Science
National Technology Day 2026 — 28th Edition
Observed annually on 11 May. 2026 Theme: ‘Responsible Innovation for Inclusive Growth’. Commemorates 11 May 1998 — Operation Shakti (Pokhran-II) nuclear tests and the maiden flight of the indigenous Hansa-3 aircraft. Declared by former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 1999. Organised by the Technology Development Board (TDB) under the Department of Science & Technology (DST), MoS&T.
Health
SEHAT Mission — Bridging Agriculture & Health
Launched 11 May 2026 by Union Health Minister JP Nadda and Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Full form: Science Excellence for Health through Agricultural Transformation. Joint initiative of ICAR and ICMR. Slogan: ‘Healthy Food, Healthy Farms and a Healthy India’. Shifts focus from treatment to preventive healthcare. ICMR DG Dr Rajiv Bahl flagged India’s dual burden of undernutrition and overnutrition.
Economy
Moody’s Cuts India’s CY26 GDP Forecast
On 12 May 2026, Moody’s Ratings released its ‘Global Macro Outlook — May 2026 Update’. CY26 GDP forecast cut by 80 bps to 6.0% (from 6.8%); CY27 cut by 50 bps to 6.0%. Drivers: weak private consumption, slower capital formation, subdued industrial activity. Key risks: US-Iran confrontation, shipping blockades. India imports ~60% of LPG, 90% via Strait of Hormuz. Coal powers ~70% of India’s electricity.
Business & Economy
BRISEC-CCI — New Chamber Recognised by NITI Aayog
Dr Harvansh Chawla appointed Chairman of BRISEC Chamber of Commerce & Industry (BRISEC-CCI) in May 2026. Previously chaired BRICS CCI since May 2025. BRISEC-CCI was established in May 2026 and is recognised by NITI Aayog. Focus: global trade, investment, innovation, economic cooperation beyond BRICS. Chawla is Founder & Managing Partner of K R Chawla & Co Advocates (since 1994); affiliated with IBA, IPBA, and Indo-USA Business Council.
Defence
Indian Army Inducts ULPGM & AGNIKAA VTOL-1
May 2026: Indian Army inducted two indigenous systems from Adani Defence & Aerospace at Hyderabad under Emergency Procurement-6 (EP-6). ULPGM (UAV-Launched Precision Guided Munition) — co-developed with DRDO; India’s first indigenous loitering munition in its category, with IIR seeker. AGNIKAA VTOL-1 — India’s first FPV Kamikaze Drone: 5 km range, 30 min endurance, 60 km/h max speed, 5 m lethality radius.
Banking & Finance
SEBI’s GARUDA Mechanism — AIF Fast-Track
On 11 May 2026, SEBI proposed the ‘GARUDA Mechanism’ — Green-Channel: AIF Rollout Upon Document Acknowledgement. Reduces regular AIF scheme launch timeline from 30 days to 10 working days. For Angel Funds and AI-only schemes, merchant banker requirement waived. Public comments till 1 June 2026. AIFs grew to 1,849 (March 2026) from 732 five years ago; cumulative commitments: Rs 15.74 lakh crore.
Economy
PLFS Q4 FY26 — Urban Unemployment at 6.6%
NSO under MoSPI released the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) Quarterly Bulletin: Jan-March 2026. Urban Unemployment Rate (UR): 6.6% for 15+ years (vs 6.7% previous quarter). Overall LFPR: 55.5% (vs 55.8%). Rural LFPR: 58.2%; Urban LFPR: 50.2%. PLFS is India’s official labour market data source. The Q4 bulletin is the 4th in the FY2025-26 series.
Governance
‘Su Sahay’ & ‘One Case One Data’ — AI in Judiciary
May 2026: CJI Surya Kant launched the ‘One Case One Data’ initiative and an AI-powered judicial chatbot named ‘Su Sahay’. Developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) under MeitY in collaboration with the Supreme Court Registry. ‘One Case One Data’ integrates info from all High Courts, district, and taluka courts into a unified system — each case gets a unique digital ID consolidating orders, arguments, and judgments.
Education
DYPIU–Dassault Systèmes Digital Manufacturing Centre
May 2026: D Y Patil International University (DYPIU), Pune signed an MoU with Dassault Systèmes (French multinational software corporation) to establish a Digital Engineering and Digital Manufacturing Experience Centre at Akurdi, Pune (Maharashtra). Supports ‘Make in India’ and Industry 4.0. Hosts NextGen Product Innovation Lab, Intelligent Production System Lab, and Virtual Twin and Simulation Lab using the 3DEXPERIENCE platform (3DX). Includes 3-year Training of Trainers (ToT) programme.
Governance
Punjab’s Meri Rasoi Yojana — Free Food Kits
Launched by Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann in Bhalwan village, Sangrur district, May 2026. Provides free food kits to ~40 lakh economically weaker families under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013. Kit contents: 2 kg pulses, 2 kg sugar, 1 kg salt, 1 kg refined oil, 1 kg ghee, and other essentials — distributed every other month. Priority: differently-abled, senior citizens, single-parent households. Assembled by MARKFED; distributed by Department of Food and Civil Supplies, Punjab.