Weekly Current Affairs Test : 15th to 21st September 2025

Recently, a Forest Department patrol at Tipeshwar Wildlife Sanctuary (TWS), Maharashtra, discovered a poached pangolin. Tipeshwar Wildlife Sanctuary is located in Yavatmal district, Maharashtra. It is named after Goddess Tipai shrine in Tipeshwar village. The sanctuary lies in Patanbori and Parwa ranges of the Pandarkawad Forest Division. Four rivers—Purna, Krishna, Bhima, and Tapti—flow through it, making it the “Green Oasis of Eastern Maharashtra.” The land has basaltic volcanic soil and supports village livelihoods.

Recently, a study in Nature Reviews Disease Primers gave an in-depth analysis of sarcoidosis. Sarcoidosis is an inflammatory disease where immune cells form granulomas in organs, mainly lungs. Granulomas are most common in lungs and lymph nodes but can also affect eyes, skin, heart, and other organs. Exact cause is unknown but linked to genetic changes and triggers like bacteria, viruses, dust, or chemicals. Symptoms range from mild to severe, including cough, breathlessness, shin sores, eye pain, and redness. Some cases resolve on their own, while others become chronic and may lead to fibrosis with lung scarring. There is no cure, but treatment with medicines reduces immune overreaction and prevents organ damage.

A rare scarlet dragonfly was recently spotted in the valleys of Munnar in Kerala’s Western Ghats. Its scientific name is Crocothemis erythraea. It is also known by common names such as broad scarlet, common scarlet-darter, and scarlet darter. This dragonfly belongs to the family Libellulidae. It is widely distributed in southern Europe, Africa, western Asia, and extends up to southern China. It prefers habitats near rivers, streams, and ponds in sunny locations. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), it is classified as Least Concern.

Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Gyan Bharatam portal at the International Conference on Gyan Bharatam in New Delhi. The portal is part of the Gyan Bharatam Mission announced in the Budget session 2025. The mission aims to digitise, catalogue, and preserve India’s one crore manuscripts and make them globally accessible. It addresses intellectual piracy by providing authentic sources of traditional knowledge.

Chennai will host the 5th Coast Guard Global Summit (CGGS) in 2027, the golden jubilee year of the Indian Coast Guard (ICG). The three-day summit will include an International Coast Guard Fleet Review and a World Coast Guard Seminar. It will serve as a global platform to discuss emerging maritime challenges and promote international maritime cooperation. The decision was taken unanimously at the 4th Coast Guard Global Summit (CGGS) in Rome on September 12, attended by delegates from 115 countries and organisations.

Researchers have discovered a new freshwater fish species named Garra nambashiensis in Manipur. The discovery was made in Taretlok, a tributary of the Chindwin River, near Nambashi Valley in Kamjong district. The fish belongs to the Labeonine family and is locally called Nutungnu. The Northeast region has 60 Garra species, of which 32 are proboscis species group, including eight from the Chindwin River system.

Russia recently announced it fired a Zircon (Tsirkon) hypersonic cruise missile at a target in the Barents Sea. Sukhoi Su-34 supersonic fighter-bombers also carried out strikes as part of drills with Belarus. The joint exercise, called Zapad (West), began on September 12 to improve military command and coordination in case of an attack on Russia or Belarus. The 3M22 Zircon, NATO code SS-N-33, is a scramjet-powered hypersonic cruise missile developed by Russia. It was first built to strike naval targets but later upgraded for land-attack missions.

Recently, Australia approved the world’s first vaccine to protect koalas from Chlamydia. The koala bear (Phascolarctos cinereus) is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia. Koalas are asocial, meeting mainly during breeding, and spend most of their time in eucalyptus trees eating and sleeping. They live in open forests to woodlands across Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia. Chlamydia causes urinary infections, infertility, blindness, and death, responsible for half of koala deaths in the wild. It is listed as Vulnerable by IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), they face threats from disease, habitat loss, climate change, and road collisions.

Recently, the Indian Navy received INS Androth, the second indigenously built Anti-Submarine Warfare–Shallow Watercraft (ASW-SWC). It is named after Androth Island in the Lakshadweep archipelago. INS Androth is the second of eight ASW-SWC ships built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata. These ships are designed as per the Indian Register of Shipping (IRS) Classification Rules. The vessel is 77 meters long and among the largest Indian Naval warships. It enhances submarine detection, coastal surveillance, and mine-laying capabilities.

Recently, Ho tribe adivasis staged a protest in West Singhbhum district, Jharkhand against administration interference in their Manki-Munda system. The Ho or Kolha people are an Austroasiatic Munda ethnic group of India. They call themselves Ho, Hodoko, and Horo, meaning human in their language. They are mainly found in the Kolhan region of Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, and Bihar. In the Manki-Munda system, the Munda (village head) resolves socio-political disputes at the village level. Each village had one hereditary Munda. A Manki headed a pidh of 8–15 villages and handled unresolved cases. Manki and Munda had no role in land or revenue matters. It was a purely internal self-governing system, with no taxation or external sovereign control.

Indian Navy’s Diving Support Vessel (DSV) INS Nistar is participating in Exercise Pacific Reach 2025 in Singapore. Exercise Pacific Reach is a biennial multinational exercise with participation from over 40 nations. The harbour phase will include discussions on submarine rescue systems, Subject Matter Expert Exchanges (SMEE), a medical symposium and cross-deck visits. The sea phase will see INS Nistar and Submarine Rescue Unit (E) perform intervention and rescue operations with other nations in the South China Sea.

Recently, Tanzania stopped a large-scale soda ash mining project at Lake Natron to protect its ecosystem. Lake Natron is a salt lake on the Tanzania–Kenya border, part of the Great Rift Valley. It was designated as a Ramsar Site of International Importance in 2001. It is the only reliable breeding ground for Lesser Flamingos in Africa, hosting 75% of the world’s population. The proposed mining project by Ngaresero Valley Company threatened flamingos, fragile hydrology, and the livelihoods of 65,000 Maasai pastoralists. Government allowed only small-scale traditional soda ash collection and emphasized sustainable ecotourism as the future.

Recently, a rare Red Coral Kukri Snake (Oligodon kheriensis), last reported in 1936, was found trapped in a net near Pilibhit Tiger Reserve, Uttar Pradesh. It is non-venomous, nocturnal, and fossorial, with sharp curved teeth resembling a kukri (Nepali knife). Its body is bright coral-red with a yellowish or pinkish underside, and it has a short head with a pointed snout. It is found in Himalayan foothills of Uttarakhand, Nepal, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Sikkim and western Assam.

Recently, South Korea, the United States, and Japan launched their five-day trilateral multi-domain exercise ‘Freedom Edge’ from September 15–19 in international waters near Jeju Island. This is the third round of the drills, after earlier editions in June and November 2024. It is the first such exercise under South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and US President Donald Trump. The exercise focuses on ballistic missile defence, air defence, medical evacuation, and maritime interdiction training. The goal is to boost interoperability and strengthen trilateral security cooperation in the Asia-Pacific.

Recently, Muzaffarpur district of Bihar secured first rank in the INSPIRE Award Scheme of the Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India. A record 7,403 students submitted innovative ideas, surpassing Bengaluru Urban (7,306) and Bagalkot, Karnataka (6,826). Under INSPIRE, students from Class 6–10 get ₹10,000 to develop innovative models, later exhibited up to the National Level Exhibition (NLEPC). Selected top 60 ideas are displayed at Rashtrapati Bhavan, where the President honours students. Ideas must be novel, practical, socially useful, and eco-friendly, e.g., water conservation, renewable energy, pollution control, and assistive devices.

Eighteen youngsters stranded in the floodwaters of the Penna River in Nellore district, Andhra Pradesh, were rescued after a seven-hour operation. The Penna River, also called Pennar, Pinakini, or Penneru, flows through Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. It originates in the Nandi Hills of Chikkaballapur district, Karnataka. The river flows north into Andhra Pradesh, bends east through the Eastern Ghats, and empties into the Bay of Bengal near Nellore. It supports agriculture in drought-prone Rayalaseema through projects like Somasila, Mylavaram, and Gandikota.

Around 550 residents of Fulwariya hamlet in Koderma district, mostly from the Birhor tribe, will soon receive electricity after nearly 80 years of darkness. The Birhor are a semi-nomadic forest-dependent tribe mainly in Jharkhand, also found in Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and West Bengal. They are among eight Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) of Jharkhand. Their language, Birhor, belongs to the Munda group of Austroasiatic family, similar to Santali, Mundari, and Ho. Birhors live in small forest settlements called tandas or bands, with huts of leaves and branches.

The World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies has recently come into force. It is the first WTO multilateral agreement focused on environmental sustainability. It was adopted at the 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) in 2022 at Geneva. The agreement prohibits subsidies for illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. It also bans subsidies for fishing targeting overfished stocks and for fishing in unmanaged high seas. The WTO Fish Fund was created to help developing countries and Least Developed Countries (LDCs) with technical support.

Manipur inaugurated the 14th Sirarakhong Hathei Chilli Festival in Ukhrul district on 17 September. The festival lasts 14 days and promotes Sirarakhong Hathei, a Geographical Indication (GI)-tagged chilli. Sirarakhong Hathei is famous for its unique aroma and flavour across India. Cultural performances were organised to showcase the rich heritage of the region. A Buyer-Seller Meet was held to enhance economic opportunities for farmers.A tree plantation drive was also held under the national initiative ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’.

The World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) released the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2025. Global Research and Development (R&D) growth slowed to 2.9% in 2024 and is projected to fall further to 2.3% in 2025, the lowest since the 2010 financial crisis. India has risen to 38th rank in 2025, improving from 48th in 2020. Switzerland ranks first, followed by Sweden, United States, South Korea, and Singapore. India performs best in Knowledge & Technology Outputs (22nd) and Market Sophistication (38th). Weak areas for India are Business Sophistication (64th), Infrastructure (61st), and Institutions (58th). India is first among lower-middle-income economies and in the Central and Southern Asia region.

Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of India’s first Pradhan Mantri Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel (PM MITRA) Park in Dhar District, Madhya Pradesh. PM MITRA Park is a mega textile hub that integrates spinning, weaving, dyeing, printing, and garment-making in one place. Each park covers about 1,000 acres or more and provides a full ecosystem for textile manufacturing. Parks can be developed as Greenfield or Brownfield projects. The scheme follows the vision “Farm to Fibre to Factory to Fashion to Foreign.” It aims to make textiles cheaper, faster to market, and of higher quality. Seven PM MITRA Parks are planned across Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Gujarat, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, and Maharashtra.

Mosquito-borne diseases like dengue fever are rising due to rapid urbanisation, climate change, and global travel. A new study published on 3 September in Science Translational Medicine shows waning immunity against Japanese Encephalitis Virus (JEV) can worsen dengue outcomes. Japanese Encephalitis (JE) is a viral zoonotic disease caused by the Japanese Encephalitis (B) virus. Transmission occurs through infected Culex mosquitoes of the Vishnui group, not from human to human. It is most common in rural Asia, especially during monsoon seasons. Both viruses belong to the genus Orthoflavivirus and show cross-immune interactions.

The 9th edition of Swachhata Hi Seva (SHS) 2025 began nationwide on 17 September. The campaign will run for 15 days and culminate on 2nd October, Gandhi Jayanti. It aims to mobilise millions of citizens for high-impact cleanliness drives. Swachhata Hi Seva (SHS) 2025 is jointly launched by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation. The focus is on Cleanliness Target Units, i.e., dark, dirty, and neglected spots. Citizens, communities, and institutions will work together for visible cleanliness.

The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), Ministry of Power, launched a new category “National Energy Conservation Awards (NECA) for Content Creators and Influencers” under National Energy Conservation Awards (NECA) 2025. The initiative supports Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) by spreading awareness on energy efficiency and sustainable living. NECA, instituted in 1991, is a prestigious platform recognizing excellence in energy conservation across industries, institutions, and buildings. For the first time, NECA includes the digital community to leverage influencers’ reach for nationwide awareness.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the two-day national conference MANTHAN 2025 in New Delhi on 18 September. The event is organised by the Directorate General of Defence Estates. Theme of conference is Strategic Roadmap to Aatmanirbhar Bharat @2047. Focus areas include re-imagining defence land management, using advanced digital tools, strengthening governance, and ensuring sustainability. The inaugural session highlighted achievements of the Defence Estates Department in defence land governance. A strategic roadmap to Viksit Bharat by 2047 was also presented.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announced a Rs 1,000 monthly allowance for unemployed graduates aged 20–25 years. The scheme is part of the Chief Minister’s Self-Help Allowance Scheme under the state’s 7 Nischay programme. Earlier, it covered only intermediate pass candidates, now extended to graduates for up to two years. The objective of initiative is to help youth pursue skill training and prepare for competitive exams.

Recently, the Union Minister of Development of North Eastern Region interacted virtually with school students from North East visiting ISRO under NE-SPARKS programme. NE-SPARKS stands for North East Students’ Programme for Awareness, Reach, and Knowledge on Space. It is a flagship initiative of Ministry of Development of North-East Region (MDoNER) in collaboration with 8 North Eastern States. The programme aims to ignite curiosity in space science and promote Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) among students. The funding pattern is 60:40 between Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region and respective State Governments.

Recently, on September 18, 2025, a Delhi court set aside an ex-parte gag order against journalists in the Adani defamation case. Over a year earlier, the Supreme Court had cautioned against misuse of Strategic Litigation against Public Participation (SLAPP) suits. SLAPPs are meritless suits filed to silence critics by dragging them into long, costly litigation. They are usually filed by powerful individuals or corporations against journalists, NGOs, researchers, writers, artists, and human rights defenders. Their aim is to intimidate, drain resources, and shut down critical public speech. India has no dedicated anti-SLAPP law, so courts depend on civil procedure rules and constitutional rights.

Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will review the progress of the National Maritime Heritage Complex (NMHC) at Lothal, Gujarat during his one-day Gujarat visit. NMHC is a flagship project under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways’ Sagarmala Programme, with an estimated cost of ₹4,500 crore. Lothal, a 5,000-year-old Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC) port town, is the site of the world’s oldest man-made dockyard. The complex will showcase 5,000 years of India’s maritime history through history, research, education, and entertainment. It will include the world’s tallest lighthouse museum (77 m), floating restaurant, tent city, e-car facilities, and four theme parks.

Recently, Marium Fatima from Muzaffarpur, Bihar, became the state’s first Woman FIDE Master (WFM). She achieved this historic milestone through her exceptional performance in chess. Marium has already earned several accolades in national and international chess events. This achievement marks a proud moment for Bihar in the global chess arena.