Daily Current Affairs Quiz: June 13, 2025

June 13, 2025

With reference to the Lokpal of India, consider the following statements:
1. The Lokpal covers all public servants including Members of Parliament and the Prime Minister.
2. The Chairperson of Lokpal must be a serving Chief Justice of India only.
3. The term of office for Lokpal members is five years or until 70 years of age, whichever is earlier.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(A) 1 and 2 only
(B) 1 and 3 only
(C) 2 and 3 only
(D) 1, 2 and 3

Show Answer

Answer: B

Current Context : Recently, the Full Bench of the Lokpal of India adopted a new motto: “Empower Citizens, Expose Corruption.”

ABOUT LOKPAL

Legal Basis: Established under the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013, to investigate corruption allegations against public functionaries.
Jurisdiction: Covers all public servants including the Prime Minister, Ministers, Members of Parliament, and officials of government bodies.
Composition: Comprised of a Chairperson + up to eight Members (four judicial, four non-judicial).
Eligibility: Chairperson/Members must be ≥ 45 years, not lawmakers, and free of criminal convictions.
Chairperson: Either the Chief Justice of India, a sitting Supreme Court judge, or an eminent person nominated by a high-level selection committee.
Term: Five years or until reaching 70 years of age, whichever is earlier.
Motto: “Empower Citizens, Expose Corruption” – replacing the old Sanskrit motto “Ma Gridhah Kasyasvid Dhanam.”

The 2025 edition of the PASSEX exercise between India and the United Kingdom involved which of the following assets?
1. INS Tabar
2. HMS Prince of Wales
3. A P-8I maritime patrol aircraft
4. INS Vikrant
Select the correct answer using the code below:

(A) 1, 2 and 3 only
(B) 1 and 4 only
(C) 2 and 3 only
(D) 1, 2, 3 and 4

Show Answer

Answer: A

Current Context : The Indian Navy’s stealth frigate INS Tabar participated in a Passage Exercise (PASSEX) alongside the United Kingdom’s Carrier Strike Group in the North Arabian Sea.

About PASSEX (Indian Navy & UK CSG)

Date & Location: 9–10 June 2025, North Arabian Sea.
Indian Assets: INS Tabar (stealth frigate), an Indian submarine, and a P-8I maritime patrol aircraft.
UK Assets: HMS Prince of Wales (aircraft carrier) and HMS Richmond (frigate).
Significance: Strengthens India–UK naval interoperability and underscores shared commitment to maritime security.

Which of the following statements is/are correct about the CROPIC initiative?
1. It uses AI and geotagged photographs for real-time crop health monitoring.
2. It replaces the entire PMFBY scheme for Rabi 2025–26 season.
3. It is designed to improve the speed and accuracy of crop-loss assessments.
Select the correct answer using the code below:

(A) 1 only
(B) 1 and 3 only
(C) 2 and 3 only
(D) 1, 2 and 3

Show Answer

Answer: B

Current Context : The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare plans to launch CROPIC (Collection of Real-Time Observations & Photos of Crops) for real-time monitoring of crop health under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana.

ABOUT CROPIC

Objective : To monitor crop health and automate crop-loss assessment and claims under PMFBY.
Coverage: Initially for Kharif 2025 and Rabi 2025–26
Data Collection: Farmers use a mobile app to upload geotagged field photographs 4–5 times per crop cycle.
Technology: AI-based cloud platform for image analysis + web dashboard for visualization.
Benefits:
- Faster, more accurate crop-loss assessment
- Detailed directory of crop signatures
- Supports timely compensation and financial resilience of farmers.
Governance: Launched by the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare under the PMFBY framework.

Exercise Khaan Quest 2025, recently attended by a 40-member Indian Army contingent, is:

(A) A bilateral defence drill between India and Mongolia
(B) A United Nations peacekeeping exercise hosted by the USA
(C) A multinational peacekeeping exercise under UN Chapter VII
(D) An annual naval exercise in the Indo-Pacific region

Show Answer

Answer: C

Current Context : 40-member Indian Army contingent arrived in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, to participate in the 22nd Exercise Khaan Quest (14–28 June 2025), a multinational peacekeeping drill under UN Chapter VII.

About exercise Khaan Quest

Nature: Multinational United Nations peacekeeping exercise.
History: Began as a US–Mongolia bilateral drill in 2003; expanded to multinational in 2006.
Indian Contingent: 40 personnel (primarily Kumaon Regiment), including 1 woman officer and 2 women soldiers.

Which of the following correctly defines Merchant Discount Rate (MDR)?

(A) A tax levied by the RBI on inter-bank transactions.
(B) A fee charged by merchants to consumers for using digital payment systems.
(C) A subsidy provided by the government to promote offline retail transactions.
(D) A fee charged by banks or payment providers to merchants for processing digital transactions.

Show Answer

Answer: D

Current Context : On 12 June 2025, the Finance Ministry clarified there is no plan to levy MDR on UPI transactions, dismissing recent speculation as “false, baseless, and misleading.”

ABOUT MDR

Definition: Fee charged by banks/Payment service providers (PSPs) to merchants for processing digital payments in real time.
Historical Charge: ~1% MDR on card transactions, waived for UPI since 2020 to promote digital payments.
Rationale: Maintaining zero-cost transactions encourages wider UPI adoption among merchants and consumers.

Which of the following correctly matches the revised base years announced for India's economic indicators?
Indicator - New Base Year
A. GDP - 2022–23
B. IIP - 2022–23
C. CPI - 2024
Select the correct code:

(A) A and B only
(B) A and C only
(C) A, B and C
(D) B and C only

Show Answer

Answer: C

Current Context : The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has announced that from early 2026, India’s key economic indicators will be re-benchmarked to more recent base years: GDP and IIP to 2022–23, and CPI to 2024.

ABOUT BASE YEAR REVISION

Advisory Committee: In 2024, MoSPI formed a 26-member Advisory Committee on National Accounts Statistics, chaired by economist Biswanath Goldar, to recommend new base years.

GDP:

Definition: The total monetary value of all final goods and services produced within a country’s borders during a specific period (quarter/financial year).
Current Base: 2011–12; revision to 2022–23 will better reflect new sectors (digital, services) and price structures.
New series to be released on 27 February 2026.

Index of Industrial Production (IIP)

Definition: A monthly index measuring the volume of production in the industrial sector—covering mining, manufacturing, and electricity.
Composition : Manufacturing ~77%, Mining ~14%, Electricity ~9%.
New IIP series will roll out from 2026–27.

Consumer Price Index (CPI)

Definition: A monthly index tracking average change in prices paid by consumers for a fixed basket of goods and services.
Types in India : CPI-Rural (CPI-R), CPI-Urban (CPI-U), CPI-Combined (CPI-C), CPI-Industrial Workers (CPI-IW).
Components : Food & beverages, Housing, Clothing, Fuel & light, Miscellaneous.
Base year updated to 2024, with new item basket and weights derived from the Household Consumer Expenditure Survey 2023–24.
Expected publication from Q1, 2026.

Consider the following statements regarding the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY):
1. It aims to provide LPG connections to adult men in Below Poverty Line (BPL) households.
2. It gives preference to SC/ST families and tea garden workers.
3. It was launched under the Ministry of Rural Development in 2016.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(A) 1 and 2 only
(B) 2 only
(C) 2 and 3 only
(D) 1, 2 and 3

Show Answer

Answer: B

Current Context : India marked the ninth anniversary of Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, launched in May 2016 to provide clean cooking fuel to vulnerable households.

ABOUT Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY)

Launch Year & Ministry: 2016 by the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas.
Objective: Supply free LPG connections to women in Below Poverty Line (BPL) families to reduce indoor air pollution and health hazards.
Target Groups:
- Adult women in BPL households.
- Priority for SC/ST families, PMAY (Gramin) beneficiaries, forest dwellers, tea-garden workers.
Achievements: Over 33 crore LPG connections provided nationwide.

The International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities (IALA), where India currently serves as Vice President, is involved in which of the following?
1. Harmonizing marine aids to navigation
2. Conservation of lighthouse heritage
3. Drafting trade tariffs for maritime services
4. Developing Maritime Service Registries
Select the correct answer using the code below:

(A) 1, 2 and 3 only
(B) 1, 2 and 4 only
(C) 2 and 3 only
(D) 1 and 4 only

Show Answer

Answer: B

Current Context : On 11 June 2025, India, serving as Vice President of the International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities (IALA), participated in the 2nd Session of the IALA Council in Nice, France.

ABOUT IALA

Established: 1957 as an NGO; upgraded to an Intergovernmental Organization (IGO) in 2024.
Membership & Role: Brings together aids-to-navigation authorities, manufacturers, and training institutes to standardize marine navigation aids globally.
Key Discussions in Nice:
- Harmonization of marine aids to navigation.
- Conservation of lighthouse heritage.
- Development of IoT protocols for visual Aids to Navigation (AtoN).
- Specifications for a global Maritime Service Registry.