Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2025

Notes:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Sri Sri Radha Madanmohanji Temple of ISKCON in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, on January 15, 2025. The temple is now the second-largest ISKCON temple in Asia. The design of the temple blends spirituality and knowledge, with various facilities reflecting ISKCON’s mission to serve society.

Notes:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 2nd Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2025 on 17 January 2025 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. The first expo was held in February 2024 in New Delhi. The event unites the entire mobility sector, including automobiles, transportation infrastructure, electric vehicles, and digital technologies. It highlights India’s role as a global mobility hub, showcasing cutting-edge innovations. The expo is hosted at Bharat Mandapam, Yashoboomi in Delhi, and Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, from 17-22 January 2025.

Notes:
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) discovered ancient Buddhist artifacts, including a Buddha head and inscribed relics, at Odisha’s Ratnagiri. Ratnagiri has been associated with Buddhism since Emperor Ashoka’s invasion of Kalinga. It was a significant center for Mahayana and Tantrayana (Vajrayana) Buddhist learning, rivaling Nalanda. Ratnagiri, along with Lalitagiri and Udayagiri, forms the Diamond Triangle of Buddhist centers in Odisha.

Notes:
The Prime Minister praised Indian space startup Digantara for the success of its Mission SCOT. SCOT (Space Camera for Object Tracking) is Digantara’s first mission for space surveillance and one of the world’s first commercial Space Situational Awareness (SSA) satellites. It was launched aboard SpaceX’s Transporter-12 mission and deployed in a sun-synchronous orbit. SCOT is designed to track Resident Space Objects (RSOs) as small as 5 cm in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) with high accuracy and revisit rates. It addresses gaps in existing systems limited by fields of view, weather, and geography.

Notes:
A family of four drowned in the Bharathapuzha River recently. Bharathapuzha is Kerala’s second longest river, flowing 209 km. The Bharathapuzha River flows through the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. It’s also known as the Nila River or Ponnani River. The Bharathapuzha originates in the Annamalai hills in the Western Ghats of Tamil Nadu. It flows northwest through the Pollachi taluk of Coimbatore district in Tamil Nadu It enters the Palghat district of Kerala through the Palghat gap It drains into the Arabian Sea near Ponnani town in Kerala. The Malampuzha dam is the largest dam on the river.

Notes:
The Indian men’s and women’s teams won the inaugural Kho Kho World Cup 2025 titles at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi. The men’s team defeated Nepal 54-36, while the women’s team beat Nepal 78-40 in their respective finals. The tournament, backed by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), featured 20 men’s and 19 women’s teams. Both finals showcased India’s dominance, with strong attacking and defensive performances.

Notes:
The Startup India mission’s success owes much to funding mechanisms like the Fund of Funds for Startups (FFS). FFS was launched in 2016 with a Rs 10,000 crore corpus, aligned with the 14th and 15th Finance Commissions. Its goal is to boost the Indian startup ecosystem and provide access to domestic capital. FFS does not invest directly in startups but funds SEBI-registered Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs), which invest in startups via equity and equity-linked instruments. The scheme is operated by the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI).

Notes:
The Pralay missile, India’s first tactical quasi-ballistic missile, will be showcased in the Republic Day parade. It is a short-range surface-to-surface ballistic missile with a range of 150-500 km, developed to meet the Army’s tactical needs. Pralay can carry a 350-700 kg conventional warhead and strike enemy positions with high accuracy. It was developed by DRDO.

Notes:
The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change addressed the 3rd International Conference on Sustainable Circularity, organized by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) in New Delhi. The theme focused on ‘Nature Positive Recycling,’ emphasizing the importance of aligning India’s growing automotive sector with environmental sustainability. Government policies supporting sustainability include the Vehicle Scrappage Policy, End-of-Life Vehicles Rules, and promotion of Electric Vehicles (EVs) through schemes like FAME and PLI. The Ministry called for circular economy practices, highlighted the automotive sector’s role in achieving SDGs, and encouraged the industry to lead the transition to sustainability.

Notes:
Penguin Awareness Day is observed on January 20 every year to raise awareness about penguins and their habitats. The day highlights the challenges penguins face, such as climate change, overfishing, habitat destruction, and pollution. The goal is to promote penguin conservation and protect their habitats. This day encourages global awareness about the decline in penguin populations and the urgent need for conservation efforts.