Daily Current Affairs Quiz: April 23, 2025

Notes:
The Maharashtra government has launched the Pink E Rickshaw Scheme to empower women and make them financially independent. It was officially launched by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on April 21, 2025, in Pune, where electric three-wheelers were distributed to selected women. The scheme is administered by the Women and Child Development Department of Maharashtra. Kinetic Green Energy and Power Solutions Limited is the official partner and will supply the electric three-wheelers. A total of 10,000 e-rickshaws will be given in eight districts, including Pune, Nashik, Nagpur, Ahmednagar, Solapur, Kolhapur, Amravati, and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar. Women aged between 20 and 50 years who are widows, divorcees, or from economically weaker sections will get preference under this scheme.

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The Bullseye Galaxy, officially named LEDA 1313424, was recently discovered by an international research team using the Hubble Space Telescope and the W. M. Keck Observatory. This galaxy has a unique ringed structure formed around 50 million years ago due to a head-on collision with a blue dwarf galaxy. The collision created rippling waves of gas, which triggered star formation in circular rings. The Hubble Space Telescope observed eight rings, while the W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii confirmed a ninth ring. The galaxy spans 250,000 light-years in diameter, nearly five times larger than the Milky Way. Despite being 130,000 light-years apart, a thin gas trail still links the Bullseye Galaxy to the dwarf galaxy. Scientists believe it may evolve into a Giant Low Surface Brightness Galaxy, which could offer insights into dark matter.

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Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), faced severe flooding in April 2025 due to poor urban planning and twin sources of floodwater. The disaster was caused by both local rainfall and runoff from the Congo Central Province, which overwhelmed rivers like the Ndjili and Lukaya. This led to 70 deaths, 150 injuries, and displacement of over 21,000 people. It also damaged 73 healthcare facilities and disrupted water and transport systems. Kinshasa is one of 38 flood hotspots in the Congo Basin due to rapid urbanisation and twin flood sources. The crisis was worsened by ongoing instability in eastern DRC caused by the M23 armed group, leading to more displacement. The Democratic Republic of Congo is the second-largest country in Africa after Algeria and the largest in Sub-Saharan Africa.

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Nepal celebrated its first-ever National Yak Day on April 20, 2025, to recognize the cultural, ecological, and economic importance of yaks in the Himalayan region. The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) called for the yak to be included in the sustainable development agenda, especially in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region. ICIMOD highlighted the vital role of indigenous communities like the Sherpa, Tamang, Thakali, Rai, and Limbu in preserving yak herding traditions. Yak herding supports food security, cultural identity, and biodiversity conservation in high-altitude areas. The event marked a step toward promoting mountain livelihoods and environmental sustainability.

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The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully completed the second docking of its two satellites, SDX01 (Chaser) and SDX02 (Target), under the Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX) mission. SpaDeX is a technology demonstration mission by ISRO to validate the ability to dock and undock small satellites in low-Earth orbit. The mission used two satellites, each weighing around 220 kg, launched by the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle-C60 into a 460 km circular orbit. The primary objective of SpaDeX was to develop and demonstrate the capability for spacecraft rendezvous, docking, and undocking. Secondary objectives include testing electric power transfer between docked spacecraft, developing spacecraft control systems, and testing payload operations after undocking for deep-space missions.