Current Affairs Quiz 28th January 2025 Quiz

Exp. 25 January – National Tourism Day

National Tourism Day is celebrated annually on January 25 to highlight the importance of tourism in India and promote its potential as a key driver of the country’s economy.

The day aims to encourage tourism in India, raise awareness about the diverse culture, heritage, and natural beauty of the country, and promote responsible and sustainable tourism practices.

Theme 2025 – Tourism for Inclusive Growth

Exp. 24 January – International Day of Education

International Day of Education is celebrated on January 24 each year to recognize the pivotal role of education in achieving global peace, development, and human rights.

The day aims to raise awareness about the global need for quality education, especially in underserved regions, and to advocate for inclusive and equitable education for all

Theme 2024 – AI and education: Preserving human agency in a world of automation

It is proclaimed by the United Nations in 2018, this day highlights the importance of education for sustainable development and its role in empowering individuals and communities.

Exp. Kerala CM Vijayan launches disaster risk warning system KaWaCHaM

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has inaugurated India’s first fully integrated disaster warning system KaWaCHaM (Kerala Warnings, a Crisis and Hazard Management System).

The KaWaCHaM system has been developed under the National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project.

The KaWaCHaM system is considered one of the fastest weather alert systems in the world which will enhance rescue and rehabilitation efforts during extreme weather events driven by climate change.

The KaWaCHaM system has been developed by the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) with funding support from the National Disaster Management Authority, the government of India, and the World Bank. It is a part of the National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project.

About Kerala

• Capital – Thiruvananthapuram
• Chief Minister – Pinarayi Vijayan
• Governor – Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar

Exp. Government set a target of 10,000 GI Tag by 2030

The Government of India has set a target of 10,000 Geographical Indication (GI) tags for the Indian products by 2030. According to the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) 605 Indian products have been issued GI tags till date.

The new target for the GI tag was announced by the Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal at the GI Samagam held in New Delhi.

Darjeeling tea was the first product to be given a GI in 2003. The geographical indication registration is valid for 10 years. It can be renewed from time to time for 10 years each.

Exp. Sindhu & Lakshya to lead India in Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championship

The Badminton Association of India (BAI) has announced a 14-member India squad for the 4th Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships to be played in Qingdao, China from 11-19 February 2025.

The Indian team will be led by two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu and Paris Olympics semi-finalist Lakshya Sen, both of whom are among the country’s top badminton stars.

The India team won a bronze medal at the 3rd edition of the Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships held in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates in 2023.

India Squad for Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships:

Men: Lakshya Sen, HS Prannoy, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, Chirag Shetty, Dhruv Kapila, MR Arjun, Sathish Kumar K

Women: PV Sindhu, Malvika Bansod, Gayatri Gopichand, Treesa Jolly, Ashwini Ponnappa, Tanisha Crasto, Adya Variyath.

China is the most successful team in the Championship with two gold medals and one bronze medal. India has won only one medal -bronze at the 2023 edition.

Exp. Padma Awards 2025 Announced

On the eve of the 76th Republic Day, as per tradition, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs announced the names of the 2025 Padma awardees.

Padma Awards – one of the highest civilian Awards of the country, are conferred in three categories, namely, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri.

The awards are given in various disciplines/ fields of activity, viz.- art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports, civil service, etc.

 ‘Padma Vibhushan’ is awarded for exceptional and distinguished service; ‘Padma Bhushan’ for distinguished service of high order and ‘Padma Shri’ for distinguished service in any field.

The award is conferred to the recipient in March/April of the same year at a ceremonial function held at Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi by the President of India.

 For the year 2025, the President has approved the conferment of 139 Padma Awards including 1 duo case (in a duo case, the Award is counted as one) as per the list below.

The list comprises 7 Padma Vibhushan, 19 Padma Bhushan and 113 Padma Shri Awards. This year 23 of the awardees are women,10 persons are from the category of Foreigners/Non-Resident Indians/Persons of Indian Origin/Overseas Citizen of India and 13 are Posthumous awardees.

Padma Vibhushan (7)

Padma Bhushan (19)

Padma Shri (113)

Exp. Arshdeep Singh named ICC Men’s T20I Cricketer of the Year

The left-arm pacer of India, Arshdeep Singh, was the leading wicket-taker during India’s successful outing in the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup, and he recently became India’s highest wicket-taker in T20 internationals.

Rohit Sharma was named the captain of the ICC Men’s T20I Team of the Year 2024 while Arshdeep Singh won the ICC Men’s T20I Cricketer of the Year 2024 award.

Arshdeep Singh, along with Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya and Rohit Sharma, was also named in the ICC Men’s T20I Team of the Year while the ICC Women’s T20I Team of the Year 2024 included Smriti Mandhana, Richa Ghosh and Deepti Sharma.

ICC Awards 2024 winners list

• ICC Men’s T20I Cricketer of the Year- Arshdeep Singh (IND)
• ICC Women’s T20I Cricketer of the Year- Amelia Kerr (NZL)
• ICC Umpire of the Year – Richard Illingworth (ENG)
• ICC Men’s Associate Cricketer of the Year – Gerhard Erasmus (NAM)
• ICC Women’s Associate Cricketer of the Year – Esha Oza (UAE)
• ICC Emerging Men’s Cricketer of the Year – Kamindu Mendis (SRI)
• ICC Emerging Women’s Cricketer of the Year – Annerie Dercksen (RSA)
• ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year – Azmatullah Omarzai (AFG)
• ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year – Smriti Mandhana (IND)
• ICC Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year – Jasprit Bumrah (IND)
• Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy for ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year – to be announced
• Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year – to be announced
• ICC Men’s T20I Team of the Year– Rohit Sharma (c), Travis Head, Phil Salt, Babar Azam, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Sikandar Raza, Hardik Pandya, Rashid Khan, Wanindu Hasaranga, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh.
• ICC Women’s T20I Team of the Year– Laura Wolvaardt (c), Smriti Mandhana, Chamari Athapaththu, Hayley Matthews, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Melie Kerr, Richa Ghosh (wk), Marizanne Kapp, Orla Prendergast, Deepti Sharma, Sadia Iqbal.
• ICC Men’s Test Team of the Year- Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ben Duckett, Kane Williamson, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Kamindu Mendis, Jamie Smith (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Pat Cummins (c), Matt Henry, Jasprit Bumrah.
• ICC Men’s ODI Team of the Year- Saim Ayub, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Charith Asalanka (c), Sherfane Rutherford, Azmatullah Omarzai, Wanindu Hasaranga, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, AM Ghazanfar.
• ICC Women’s ODI Team of the Year- Smriti Mandhana, Laura Wolvaardt (c), Chamarti Athapaththu, Hayley Matthews, Marizanne Kapp, Ashleigh Gardner, Annabel Sutherland, Amy Jones (wk), Deepti Sharma, Sophie Ecclestone, Kate Cross.

Exp. NITI Aayog launches the “Fiscal Health Index 2025” in New Delhi

NITI Aayog has unveiled the inaugural edition of the Fiscal Health Index (FHI) 2025 in New Delhi, aiming to assess and improve the fiscal health of Indian states.

The report was launched by Dr. Arvind Panagariya, Chairman of the 16th Finance Commission, in the presence of senior dignitaries, including NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Suman Bery, CEO BVR Subrahmanyam, and member Dr. Arvind Virmani.

The FHI report evaluates 18 major states based on five critical sub-indices: Quality of Expenditure, Revenue Mobilisation, Fiscal Prudence, Debt Index, and Debt Sustainability.

Odisha emerged as the top performer with a score of 67.8, followed by Chhattisgarh (55.2) and Goa (53.6). The rankings highlight interstate disparities, with achiever states excelling in fiscal discipline, while states like Karnataka face challenges in expenditure management and debt sustainability.

This report marks the beginning of an annual series that will provide valuable, data-driven insights into the fiscal health of Indian states, aiding policymakers in informed decision-making and fostering economic stability across the country.

Exp. Jannik Sinner & Madison Keys wins 2025 Australian Open Singles Titles

Jannik Sinner of Italy and Madison Keys of the United States of America won the men’s and women’s singles titles of the 2025 Australian Open Grand Slam Tennis tournament, respectively.

The 2024 Australian Open singles winner, Jannik Sinner successfully defended his Australian Open title. It was the first Australian Open title for Madison Keys.

It was the third Grand Slam title for Jannik Sinner and the first Grand Slam title for Madison Keys.

The 120th edition of the Australian Open was held from 6-26 January 2025 at Melbourne Park in Melbourne City, Australia.

Winners of the 2025 Australian Open  

Exp. 27 January – International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust

Every year on 27 January, the international community comes together to commemorate the International Holocaust Remembrance Day. This Day was chosen by the United Nations General Assembly to mark the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Nazi Concentration and Extermination Camp in 1945.

The United Nations Office at Geneva and its partners will mark the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust (27 January) reflecting the theme of this year’s commemoration: “Holocaust Remembrance for Dignity and Human Rights”

Exp. P. Suriaraj takes charge as executive director of Dhanlaxmi Bank

1. Suriaraj has taken charge as Executive Director of the Dhanlaxmi Bank. He was appointed by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) as executive director of the Bank for a period of three years.

A seasoned banker with 37 years’ experience with the Tamilnad Mercantile Bank Ltd, Mr. Suriaraj has served as the General Manager of various departments, including Integrated treasury, HR, recovery, establishment, planning and resource mobilization, operation and services, inspection and accounts.

Mr. Suriaraj is a post graduate in Commerce and a Certified Associate of the Indian Institute of Bankers (CAIIB) and he will represent as a whole-time director on the Board in accordance with Section 10A(2)(a) of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.

Recent Appointment in Banking & Insurance Sector

• MD & CEO of IDBI Bank – Rakesh Sharma
• MD and CEO of Zurich Kotak General Insurance – Alok Kumar Agarwal (replace Suresh Agarwal)
• MD and CEO of Indian Bank – Binod Kumar
• MD & CEO of Institutional Equities at JM Financial Institutional Securities – Ankur Jhaveri
• CEO of Angel One – Ambarish Kenghe (effect from March 2025)

Exp. 26 January – International Customs Day

International Customs Day is observed annually on 26th January to recognize the role of customs officials and agencies in the global trade system.

The day aims to raise awareness about the important role customs plays in global trade, economic development, and security by ensuring the effective implementation of laws and regulations.

Theme 2025 – Customs Delivering on its Commitment to Efficiency, Security and Prosperity

The roots of International Customs Day trace back to the formation of the Customs Cooperation Council (CCC), which is now known as the World Customs Organisation (WCO). The CCC was established in 1952 as an intergovernmental body to improve the efficiency of customs administrations around the globe.