Current Affairs Quiz - May 2025

Notes:
Researchers at the Institute of Nano Science and Technology (INST), Mohali, have found a new way to improve green hydrogen production. They created a special heterostructure using Copper Tungsten Oxide and Copper Oxide. This structure uses the Built-In Electric Field (BIEF) effect to boost the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction (HER). The Copper Tungsten Oxide nanoparticles are grown over a Cu(OH)₂ base, forming a p-n heterojunction with an uneven electronic setup. This BIEF helps in better proton adsorption and desorption. Green hydrogen, made from water using clean energy, is a pollution-free fuel of the future.

Notes:
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) recently conducted multiple raids under Operation Hawk to crack down on cybercrime involving Online Child Sexual Exploitation (OCSE) with global links. The action followed inputs from United States (US) authorities and led to the arrest of two individuals from Mangalore and Delhi.The CBI’s International Operations Division registered cases under the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000, and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012.This comes as part of CBI’s broader efforts under earlier operations like Operation CARBON (2021) and Operation Megh Chakra (2022)

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:
A massive explosion recently hit Iran’s Shahid Rajaee Port in Bandar Abbas, causing a huge fire and leading to many deaths and injuries. The blast is suspected to have been caused by sodium perchlorate, a chemical used in ballistic missile propulsion. Shahid Rajaee Port is Iran’s largest and most advanced commercial port. It is located near the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route through which about 26% of the world’s oil is transported. The port manages 85% of Iran’s container cargo, 52% of its oil trade, and over half of its total maritime cargo. It lies along the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), linking the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf to the Caspian Sea, Russia, and Northern Europe.

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:
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:
Maharashtra’s Nashik hosts the ‘Yoga Mahotsav 2025’ as part of the countdown to International Day of Yoga (IDY) 2025. It was organised by Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga (MDNIY), Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (Ayush). The event took place at Gauri Maidan, Panchavati, celebrating India’s Yoga heritage and launching the Yoga Sangam Portal for online registrations. Yoga Sangam is a major initiative under International Day of Yoga (IDY) 2025 to enable synchronized Yoga practice at 1,00,000 locations across India on June 21. The event promoted the Common Yoga Protocol (CYP), focusing on practices like Pranayama and Dhyana to improve health and harmony.

Notes:
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.

Notes:
India’s SVAMITVA scheme will be highlighted at the World Bank Land Conference in Washington, D.C., showcasing its role in digitalising rural land records. SVAMITVA stands for Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas and was launched in 2020 as a central sector scheme. It aims to give rural residents legal documents for their residential properties to help them access loans and other financial services. Drone technology is used to survey land parcels in rural inhabited areas across India in phases. The scheme helps bring financial stability to rural citizens by treating property as a financial asset. It also ensures accurate land records for better rural planning and governance. The Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) is the nodal ministry for implementing the scheme. State Revenue or Land Records Departments implement the scheme with support from State Panchayati Raj Departments.

Notes:
Scientists are closely watching the Axial Seamount as it is expected to erupt for the first time in ten years. Axial Seamount is an underwater shield volcano located about 300 miles off the coast of Oregon, United States, in the Pacific Ocean. It has a large caldera at its summit and rises to a depth of 1,400 meters below sea level. The volcano was formed by a hot spot, where molten material from Earth’s mantle rises into the crust. It lies on the Juan de Fuca Ridge, the tectonic boundary between the Pacific and Juan de Fuca plates. It features hydrothermal vents, which are underwater hot springs that release mineral-rich plumes heated by magma.