Current Affairs Hub

Understanding:

We need to identify the Indian state that launched the 'Mukhyamantri Ladli Behna Yojana'.

Step 1: Scheme Details

The 'Mukhyamantri Ladli Behna Yojana' was launched by the Madhya Pradesh government under Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in March 2023. The scheme provides direct financial assistance of Rs. 1,000 per month (later increased to Rs. 1,250) to eligible women in the state.

Step 2: Significance

The scheme became highly popular and is widely credited with influencing electoral outcomes in Madhya Pradesh. It inspired similar schemes in other states under different names.

Answer:

Madhya Pradesh launched the 'Mukhyamantri Ladli Behna Yojana' for women's financial empowerment.

Quick Tip:

Several states launched similar schemes with different names — MP's 'Ladli Behna', Maharashtra's 'Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana'. Do not confuse them in exams.

Understanding:

We need to identify the Indian city where the first underwater metro rail service was inaugurated in 2024.

Step 1: Key Event

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated India's first underwater metro tunnel on 6 March 2024 in Kolkata, West Bengal.

Step 2: Project Details

The underwater metro rail runs beneath the Hooghly River, connecting Howrah Maidan to Esplanade stations. The tunnel is approximately 4.8 km long and is part of the Kolkata East-West Metro Corridor. It is the first of its kind in South Asia.

Answer:

Kolkata became home to India's first underwater metro rail service, inaugurated in March 2024.

Quick Tip:

Kolkata already has the distinction of having India's first metro rail (1984). The underwater metro adds another first to its legacy — a common exam linkage point.

Understanding:

We need to identify the edition of the India-France joint military exercise 'Shakti' conducted in 2024.

Step 1: About Exercise Shakti

Exercise Shakti is a bilateral joint military exercise conducted between the Indian Army and the French Army. It is held alternately in India and France.

Step 2: 2024 Edition

The 8th Edition of Exercise Shakti 2024 was conducted at Mahajan Field Firing Ranges in Rajasthan, India. It focused on counter-terrorism operations in a semi-desert environment.

Answer:

The 8th Edition of the India-France joint military exercise Shakti was conducted in 2024.

Quick Tip:

For joint exercise questions, always note the edition number, location, and theme — these are the three most commonly tested details in competitive exams.

Understanding:

We need to identify the country that launched the Chang'e-6 lunar sample-return mission in 2024.

Step 1: Mission Details

China launched the Chang'e-6 mission in May 2024. It was a historic mission designed to collect samples from the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the far side of the Moon — a region never previously sampled by any space mission.

Step 2: Significance

Chang'e-6 successfully landed on the Moon's far side and returned approximately 1.9 kg of lunar samples to Earth in June 2024, making China the first country in history to retrieve samples from the far side of the Moon.

Answer:

China launched the Chang'e-6 mission and became the first country to collect and return samples from the far side of the Moon.

Quick Tip:

China's lunar programme follows the Chang'e series: Chang'e-4 was the first to soft-land on the Moon's far side (2019), while Chang'e-6 was the first to return samples from it (2024).

Understanding:

We need to identify who was appointed as the new RBI Governor in December 2024.

Step 1: Outgoing Governor

Shaktikanta Das served as the 25th Governor of the Reserve Bank of India from December 2018. His term ended on 10 December 2024.

Step 2: New Appointment

Sanjay Malhotra, who was serving as the Revenue Secretary of India at the time of his appointment, was appointed as the 26th Governor of the Reserve Bank of India with effect from 11 December 2024.

Answer:

Sanjay Malhotra was appointed as the 26th Governor of the Reserve Bank of India in December 2024.

Quick Tip:

RBI Governors are appointed for a term of three years. Knowing both the outgoing (Shaktikanta Das) and incoming (Sanjay Malhotra) governors is essential for 2024-25 current affairs.

Understanding:

This question asks about the country that became the first in the world to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender.

Step 1: Historical context

In June 2021, El Salvador's parliament passed the Bitcoin Law, making Bitcoin official legal tender alongside the US dollar. This came into effect on 7 September 2021, making El Salvador the first country in the world to take this step.

Step 2: Eliminating other options

Panama, Guatemala, and Honduras have not adopted Bitcoin as legal tender. Panama passed a cryptocurrency regulation bill later, but it was not signed into law in the same manner, and Bitcoin was not made legal tender there.

Answer:

El Salvador was the first country in the world to recognize Bitcoin as legal tender, effective September 7, 2021.

Quick Tip:

El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele championed the Bitcoin Law. The country also created a digital wallet called 'Chivo' to facilitate Bitcoin transactions among citizens.

Understanding:

This question asks about the channels that were merged to form 'Sansad TV' in India.

Step 1: Background

The Government of India decided to merge the two parliamentary channels to create a single unified channel for better outreach and resource utilization.

Step 2: The merger

Lok Sabha TV and Rajya Sabha TV were merged to form 'Sansad TV', which was launched on 15 September 2021. Ravi Kapoor was appointed as its first CEO.

Step 3: Eliminating other options

DD News and DD Kisan are Doordarshan channels that were not part of this merger. The merger was specifically between the two Houses of Parliament's dedicated TV channels.

Answer:

Sansad TV was formed by merging Lok Sabha TV and Rajya Sabha TV.

Quick Tip:

Sansad TV covers proceedings of both Houses of Parliament and also broadcasts educational and informational content related to governance and democracy.

Understanding:

This question asks about the Indian state that originally launched the 'One District One Product' (ODOP) initiative.

Step 1: Origin of ODOP

The ODOP initiative was launched by the Government of Uttar Pradesh in January 2018, inspired by Japan's 'One Village One Product' scheme. It aims to identify and promote one unique product from each of the state's 75 districts.

Step 2: National adoption

Following its success, the Government of India later adopted the ODOP framework at the national level under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry to promote local manufacturing and exports.

Step 3: Eliminating other options

While Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Rajasthan have similar economic promotion schemes, the ODOP initiative specifically originated in Uttar Pradesh.

Answer:

Uttar Pradesh launched the One District One Product (ODOP) initiative.

Quick Tip:

Some notable ODOP products from UP include Lucknow's Chikankari embroidery, Agra's leather goods, and Varanasi's Banarasi silk sarees.

Understanding:

This question asks about the UN Secretary-General who was reappointed for a second term in 2021.

Step 1: Identifying the current Secretary-General

António Guterres, a former Prime Minister of Portugal, first took office as UN Secretary-General on 1 January 2017. He was recommended by the UN Security Council for a second term in June 2021.

Step 2: Reappointment

The UN General Assembly confirmed Guterres for a second five-year term on 18 June 2021. His second term began on 1 January 2022 and runs through 31 December 2026.

Step 3: Eliminating other options

Ban Ki-moon and Kofi Annan are former Secretaries-General. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), not the UN.

Answer:

António Guterres was reappointed as UN Secretary-General for a second term.

Quick Tip:

Guterres has been a strong advocate for climate action and has repeatedly called for net-zero emissions targets, making him relevant in climate-related current affairs questions.

Understanding:

This question asks about the city where India hosted the G20 Summit during which the Global Biofuel Alliance was launched.

Step 1: India's G20 Presidency

India held the G20 Presidency from December 1, 2022, to November 30, 2023. The main G20 Leaders' Summit was held on September 9–10, 2023.

Step 2: Venue of the Summit

The G20 Leaders' Summit was hosted at the Bharat Mandapam International Exhibition and Convention Centre in New Delhi.

Step 3: Global Biofuel Alliance

The Global Biofuel Alliance was officially launched on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in New Delhi. The alliance includes founding members such as India, the USA, and Brazil.

Answer:

The G20 Summit where the Global Biofuel Alliance was launched was held in New Delhi.

Quick Tip:

The theme of India's G20 Presidency was 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' (One Earth, One Family, One Future). The African Union was also admitted as a permanent G20 member during this summit.

Understanding:

This question asks about the Indian space mission that achieved space docking technology in January 2025.

Step 1: SpaDeX Mission

ISRO launched the Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX) mission on December 30, 2024. It consisted of two small spacecraft — SDX01 (the Chaser) and SDX02 (the Target).

Step 2: Docking Achievement

On January 16, 2025, ISRO successfully demonstrated space docking technology, making India the fourth country in the world — after the USA, Russia, and China — to achieve this capability.

Step 3: Eliminating other options

Gaganyaan is India's human spaceflight mission, Chandrayaan-3 was the Moon landing mission (2023), and Aditya-L1 is India's solar observation mission. None of these involved docking technology.

Answer:

The SpaDeX (Space Docking Experiment) mission made India the fourth country to achieve space docking technology.

Quick Tip:

Space docking technology is critical for future missions like space station construction and crewed Moon/Mars missions. SpaDeX is a key stepping stone for India's Gaganyaan and future space station ambitions.

Understanding:

This question asks about the financial year in which UPI crossed the 100 billion transaction milestone.

Step 1: UPI Growth Trajectory

UPI, launched in 2016 by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), has seen exponential growth. It recorded about 46 billion transactions in FY 2021-22 and approximately 84 billion transactions in FY 2022-23.

Step 2: FY 2023-24 Milestone

In FY 2023-24 (April 2023 to March 2024), UPI crossed the historic milestone of 100 billion (1,000 crore) transactions, with the total transaction value exceeding Rs 200 lakh crore.

Step 3: Eliminating other options

The 100 billion figure was not reached in FY 2021-22 or FY 2022-23, and FY 2020-21 recorded far fewer transactions as digital payments were still scaling up.

Answer:

UPI crossed 100 billion transactions for the first time in FY 2023-24.

Quick Tip:

UPI is now accepted in several countries including France, UAE, Singapore, Bhutan, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, marking India's fintech global reach.

Understanding:

This question asks about the recipients of the Bharat Ratna in 2024, specifically the personality awarded alongside P.V. Narasimha Rao and Chaudhary Charan Singh.

Step 1: 2024 Bharat Ratna Recipients

In 2024, the Government of India announced five Bharat Ratna awardees:

Step 2: Identifying the correct answer

L.K. Advani was the only living recipient among the 2024 Bharat Ratna awardees, making him a frequently tested figure. The question asks for the personality awarded alongside both P.V. Narasimha Rao and Chaudhary Charan Singh — all three were in the 2024 batch, and L.K. Advani is the most prominent option listed.

Step 3: Eliminating other options

Atal Bihari Vajpayee received the Bharat Ratna in 2015. Manmohan Singh did not receive the Bharat Ratna in 2024.

Answer:

Lal Krishna Advani was awarded the Bharat Ratna in 2024 alongside P.V. Narasimha Rao and Chaudhary Charan Singh.

Quick Tip:

The 2024 Bharat Ratna announcement was notable for honoring five recipients in a single year, which is rare. L.K. Advani, at 96, became one of the oldest living recipients of the award.

Understanding:

This question asks about the host country and official tagline of the 2024 Summer Olympic Games.

Step 1: Host of the 2024 Olympics

The 2024 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad, were held in Paris, France, from July 26 to August 11, 2024. Paris hosted the Olympics for the third time (previously in 1900 and 1924).

Step 2: Official Tagline

The official tagline of the Paris 2024 Olympics was 'Games Wide Open' (in French: 'Ouvrons large les Jeux'), reflecting inclusivity and accessibility.

Step 3: Eliminating other options

'United by Emotion' was the tagline of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics (held in 2021). 'Inspire a Generation' was London 2012's tagline. Los Angeles is the host of the 2028 Olympics, not 2024.

Answer:

The 2024 Summer Olympic Games were hosted by Paris, France, with the official tagline 'Games Wide Open'.

Quick Tip:

India finished the Paris 2024 Olympics with 6 medals (0 gold, 1 silver, 5 bronze). Neeraj Chopra won silver in Javelin Throw. The opening ceremony was uniquely held on the River Seine rather than in a stadium.

Understanding:

This question asks about the nodal body responsible for coordinating the Viksit Bharat @2047 initiative.

Step 1: About Viksit Bharat @2047

Viksit Bharat (Developed India) @2047 is India's overarching vision to become a fully developed nation by the centenary of its independence in 2047. It envisions India achieving developed-country status across economic, social, and governance dimensions.

Step 2: Nodal Authority

NITI Aayog, functioning under the Prime Minister's Office, is the nodal body responsible for coordinating the Viksit Bharat @2047 initiative. NITI Aayog has been tasked with developing a long-term strategy document and consulting various stakeholders including state governments, experts, and citizens.

Step 3: Eliminating other options

While the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, and Ministry of External Affairs all contribute to aspects of India's development, the overarching coordination of the Viksit Bharat vision is under NITI Aayog and the Prime Minister's Office.

Answer:

NITI Aayog under the Prime Minister's Office is the nodal body coordinating the Viksit Bharat @2047 initiative.

Quick Tip:

Viksit Bharat @2047 has four pillars: Yuva (Youth), Garib (Poor), Mahila (Women), and Annadata (Farmers). This framework is frequently referenced in government scheme announcements and budget speeches.