1 Tamil Nadu: India’s first mahout village inaugurated in Theppakadu
For the first time in India, a special residential complex called ‘ Mahawat Village ‘ has been built for elephant keepers. This village has been built at Theppakadu Elephant Camp of Mudumalai Tiger Reserve in Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu . The total cost of this project is Rs 5.6 crore and 44 new houses have been built under it . All these houses have been built by the Forest Department and they also include drinking water facilities, toilets and a playground for children. Each house is named after the elephants who have passed away while working in Mudumalai. Mudumalai Tiger Reserve is spread over 681 square kilometers and has many wildlife like elephants, tigers, leopards, bears, buffaloes and deer. Theppakadu Elephant Camp is the oldest elephant camp in Asia , which was started during the British period . Then it was used to capture wild elephants and bring wood from the forests. There are currently 27 elephants in this camp, of which 5 are retired (Bama, Indira, Anna, Kamakshi, Mudumalai). 20 elephants work as ‘kumkis’ and 2 baby elephants are being looked after. Kumki elephants are used to keep wild elephants away from villages on the borders of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh . These elephants also help in catching man-eating elephants.
The annual campaign ‘ Operation Olivia ‘ run by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) with the aim of strengthening the conservation of marine life has set a new record this year. In February 2025, success was achieved in protecting 6.98 lakh Olive Ridley sea turtles in the Rushikulya river mouth area of Odisha . This campaign is run every year between November and May , the main objective of which is to ensure a safe egg-laying environment for turtles in Odisha ‘s Gahirmatha beach and its surrounding areas . More than 8 lakh Olive Ridley turtles come to these areas every year.
3 Indian scientists design fast-charging and long-lasting sodium-ion battery
In a world rapidly moving towards electrification from cars to villages, one thing remains most important: affordable, fast and safe batteries. Though lithium-ion batteries have been driving this revolution so far, they are expensive . Moreover, lithium resources are scarce and geopolitically limited, but scientists in Bengaluru may have found a powerful alternative. A research team from Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), has developed a super-fast charging sodium-ion battery (SIB) based on NASICON-type cathode and anode materials , which can charge up to 80 per cent in just six minutes and last for over 3000 charge cycles.
On the occasion of International Maritime Women’s Day on 18th May 2025 , Government of India honoured 10 Indian women in the maritime sector . On the occasion, Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal also unveiled the ‘ Samman at Sea ’ policy, which aims to increase the participation of women in the maritime sector and create an equitable maritime workforce. International Maritime Women’s Day is celebrated on 18th May every year from 2022. On International Maritime Women’s Day, Directorate General of Shipping organised a function in Mumbai “Samman at Sea”, in collaboration with Indian Maritime Association and National Maritime Day Committee. Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal was the Chief Guest at the function. The theme of the function was – Maritime Women: Leading Change and Sustainability .
5 IEPFA and SEBI launch ‘Investor Camp’ to help investors retrieve unclaimed dividends and shares
In May 2025, the New Delhi (Delhi) based Investor Education and Protection Fund Authority (IEPFA) under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA), in collaboration with Mumbai (Maharashtra) based Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), held a strategic preparatory meeting in Mumbai to launch a nationwide initiative ‘ Investor Camp ’ aimed at helping investors retrieve unclaimed shares and dividends. The meeting was chaired by Anita Shah Akela, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of IEPFA and Joint Secretary of MoCA, and was also attended by senior SEBI officials, including Ananth Narayan G, Whole Time Member and Executive Directors (ED) – Sashi Kumar Valsakumar and Jeevan Sonparote and other SEBI officials.
6 DFCCIL launches India’s longest rail flyover girder at Kalamboli, Maharashtra
In May 2025, Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL), headquartered in New Delhi (Delhi), achieved a significant engineering milestone by launching India’s longest rail flyover (RFO) girder at Kalamboli, Maharashtra on the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT)-Nilje section of the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC) . The feat is part of the WDFC project, which aims to enhance freight transportation efficiency. It is one of the most complex railway engineering projects in India, demonstrating advanced construction technology and precision planning. The 110.5 m long open web steel girder , weighing approximately 1,500 tonnes, is the longest rail flyover girder in India. The girder was launched with a 34-m radial shift over active Indian Railways tracks, without disrupting regular train services, demonstrating advanced engineering and coordination.
7 TCS, HDFC, Airtel and Infosys among world’s top 100 most valuable brands in Kantar Brandz 2025 report
According to Kantar Brandz, “ The World’s Most Valuable Global Brands 2025 ” report, 4 Indian companies namely Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), HDFC Bank, Airtel and Infosys feature in the top 100 most valuable brands. Apple retained its top position for the fourth year in a row with a brand value of USD 1.3 trillion , followed by Google at second with a valuation of USD 944 billion and Microsoft at USD 884 billion. at the second and third positions respectively. Overall, the Global Top 100 reached a record total brand value of USD 10.7 trillion. Indian brands that found a place in the Kantar list include Tata Consultancy Services (45th), HDFC Bank (56th), Bharti Airtel (66th) and Infosys (73rd).
8 First edition of Khelo India Beach Games to begin at Ghoghla Beach in Diu
The first edition of Khelo India Beach Games will begin at the pristine Ghoghla beach in Diu . More than a thousand players from across the country will participate in six medal events and two demonstration sports over six days. The medal events include beach soccer, beach volleyball, beach kabaddi, beach sepak takraw, pencak silat and open water swimming . Demonstration sports, mallakhamb and tug of war will also be held, which will give a glimpse of traditional Indian games with coastal style. The event will conclude on Saturday.
9 In Football, India retained the SAFF Under-19 Championship title after beating Bangladesh 4-3 at Yupia, Arunachal Pradesh
In the South Asian Football Federation-SAFF competition, India has won the championship by defeating Bangladesh 4-3 in a thrilling shootout in the Under-19 final. In the match played in Yupia , Arunachal Pradesh , Captain Singmayum Shami scored a goal in the second minute for the previous winner India . Bangladesh team equalized the match by scoring a goal in the 61st minute. The score remained 1-1 till the end of the stipulated time in the match and the match went to penalty shootout. With another goal from Captain Shami in the shootout, Indian players performed brilliantly and sealed India’s victory.
10 In Tennis, Carlos Alcaraz of Spain won the Italian Open men’s singles title
In tennis , Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz has won the Italian Open men’s singles title . 22-year-old Spanish player Alcaraz defeated Italy’s Jannik Sinner 7-6, 6-1. In a thrilling match, Alcaraz kept his composure in the first set and saved the first two set points. By dominating the second set, Alcaraz broke Sinner’s 26-match winning streak and won the title. This is the 19th tour-level trophy of his career. This is also Alcaraz’s seventh ATP Masters 1000 title.