India Current Affairs [Nation & States] MCQs

Notes:
Recently, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) launched Skill India Assistant (SIA), an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered chatbot. It is developed by META and National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) under MSDE. It provides personalized skilling and job support through WhatsApp, promoting digital inclusion. It is accessible through Skill India Digital Hub (SIDH) and WhatsApp. It uses Meta’s open-source LLaMA (Large Language Model) as its AI base.

Notes:
Nagaland University has recently been selected as one of four Incubation Centres in the North Eastern region under a Central Government initiative. The initiative is titled ‘Establish, Develop, and Manage Entrepreneurship Development Centres and Incubation Centres in the Educational Institutes of the North Eastern Region’. It is sponsored by the North Eastern Council (NEC) and implemented by the Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship (IIE). In the first batch, Nagaland University’s Kohima campus will incubate 44 beneficiaries. These include 16 from Arunachal Pradesh, 6 from Assam, 4 from Manipur, and 18 from Nagaland.

Notes:
On July 21, 2025, Minister of State for Environment, Kirti Vardhan Singh, shared NCAP progress data in the Lok Sabha. Under National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), only 25 out of 130 cities met the 40% PM10 reduction target by 2024-25. NCAP was launched in 2019 to cut PM2.5 and PM10 by 20%-30% by 2024 from 2017 levels. In 2022, the target was revised to a 40% reduction in PM10 by 2025-26. Cities in Uttar Pradesh showed the highest reduction in PM10 levels. Bareilly topped the list with 76% reduction, followed by Varanasi (74.3%) and Firozabad (59.5%). Dehradun (57.2%) in Uttarakhand also showed sharp improvement.

Notes:
Madhya Pradesh (MP) is leading in implementing the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (PESA). The Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (PESA) is effectively implemented in 88 tribal blocks across 20 districts. This initiative empowers tribal communities to resolve disputes locally through traditional Chaupals, reducing reliance on police stations. In 2025, MP received national recognition from the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, featured in a special success stories booklet. More than 8,000 local disputes, including family and land issues, have been resolved through community-led justice.

Notes:
On 24 July 2025, Rajasthan Assembly established a Kargil Shaurya Vatika to honour soldiers who died in the 1999 Kargil War. The initiative marks the 26th anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas and was launched on Hariyali Amavasya with the planting of 1,100 saplings. 21 Veeranganas (war widows) from districts like Sikar, Jhunjhunu, Churu, Jaipur, and Kotputli-Behror participated in the plantation drive. Saplings planted include Sindoor, Areca Palm, Song of India, Krishna Ficus, and Croton, symbolising India’s heritage, natural beauty, and healing traditions.

Notes:
Recently, the Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) informed the Rajya Sabha about the India Skills Accelerator initiative. It is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) and the World Economic Forum (WEF). It aims to bridge skill gaps through inclusive upskilling and reskilling. It promotes lifelong learning investment and government-industry collaboration. It serves as a national public-private platform to solve complex challenges through multi-stakeholder efforts.

Notes:
Many ex-servicemen recently reported that SPARSH (System for Pension Administration Raksha) has made pension access difficult due to complex interface and unresolved corrections. SPARSH is a web-based pension system launched by the Ministry of Defence, Government of India. It aims to manage pension sanction and disbursement for Army, Navy, Air Force, and Defence Civilians. The system is run by the Defence Accounts Department through the Principal Controller of Defence Accounts (Pensions), Prayagraj. It removes third-party intermediaries and directly deposits pensions into bank accounts. SPARSH covers the full pension cycle: initiation, sanction, disbursement, revision, and grievance redressal.

Notes:
Recently, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami released the book ‘Sustainable Wellness of Students: A Collective Responsibility in Higher Education’ at the Chief Minister’s residence auditorium. The event was organized by the Chief Minister Office (CMO), Uttarakhand. The Chief Minister emphasized that higher education institutions must focus on student psychology to address modern life challenges. He highlighted that Uttarakhand was the first state to implement the National Education Policy (NEP) under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. NEP focuses on quality education, student welfare, and skill development.

Notes:
Operation Akhal was launched by Indian security forces in Kulgam district, Jammu and Kashmir on August 2, 2025. The operation began after intelligence inputs about the presence of 3–5 terrorists in the Akhal Khulsan forest area. It involved the Indian Army, Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Police, and Special Operations Group (SOG). One terrorist was neutralised during an intense and intermittent overnight firefight. Operation Mahadev earlier killed three Pakistani terrorists, including Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander Suleman Shah on July 28 in Dachigam National Park.

Notes:
Karnataka launched KATALYST, an Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) cell, to support Global Capability Centers (GCCs) under the GCC Policy 2024-29. It will act as a single-window platform to streamline investments and fast-track approvals. Announcement was made during Bengaluru Tech Summit (BTS) 2025. Karnataka contributes 44% of India’s software exports and aims to add 500 GCCs by 2029, creating 3.5 lakh jobs and generating $50 billion output.