Current Affairs Quiz 26th and 27th July 2025 Quiz

Exp. National Expert Committee Reviews Safety of Key Ayurvedic Herbs at AIIA Goa Meeting

The National Expert Committee Meeting on Herb Safety Dossiers was held at the All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), Goa, co-chaired by Dr. A. Raghu and Dr. J. B. Gupta, with participation from senior scientists and experts from reputed institutions.

The Ministry of Ayush is actively developing safety dossiers for four key Ayush herbs—Gokshura (Tribulus terrestris), Tulsi (Ocimum sanctum), Haridra (Curcuma longa), and Chandrashura (Lepidium sativum)—to strengthen the scientific evidence base of traditional medicine.

The committee conducted a comprehensive review involving Ayurvedic classical texts, pharmacological and toxicology data, preclinical studies, and clinical literature to ensure the safety and credibility of these herbs.

Exp. Utpal Kumar Singh Appointed as New CEO of Sansad TV

Utpal Kumar Singh, currently serving as Secretary-General of the Lok Sabha, has been appointed as the CEO of Sansad TV, replacing Rajit Punhani, a 1991-batch IAS officer of the Bihar cadre.

Sansad TV is a public broadcaster that telecasts live parliamentary proceedings, and Singh’s appointment comes during the ongoing restructuring of media and communication roles within Parliament.

Recent Appointments

• President of ASSOCHAM – Nirmal K. Minda (replace Sanjay Nayar)
• Vice President of ASSOCHAM – Amitabh Chaudhry
• Chairman of Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) – Ashok Chaudhary
• Vice Chairman of Gordhan Dhameliya Vice-Chairman of (GCMMF) – Gordhan Dhameliya
• Mission Director of Atal Innovation Mission – Deepak Bagla

Exp. Federal Bank Launches India’s First Biometric Authentication for E-Commerce Transactions with M2P and MinkasuPay

Federal Bank, in partnership with M2P and MinkasuPay, has launched India’s first biometric authentication solution for e-commerce card transactions, enabling users to approve payments using fingerprint or face ID.

This innovation eliminates the need for traditional OTPs, reducing transaction time to just 3–4 seconds, while offering enhanced security and a smoother user experience.

The biometric solution aims to simplify and secure online shopping, marking a significant leap in digital payment technology and user convenience.

Exp. India Marks 166th Income Tax Day

India celebrates the 166th Income Tax Day on 24 July 2025, marking the introduction of income tax in 1860 by Sir James Wilson and recognising the evolution of India’s tax system from the Income Tax Act of 1922 to the proposed Income Tax Bill, 2025.

Major technological reforms—including PAN, TIN, CPC Bengaluru, Faceless Assessment, and Project Insight—have transformed tax administration into a fully digital and citizen-friendly system, enhancing compliance and transparency.

The Finance Act 2025 has extended the time to file updated returns from 24 to 48 months, raised the zero-tax income threshold to ₹12 lakh, and introduced several middle-class relief measures, including full tax exemption for NSS withdrawals after August 29, 2024.

Exp. India Post and NPCI International Join Forces to Transform Global Remittances via UPI and Postal Network

The Department of Posts (DoP) and NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL) signed a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) to collaborate on revolutionising inward remittances to India through a UPI-based system integrated with the Universal Postal Union (UPU) Interconnection Platform.

The initiative aims to modernise cross-border payment services by offering a secure, seamless, and affordable remittance option for the Indian diaspora, leveraging the strengths of UPI and the trusted global postal network.

By combining UPI’s real-time transaction capability with the widespread reach of the postal system, the partnership seeks to expand access to financial services, especially in remote or underserved areas.

Exp. Nitin Gupta Appointed as Chairperson of NFRA; Joins with Three New Full-Time Members

Nitin Gupta, IRS (Retd.), and former Chairman of CBDT, assumed charge as the Chairperson of the National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA).

Alongside him, Ms. Smita Jhingran, Shri P. Daniel, and Shri Sushil Kumar Jaiswal also assumed office as Full-Time Members of NFRA, bringing rich experience from key financial and audit institutions.

Exp. NASA Launches TRACERS Mission to Study Earth’s Magnetic Shield and Space Weather Impacts

NASA successfully launched the TRACERS mission (Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites) aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base to study how Earth’s magnetic field shields us from space weather.

The twin TRACERS satellites will fly in tandem, just 10 seconds apart, through the polar cusp — an open region of Earth’s magnetic field near the North Pole — to investigate magnetic reconnection, a powerful process where magnetic field lines from the Sun and Earth snap and realign, releasing energy.

Over the next year, TRACERS will collect a record 3,000 measurements, helping scientists better understand how solar wind impacts Earth’s space environment and providing insights that could improve protection for satellites, astronauts, and power grids.

Launched alongside TRACERS were NASA’s Athena, PExT, and REAL missions, which aim to demonstrate new space technologies and gather valuable scientific data, with all satellites successfully deployed and undergoing initial contact and commissioning procedures.

Exp. PM Modi Becomes India’s Second-Longest Serving Prime Minister, Surpasses Indira Gandhi’s Record

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has become the second-longest-serving Prime Minister of India in consecutive terms, completing 4,078 days in office, surpassing Indira Gandhi’s record of 4,077 days; only Jawaharlal Nehru served longer with 16 years and 286 days.

Modi, aged 74, first took office on May 26, 2014, and has now served over 11 years and 60 days as Prime Minister. He is also the first and only PM born after Independence, and the longest-serving non-Congress Prime Minister.

He is the only non-Congress leader to serve two full terms and be re-elected twice with a clear majority, and the first sitting PM since Indira Gandhi in 1971 to return to power with a full mandate.

Narendra Modi has won six consecutive elections as a party leader – three in Gujarat (2002, 2007, 2012) and three Lok Sabha polls (2014, 2019, 2024), making him the only Indian leader to achieve this across state and national levels.

Exp. Uma Kanjilal Appointed First Woman Vice Chancellor of IGNOU After Four Decades

Professor Uma Kanjilal has become the first woman Vice Chancellor of Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), four decades after its establishment, marking a significant milestone in the university’s history.

With over 36 years of experience in Open and Distance Learning (ODL), she brings expertise in digital education, library science, and academic leadership, having previously served as Pro Vice Chancellor and acting Vice Chancellor at IGNOU.

Exp. Anuradha Thakur Appointed as Director on the RBI Central Board

Anuradha Thakur, Secretary of the Department of Economic Affairs, has been nominated as a Director on the Central Board of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) by the Central Government.

She replaces Ajay Seth, who has been appointed as the new Chairman of the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI).

Recent Appointment in Banking & Insurance Sector

• Chairman of Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) – Ajay Seth (replace Debasish Panda); for 3 years
• MD & CEO of Paytm Money -Sandiip Bharadwaj (replace Rakesh Singh)
• MD of Bajaj Finance -Rajeev Jain (replace Anup Kumar Saha)
• Executive Director of Axis Bank – Neeraj Gambhir (replace Rajiv Anand)
• CEO and MD of LIC- Doraiswamy (replaceS at Pal Bhanoo)

Exp. India-Maldives Boost Strategic Ties with 6 MoUs, ₹4,850 Cr Credit Line, and Major Infrastructure Inauguration

India and Maldives signed six MoUs covering key areas like fisheries, aquaculture, meteorology, digital public infrastructure (including UPI), Indian Pharmacopoeia, and a ₹4,850 crore Line of Credit to support infrastructure and development in the island nation.

India and Maldives exchanged an Amendatory Agreement reducing Maldives’ annual debt repayment by 40% (from $51 million to $29 million) and began Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations to boost economic ties.

PM Modi and President Muizzu jointly inaugurated key infrastructure projects, including Maldives’ new Defence Ministry building, Addu City’s 111 km road & 106 km drainage system, 6 community projects, and handed over 3,300 social housing units and 72 vehicles.

Exp. India and Indonesia Sign MoU to Boost Sustainable Palm Oil Production and Policy Alignment

The Indian Vegetable Oil Producers’ Association (IVPA) and the Indonesian Palm Oil Association (IPOA) signed a 3-year MoU during the IVPA conference in New Delhi to enhance cooperation in the palm oil sector, focusing on productivity, sustainability, and policy alignment.

The agreement emphasises joint research, technology transfer, and sharing of best practices to increase productivity while reducing environmental impact.

A key focus is developing a sustainability roadmap that promotes certified sustainable palm oil, improves traceability, and ensures the inclusion of smallholder farmers.

Exp. 25 July – International Day on Judicial Well-being

The International Day on Judicial Well-being is observed every year on 25th July to recognise the mental, emotional, and physical well-being of judges and judicial officers.

The day highlights the importance of a healthy judicial ecosystem, promoting work-life balance, mental health support, and institutional reforms to reduce stress and burnout in the judiciary.

Ensuring judicial well-being is vital for maintaining judicial independence, efficiency, and integrity, as well as upholding the rule of law in a fair and just manner.

Exp. 25 July – World Drowning Prevention Day

World Drowning Prevention Day is observed annually on 25 July, following its declaration by the UN General Assembly in April 2021 (Resolution A/RES/75/273), to raise awareness about the devastating impact of drowning and promote preventive actions.

Drowning claims an estimated 236,000 lives each year globally, making it a major public health concern, especially in low- and middle-income countries with poor water safety infrastructure.

It is the 3rd leading cause of unintentional injury-related deaths, accounting for 7% of all such fatalities, and is a top cause of death among children and young people aged 1–24 years

Exp. 25 July – The International Day for Women and Girls of African Descent

The International Day for Women and Girls of African Descent is observed every year on July 25th to recognise and honour their contributions, identity, and rights.

Women and girls of African descent often face multiple layers of discrimination—racial, gender-based, and socio-economic—making them one of the most marginalised groups globally.

The day highlights the need for inclusive policies, cultural affirmation, and human rights-based approaches to empower and uplift women and girls of African heritage.

Exp. India Successfully Tests First Hydrogen-Powered Rail Coach

India successfully tested its first hydrogen-powered coach at the Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai, marking a major step in green rail mobility.

The coach is part of a project to develop a 1,200-horsepower hydrogen train, which will place India among the global leaders in hydrogen-powered train technology.

Under the “Hydrogen for Heritage” initiative, Indian Railways plans to run 35 hydrogen-powered trains on heritage and hill routes, with an estimated cost of ₹80 crore per train and ₹70 crore per route for necessary infrastructure.

A pilot project worth ₹111.83 crore has been awarded for retrofitting a hydrogen fuel cell on an existing Diesel Electric Multiple Unit (DEMU) rake, to operate on the Jind–Sonipat section of the Northern Railway.