April 30 2025 Current Affairs MCQs

Explanation

Statement 1 is incorrect

• Leading Fish-Producing States in India:
  • Andhra Pradesh is the largest fish producer in India.​
  • West Bengal is a major producer of inland fish.​
  • Gujarat leads in marine fisheries.​
  • Kerala is significant in both marine and inland fisheries.​
  • Tamil Nadu is known for coastal and inland fish production.
  • Maharashtra has experienced a decline in fish production rankings. It has slipped from 3rd to 6th in marine fisheries and 7th to 17th in inland fisheries.

Statement 2 is correct

• Fisheries is a State Subject under Entry 21 of the State List (Seventh Schedule) of the Constitution, but marine fishing beyond territorial waters comes under the Union List (Entry 57).

Statement 3 is incorrect

• Marine Fisheries Census (MFC):
  • Nationwide survey conducted by ICAR-CMFRI to collect data on marine fisher households, fishing infrastructure, and socio-economic conditions along India’s coasts. It informs policies on fisheries management, conservation, and welfare schemes.
• Frequency:
  • Conducted at 5–10 years intervals based on policy needs/funding.
  • Conducted in 2005 and 2010 as full-scale census; a limited survey was carried out in 2016 for selected regions or specific parameters.
  • 2025 (5th edition) is first fully digital and geo-referenced census (as mentioned above).
• Coverage & Parameters:
  • Region: All 9 coastal states (Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and West Bengal) and 4 UTs (Puducherry, Daman and Diu Andaman, Lakshadweep).
  • Demographics: Household size, literacy, gender ratio (e.g., 934 females/1000 males in 2010).
  • Poverty: ~67% of fisher families were BPL (2010); highest in Tamil Nadu & Andhra Pradesh.
  • Infrastructure: Boats, crafts, landing centres, cold storage, and market access.
  • Ecological: Monitors overfishing, endangered species, and climate-related vulnerabilities.

Answer: (b) 2 only; Difficulty Level: Medium

Explanation

All options are correct

• The RBI mandates using the PRAVAAH portal for all regulatory applications from May 1, 2025, for banks, financial companies, and regulated entities.
• PRAVAAH (Platform for Regulatory Application, Validation and Authorisation) is a secure & centralised web-based portal for individuals or entities to seek authorisation, licenses, or regulatory approvals.
• Applicability:
  • Scheduled Commercial Banks (including Small Finance Banks, Local Area Banks, and Regional Rural Banks)
  • Urban Co-operative Banks
  • State and Central Co-operative Banks
  • All-India Financial Institutions
  • Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs), including Housing Finance Companies
  • Primary Dealers
  • Payment System Operators
  • Credit Information Companies

Answer: (d) All five; Difficulty Level: Medium

Explanation

• At the Coastal States Fisheries Meet 2025, the Union Government launched two major initiatives — the 5th Marine Fisheries Census (MFC) and the first-ever Aquaculture Insurance Scheme under Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY).

All statements are correct

• Aquaculture Insurance Scheme was launched under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Kisan Samridhi Sah-Yojana (PM-MKSSY), a sub-scheme of PMMSY, along with the One-Time Incentive Sanction-cum-Release Order to beneficiaries
• Aimed at mitigating risks and providing financial security, especially for small and marginalised farmers.
• Insurance options:
  • Basic Insurance: Covers natural calamities and parametric risks.
  • Comprehensive Insurance: Includes coverage for diseases.
• An extra 10% incentive is provided for SC, ST, and women beneficiaries.
• Premiums for intensive aquaculture systems like recirculatory systems are capped at ₹1 lakh for 1800 m³.
• Ensures digital accessibility via the National Fisheries Digital Platform (NFDP).

Answer: (d) 1, 2 and 3; Difficulty Level: Medium

Explanation

Option (a) is correct

• Global Wind Energy Council’s 2025 Global Wind Report warns the world is not on track to meet net-zero targets through current wind energy expansion.
• Key Highlights:
  • Record Addition Yet Insufficient: 117 GW of new wind capacity added globally in 2024, raising total capacity to 1,136 GW, yet only 77% of 2030 net-zero needs are on track.
  • Offshore Wind Decline: Offshore wind saw a 26% drop with only 8 GW added in 2024, the lowest addition since 2021.
  • China Leads Global Growth: China accounted for 70% of new wind installations in 2024.
  • Top five markets include China, US, Brazil, India and Germany.
  • Emerging Market Momentum: Countries like Uzbekistan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia show promising wind energy uptake; onshore capacity in Africa and Middle East doubled.
  • COP28 Goal at Risk: The world risks missing the COP28 pledge to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030, endangering the 1.5°C climate limit.

Answer: (a) Global Wind Energy Council; Difficulty Level: Easy

Explanation

Statement 1 is incorrect, but statement 2 is correct

• A new global initiative called ‘Revive Our Ocean’ was launched by the international NGO Dynamic Planet.

• It aims to scale up effective, community-led marine protected areas (MPAs) through local action.
• It hopes to remove key barriers that prevent coastal communities from protecting and managing their ocean spaces and aims to inspire, enable and equip communities to lead marine conservation efforts.
• The initiative plans to launch a microfinance program to help communities get loans and grants to start or expand their own protected areas.
• It is rooted in successful models from around the world and will initially focus on seven countries: the UK, Portugal, Greece, Turkey, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Mexico.
• Revive Our Ocean has created a network called the Revive Our Ocean Collective, that brings together local leaders and groups who have already made community-led marine protection work.

Answer: (b) 2 only; Difficulty Level: Easy

Explanation

Statement 1 is incorrect

• ‘Niveshak Shivir‘ Initiative was launched jointly by IEPFA and SEBI to simplify the process of reclaiming unclaimed dividends and shares and enhance financial literacy.

Statements 2 and 3 are correct

• Aim: Reduce investor dependence on intermediaries, thus minimising fraud & misinformation risks.
• It will also boost digital financial literacy and facilitate claim settlements.
• Institutional Support: Backed by SEBI and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) regional offices for logistics and assistance.
• On-ground Facilitation: KYC updates, nomination services, claim status checks & real-time grievance redressal at camp locations.

Answer: (c) 2 and 3 only; Difficulty Level: Medium

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct

• The RBI has decided to operationalise the ‘bank.in’ domain for banks.
  • The RBI has given banks time till October 31, 2025, to migrate to ‘.bank.in’.
• ‘bank.in’ is an exclusive internet domain for Indian banks to combat the increasing number of digital payment frauds.

Statement 2 is incorrect

• The new internet domain name will be operationalised through the Institute for Development and Research in Banking Technology, which has been authorised by the NIXI.
  • National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI) is a not-for-profit Section 8 company under the aegis of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. It was set up in 2003.
  • Role: It is tasked with increasing Internet penetration and adoption in India by facilitating various infrastructure aspects to enable the Internet ecosystem to be managed and used by the masses.
  • Four Services under NIXI: Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) for building Internet Exchange Points, IN Registry for building the .in domain digital identity, IRINN for IPv4 and IPv6 addresses adoption.

Answer: (a) 1 only; Difficulty Level: Easy

Explanation

Statements 2 and 3 are correct

• Similipal is the 107th national park of India and Odisha’s 2nd national park, after Bhitarkanika. Simplipal derives its name from the ‘Simul’ (Silk Cotton) tree.
  • Location: Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district.
  • Vegetation: Moist deciduous and semi-evergreen types.
  • Flora: Sal is the dominant tree species.
  • Fauna: It is the world’s only home to wild melanistic tigers and shelter to 25% of Odisha’s elephant population. Other fauna include leopards, sambar, mugger crocodiles, etc.
  • The tigers of Similipal possess higher-than-normal levels of melanin, giving them more black coats with yellow stripes.
• Other: It was formally designated a tiger reserve under Project Tiger in 1973, a wildlife sanctuary (1979), and a biosphere reserve in 1994.

• UNESCO added this National Park to its list of Biosphere Reserves in 2009.

Statement 1 is incorrect

• Sariska Tiger Reserve is the 1st reserve in the world to relocate tigers after their initial population was wiped out successfully.
  • Location: Alwar district, Rajasthan. It’s situated within the Aravalli hills.
  • Vegetation: Scrub-thorn arid forests, dry deciduous forests, grasslands, etc.
  • Flora: Dominated by dhok trees, with other species like salar, kadaya, gol, etc.
  • Fauna: Tigers, leopards, sambhar deer, nilgai, wild boars, etc.

Answer: (c) 2 and 3 only; Difficulty Level: Hard

Explanation

Pair 1 is incorrect

• The Poás Volcano in Costa Rica erupted recently blanketing nearby areas in volcanic ash.
• Key Features:
  • Location: Central Costa Rica; within Poás Volcano National Park.
  • Type: Composite stratovolcano (complex structure formed by multiple eruptive centers).
• Activity:
  • Active since prehistoric times; frequent eruptions.
  • Since 2024, crater lake drying up, leading to ash emissions, gas release, and small rock explosions.

Pair 2 is incorrect

• Kilauea is the youngest and most active volcano on the island of Hawaii, and one of the busiest in the world.
• Kilauea is a fairly typical shield volcano with long, shallow slopes.
• Since December 23, 2024, it has been intermittently erupting within the summit caldera in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

  

Pair 3 is correct

• Uturuncu, Bolivia, is the highest mountain in southern Bolivia, lying deep in the Central Andes.
• It is called a ‘zombie’ volcano because, despite being technically dead (last erupting 250 thousand years ago), it still shows signs of unrest, including earthquakes and plumes of gases.
• Uturuncu sits above the world’s largest known magma body in Earth’s crust, the Altiplano-Puna Volcanic Complex and an active hydrothermal system connects this body and the surface.
• It is a stratovolcano to the east of the Laguna Colorada ignimbrite shield.

  

Answer: (a) Only one; Difficulty Level: Easy