Answer: C

Observed annually on February 09.

• Baba Amte, born Murlidhar Devidas Amte on December 26, 1914, was a renowned social activist and humanitarian, best known for his work with leprosy patients.
• He was born in Hinganghat, a city in the Wardha district of Maharashtra.
• In 1951, he founded Anandwan, a rehabilitation center in Maharashtra for leprosy patients.
• Baba Amte passed away on February 9, 2008, at the age of 93 in Anandwan, Maharashtra.

Answer: B

Observed annually on February 10.

• Established by the United Nations in 2019 after the success of the 2016 International Year of Pulses.
• Pulses include dry beans, lentils, chickpeas, and peas, which are rich in protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
• 2025 Theme: “Pulses: Bringing diversity to agrifood systems.

Answer: B

Celebrated annually on the second Monday of February. In 2025, it falls on February 10.

• Established to raise awareness, reduce stigma, and advocate for the rights of people with epilepsy.
• Organized by the International Bureau for Epilepsy (IBE) and the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE).
• Epilepsy affects around 50 million people globally, making it one of the most common neurological disorders.

Answer: B

• At the Bengal Global Business Summit 2025, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced the start of mining operations at the Deucha-Pachami coal block in Birbhum
• The West Bengal government is set to commence basalt mining on 326 acres at the Deocha-Pachami coal mine.
• Mining basalt is crucial as it covers the coal reserves beneath.
• This block is one of the largest coal deposits in the world, with over 1,200 million tonnes of coal.
• The Deocha-Pachami coal mine is Asia’s second largest coal mine,while Gevra mine of South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL) in Chhattisgarh is the largest coalmine in Asia.

Answer: C

• The United States recently deported 104 Indian migrants who had undertaken a perilous illegal journey, including a dangerous crossing through the Darien Gap.
• Many Indians attempting to enter the US illegally follow what is known as the ‘donkey route’ or illegal migration route through darien gap.
• The Darien Gap is a dense, swampy rainforest spanning approximately 97 km between northern Colombia in South America and southern Panama in North America. 
• The terrain is characterized by muddy trails, wetlands, and steep mountains,making it one of the most inhospitable and dangerous regions in the world.
• The area is controlled by criminal gangs and armed groups, further increasing the dangers for those attempting to cross it.

Answer: D
The Defence Ministry is set to sign a contract worth over ₹10,200 crore for ammunition for Pinaka multi-barrel rocket launcher weapon systems.

• The deal is with Solar Industries, Nagpur and public sector firm Munitions India Limited.
• The Pinaka rocket system has been developed by Armament Research and Development Establishment, Pune supported by High Energy Materials Research Laboratory, another Pune-based laboratory of DRDO.
• The Pinaka Mark1 (Mk1)has a range of 38 km and it can fire a variety of ammunition.
• The upgraded Pinaka system has successfully tested guided rockets with a 75 km range and is set to extend its range to 120 km and 300 km. It is becoming the Army’s main long-range artillery.
• The Pinaka Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) can fire 72 rockets in 44 seconds.
• In 2024, Armeniabecame the first export customer for the indigenously developed Pinaka.

Answer: A

• India’s Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh announced that the country aims to launch the Chandrayaan-4 mission by 2027.
• ISRO’s Chandrayaan-4 Missionis India’s first lunar sample return mission, aiming to collect and bring back Moon soil and rock samples.
• The Chandrayaan-4 will use five different components, which will be assembled in orbit, to help India overcome payload limitations as due to payload size constraints for single-launch rockets.
• It will require two separate launchesusing the heavy-lift LVM-3 rocket.
• The first launch is planned to carry the ascender module and descender module.
• The second launch would carry the transfer module, re-entry module, and the propulsion module.
• It could involve international collaborationwith partners like Russia or NASA.

Answer: D

• The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) six-member Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) cut the repo rate by 25 basis points to 6.25 per cent on February 7,2025.
• This is the first rate cut initiated by the RBI in five years, the last one being in May 2020.
• Repo rate is the rate at which the central bank of a country(RBI in case of India) lends money to commercial banks in the event of any shortfall of funds. Here, the central bank purchases the security.
• As such, the repo rate forms the floor interest rate for all other interest rates in the economy.
• Repo rate is used by monetary authorities to control inflation.