Current Affairs Quiz — 18 April 2025
Daily news by your exam, state and topic — each with a short summary, key facts and MCQs.
Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla's flight to the ISS, announced in April 2025, was to be part of which mission?
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Correct answer: C — Axiom Space's Ax-4
Axiom Space's Ax-4 mission, as stated by the ISRO Chairman at the review.
Shubhanshu Shukla's mission would make him the first Indian astronaut in space since whose 1984 flight aboard a Soviet Soyuz spacecraft?
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Correct answer: A — Rakesh Sharma
Rakesh Sharma flew in 1984 aboard a Soviet Soyuz spacecraft.
Which panchayat in Sukma district became the first Naxal-free panchayat after 11 Naxalites surrendered there, as announced on 18 April 2025?
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Correct answer: B — Badesetti
Badesetti: 11 Naxalites surrendered in Badesetti Panchayat, making it the first Naxal-free panchayat.
Consider the following about the anti-Naxal developments in Chhattisgarh announced on 18 April 2025: 1. CoBRA commandos and Chhattisgarh Police arrested 22 Naxalites in Bijapur district. 2. 33 Naxalites surrendered in Sukma district. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
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Correct answer: C — Both 1 and 2
Both are correct, as per the MHA release.
South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL) is set to become the first coal PSU in India to adopt which mining technology?
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Correct answer: A — Paste fill technology
Paste fill technology, under a ₹7,040 crore agreement for the Singhali underground mine.
Consider the following about SECL's paste fill project announced in April 2025: 1. It will be implemented at the Singhali underground mine in SECL's Korba area. 2. The paste used to fill mined-out voids includes fly ash and crushed overburden, which helps prevent land subsidence. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
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Correct answer: C — Both 1 and 2
Both are correct, as per the Ministry of Coal release.
What is the value of the agreement SECL signed with TMC Mineral Resources for paste fill mining at the Singhali mine?
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Correct answer: D — ₹7,040 crore
₹7,040 crore: the agreement is for mining about 8.4 million tonnes over 25 years.
Consider the following, as stated by the Finance Ministry on 18 April 2025: 1. GST is levied on charges such as the Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) relating to payments. 2. MDR on person-to-merchant (P2M) UPI transactions was removed with effect from January 2020. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
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Correct answer: C — Both 1 and 2
Both are correct; since no MDR is charged on UPI, no GST applies.
According to the ACI Worldwide Report 2024 cited by the Finance Ministry, what share of global real-time transactions did India account for in 2023?
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Correct answer: C — 49%
49%, as cited in the Finance Ministry release.
What was the value of UPI transactions by March 2025, as stated by the Finance Ministry?
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Correct answer: B — ₹260.56 lakh crore
₹260.56 lakh crore by March 2025, up from ₹21.3 lakh crore in 2019-20; ₹3,631 crore was the FY24 incentive allocation.
The Pinnapuram Integrated Renewable Energy Storage Project, visited by Union Minister Pralhad Joshi in April 2025, is located near which city?
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Correct answer: A — Kurnool
Kurnool: the project is at Pinnapuram near Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh.
Consider the following about the Pinnapuram Integrated Renewable Energy Storage Project: 1. It includes 1,680 MW of pumped hydropower along with solar and wind capacity. 2. It has been set up by NTPC. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
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Correct answer: A — 1 only
Only 1 is correct. The project has been set up by Greenko.
What is the stated storage capacity of the Pinnapuram project per day in a single cycle?
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Correct answer: D — 10,080 MWh
10,080 MWh per day in a single cycle, as per the MNRE release.
PM Modi's conversation with Elon Musk on 18 April 2025 revisited topics from their meeting earlier that year in which city?
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Correct answer: D — Washington DC
Washington DC: the PMO release says they revisited topics from their meeting in Washington DC earlier in the year.
Consider the following about the changes to the Domestic Gas Allocation Policy announced in April 2025: 1. Auction-based allocation of New Well Gas has been replaced with quarterly pro-rata allocation. 2. From Q1 of FY 2025-26, allocations for CNG (transport) and PNG (domestic) will be made on a two-quarter advance basis. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
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Correct answer: C — Both 1 and 2
Both are correct, as per the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
What share of projected CGD demand for CNG (T) and PNG (D) was allocated domestic gas in Q1 of FY 2025-26, as per the Petroleum Ministry?
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Correct answer: B — 55.68%
55.68%; it was 54.68% in Q3 2024-25 and is projected at 54.74% for Q2 2025-26.
Consider the following about MoRTH's clarification of 18 April 2025: 1. Satellite-based tolling will replace FASTag nationwide from 1 May 2025. 2. An ANPR-FASTag-based barrier-less tolling system will be implemented at selected toll plazas. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
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Correct answer: B — 2 only
Only 2 is correct. MoRTH said no decision has been taken on nationwide satellite-based tolling from 1 May 2025.
In the 'ANPR-FASTag-based Barrier-Less Tolling System', what does ANPR stand for?
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Correct answer: D — Automatic Number Plate Recognition
Automatic Number Plate Recognition: cameras identify vehicles by reading their number plates.
Which of the following was NOT among the seven hub institutions selected under ANRF's PAIR programme in April 2025?
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Correct answer: C — IIT Madras
IIT Madras is not in the list; the hubs are IISc Bangalore, University of Hyderabad, IIT Ropar, JNU, IIT Indore, NIT Rourkela and IIT Bombay.
How many hub and spoke institutions were selected in the main round of ANRF's PAIR programme announced in April 2025?
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Correct answer: D — 7 hubs, 45 spokes
7 hubs, 45 spokes; 11 more hubs with 61 spokes got limited-budget support, and 30 hub proposals with 166 potential spokes were received.
From when will the rules mandating verification and stamping of radar-based vehicle speed-measurement equipment come into force?
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Correct answer: B — 1 July 2025
1 July 2025, as per the Department of Consumer Affairs.
The rules for radar speed-measurement equipment notified in April 2025 were drafted using which international standard?
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Correct answer: A — OIML R 91
OIML R 91: the drafting committee used technical inputs based on this international standard.
World Heritage Day, on which 'Sanskriti ka Panchva Adhyay' was released at IGNCA in 2025, is observed on which date?
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Correct answer: B — 18 April
18 April: the Ministry of Culture release refers to World Heritage Day (18 April).
'Sanskriti ka Panchva Adhyay', released at IGNCA on 18 April 2025, is best described as:
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Correct answer: D — A compilation of PM Narendra Modi's speeches and thoughts on culture
A compilation of PM Narendra Modi's speeches and thoughts on culture, curated by Dr. Prabhat Ojha.
The Directorate General of Mines Safety (DGMS), whose functioning Mansukh Mandaviya reviewed in April 2025, is headquartered in which city?
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Correct answer: A — Dhanbad
Dhanbad: the Minister visited the DGMS headquarters in Dhanbad, Jharkhand.