Current Affairs Capsule: International, National and Andhra Pradesh

What to remember

• Current affairs questions in this paper favour women, child, nutrition and health themes, plus big international groupings, national laws and Andhra Pradesh basics. Learn the standing facts (who, what, where, which ministry) before the latest news.
• Always pair a scheme with its ministry and its target group. Most Anganwadi-related schemes sit under the Ministry of Women and Child Development; health schemes sit under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
• Dates and figures change. Learn the idea, the name and the purpose. For the newest numbers, rankings or appointments, check the latest official release before the exam.

How to read a current affairs capsule

Read news in five boxes: (1) international bodies and summits, (2) national laws and schemes, (3) women, child and nutrition news, (4) science and environment, (5) Andhra Pradesh. For every item note four things: what happened, who did it, where, and why it matters. Exam questions usually ask "which organisation", "which ministry", "which place" or "what is the purpose".

International

United Nations and its agencies. The United Nations was founded in 1945 and has its headquarters in New York. Its agencies are asked often in this paper.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The 2030 Agenda was adopted by the UN in 2015 with 17 goals. Goal 2 is Zero Hunger, Goal 3 is Good Health and Well-being, Goal 4 is Quality Education, Goal 5 is Gender Equality, and Goal 6 is Clean Water and Sanitation. Goals 2, 3 and 5 are closest to Anganwadi work.

Groupings. BRICS stands for Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, and it has since grown by adding new members. G20 is the forum of major economies. India held the G20 presidency in 2023 and the leaders' summit took place in New Delhi; the African Union was made a permanent member of the G20 at that summit. The Quad is a four-country group of India, the USA, Japan and Australia. SCO is the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

Climate. The Paris Agreement (2015) aims to hold global warming well below 2 degrees Celsius. The yearly climate conference is called COP (Conference of the Parties). The UN declared 2023 the International Year of Millets after a proposal led by India. Millets are called Shree Anna in India and are linked to nutrition programmes.

Important days linked to this paper.

National: women, child and nutrition

Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0. This is the umbrella nutrition mission of the Ministry of Women and Child Development. It brings together Anganwadi Services, the POSHAN Abhiyaan and the scheme for adolescent girls. It stresses supplementary nutrition, early childhood care and education, use of millets, traditional foods and AYUSH practices for wellness, and better Anganwadi infrastructure.

POSHAN Abhiyaan. The name means Prime Minister's Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nourishment. It was started in 2018 to reduce stunting, undernutrition, anaemia and low birth weight through convergence and technology.

Poshan Tracker. This is the digital application used by Anganwadi workers to record services, attendance and growth of children, pregnant women and lactating mothers.

Mission Shakti. It is an umbrella scheme for the safety, security and empowerment of women. It has two parts: Sambal (safety and security, with one-stop centres and women helplines) and Samarthya (empowerment, including working women's hostels and creches).

Mission Vatsalya. It is the child protection scheme for children in need of care and protection, covering institutional care, foster care, sponsorship and adoption.

Other schemes to know.

Women and law. The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam (2023) provides one-third reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies. Three new criminal laws came into force on 1 July 2024: the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (replacing the Indian Penal Code), the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (replacing the Code of Criminal Procedure) and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (replacing the Indian Evidence Act).

National: science and general

Chandrayaan-3 made India the first country to land near the lunar south polar region (2023). Aditya-L1 is India's solar observation mission. Gaganyaan is the human spaceflight programme of ISRO. The Digital India mission supports online services, and UPI is the national instant payment system.

National: health and environment

Mission Indradhanush is the immunisation drive that reaches children and pregnant women who missed routine vaccines. The Anaemia Mukt Bharat strategy targets anaemia in children, adolescents and women through iron and folic acid tablets, deworming and testing. The Poshan Pakhwada is a fortnight of nutrition awareness. The National Health Mission supports public health services in villages and towns. Swachh Bharat Mission is the national sanitation campaign, and Jal Jeevan Mission aims at tap water to rural homes. Clean water and toilets matter to child health because they reduce diarrhoea and worm infection.

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh was formed as a linguistic state on 1 November 1956 by merging Andhra State with the Telangana area of Hyderabad State. It was divided on 2 June 2014 under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014. Amaravati is the capital being developed in the Krishna river region. Visakhapatnam is the largest city and a major port. The Polavaram project on the Godavari is a national project for irrigation and power. District boundaries were changed in 2022 and again in 2026, so use the latest official list.

Anganwadi services in the state are run by the Women Development and Child Welfare department. Centres give supplementary nutrition, pre-school education, immunisation support and health and nutrition education. Take-home rations and hot cooked meals are provided through the centres. Scheme names in the state can change with governments, so check the latest official release for names.

Exam traps

• UNICEF (children) versus UNESCO (education, science, culture) versus UN Women (gender equality).
• POSHAN Abhiyaan (2018, nutrition mission) versus Poshan 2.0 (the wider umbrella of 2021 onwards).
• Mission Shakti (women) versus Mission Vatsalya (children).
• Sambal (safety) versus Samarthya (empowerment) within Mission Shakti.
• ICDS began in 1975 and has six services; do not mix with the 2018 mission.
• World Health Day (7 April) versus World Food Day (16 October).
• National Nutrition Week (1 to 7 September) versus World Breastfeeding Week (1 to 7 August).
• PMMVY (cash support to mothers) versus Sukanya Samriddhi (savings for girls).

One-liners

• 1. The United Nations was founded in 1945.
• 2. WHO has its seat in Geneva; UNICEF in New York.
• 3. There are 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
• 4. SDG 5 is Gender Equality; SDG 2 is Zero Hunger.
• 5. The International Year of Millets was 2023.
• 6. India's G20 presidency summit was held in New Delhi in 2023.
• 7. POSHAN Abhiyaan was launched in 2018.
• 8. Poshan Maah is observed in September.
• 9. National Girl Child Day is 24 January.
• 10. The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam gives women one-third seats in the Lok Sabha and Assemblies.
• 11. The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita replaced the Indian Penal Code.
• 12. Andhra Pradesh was divided on 2 June 2014.

Practice questions

1. The United Nations was founded in which year?

   1. 1945
   2. 1939
   3. 1950
   4. 1919
   Answer

   A. 1945

   The UN was founded in 1945 after the Second World War.

2. Which UN agency has its seat in Geneva and sets world health standards?

   1. FAO
   2. UNESCO
   3. UNICEF
   4. WHO
   Answer

   D. WHO

   The World Health Organization is based in Geneva.

3. Which UN agency mainly works for child rights, child health and nutrition?

   1. UNESCO
   2. World Bank
   3. FAO
   4. UNICEF
   Answer

   D. UNICEF

   UNICEF is the UN children's agency.

4. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has its seat in

   1. Rome
   2. New York
   3. Geneva
   4. Paris
   Answer

   A. Rome

   FAO is headquartered in Rome.

5. How many Sustainable Development Goals are in the 2030 Agenda?

   1. 20
   2. 12
   3. 8
   4. 17
   Answer

   D. 17

   The 2030 Agenda has 17 SDGs.

6. Which Sustainable Development Goal is Gender Equality?

   1. Goal 5
   2. Goal 3
   3. Goal 2
   4. Goal 6
   Answer

   A. Goal 5

   SDG 5 is Gender Equality.

7. The UN International Year declared on India's proposal highlighted which crops?

   1. Pulses only
   2. Oilseeds
   3. Spices
   4. Millets
   Answer

   D. Millets

   The International Year of Millets promoted millets, called Shree Anna in India.

8. National Girl Child Day is observed on

   1. 12 January
   2. 24 January
   3. 8 March
   4. 20 November
   Answer

   B. 24 January

   24 January is National Girl Child Day.

9. World Health Day is observed on

   1. 7 April
   2. 1 September
   3. 16 October
   4. 21 June
   Answer

   A. 7 April

   World Health Day falls on 7 April.

10. World Breastfeeding Week is observed during

    1. 1 to 7 September
    2. 1 to 7 August
    3. 1 to 7 March
    4. 8 to 14 April
    Answer

    B. 1 to 7 August

    It is observed on 1 to 7 August; National Nutrition Week is 1 to 7 September.

11. Poshan Maah (Nutrition Month) is observed in which month?

    1. September
    2. June
    3. November
    4. March
    Answer

    A. September

    Poshan Maah is held in September.

12. Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 is run by the Ministry of

    1. Education
    2. Health and Family Welfare
    3. Rural Development
    4. Women and Child Development
    Answer

    D. Women and Child Development

    Poshan 2.0 sits under the Ministry of Women and Child Development.

13. The 'Sambal' component of Mission Shakti deals mainly with

    1. Safety and security of women
    2. Women's sports
    3. Women's land rights
    4. Women's savings schemes
    Answer

    A. Safety and security of women

    Sambal covers safety and security such as one-stop centres and helplines.

14. Mission Vatsalya is a scheme for

    1. Rural roads
    2. Old age pensions
    3. Crop insurance
    4. Child protection
    Answer

    D. Child protection

    Mission Vatsalya supports children in need of care and protection.

15. How many services are provided under ICDS?

    1. Eight
    2. Six
    3. Three
    4. Four
    Answer

    B. Six

    ICDS gives six services, from supplementary nutrition to nutrition and health education.

16. The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam provides what share of seats to women in the Lok Sabha?

    1. One-third
    2. One-fourth
    3. One-half
    4. One-fifth
    Answer

    A. One-third

    It provides one-third reservation for women.

17. The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita replaced which earlier law?

    1. Indian Evidence Act
    2. Indian Penal Code
    3. Constitution of India
    4. Code of Criminal Procedure
    Answer

    B. Indian Penal Code

    BNS replaced the IPC; BNSS replaced CrPC; BSA replaced the Evidence Act.

18. Which state was carved out of Andhra Pradesh under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014?

    1. Karnataka
    2. Tamil Nadu
    3. Odisha
    4. Telangana
    Answer

    D. Telangana

    Telangana became a separate state in 2014.

19. The Polavaram project is built on which river?

    1. Krishna
    2. Godavari
    3. Tungabhadra
    4. Penna
    Answer

    B. Godavari

    Polavaram is a national project on the Godavari.

20. Poshan Tracker is mainly used by

    1. Anganwadi workers
    2. Traffic police
    3. Postmen
    4. Bank officers
    Answer

    A. Anganwadi workers

    It is the digital app for recording Anganwadi services and beneficiary data.

21. The G20 leaders' summit hosted by India was held in which city?

    1. Hyderabad
    2. Visakhapatnam
    3. New Delhi
    4. Mumbai
    Answer

    C. New Delhi

    The New Delhi summit was held under India's presidency.

22. Which country is NOT a member of the Quad?

    1. India
    2. Japan
    3. Australia
    4. China
    Answer

    D. China

    The Quad is India, the USA, Japan and Australia.

23. The Paris Agreement is mainly about

    1. Climate change
    2. Nuclear arms
    3. Trade tariffs
    4. Refugee rights
    Answer

    A. Climate change

    It aims to hold global warming well below 2 degrees Celsius.

24. Chandrayaan-3 landed near which region of the Moon?

    1. Equator
    2. South polar region
    3. North polar region
    4. Far side centre
    Answer

    B. South polar region

    India became the first country to land near the lunar south polar region.

25. Amaravati, the capital being developed for Andhra Pradesh, lies in the region of which river?

    1. Vamsadhara
    2. Pennar
    3. Krishna
    4. Godavari
    Answer

    C. Krishna

    Amaravati is on the Krishna river.

26. Andhra Pradesh was formed in 1956 by merging Andhra State with the Telangana area of which former state?

    1. Madras State
    2. Mysore State
    3. Bombay State
    4. Hyderabad State
    Answer

    D. Hyderabad State

    Telangana belonged to Hyderabad State before the merger.

27. An Anganwadi worker wants to record the weight and attendance of enrolled children digitally. Which tool is meant for this?

    1. Poshan Tracker
    2. Aadhaar enrolment kit
    3. UPI
    4. DigiLocker
    Answer

    A. Poshan Tracker

    Poshan Tracker records services, growth and attendance of beneficiaries.

28. Providing tap water and toilets mainly helps reduce which childhood illness?

    1. Colour blindness
    2. Asthma from pollen
    3. Diarrhoea
    4. Dental caries only
    Answer

    C. Diarrhoea

    Clean water and sanitation cut diarrhoea and worm infections.

29. Children and pregnant women who missed routine vaccines are targeted by

    1. Poshan Pakhwada
    2. Mission Indradhanush
    3. Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana
    4. Swachh Bharat Mission
    Answer

    B. Mission Indradhanush

    Mission Indradhanush is the immunisation catch-up drive.

30. Iron and folic acid tablets and deworming are key parts of

    1. Jal Jeevan Mission
    2. Beti Bachao Beti Padhao
    3. Mission Vatsalya
    4. Anaemia Mukt Bharat
    Answer

    D. Anaemia Mukt Bharat

    Anaemia Mukt Bharat fights anaemia with IFA tablets, deworming and testing.

31. A family wants a savings account for the future education of a girl child. Which scheme fits?

    1. Matru Vandana Yojana
    2. PM POSHAN
    3. Mission Vatsalya
    4. Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana
    Answer

    D. Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana

    Sukanya Samriddhi is a small-savings scheme for the girl child.

32. A woman needs a one-stop centre after facing violence. Which mission supports this?

    1. Jal Jeevan Mission
    2. Mission Indradhanush
    3. Mission Shakti
    4. Poshan Pakhwada
    Answer

    C. Mission Shakti

    One-stop centres come under Mission Shakti (Sambal).

33. Which Sustainable Development Goal is most directly about ending hunger and undernutrition?

    1. Goal 2
    2. Goal 5
    3. Goal 4
    4. Goal 6
    Answer

    A. Goal 2

    SDG 2 is Zero Hunger.

34. Why are millets promoted in nutrition programmes?

    1. They contain no fibre
    2. They need heavy irrigation
    3. They are only for export
    4. They are nutritious and grow with little water
    Answer

    D. They are nutritious and grow with little water

    Millets are nutrient-rich and climate resilient.

35. Cash support to a pregnant woman for her first living child is given under

    1. PM POSHAN
    2. Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana
    3. Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana
    4. Mission Vatsalya
    Answer

    B. Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana

    PMMVY gives cash support to pregnant and lactating women.

36. Pre-school education for children aged 3 to 6 at an Anganwadi centre is part of

    1. Swachh Bharat Mission
    2. ICDS
    3. Jal Jeevan Mission
    4. Digital India
    Answer

    B. ICDS

    Pre-school education is one of the six ICDS services.

37. Hostels for working women and creches fall under which part of Mission Shakti?

    1. Samarthya
    2. Vatsalya
    3. Indradhanush
    4. Sambal
    Answer

    A. Samarthya

    Samarthya is the empowerment component.

38. A cooked mid-day meal for school children is provided under

    1. Mission Indradhanush
    2. Mission Shakti
    3. PM POSHAN
    4. Sukanya Samriddhi
    Answer

    C. PM POSHAN

    PM POSHAN is the school meal scheme, earlier called mid-day meal.

39. Which body sets world standards for health and handles disease outbreaks?

    1. UN Women
    2. WHO
    3. FAO
    4. UNESCO
    Answer

    B. WHO

    WHO leads global health work.

40. Consider the statements on Mission Shakti. 1. It has two parts, Sambal and Samarthya. 2. It is a scheme for soil health. Which is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    A. 1 only

    Statement 1 is correct; Mission Shakti is for women's safety and empowerment.

41. Consider the statements. 1. UNESCO has its seat in Geneva. 2. UNICEF works for child rights. Which is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    B. 2 only

    UNESCO is in Paris, so statement 1 is wrong.

42. Consider the statements. 1. POSHAN Abhiyaan aims to reduce stunting and anaemia. 2. Poshan Tracker is a digital app used for Anganwadi services. Which is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    C. Both 1 and 2

    Both statements are correct.

43. Consider the statements. 1. SDG 2 is Zero Hunger. 2. SDG 5 is Quality Education. Which is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    A. 1 only

    SDG 5 is Gender Equality; Quality Education is SDG 4.

44. Consider the statements. 1. The Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita replaced the Indian Penal Code. 2. The Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam replaced the Indian Evidence Act. Which is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    B. 2 only

    BNSS replaced the CrPC, not the IPC.

45. Consider the statements. 1. World Health Day is on 7 April. 2. World Food Day is on 16 October. Which is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    C. Both 1 and 2

    Both dates are correct.