India Current Affairs [Nation & States] MCQs

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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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The Quality Council of India (QCI) has announced a comprehensive set of next-generation quality reforms to strengthen India’s quality ecosystem across healthcare, laboratories, MSMEs, and manufacturing sectors. QCI is a non-profit autonomous organisation, registered under the Societies Registration Act XXI of 1860. QCI functions under the administrative control of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry. It acts as India’s national accreditation body, creating a system for independent third-party assessment of products, services, and processes.

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India launched its first-ever weapons database, named the ‘Lost, Looted and Recovered Firearm’ database, to strengthen the fight against organised crime, terrorism, and extremism. The database was launched by Union Home Minister Amit Shah during the inaugural session of the Anti-Terror Conference-2025 organised by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). It has been developed by the NIA, India’s central anti-terror agency under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). The database records detailed information on government-owned weapons that are lost, looted, stolen, or recovered from state police forces and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs).

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Recently, the Chief of Defence Staff inaugurated a major runway upgrade at the Indian Air Force base on Car Nicobar Island. Car Nicobar Island is part of the Nicobar district in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Union Territory. It is the northernmost island of the Nicobar group, lying south of Little Andaman and north of Nancowry Island. The Ten Degree Channel separates the Andaman Islands and Nicobar Islands near the island. Despite its small size of under 127 square kilometres, it holds nearly half of Nicobar’s population and serves as the district headquarters.

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Punjab has opened its first Dog Sanctuary in Ludhiana as a pilot project. The initiative will be replicated across the state. The sanctuary aims to reduce dog bite cases in the city. It will operate according to Supreme Court guidelines.

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The National Green Tribunal (NGT) directed the Udupi District Collector (DC) and Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Drainage Board (KUWSDB) Chairman to submit an action plan to stop wastewater flow into the Souparnika River. The Souparnika, also called Sowparnika, is a west-flowing river in Karnataka. It flows through dense forests of the Western Ghats. The river originates from the Kodachadri Hills in the Western Ghats.

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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 Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) campaign completed 11 years since its launch in 2015. It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme under the Sambal vertical of Mission Shakti. It is jointly implemented by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and Ministry of Education, later joined by Ministries of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship and Minority Affairs. National Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB) rose from 918 (2014–15) to 930 (2023–24); institutional deliveries increased from 61% to 97.3% in the same period.

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Tamil Nadu Government has decided to establish and maintain pet parks in Chennai and Coimbatore with private participation. The initiative aims to promote safe pet ownership and compassionate animal care. Private charitable organisations, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and animal welfare groups with prior experience are invited to apply. Selected organisations will develop and maintain parks using their own funds. Facilities will include play equipment, green lawns, pet shops, training equipment and rule handbooks.

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The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) launched a first-of-its-kind ‘Bee Corridor’ initiative along National Highways. The project will create continuous stretches of bee-friendly flowering trees and plants to ensure year-round nectar and pollen. It shifts focus from ornamental to ecological plantations for pollinator conservation. Native species like Neem, Karanj, Mahua, Palash, Bottle Brush, Jamun, and Siris will be planted. Clusters will be developed every 500 meters to 1 kilometer, matching bee foraging distance. At least three corridors will be developed in 2026–27. Around 40 lakh trees will be planted, with 60% under Bee Corridor, promoting sustainable highway development.