Current Affair MCQ for 2025-10-14

Notes: Scientists from Arunachal Pradesh recently discovered a new Begonia species in Basar, Leparada District. It is named ‘Chowna Buku Chulu (Aryarakta)’, meaning “Noble Red”, in honour of Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein. The plant is known for its striking red leaves and natural growth in the region’s habitat. Begonia is a genus of perennial flowering plants from the Begoniaceae family. In cooler regions, they are cultivated outdoors in summer for their bright flowers with sepals but no petals.

Notes: India and the United Kingdom recently launched the India-UK Connectivity and Innovation Centre (CIC) at India Mobile Congress 2025. It is a strategic partnership to promote digital inclusion and build secure, innovative, and resilient communications. The initiative works under the UK-India Technology Security Initiative, led by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and India’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT). It links university research, lab testing, and market trials for next-generation technologies. Both nations will jointly invest £24 million (₹250 crore) to support research, joint testbeds, and global telecom standards.

Notes: The 624-megawatt (MW) Kiru Hydroelectric Project in Jammu and Kashmir recently achieved a major milestone by completing 10 lakh cubic meters of dam concreting out of a total 12 lakh cubic meters. It is a run-of-river project built on the Chenab River near Patharnakki and Kiru villages in Kishtwar District, Jammu and Kashmir. The dam is a 135-meter-high concrete gravity structure with an underground powerhouse on the left bank. The powerhouse will have four Francis turbines of 156 MW each. It will boost power supply in northern India. The project is developed by Chenab Valley Power Projects (CVPP) — a joint venture of National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC, 49%), Jammu & Kashmir State Power Development Corporation (JKSPDC, 49%), and Power Trading Corporation (PTC, 2%).

Notes: Recently, the Director of Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve Sonali Ghosh received the Kenton R. Miller Award. The award is given by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) – World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA). IUCN, founded in 1948, works globally for nature conservation and sustainable resource use. The Kenton R. Miller Award, established in 2006, is presented every two years for innovation in national park and protected area sustainability. It honours exceptional contributions in management, finance, monitoring, and communication and carries a cash prize of US $5,000.

Notes: The Finance Ministry recently approved Maitri II, India’s newest research station in eastern Antarctica. Maitri II will be larger than Maitri I and designed as a green research base. The station will use renewable energy, including solar power for summer and wind energy to harness Antarctic winds. Automated instruments will record data and send it to mainland India, even if the station is temporarily unmanned. Construction is expected to be completed by January 2029. National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) will operate and manage Antarctic and Arctic missions.