Current Affair MCQ for 2025-09-18

Notes: Eighteen youngsters stranded in the floodwaters of the Penna River in Nellore district, Andhra Pradesh, were rescued after a seven-hour operation. The Penna River, also called Pennar, Pinakini, or Penneru, flows through Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. It originates in the Nandi Hills of Chikkaballapur district, Karnataka. The river flows north into Andhra Pradesh, bends east through the Eastern Ghats, and empties into the Bay of Bengal near Nellore. It supports agriculture in drought-prone Rayalaseema through projects like Somasila, Mylavaram, and Gandikota.

Notes: Around 550 residents of Fulwariya hamlet in Koderma district, mostly from the Birhor tribe, will soon receive electricity after nearly 80 years of darkness. The Birhor are a semi-nomadic forest-dependent tribe mainly in Jharkhand, also found in Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and West Bengal. They are among eight Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) of Jharkhand. Their language, Birhor, belongs to the Munda group of Austroasiatic family, similar to Santali, Mundari, and Ho. Birhors live in small forest settlements called tandas or bands, with huts of leaves and branches.

Notes: The World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies has recently come into force. It is the first WTO multilateral agreement focused on environmental sustainability. It was adopted at the 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) in 2022 at Geneva. The agreement prohibits subsidies for illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. It also bans subsidies for fishing targeting overfished stocks and for fishing in unmanaged high seas. The WTO Fish Fund was created to help developing countries and Least Developed Countries (LDCs) with technical support.

Notes: Manipur inaugurated the 14th Sirarakhong Hathei Chilli Festival in Ukhrul district on 17 September. The festival lasts 14 days and promotes Sirarakhong Hathei, a Geographical Indication (GI)-tagged chilli. Sirarakhong Hathei is famous for its unique aroma and flavour across India. Cultural performances were organised to showcase the rich heritage of the region. A Buyer-Seller Meet was held to enhance economic opportunities for farmers.A tree plantation drive was also held under the national initiative ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’.

Notes: The World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) released the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2025. Global Research and Development (R&D) growth slowed to 2.9% in 2024 and is projected to fall further to 2.3% in 2025, the lowest since the 2010 financial crisis. India has risen to 38th rank in 2025, improving from 48th in 2020. Switzerland ranks first, followed by Sweden, United States, South Korea, and Singapore. India performs best in Knowledge & Technology Outputs (22nd) and Market Sophistication (38th). Weak areas for India are Business Sophistication (64th), Infrastructure (61st), and Institutions (58th). India is first among lower-middle-income economies and in the Central and Southern Asia region.