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The earlier name of this Union Territory was Pondicherry and it was changed to Puducherry on 20 Sept 2006.
The UT consists of four geographically isolated districts – Puducherry, Karaikal and Yanam near the Bay of Bengal and Mahe near the Arabian Sea.
Puducherry and Karaikal are surrounded by Tamil Nadu from the north, south and west directions and the Bay of Bengal in the east direction.
Yanam district is surrounded by Andhra Pradesh from the north, south and west sides and the Bay of Bengal from the eastern side.
Mahe is located on the western coast. The district is surrounded by Kerala from the north, south and east sides and the Arabian Sea from the western side.
Pondicherry was handed over to India by the French in 1954. In 1962, it was declared Union Territory.
From 1948 to 1954, Madras was the capital of Pondicherry.
Puducherry celebrates its own Independence Day on the 1st of November.
Puducherry is called ‘Paris of the South’ and ‘India’s Little France’.
The French National Day on the 14th of July is also celebrated in Puducherry.
Pondicherry has the third-largest Gandhi statue in the world. The statue is 13 feet tall and located on Promenade beach.
Opposite the statue of Mahatama Gandhi is a French War Memorial, which was built to commemorate the martyred French soldiers of World War I.
Puducherry is also known for Shri Aurobindo and his Ashram.
Matrimandir located in Auroville township of Pondicherry is a spherical structure with golden discs. This is used for practising Yoga. This is built by Mirra Alfassa, the spiritual ally of Shri Aurobindo.
In Manakula Vinayagar Temple of Lord Ganesh in Pondicherry, an elephant named Laxmi takes gifts and money from the devotees and blesses them. the UT has 70 Temples that are devoted to Lord Ganesha.
Puducherry is the birthplace of famous Hollywood director M. Night Shyamalan.
The beautiful Basilica Sacred Heart of Jesus Church of Puducherry is too huge to hold 2000 people.
Chandigarh is the capital city of both Punjab and Haryana.
The city is named after the goddess Chandi Mata of Panchkula.
Chandigarh is situated near the foothills of the Sivalik mountain ranges. The UT is surrounded by Haryana on the east and Punjab on all other sides.
Chandigarh is one of the early planned cities in independent India. Chandigarh was the dream city of the first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. Chandigarh is locally known as ‘the City Beautiful’.
Chandigarh is also called the Greenest City in India.
The master plan of the Chandigarh city was mapped out by the French architect Le Corbusier. There is no sector 13 in Chandigarh. Since the architect, Le Corbusier was Christian so number 13 was inauspicious as per his belief and never a part of the Chandigarh city. Le Corbusier also put one condition that there would be no statute or sculpture in any of the parks and roundabouts in the city. So till now, the roundabouts of the city are free of statues and sculptures.
The city has Roundabouts at regular intervals to ensure smooth ply of traffic on the road. Chandigarh is also known as the ‘City of Roundabouts’. The roundabouts are decorated with plants.
Chandigarh along with Panchkula of Haryana and Mohali of Punjab are jointly known as ‘Tricity’.
In 2016, the Capitol Complex of Chandigarh was listed on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.
The official symbol of the city is an Openhand Monument. The 26 meters high symbol implies peace and represents “to give and to offer”.
The Nek Chand’s Rock Garden in Chandigarh is completely built of waste and thrown-away items from homes and industries.
Zakir Hussain Rose Garden in Chandigarh is the largest Rose Garden in Asia. The garden spreads over 30 acres of land and contains over 16000 different species of rose.
Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu was constituted through the merger of the former Union Territories of Dadra and Nagar Haveli with Daman and Diu.
The merger plan was announced by the Government of India in July 2019 and the same came into effect on 26 January 2020. Daman became the capital city of the newly made Union Territory.
The main reason for the merger of the Union Territory was to reduce duplication of services and the cost of administration.
The Union Territory consists of four separate geographical entities: Dadra, Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu.
All the four entities of the UT are located in Western India near Gujarat and Maharashtra.
The four areas were Portuguese colonies. These areas came under Indian rule after the Annexation of Goa.
Till 1987, Daman and Diu was jointly administered with Goa. Goa got statehood after the Konkani language agitation.
Union Territory of Lakshadweep is located in the Arabian Sea off the Kerala coast. The Union Territory is formed by a group of a total of 39 Islands. Only 10 islands out of 39 are inhabited.
All the 39 Islands of Lakshadweep are divided into 3 Island groups – Amindivi, Laccadive and Minicoy.
Androth is the largest inhabited island of Lakshadweep. The Island has an area of 4.8 Km2.
Lakshadweep was ruled by the Chola Empire in the medieval period and then the islands are ruled by the Portuguese, Tipu Sultan and British respectively.
Before 1956, Lakshadweep was called Laccadive. It became a Union Territory in 1956 and was renamed Lakshadweep.
The earlier administrative headquarter of Lakshadweep was in Calicut. It was shifted to Kavaratti in 1964.
More than 90% of the population of Lakshadweep is Muslim. Arab Muslim Saint Hazrat Ubaidullah Andrott from Medina is believed to have preached Islam religion to the indigenous people of the islands. The Tomb of Saint Ubaidullah is a sacred place at Andrott Island in Lakshadweep.
Lakshadweep has an airport at the Agatti island and major Sea ports at Agatti, Kavaratti, Minicoy, Kadamatt and Kalpeni Islands.
INS Dweeprakshak is the Indian Naval base located on Kavaratti island in the Lakshadweep archipelago.
The National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi also known as Delhi is a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India.
NCT Delhi shares borders with Uttar Pradesh in the east and Haryana in the west and remaining sides.
New Delhi, the capital of India is jointly administered by the federal government of India and the local government of Delhi.
Delhi was designed by the British architect Sir Herbert Baker and Edwin Lutyens. The city is also called ‘Lutyens Delhi’.
The National Capital Territory Delhi covers 1,484 square kilometres of land area.
According to the epic Mahabharata, the National Capital Territory Delhi was known as Indraprastha.
After Tokyo, Delhi is the second most populated city in the world.
Indira Gandhi International Airport is the busiest airport in South Asia.
Being the capital of the country, New Delhi is known as a seat for the three arms of the Indian Government – the legislative, the executive and the judiciary.
It is an astonishing fact that the Red Fort was initially white as the fort was made up of white limestone. The British painted it Red to preserve it.
Qutub Minar is the tallest brick minaret in the world. The construction of the minaret was commenced by Qutab-ud-din Aibak, the first Muslim ruler of Delhi in 1200 AD, but he could only finish the basement. His successor, Iltutmush, added three more storeys, and in 1368, Firoz Shah Tughlak constructed the fifth and the last storey.
Delhi was surrounded by 14 gates built in different timelines. Out of the 14 gates, only five still stand. These five gates are Kashmiri Gate on the north, the Ajmeri Gate on the south-west, the Delhi Gate on the south-east, Turkman Gate on the south and the Nigambodh Gate on the north-east.
The Khari Baori market near the Red Fort is the largest wholesale spice market in Asia. It is a wholesale market of groceries, spices, nuts, herbs and other food products like rice and tea. Along with this huge spice market, Azadpur mandi of Delhi is the largest wholesale market of fruits and vegetables in Asia. The market spreads around an area of 80 acres.
Lotus Temple is one of the eight Bahai temples in the entire world. This is the only Bahai Temple situated in Asia.
West Bengal shares its state border with Jharkhand and Bihar to the West, Odisha to the South-West, Sikkim to the North, and Assam to the North-East. The state also shares international border with Bangladesh to the east, Nepal to the North-West, and Bhutan to the North-East direction.
The international border between West Bengal and Bangladesh is the second-longest international border among all other Indian states. The border span is 2216.7 Km.
The capital of West Bengal is Kolkata. The city was previously known as Calcutta until 2001.
Calcutta used to be the first capital city of British India. Later the capital was shifted to New Delhi.
During the partition of India, the Bengal was divided into East Bengal and West Bengal. The East Bengal portion goes to Pakistan while the West Bengal portion came to India.
Eden Garden is the oldest cricket stadium in India. In terms of capacity, it is the largest stadium in Asia and the second-largest stadium in the world. It is following the Melbourne Cricket Ground in the list.
Kolkata is the only city in India where fleets of hand-pulled rickshaws still ply the streets. The man who pulls these rickshaws is called Rickshaw Wallahs.
The Great Banyan Tree of Botanical Garden at Howrah is spread over a circumference above 330 meters. The more than 250 years old huge tree is one of the largest in the world.
The National Library of India situated in Alipore, Kolkata is the largest public library in India.
Nepali language is the additional official language in the three subdivisions of the Darjeeling district.
Howrah Bridge or Rabindra Setu is a cantilever suspension type bridge built in the year 1943. It is the sixth-longest cantilever type bridge in the world.
Durga Puja and Kali puja are the most important festivals of West Bengal.
Victoria Memorial hall is a popular museum in Kolkata which is made up of white marble stones of Makrana in Rajasthan. The memorial was built by Lord Curzon in the memory of Queen Victoria who died in the year 1901.
Digha Sea Beach is a popular tourist attraction in the Purba Medinipur district of West Bengal.
West Bengal is the highest jute producer in the country. More than 80 percent of the total agricultural land of the state is used for Jute cultivation.
Mohun Bagan Football Club is the oldest football club in Asia.
Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port which was previously known as Port of Kolkata is the oldest operating port in India.
Uttarakhand is also known as Uttaranchal as it is situated in the Northern part of the country. The early name of the state was in fact Uttaranchal but in 2007, the state was renamed Uttarakhand. The state is also known as Devbhoomi as various Hindu religious dites are present in the state.
Uttrakhand shares border with Uttar Pradesh in the South, Haryana in the West, and Himachal Pradesh in the North West. The state also shares an international border with the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north direction and Nepal in the East.
The 13 districts of Uttarakhand are grouped into two divisions- Kumaon and Garhwal.
About 86% of the total land of the state is covered by mountains.
Nanda Devi is the highest peak in Uttarakhand. It has a height of 7816 m. It is also the second-highest peak in India after Kangchenjunga.
Sanskrit is one of the official languages of Uttarakhand. Uttarakhand is the only state to have Sanskrit as the second official language of the state.
Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand is India’s first national park. It was established in 1936 for the protection of the Royal Bengal Tigers.
Rishikesh in Uttarakhand is Dubbed the Yoga Capital of the world.
Bharat Mata Mandir at Haridwar is another tourist attraction of Uttarakhand. It is an eight-floor temple. Each floor of the temple is dedicated to different sets of people.
Tehri Dam is located in Chokhala, Uttarakhand. The height of the dam is 260.5m making it the tallest dam in India.
Gangotri of Devprayag and Yamunotri are the origins of the Ganga and Yamuna rivers respectively. Both the places are located in Uttarakhand state.
The famous “Chipko Movement” to conserve forests started in Uttarakhand in the 1990s. Sundarlal Bahuguna who was the exponent of this Movement was hailed from this state.
Hill stations like Mussoorie, Nainital, Almora, and Dehradun are situated in Uttarakhand.
Naini Lake of Nainital, Uttarakhand is one of the Shaktipeethas in India.
Kedarnath temple in Uttarakhand is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva.
Badrinath Dham is one of the Char Dhams of the Hindu religion situated in Uttarakhand.
G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology of Uttarakhand is the first Agricultural University of India and was established in 1960.
Uttar Pradesh was previously named as United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, United Provinces of British India, and United Province. On 24 January 1950, the state was named as Uttar Pradesh.
Uttar Pradesh is the only state in India that shares its border with 9 other neighboring states. It is bordered by Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh in the northwest, Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan in the west, Madhya Pradesh in the south, and Chhattisgarh in the southeast, Bihar and Jharkhand in the east. UP also shares 651 Km long international border with Nepal.
Uttar Pradesh state is the most populous state in the world. If Uttar Pradesh was a country, then it would be the fifth most populous.
Uttar Pradesh has given India the maximum number of Prime Ministers. Total 8 Prime Ministers are related to UP seats.
Uttar Pradesh has the largest representation in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. The state has 80 Lok Sabha Seats and 31 Rajya Sabha Seats. The state Legislative assembly of UP has 404 seats and the Legislative council has 100 seats which is also the highest compared to other Indian states.
Ayodhya and Mathura are the birthplaces of Lord Rama and Lord Krishna respectively.
Sarnath Village where Gautam Buddha delivered his first sermon is located in Varanasi district, Uttar Pradesh.
Both Ganga and Yamuna rivers flow through the state.
Uttar Pradesh is the place where many Literary legends like Tulsidas, Surdas, Kabirdas, and Premchand hail from.
The famous architectural marvel Taj Mahal is located in Agra, Uttar Pradesh. Taj Mahal is listed in the new Seven Wonders of the World.
Along with Maharashtra and Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh is one of the largest economies in India.
Lucknow of Uttar Pradesh is distinguished as the ‘First CCTV City in India’. The city was put under the surveillance of CCTV cameras to check crimes on roads and streets.
It is the birthplace of Hockey Legend Dhyan Chand.
The ancient name of Tripura is Kirat Desh. Tripura is surrounded by Bangladesh on 3 sides i.e North, South, and West directions. The international border of Tripura is 856 Km long. It shares state border with Mizoram in the East and Assam in the North East.
Tripura became Union territory on 1 Nov 1957. The state along with Meghalaya and Manipur became a full-fledged state on 21 Jan 1972.
Tripura is the 3rd smallest state in India with a land area of 10486 square Km.
During British rule, there were two main regions of the state – Tiperra District and Hill Tiperra. After Partition of India, Tiperra District comes under Bangladesh.
National Highway-8 (NH-8) is a major connecting route between Tripura with the rest of India.
Tripura is called the ‘Home of Bamboo’. In January 2022 India’s first bamboo park has been set up in the state.
According to the 2011 census, with a literacy rate of 87.75%, Tripura is the fourth most literate state in India.
Tripureswari Temple is one among the 51 Shakti Peeth’s present in Tripura.0
One of the two lake palaces of India is present in the Rudrasagar lake of Tripura. The name of the palace is Neer Mahal.
Unakoti Hill is a famous tourist attraction that contains huge ancient etched rock images of Hindu Gods that date back to 7th – 9th century.
The famous music composer SD Burman and RD Burman are native to Tripura.
Indian artistic gymnast Dipa Karmakar hailed from Tripura.
Telangana is the latest added state to India. The state was separated from Andhra Pradesh and got statehood on June 2nd, 2014. It is the 29th state of India.
Telangana is surrounded by Maharashtra in the North, Chhattisgarh in the North-East, Karnataka in the West, and Andhra Pradesh in the South and East directions. The state also shares a narrow border with Odisha.
Hyderabad is the joint capital city for both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Hyderabad is known as the City of Pearls due to its booming pearl industry.
Golkonda city near Hyderabad was once famous for its diamond mines. The diamonds mined here were then popularized in the Middle East and Western world.
The 147 feet high Kuntala waterfall is the highest waterfall in Telangana. It is located in Adilabad district of the state.
Godavari River passes through the state. The river is considered sacred and is also called Dakshin Ganga.
One of the unique archaeological structures, the 1000 pillar temple is located in the Warangal district of the state.