India Current Affairs [Nation & States] MCQs

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Department of Posts released a draft amendment to introduce Digital Hub for Reference and Unique Virtual Address (DHRUVA) under the Post Office Act, 2023. DHRUVA creates a nationwide Digital Address Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) with a standardised, interoperable and geocoded address system. It is based on Address-as-a-Service (AaaS) for secure, consent-based and efficient address data sharing. Framework ensures interoperability, standard formats, geolocation tagging, user consent and public-private integration. Digital addresses will support e-governance, online commerce, urban planning and emergency services like Aadhaar and UPI.

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Maharashtra mandated from 2 December 2025 that thermal power plants must blend 5–7% bamboo-based biomass or charcoal with coal under the Maharashtra Bamboo Industry Policy 2025. This makes bamboo a formal part of the state’s energy mix for the first time to cut coal emissions. The government allocated ₹1,534 crore for 2025–2030 and ₹11,797 crore over 20 years to support the transition. Bamboo helps reduce carbon emissions, restore soil, and grow quickly with low inputs. The policy aims to create jobs, boost bamboo industries, and attract green investments and carbon credit markets.

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Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced one per cent reservation for orphans in education and government jobs. He called the decision a “historic milestone” and a step towards social justice and equal opportunity. The policy was first introduced during his earlier term in 2018. The initiative is guided by Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar’s vision of equal access for all sections of society.

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A total of 7,075.78 Megawatts (MW) of rooftop solar capacity has been installed under the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana in India’s residential sector. The scheme targets one crore household rooftop solar installations by FY 2026-27 with a total outlay of ₹75,021 crore. Gujarat leads in rooftop solar installations with a total capacity of 1,828.05 MW. The scheme is demand-driven, allowing all residential consumers with grid-connected electricity connections to apply via the National Portal. So far, 53,54,099 applications have been received, and 19,17,698 rooftop solar systems have been installed nationwide.

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Tamil Nadu has launched a Community-based Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (CbMRV) system to create a people-led climate intelligence movement, strengthening grassroots participation in climate action and decision-making. The CbMRV system was introduced as a pilot in 2023 under the UK PACT (Partnering for Accelerated Climate Transitions) programme, with the aim of testing community-driven climate data mechanisms. The core concept of CbMRV is to empower local communities to actively collect, validate, and report climate and environmental data, rather than relying solely on top-down institutional assessments.

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Union Minister for Rural Development and Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Shri Shivraj Singh Chauhan, introduced the Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) or VB–G RAM G Bill, 2025, in the Lok Sabha. The Bill provides a statutory guarantee of 125 days of wage employment every year for rural households. It aims to ensure welfare of the poor and promote comprehensive village development in line with Mahatma Gandhi’s vision of self-reliant and developed villages. The central government has committed over ₹95,000 crore for this initiative. Panchayats will be graded, with additional work assigned to underdeveloped or underperforming panchayats to ensure balanced development.

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Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN) reviewed construction progress of the 900 Megawatt (MW) Arun-3 Hydroelectric Project (HEP) in Nepal. Arun-3 is a run-of-the-river project on the Arun River, a tributary of the Koshi River, in Sankhuwasabha district, Eastern Nepal. It is developed by SJVN Arun-III Power Development Company (SAPDC), a wholly-owned subsidiary of SJVN, on Build-Own-Operate-Transfer (BOOT) basis. SJVN is a joint venture between Government of India and Government of Himachal Pradesh.

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Uttar Pradesh will establish India’s first Forest University in Gorakhpur, focused on forestry, wildlife, and environmental sciences. The university will offer specialised programs in forestry, agroforestry, and conservation, combining academic and field-based research. A Forest University is a specialised institution providing higher education and research in forest sciences, wildlife conservation, ecosystem management, and environmental sustainability. It trains experts in areas like agroforestry, social forestry, horticulture, and biotechnology.

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The National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) has been linked to the National Population Register (NPR) to strengthen intelligence gathering and speed up criminal investigations. NATGRID is a real-time intelligence and data-access platform developed after the 26/11 Mumbai attacks (2008) to enable seamless information-sharing among security and enforcement agencies. It functions under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and consolidates over 20 categories of civil and commercial data, including bank transactions, telecom usage, passport and immigration records, tax IDs, police FIRs (CCTNS), and other e-governance sources.

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Researchers from the Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF) have shown that local ecological knowledge of the Adi community can improve efforts to track the critically endangered Chinese pangolin. Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) is a small, nocturnal mammal fully covered in protective keratin scales. It inhabits subtropical, tropical, and deciduous forests and is distributed across southern China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Hainan, parts of Southeast Asia including Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam, as well as northern India, Nepal, and Bhutan. The species has been listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List.