1. What was the total worth of development projects inaugurated, dedicated, or for which foundation stones were laid by PM Narendra Modi in Bihar and West Bengal on July 18, 2025?
a) Rs. 5,400 crore
b) Rs. 7,000 crore
c) Rs. 12,400 crore
d) Rs. 10,000 crore
e) Rs. 15,000 crore
Answer: c) Rs. 12,400 crore
2. Which rail project was dedicated by PM Narendra Modi in Bihar on July 18, 2025?
a) Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail
b) Darbhanga-Narkatiaganj Line Doubling Project
c) Delhi-Meerut Rapid Rail
d) Kolkata Metro Expansion
e) Chennai-Bengaluru Expressway
Answer: b) Darbhanga-Narkatiaganj Line Doubling Project
3. Under which scheme were fisheries development projects inaugurated in Bihar?
a) PM Kisan Samman Nidhi
b) Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY)
c) Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan
d) Swachh Bharat Abhiyan
e) Digital India Programme
Answer: b) Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY)
4. What is the approximate worth of the BPCL City Gas Distribution Project in West Bengal?
a) Rs. 1,000 crore
b) Rs. 1,950 crore
c) Rs. 2,500 crore
d) Rs. 3,000 crore
e) Rs. 1,500 crore
Answer: b) Rs. 1,950 crore
5. Which new gold purity grade was included under BIS mandatory hallmarking effective July 2025?
a) 10-Karat
b) 9-Karat
c) 12-Karat
d) 15-Karat
e) 16-Karat
Answer: b) 9-Karat
6. How many hallmarking grades are now included under the BIS amendment for gold jewellery?
a) 6
b) 7
c) 8
d) 9
e) 10
Answer: c) 8
7. Which of the following is NOT excluded from the BIS hallmarking definition of artefacts?
a) Gold watches
b) Gold pens
c) Legal-tender coins
d) Gold jewellery
e) Gold coins
Answer: d) Gold jewellery
8. How many districts are covered under the mandatory BIS hallmarking as of July 2025?
a) 250
b) 300
c) 361
d) 400
e) 450
Answer: c) 361
9. What is the penalty for non-compliance with BIS hallmarking regulations under the BIS Act, 2016?
a) Imprisonment up to 1 year or fine of Rs. 50,000
b) Imprisonment up to 2 years or fine of Rs. 1–5 lakh
c) Imprisonment up to 3 years or fine of Rs. 10 lakh
d) Fine of Rs. 5–10 lakh only
e) Imprisonment up to 5 years
Answer: b) Imprisonment up to 2 years or fine of Rs. 1–5 lakh
10. Where was the first Indian Institute of Creative Technology (IICT) campus inaugurated?
a) New Delhi
b) Bengaluru
c) Mumbai
d) Chennai
e) Hyderabad
Answer: c) Mumbai
11. How much funding was allocated by the Government of India for the development of IICT?
a) Rs. 200 crore
b) Rs. 300 crore
c) Rs. 400 crore
d) Rs. 500 crore
e) Rs. 600 crore
Answer: c) Rs. 400 crore
12. Who launched the National Standards for Civil Service Training Institutes (NSCSTI 2.0)?
a) Narendra Modi
b) Ashwini Vaishnaw
c) Jitendra Singh
d) Devendra Fadnavis
e) Shivraj Singh Chouhan
Answer: c) Jitendra Singh
13. How many evaluation metrics are included in the NSCSTI 2.0 framework?
a) 43
b) 50
c) 59
d) 65
e) 70
Answer: a) 43
14. Which organization developed the NSCSTI 2.0 framework?
a) National Skill Development Corporation
b) Capacity Building Commission (CBC)
c) Bureau of Indian Standards
d) National Institute for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities
e) Coal India Limited
Answer: b) Capacity Building Commission (CBC)
15. The NIEPID–Jai Vakeel Foundation MoU aims to provide education for:
a) Tribal students
b) Children with Intellectual Disabilities (CwID)
c) Underprivileged children
d) Rural youth
e) Women entrepreneurs
Answer: b) Children with Intellectual Disabilities (CwID)
16. Under which ministry does the National Institute for Empowerment of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities (NIEPID) operate?
a) Ministry of Education
b) Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment
c) Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
d) Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship
e) Ministry of Tribal Affairs
Answer: b) Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment
17. How many youth are targeted to be skilled under the ITI Upgradation Scheme in five years?
a) 1 million
b) 1.5 million
c) 2 million
d) 2.5 million
e) 3 million
Answer: c) 2 million
18. Who chairs the National Steering Committee (NSC) for the ITI Upgradation Scheme?
a) Ashwini Vaishnaw
b) Rajit Punhani
c) Jitendra Singh
d) Adil Zainulbhai
e) Pramod Kumar Tiwari
Answer: b) Rajit Punhani
19. Which state became the first to grant agricultural status to livestock and poultry farming?
a) Gujarat
b) Maharashtra
c) Tamil Nadu
d) Uttar Pradesh
e) Karnataka
Answer: b) Maharashtra
20. How many families are expected to benefit from Maharashtra’s livestock farming agricultural status decision?
a) 50.25 lakh
b) 60.30 lakh
c) 76.41 lakh
d) 80.50 lakh
e) 90.75 lakh
Answer: c) 76.41 lakh
21. What is the estimated income increase for livestock farmers in Maharashtra due to the new agricultural status?
a) Rs. 5,000 crore
b) Rs. 6,500 crore
c) Rs. 7,700 crore
d) Rs. 8,200 crore
e) Rs. 9,000 crore
Answer: c) Rs. 7,700 crore
22. How many Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRSs) in Chhattisgarh will Coal India Limited support?
a) 50
b) 68
c) 75
d) 80
e) 90
Answer: b) 68
23. What is the total funding sanctioned by Coal India Limited for tribal education in Chhattisgarh?
a) Rs. 5 crore
b) Rs. 8 crore
c) Rs. 10 crore
d) Rs. 12 crore
e) Rs. 15 crore
Answer: c) Rs. 10 crore
24. Which organization implements the MoTA–CIL tribal education project in Chhattisgarh?
a) National Skill Development Corporation
b) National Scheduled Tribes Finance and Development Corporation
c) Capacity Building Commission
d) Bureau of Indian Standards
e) Jai Vakeel Foundation
Answer: b) National Scheduled Tribes Finance and Development Corporation
25. The UAE–India CEPA Council signed an MoU with which institution?
a) IIT Bombay
b) Atal Incubation Centre, BHU
c) IIM Ahmedabad
d) NIT Trichy
e) ISRO Bengaluru
Answer: b) Atal Incubation Centre, BHU
26. How many startups are supported under the UAE–India CEPA Council and BHU MoU?
a) 50+
b) 75+
c) 110+
d) 150+
e) 200+
Answer: c) 110+
27. What is the worth of the order secured by BEML for supplying PAT Bulldozers?
a) Rs. 150 crore
b) Rs. 185.65 crore
c) Rs. 200 crore
d) Rs. 250 crore
e) Rs. 300 crore
Answer: b) Rs. 185.65 crore
28. How many PAT Bulldozers will BEML supply to the Ministry of Defence?
a) 66
b) 79
c) 85
d) 90
e) 100
Answer: b) 79
29. Which ministry oversees Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML)?
a) Ministry of Heavy Industries
b) Ministry of Defence
c) Ministry of Railways
d) Ministry of Steel
e) Ministry of Coal
Answer: b) Ministry of Defence
30. Which initiative does BEML’s PAT Bulldozer order align with?
a) Digital India
b) Make in India
c) Swachh Bharat
d) Skill India
e) Startup India
Answer: b) Make in India
Current Affairs Today: 20,21 July 2025
NATIONAL AFFAIRS
- PM Modi’s Visit to Bihar and West Bengal: On July 18, 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation for development projects worth over Rs. 7,000 crores in Motihari, Bihar, and Rs. 5,400 crores in Durgapur, West Bengal. Key projects included the Darbhanga-Narkatiaganj rail line doubling project and a Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) facility in Darbhanga. In West Bengal, he laid the foundation for a Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) City Gas Distribution Project.
- Mandatory Hallmarking for 9-Karat Gold: The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has made hallmarking mandatory for 9-karat gold jewelry from July 2025. This expands the list of hallmarking grades to eight and aims to increase consumer trust and ensure the purity of gold products. All jewelry must now bear a 6-digit alphanumeric Hallmark Unique Identification (HUID).
- First IICT Campus Inaugurated: Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis jointly inaugurated the first campus of the ‘Indian Institute of Creative Technology’ (IICT) at the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) Complex in Mumbai. The campus is part of a Rs 400 crore initiative to boost the creative and media industries.
- NSCSTI 2.0 Launched: Union Minister of State Dr. Jitendra Singh launched the National Standards for Civil Service Training Institutes (NSCSTI 2.0). Developed by the Capacity Building Commission (CBC), this revamped framework aims to modernize civil services training by simplifying evaluation metrics and integrating digital learning models and AI.
- NIEPID and Jai Vakeel Foundation MoU: The National Institute for Empowerment of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities (NIEPID) signed an MoU with the Jai Vakeel Foundation (JVF) to implement a structured education model for Children with Intellectual Disabilities (CwID) across India. The partnership leverages JVF’s DISHA Abhiyan curriculum.
- MSDE’s National Steering Committee: The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has formed a National Steering Committee (NSC), headed by Secretary Rajit Punhani, to oversee the upgradation of 1,000 Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and the establishment of five National Centres of Excellence (CoEs). The initiative aims to skill over 2 million youth.
- Maharashtra Grants Agricultural Status to Livestock Farming: Maharashtra has become the first state in India to grant agricultural status to livestock and poultry farming. This decision provides financial support to over 76 lakh families and allows them to receive a 4% interest subsidy on project loans through Kisan Credit Cards (KCCs).
- MoTA and CIL Collaboration: The Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) has partnered with Coal India Limited (CIL) to enhance the quality of education at 68 Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRSs) in Chhattisgarh, benefiting over 28,000 tribal students. CIL will invest Rs 10 crore in digital education, health, and mentorship programs.
- UAE-India CEPA Council and BHU MoU: The UAE-India Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) Council (UICC) signed an MoU with the Atal Incubation Centre at Banaras Hindu University (BHU). This partnership aims to strengthen startup and innovation ties between the two countries, particularly for startups in India’s Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities.
- BEML Secures MoD Order: Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) has received an order worth Rs 185.65 crore from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to supply 79 PAT Bulldozers, reinforcing its commitment to the ‘Make in India’ initiative.
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
- Switzerland Ratifies India-EFTA Agreement: Switzerland has completed its ratification of the Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) with India. This marks the full ratification of the agreement, which is expected to come into force in October 2025. EFTA members will invest USD 100 billion in India over the next 15 years.
- INS Sandhayak Docks in Malaysia: The Indian Navy Ship (INS) Sandhayak, an indigenously built Survey Vessel, docked at Port Klang, Malaysia, for its maiden hydrographic mission. The visit aims to strengthen bilateral maritime cooperation and facilitate technical exchanges.
BANKING & FINANCE
- The Wealth Company Receives SEBI Approval: The Wealth Company Asset Management Holdings received final approval from the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to launch its mutual fund business. The new entity, The Wealth Company MF, is now the youngest Asset Management Company (AMC) in India.
- Aurum PropTech Launches First Listed SM-REIT: Aurum PropTech has received SEBI approval to launch AMSA SM-REIT Investment Trust (AMSA), making it India’s first publicly listed company to operate a Small and Medium Real Estate Investment Trust (SM-REIT).
- JFSL and Allianz Form Reinsurance JV: Jio Financial Services Limited (JFSL) and Allianz Group have signed an agreement to form a 50:50 domestic reinsurance Joint Venture (JV) to serve India’s insurance sector.
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
- ICAR-SBI Team Wins National Award: A five-member team from the ICAR-Sugarcane Breeding Institute (SBI) in Coimbatore won the Rashtriya Krishi Vigyan Puraskar 2025 for developing the Soil Moisture Indicator (SMI). The device uses soil electrical conductivity to help farmers with precise irrigation, leading to increased crop yield and water conservation.
- Telangana District Wins GIS Award: Bhadradri Kothagudem district in Telangana won the ‘National Geospatial Practitioner Award’ and the ‘Open Source GIS Cohort Award’ for its innovative use of GIS technology in public service delivery, including flood prediction and agricultural interventions.
OBITUARY
- Alan Bergman Passes Away: Oscar-winning American lyricist Alan Jay Bergman has passed away at the age of 99. He was known for his collaboration with his wife, Marilyn, on iconic songs like “The Way We Were” and “The Windmills of Your Mind.”
STATE NEWS
- Tamil Nadu Day 2025: Tamil Nadu Day was celebrated on July 18, 2025, commemorating the 1967 resolution that renamed the Madras State as Tamil Nadu. This date was officially declared by the DMK-led government in 2022.
- UP-UNDP Partnership for Disaster Management: The Uttar Pradesh (UP) government and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) signed an agreement to strengthen the state’s disaster management system. The partnership, with a budget of Rs. 19.99 crores, will be implemented over three years and cover all 75 districts of UP.