Current Affair MCQ for 2025-10-17

Notes: The Supreme Court recently allowed limited use of green crackers approved by the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) in Delhi-NCR this Diwali. NEERI is a research institute created and funded by the Government of India. It works in the field of environmental science and engineering to promote sustainable development and pollution control. It functions under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Ministry of Science and Technology. Its headquarters is in Nagpur, with five zonal labs in Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Mumbai.

Notes: Researchers from the Thackeray Wildlife Foundation recently discovered a new species of snail named Lagocheilus hayaomiyazakii, also called the Tilari hairy snail. It was found in the evergreen Tilari forest of Kolhapur district, Maharashtra. The snail lives in leafy thickets and rocky areas of the Western Ghats. It is named after Hayao Miyazaki, the famous Japanese filmmaker and Studio Ghibli co-founder known for depicting harmony with nature. Its habitat is highly limited and threatened by wildfires and deforestation, making it vulnerable to extinction.

Notes: Six new species of dragonflies and damselflies were recently discovered in Silent Valley National Park during an odonate survey. The park is located in the southwest corner of the Nilgiris, Kerala. It is one of India’s last undisturbed tropical rainforests and a core part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. It is nourished by the Kunthipuzha River and is called “silent” due to the absence of cicadas. The forest hosts four vegetation types, over 1000 flowering plant species, and rare medicinal plants.

Notes: India has recently proposed the supply of the Akash missile system to Brazil, during Defence Minister’s talks with Brazilian Vice-President Geraldo Alckmin in New Delhi. Akash is a short-range surface-to-air missile (SAM) system. It is designed to protect vulnerable areas and assets from aerial threats like fighter jets, drones, helicopters, and cruise missiles. It was indigenously developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The missile is produced by Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) in Hyderabad. It is currently in service with both the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Indian Army.

Notes: The Indian Navy is hosting the fifth edition of Exercise Samudra Shakti – 2025 at Visakhapatnam. It is a bilateral maritime exercise between India and Indonesia. The exercise aims to enhance interoperability, strengthen mutual understanding, and share best naval practices. It reflects the shared commitment of both nations to peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. India’s participation includes INS Kavaratti, an Anti-Submarine Warfare Corvette of the Eastern Fleet under the Eastern Naval Command (ENC).