Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2025

Notes:
The Boda Tyohar festival, the largest annual celebration for the Hatti tribes in Himachal Pradesh, started recently with great enthusiasm. Hattis are a close-knit community known for selling home-grown crops, vegetables, meat, and wool at ‘haats’. They traditionally wear white headgear on ceremonial occasions. Hatti homeland spans the Himachal-Uttarakhand border, near the Giri and Tons rivers, tributaries of the Yamuna. There are two main Hatti clans, one in Trans-Giri, Himachal, and the other in Jaunsar Bawar, Uttarakhand.

Notes:
The first Kho Kho World Cup began on 13 January 2025 at Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, New Delhi. It was inaugurated by Sudhanshu Mittal, President of the Kho Kho Federation of India. It was organized by the Kho Kho Federation of India with support from the Indian Olympic Association, the event runs from 13–19 January 2025. Each team has 12 players, with 9 taking the field during a match. The tournament features men’s teams from 20 countries and women’s teams from 19 countries, divided into four groups. India’s men’s team is led by Pratik Waikar, and the women’s team by Priyanka Ingle.

Notes:
China launched the world’s largest Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) project, “Nengchu-1”. It has begun full operation in Yingcheng, Hubei Province, China. It marks a milestone in China’s energy storage technologies and is the largest CAES facility globally. CAES stores electrical energy as potential energy by compressing air into sealed spaces like underground mines or salt rock caverns. Energy is stored during off-peak hours and released to the grid during peak demand.

Notes:
Russia’s atomic agency has shipped the reactor vessel for the sixth unit of Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant to India. The Kudankulam plant, located in Tamil Nadu, is India’s largest nuclear power plant with six reactors and a total capacity of 6,000 MW. The reactor vessel, weighing 320 tonnes, was manufactured by Rosatom’s division Atommash and shipped from Novorossiysk at the end of 2024. The reactor vessel will travel 6,000 miles by sea to reach the construction site.

Notes:
Uttarakhand government exempted solar entrepreneurs from mandatory GST registration under the Mukhyamantri Saur Swarojgar Yojana. This initiative aims to encourage renewable energy investments and simplify processes. Launched in 2020, the scheme promotes self-employment through solar energy farming. The goal is to produce green energy and offer job opportunities to Uttarakhand’s youth and returning migrants. Each beneficiary is allocated a 25-kilowatt solar plant under the scheme.

Notes:
The Lokpal of India has declared January 16 as “Lokpal Day,” with the first observance on January 16, 2025. The decision was made during a meeting on March 14, 2024. Lokpal Day highlights the establishment of the Lokpal and aims to raise awareness about its role in promoting transparency and accountability in governance.

Notes:
The Gaan Ngai festival is celebrated by the Zeliarong community in Manipur after the harvest season. It marks gratitude for a good harvest, prayers for prosperity, and the beginning of the new year. The festival includes music, dance, and spiritual rituals, promoting unity and joy. The Zeliarong community, comprising the Rongmei, Liangmei, and Zeme tribes, is one of Manipur’s prominent tribal groups. Gaan Ngai lasts for five days and is typically celebrated in December or January, with the date varying each year.

Notes:
Union Minister for Education, Dharmendra Pradhan, launched the registration portal for the 3rd edition of Kashi Tamil Sangamam (KTS). KTS 3.0 will start on 15th February 2025 and run until 24th February 2025 in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. The event aims to celebrate and reaffirm the historical connection between Tamil Nadu and Kashi, two ancient centers of learning. KTS is an initiative by the Ministry of Education, Government of India, focusing on celebrating the civilizational link between these two regions.

Notes:
India ranks second after the US in the QS World Future Skills Index 2025 for job market preparedness in AI, digital, and green sectors. India scores highly in the “Future of Work” indicator, trailing the US by less than a point. The country excels in readiness for digital roles alongside Mexico. However, India faces challenges in its higher education system, industry collaboration, and equipping graduates with in-demand skills. Despite strong GDP growth and a youthful population, India lags in sustainability and innovation metrics. To unlock potential, India needs better integration between education and industry.

Notes:
Indichip Semiconductors and Japan’s Yitoa Micro Technology will establish India’s first private semiconductor manufacturing facility in Andhra Pradesh. The investment exceeds ₹14,000 crore and focuses on producing silicon carbide (SiC) chips. The facility will start with a capacity of 10,000 wafers/month, scaling up to 50,000 wafers/month in 2–3 years. The project aligns with the Aatmanirbhar Bharat vision, supporting electric vehicles and renewable energy solutions. Andhra Pradesh’s semiconductor policy aims to make the state a global manufacturing hub. The initiative will create thousands of jobs, spur innovation, and boost India’s semiconductor footprint.