India Current Affairs [Nation & States] MCQs

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The Ministry of Panchayati Raj and the Department of Panchayati Raj, Government of Jharkhand, are organizing a national event under “Hamari Parampara Hamari Virasat” on 4th April 2025 in New Delhi. It celebrates the 150th Birth Anniversary of Bhagwan Birsa Munda, honoring tribal heritage nationwide. More than 560 tribal representatives from Jharkhand will share views on grassroots governance, cultural legacy, and traditional knowledge. Cultural programs like Santhali dance and Munda storytelling will be featured. The initiative launched on 26th January 2025, aims to preserve tribal traditions across 20,300 villages, aligned with the Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (PESA Act).

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Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare J.P. Nadda launched the Inter-All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Referral Portal to improve patient referral systems across India. The portal was developed by AIIMS New Delhi using advanced technology like facial recognition and automated workflows. It aims to reduce waiting time, cut manual errors, and make healthcare more patient-friendly and transparent. The project will begin as a pilot between AIIMS New Delhi and AIIMS Bilaspur to test and refine the system. This initiative reflects the Ministry’s goal of providing inclusive, efficient, and tech-driven healthcare for all.

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Gujarat Police launched the GP-DRASTI program, which stands for Drone Response and Aerial Surveillance Tactical Interventions. The program uses quadcopters for real-time surveillance, quick response to crimes, and evidence collection. It covers 33 police stations across Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Surat, and Vadodara. The drones are equipped with high-definition (HD) cameras, night vision, and a 1-kilometre zoom. They can track suspects, provide live video, and help in facial recognition during criminal events. Each drone operates within a 4-kilometre range, flies up to 120 meters high, and can stay airborne for 45 minutes. Sixteen police personnel have been trained to operate the drones. The initiative boosts security in areas prone to violence and improves police effectiveness.

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South India’s first Air-Conditioned Electric Multiple Unit (AC EMU) train has started operations on the Chennai Beach-Chengalpattu corridor. This marks a major milestone for Chennai’s suburban rail network, which is a key transport system for the city and nearby areas. The service is operated by the Chennai division of Southern Railway. It is the first AC EMU service in southern India, according to officials. The train has advanced features like automatic doors and a passenger information system, offering a more comfortable and modern travel experience.

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Less than 1% of doctors in India have registered with the National Medical Register (NMR) eight months after its launch. National Medical Register (NMR) is a centralized digital database that includes all licensed allopathic (MBBS) doctors in India. It was launched in August 2024 under Section 31 of the National Medical Commission (NMC) Act, 2019. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, is the nodal ministry for the NMR. The NMR aims to create a comprehensive registry of all allopathic doctors in India, ensuring transparency and accountability in the medical field. It also enhances public trust, helps in credential verification, and aids in policy planning for healthcare.

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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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All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bhopal has ranked second nationwide for its paperless and queue-less Outpatient Department (OPD) registration under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM). The ranking was announced by the National Health Authority (NHA), Government of India. AIIMS Bhopal generated over 1.45 million OPD tokens using the ‘Scan and Share’ service. AIIMS New Delhi holds the first position in the ranking. The ‘Scan and Share’ system allows patients to scan a QR code with their smartphones to get OPD tokens instantly.

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The Election Commission of India (ECI) will soon launch a new digital platform called ECINET to streamline electoral services. ECINET is a single-point user-friendly interface for voters, election officials, political parties, and civil society. It will integrate over 40 existing mobile and web apps of the ECI into one platform. Popular apps like Voter Helpline, Voter Turnout, cVIGIL, Suvidha 2.0, Electoral Search and Management System (ESMS), Saksham, and Know Your Candidate (KYC) will be merged into ECINET. It will offer a clean User Interface (UI) and smooth User Experience (UX), reducing the need to download multiple apps. ECINET will follow the Representation of the People Act 1950, 1951, and related rules and guidelines.

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Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution launched three digital platforms—Depot Darpan Portal, Anna Mitra App, and Anna Sahayata Platform—to improve India’s Public Distribution System (PDS). These platforms aim to ensure transparency, accountability, and citizen participation, benefiting over 81 crore people under the National Food Security Act (NFSA). Depot Darpan Portal allows depot officials to assess their performance using Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, CCTV, and real-time analytics, and may save ₹275 crore in Food Corporation of India (FCI) depots. Anna Mitra App helps Fair Price Shop (FPS) dealers and officers track stock, alerts, and reports in real time. Anna Sahayata Platform enables easy grievance filing via WhatsApp, Interactive Voice Response System (IVRS), and speech tools for PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) users. These steps support the Digital India mission and aim to build a developed India or “Viksit Bharat” through technology-driven welfare delivery.

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The India Meteorological Department (IMD) will soon start using the Bharat Forecast System (BFS) for improved weather predictions. BFS is an indigenously developed advanced forecasting model created by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune. It offers a 6-kilometre resolution, the highest in the world, allowing better prediction of small-scale weather events. This is a major upgrade from the earlier 12-kilometre Global Forecast System (GFS) used in India. The higher resolution will help forecast localised events like heavy rainfall and cyclones more accurately. BFS is powered by the Arka supercomputer, which has 11.77 petaflops of speed and 33 petabytes of storage. The supercomputer is based at IITM, Pune, and will significantly reduce forecast processing time compared to the older Pratyush system.