Daily Current Affairs

International Labour Day (also known as May Day or Workers’ Day) is observed globally on 1 May every year to honour the struggles and achievements of workers and the labour movement.

• ILO — International Labour Organization; UN specialized agency; headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland; founded 1919 under the Treaty of Versailles.
• India: Observed as a national holiday; first celebrated in India in Chennai in 1923.
• Note: In Canada and the USA, Labour Day is celebrated on the first Monday of September, not May 1.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has launched Mission SAKSHAM (Sahkari Bank Kshamta Nirman), a nationwide capacity-building programme for strengthening Urban Co-operative Banks (UCBs).

• Approach: Collaborative; developed with the Umbrella Organisation of UCBs and national and state cooperative federations.
• RBI: HQ — Mumbai; established 1 April 1935; Governor: Sanjay Malhotra.

The Maharashtra Cabinet led by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis approved the Maharashtra Artificial Intelligence Policy 2026 to position Maharashtra as a leading AI hub in India.

• Maharashtra CM: Devendra Fadnavis; Governor: C.P. Radhakrishnan; Capital: Mumbai.

The Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) will launch a new digital platform E-PRAAPTI, announced by Union Minister of Labour and Employment Mansukh Mandaviya.

• Beneficiaries: Individuals who changed jobs multiple times or lost track of PF details.
• EPFO: Statutory body under Ministry of Labour & Employment; HQ: New Delhi; established 1952.
• Minister: Mansukh Mandaviya — Union Minister of Labour and Employment.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Ganga Expressway in Hardoi, Uttar Pradesh — India’s longest expressway.

• Districts covered: Meerut, Bulandshahr, Hapur, Amroha, Sambhal, Badaun, Shahjahanpur, Hardoi, Unnao, Raebareli, Pratapgarh, Prayagraj.
• Integration: Connects with Agra–Lucknow Expressway, Jewar Link Expressway, and Farrukhabad Link Expressway.
• UP CM: Yogi Adityanath; Governor: Anandiben Patel; Capital: Lucknow.

West Bengal recorded its highest-ever voter turnout since Independence with an overall participation of 92.47% in Assembly Elections conducted in two phases.

• Technology: Election Commission Integrated Network for monitoring; 100% live webcasting; real-time voter turnout updates.
• Chief Election Commissioner: Gyanesh Kumar.
• WB CM: Mamata Banerjee; Governor: R.N. Ravi; Capital: Kolkata.

The Ministry of Panchayati Raj released the Panchayat Advancement Index (PAI) 2.0 Report on National Panchayati Raj Day (24 April), highlighting progress in rural development and grassroots governance.

• 9 themes: Poverty, health, water, infrastructure, governance, women empowerment (among others).
• Significance: Largest data-driven governance assessment in India — 2,59,867 GPs submitted data.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued a Master Direction on asset classification, income recognition, and provisioning, introducing a shift to the Expected Credit Loss (ECL) framework, effective from 1 April 2027.

• CCIL: Clearing Corporation of India Limited — all OTC FX contracts involving the Indian rupee (including offshore entities) must be reported to CCIL.
• Finance Minister: Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman; MoS Finance: Shri Pankaj Chaudhary.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced its decision to exit the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and the wider OPEC+ alliance, effective from May 2026.

• Impact: May impact global oil market stability; could weaken OPEC’s influence on crude oil prices.
• ADNOC: Abu Dhabi National Oil Company.
• UAE: President: Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan; PM: Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum; Capital: Abu Dhabi; Currency: Emirati Dirham (AED).

Flipkart Internet Private Limited, in partnership with Axis Bank Limited and PayU Payments Private Limited, launched biometric authentication for card payments, replacing traditional OTP-based verification.

• Technology: Approves transactions using fingerprint or Face ID — faster and seamless.
• Platform Support: Android and iOS; device-bound authentication; one-touch approval; advanced fraud detection.
• Benefits: Eliminates OTP dependency; reduces transaction delays and failures; prevents SIM swap fraud and phishing attacks.
• Regulatory Alignment: RBI Authentication Mechanisms for Digital Payment Transactions Directions, 2025.

UNESCO designated 12 new Global Geoparks, increasing the total to 241 sites across 51 countries, covering more than 882,000 sq km.

• Tunisia: First-ever UNESCO Global Geopark location — a significant milestone in network expansion.
• Programme: Officially established in 2015 as a UNESCO label; “bottom-up” approach involving local stakeholders; revalidation every 4 years.
• Objective: Protect geological heritage; promote environmental education, sustainable development, local community empowerment.
• UNESCO: Formation: 16 November 1945; HQ: Paris, France; DG: Khaled El-Anany; Parent: UN ECOSOC.

Reliance Enterprise Intelligence Limited (REIL) — a joint venture between Reliance Intelligence Limited and Meta (Facebook Overseas Inc.) — appointed Parminder Singh as its Chief Executive Officer (CEO) with immediate effect.

• Background: Global technology leader specialising in digital business scaling, enterprise strategy, and AI-driven transformation.
• Entrepreneur: Co-founded ClayboxAI and WeKamp (AI leadership and advisory services).

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw (MIB + MeitY) and Andhra Pradesh CM N. Chandrababu Naidu laid the foundation stone for the Google Cloud India Artificial Intelligence (AI) Hub in Tarluvada, Visakhapatnam.

• Applications: Enterprises, startups, government platforms; High-Performance Computing (HPC).
• AP CM: N. Chandrababu Naidu; Governor: S. Abdul Nazeer; Capital (Executive): Amaravati.

Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) signed a Licensing Agreement for Transfer of Technology (LAToT) with DRDO’s Naval Science and Technological Laboratory (NSTL) for the Gas Turbine-Infrared Suppression System (GT-IRSS).

• NSTL specialises in: Naval weapons, torpedoes, mines, fire control systems, launchers, decoys.
• Significance: Reduces India’s dependence on foreign naval technologies; aligns with Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat.
• BHEL: Founded 1956; HQ: New Delhi; CMD: K S Murthy; Govt. of India ownership: 63.17%; under Ministry of Heavy Industries.

Renowned Indian hockey player Gurbax Singh Grewal passed away at the age of 84 in New Delhi.

• Olympic Legacy: Won Bronze medal at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics as part of the Indian men’s hockey team.
• Rare distinction: Played alongside brother Balbir Singh Grewal at the same Olympics — a rare family double representation in Indian Olympic history.