Daily Current Affairs

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Karnataka and Telangana on 10 May 2026, participating in the Art of Living’s 45th anniversary celebrations in Bengaluru and inaugurating/dedicating projects worth approximately Rs 9,400 crore in Hyderabad, covering infrastructure, rail, and healthcare initiatives.

• Art of Living: 45th anniversary celebration; PM inaugurated the Dhyan Mandir at the Art of Living International Centre, Bengaluru; celebrated the 70th birthday of Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.
• NH-167: Four-laning from Gudebellur to Mahabubnagar under the Hyderabad-Panaji Economic Corridor; cost Rs 3,175 crore.
• PM MITRA Park: India’s first functional Pradhan Mantri Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel (PM MITRA) Park inaugurated at Warangal, Telangana.

In May 2026, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and the Department of Sports and Youth Services (DSYS), Government of Odisha, signed a renewed five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen youth football development in India.

• Signatories: Vijay Yeddula (Director of Sports, DSYS) and M. Satyanarayana (Deputy Secretary General, AIFF) in the presence of AIFF Technical Director Syed Sabir Pasha.
• Background: Collaboration began with an MoU signed in November 2023 under the AIFF-FIFA Talent Academy initiative, supported by FIFA’s Talent Development Scheme.
• New Framework: Introduces structured framework with defined roles, governance mechanisms, performance benchmarks, and financial commitments.
• Roles: AIFF oversees technical and operational player development; DSYS provides institutional, financial, and infrastructure support.

In May 2026, India’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Prabhat Kumar, formally handed over the banner of the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) to the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) during a ceremony held at the Royal Observatory in Cape Town, South Africa.

• IUCAA–SALT Collaboration: The IUCAA banner will be displayed at the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT), symbolising India-South Africa astronomical partnership.
• Collaboration Areas: Joint research, academic exchanges, and collaborative projects in astronomy and space sciences.
• BRICS Link: South African scientists set to participate in astronomy meetings hosted by India during its 2026 BRICS chairship.
• About IUCAA: Located in Pune, Maharashtra; focuses on research and education in astronomy and astrophysics.

In May 2026, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the European Central Bank (ECB) to enhance cooperation in the field of central banking.

• Signatories: Dr. Sanjay Malhotra (Governor, RBI) and Christine Lagarde (President, ECB) on the sidelines of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) meetings held in Basel, Switzerland.
• Key Focus: Updates the previous agreement signed in 2015; establishes a framework for regular exchange of information, policy dialogue, and technical cooperation in central banking.
• Significance: Expected to bolster institutional engagement on central banking practices and financial sector developments.

In May 2026, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) partnered with Airtel Payments Bank to launch co-branded RuPay ‘On-The-Go’ National Common Mobility Cards (NCMC) for seamless digital payments and metro travel across India.

• Announcement: Made in the presence of Vikas Kumar (MD, DMRC) and Anubrata Biswas (MD & CEO, Airtel Payments Bank) in New Delhi.
• Objective: Promotes GoI’s vision of ‘One Nation, One Card’ by enhancing interoperability, convenience, and cashless mobility solutions.
• Key Feature: Single open-loop card usable across metro systems, buses, and other transit networks nationwide.
• Card Variants: Available as Debit Cards and Prepaid Payment Instrument for Mass Transit Systems (PPI-MTS); feature EMV chip protection; made using 99% recycled plastic.

In May 2026, State Bank of India (SBI) released its latest Ecowrap Research report projecting India’s real GDP growth at nearly 7.2% in the fourth quarter (Q4: January–March) of Financial Year 2025-26 (FY26), lower than the advanced estimate of 7.3% projected in February 2026.

• FY26 GDP: Full-year real GDP growth projected at 7.5%; nominal GDP at ~12.2%.
• FY27 GDP: Real GDP growth estimated at 6.6%, mainly due to global geopolitical disturbances; nominal GDP at ~11% (deflator ~4.5%).
• Bank Credit: Growth by Scheduled Commercial Banks (SCBs) increased to 16.1%, compared to the previous year’s 11.0%.

In May 2026, Suvendu Adhikari, leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), was officially sworn-in as the 9th Chief Minister (CM) of West Bengal (WB), becoming the first BJP leader to hold the post in the state.

• Election Result: BJP won 207 of 294 seats in the 2026 WB Legislative Assembly elections, ending the 15-year rule of AITC (All India Trinamool Congress) which secured 80 seats.
• Cabinet: Senior BJP leaders Dilip Ghosh, Agnimitra Paul, Nisith Pramanik, Ashok Kirtania, and Kshudiram Tudu inducted into the initial council of ministers.

In May 2026, C. Joseph Vijay (Perambur constituency), founder of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), was sworn in as the 13th Chief Minister (CM) of Tamil Nadu, officially succeeding Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin.

• Party: Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) — founded by C. Joseph Vijay.
• Opposition: Udhayanidhi Stalin of DMK (Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni constituency) — 19th Leader of the Opposition.
• Key Announcements: 200 Units Free Electricity for all domestic consumers (up to 500 units); Singappen Special Task Force for women’s safety; Anti-Narcotic Task Force (ANTF) to curb drug trafficking.

In May 2026, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) announced the winners of the National Panchayat Awards 2025 (NPA-2025), recognising 42 Panchayats from across the country for excellence in rural governance, sustainable development, sanitation, infrastructure, and grassroot-level leadership.

• DDUPSVP: 34 Gram Panchayats (GPs) across 17 States/UTs selected under Deen Dayal Upadhyay Panchayat Satat Vikas Puraskar (DDUPSVP); linked to Panchayat Advancement Index (PAI) 2.0 scores.
• NDSPSVP: 8 Panchayats selected under Nanaji Deshmukh Sarvottam Panchayat Satat Vikas Puraskar (NDSPSVP-2025) — 3 Best District Panchayat, 2 Best Block Panchayat, 3 Best Gram Panchayat.
• Prominent Winner: New Napam Gaon Panchayat (Assam) — India’s Best GP under NDSPSVP 2025; monetary prize: Rs 1.5 crore.

In May 2026, Ashok Kumar Panda has been appointed as the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of the Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), under the Ministry of Steel (MoS), effective from 9 May 2026.

• Predecessor: Krishna Kumar Singh, who was holding additional charge as interim MD & CEO after Amarendu Prakash stepped down on 1 April 2026.
• Profile: Joined SAIL in 1992 as a Management Trainee (Technical); over three decades of experience; previously served as Director (Finance) and Director (Commercial) in SAIL.
• SAIL Target: On track to reach production capacity of 35 MTPA (Million Tonnes Per Annum), up from current 20 MTPA.

In May 2026, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) commissioned Indian Coast Guard Ship (ICGS) Achal, the fifth in a series of eight new-generation Adamya-class Fast Patrol Vessels (FPV), at Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) in Goa, marking a key milestone in coastal security and operational readiness.

• Operational Role: Strengthens coastal security and offshore protection; features indigenous controllable pitch propellers and high-precision gearboxes.
• Significance: Part of Atmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India initiatives.

In May 2026, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), through its laboratory Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), successfully conducted a long-duration test of an Actively Cooled Full-Scale Scramjet Combustor at the Scramjet Connect Pipe Test (SCPT) Facility in Hyderabad, Telangana, achieving a run-time of over 1,200 seconds.

• Scramjet Test Purpose: To validate the combustor design and strengthen India’s Hypersonic Cruise Missile Development Programme.
• Agni MIRV Missile: India also successfully conducted the flight trial of an advanced variant of the Agni missile equipped with Multiple Independently Targeted Re-Entry Vehicle (MIRV) technology from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island, Odisha, targeting multiple locations across the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
• MIRV Capabilities: Advanced navigation, precision guidance and re-entry technologies; capable of withstanding extreme atmospheric temperatures; reported re-entry speeds nearing Mach 24 under the advanced Agni-5 programme.

Two significant international observances fall in the second week of May 2026: World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) on 9 May 2026 and International Day of Argania on 10 May 2026.

• WMBD Origin: Initially started in the USA in 1993 as International Migratory Bird Day (IMBD) by the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, Washington D.C.
• WMBD Organisers: Jointly organised by CMS (Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species), AEWA (African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement), and EFTA (Environment for the Americas).
• 1st WMBD: Celebrated on 8–9 April 2006 at the ‘Ol Ari Nyiro’ wildlife reserve in Laikipia, Kenya, hosted by conservationist Kuki Gallmann.
• 2026 Global Poster: UN unveiled the WMBD 2026 poster created by Brazilian artist Luisa Lacerda, featuring embroidered artwork of seven migratory birds from the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Asia.
• International Day of Argania: 10 May 2026 = 6th observance; raises awareness about the Argan tree (Argania spinosa) native to Morocco; proclaimed by UNGA Resolution A/RES/75/262 in 2021; first observed on 10 May 2021; co-sponsored by 113 UN member states.

In May 2026, Australian tennis legend Mal Anderson, former World No. 2, passed away at the age of 91 in Australia. He was born on 3 March 1935, Theodore, Queensland, Australia.