Daily Current Affairs Quiz: July 21, 2025

Answer: B

Observed every year on 20 July

Aim : to commemorate the establishment of Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE)in 1924.

ABOUT INTERNATIONAL CHESS DAY

• Organized by: Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE), also known as the International Chess Federation
• Founded on: 20 July 1924 in Paris, France
• First observed globally: In 1966 by the initiative of UNESCO
• UN Recognition: The United Nations General Assembly officially declared it as International Chess Day in 2019

Answer: C

Observed on 20 July every year.

Aim : To mark the Apollo 11 mission’s Moon landing on 20 July 1969, when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans on the lunar surface.

ABOUT INTERNATIONAL MOON DAY

• Declared by: United Nations General Assembly via Resolution A/RES/76/76
• Adopted on: 9 December 2021
• First observed: 20 July 2022

Purpose

• Commemorates the historic lunar landing of Apollo 11
• Promotes public awareness about sustainable lunar exploration
• Encourages global dialogue on international cooperation in space missions
• Historical highlight : On 20 July 1969 at 22:56 EDT, astronaut Neil Armstrong made history with the words:
  “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

Answer: C

CURRENT CONTEXT : Recently, Ukraine has officially joined the International Criminal Court as the 125th State Party to the Rome Statute.

 ABOUT INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT

• It is the world’s first permanent international court established to try individuals for the most serious crimes of concern to the international community.
• Established by: Rome Statute (adopted in 1998, came into force in 2002)
• Headquarters: The Hague, Netherlands

 JURISDICTION AND ROLE

• Investigates and prosecutes:
• Genocide
• War Crimes
• Crimes Against Humanity
• Crime of Aggression
• The court functions independently of the United Nations but cooperates with it.

INDIA’S POSITION : India is not a signatory to the Rome Statute and is not a member of the International Criminal Court.

Answer: A

CURRENT CONTEXT : The Union Minister has launched the National Standards for Civil Service Training Institutes 2.0 (NSCSTI 2.0)framework to improve governance and training quality.

 ABOUT NSCSTI 2.0 FRAMEWORK

• Developed by: Capacity Building Commission (CBC)
• Aim: To make civil service training institutes future-ready through standardization and innovation.

FEATURES

• Evaluation based on streamlined metrics
• Inclusive and accessible design for wider reach
• Digital integration with hybrid and e-learning models
• Promotes institutional excellence and knowledge sharing

ABOUT CAPACITY BUILDING COMMISSION

• Established in: 2021 under the National Programme for Civil Services Capacity Building (NPCSCB)
• Also known as: Mission Karmayogi
• Functions as an independent executive body
• Responsible for guiding reforms in civil service training and performance

Answer: C

CURRENT CONTEXT : India reaffirmed its commitment to the ‘Pact for the Future’ at the United Nations Dialogue.

ABOUT PACT FOR THE FUTURE

• Adopted at: Summit of the Future, 2024
• The pact aims to shape international cooperation and commitments for a better, more sustainable future.

KEY COMPONENTS

• Global Digital Compact
• First global framework for digital cooperation
• Promotes inclusive, secure, and open digital transformation
• Declaration on Future Generations
• Focuses on intergenerational equity and long-term planning

FOCUS AREAS

• Sustainable development and financing for development
• International peace and security
• Science, technology, and innovation (STI) and digital cooperation
• Youth and future generations
• Reform and transformation of global governance systems

FEATURES

• Emphasis on human rights, gender equality, and sustainable development
• Calls for concrete deliverables across thematic priorities
• Strengthens global commitments on shared challenges

Answer: A

CURRENT CONTEXT : The European Space Agency (ESA), along with UK-based Frazer-Nash Consultancy, has launched INVICTUS, a programme to develop hypersonic flight technologies.

ABOUT INVICTUS

• Type: Experimental, fully reusable aerospace vehicle
• Speed: Capable of reaching Mach 5 (five times the speed of sound)
• Funded under:
• ESA’s General Support Technology Programme (GSTP)
• Technology Development Element (TDE)

KEY FEATURES

• Designed for sustained hypersonic flight within Earth’s atmosphere
• Fully reusable and upgradable platform Allows exchange of materials, propulsion systems, and software between test campaigns

SIGNIFICANCE

• Aims to demonstrate the feasibility of a hydrogen-fuelled, precooled air-breathing propulsion system
• Supports horizontal take-off and landing, paving the way for reusable spaceplanes in the future

Answer: B

CURRENT CONTEXT : The Government of Kerala has declared the State Kathakali Awards, Pallavur Appu Marar Vadya Puraskaram, and Keraleeya Nritta-Natya Puraskaram for the year 2023 to honour artists for their contribution to Kerala’s classical performing arts.

ABOUT THE AWARDS

• These awards aim to promote, preserve, and honour Kerala’s traditional arts such as Kathakali, Koodiyattam, and traditional percussion music.
• Reflects Kerala’s cultural policy to recognize veteran artists and support art forms unique to the state.

AWARDEES – 2023

State Kathakali Award

• Kuroor Vasudevan Namboothiri – for excellence in Chenda
• Kalamandalam Sankara Warrier – for mastery in Maddalam

Pallavur Appu Marar Vadya Puraskaram

• Mattannur Sankarankutty Marar – renowned Chenda exponent, known for innovation and rhythmic brilliance

Keraleeya Nritta-Natya Puraskaram

• Kalamandalam P.N. Girijadevi – for contributions to Koodiyattam, the ancient Sanskrit theatre tradition of Kerala

Answer: B

CURRENT CONTEXT : The Labour Bureau has revised the base year of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for Agricultural Labourers (AL) and Rural Labourers (RL) from 1986–87 to 2019.

ABOUT CPI–AL & RL

• Compiled by: Labour Bureau, Ministry of Labour and Employment
• New Base Year: 2019 = 100 (Earlier: 1986–87 = 100)
• CPI measures price changes of a fixed basket of goods and services over time.

DEFINITIONS

• Agricultural Labourer (AL): One who works in agriculture on hire (paid in cash, kind, or both).
• Rural Labourer (RL): One who does manual labour in rural areas, in agricultural and non-agricultural sectors, for wages in cash/kind.

Answer: A

CURRENT CONTEXT : The Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has released the results of Swachh Survekshan 2024–25, India’s annual cleanliness survey under the Swachh Bharat Mission – Urban (SBM–U).

 HIMACHAL PRADESH HIGHLIGHTS

• Theog, a small town near Shimla, has been declared the cleanest city in Himachal Pradesh.
• It secured 12th rank nationally in the “Promising Swachh Shehar”
• Naidun ranked second in the state, followed by Shimla at third.

 SHIMLA’S DECLINE IN RANKING

• Shimla, once the cleanest city in Himachal Pradesh, slipped from 188th to 347th place nationally.
• Major reasons cited include:
• Poor waste collection and segregation
• Inadequate cleaning of water bodies
• Delays in dump-site remediation
• Shimla Municipal Corporation has requested a re-evaluation of the survey findings.

ABOUT SWACHH SURVEKSHAN

• Launched in: 2016
• Conducted by: Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs in collaboration with the Quality Council of India (QCI)
• Objective: To promote a competitive and cooperative approach to improving urban sanitation
• Coverage: Over 4,500 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) across the country
• Citizen Engagement: More than 12 crore responses collected in the 2024–25 edition
• Evaluation Parameters:
• Service Level Progress (SLP)
• Citizen Feedback
• Direct Field Observation
• Third-party Certification & Documentation