India Current Affairs [Nation & States] MCQs

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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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Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth and Minister of State for Education Jayant Chaudhary felicitated winners at the Veer Gatha 5.0 awards ceremony in New Delhi. Veer Gatha 5.0 is a joint initiative of the Ministries of Defence and Education, celebrating the courage of Gallantry awardees. This year, 100 winners were selected from 91 schools across 18 countries under three categories. Each winner received a cash prize of ₹10,000 and an opportunity to witness the Republic Day Parade 2026 at Kartavya Path as special guests. Veer Gatha was launched in 2021 as part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.

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The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) launched Operation Sahyadri Checkmate based on developed intelligence. A clandestine mobile mephedrone manufacturing laboratory was dismantled in the Sahyadri ranges, disguised as a poultry farm. The lab frequently shifted locations to evade detection and was fully operational for producing Mephedrone (a narcotic under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act). The operation highlights DRI’s role in disrupting organized drug trafficking and protecting public health, law and order, and economic stability.

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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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NeophyteID is an Artificial Intelligence powered mobile application launched by the Chief Minister of Kerala. It is designed to identify invasive plant species across Kerala and support biodiversity conservation. The app is developed by the Malabar Botanical Garden and Institute for Plant Sciences (MBGIPS). The application is citizen friendly and helps communities, students, and ecologists monitor invasive plants. It uses image recognition and geospatial tracking through camera or gallery images.

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Road accidents and fatalities on National Highways (NHs) declined by over 11% in 2025, according to data presented by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) in Lok Sabha. In 2025, National Highways recorded 1,34,307 accidents and 57,482 deaths, compared to 1,50,958 accidents and 64,772 deaths in 2024. This marked the first decline in three years, after 1,50,177 accidents and 63,112 deaths in 2023. The reduction was mainly driven by Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Chhattisgarh, and Telangana, which together reduced fatalities by 6,072. Uttar Pradesh saw the largest drop, from 9,560 deaths in 2024 to 6,973 in 2025, followed by Madhya Pradesh with 1,762 fewer deaths.

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The Finance Minister announced Bharat-VISTAAR, a multilingual AI tool to integrate AgriStack portals and ICAR’s agricultural practice package with AI systems. AgriStack is a Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) for the farm sector under the Digital Agriculture Mission (DAM), approved by the Union Cabinet in September 2024. AgriStack has three foundational registries: Farmer Registry, Crop Sown Registry, and Geo-referenced Village Maps, maintained by State Governments and Union Territories. Farmer Registry gives farmers a digital Farmer ID, linked to land records, livestock, crops, family, demographics, schemes, and benefits; target is 11 crore farmers.

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Recently, the Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister approved the launch of the Urban Challenge Fund (UCF) to strengthen urban development in India. The Urban Challenge Fund is a new Centrally Sponsored Scheme under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. The Fund aims to promote resilient, productive, inclusive, and climate-responsive cities, positioning urban centres as key drivers of India’s next phase of economic growth. Under the scheme, at least 50 per cent of project financing must be mobilised from market sources such as municipal bonds, bank loans, and Public–Private Partnerships (PPPs), while the remaining share can be contributed by States, Union Territories, Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), or other sources.

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The United Nations launches a project in partnership with four Indian states to develop a road safety financing framework. The initiative is being implemented in Rajasthan, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Assam under the coordination of the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office in India. The project focuses on strengthening institutional capacity for effective implementation of road safety action plans. It aims to reduce road fatalities and serious injuries through better planning, funding and monitoring mechanisms.

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Tamil Nadu launched its first Dark Sky Park at Ariyur Shola Reserve Forest in Kolli Hills, Namakkal district to promote astro-tourism. It was inaugurated remotely from Chennai by Forest Minister R S Rajakannappan. Kolli Hills was selected due to high altitude, dense forest cover and minimal light pollution within 1.5 km radius. The park enables clear viewing of stars, planets, Milky Way galaxy and the Moon.