India Current Affairs [Nation & States] MCQs

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Over the past five years, police across India have expanded social media monitoring to track evolving crime trends. Dedicated social media monitoring cells increased from 262 in 28 States and 8 Union Territories in 2020 to 365 by 2024. Bihar (52), Maharashtra (50), Punjab (48), West Bengal (38), and Assam (37) have the highest number of cells. Cyber Crime police stations rose from 376 in 2020 to 624 in 2024. Drones in police forces increased to 1,147 in 2024 from 1,010 in 2023. India has 5,92,839 vacant police posts out of a sanctioned strength of 27,55,274.

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Seventy-eight-year-old Congress leader Siddaramaiah became the longest-serving Chief Minister of Karnataka on January 7, 2026, surpassing the record of his role model and social justice icon D. Devaraj Urs. D. Devaraj Urs served as Chief Minister for seven years and 239 days across two terms (1972–1977 and 1978–1980), while Siddaramaiah has served since May 2023, after completing a full earlier term from 2013 to 2018. Urs is remembered for land reforms, while Siddaramaiah earned the image of “champion of the poor” through Bhagya schemes and later five guarantee schemes.

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The Department of Financial Services launched the Paripoorna Mediclaim Ayush Bima for Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) beneficiaries. The insurance policy provides cashless facilities, modern treatments, and access to a wide network of hospitals. It is exclusively for CGHS beneficiaries, covering a maximum of six members per policy. The policy offers indemnity-based in-patient hospitalisation coverage within India, with sum insured options of ₹10 Lakh or ₹20 Lakh. A co-payment option allows beneficiaries to choose 70:30 or 50:50 cost-sharing between insurance companies and subscribers.

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Maharashtra will build its first Innovation City near Mumbai to attract global investors and innovation ecosystems. The proposal was presented at the World Economic Forum (WEF) 2025 in Davos under the Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Innovation Ecosystem theme. The project location is finalised and implementation will begin within six to eight month. The aim is to create a plug-and-play global innovation hub in Mumbai.

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The Bembla Irrigation Project is located in Yavatmal district of Maharashtra in the drought-prone Vidarbha region. It is a multipurpose irrigation project under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) and Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP). The project involves a dam on the Bembla River, a tributary of the Wardha River, near Babhulgaon. It aims to create irrigation potential for about 52,543 hectares benefiting over 100 villages. By early 2026, more than 95% canal and distribution works were completed with micro-irrigation focus.

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The central government has announced India’s first tailings policy to guide recovery of critical minerals from both primary sources and secondary sources like mine dumps and tailings. Tailings are leftover materials produced after processing mined ore. They contain finely ground rock, unrecoverable or uneconomic metals, chemicals, organic matter, and liquid waste from extraction processes. Tailings usually exist as a liquid slurry formed during crushing, grinding, and processing of ore.

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The Ministry of Panchayati Raj, with the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, is organizing a National Award Ceremony for Model Youth Gram Sabha winners. Model Youth Gram Sabha is a simulated Gram Sabha forum for school students inspired by the Model United Nations (UN). It aims to strengthen Janbhagidari (people’s participation) and participatory local governance among youth. Model Youth Gram Sabha is an initiative of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.

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Maharashtra has launched India’s first dedicated menopause clinics in government hospitals and urban health facilities. The clinics provide medical consultation, mental health counselling, bone, heart and hormonal screening, medicines, and guidance at a single location. Menopause is a critical phase often accompanied by physical changes, hormonal imbalance, mental stress, sleep disorders, bone problems, and depression. The initiative addresses the long-felt need for specialised support for women during menopause.

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Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi launched the Samikshya portal for real-time monitoring of development projects. It tracks works funded under the State Finance Commission (SFC) and Central Finance Commission (CFC) grants. Citizens, officials, and elected representatives can monitor projects like roads, drinking water, sanitation, street lights, parks, and public utilities. It emphasizes equity, regional balance, and the needs of rural and urban bodies. The portal aims to improve transparency, accountability, and timely execution of grassroots projects.

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Oil India carried out seismic studies in blocks won under the ninth round to plan bidding for the tenth round. The Open Acreage Licensing Policy was introduced by the Government of India under the Hydrocarbon Exploration and Licensing Policy. It replaced the New Exploration and Licensing Policy that operated for over eighteen years. Under this policy, companies can choose and explore oil and gas blocks on their own. Exploration can begin without waiting for government notifications. The policy also allows access to seismic data from the National Data Repository.