India Current Affairs [Nation & States] MCQs

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Recently, all political parties in Punjab united and firmly opposed releasing any extra water to Haryana from the Bhakra Dam, showing strong regional consensus. The Bhakra Dam is a concrete gravity dam built across the Sutlej River, located near the Punjab-Himachal Pradesh border. It stands near Bhakra village in Bilaspur district of Himachal Pradesh. It is the world’s highest straight gravity dam with a height of 207.26 meters. It is Asia’s second tallest dam after the 261-meter-high Tehri Dam in Uttarakhand. The dam is 518.25 meters long and about 9.1 meters wide at its crest.

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The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has decided to begin repair work on the damaged mihrab structure around the old water tank at Safa Masjid in Ponda, Goa. Safa Masjid, also called Safa Shahouri Masjid, is a historic mosque built in 1560 by Sultan Adil Shah of Bijapur. It is one of the few Islamic monuments in Goa that survived the Portuguese colonial period, during which many religious sites were destroyed. The mosque is known for its architectural and cultural value and is declared a national monument under the protection of ASI. The recent decision by ASI follows months of delay and brings hope for the preservation of this heritage site.

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Recently, Indian Army Engineers under the Spear Corps joined hands with the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to conduct a major disaster relief exercise named Exercise Raahat at Rangapahar Military Station in Nagaland from May 13 to 15. The aim was to improve readiness and coordination ahead of the monsoon season. The first two days focused on planning, war-gaming, and case study discussions for better disaster response strategies. On the final day, both Army and NDRF teams demonstrated rescue and medical operations using advanced equipment.

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Recently, Rajasthan’s famous sangri bean from the Thar Desert received the prestigious Geographical Indication (GI) tag. This tag officially links the sangri bean to its region, recognising it as a unique product of Rajasthan’s harsh desert climate. Sangri, from the khejri tree, is used in the traditional dish ker sangri, which is slow-cooked with regional spices and curd. The GI tag gives sangri global recognition and legal protection, ensuring authenticity and boosting local pride and economy.

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The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) launched ‘Sagar Mein Samman’ (SMS) to promote women’s participation in the maritime sector. It was unveiled by Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal during the first International Day for Women in Maritime celebrations in Mumbai. The policy aims to create a gender-equitable maritime workforce through training, safety, leadership, and skill development. It aligns with the government’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) goals and Maritime India Vision 2030. The government targets 12% female representation in technical maritime roles by 2030. The event theme, “Women in Maritime: Leading Transformation and Sustainability,” supports UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The initiative aims to make women a strong pillar of ‘Nari Shakti’ in India’s maritime future.

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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.

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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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Recently, flamingos have arrived in large numbers at the Chhaya pond in Porbandar town of Gujarat, creating a stunning natural spectacle. Flamingos are tall birds known for their pink feathers, long legs, and curved necks, though they hatch with grey feathers. They are social birds and live in large colonies, often gathering in thousands. Their habitats include salty water bodies like lagoons, estuaries, lakes, and mudflats. Greater Flamingos migrate to India from Israel, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, and are the State Bird of Gujarat. Lesser Flamingos migrate from Siberia to Mumbai through the Rann of Kutch in Gujarat.

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Maharashtra has launched a hedging desk in Pune to help farmers lock in prices, reduce risks, and boost incomes under the SMART Project, which stands for Balasaheb Thackeray Agribusiness and Rural Transformation Project. The desk will first cover cotton, turmeric, and maize crops to protect farmers from market price fluctuations. The initiative will expand to include more crops in the future. It is supported by the National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange and its research wing National Institute of Commodity Research (NICR).