Current Affairs Quiz - May 2025

Notes:
Kamla Persad-Bissessar has been elected as the next Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago after her party, United National Congress, won the parliamentary elections. This marks a strong comeback for the 73-year-old leader who earlier served as Prime Minister from 2010 to 2015. She remains the only woman ever to have led the Caribbean nation. Trinidad and Tobago is a twin-island country in the Caribbean with its capital at Port of Spain.

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Odisha Housing and Urban Development (H&UD) Minister Krushna Chandra Mahapatra launched SAHAJOG to help urban poor access government welfare schemes. SAHAJOG stands for a unique initiative that identifies eligible urban poor and connects them to social schemes through awareness, doorstep services, and better local implementation. In the first phase, it covers 44 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) in 8 districts and aims to reach over 15 lakh people. The initiative will run in a fast-track campaign mode till June 20 and aligns with “Viksit Odisha” and “Vikasit Bharat” goals. An app will soon be launched to help connect beneficiaries, and rural areas will be covered in the next phase.

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Vietnam hosts the United Nations (UN) Day of Vesak in 2025 from May 6 to 8 in Ho Chi Minh City. The United Nations Day of Vesak marks the birth, enlightenment, and passing away of Lord Buddha. In a historic first, the sacred Buddha Relic from Sarnath, India, will be sent to Vietnam for special exposition. The event is being organized by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, along with the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC).

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At least six people died and more than 70 were injured in a tragic stampede during the annual Lairai Jatra procession at Shree Lairai Devi Temple in Shirgaon, North Goa. The Lairai Devi Temple, located in Shirgao village, is dedicated to Goddess Lairai, believed to be an incarnation of Goddess Parvati. The temple is significant to both local Hindus and Catholics, who regard Lairai Devi and the Virgin Mary of Mapusa as sisters. The Lairai Jatra includes a fire-walking ritual where devotees walk across embers, believing the righteous will be protected. The tragedy occurred during the late-night procession and ritual celebrations.

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India has become the first country in the world to develop genome-edited rice varieties. The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has developed two such varieties named DRR Rice 100 (Kamla) and Pusa DST Rice. These rice varieties were developed using genome editing technology based on Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats-CRISPR Associated Protein (CRISPR-Cas). This technology allows precise changes in the genetic material without adding any foreign DNA. Genome editing targeted the Site Directed Nuclease 1 (SDN1) and SDN2 types of genes, which are approved under India’s biosafety rules. The development was supported by the National Agricultural Science Fund (NASF), which funds strategic agricultural research.

Notes:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the seventh edition of the Khelo India Youth Games on May 4, 2025, through videoconferencing. The Khelo India Youth Games are being held in Bihar for the first time, from May 4 to 15, across five districts including Patna, Nalanda, Gaya, Bhagalpur, and Begusarai. More than 8,500 athletes and 1,500 technical staff are participating in 28 sports. Bihar has seen new institutions like the Khelo India State Centre of Excellence and Bihar Sports University set up.

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A recent census shows that Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) in Mumbai is home to at least 54 leopards, showing how wildlife can coexist with urban life. SGNP is a large protected area near Borivali, in the northern part of Mumbai, Maharashtra. It spreads across both Thane District and Mumbai Suburban District. Earlier known as Krishnagiri National Park, it was renamed Borivali National Park in 1974 and later Sanjay Gandhi National Park in 1981 to honour Sanjay Gandhi. It covers an area of 103 square kilometres, making it one of the largest parks within any city in the world. The park houses the ancient Kanheri Caves, carved by Buddhist monks between the 1st and 10th century CE.

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Angola signed the International Solar Alliance (ISA) Framework Agreement and became its 123rd member during President Joao Lourenco’s visit to India. This visit coincided with the 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties between India and Angola. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a defence Line of Credit of 200 million US dollars to support Angola’s armed forces. India and Angola will work together to develop Angola’s new oil fields and set up onshore and offshore refineries. New cooperation areas include diamond processing, pharmaceuticals, automobile components, and digital infrastructure. Three agreements were signed on ayurveda, agriculture, and culture.

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The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the revised SHAKTI scheme on May 8, 2025. SHAKTI stands for Scheme for Harnessing and Allocating Koyala Transparently in India, aimed at providing coal to thermal power plants. The revised policy simplifies the coal linkage process to help power plants meet short-term and long-term needs. It introduces two windows: coal at notified price and coal at premium over notified price. Central and state thermal power projects, including joint ventures, will get coal at notified price as per existing rules. States can allocate this coal to their own power companies or Independent Power Producers (IPPs) chosen through Tariff-Based Competitive Bidding (TBCB).

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On May 8, 2025, twenty-two Naxalites were killed in an encounter during Operation Sankalp in the forests of Bijapur district, Chhattisgarh. Operation Sankalp is a large-scale counter-insurgency drive launched on April 21, 2025, targeting Maoist strongholds across 800 sq km near the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border. The operation involves nearly 28,000 personnel from District Reserve Guard (DRG), Bastar Fighters, Special Task Force (STF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA).