India Current Affairs [Nation & States] MCQs

Notes:
A Delhi court has sent 26/11 Mumbai attack accused Tahawwur Rana to the custody of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) after his extradition from the United States. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is India’s central counter-terrorism agency, established under the NIA Act, 2008 after the 26/11 attacks. It investigates crimes that threaten India’s sovereignty, security, and international agreements. The NIA (Amendment) Act, 2019 extended its powers to investigate crimes committed outside India involving Indian citizens or interests. It now covers offences under laws like the Explosive Substances Act, Cyber Terrorism, Human Trafficking, and Arms Act. NIA works under the Ministry of Home Affairs

Notes:
Telangana has declared heatwaves, sunstrokes, and sunburns as a ‘State-Specific Disaster’ due to rising global temperatures and frequent severe heat events. Financial relief to families of heatwave victims has been increased from ₹50,000 to ₹4 lakh per deceased person under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF). Previously, relief was given under the Apathbandhu scheme; now a Government Order (G.O.) issued by Special Chief Secretary (Disaster Management) Arvind Kumar formalised the new policy. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) reported at least 15 heatwave days in Telangana in 2024, with some districts facing over 30 days. Heatwave deaths must meet IMD’s definition: temperature ≥ 40°C with 5-6°C rise from normal or ≥ 45°C.

Notes:
The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare recently released guidelines for establishing Bio-Input Resource Centres (BRCs) to promote natural farming under the National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF). Bio-Input Resource Centres (BRCs) are cluster-level enterprises that provide farmers with locally prepared natural farming inputs like bio-fertilizers, bio-pesticides, and organic formulations. BRCs also serve as knowledge hubs to train and support farmers who are transitioning to natural farming practices. The initiative was launched under the National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF). The objectives of BRCs include ensuring easy access to quality bio-inputs, offering technical support on natural farming methods, and promoting the adoption of natural farming across rural areas.

Notes:
The Prime Minister of India will officially inaugurate the Vizhinjam International Seaport in Kerala, marking a major milestone in global maritime connectivity for the state. Vizhinjam Port is located in Vizhinjam, a coastal town in Thiruvananthapuram district of Kerala. It is India’s first dedicated transshipment port and also the country’s first semi-automated port. The port is built at a cost of about ₹8,900 crore under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model and is operated by the Adani Group, while the Kerala government holds the majority stake. It has the deepest breakwater in India, nearly three kilometres long, with a natural draft of about 20 metres. The port features India’s first home-built, Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered Vessel Traffic Management System, developed with Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras.

Notes:
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin announced that May 5 will officially be declared as Traders’ Day in the state. This aligns with the day already observed by Tamil Nadu Traders’ Associations annually. The announcement was made at the 42nd annual meeting of the Traders’ Association in Maduranthakam.

Notes:
The Telangana government recently sanctioned 10,000 Indiramma houses for Chenchu tribal families to improve their living conditions. The Chenchus are a food-gathering tribe mainly living in the Nallamalai forests of Andhra Pradesh. They are classified as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) by the government due to their isolated lifestyle and low development indicators. Chenchus are also found in Telangana, Karnataka, and Odisha. Their language, also called Chenchu, belongs to the Dravidian language family, and many speak Telugu as well. A Chenchu village is called a “Penta”, with huts spaced based on family closeness. They live in small families, with men and women having equal social roles.

Notes:
Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav launched a nationwide campaign called ‘One Nation, One Mission: End Plastic Pollution’ ahead of World Environment Day. The campaign aims to raise awareness, change behaviour, and promote eco-friendly alternatives to plastic across India. It is part of Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment), a larger movement started by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to encourage sustainable living. The campaign focuses on reducing plastic use, managing plastic waste efficiently, and supporting the development of sustainable materials. It will involve ministries, state governments, schools, industries, civil groups, and local communities in united action against plastic pollution.

Notes:
Recently, the Maharashtra government notified its long-awaited Aggregator Policy for app-based cab services like Ola and Uber. The policy aims to ensure fair practices and better experiences for both riders and drivers. It includes rules for fare regulation, driver training, electric vehicle (EV) adoption, and penalties for unjustified cancellations. If a driver cancels a ride without a valid reason, a penalty of 10% of the fare or ₹100—whichever is less—will be charged. If a passenger cancels without reason, 5% of the fare or ₹50 will be awarded to the driver. These penalties will be deducted automatically through the app. The policy also limits peak-hour fares to a maximum of 1.5 times the base fare, as fixed by the Regional Transport Authority (RTA).

Notes:
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) will soon start using the Bharat Forecast System (BFS) for improved weather predictions. BFS is an indigenously developed advanced forecasting model created by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune. It offers a 6-kilometre resolution, the highest in the world, allowing better prediction of small-scale weather events. This is a major upgrade from the earlier 12-kilometre Global Forecast System (GFS) used in India. The higher resolution will help forecast localised events like heavy rainfall and cyclones more accurately. BFS is powered by the Arka supercomputer, which has 11.77 petaflops of speed and 33 petabytes of storage. The supercomputer is based at IITM, Pune, and will significantly reduce forecast processing time compared to the older Pratyush system.

Notes:
Hyderabad teenager Vishwanath Karthikey Padakanti recently became the youngest Indian and the second youngest person in the world to complete the Seven Summits Challenge. The Seven Summits Challenge involves climbing the highest mountain on each of the seven continents. It was first proposed and completed by Richard Bass in 1985. The peaks include Mount Everest in Asia, Aconcagua in South America, Denali in North America, Kilimanjaro in Africa, Elbrus in Europe, Mount Vinson in Antarctica, and either Kosciuszko in Australia or Puncak Jaya in Oceania.