India Current Affairs [Nation & States] MCQs

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Indore has become India’s first beggar-free city as of May 2025, marking a major success in social welfare. The campaign was launched in February 2024 under the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment as a pilot project in 10 cities. Around 5,000 beggars, including 500 children, were identified on city streets before the campaign began. Beggars were rehabilitated by offering jobs, and children were enrolled in schools for education. Awareness campaigns were run in the first phase, followed by rehabilitation efforts. Giving money to beggars or buying from them is now banned, with three First Information Reports (FIRs) filed. Citizens are rewarded ₹1,000 for reporting instances of begging, which has boosted public participation. The initiative has been recognised by the Union Ministry and a World Bank team as a national model.

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Recently, the Andhra Pradesh government announced property tax exemption for houses of Indian Defence Forces personnel within Gram Panchayat limits. This benefit now includes all active personnel from the Indian Army, Navy, Air Force, Paramilitary, and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), not just retirees or those posted at borders. The exemption applies to one house that the personnel or their spouse own or reside in. This move was recommended by the Director of Sainik Welfare. It honours the sacrifices of soldiers like Agniveer Murali Naik, who died during Operation Sindoor at the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir.

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Amid rising tensions along the western front due to escalations from Pakistan, the Border Security Force (BSF) has stood firm as India’s first and sharpest line of defence. The Border Security Force (BSF) is India’s main border-guarding force, known as the First Line of Defence of Indian Territories. BSF is one of the seven Central Armed Police Forces (CSPFs) and functions under the Ministry of Home Affairs. It was formed on 1 December 1965 after the 1965 War to secure India’s borders. BSF protects land borders during peacetime and stops transnational crimes like smuggling and infiltration. In wartime, it supports the Indian Army using its deep knowledge of local people and terrain. BSF is currently deployed along the Indo-Pakistan and Indo-Bangladesh borders, the Line of Control (LoC), and in Anti-Naxal Operations.

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Recently, Project Alankar by the Government of Uttar Pradesh was praised in a high-level meeting chaired by the Prime Minister in New Delhi. Project Alankar was launched on 1st October 2021 as an educational reform initiative to improve government secondary schools. The project targets 100% compliance with 35 infrastructure and facility benchmarks in 2,441 schools. It focuses on creating a modern, inclusive, and student-friendly learning environment across the state.

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Karnataka government has issued the Karnataka Platform-Based Gig Workers (Social Security and Welfare) Ordinance, 2025 to protect gig workers’ rights. The ordinance creates a welfare fund and mandates social security, health, and safety duties for aggregators or platforms. A welfare board led by the Labour Minister will register gig workers and platforms in the state. Aggregators must pay a gig worker welfare fee of 1% to 5% per transaction, notified by the government within six months. A Payment and Welfare Fee Verification System (PWFVS) will track all payments and fee deductions to ensure transparency. Gig workers get a two-tier grievance redressal system—one against platforms and another against the board.

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In a bid to boost and expedite investments in agriculture, the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare launched the Krishi Nivesh Portal. The portal acts as a one-stop platform for farmers, entrepreneurs and industries. It provides easy access to Central and State Government schemes in the agriculture sector. Currently, it gives information on 17 key schemes like Agriculture Infrastructure Fund and Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund.

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Raja Khas village in Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh, has been declared the state’s first solar model village under the Pradhan Mantri Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana. All public institutions like schools, panchayat office, health centres, anganwadis, and community halls have been solarized. It promotes clean energy, rural self-reliance, and serves as a model for green transition in hilly areas.

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Recently, Bihar inaugurated the Bikram Lock Canal Bank solar power project in Patna under the Jal-Jeevan-Hariyali campaign to promote green energy. This project helps reduce pollution caused by traditional energy sources and supports sustainable development. It is set up along a 2-kilometer stretch of the main canal at Bikram in Patna district. The solar plant has an installed capacity of 2 megawatts and covers 5.7 acres of land provided by the Water Resources Department.

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Recently, the central government revised the procedure for the Foreigners Identification Portal (FIP) under the National Automated Fingerprint Identification System (NAFIS). States and Union Territories have been directed to use fingerprint scanners available in districts through the District Police Module (DPM) of the Immigration Visa Foreigner Registration Tracking system (IVFRT). NAFIS is a pan-India searchable database that stores fingerprints related to crime and criminals. NAFIS is managed by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) at the Central Fingerprint Bureau in New Delhi.

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The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology (CSIR-IHBT) recently reported the first flowering and seed set of asafoetida, also known as heeng, at Palampur in Himachal Pradesh. This confirms that asafoetida has successfully adapted and been domesticated in Indian soil for the first time. Asafoetida, scientifically called Ferula assa-foetida, is a perennial herb that takes about five years to flower. The plant grows well in cold and dry climates like those in Iran, Afghanistan, and Central Asia, which are its native regions.