj, Kullu, Himachal Pradesh, harnessing the lower Parbati River, a tributary of the Beas River. A concrete gravity dam at Pulga village diverts water through a 31.52 km head race tunnel to a powerhouse in Suind village, Sainj Valley. The project has a total capacity of 800 MW (four units of 200 MW each). Once fully operational, it will generate 3,074 million units of electricity annually. National Hydroelectric Power Corporation Private Limited owns 100% of the project.

Notes:
The 37th Kathak Mahotsav 2025, organized by Kathak Kendra, New Delhi, a unit of Sangeet Natak Akademi, concluded successfully. The six-day festival featured the world’s first-ever Kathak Literary Festival, along with seminars, exhibitions, and dance performances. All major Kathak gharanas—Lucknow, Jaipur, Banaras, and Raigarh—were showcased through performances by renowned artists. The event was a landmark celebration of Kathak, bringing together scholars, dancers, and art enthusiasts.