India Current Affairs [Nation & States] MCQs

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Varanasi entered the Guinness World Records by planting 2,51,446 saplings in one hour at Sujabad Domari, surpassing China’s 2018 record of 1,53,981 saplings. The record was verified by Guinness World Records adjudicator Rishinath using drone surveillance and a digital counting system. Certificate presented to Mayor Ashok Kumar Tiwari and Municipal Commissioner Himanshu Nagpal. Plantation covered nearly 350 bighas, developed as an urban forest with coordination among the Municipal Corporation, government departments, institutions, and social organisations.

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The Indian Railways recently launched the SHINE app on International Women’s Day to promote workplace safety and empowerment for women employees. SHINE stands for Sexual Harassment Incident Notification for Empowerment. The app allows women employees to lodge complaints of sexual harassment while maintaining confidentiality. Complaints are addressed promptly by the Internal Complaints Committee in accordance with Visakha Guidelines (1997) and government instructions. Complaints can be filed through the Human Resources Management System (HRMS) and the Employee Self Service portal.

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Recently, the Forest Survey of India (FSI) stopped sharing alerts from the Anavaran Deforestation Alert System with states regarding forest loss. The Anavaran Deforestation Alert System is operated by Forest Survey of India (FSI). The Anavaran portal started in 2024 to monitor deforestation using satellite technology. It used satellite data and Machine Learning (ML) to detect forest cover loss and send location-based alerts every 15 days for field inspection. The system runs on Google Earth Engine (GEE) for large-scale geospatial data analysis. It uses Sentinel‑2 images and integrates Sentinel‑1 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) for monitoring during cloudy or monsoon periods.

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Kavach 4.0 has been successfully commissioned on 1,452 route km of Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Howrah corridors. Kavach is an indigenous Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system that prevents train collisions by automatically controlling speed and braking if the loco pilot fails. It is developed by Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) in collaboration with Indian industry. The system aims for Zero Accidents by preventing Signal Passing at Danger (SPAD), controlling overspeeding, and ensuring safety in adverse weather like fog.

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Gujarat Government launched a statewide vaccination campaign from 1 March to 15 April to control Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) and protect livestock. The drive is conducted under the National Animal Disease Control Programme (NADCP). FMD is a highly contagious viral disease affecting cloven-hoofed animals like cattle, buffaloes, sheep and goats. It causes fever, mouth ulcers and excessive salivation, leading to reduced milk production and productivity. Vaccination helps prevent outbreaks and protect farmers from economic losses.

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The Government of India has approved RELIEF – Resilience & Logistics Intervention for Export Facilitation under the Export Promotion Mission (EPM) to support exporters affected by disruptions in the Gulf and wider West Asia maritime corridor. The intervention was prompted by heightened security concerns around the Strait of Hormuz, which led to vessel diversions, longer routes, congestion at transshipment hubs, and emergency conflict-linked surcharges, increasing logistics costs and operational uncertainty for exporters.

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Masi Magam is an important festival in the Tamil calendar, holding deep cultural and identity significance for the Irular community. The Irulars are a Dravidian ethnic group, mainly living in the Nilgiri Mountains of the Western Ghats across Tamil Nadu and Kerala. They are considered one of India’s oldest indigenous communities and are classified as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) in Tamil Nadu. They also identify as Erlar or Poosari, while others call them Irulas, Shikari, Pujari or Eralollu.

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The Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences under the Ministry of AYUSH signed an MoU with Anuvadini AI, a platform developed by the All India Council for Technical Education under the Ministry of Education. The initiative aims to make evidence-based Ayurveda knowledge accessible across language barriers in India. Anuvadini AI specialises in using artificial intelligence to translate technical, scientific, and governance-related content into multiple Indian and foreign languages.

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National Assessment and Accreditation Council has not granted fresh accreditation to any university or college in the current academic year, raising concerns about the accreditation process. NAAC was established in 1994 as an autonomous institution under the University Grants Commission. Its primary objective is to assess and enhance the quality of higher education institutions (HEIs) through a structured accreditation process. It evaluates institutions such as colleges, universities, and other recognised bodies to determine their overall quality status.

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The Jammu and Kashmir government is reviving the historic Mohra Power Project to boost hydropower development amid the Indus Waters Treaty remaining in abeyance. The Mohra (Mahura) Power Project is located on the Jhelum River in Uri, Baramulla district, Jammu and Kashmir. It was commissioned in 1905 and is regarded as the first hydroelectric power plant in the Kashmir Valley. The project was originally designed as a run-of-the-river hydropower plant with a capacity of about 5 MW. It is now being upgraded to a capacity of 10.5 MW to enhance power generation.