India Current Affairs [Nation & States] MCQs

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A tourist shikara recently overturned in Dal Lake, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir due to strong winds, throwing a tourist family and a boatman into the water. Dal Lake is a mid-altitude urban lake in Srinagar, surrounded by the Pir Panjal mountains. It plays a major role in Kashmir’s tourism and is often called the “Jewel in the crown of Kashmir” or “Srinagar’s Jewel.” The lake is also known as the Lake of Flowers. The lake is also famous for its floating market, where vendors use wooden boats called shikaras to sell goods to tourists.

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Recently, under the Sahyog portal led by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), the government issued 130 content notices to platforms like Google, YouTube, Amazon, Apple, and Microsoft in the past 6 months. The Sahyog portal is an initiative of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and helps manage content removal requests efficiently. These notices are issued under Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000. They are different from orders under Section 69(A) of the IT Act, which deals with censorship. If platforms ignore such notices, they may lose safe harbour protection, which shields them from legal action over user content.

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The government recently authorised the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) to share and receive information with the Enforcement Directorate under the anti-money laundering law to better detect money trails and combat cyber frauds. Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) is established under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) as the national nodal agency to fight cybercrime. It provides a framework and ecosystem for law enforcement agencies (LEAs) to handle cybercrimes in a coordinated and comprehensive way. It connects academia, industry, public, and government for prevention, detection, investigation, and prosecution of cybercrimes. The headquarters of I4C is located in New Delhi.

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Madhya Pradesh has become the first state in India to launch an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based real-time forest alert system for active forest management. This pilot system uses satellite images, mobile feedback, and machine learning to detect forest land encroachment, land use change, and degradation. It is currently being tested in five forest divisions – Shivpuri, Guna, Vidisha, Burhanpur, and Khandwa – known for encroachment and tree felling. Alerts include detailed features like GPS-tagged images, voice notes, and comments, enriched with vegetation and radar indexes such as NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index), SAVI (Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index), EVI (Enhanced Vegetation Index), and SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar).

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The government introduced the “Depot Darpan” portal and mobile app to monitor food storage depots in real time. Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution is responsible for launching the Depot Darpan portal. The initiative aims to ensure quality and safety in food grain storage for over 80 crore beneficiaries. Depot Darpan is part of a larger push for scientific warehousing and smart storage solutions. It will allow depot managers to track infrastructure, operational efficiency, and financial performance using geo-tagged data. The platform will provide automated ratings and insights for timely improvements. All data will be 100% validated by supervisory officers and random third-party audits.

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Russia recently honoured Biju Patnaik by unveiling a memorial plaque at its embassy in New Delhi for his heroic role during the Battle of Stalingrad in World War II. Biju Patnaik, born in Cuttack in 1916, was a brave freedom fighter, expert pilot, and prominent politician. He joined the Royal Indian Air Force in 1936 and flew dangerous missions during World War II. During the Battle of Stalingrad (1942–43), he risked his life flying through German defences to supply arms to the Soviet Red Army. This battle was a turning point in World War II, stopping the German advance. Patnaik also played a vital role in India’s Quit India Movement by secretly flying nationalist leaders.

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A wild banana species called Musa indandamanensis from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands recently set a world record with the longest banana infructescence measuring 4.2 metres. An infructescence is the full fruiting part of a plant. This wild species is endemic to the Nicobar group, especially found in Campbell Bay. The tree grows about 11 metres tall with a stem girth of around 110 centimetres. Earlier, the longest known banana infructescence was only 3 metres. The species is listed as Critically Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). It is preserved in the Indian Museum, Kolkata, and botanical centres like A.J.C. Bose Indian Botanic Garden. It holds potential for future disease-resistant and high-yield banana varieties.

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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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The Ministry of Culture has launched a new campaign called Ek Desh Ek Dhadkan, which means One Nation, One Heartbeat. This campaign aims to honour the bravehearts of India and promote national unity and pride in the Indian flag, the Tiranga. The slogan is being widely used across digital platforms to spread patriotic feelings among citizens. In the last 48 hours, all 43 institutions under the Ministry of Culture have actively taken part in the campaign. Famous cultural institutions and heritage sites have been lit in the colours of the Indian flag. Over 60 monuments across India have been illuminated under the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) supervision.

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Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan recently launched the nationwide “Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan” to be held from May 29 to June 12, 2025. It aims to make agriculture modern and prosperous under the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mission for a developed India. Agriculture supports nearly half of India’s population and is key to national food security. The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has a six-point strategy: increase production, reduce costs, ensure fair prices, compensate disaster losses, promote crop diversification and organic farming. India recorded its highest-ever agricultural output in 2024–25, with food grain production rising to 3309.18 lakh tonnes. The campaign seeks to make India the “Food Basket of the World” through sustainable and surplus farming.