Current Affairs Quiz - May 2025

Notes:
Maharashtra has become the first Indian state to approve a dedicated and independent Shipbuilding, Ship Repair and Ship Recycling Policy. The goal is to make Maharashtra a leading hub for shipbuilding, ship repair, and ship recycling. The state targets an investment of ₹6,600 crore and 40,000 jobs by 2030. By 2047, the aim is to attract ₹18,000 crore in investments and create 3.3 lakh jobs. The policy supports research and development (R&D), modern technology, and skilled workforce. It aims to contribute one-third of India’s total shipbuilding output by 2030.

Notes:
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin announced that May 5 will officially be declared as Traders’ Day in the state. This aligns with the day already observed by Tamil Nadu Traders’ Associations annually. The announcement was made at the 42nd annual meeting of the Traders’ Association in Maduranthakam.

Notes:
India hosts the 12th Global Space Exploration Conference (GLEX 2025) from May 7 to 9, 2025, in New Delhi. The theme of GLEX 2025 is “Reaching New Worlds: A Space Exploration Renaissance,” focusing on innovation, inclusion, and global collaboration. It is jointly organised by the International Astronautical Federation (IAF), Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), and Astronautical Society of India (ASI). This event marks India’s rising status in space science, shifting from a regional player to a global leader. In the recent context, it shows India’s commitment to driving space exploration through partnerships and scientific progress.

Notes:
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).

Notes:
In response to rising tensions between India and Pakistan after Operation Sindoor, civil defence mock drills named ‘Operation Abhyas’ are being held nationwide. These drills follow the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which raised national security concerns. ‘Operation Abhyas’ is part of broader civil defence steps directed by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). The drills are being conducted in 244 civil defence districts across major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Chandigarh.

Notes:
The Centre for Joint Warfare Studies (CENJOWS), along with Aerospace Services India (ASI) and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), hosted the Medium-Range Surface-to-Air Missile (MRSAM) India Eco-System Summit 2.0 in New Delhi on May 07, 2025. The summit aimed to boost India’s air and missile defence capabilities under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Make-in-India missions. It brought together key players from the Ministry of Defence (MoD), Armed Forces, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Bharat Electronics Limited, and Bharat Dynamics Limited. The event highlighted the growing India-Israel defence cooperation and the shared goal of making India a global defence hub.

Notes:
India has become the third-largest vehicle manufacturer in the world as per Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways. This was highlighted at the 4th International Bioenergy Biofuels Biomass (BBB) Summit and Expo on Bioenergy Value Chain held in New Delhi. The growing demand for various types of vehicles is increasing fossil fuel consumption. There is a strong push to reduce fuel imports and increase exports to strengthen the economy. The summit also focused on promoting technologies that use the country’s biomass resources for energy.

Notes:
The Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment recently reviewed the implementation of the Scheme for Economic Empowerment of Denotified, Nomadic, and Semi-Nomadic Tribes (SEED). It was launched in 2022 by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. It aims to provide quality coaching, health insurance, housing assistance, and livelihood support to Denotified Tribes (DNT), Nomadic Tribes (NT), and Semi-Nomadic Tribes (SNT). The scheme targets families with an annual income of ₹2.50 lakh or less who are not receiving benefits from other government schemes. It seeks to uplift these communities and improve their socio-economic conditions.

Notes:
In the recent Operation Sindoor and the ongoing conflict with Pakistan, India’s key strengths have been the Russian S-400 missile system and the Rafale jets equipped with SCALP missiles. The S-400 is a modern long-range surface-to-air missile (MLR SAM) system developed by Russia. It can track and destroy multiple aerial targets at once within a range of up to 600 kilometres. The S-400 provides a powerful multi-layered air defence shield against threats like fighter jets, drones, cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, and stealth aircraft. It has been in service since 2007 and is considered one of the best SAM systems globally.

Notes:
The Technology Development Board (TDB) under the Department of Science and Technology (DST) has announced the 2025 National Technology Day theme as “YANTRA – Yugantar for Advancing New Technology, Research & Acceleration.” National Technology Day is celebrated every year on 11th May to honour major achievements in India’s science and technology journey. On 11th May 1998, India conducted Pokhran-II nuclear tests under Operation Shakti, becoming a nuclear weapons state. On the same day, India also had the first flight of the indigenous “Hansa-3” aircraft in Bengaluru. The Trishul missile, developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), was also successfully test-fired. The day was officially declared by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 1998 and is observed annually since 1999.