Current Affairs Quiz 4th August 2025 Quiz

Exp. Vice Admiral Sanjay Vatsayan Takes Charge as 47th Vice Chief of the Naval Staff

Vice Admiral Sanjay Vatsayan, AVSM, NM, has assumed charge as the 47th Vice Chief of the Naval Staff (VCNS).

He is an alumnus of the 71st course of the National Defence Academy, Pune, and was commissioned into the Indian Navy on 1st January 1988.

Before leading the Eastern Fleet, Vice Admiral Vatsayan held the position of Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Policy and Plans) after his promotion to Flag Rank in February 2018.

Exp. Raj Kumar Arora Assumes Charge as Controller General of Defence Accounts (CGDA)

Shri Raj Kumar Arora assumed charge as the Controller General of Defence Accounts (CGDA). He is a 1990 batch officer of the Indian Defence Accounts Service (IDAS).

He brings vast experience across multiple domains, including accounting, financial policy, audit, budgeting, procurement, and personnel management within the defence and finance sectors.

Exp. India’s GST Collection Rises 7.5% YoY to ₹1.96 Lakh Crore in July 2025

India’s gross GST collection for July 2025 rose by 7.5% year-on-year, reaching ₹1.96 lakh crore, compared to ₹1.85 lakh crore in June 2025.

Domestic GST revenue increased by 6.7% to ₹1.43 lakh crore, while revenue from imports rose 9.5% to ₹52,712 crore. GST refunds also surged by 66.8% to ₹27,147 crore.

Net GST revenue in July 2025 stood at ₹1.69 lakh crore, showing a modest 1.7% year-on-year growth; April 2025 had recorded the highest-ever GST collection at ₹2.37 lakh crore.

GST Collection of Previous Months

• January 2025 – 1.96 lakh crore
• February 2025 – 1.84 lakh crore
• March 2025 – 1.96 lakh crore
• April 2025 – 2.36 lakh crore
• May 2025 – 2.01 lakh crore
• June 2025 – 1.85 lakh crore
• July 2025 – 1.96 lakh crore

Exp. Digital Transactions Surge in July 2025: UPI Hits 19.47 Billion, IMPS and AePS Also Rise While FASTag Sees Dip

UPI transactions reached a record 19.47 billion in July 2025, marking a 6% rise in volume and 4% in value (₹25.08 trillion) over June. Daily UPI transactions rose from 613 million to 628 million, with a 35% YoY increase in volume and 22% in value compared to July 2024.

IMPS transactions stood at 482 million in July, up 8% from June’s 448 million, with a transaction value of ₹6.31 trillion (up 4%). Compared to July 2024, IMPS saw a 2% dip in volume but a 6% rise in value.

FASTag transactions declined by 4% in July to 371 million, with the value slipping 2% to ₹6,669 crore. However, on a YoY basis, FASTag usage rose by 15% in volume and 20% in value compared to July 2024.

Aadhaar Enabled Payment System (AePS) transactions in July touched 103 million, a 6% increase over June. However, the transaction value slightly decreased to ₹26,585 crore from ₹26,616 crore in the previous month.

Exp. Odisha Hosts 4th Adi Karmayogi Regional Lab to Empower Tribals and Strengthen Grassroots Governance

Odisha hosted the 4th Adi Karmayogi Regional Process Lab (RPL) in Bhubaneswar to promote responsive governance and empower tribal communities under the Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan (DAJGUA) initiative.

25 selected tribal functionaries from Jharkhand, Bihar, and Odisha are participating in the week-long programme, which is being facilitated by the Bharat Rural Livelihoods Foundation (BRLF).

The RPL follows a cascading capacity-building model, where trained State Master Trainers (SMTs) will further conduct State and District Process Labs to expand the impact at grassroots levels.

Exp. RBI Approves Merger of New India Co-operative Bank with Saraswat Bank

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has approved the merger of New India Co-operative Bank with Saraswat Co-operative Bank, the largest urban co-operative bank in India. The merger will take effect from August 4, 2025.

Following the merger, all assets, liabilities, and branches of New India Co-operative Bank will be taken over by Saraswat Bank, and all existing customers will be treated as Saraswat Bank customers from the effective date, with full protection of their interests.

The merger was approved by the shareholders of both banks—Saraswat Bank at its Special General Meeting on July 22, 2025, and New India Co-operative Bank at its Annual General Meeting—before receiving RBI’s final nod.

Exp. Centre Approves 7 PM MITRA Parks Across India to Boost Textile Sector, Launches Skill & Export Initiatives

The Government has finalized the setting up of 7 PM MITRA Parks at specific locations: Virudhunagar (Tamil Nadu), Warangal (Telangana), Navsari (Gujarat), Kalaburagi (Karnataka), Dhar (Madhya Pradesh), Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh), and Amravati (Maharashtra). The scheme involves an outlay of ₹4,445 crore till 2027-28, aiming to attract ₹70,000 crore in investments and generate about 20 lakh direct and indirect jobs.

The ‘Samarth’ scheme, aimed at capacity building in the textile sector, is being implemented across India to offer demand-driven, placement-oriented skill training (excluding spinning and weaving). In Haryana, 26 implementing partners are operating 80 active training centres for entry-level and up/reskilling programs.

The Government provides financial support to various Export Promotion Councils and trade bodies involved in textile and garment exports for organizing or participating in trade fairs, exhibitions, and buyer-seller meets at national and international levels to enhance exports.

The National Technical Textiles Mission (NTTM) is being implemented with a budget of ₹1,480 crore (2020-21 to 2025-26) to promote the technical textile sector across India, including efforts in Haryana.

Exp. Fitch Lowers India’s FY26 GDP Growth Forecast to 6.3%

Fitch Ratings has lowered India’s GDP growth forecast for FY26 to 6.3%, a slight revision from its earlier estimate of 6.4% made in April 2025.

The agency noted minimal direct impact on Indian corporates from increased U.S. tariffs, suggesting limited global downside pressure.

Infrastructure spending remains a key driver, with domestic sectors like oil & gas, cement, construction, telecom, and utilities expected to stay resilient due to strong local demand and regulatory stability.

Exp. DPIIT Signs MoU with Roche India to Support Healthtech Startups in Critical Therapeutic Areas

DPIIT and Roche Products (India) Pvt. Ltd. have signed an MoU to support DPIIT-recognised startups working in key therapeutic areas like oncology, neurology, ophthalmology, haematology, and rare diseases, providing them with mentorship, validation support, and access to global platforms.

The partnership also focuses on capacity-building in areas such as Health Economics and Outcomes Research (HEOR), Good Clinical Practices (GCP), and patient engagement, reinforcing DPIIT’s mission to make India a global hub for health innovation.

Exp. Cabinet Approves ₹6,520 Crore for PMKSY to Boost Food Processing and Safety Infrastructure

The Union Cabinet approved a total outlay of ₹6,520 crore for PMKSY during the 15th Finance Commission cycle (2021–22 to 2025–26), including an additional ₹1,920 crore to enhance key components of the scheme.

A major allocation of ₹1,000 crore will be invested to develop 50 Multi-Product Food Irradiation Units under the ICCVAI scheme and establish 100 NABL-accredited Food Testing Laboratories (FTLs).

The initiative aims to strengthen India’s food processing ecosystem by increasing food preservation capacity by 20–30 lakh metric tonnes annually, reducing spoilage, and promoting private sector investment.

Exp. Google to Invest ₹51,000 Crore in Asia’s Largest Data Centre in Visakhapatnam

Google is set to build Asia’s largest data centre in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, with a total investment of ₹51,000 crore (approximately $6 billion). The facility will have a 1 gigawatt (GW) capacity along with supporting energy infrastructure.

Out of the total investment, nearly ₹17,000 crore ($2 billion) will be dedicated to developing renewable energy capacity, reflecting Google’s global commitment to sustainable and green infrastructure.

Alphabet Inc., Google’s parent company, has announced a $75 billion global investment plan in April 2025 to expand its data centre network, including major facilities in Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand to meet rising digital demand.

Exp. Malta to Host 8th Commonwealth Youth Games in 2027

Malta will host the 8th Commonwealth Youth Games (CYG) in late 2027, welcoming around 1,150 athletes aged 14–18 from 74 Commonwealth nations and territories to compete across eight sports.

The event will feature a dual-island model, utilising existing world-class venues across Malta and Gozo, with two Athlete Villages set up using local hotels on each island.

Exp. ICMAI appoints Srinivasa Prasad as President, Joshi as VP for 2025-26 term

TCA Srinivasa Prasad has been elected President of the Institute of Cost Accountants of India (ICMAI) for the council year 2025–26; he brings nearly 40 years of experience in finance, cost management, and CSR.

Neeraj D Joshi, a cost accountant, has been elected as the Vice President of ICMAI for the 2025–26 term.

ICMAI, a statutory body under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Government of India, is headquartered in New Delhi and has over 1 lakh qualified CMAs and 6 lakh students.

Exp. 3 August – National Watermelon Day

National Watermelon Day is observed every year on 3rd August, primarily in the United States, to celebrate and enjoy the sweet and refreshing fruit — watermelon.

Watermelon is composed of over 90% water, making it a hydrating and nutritious fruit, especially popular during the summer months.

Exp. 3 August – CLOVES Syndrome Awareness Day

CLOVES Syndrome Awareness Day is observed annually on August 3rd to raise awareness about CLOVES Syndrome, a rare and complex congenital disorder.

CLOVES stands for Congenital Lipomatous Overgrowth, Vascular malformations, Epidermal nevi, and Scoliosis/Skeletal abnormalities.

The syndrome is caused by mutations in the PIK3CA gene, which leads to abnormal tissue growth and vascular malformations affecting various parts of the body.