Daily Current Affairs

Union Minister of State (IC) Dr Jitendra Singh, Ministry of Science and Technology (MoS&T), launched the Phase-II of the Unique Methods of Management and Treatment of Inherited Disorders (UMMID) Programme for Rare Genetic Disorders (RGDs) under the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) at Prithvi Bhawan, New Delhi, in May 2026.

• Key Component: Establishment of NIDAN (National Inherited Diseases Administration) Kendras for advanced genetic diagnostics and counselling.
• Phase-II Expansion: 25 additional NIDAN Kendras across 13 states and 1 Union Territory; 3 proposed training centres in Hyderabad (Telangana), Bengaluru (Karnataka), and UT Chandigarh.
• Background: India’s first comprehensive national initiative; UMMID originally launched on 23 September 2019 by MoS&T.
• Focus: Molecular diagnostics for rare diseases; clinician training, capacity-building, community outreach, and digital monitoring via UMMID Dashboard.

Union Minister Piyush Goyal, Ministry of Commerce & Industry (MoC&I), inaugurated the 68th Session of the Governing Body Meeting (GBM) of the Asian Productivity Organization (APO) at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, in May 2026.

• Key Agenda: Review of APO Vision 2030 framework; reforms in the APO Secretary-General election process; budget for 2027–28.
• APO National Award (Productivity Advocates): Ashok Panjwani, Director, BEIL Infrastructure Limited, Bharuch, Gujarat.
• APO National Award (Productivity Technical Expert): Bakul Limbasiya, Founder Director, Bhathwari Technologies Pvt Ltd, Gujarat.
• NPC Special Recognition Awards: Vidushi Mittal (Rajasthan), Anshul Malhotra (Himachal Pradesh), Akhand Pratap Singh (Uttar Pradesh).

Neelam Shami Rao, Secretary of Ministry of Textiles (MoT), launched the Bharat Tex 2026 Event Application in May 2026, to facilitate AI-driven networking and business matchmaking for Bharat Tex 2026, scheduled for 14–17 July 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.

• AI Features: 24×7 AI-powered smart assistant; QR-based lead capture; dedicated networking and meeting modules.
• Organisers: Bharat Tex Trade Federation (BTTF) with 11 textile export promotion councils and MoT support.
• PM Vision: Aligned with PM Narendra Modi’s ‘5F Vision’: Farm to Fibre to Factory to Fashion to Foreign.

In May 2026, the Government of Maharashtra signed MoUs with NTPC Limited, Adani Power Limited (APL), Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), and Lalitpur Power Generation Company Limited (LPGCL) to attract investments worth Rs 6.5 lakh crore for nuclear energy projects generating 25,400 MW of capacity.

• RIL specifics: Focus on Bharat Small Reactors and SMRs (Small Modular Reactors) at Purnagad, Maharashtra.
• Total investment: Rs 6.5 lakh crore for 25,400 MW of nuclear capacity.

In May 2026, the Madhya Pradesh (MP) Government partnered with Google to develop an AI-powered framework for Simhastha 2028 and establish an AI Centre of Excellence (AI CoE) in MP. Simhastha 2028, a Kumbh Mela held every 12 years, is scheduled in Ujjain, MP from 27 March to 27 May 2028.

• Background: Partnership emerged from discussions at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 between Google executives and MP CM Mohan Yadav.
• AI Features: Real-time crowd monitoring; predictive traffic analytics; AI-based emergency response; digital twin models for infrastructure management.
• AI Assistant: ‘Sahayak’ — a multilingual, voice-enabled AI assistant for pilgrim navigation, crowd updates, and emergency support.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a two-day official visit to Norway (May 18–19, 2026) at the invitation of Norwegian PM Jonas Gahr Støre. This was the first ever official visit by an Indian PM to Norway in over 40 years — since former PM Indira Gandhi visited in 1983.

• Key Engagements: Bilateral talks with Norwegian PM Jonas Gahr Støre; 3rd India-Nordic Summit in Oslo; India-Norway Business and Research Summit.
• Highest Civilian Honour: PM Modi was conferred Norway’s Royal Norwegian Order of Merit Grand Cross by King Harald V — his 32nd global honour and 2nd during the ongoing 5-nation tour.
• Key Outcomes: India-Norway bilateral relations elevated to Green Strategic Partnership; Norway to join Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI); India to participate at Nor Shipping 2027; launch of India-Norway Digital Development Partnership.
• MoUs Signed: 12 agreements across sustainability, healthcare, research, infrastructure, and innovation.

British International Investment (BII) of the UK partnered with Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) of Denmark to launch ‘North Star’, a USD 300 million Renewable Energy (RE) platform for India’s clean energy transition, in May 2026.

• Investment Plan: BII and CIP through Growth Markets Fund II (GMF II) will each invest up to USD 150 million; covers solar, wind, hybrid energy, and battery storage.
• Impact: Expected to generate over 4 million MWh of clean energy annually; prevent nearly 4 million tonnes of carbon emissions per year.
• Target: Supports India’s goal of 500 GW of RE capacity by 2030 and net-zero by 2070.

In May 2026, the SEBI-backed National Institute of Securities Markets (NISM) signed an MoU with the Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA) — which works under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) — to strengthen cooperation in corporate governance, ESG practices, and capital markets.

• Signed in the presence of: Tuhin Kanta Pandey, Chairman of SEBI, in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
• Objective: Strengthen capacity building, research, policy development, and training in securities markets and corporate regulation.
• Collaboration Areas: Joint certification courses; executive education modules; training for SEBI officers and officials from regulatory/financial institutions.

In May 2026, ZikZuk Technologies Private Limited received final authorisation from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to operate as a Prepaid Payment Instrument (PPI) issuer under the Payment and Settlement Systems Act (PSSA), 2007, following its in-principle approval in May 2025.

• PPI Integration: Enables operation across digital payments, UPI infrastructure, and cross-border financial services.
• Products Enabled: Digital wallets, prepaid cards, and stored-value services.
• PPI Types: General Purpose (Full-KYC and Small PPIs); Special Purpose — Gift, Transit, PPIs for Foreign Nationals/NRIs under UPI One World framework.

In May 2026, ISRO’s Chandrayaan-3 mission received the 2026 Goddard Astronautics Award from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) at the ASCEND 2026 Conference in Washington D.C., USA. India’s Ambassador to the USA, Vinay Kwatra, accepted the award on behalf of ISRO.

• Achievement: Recognised for achieving the world’s first soft landing near the Moon’s south pole on 23 August 2023.
• Scientific Significance: Confirmation of key chemical elements in the lunar south polar soil; data useful for future human missions and lunar resource utilisation.
• Historic Milestone: India became the 4th country (after Russia, USA, and China) to successfully land on the Moon.

In May 2026, Prof. Manindra Agrawal (Director, IIT Kanpur) and Dr Soumya Swaminathan (former Chief Scientist, WHO) were elected as Fellows of the Royal Society (FRS) — one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious scientific academies.

• Prof. Manindra Agrawal: Honoured for the AKS (Agrawal–Kayal–Saxena) primality test — a breakthrough algorithm transforming identification of prime numbers. Also a Padma Shri awardee (2013, Science & Engineering).
• Dr Soumya Swaminathan: Recognised for contributions to tuberculosis research, child health, and global health policy. She became the 2nd Indian woman after Janaki Ammal (1945) to be elected FRS.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa conferred the Order of Mapungubwe — South Africa’s highest civilian honour — on Indian-origin scientists Prof. Salim Abdool Karim (Gold) and Prof. Keertan Dheda (Silver) at a National Orders ceremony in Pretoria, South Africa, in May 2026.

In May 2026, NIBE Limited announced successful trials of its Vayu Astra-1 Loitering Munition (LM) with a 100 km operational range under the No-Cost, No-Commitment (NCNC) model, demonstrating multi-terrain capability.

• Technology Collaboration: Developed in collaboration with Elbit Systems, Israel.
• Evaluating Authority: Indian Army under a Request for Proposal (RFP) to assess a 100 km long-range kamikaze drone.

In May 2026, researchers discovered a new worm-eating snake species, Trachischium lalremsangai, in forest regions of Mizoram and Myanmar during biodiversity and herpetological surveys. The discovery was published in the international journal Herpetozoa by the Austrian Herpetological Society.

• Named after: Prof. Hmar Tlawmte Lalremsanga, Professor of Zoology, Mizoram University, in recognition of his contributions to herpetology research.
• Habitat: Small, non-venomous, semi-fossorial; found in loose soil, leaf litter, and forest debris.
• Identification: Smooth iridescent scales; two postocular scales; light brown to white-speckled belly.
• Classification: 11th recognised species of the Trachischium genus found in Northeast India and the Himalayan region.

World Metrology Day (WMD) is observed annually on 20 May to highlight the importance of metrology — the science of measurement — in everyday life, science, trade, innovation, and environmental sustainability.

The United Nations’ International Tea Day (ITD) is celebrated on 21 May to recognise the cultural, economic, and social importance of tea and to promote sustainable tea production, fair trade, and the welfare of tea workers and small growers worldwide.