31 May 2026 — Daily Current Affairs Quiz
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Health
World No Tobacco Day 2026 — Theme & Key Facts
Observed 31 May 2026. Theme: ‘Unmasking the Appeal – Countering Nicotine and Tobacco Addiction’. First observed 31 May 1988 by WHO following a World Health Assembly resolution. The WHO FCTC (2003) is the world’s first international public health treaty (183+ parties). India governed by COTPA 2003 (MoHFW); India is the world’s 2nd largest tobacco producer. ~40 million children (13–15) use tobacco globally; ~15 million use e-cigarettes. Campaign hashtag: #TobaccoExposed.
Defence
Chief of Defence Staff — Post & Holders
CDS post created 1 January 2020 on recommendations of the Kargil Review Committee (1999) and Naresh Chandra Task Force. First CDS: Gen Bipin Rawat; died in Mi-17 V5 helicopter crash, 8 December 2021, Coonoor. Second CDS: Gen Anil Chauhan (appointed 30 Sep 2022; retired 30 May 2026). CDS is Permanent Chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee (CoSC) and heads Department of Military Affairs (DMA). Gen Chauhan: 11th Gorkha Rifles; commanded Eastern Command.
Monetary Policy
RBI — Governor, Establishment & Digital Payments
Current RBI Governor: Sanjay Malhotra (assumed charge 11 December 2024, succeeding Shaktikanta Das). RBI established 1 April 1935 (Hilton Young Commission recommendation); HQ: Mumbai. Governed by Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934. RBI–SBV MoU (30 May 2026) focuses on digital payments and fintech cooperation. India’s UPI is being promoted internationally. RBI’s Payments Vision 2028 (March 2026): ‘Shaping India’s Payment Frontier’.
Sports
Shyam Lal Meena — Pioneer of Indian Archery
Born 4 March 1965, Banswara, Rajasthan; passed away May 2026. Member of India’s first Olympic archery team — 1988 Seoul Olympics (with Limba Ram and Rajat Haldar). Won India’s first major international archery success: bronze medal, 1987 Asian Archery Championships, Kolkata. Received Arjuna Award (1989). Identified under the Government’s Special Area Games (SAG) Scheme. Coached at DSTC Banswara after retiring from competitive archery.
Defence
DRDO — Organisation, Structure & Key Achievements
DRDO established 1958; ~51 laboratories across India. DRDO Chairman = Secretary, Department of Defence Research & Development (DDR&D), under MoD. Other MoD departments: DoD, DMA (CDS), DDP. Dr Samir V Kamat retired as Chairman 31 May 2026; additional charge to Rajesh Kumar Singh (Defence Secretary; 1989-batch IAS, Kerala cadre). DRDO achievements: BrahMos (with Russia), Agni/Prithvi missiles, Tejas, Arjun MBT, Astra BVRAAM.
Education
India’s Research Integrity Crisis — NIRF & Retractions
India ranks 3rd globally in research publications (behind US and China) but 2nd in paper retractions — contributing ~5% of global publications but ~20% of global retractions. NIRF (National Institutional Ranking Framework; launched 2015, Ministry of Education) gives ~30% weightage to research output — creating ‘publish more, rank higher’ perverse incentives. Issues: predatory journals, paper mills, citation manipulation. India’s gross R&D expenditure: ~0.65% of GDP vs 2–3% in developed nations.
Science
Xenotransplantation — CRISPR & First Pig Multi-Organ Transplant
World’s first simultaneous pig liver + kidney xenotransplant performed 29 May 2026 at Xijing Hospital, China. Technology: CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing — removed pig antigens, inserted human genes to reduce rejection. Landmark in xenotransplantation (cross-species organ transplant). First pig heart xenotransplant: January 2022 (David Bennett Sr., University of Maryland). India: ~500,000 need transplants annually; fewer than 15,000 performed. Governed by Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act, 1994; managed by NOTTO (MoHFW).
Technology
Quantum Security — O-Day, PQC & QKD
‘O-Day’ (Q-Day/Y2Q): hypothetical date when quantum computers run Shor’s Algorithm to break conventional PKI/asymmetric cryptography. Two countermeasures: PQC (Post-Quantum Cryptography) — software-based, uses quantum-resistant maths, scalable (banking, e-governance); QKD (Quantum Key Distribution) — hardware-based, uses photon quantum states, theoretically unbreakable (military/critical infra). India mandates: PQC for CII by 2029; all enterprises by 2033. India’s National Quantum Mission (NQM): launched 2023, Rs 6,003.65 crore (DST, 2023–2031).
Governance
South Coast Railway Zone (SCoR) — India’s 18th Railway Zone
SCoR gazetted 4 May 2026; operations begin 1 June 2026. Formed from: Vijayawada, Guntur, Guntakal (from South Central Railway) + Visakhapatnam Division (carved from Waltair Division, East Coast Railway). India now has 18 railway zones. Zone covers 3,532 km, 385 stations; HQ at Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. First GM: Sandeep Mathur. Legal basis: AP Reorganisation Act, 2014. New Indian Railways 18-star logo unveiled 27 May 2026.
Business & Economy
SEZ Board of Approval — Structure & Puducherry Approvals
Board of Approval (BoA) for SEZs functions under Department of Commerce (DoC), Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Governed by SEZ Act, 2005 and SEZ Rules, 2006. Two new SEZs approved for Puducherry (Lt. Governor: Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan) at the 137th BoA meeting; total SEZ investment projected to cross Rs 1,975 crore. India has 270+ operational SEZs as of 2026. First SEZ in India: Kandla, Gujarat (1965), originally a Free Trade Zone.
🎴 Revision Flashcards
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What is the World No Tobacco Day 2026 theme and the hashtag?
‘Unmasking the Appeal – Countering Nicotine and Tobacco Addiction’ — #TobaccoExposed
WHO; first observed 31 May 1988; WHO FCTC adopted 2003
Tap to Reveal
Who was India’s first CDS and when was the post created?
Gen Bipin Rawat — 1 January 2020
2nd CDS: Gen Anil Chauhan (30 Sep 2022 – 30 May 2026); heads DMA
Tap to Reveal
Who is the current RBI Governor and when did they assume charge?
Sanjay Malhotra — 11 December 2024
Succeeded Shaktikanta Das; RBI established 1 April 1935 (Hilton Young Commission)
Tap to Reveal
At which Olympics did India’s first archery team compete, and who were its members?
1988 Seoul Olympics — Shyam Lal Meena, Limba Ram, Rajat Haldar
Bronze at 1987 Asian Archery Championships (Kolkata); Meena: Arjuna Award 1989
Tap to Reveal
What is ‘O-Day’ (Q-Day/Y2Q) in the context of quantum security?
Hypothetical day when quantum computers break conventional public-key cryptography using Shor’s Algorithm
Solutions: PQC (software) and QKD (hardware); India mandates PQC for CII by 2029
Tap to Reveal
What technology enabled the world’s first simultaneous pig liver + kidney xenotransplant (May 2026)?
CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing — removed pig antigens, inserted human genes
Xijing Hospital, China, 29 May 2026; first pig heart xenotransplant: Jan 2022, USA
Tap to Reveal
Which divisions form the South Coast Railway Zone (SCoR) — India’s 18th zone?
Vijayawada, Guntur, Guntakal (from SCR) + Visakhapatnam (from ECoR/Waltair)
Gazetted 4 May 2026; HQ: Visakhapatnam; operations from 1 June 2026
Tap to Reveal
Under which ministry does the SEZ Board of Approval function, and where was India’s first SEZ?
Ministry of Commerce & Industry (Department of Commerce) — First SEZ: Kandla, Gujarat (1965)
SEZ Act, 2005; 270+ operational SEZs in India as of 2026
Think & Discuss
India’s Research Credibility Crisis: Should NIRF Be Reformed to Prioritise Quality Over Quantity in Academic Publishing?
Context from today’s quiz: India contributes approximately 5% of global research publications but accounts for nearly 20% of global retractions — a deeply disproportionate ratio that signals systemic issues in research integrity. The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), launched by the Ministry of Education in 2015, allocates ~30% weightage to research output (publications and citations). This metric structure has been cited as incentivising a ‘publish more, rank higher’ culture, fuelling paper mills, predatory journals, and data manipulation. Meanwhile, India spends only ~0.65% of GDP on R&D, compared to 2–3% in leading research nations.
🤔 Your Perspective Matters
India’s ranking in global research publications (3rd) masks a quality crisis invisible in headline numbers. The Clarivate ‘Top 1%’ list — which penalises retractions — includes only 5 Indian researchers, while the Stanford list includes 6,000+. This exposes a structural divergence between quantity-based recognition and genuine research impact.
Should India fundamentally reform NIRF by replacing publication-count metrics with quality indicators such as citation impact, replication rates, and independent research audits — even if this causes India’s publication rankings to fall sharply in the short term?
Should India fundamentally reform NIRF by replacing publication-count metrics with quality indicators such as citation impact, replication rates, and independent research audits — even if this causes India’s publication rankings to fall sharply in the short term?
- The absence of an independent Research Integrity Office (RIO) in India is cited as a structural gap. How should such a body be designed — under MoE, UGC, or as an autonomous statutory authority — and what powers should it have to investigate and delist predatory journals?
- India’s National Quantum Mission (NQM) aims to position India as a quantum technology leader by 2031 with Rs 6,003.65 crore investment. Given the research integrity crisis in mainstream academia, how can India ensure that cutting-edge fields like quantum computing and xenotransplantation don’t suffer the same quality vs. quantity distortions?
- DRDO’s mandate includes both applied research (Tejas, BrahMos, Astra) and foundational science. Should India consider a dual-track research funding model — outcome-linked funding for applied defence R&D and curiosity-driven grants for basic sciences — to avoid the perverse incentives NIRF has created in civilian universities?
We’d love to hear your thoughts! Share your perspective in the comments.
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