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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United Kingdom (UK)-based health charity Encephalitis International has launched a global campaign titled ‘Preventing Future Encephalitis: Climate Change and Infectious Disease’ to raise awareness about encephalitis and promote vaccination. Encephalitis is the inflammation of active brain tissues caused by infections or autoimmune responses, affecting over 1.5 million people globally every year. The campaign highlights how climate change increases encephalitis risk by creating conditions for disease-carrying vectors like mosquitoes and ticks to spread. India is among high-burden countries, with 1,548 cases of Japanese encephalitis reported in 2024 from 24 states and union territories.

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The Vembanad Lake Rejuvenation Project, led by the Alappuzha District Administration, is inspired by the Namami Gange Programme for river conservation. A five-year plan worth ₹188.25 crore has been submitted to the Chief Minister of Kerala and may be revised based on studies by the Centre for Water Resources Development and Management (CWRDM). Vembanad Lake is the longest lake in India and the largest in Kerala, stretching about 96.5 kilometres. It spreads across Alappuzha, Kottayam, and Ernakulam districts, covering around 2,033 square kilometres. The lake is known by names like Vembanad Kayal, Punnamada Lake, and Kochi Lake in different regions. It receives water from six rivers, including Meenachil, Achankovil, Pamba, and Manimala, and drains into the Arabian Sea.

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The European Red Admiral butterfly, scientifically called Vanessa atalanta, has been recorded for the first time in India near Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh. This rare sighting was confirmed during a butterfly survey at Thatharna Hill in the Dhauladhar mountain range, at an altitude of 2,500 metres. The observation was verified by Himalayan butterfly expert Lovish Garlani from the Himachal Pradesh Forest Department. This raises the total number of butterfly species in Himachal Pradesh to 440, highlighting the region’s rich biodiversity. The species is known for long migrations across Europe and North America and was last seen in South Asia in 2022 in Pakistan after a 93-year gap. It has no confirmed records from China, Mongolia, or Afghanistan, making its presence in India a significant eastward range expansion.

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The Asian Games 2026 will be held in Aichi and Nagoya, Japan, from September 19 to October 4. This will mark the third time the Asian Games is being hosted in Japan, after Tokyo in 1958 and Hiroshima in 1994. Cricket has been officially retained for the Asian Games 2026. Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) will make its debut in the 2026 edition of the continental event.

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Researchers at the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST) have developed a 3D computational model to study thermoregulation in space. It shows that microgravity consistently increases human core body temperature, which is important for long-duration space missions. Microgravity is a condition of near-weightlessness experienced when objects are in free fall around Earth, not the absence of gravity. In microgravity, normal body functions like heat regulation are altered due to changes in blood flow and metabolism. The IIST model includes sweating, shivering, clothing, and organ heat to simulate real human conditions in space.

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Recently, all political parties in Punjab united and firmly opposed releasing any extra water to Haryana from the Bhakra Dam, showing strong regional consensus. The Bhakra Dam is a concrete gravity dam built across the Sutlej River, located near the Punjab-Himachal Pradesh border. It stands near Bhakra village in Bilaspur district of Himachal Pradesh. It is the world’s highest straight gravity dam with a height of 207.26 meters. It is Asia’s second tallest dam after the 261-meter-high Tehri Dam in Uttarakhand. The dam is 518.25 meters long and about 9.1 meters wide at its crest.

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The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has recently developed two genome-edited rice varieties, marking a major advancement in Indian agricultural science. ICAR is an autonomous body under the Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE), Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India. It was founded on 16 July 1929, initially as the Imperial Council of Agricultural Research, following recommendations from the Royal Commission on Agriculture. ICAR’s headquarters is in New Delhi, and it coordinates research in agriculture, horticulture, fisheries, and animal sciences across India.

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The Governor of Telangana, Jishnu Dev Verma, inaugurated Babuji Vanam, the world’s first energy transmission garden in Hyderabad. The garden was developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture to mark the 125th birth anniversary of Babuji Maharaj and the end of a year-long national celebration. Located in Kanha Village, Ranga Reddy district, Telangana, the site promotes yogic energy transmission called Pranahuti. The initiative is led by Heartfulness and promotes meditation, wellness, and sustainable living. More than 50,000 people attended the event in person, while millions joined online from 165 countries.

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India recently halted the flow of water through the Baglihar Dam on the Chenab River, a significant move impacting water access to Pakistan. The Baglihar Dam, also known as the Baglihar Hydroelectric Power Project, is located on the Chenab River in the Doda District of Jammu and Kashmir. It features a concrete gravity dam that is 144.5 meters high and 363 meters long, with a reservoir capacity of 475 million cubic meters. The underground powerhouse of the project measures 221 meters long, 24 meters wide, and 51 meters high.