Current Affairs Quiz – September 2025

Notes:
In early 2025, the United States contributed the most to the global emissions rise, accounting for over half the increase in fossil fuel emissions, with a 1.43% rise (48.57 million tonnes CO2e) in the first half of 2025, mainly due to increased reliance on oil, gas, and coal.

Notes:
On September 2, 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Bihar Rajya Jeevika Nidhi Saakh Sahkari Sangh Limited via video conferencing. The initiative aims to reduce dependence on microfinance institutions that charge high interest rates (18%–24%) and provide timely, larger loans at lower interest rates to women associated with Jeevika’s self-help groups. Operating entirely on a digital platform with 12,000 cadres equipped with tablets, the program will strengthen rural women’s entrepreneurship and community-led enterprises across Bihar.

Notes:
Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) 2025 report by the Energy Policy Institute, University of Chicago, shows air pollution is India’s top health threat. Dirty air cuts 3.5 years from average life expectancy, higher than malnutrition (1.6 years), tobacco use (1.5 years), and unsafe water (8.4 months). All 1.4 billion Indians live in areas exceeding World Health Organization (WHO) safe PM2.5 limit of 5 µg/m³. Northern India is the world’s most polluted region. Delhi-NCR residents face the highest loss with 8.2 years of life expectancy cut due to air pollution. Bihar residents lose 5.6 years of life expectancy. Haryana residents lose 5.3 years of life expectancy. The report urges urgent emission control to prevent loss of healthy years due to toxic air.

Notes:
Concerns were recently raised about unauthorised road construction and repair inside Srivilliputhur–Meghamalai Tiger Reserve (SMTR) in Theni district, Tamil Nadu. It was created in February 2021 by merging the Srivilliputhur Grizzled Squirrel Wildlife Sanctuary and Megamalai Wildlife Sanctuary. It spans Theni, Virudhunagar, and Madurai districts in Tamil Nadu. The reserve links Kerala’s Periyar Tiger Reserve with Tamil Nadu’s Kalakkad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, ensuring wildlife corridor connectivity. It depends on Vaigai, Suruliyaru, and Shanmuganathi rivers for water resources.

Notes:
Matanomadh, a remote village in Kutch district, Gujarat, may serve as a test bed for ISRO’s Mangalyaan-2 mission to Mars. Researchers from Space Applications Centre (SAC) Ahmedabad, Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU), and Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, Lucknow dated jarosite mineral in Matanomadh to 55 million years (Paleocene period). Jarosite is a yellow, iron-rich sulphate mineral, similar to those found on Mars, indicating past water activity. The site allows field-analogue studies for Mars, including rover testing, drilling, geochemistry, and astrobiology research. The discovery can help decode Martian geology, past chemical interactions, and organic molecule trapping, aiding future Mars missions.

Notes:
European Space Agency (ESA) Solar Orbiter, a joint project with NASA, was launched in 2020 to study the Sun closely. It became the first spacecraft to image the Sun’s poles. A new study in Astronomy and Astrophysics traced the origin of Solar Energetic Electrons (SEE) emitted by the Sun. Solar Energetic Electrons (SEE) linked to solar flares arise from small surface explosions, while others are released gradually with Coronal Mass Ejections (CME), huge eruptions of plasma and magnetic fields. The Solar Orbiter flew through electron streams and studied the space environment between the Sun and spacecraft. Understanding SEE and CMEs is crucial for space weather prediction, protecting satellites, GPS, power grids, and astronauts. The mission aims to study the Sun’s 11-year magnetic cycle, corona heating, solar wind formation, and acceleration.

Notes:
Union Minister of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw launched India’s first Tempered Glass Manufacturing Facility for Mobile Devices in Noida. The facility is set up by Optiemus Electronics in collaboration with Corning Incorporated, USA, producing tempered glass under the brand “Engineered by Corning”. It will supply products to both domestic and international markets, supporting Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat initiatives. India’s electronics manufacturing has grown six times in 11 years to ₹11.5 lakh crore, with exports over ₹3 lakh crore and 2.5 million employed. The initiative aligns with India’s push for self-reliance in electronics, future chip production, and strengthening research and development capabilities.

Notes:
The National Annual Report & Index on Women’s Safety (NARI) 2025 was released by the National Commission for Women (NCW). The survey covered 12,770 women across 31 cities in India. The national safety score is 65%, meaning 40% of women feel unsafe despite government assurances. 60% of women reported feeling safe, while younger women under 24 reported harassment at 14%, double the national average. Kohima, Visakhapatnam, Bhubaneswar, Aizawl, Gangtok, Itanagar and Mumbai are the safest cities. Patna, Jaipur, Faridabad, Delhi, Kolkata, Srinagar and Ranchi are the least safe cities. The report frames women’s safety as a developmental issue, encompassing physical, psychological, financial, and digital security.

Notes:
The Union Ministry of Textiles launched the Kapas Kisan App to streamline cotton procurement under the Minimum Support Price (MSP) scheme. The app enables farmers’ self-registration, slot booking, and payment tracking, enhancing transparency and speed in cotton procurement. It is designed to protect farmers from distress sales by ensuring assured MSP procurement. The app reduces manual paperwork and saves time at procurement centres. It features a user-friendly interface with support for multiple Indian languages. The initiative represents a farmer-first approach, improving the ease of selling cotton and strengthening India’s cotton market.

Notes:
Unity Small Finance Bank (Unity Bank) and BharatPe launched Unity Bank BharatPe Credit Card, India’s first Equated Monthly Instalment (EMI)-driven credit card on the RuPay network. The card allows customers to pay in full or convert spends into EMIs up to 12 months. It has been developed in partnership with National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). It can be linked to Unified Payments Interface (UPI) for payments at merchants nationwide. It marks a major innovation in India’s digital credit and payments ecosystem.