Important Days and Events Current Affairs MCQs

Notes:
The third edition of the Meghalaya Pineapple Festival was inaugurated on August 1, 2025, at Dilli Haat, New Delhi. It was organised by the Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Government of Meghalaya. The event aimed to showcase Meghalaya’s agricultural success at the national level. The festival aligns with Vision@2032, aiming to build a $16 billion economy through farm infrastructure, crop diversification, and value addition. Meghalaya produces around 1.5 lakh metric tonnes of pineapples yearly, with new processing units planned across all 55 blocks.

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World Sanskrit Day 2025 was celebrated on August 9, coinciding with Shravan Poornima and Raksha Bandhan. The day honoured Sanskrit, also called Devavani or “language of the gods,” one of the world’s oldest and most structured languages. Sanskrit had been the medium for India’s ancient scriptures, philosophies, and scientific works for thousands of years. The day was initiated by the Government of India in 1969. The main purpose was to promote and revive the Sanskrit language.

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World Elephant Day is celebrated every year on 12th August to raise global awareness for elephant conservation and protect their habitats. On 12th August 2025, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and Tamil Nadu Forest Department celebrated World Elephant Day in Coimbatore. A workshop on Human-Elephant Conflict (HEC) was held for elephant range states to share challenges and mitigation strategies under Project Elephant. World Elephant Day was co-founded on 12th August 2012 by Patricia Sims and the Elephant Reintroduction Foundation of Thailand.

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Recently, India inaugurated the 18th International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA) in Mumbai, hosted by Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education at Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. More than 300 high school students from 64 countries are participating in this event. Astronomy uses advanced tools like computation, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and machine learning, offering vast career opportunities. This is India’s second time hosting IOAA, after 2016 in Bhubaneswar. International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA) began in 2006, with the first edition held in Thailand in 2007.

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De Jure Transfer Day was celebrated on August 16 in Puducherry. The day marks the formal transfer of the French settlements of Puducherry, Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam to the Indian Union in 1962 after the Treaty of Cession. Earlier in 1954, a referendum was held at Keezhur where people voted overwhelmingly in favour of joining India. At the Keezhur Memorial, Puducherry Legislative Assembly Speaker R. Selvam unfurled the National Flag and paid tributes. Freedom fighters were honoured at the event. In Yanam, Regional Administrator R. Munisamy and dignitaries paid floral tributes at Gandhi Municipal Park.

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International Day of Charity is observed every year on 5th September. It honors Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Nobel Peace Prize winner of 1979 for her charitable work. The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) declared this day in 2012 to mark her death anniversary. The day spreads awareness about poverty eradication and global humanitarian efforts. It encourages people to support charities, join events, and help communities. The observance inspires everyone to carry forward Mother Teresa’s mission of service and compassion.

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World Suicide Prevention Day is observed on 10th September since 2003 by International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) with World Health Organization (WHO) as co-sponsor. The triennial theme (2024–2026) is “Changing the Narrative on Suicide” to challenge myths, reduce stigma, and promote open conversations. Globally, more than 727,000 people die by suicide every year, and suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death among 15–29 year olds. India launched the first National Suicide Prevention Strategy in 2022 aiming to cut suicide mortality by 10% by 2030. National programmes include Tele-MANAS (Tele Mental Health Assistance and Networking Across States), DMHP (District Mental Health Programme), RKSK (Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram), and Manodarpan for student mental health support.

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The 44th meeting of the Council of Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) was held at Cholpon Ata, Kyrgyzstan. The council strongly condemned the Pahalgam terror attack. It endorsed the Tianjin Declaration on terror condemnation, signed during the SCO Council of Heads of State meeting on 1st September 2025, recently attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Indian delegation was led by Deputy National Security Adviser (NSA) TV Ravichandran.

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World Patient Safety Day is observed on 17 September to raise awareness and promote global action for patient safety. The 2025 theme is “Safe care for every newborn and every child” with the slogan “Patient safety from the start!” The day highlights the vulnerability of newborns and children to risks from unsafe care. The World Health Organization (WHO) calls for urgent action to eliminate avoidable harm in paediatric and newborn care. The campaign builds on previous efforts on safe childbirth, prioritizing patient safety, health worker safety, medication safety, patient and family engagement, and diagnostic safety. World Patient Safety Day 2025 aims to ensure every child’s right to safe and quality care.

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Antyodaya Diwas is observed on 25 September, marking the birth anniversary of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya. He was a philosopher, thinker, and political leader born in 1916 in Mathura District, Uttar Pradesh. The word Antyodaya comes from Sanskrit: “Antya” (poorest/last) and “Udaya” (rise), symbolizing upliftment of the weakest sections of society. The day highlights social equality, justice, and welfare for vulnerable citizens. Government of India declared 25 September as Antyodaya Diwas in 2014 to honor his philosophy. The day inspires building a just and inclusive society.