India Current Affairs [Nation & States] MCQs

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Recently, Italian luxury brand Prada admitted its Men’s Spring/Summer 2026 sandals were inspired by traditional Indian handcrafted footwear after criticism about copying India’s Geographical Indication (GI)-tagged Kolhapuri chappals. Kolhapuri chappals originated from Kolhapur, Maharashtra, and have been made since the 13th century. They are handmade leather sandals known for their intricate designs and open-toed T-strap style. They use 100% leather from cow, buffalo, or goat.

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Recently, the first-ever Ladakh Astro Tourism Festival concluded in Leh, organised by the Tourism Department with the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bangalore, to boost astro tourism and science tourism. The two-day festival aimed to promote Ladakh as a top destination for astro tourism because of its high altitude, dry weather, low light pollution, and clear skies, perfect for stargazing and observing the Milky Way.

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Recently, the foundation stone for India’s first national cooperative university was laid in Anand, Gujarat. The university will be called Tribhuvan Sahkari University. It aims to fulfill the vision of strengthening India’s cooperative sector. The Union Minister of Cooperation and Home Affairs stressed adding cooperative education at the secondary school level. The university will teach technical skills, accounting, scientific methods, marketing, and cooperative values. It will fill a big gap in education, training, and innovation for the cooperative movement.

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Recently, the Uttar Pradesh Government launched the Human Resource Management System (HRMS) portal for ‘Udyami Mitras’ to improve investor support and internal efficiency. It is a cloud-based digital platform integrated with the state’s Nivesh Sarathi portal. The HRMS portal automates human resource (HR) functions such as attendance, leave management, payroll processing, and Form-16 generation. It offers real-time access to employee records for better transparency and administrative control. Udyami Mitras act as key facilitators between investors and the government to boost industrial growth. They help investors in identifying suitable land for setting up projects.

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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.

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In July 2025, the Gorbea Solar Power Project was inaugurated in Bikaner, Rajasthan by Union Minister Pralhad Joshi. It is a 435 Megawatt (MW) plant built in just eight months, supplying clean power to 1.28 lakh households. It will cut 7.05 lakh tonnes of carbon emissions annually, supporting India’s climate goals and energy security. Rajasthan now generates 70% of its power from renewables, with a total installed renewable capacity of 35.4 Gigawatts (GW).

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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.

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On May 22, 2025, a women’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) literacy workshop was held at Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Rohilkhand University, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh under Yashoda AI initiative. Yashoda AI is India’s first AI education initiative for women, launched by National Commission for Women (NCW). It aims to empower women, especially from rural and semi-urban areas, with knowledge in AI, cybersecurity, and digital safety. As of July 2025, 11 workshops have been conducted, engaging rural women, first-time tech users, police personnel, and local leaders. It introduced tools like AI Digital Passport (Hindi booklet for tracking AI learning) and AI Literacy Toolkit for easy and structured learning.

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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.

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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.