Daily Current Affairs

World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) is observed every year on 31 May, led by the World Health Organization (WHO), to raise global awareness about the health, social, and economic harms of tobacco and nicotine use. The 2026 campaign theme is ‘Unmasking the Appeal – Countering Nicotine and Tobacco Addiction’, targeting the deceptive tactics the tobacco industry uses to hook younger generations through e-cigarettes, nicotine pouches, flavoured products, and social media marketing.

• WHO FCTC (2003) — World’s first international public health treaty; 183 parties; focuses on demand reduction and supply control of tobacco.
• COTPA 2003 — Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003; administered by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
• India — 2nd largest tobacco producer in the world; significant domestic consumption challenge despite COTPA.
• Campaign Hashtag: #TobaccoExposed; aims to ban flavours, advertising, and regulate digital marketing of tobacco products targeting youth.

World Milk Day will be observed on 1 June 2026 with the theme ‘Celebrating Women Farmers’. Established in 2001 by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, World Milk Day highlights the vital role of dairy in global nutrition and the women farmers who sustain it. India is the world’s largest milk producer, contributing approximately 22% of global output (~240 million tonnes annually).

• Established: 2001 by FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization), UN; observed every 1 June.
• 2026 Theme: ‘Celebrating Women Farmers’ — recognises women’s central role in dairy farming and food security.
• India’s milk production: ~240 million tonnes annually — world’s largest producer; ~22% of global output.
• White Revolution (Operation Flood): Spearheaded by Dr Verghese Kurien through the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), HQ: Anand, Gujarat; transformed India into the world’s largest milk producer.
• Dr Verghese Kurien: Known as the ‘Father of the White Revolution’ and the ‘Milkman of India’; founded Amul cooperative model.

General Anil Chauhan completed his tenure as the 2nd Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and Secretary of the Department of Military Affairs (DMA) on 30 May 2026 in New Delhi. He received a ceremonial Guard of Honour upon retirement. Gen Chauhan had assumed charge as CDS on 30 September 2022, succeeding the position left vacant after the tragic demise of India’s first CDS, General Bipin Rawat, in a helicopter crash in December 2021.

• CDS Position: Created on 1 January 2020 as a permanent single-point military adviser to the government; also heads the Department of Military Affairs (DMA) under Ministry of Defence.
• DMA: Department of Military Affairs — created 1 January 2020 under Ministry of Defence; promotes jointness among the three services (Army, Navy, Air Force).
• General Bipin Rawat: India’s first CDS (appointed 1 January 2020); died in a Mi-17V5 helicopter crash in Coonoor, Tamil Nadu on 8 December 2021.

Indian Railways gazetted the creation of the South Coast Railway Zone (SCoR) on 4 May 2026 through a Central Government gazette notification. The zone will become India’s 18th railway zone and officially commenced operations from 1 June 2026, with headquarters at Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. On 27 May 2026, Indian Railways unveiled a new 18-star logo to mark the formation of SCoR.

• Legal Basis: Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014; Union Cabinet gave ex post facto approval on 7 February 2025.
• Divisions: Vijayawada and Guntur and Guntakal (carved from South Central Railway) + Visakhapatnam (carved from Waltair Division of East Coast Railway — ECoR).
• HQ Building: PM Modi laid the foundation of the 12-storey permanent HQ (Rs 183 crore) at Mudasarlova, Visakhapatnam in January 2025.
• Logo: New 18-star logo unveiled 27 May 2026 to mark SCoR’s formation.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 30 May 2026 to strengthen financial and technological cooperation, with a focus on promoting digital payments and fintech innovation between the two countries.

• Parties: Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) — Vietnam’s central bank.
• Focus: Digital payments, fintech cooperation, regulatory exchange, and financial sector coordination.
• RBI: Founded 1 April 1935; HQ: Mumbai; current Governor: Sanjay Malhotra (since 11 December 2024).
• India-Vietnam Relations: Comprehensive Strategic Partnership; India’s BrahMos missile deal with Vietnam also signed around the same period.
• Context: India’s UPI is being promoted internationally; India has signed digital payments MoUs with several countries as part of its fintech diplomacy push.

The Government of India notified two new Special Economic Zones (SEZs) for Puducherry following the 137th meeting of the Board of Approval under the Department of Commerce. This is in addition to the IT SEZ (Rs 1,250 crore, 21.30 acres at Thattanchavady) approved earlier, taking total investment in Puducherry SEZs above Rs 1,975 crore.

• SEZ Board: Board of Approval for SEZs under Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
• SEZ Act: Special Economic Zones Act, 2005; administered by Department of Commerce (DoC).
• Earlier IT SEZ: Rs 1,250 crore; 21.30 acres at Thattanchavady, Puducherry — already approved.
• Total Investment: Puducherry SEZ investments now exceed Rs 1,975 crore.
• Purpose: Boost manufacturing, services exports, employment, and FDI in Puducherry.
• Puducherry: Union Territory; Lt. Governor: Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan; Chief Minister: N. Rangasamy.

Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh confirmed on 30 May 2026 that India has signed a binding deal to supply BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles to Vietnam. Separately, negotiations with Indonesia are in their final stages. This expands India’s BrahMos export footprint in ASEAN, following the earlier landmark deal with the Philippines (January 2022).

• First export: Philippines — USD ~375 million deal, January 2022 — India’s first major missile export.
• Vietnam deal: Confirms India’s growing role as a defence exporter in ASEAN; aligns with Act East Policy.
• Indonesia: Negotiations in final stages — would make Indonesia the third ASEAN buyer of BrahMos.
• Policy Framework: India’s Act East Policy + Neighbourhood First + MAHASAGAR + Atmanirbhar Bharat defence exports push.
• Defence Secretary: Rajesh Kumar Singh — 1989-batch IAS, Kerala cadre; took charge 1 November 2024; previously Secretary DPIIT.

Myanmar President U Min Aung Hlaing began his four-day official visit to India on 30 May 2026, starting with a pilgrimage to the Mahabodhi Temple in Bodh Gaya, Bihar. He will hold formal bilateral talks with PM Modi in New Delhi on 1 June 2026. This is the President’s first visit to India in his current capacity — he was elected in April 2026 following parliamentary polls that ended years of military rule in Myanmar.

• Myanmar-India border: 1,640 km shared border spanning Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram.
• India’s Policy Frameworks: Neighbourhood First + Act East Policy + MAHASAGAR (Maritime And Humanitarian Action, Security And Growth for All in the Region).
• Key bilateral projects: Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project (connecting Mizoram to Sittwe port, Myanmar) and India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway.
• Context: U Min Aung Hlaing was elected following parliamentary polls in April 2026 that ended years of military rule — this visit marks a new diplomatic chapter in India-Myanmar ties.

The Government of India assigned additional charge of Secretary, Department of Defence Research and Development (DDR&D) and Chairman, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, following the retirement of Dr Samir V Kamat on 31 May 2026. The order was issued by the Secretariat of the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) on 29 May 2026.

• Rajesh Kumar Singh: 1989-batch IAS, Kerala cadre; Defence Secretary since 1 November 2024; previously Secretary, DPIIT (Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade).
• Dr Samir V Kamat: DRDO Chairman from 25 August 2022; alumnus of IIT Kharagpur and Ohio State University, USA; served DRDO since 1989; retired 31 May 2026.
• DRDO: Defence Research and Development Organisation; established 1958; HQ: New Delhi; ~51 laboratories; under Ministry of Defence.
• ACC: Appointments Committee of the Cabinet — the nodal body approving senior government appointments.

A deeply concerning trend has emerged: India contributes approximately 5% of global research publications but accounts for nearly 20% of global research paper retractions in 2025. This reveals structural flaws in India’s academic system driven by a ‘publish more, rank higher’ culture incentivised by the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF).

• Root Cause: NIRF gives ~30% weightage to publications/citations — incentivises quantity over quality; predatory and paper-mill journals are exploited.
• NIRF: National Institutional Ranking Framework — launched 2015 by the Ministry of Education; annual ranking of Indian HEIs.
• Key Problems: Unethical self-citations; data manipulation by higher education institutions (HEIs); absence of a Research Integrity Office (RIO).
• Recommendations: Establish autonomous RIO; evaluate researchers’ best 3–5 papers (not volume); mandatory third-party verification of HEI publication data.
• India R&D Spend: ~0.65% of GDP — significantly below the 2–3% norm of developed nations; needs substantial enhancement.

Chinese clinicians at Xijing Hospital of the Chinese Air Force Medical University performed the world’s first simultaneous transplant of two gene-edited pig kidneys and one pig liver into a 53-year-old brain-dead patient on 29 May 2026. This marks a landmark achievement in xenotransplantation research.

• Xenotransplantation: Transplant of living cells, tissues, or organs from one species to another (e.g., pig to human).
• Gene Editing: Pigs were gene-edited using CRISPR/Cas9 technology to remove pig antigens and insert human genes to minimise rejection risk.
• Previous Milestone: First pig heart xenotransplant in a living human: January 2022 (David Bennett Sr., USA, by University of Maryland surgeons).
• India’s organ crisis: ~500,000 people need organ transplants annually in India; fewer than 15,000 transplants performed — a massive unmet need.
• NOTTO: National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation — nodal body under Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) managing organ donation and transplantation in India.

India is developing a quantum-safe digital ecosystem to protect Critical Information Infrastructure (CII) from the emerging threat of quantum computers, which can break conventional Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) cryptography using Shor’s Algorithm. The two-pronged approach involves Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) and Quantum Key Distribution (QKD).

• O-Day Threat: The day when quantum computers can compromise global public-key cryptographic systems — targeting banking, defence, and governance infrastructure.
• Shor’s Algorithm: Quantum algorithm that can efficiently factorize large numbers — breaking RSA and other conventional public-key encryption that secures the internet.
• India’s Deadlines: Full PQC migration for CII by 2029; for other enterprises by 2033.
• National Quantum Mission (NQM): Launched 2023; budget: Rs 6,003.65 crore over 2023–2031; targets quantum computers, quantum communication, quantum sensing, and quantum materials.

Veteran Indian Olympian archer Shyam Lal Meena passed away on 26 May 2026 at the age of 61 after a prolonged illness (liver complications). He was a member of India’s first-ever Olympic archery team that competed at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, and was also part of the Indian recurve team that won a historic bronze medal at the 1987 Asian Archery Championships in Kolkata.

• 1987 Asian Archery Championship (Kolkata): Won bronze medal (team recurve) — this result qualified India for the 1988 Seoul Olympics, marking India’s first Olympic archery participation.
• 1988 Seoul Olympics team: Included Shyam Lal Meena, Limba Ram, and Rajat Haldar — India’s pioneering Olympic archers.
• Arjuna Award (1989): India’s highest sports honour conferred by the Government of India for outstanding contribution in sports.
• Legacy: Coached young archers at the District Sports Training Centre (DSTC), Banswara, Rajasthan after retiring from competitive archery.