Current Affairs for UPSC PSC SSC | 1st August 2025
🏔️ Mount Cilo
🔸 Latest News
- 50% of the glaciers on Mount Cilo have melted over the past 40 years.
🔸 Location & Geography
- Located southeast of Lake Van in the Taurus mountain range, Anatolia region, Turkey.
- Lies on the Iraqi border in Hakkari province.
- Elevation: 4,135 meters; second highest glacier in Turkey after Mount Ararat.
- Part of Alpine-Himalayan Fold System; formed due to Arabian, Anatolian, and Eurasian plate movements.
🔸 Physical Features
- Has five prominent peaks: Uludoruk Peak, Suppa Durek Peak, Kosedireği Mountain, Kisara Mountain, and Maunseli Sivrisi.
- Characterized by rugged topography, steep limestone cliffs, deep gorges, and glacial valleys.
- Current form due to tectonic activity and erosion.
🔸 Climate Impact
- Affected by heatwaves and droughts in Turkey.
- Record temperature of 50.5°C contributing to glacier melt.
🐍 Barbados Threadsnake
🔸 Latest News
- Rediscovered recently after being missing for decades.
🔸 Biological Details
- Belongs to family Leptotyphlopidae.
- Blind, burrowing, feeds on termites and ants.
- Lays a single, slender egg.
🔸 Features
- Max length: 10.4 cm; weight: 0.6 g — world’s smallest snake.
- Solitary, fossorial, and nocturnal.
- Found in eastern Barbados, inhabits tropical dry forests.
🔸 Behaviour and Adaptations
- Lives under rocks, near termite nests.
- Produces pheromones to avoid termite attacks.
🔸 Diet & Reproduction
- Carnivorous; eats larvae of termites and ants.
- Oviparous (egg-laying).
🔸 Conservation
- Status: Critically Endangered (IUCN).
- Main Threat: Habitat loss.
💼 Skill Impact Bond (SIB)
🔸 Latest News
- Highlighted by Minister of State as delivering measurable social impact.
🔸 Concept
- A development impact bond launched in November 2021.
- Focuses on employment outcomes for youth.
- Targets 50,000 youth, 60% women.
🔸 Features
- Uses private capital, outcomes-based funding.
- Backed by National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC).
- Key stakeholders: risk investors, outcome funders, and third-party evaluators.
🔸 Working Mechanism
- Risk investors fund training organizations.
- Outcome funders repay investors if employment targets are met.
- Third-party verifies outcomes.
🩸 CRIB Blood Group
🔸 Latest News
- Discovered in a woman from Kolar, Karnataka.
- Unveiled at ISBT Congress in Milan, Italy.
🔸 About the Blood Group
- Part of Cromer (CR) system.
- Named CRIB – CR (Cromer) + IB (India, Bangalore).
- Involves a new antigen in the DAF system.
🔸 Significance
- Enhances transfusion safety.
- Aids donor-recipient compatibility.
🔸 Rare Blood Types
- Present in <0.1% of population.
- Creates challenges in transfusions, transplants, and surgeries.
⚡ Dorjilung Hydropower Project
🔸 Latest News
- Tata Power joins Bhutan’s DGPC in project development.
🔸 Project Details
- Capacity: 1125 MW (run-of-river).
- Location: Lhuentse & Mongar, Bhutan on Kurichhu River.
- Expected commissioning: 2032.
- Funding: World Bank.
- PPP model: DGPC (60%), Tata Power (40%).
🔸 Infrastructure
- 139.5 m concrete-gravity dam.
- 15 km headrace tunnel.
- 6 Francis turbines generating 4.5 TWh/year.
💳 Digital Payments Index (DPI)
🔸 Latest News
- DPI increased to 493.22 (March 2025) from 465.33 (Sept 2024).
🔸 About DPI
- Launched by RBI in January 2021.
- Measures digitization of payments.
- Base Year: March 2018 = Score 100.
🔸 Parameters
- Payment enablers – 25%
- Payment infrastructure (supply + demand) – 10% each
- Payment performance – 45%
- Consumer centricity – 5%
🌊 Tsunami
🔸 Latest News
- 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia.
- Triggered tsunami alerts in Pacific regions.
🔸 Understanding Tsunamis
- Caused by large ocean displacement.
- Common causes: earthquakes (80%), also volcanoes, landslides, meteorites.
🔸 Characteristics
- Radiate in all directions.
- Travel at 950 km/h, heights up to 30 m.
- Speed slows, height increases near coast.
- Sign: abnormal retreat of coastal waters.
🏞️ Musi River
🔸 Latest News
- HYDRAA cracks down on illegal encroachments on riverbed.
🔸 River Profile
- Known as Muchukunda/Musunuru.
- Tributary of Krishna River, originates from Anantagiri Hills, Telangana.
- Length: 240 km.
- Dams: Himayat Sagar, Osman Sagar.
🔸 Course
- Flows eastward through Hyderabad, divides Old and New City.
- Confluence: Krishna River near Wazirabad.
🔸 Issues
- Pollution from Hyderabad waste.
- 24 diversion weirs for irrigation.
🐅 Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary
🔸 Latest News
- Odisha planning to introduce tigers to the sanctuary.
🔸 Profile
- Location: Bargarh district, Odisha near Hirakud Dam.
- Area: 347 sq.km; declared in 1985.
- Historical link: Veer Surendra Sai used it during British resistance.
🔸 Biodiversity
- Vegetation: Mixed & dry deciduous.
- Flora: Sal, Asana, Aanla, Dhaura.
- Fauna: Leopards, bears, chousingha, sambar, gaurs, dholes.
- Birds: Crested serpent eagle, bulbul, drongo, oriental white-eye.
✈️ Schengen Visa
🔸 Latest News
- Cascade system allows faster, long-term visas for Indians with clean history.
🔸 Basics
- Allows travel to 29 Schengen countries.
- Stay up to 90 days in 180 days.
- For tourism, business, family, cultural, etc.
- Doesn’t permit work.
🔸 Cascade System
- 2-year visa if you had 2 Schengen visas in 3 years.
- 5-year visa possible with prior usage.
- Tiered validity based on past usage.
- Offers visa-free-like mobility, no work rights.
PRELIMS MCQs
1. Mount Cilo
Q1. Consider the following about Mount Cilo: / माउंट सिलो के बारे में निम्नलिखित पर विचार करें:
- It is part of the Alpine-Himalayan Fold System. / यह एल्पाइन-हिमालयन फोल्ड सिस्टम का हिस्सा है।
- It is the highest peak in Turkey. / यह तुर्की की सबसे ऊँची चोटी है।
- It lies on the border between Turkey and Iraq. / यह तुर्की और इराक की सीमा पर स्थित है।
Which of the above is/are correct? / उपरोक्त में से कौन सा/से कथन सही है/हैं?
a) 1 and 2 only / केवल 1 और 2
b) 2 and 3 only / केवल 2 और 3
c) 1 and 3 only / केवल 1 और 3
d) 1, 2 and 3 / 1, 2 और 3
2. Barbados Threadsnake
Q2. Barbados Threadsnake is unique for which of the following reasons? / बारबाडोस थ्रेडस्नेक किस कारण से अद्वितीय है?
a) It is the only venomous threadsnake in the world. / यह दुनिया का एकमात्र विषैला थ्रेडस्नेक है।
b) It lays multiple eggs in a year. / यह वर्ष में कई अंडे देता है।
c) It is the world’s smallest known snake. / यह दुनिया का सबसे छोटा ज्ञात साँप है।
d) It is found in deserts of Africa. / यह अफ्रीका के रेगिस्तानों में पाया जाता है।
3. Skill Impact Bond
Q3. Which of the following statements about the Skill Impact Bond (SIB) are correct? / स्किल इम्पैक्ट बॉन्ड (SIB) के बारे में निम्न में से कौन से कथन सही हैं?
- It is India’s first outcomes-based bond for skill development. / यह भारत का पहला परिणाम-आधारित कौशल विकास बॉन्ड है।
- Private sector investors are repaid only if targets are met. / निजी निवेशकों को केवल लक्ष्यों की पूर्ति पर भुगतान किया जाता है।
- It focuses mainly on certification over placement. / यह मुख्यतः प्रमाणन पर केंद्रित है, नियुक्ति पर नहीं।
a) 1 and 2 only / केवल 1 और 2
b) 2 and 3 only / केवल 2 और 3
c) 1 and 3 only / केवल 1 और 3
d) 1, 2 and 3 / 1, 2 और 3
4. CRIB Blood Group
Q4. CRIB blood group is named based on which of the following? / CRIB रक्त समूह का नाम किस पर आधारित है?
a) Clinical Rare Indian Blood / क्लीनिकल रेयर इंडियन ब्लड
b) Cromer India Bangalore / क्रोमर इंडिया बैंगलोर
c) Critical India Bloodtype / क्रिटिकल इंडिया ब्लडटाइप
d) Combined RBC Immuno-Biology / कंबाइंड आरबीसी इम्यूनो-बायोलॉजी
5. Dorjilung Hydropower Project
Q5. The Dorjilung Hydropower Project is being developed in which of the following models? / डोरजीलुंग जलविद्युत परियोजना किस मॉडल में विकसित की जा रही है?
a) BOT (Build Operate Transfer) / बीओटी (निर्माण, संचालन, हस्तांतरण)
b) Government Funded / सरकारी वित्तपोषण
c) PPP (Public Private Partnership) / पीपीपी (सार्वजनिक-निजी साझेदारी)
d) BOO (Build Own Operate) / बीओओ (निर्माण, स्वामित्व, संचालन)
6. Digital Payments Index
Q6. The RBI Digital Payments Index uses which of the following as the base period? / आरबीआई डिजिटल पेमेंट्स इंडेक्स किस आधार वर्ष का उपयोग करता है?
a) January 2021 / जनवरी 2021
b) April 2019 / अप्रैल 2019
c) March 2018 / मार्च 2018
d) December 2020 / दिसंबर 2020
7. Tsunami
Q7. What causes tsunami waves to increase in height near coastlines? / तटों के पास सुनामी तरंगों की ऊँचाई क्यों बढ़ जाती है?
a) Increase in ocean temperature / महासागर के तापमान में वृद्धि
b) Shallow ocean depth near shore / तट के पास महासागर की उथली गहराई
c) Change in moon’s gravitational pull / चंद्रमा के गुरुत्वाकर्षण बल में परिवर्तन
d) Strong surface winds / तेज सतही हवाएँ
8. Musi River
Q8. The Musi River divides which Indian city historically? / मुसी नदी ऐतिहासिक रूप से किस भारतीय शहर को विभाजित करती है?
a) Bengaluru / बेंगलुरु
b) Hyderabad / हैदराबाद
c) Pune / पुणे
d) Nagpur / नागपुर
9. Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary
Q9. Which of the following species is found in Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary? / देब्रीगढ़ वन्यजीव अभयारण्य में निम्नलिखित में से कौन सी प्रजाति पाई जाती है?
a) Snow Leopard / हिम तेंदुआ
b) Chousingha / चौसिंगा
c) Hangul / हंगुल
d) Asiatic Lion / एशियाई शेर
10. Schengen Visa
Q10. Under the cascade system, how long is the multi-entry Schengen visa granted to Indian citizens with two valid Schengen visas in the last three years? / कैस्केड सिस्टम के तहत, पिछले तीन वर्षों में दो वैध शेंगेन वीज़ा वाले भारतीय नागरिकों को कितने समय के लिए मल्टी-एंट्री शेंगेन वीज़ा दिया जाता है?
a) 6 months / 6 महीने
b) 1 year / 1 वर्ष
c) 2 years / 2 वर्ष
d) 5 years / 5 वर्ष
