India Current Affairs [Nation & States] MCQs

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The Border Roads Organisation (BRO), under the Ministry of Defence, celebrated its 66th anniversary on May 7, 2025. It was established in 1960 with just two projects—Project Tusker (now Vartak) in the East and Project Beacon in the North. BRO now runs 18 projects across 11 States and 3 Union Territories, building roads in high-altitude and snow-bound areas. The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) functions under the Ministry of Defence.

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Recently, Indian Army Engineers under the Spear Corps joined hands with the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to conduct a major disaster relief exercise named Exercise Raahat at Rangapahar Military Station in Nagaland from May 13 to 15. The aim was to improve readiness and coordination ahead of the monsoon season. The first two days focused on planning, war-gaming, and case study discussions for better disaster response strategies. On the final day, both Army and NDRF teams demonstrated rescue and medical operations using advanced equipment.

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The Prime Minister will soon meet the Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh to review the Polavaram project. The Polavaram Project is a multi-purpose irrigation initiative built on the Godavari River in Andhra Pradesh. It is located near Polavaram village in West Godavari district, close to the borders of Odisha and Chhattisgarh. The project was proposed in 1980 based on the Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal (GWDT) recommendations. It has been given national project status by the central government. The dam will help control floodwaters and improve agricultural productivity in the region. This high-level meeting highlights the importance of inter-state cooperation for completing the project efficiently.

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The Tamil Nadu Cabinet recently approved a Space Industrial Policy to boost the space sector and attract investments. Tamil Nadu became the third Indian state after Karnataka and Gujarat to promote the space ecosystem. It already hosts key Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) facilities like the ISRO Propulsion Complex at Mahendragiri, Tirunelveli, which tests cryogenic and liquid engines. A second Indian spaceport is being built by ISRO at Kulasekarapattinam in Thoothukudi to increase satellite launch capacity. The state also has several startups working on reusable launch vehicles, in-space manufacturing, in-orbit refuelling, and satellite data analytics. IN-SPACe (Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre) is an autonomous agency under the Department of Space to promote private participation.

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Recently, the Department of Posts under the Ministry of Communications launched two digital platforms — ‘Know Your DIGIPIN’ and ‘Know Your PIN Code’ — to modernise India’s address system. These platforms align with the National Geospatial Policy 2022, aiming to improve geospatial infrastructure and public service delivery. The DIGIPIN (Digital Postal Index Number) is a geo-coded, grid-based digital address system developed with Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Hyderabad and National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). DIGIPIN enables users to find digital addresses using location coordinates and improves delivery, emergency services, and logistics. The ‘Know Your PIN Code’ app uses Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) to identify exact PIN codes based on user location. Users can give feedback to help refine PIN Code accuracy through the geo-fenced dataset now uploaded on the Open Government Data Platform.

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The Union government has invited proposals to set up District De-Addiction Centres (DDACs) in 291 gap districts across 30 States and Union Territories under the National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction (NAPDDR). NAPDDR is a centrally sponsored scheme aimed at reducing drug abuse through education, de-addiction, and rehabilitation. It focuses on awareness creation, reducing stigma, and reintegrating affected individuals into society. It also aims to build human resource capacity and support research, training, and innovation.

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The Election Commission of India (ECI) has introduced a new digital reform to report voter turnout in real-time using the ECINET app. ECINET is an integrated mobile application that combines over 40 internal apps used by ECI. Presiding officers can now update voter turnout every two hours directly from polling stations using this app. The new system removes the need for manual data relay through sector or returning officers. It allows automatic and accurate aggregation of constituency-level data. It improves electoral transparency, digital governance, and public trust in the Election Commission of India.

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The Union Education Minister launched the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam 2.0’ campaign by planting a sapling in New Delhi to promote environmental awareness on World Environment Day. A special module and website were also launched, along with a web portal to monitor eco club activities under Mission Lifestyle for Environment (Mission LiFE). The importance of trees in sustaining life was emphasized, linking the campaign to environmental and health benefits. The campaign called for reducing plastic use and adopting sustainable development practices to protect the environment.

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The Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) has recently given its “in-principle” approval to the Etalin Hydropower Project in Arunachal Pradesh. The project is located in Dibang Valley, Arunachal Pradesh, which is part of the Eastern Himalaya Global Biodiversity Hotspot, one of the 36 global biodiversity hotspots. The Etalin project will involve construction of two gravity dams – one on the Dri River and the other on the Talo (also known as Tangon) River. The total power generation capacity of the project is 3,097 Megawatts (MW).

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Bihar has become the top state in India for using the ‘Scan and Share’ feature under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), with a 92% online Out-Patient Department (OPD) registration rate. As per the National Health Authority (NHA), Bihar alone accounts for 2.94 crore of the 11.38 crore total OPD registrations under ABDM since 2021. ABDM is a national initiative to build a digital health ecosystem that connects patients, doctors, and hospitals using interoperable systems.