Daily Current Affairs Quiz: May 17, 2025

Notes:
The Indian Army conducted the Teesta Prahar exercise today at the Teesta field firing range in West Bengal. This large-scale exercise involved various units like infantry, mechanised infantry, artillery, armoured corps, Para Special Forces, Army Aviation, Engineers, and Signals. It showcased the high level of coordination and joint force integration among different branches of the Indian Army. The aim was to demonstrate operational preparedness and combat-readiness in complex situations. The exercise is significant in the backdrop of Operation Sindoor, which focuses on strengthening India’s security along sensitive borders. Teesta Prahar reflects the Indian Army’s commitment to national defence and rapid response capability.

Notes:
The Telangana government recently sanctioned 10,000 Indiramma houses for Chenchu tribal families to improve their living conditions. The Chenchus are a food-gathering tribe mainly living in the Nallamalai forests of Andhra Pradesh. They are classified as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) by the government due to their isolated lifestyle and low development indicators. Chenchus are also found in Telangana, Karnataka, and Odisha. Their language, also called Chenchu, belongs to the Dravidian language family, and many speak Telugu as well. A Chenchu village is called a “Penta”, with huts spaced based on family closeness. They live in small families, with men and women having equal social roles.

Notes:
The Blyde Rondavel Flat Gecko was rediscovered in the Blyde River Canyon, Mpumalanga Province, South Africa, after being unseen for 34 years. This flat-bodied lizard grows up to 8–9 cm and is adapted to live on cliffs and rocky outcrops, making it hard to spot. It was first discovered in 1991, but no sightings since then led to fears of extinction or doubts about it being a distinct species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) had listed it as “Data Deficient” due to lack of data. The Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) confirmed its rediscovery during a special expedition to a remote rocky area. This gecko is the fifth lost species rediscovered by the Endangered Wildlife Trust in recent years, after a dune mole, a butterfly, a lizard, and a frog.

Notes:
Japan’s Sakurajima volcano erupted recently, sending a huge ash plume 3,000 metres above its crater. Sakurajima is one of the most active volcanoes in Japan and is located on the southern tip of Kyushu Island, just 4 kilometers from Kagoshima City. It stands at an elevation of 1117 metres and has a circumference of about 50 kilometres. It is a stratovolcano, formed from layers of lava and ash at a convergent plate boundary. The volcano was once an island, but a massive eruption in 1914 connected it to the mainland. It lies on the south rim of the Aira Caldera and has two main peaks — the North Peak and the South Peak. Sakurajima erupts frequently with ash, pyroclastic flows, volcanic bombs, and poisonous gases.

Notes:
The Jute Corporation of India (JCI) recently raised the minimum support price (MSP) of jute from ₹5,335 to ₹5,650 per quintal for the 2025–26 crop year to stop distress sales by farmers. The Jute Corporation of India (JCI) comes under the administrative control of Ministry of Textiles, Government of India. It was set up in 1971 to act as a price support agency for raw jute without any limit. MSP is fixed every year by the Government of India based on recommendations from the Commission for Agricultural Cost and Prices (CACP). JCI helps protect farmers from exploitation by middlemen and gives price stability. It started small but has now expanded its network across seven jute-growing states — West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Odisha, and Andhra Pradesh.