Current Affairs Quiz - May 2025

Notes:
The Supreme Court recently dismissed a plea alleging illegal mining in Bandhavgarh National Park, Madhya Pradesh, calling it a frivolous abuse of law and imposed a ₹1 lakh penalty on the petitioner. Bandhavgarh National Park is located in the Umaria district of Madhya Pradesh. It lies across the Vindhya hills, known for their forested terrain and wildlife. It was declared a national park in 1968 and became a Tiger Reserve in 1993 under Project Tiger. The park is famous for its Royal Bengal Tigers.

Notes:
Rajasthan has joined India’s first inter-state cheetah conservation corridor with Madhya Pradesh. This wildlife corridor is designed to connect protected areas in both states, allowing reintroduced cheetahs to roam safely across a vast ecosystem. The corridor covers 17,000 square kilometers, with 10,500 square kilometers in Madhya Pradesh and 6,500 square kilometers in Rajasthan. Key locations include Palpur Kuno National Park and Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh, which will serve as cheetah habitats. Mukundara Hills Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan, along with several districts like Kota and Sawai Madhopur, has been identified as a cheetah habitat.

Notes:
Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) recently found 11 Satavahana-era inscriptions in the Gundaram Forest of Telangana’s Peddapalli district. Two inscriptions mention the Chutu dynasty and a Satavahana prince named Kumāra Hakusiri. These inscriptions are written in early Brahmi script and show religious and political symbols. The Satavahana dynasty was founded by Simuka after the Mauryan Empire, around mid-1st century BCE. The word “Satavahana” in Prakrit means “driven by seven,” symbolizing the chariot of the Sun God. Their main regions were Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Maharashtra. They ruled from capitals like Pratishthana (Paithan) and Amaravati.

Notes:
At the recent World Audio Visual Entertainment Summit (WAVES) in Mumbai, the Prime Minister highlighted India’s growing Orange Economy driven by content, creativity and culture. The Orange Economy, also called the creative economy, covers sectors that are based on cultural and creative ideas. As per the United Nations Economic Network, it focuses on using creative assets to boost economic growth and development. It combines economic, cultural and social factors while linking with technology, intellectual property and tourism. It includes industries based on individual talent, skill and innovation that can generate jobs, income and cultural value.

Notes:
Tunnel No. 8 (T-8) is set to become India’s longest railway tunnel at 14.57 km, overtaking Tunnel No. 50 (T-50), which is 12.77 km long on the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link. It is part of the Rishikesh–Karnaprayag Broad Gauge Rail Link Project in Uttarakhand. T-8 is a twin tunnel located on the Devprayag–Janasu stretch of this 125-km rail line. The Rishikesh–Karnaprayag Broad Gauge Rail Link Project is being implemented by Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL), a Navratna Public Sector Undertaking under the Ministry of Railways.

Notes:
Nepal has introduced a new draft law to allow only experienced climbers, who have scaled peaks above 7,000 metres, to attempt Mount Everest. This step comes in response to rising deaths, overcrowding, and environmental damage on the world’s tallest mountain. By restricting access, Nepal hopes to improve climber safety and promote responsible tourism. The law aims to ensure that only skilled mountaineers with proven high-altitude experience undertake such risky expeditions. The move also supports environmental conservation by addressing waste buildup and uncontrolled tourist flow in the fragile Everest ecosystem. This reflects Nepal’s growing commitment to sustainable mountaineering practices.

Notes:
The President of India recently launched the Mediation Association of India and addressed the First National Mediation Conference 2025 in New Delhi. This event highlights the importance of the Mediation Act, 2023, which aims to revive India’s civilisational legacy of resolving disputes peacefully. The Act promotes out-of-court settlements and builds a structured system for mediation across the country. It encourages extending mediation to rural areas by legally empowering Panchayats to resolve village conflicts. This step supports social harmony, which is key to national strength and unity. Mediation reduces court burdens, speeds up justice, and strengthens the judicial system. It also boosts the ease of doing business and ease of living, helping in the journey towards Viksit Bharat by 2047.

Notes:
Eight Gram Sabhas in Baipariguda block, Koraput district, Odisha, have harvested over 4 lakh bundles of kendu leaves in the 2025 season and are waiting for government notification to deregulate the trade. These communities are pushing to manage and sell kendu leaves under the Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006. Kendu leaf, also known as Tendu leaf, is a vital non-wood forest product and is referred to as the “Green Gold of Odisha.” It is a major forest product in states like Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and others. Under the FRA, forest-dwelling communities have rights to collect, use, and sell minor forest products like kendu leaves.

Notes:
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has decided to begin repair work on the damaged mihrab structure around the old water tank at Safa Masjid in Ponda, Goa. Safa Masjid, also called Safa Shahouri Masjid, is a historic mosque built in 1560 by Sultan Adil Shah of Bijapur. It is one of the few Islamic monuments in Goa that survived the Portuguese colonial period, during which many religious sites were destroyed. The mosque is known for its architectural and cultural value and is declared a national monument under the protection of ASI. The recent decision by ASI follows months of delay and brings hope for the preservation of this heritage site.

Notes:
A recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that a weekly dose of semaglutide shows strong results in treating Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatohepatitis (MASH). Semaglutide is a Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist, first developed to treat Type 2 diabetes. It is the main ingredient in medicines like Ozempic, used for diabetes, and Wegovy, used for weight loss. MASH is a severe type of fatty liver disease caused by metabolic problems and not by alcohol. It involves fat buildup, inflammation, and liver scarring, and is linked to obesity, diabetes, and overnutrition. If not treated, MASH can lead to cirrhosis or liver failure.