Daily Current Affairs

The United Nations (UN) International Day of Families (IDF) is observed annually on 15 May to highlight the role of families in societal development and address global social, economic, and demographic challenges.

• Theme focus: How family policies can address socioeconomic inequality and promote child welfare.
• Organised by: UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), Division for Inclusive Social Development (DISD).
• Symbol: A green circle enclosing a red heart beneath a roof — symbolising home and family.

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved a new Scheme for Promotion of Surface Coal/Lignite Gasification Projects with a total budget outlay of Rs 37,500 crore, aimed at boosting clean energy production and reducing India’s reliance on imports of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), urea, and methanol.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by PM Narendra Modi approved the increase in Minimum Support Price (MSP) for 14 Kharif Crops for marketing season 2026-27.

The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) signed a tripartite MoU with HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering Co., Ltd. (HD KSOE), National Shipbuilding & Heavy Industries Park Tamil Nadu Limited (NSHIP-TN), and Sagarmala Finance Corporation Limited (SMFCL) for development of India’s first Mega Greenfield Shipyard at Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu.

Union Minister Piyush Goyal, Ministry of Commerce & Industry (MoC&I), released the 7th edition of Logistics Ease Across Different States (LEADS) 2025 Report at the Logistics Excellence, Advancement and Performance Shield (LEAPS) Awards 2025 ceremony, organised by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), New Delhi.

• Edition: 7th LEADS Report; released at LEAPS Awards 2025.
• Organised by: DPIIT, Ministry of Commerce & Industry.
• New 4-tier framework: Exemplars → High Performers → Accelerators → Growth-Seekers (previously 3-tier: Achievers, Fast Movers, Aspirers).
• Exemplars: Tamil Nadu (TN), Uttar Pradesh (UP), Mizoram, and Delhi — categorised for exceptional logistics performance.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) launched the Intellectual Property (IP) Catalyst initiative and its accompanying digital platform (https://cipie.in) at the national conference on ‘From Patent to Product: Accelerating IP Commercialisation in Electronics & IT’ held at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi.

• Launched by: S. Krishnan, Secretary, MeitY.
• Implementing Agency: Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Pune (Maharashtra), supported by MeitY.
• Objective: Bridge the gap between publicly funded R&D and industry adoption — connecting MeitY organisations, startups, MSMEs, academia, and industry.
• Platform URL: https://cipie.in
• AIKosh: India’s national AI data platform supporting AI research through quality datasets, model testing, and secure data-sharing.

Union Minister H. D. Kumaraswamy, Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI), unveiled the Unified Bharat e-Charge (UBC) platform — a national unified EV charging platform — and approved installation of 1,243 EV charging stations in Karnataka with a financial outlay of Rs 123.26 crore.

• Context: Announced under PM Electric Drive Revolution in Innovative Vehicle Enhancement (PM E-DRIVE) Scheme at the ‘National Conference on Enabling Nationwide EV Charging Infrastructure’, Bengaluru, Karnataka.
• Developed by: Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) with support from National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).
• Features: Integrates public and private charging networks through open protocols; provides real-time information on charger availability, ownership, power output, charging capacity, and location.
• Scheme: Falls under PM E-DRIVE Scheme.

Union Minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (MDoNER), and Chief Minister of Mizoram Lalduhoma launched the Rs 189.79 crore Mizoram Ginger Mission, a convergence-led initiative for ginger cultivation and value chain development in Mizoram.

• Objective: Promote GI-certified pharma-grade Mizo Ginger in international markets, enhance farmer income, reduce post-harvest losses, and strengthen farmer participation across the agricultural value chain.
• Convergence: MDoNER + MoAFW, MoRD, MoFPI, NABARD, ICAR, APEDA, and Government of Mizoram.
• Infrastructure: One integrated processing hub + three spoke centres, supported by 30+ strategic interventions for traceability and quality assurance.
• CM of Mizoram: Lalduhoma.

Digital Bharat Nidhi (DBN), under the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), and the Government of Andhra Pradesh (AP) signed an agreement for implementation of the Amended BharatNet Programme (ABP) under the State-led model at Sanchar Bhawan, New Delhi.

• ABP Objective: Upgrade, expand, and strengthen BharatNet to provide reliable, future-ready broadband connectivity to all Gram Panchayats and villages on a demand basis.
• DBN: Digital Bharat Nidhi — under Department of Telecommunications (DoT).

IndiaAI Mission, operating under MeitY, signed an MoU with Karya — a Bengaluru-based Nonprofit Organisation (NPO) — to increase accessibility of the AI economy through collaboration in data, technology, and capacity building.

• Focus: Development, curation, and sharing of high-quality language and multimodal datasets to support inclusive and representative AI systems.
• Technical collaboration: Both organisations will strengthen AIKosh data infrastructure, model evaluation frameworks, and standards related to dataset quality, validation, and interoperability.
• IndiaAI Mission: Operates under MeitY.
• Karya: Bengaluru-based Nonprofit Organisation (NPO).

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) removed the prior approval requirement for non-bank entities (fintechs) to form tie-up arrangements enabling outward remittance services through banks in India. This forms part of the operating framework issued by RBI to facilitate outward remittance services by non-bank entities through Authorised Dealer (AD) Category-I banks.

CTBC Bank Co. Ltd. announced the opening of its new branch at Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City), Gandhinagar, Gujarat — becoming the 1st Taiwanese bank to establish its presence in India’s premier International Financial Services Centre (IFSC).

• Regulatory approval: Established after obtaining approvals from the International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA).
• Significance: Supports cross-border financing, trade, and investment flows and financial connectivity between India, Taiwan, and the wider Asia region.
• Background: CTBC Bank has 30+ years of presence in India, with existing branches in New Delhi and Kattupakkam, Chennai (Tamil Nadu).

The Investor Education and Protection Fund Authority (IEPFA), under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MoCA), signed an MoU with Prasar Bharati (PB) — a public service broadcaster under the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (MIB) — to strengthen investor awareness through scroll messages on Doordarshan’s national and regional channels.

• Signed by: Lt. Col. Aditya Sinha (GM, IEPFA) and Sanjay Prasad (DG, PB-Sales), in the presence of Anita Shah Akella (CEO, IEPFA) and Joint Secretary, MoCA.
• Services: Encourages investors to use IEPF-5 facility to claim dividends and raises fraud prevention awareness.
• Platform: Scroll messages on Doordarshan (national and regional channels).

On 13 May 2026, N. Rangasamy, leader of the All India N.R. Congress (AINRC), was sworn in as the Chief Minister (CM) of Puducherry for a fifth term, after the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) secured a majority in the 2026 Assembly polls. He became the first leader in Puducherry’s history to serve as CM for a fifth term.

On 13 May 2026, Yoweri Museveni, leader of the National Resistance Movement (NRM), was sworn in as the President of Uganda for a seventh term, following his victory in the presidential election held in January 2026.

• Ceremony: Oath of office taken at Kololo Independence Grounds, Kampala, Uganda — marked by fly-pasts of Russian-made Sukhoi fighter jets.
• Background: Museveni first came to power as a rebel leader in 1986; has since won seven elections, making him one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders.
• Election result: Museveni secured over 71% of the vote; opposition leader Bobi Wine received nearly 25% — amid reports of internet blackout and opposition intimidation.
• Party: National Resistance Movement (NRM).
• Capital: Kampala.

Jio Platforms Limited (JPL), the digital services arm of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), appointed Akash Ambani as its first Managing Director (MD) for a five-year term effective from April 9, 2026.

• Background: Akash Ambani — eldest son of Mukesh Ambani (CMD, RIL); joined the Board of Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited (RJIL) in October 2014; serves as Chairman of RJIL since June 2022.
• Other roles: Director on the board of Reliance Retail Ventures Limited (RRVL); co-owner of Mumbai Indians (five-time IPL champion).
• Recognition: Included in TIME100 Next 2022 list.
• Jio Platforms (JPL): Digital services arm of RIL.

The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) discovered two new spider species — Psechrus ntu and Psechrus phenshunyu — in Nagaland, and completed the first comprehensive taxonomic revision of Indian Whip Scorpions (‘Thelyphonids’) in over 100 years. Findings were published in the international journal Zootaxa.

• Family: Both new species belong to genus Psechrus under family Psechridae; named after Ntu and Phenshunyu villages in Nagaland, highlighting Northeast India as a biodiversity hotspot.
• Whip Scorpions (Vinegaroons): Non-venomous arachnids distinct from true scorpions; characterised by whip-like tails (flagella), enlarged pedipalps for catching prey, and acetic acid-like defensive spray mechanisms.