Current Affairs – 25 February 2026

Correct Answer: C

The Union Cabinet approved the Kerala government’s proposal to change the State’s name from ‘Kerala’ to ‘Keralam’, which is the name used in the Malayalam language.

Correct Answer: B

The President will refer the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026 to the Kerala Legislative Assembly under the proviso to Article 3 of the Constitution of India.

Correct Answer: C

The Kerala Assembly passed the resolution seeking the name change on June 24, 2024.

Correct Answer: C

The decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Correct Answer: D

‘Keralam’ is the name of the State in the Malayalam language.

Correct Answer: B

The nationwide Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programme aims to protect adolescent girls against cervical cancer, one of the most common yet preventable cancers among women in India.

Correct Answer: C

The HPV vaccine will be given to girls of 14 years of age as part of the nationwide programme.

Correct Answer: C

The special HPV vaccination campaign is expected to cover nearly 1.15 crore girls of 14 years every year.

Correct Answer: B

Cervical cancer remains the second most common cancer among women in India, with nearly 80,000 new cases and over 42,000 deaths annually.

Correct Answer: B

The Union Cabinet approved the proposal to alter the name of the State of Kerala to 'Keralam'.

Correct Answer: C

After Cabinet approval, the President will refer the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026 to the Kerala State Legislative Assembly for expressing its views.

Correct Answer: B

The Kerala Legislative Assembly passed the resolution on 24th June 2024 to alter the name of the State to Keralam.

Correct Answer: C

The multitracking railway projects covering eight districts were approved at an estimated cost of ₹9,072 crore.

Correct Answer: C

The MSP of Raw Jute (TD-3 grade) for the marketing season 2026-27 has been fixed at ₹5,925 per quintal.

Correct Answer: C

The Cabinet approved increasing the equity investment threshold for POWERGRID subsidiaries from ₹5,000 crore to ₹7,500 crore.

Correct Answer: C

Exercise DHARMA GUARDIAN is an annual joint military exercise conducted between India and Japan.

Correct Answer: C

Exercise VAJRA PRAHAR is a Joint Special Forces Exercise conducted between India and the United States.

Correct Answer: C

The exercise is being conducted at the Special Forces Training School in Bakloh, Himachal Pradesh.

Correct Answer: C

A national-level expert committee has been constituted to probe systemic issues underlying the successive failures of ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).

Correct Answer: C

The PSLV-C62 failed on January 12 after the third stage of the rocket did not ignite, leading to mission failure.

Correct Answer: B

The PSLV-C61 failure in May 2025 resulted in the destruction of the EOS-09 satellite intended for strategic purposes.

Correct Answer: C

The committee includes K. Vijay Raghavan, former Principal Scientific Adviser, among other external experts.

Correct Answer: B

The committee is expected to table its findings to ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan before April.

Correct Answer: B

National Security Adviser Ajit Doval visited the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in connection with the PSLV-C62 failure.

Correct Answer: B

The Supreme Court stayed the Kerala High Court order that had kept in abeyance the ‘Nava Kerala Citizen Response Programme’, a public outreach and development feedback initiative.

Correct Answer: C

The State government allocated approximately ₹20 crore under the budget head ‘Special PR Campaign’ for the programme.

Correct Answer: B

The programme was envisaged as a time-bound Statewide exercise from January 2026 to February 2026.

Correct Answer: B

The High Court intervention was based on a writ petition alleging violation of the Rules of Business framed under Article 166(3) of the Constitution.

Correct Answer: C

The Bench comprised Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi.

Correct Answer: D

The project will be implemented in Rajasthan, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Assam. Karnataka is not among the four States mentioned.

Correct Answer: C

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to address the Knesset, Israel’s Parliament, during his visit.

Correct Answer: B

Netanyahu proposed a ‘hexagonal alliance’ involving India, Greece and Cyprus, along with some unnamed countries.

Correct Answer: B

Netanyahu described the proposed alliance as being against both ‘radical Sunni and Shia axes’.

Correct Answer: C

The Modi government stopped importing Iranian oil in 2017 in deference to U.S. sanctions.

Correct Answer: B

India is expected to host the BRICS summit later this year, where Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian will be invited.

Correct Answer: B

The Union Cabinet held its first meeting at the newly inaugurated Seva Teerth complex, which houses the new Prime Minister’s Office.

Correct Answer: C

Seva Teerth is the new complex housing the Prime Minister’s Office.

Correct Answer: B

The Cabinet adopted a resolution to fulfil the government’s goal of placing India among the world’s top three economies in the near future.

Correct Answer: C

The resolution stated that the Cabinet would work towards realising the vision of a ‘Developed India 2047’.

Correct Answer: B

The resolution described Seva Teerth as symbolising a new work culture of governance with modern technology and efficient working methods.

Correct Answer: C

In the Puttaswamy (2017) judgment, the Supreme Court declared the right to privacy as a fundamental right under Article 21.

Correct Answer: D

Parliament passed the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act in August 2023.

Correct Answer: C

Section 44(3) of the DPDP Act amends Section 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act, which earlier allowed disclosure of personal information if larger public interest justified it.

Correct Answer: C

The amendment provides a blanket exemption to any information which relates to personal information, without exceptions for larger public interest.

Correct Answer: B

The government constituted a committee chaired by Justice B.N. Sri Krishna, which submitted a draft data protection Bill in July 2018.

Correct Answer: B

The Supreme Court has viewed the right to information as integral to Articles 19 (freedom of speech and expression) and 21 (right to life and liberty).