India Current Affairs [Nation & States] MCQs

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Parents and activists fear the Ministry of Education’s Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry (APAAR) ID may be difficult to opt out of, despite being voluntary. APAAR is a unique identification system for all students in India. It is part of the ‘One Nation, One Student ID’ program under the National Education Policy 2020. The APAAR ID acts as a lifelong academic passport, storing achievements and credentials. It assigns a permanent 12-digit ID to students, recording degrees, scholarships, and awards. This ID ensures a seamless transition across educational levels.

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Twenty-two Hakki Pikki tribe members from Channagiri, Davangere, Karnataka, were penalized and asked to leave Gabon due to policy changes. The Hakki Pikki are a semi-nomadic tribe traditionally known as bird catchers and hunters. They are one of Karnataka’s major tribal communities and also live in Western and Southern India, mostly near forests. As per the 2011 Census, 11,892 Hakki Pikkis live in Davangere, Mysuru, Kolar, Hassan, and Shivamogga districts. They are recognized as a Scheduled Tribe in India. Their mother tongue, Vaagri, is listed as endangered by UNESCO.

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The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 highlights the need for universal, high-quality Early Childhood Education and multilingualism in primary education. To achieve this, the Department of School Education & Literacy (DoSE&L), Ministry of Education, launched the “Baalpan ki Kavita” initiative. This initiative aims to create a collection of nursery rhymes and poems in all Bhartiya Bhasha and English. The focus is on Indian cultural relevance to enhance learning at the foundational stage. It helps children understand their surroundings better through joyful and easily understandable poems in their mother tongue.

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The Telangana government launched a scheme to distribute fine rice for free to the poor through ration shops. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy formally launched the scheme in Huzurnagar, Suryapet district, on Ugadi festival. 6 kilograms of fine rice per person per month will be given free of cost through the Public Distribution System (PDS). The scheme will benefit over three crore people, covering 85% of the state’s population. The government aims to ensure food security with dignity and prevent the misuse of coarse rice, which was earlier rejected by beneficiaries.

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The Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh has launched the ‘Zero Poverty Programme’ in the name of Baba Saheb Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar. The aim is to ensure no one in the state is left without basic facilities and all poor families get benefits of government schemes. The program is inspired by Dr. Ambedkar’s vision of educational, social, and economic upliftment. In each Gram Panchayat, 20–25 families still deprived of basic services will be identified. These families will be provided with houses under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, toilets, water, electricity, gas connection, Ayushman Bharat card, and pensions.

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The National Hydro Power Corporation (NHPC) plans to generate power from the 2000 megawatt Lower Subansiri Hydroelectric Project (LSHP), raising concerns about its impact downstream in Assam. The LSHP is a run-of-the-river project built on the Subansiri River, a tributary of the Brahmaputra, at the border of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam. It features a 116-meter-high concrete gravity dam from the riverbed and 130 meters from the foundation, with a length of 284 meters. The reservoir has a total storage capacity of 1.37 cubic kilometers. The powerhouse has eight surface-mounted 250 megawatt Francis turbines on the river’s left bank.

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The Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, has been ranked as the best university in India in the Times Higher Education’s Asia University Rankings 2025. IISc Bengaluru secured the 38th position in Asia with a score of 65.2, though its rank dropped from 32 in 2024. Tsinghua University of China topped the list in Asia with a score of 93 and held the same top spot last year. The Asia University Rankings 2025 assessed 853 universities from 35 countries and regions. Rankings were based on 18 indicators, including Research Quality, Industry, Research Environment, Teaching, and International Outlook.

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The women of the Lanjia Saora tribal group in Gunupur, Rayagada district, Odisha, celebrate the mango harvest with traditional dance. The Lanjia Saora are a culturally rich subgroup of the Saora tribe. The Lanjia Saora tribe is primarily found in Odisha, specifically in the forested hills of Gajapati and Rayagada districts. They speak Saora, a Mundari language of the Austroasiatic family. The Lanjia Saora perform vibrant dances with spontaneous songs, using brass pipes, cymbals, and gongs.

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Santhara, also known as Sallekhana, Pandit-maran, or Sakham-maran, is a Jain religious ritual in which a person voluntarily ends their life through fasting. It has been practised since the origin of Jainism and is mentioned in Jain scriptures called agams. There are two main types: Trivihar, where the person gives up food but not water, and Chauvihar, where both food and water are given up. According to Jain belief, Santhara is followed when death is near or religious duties cannot be performed due to age, illness, or extreme hardship. In 2015, Rajasthan High Court declared Santhara illegal, calling it suicide under Section 306 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), but this decision was later stayed by the Supreme Court (SC). The practice has recently come back into news, drawing attention to its religious, ethical, and legal aspects.

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As Lucknow develops rapidly, experts and citizens are worried about the future of the Gomti River, the city’s lifeline, which is facing severe urbanisation challenges. The Gomti River is a tributary of the Ganges (Ganga) River and flows entirely through Uttar Pradesh. It is also known as Gumti or Gomati and is unique because it is fed by both rain and groundwater, unlike Himalayan snow-fed rivers. It originates from Gomat Taal or Fulhaar Jheel near Madho Tanda in Pilibhit district. It flows through Lucknow, Barabanki, Sultanpur, Faizabad, and Jaunpur before joining the Ganga near Saidpur. The river stretches about 900 km and drains a basin of around 18,750 square km. Its major tributaries include the Sai, Chowka, Kathina, and Saryu rivers. Important cities on its banks are Sultanpur, Lucknow, Jaunpur, and Lakhimpur Kheri.