Current Affairs Quiz - May 2025

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India recently signed agreements to supply 4.12 lakh tonnes of green hydrogen derivatives to Japan and Singapore. The Green Hydrogen Certification Scheme of India (GHCI) was launched simultaneously to ensure credible and transparent green hydrogen production. GHCI is India’s first certification framework to verify that hydrogen is produced exclusively using renewable energy. This certification ensures hydrogen is recognized as “green.” GHCI was launched by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE). The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) is the nodal agency for GHCI. It is supported by the National Green Hydrogen Mission.

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Less than 1% of doctors in India have registered with the National Medical Register (NMR) eight months after its launch. National Medical Register (NMR) is a centralized digital database that includes all licensed allopathic (MBBS) doctors in India. It was launched in August 2024 under Section 31 of the National Medical Commission (NMC) Act, 2019. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, is the nodal ministry for the NMR. The NMR aims to create a comprehensive registry of all allopathic doctors in India, ensuring transparency and accountability in the medical field. It also enhances public trust, helps in credential verification, and aids in policy planning for healthcare.

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The Subaru Telescope in Hawaii recently used the Hyper Suprime-Cam to carry out a deep sky survey from the University of Tokyo. It reported a Sigma Eight (S8) value of 0.747, which matches earlier results from gravitational lensing studies. Sigma Eight (S8) is a key measure in cosmology that shows how matter is clustered or “clumpy” across the universe on a scale of 26 million light-years. It tells scientists how much visible and dark matter is gathered in different parts of space. This finding helps us understand how the universe evolved from a smooth early state after the Big Bang.

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The Ramman Festival, inscribed in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, is celebrated in Uttarakhand. It takes place annually in late April, after the harvest season, in the twin villages of Saloor-Dungra. The festival honours Bhumiyal Devta, the village’s tutelary deity, and holds deep religious significance. The celebration includes complex rituals such as the recitation of a version of the epic of Rama, songs, and masked dances. A key feature is the singing of Jagar, a musical performance that narrates local legends.

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In a major step toward digital transformation, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister laid the foundation for India’s first Artificial Intelligence-based Data Center Park in Raipur. The facility will start with a five megawatt capacity and aims to grow to 150 megawatts. A 2.7-hectare area is being developed as a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) focused on Artificial Intelligence (AI) services. The project will see an investment of Rs 2,000 crore as it expands. The center will support green, energy-efficient technologies for sustainable operations. It will serve sectors like AI, Financial Technology (FinTech), Health Technology (HealthTech), defense, and data analytics. The infrastructure will use Graphics Processing Unit (GPU)-based systems for real-time data processing, streaming, and analytics.

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The Election Commission of India (ECI) will soon launch a new digital platform called ECINET to streamline electoral services. ECINET is a single-point user-friendly interface for voters, election officials, political parties, and civil society. It will integrate over 40 existing mobile and web apps of the ECI into one platform. Popular apps like Voter Helpline, Voter Turnout, cVIGIL, Suvidha 2.0, Electoral Search and Management System (ESMS), Saksham, and Know Your Candidate (KYC) will be merged into ECINET. It will offer a clean User Interface (UI) and smooth User Experience (UX), reducing the need to download multiple apps. ECINET will follow the Representation of the People Act 1950, 1951, and related rules and guidelines.

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The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) has recently released detailed data, infographics, and graphical summaries on over 100 bacterial genomes under the ‘One Day One Genome’ initiative. A genome is the complete genetic material of an organism, made of unique DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid) or RNA (Ribonucleic Acid) sequences. These sequences are made of chemical units called nucleotide bases, and identifying their order is known as genomic sequencing. The ‘One Day One Genome’ initiative was launched in November 2024 by Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and Biotechnology Research and Innovation Council (BRIC). It is coordinated by BRIC-National Institute of Biomedical Genomics (NIBMG), West Bengal. Data contributions come from 13 BRIC institutions and two bodies: International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), New Delhi, and Regional Centre for Biotechnology (RCB), Faridabad.

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Rajasthan has recently joined Madhya Pradesh in forming India’s first inter-state Cheetah conservation corridor. The total area of this corridor is 17,000 square kilometres, with 10,500 sq km in Madhya Pradesh and 6,500 sq km in Rajasthan. Kuno National Park in Sheopur, Madhya Pradesh, is the main site under the cheetah reintroduction project. Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary in Mandsaur is selected as the second cheetah habitat in Madhya Pradesh. Rajasthan districts like Kota, Bundi, Baran, Jhalawar, Sawai Madhopur, Karauli, and Chittorgarh are part of the corridor. The project gets support from the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and Wildlife Institute of India (WII).

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Scientists recently found signs of ancient wildfires, called palaeofires, from the Permian Period about 250 million years ago in the Godavari Basin. Palaeofires are wildfire events recorded in ancient rocks, helping us understand Earth’s past vegetation, climate changes, and coal formation. The study covered a long geological timescale, from the Late Silurian to the present Quaternary Period. Researchers used methods like Palynofacies analysis, Raman Spectroscopy, Rock-Eval Pyrolysis, and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy to study tiny fossils and charcoal. They clearly identified charcoal formed on-site (in situ) and transported charcoal (ex situ), solving a major geological debate. They also found that sea-level changes affected how fire residues were preserved—more intact during sea-level drops (regressive) and more scattered during sea-level rise (transgressive).

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Kozhikode city has recently been honoured with membership in the Global Network for Age-friendly Cities and Communities (GNAFCC) of the World Health Organization (WHO). GNAFCC was established in 2010 to help cities become better places for older people to live in. It has over 1300 members from 51 countries, promoting global cooperation on age-friendly policies. The aim is to connect cities, communities, and organizations to create supportive environments for ageing populations. It works to inspire change, share knowledge, and help cities find smart, practical solutions. This membership shows Kozhikode’s commitment to healthy ageing and inclusive urban development.