India Current Affairs [Nation & States] MCQs

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The Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) launched the “Sahajeevan” project to comply with the Supreme Court directives on stray dogs. The initiative focuses on relocating stray dogs from educational institutions, hospitals, and public places to designated shelters after vaccination. The project aims to promote human-animal coexistence while ensuring safe relocation and vaccination. GMC plans to create awareness in all wards before vaccination drives to prevent public resistance.

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The Ministry of Steel has launched a new simplified registration facility called SARAL SIMS under the Steel Import Monitoring System (SIMS), effective from 21 November, to ease steel import procedures. SARAL SIMS simplifies registration for small consignments and export-oriented imports under Advance Authorization, Special Economic Zones (SEZs), and Export-Oriented Units (EOUs). It applies to steel and iron products under Chapters 72, 73, and 86 of the Indian Trade Classification – Harmonized System (ITC-HS), 2022. Importers will make one annual declaration and receive a single SARAL SIMS number usable for multiple consignments in a financial year.

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Union Minister for New & Renewable Energy inaugurated a 240 TPD (tonnes per day) Biomass Pellet Plant in Rewari, Haryana, marking a major clean energy milestone. Government of India now mandates 5% biomass or Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) charcoal co-firing in all coal plants and 7% in Delhi–NCR units. NCR plants must source 50% biomass from local paddy residue to curb stubble burning. New plant will use paddy straw, mustard straw, and cotton stalks to make biomass pellets, reducing pollution and giving farmers extra income. Haryana has over 2.8 GW renewable energy, including 2.4 GW solar power.

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A major Nigerian drug cartel running a nationwide drug supply and money-laundering network was dismantled in a joint operation called Operation Eagle Force. The operation was carried out by Eagle Force Telangana, the Narcotics Control Bureau, the Delhi Police Crime Branch and Noida Police. Raids were conducted at 20 locations in Delhi, Noida, Gwalior and Visakhapatnam. The probe began from Cyberabad drug cases and traced orders to a Nigeria-based handler called “Nick”, supplying drugs to over 2,000 users and peddlers across India.

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The Chief Minister of Sikkim has declared Cho La and Dok La passes, located in the border areas of Sikkim, open for tourists. This has been done under the Bharat Ranbhoomi Darshan initiative of the Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Tourism. The initiative aims to promote border tourism, improve infrastructure, and support livelihoods in remote border villages. It focuses on boosting connectivity, tourism, and socio-economic development in border regions. The initiative offers virtual tours, historical stories, and interactive content on key battlefields.

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Seventeen families of the Paliyar Tribe in Dindigul district petitioned the District Collector to recognise their settlement as a formal village. The Paliyar Tribe is an indigenous community living mainly in the hilly regions of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. They are also known as Paliyans, Pazhaiyarares, and Panaiyars, based on region and history. Traditionally, they lived across Dindigul district and the Sirumalai and Palani hills near the Western Ghats. They speak a Tamil-related Dravidian dialect.

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Over 20 percent of groundwater samples collected in Delhi in 2023 had nitrate levels exceeding the permissible limit of 45 mg/l, according to a submission by the Central Groundwater Board (CGWB) before the National Green Tribunal (NGT). In some locations in Delhi, nitrate concentrations reached as high as 994 mg/l, which is more than 22 times the safe drinking water limit. Nitrate contamination poses serious environmental and public health risks, particularly causing methemoglobinemia or “blue baby syndrome” in infants. Delhi ranked fifth among states and Union Territories in terms of peak nitrate concentration, while Andhra Pradesh recorded the highest nitrate level in the country at 2,296.36 mg/l.

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SAMPANN (System for Accounting and Management of Pension) is an online pension management system for Department of Telecommunications (DoT) pensioners. It provides a single platform for processing, sanctioning, and disbursing pensions directly to bank accounts. Important pension documents like Gratuity Payment Orders, Pension Certificates/ePPOs, Pension Commutation Payment Orders, and Form 16 are now available via DigiLocker. DigiLocker integration allows pensioners to securely access, store, and retrieve official documents anytime, supporting paperless governance and long-term digital preservation.

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The Ministry of Rural Development launched a National Campaign on Entrepreneurship under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana–National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) to strengthen non-farm livelihoods and boost income growth among rural women. The campaign plans to train 50,000 community resource persons in enterprise development and provide Entrepreneurship Development Programme (EDP) training to 50 lakh Self Help Group (SHG) members nationwide. The initiative aims to strengthen rural economies, build a robust ecosystem for rural enterprises, and improve access to formal financial institutions and enterprise loans for grassroots women entrepreneurs.

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Recently, India launched its first open-sea marine fish farming project in the Andaman Sea near North Bay, Sri Vijaya Puram. The initiative marks a major step in India’s Blue Economy journey, aiming to harness ocean resources for economic growth and livelihoods. The project is a collaboration between the Ministry of Earth Sciences, National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), and Andaman & Nicobar Islands administration. It focuses on open-sea cultivation of marine finfish and seaweed under natural ocean conditions.