India Current Affairs [Nation & States] MCQs

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Recently, Mizoram and Goa declared themselves “fully literate” under the ULLAS adult literacy programme, with literacy rates of 98.2% and 99.72%, respectively. ULLAS stands for Understanding Lifelong Learning for All in Society and is officially known as Nav Bharat Saaksharta Karyakram or New India Literacy Programme (NILP). It is a centrally sponsored scheme aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

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A special six-day “Bodhi Yatra” was organised in Uttar Pradesh from June 2 to June 7, 2025, to promote the state’s Buddhist heritage globally. The event was held under the Mekong-Ganga Cooperation (MGC) framework by the Uttar Pradesh Tourism Department and the Union Ministry of External Affairs. A 50-member delegation from five Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries—Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam—joined the yatra. The tour covered key Buddhist sites like Shravasti, Kapilvastu, Kushinagar, Sarnath, and cities like Varanasi, Lucknow, and Agra.

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Madhya Pradesh has become the first state in India to bring all urban local bodies under one digital platform. The Urban Development and Housing Department has launched E-Nagarpalika 2.0, a centralized web-based scheme. It aims to promote transparency and deliver efficient citizen services, supporting the vision of Digital India. Earlier, E-Nagarpalika 1.0 integrated services like public grievances, internal operations, and payments. E-Nagarpalika 2.0 goes further by connecting with other departments and mobile apps like UMANG (Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance).

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In Bihar, the 11th International Yoga Day is celebrated as ‘Yoga Sangam’ on 21st June in all government schools. The Education Department has instructed all District Education Officers to keep schools open despite the ongoing summer vacation. More than 70,000 government schools have received this directive for Yoga Day participation.

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Recently, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR), under Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, launched a Training of Trainers (ToT) programme. It aims to boost the financial independence of Panchayats by improving their ability to generate Own Source Revenue (OSR). The programme is being run under the Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA) with support from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad.

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Recently, the Registrar General of India (RGI) asked all States to ensure that mothers receive birth certificates of newborns before being discharged from hospitals, especially government-run hospitals. The Registrar General of India was set up under the Ministry of Home Affairs and is also the Census Commissioner of India. The Registrar General of India mainly collects data on population size, growth, and distribution.

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Himachal Pradesh became the first state in India to launch Aadhaar-based face authentication (FaceAuth) for ration distribution under the Public Distribution System (PDS). Earlier, authentication was done using One-Time Password (OTP) or biometric methods. These traditional methods faced problems like SMS failures and fingerprint mismatches at the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) end. The new FaceAuth uses a mobile camera through an app on the fair price shop (FPS) owner’s smartphone for facial verification. It was introduced by the Department of Digital Technologies and Governance (DDTG), Himachal Pradesh.

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India is preparing to launch the “Battery Passport” system for Electric Vehicles (EVs). The system will give EV owners detailed digital data about their battery’s source, composition, performance, lifecycle, and supply chain. This information will be embedded in a QR code attached to each battery. The battery passport will act like an Aadhaar ID for batteries, providing a unique identity and complete product details. It will help improve safety, quality standards, and India’s EV export potential. The system supports the upcoming battery-swapping policy by enabling QR-based battery verification.

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Recently, International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) launched AI-powered climate advisory services for farmers on July 30, 2025, in Hyderabad. The initiative is named “AI-powered Context-Specific Agromet Advisory Services for Climate-Resilient Agriculture at Scale.” It is a joint project by International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). It uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) to deliver real-time, personalised climate and weather advisories.

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Delhi Legislative Assembly became India’s first legislature fully powered by solar energy on August 4, 2025. A 500-kilowatt rooftop solar power plant was commissioned on the Assembly building. The solar plant is expected to cut electricity bills by Rs 15 lakh monthly, saving about Rs 1.75 crore annually. Surplus electricity will be generated through net metering and used efficiently. The Assembly also launched the National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA) to shift towards paperless functioning.