Daily Current Affairs

The United Nations (UN) observed the International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB) on 22 May 2026 to raise awareness about biodiversity conservation and its critical role in sustaining life on Earth. The 2026 theme is ‘Acting locally for global impact’.

• India’s National-Level Celebration 2026: Organised jointly by MoEFCC + Government of Madhya Pradesh + National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) + International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) at the Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM), Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
• Significance of 22 May: Also marks the adoption of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) text at Nairobi (1992).
• UN body responsible: CBD Secretariat is based in Montreal, Canada.

The United Nations observed the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development on 21 May 2026 to promote cultural diversity, intercultural dialogue, and sustainable development across nations.

• UNESCO Declaration: Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity adopted by UNESCO in November 2001 — recognising cultural diversity as the ‘common heritage of humanity’.
• UNGA Resolution: A/RES/57/249, adopted on 20 December 2002, proclaimed 21 May as the official World Day.
• First Observance: 21 May 2003.
• Purpose: Highlight the importance of cultural diversity in achieving peace, sustainable development, and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

National Anti-Terrorism Day was observed across India on 21 May 2026 to mark the death anniversary of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, who was assassinated in 1991 by a suicide bomber of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) at Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu. The day reinforces India’s commitment to peace, communal harmony, and the fight against terrorism.

Union Minister Dr. Virendra Kumar, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MSJE), launched the Joint Elderly Empowerment & Virtual Assistance Network (JEEVAN) mobile app for senior citizens and the Senior Holistic Care Assistance and Training For Your Utility (SHATAYU) Geriatric Caregiver Dashboard. Both platforms were unveiled at a virtual national workshop on ‘Creating a Well-Functioning Care Economy’, organised by the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment (DoSJE), MSJE.

• JEEVAN App: Provides senior citizens with information on government schemes, welfare programmes, emergency assistance, and support services under DoSJE; features simplified navigation and accessibility tools for elderly users.
• SHATAYU Dashboard: Digital caregiving dashboard providing district- and state-level information on geriatric caregiver availability across India.
• Workshop Theme: ‘Creating a Well-Functioning Care Economy’ — organised by DoSJE.

The Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) selected 10 institutions under its Convergence Research Centres of Excellence (CoE) programme to promote multidisciplinary research integrating science, technology, social sciences, and humanities for solving complex societal challenges.

• Selected Institutes (Key): IIT Gandhinagar (GJ), IIT Dharwad (KA), IIM Jammu (J&K), IIT Kanpur (UP), IIT Madras Chennai (TN), Chanakya University Bengaluru (KA), NIAS Bengaluru, IHD Delhi, PSGR Krishnammal College for Women Coimbatore (TN).
• Research Focus: AI, robotics, digital humanities, rural livelihoods, archaeology, sustainability, language studies, computational economics, and big data analytics.

The Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force (ITBP) completed its first-ever all-women international mountaineering expedition to Mount Everest (8,848 m) via the South Col Route from Nepal, with a 14-member team (11 climbers + 3 support members). Simultaneously, the Border Security Force (BSF) — also a Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) — successfully scaled Mt Everest through its first all-women expedition, ‘Mission Vande Mataram’, as part of its Diamond Jubilee celebrations (60 years of service).

• ITBP Expedition: First-ever all-women international mountaineering expedition; 14-member team; South Col Route from Nepal; Mt Everest height — 8,848 m.
• BSF Expedition Name: ‘Mission Vande Mataram’; part of BSF Diamond Jubilee (60 years).
• Objective: Support the ‘Clean Himalaya — Save Glacier’ campaign through collection of non-biodegradable waste from the Everest region.
• Both ITBP & BSF: CAPFs under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

Birla Institute of Technology Mesra (BIT Mesra) and the North Eastern Space Applications Centre (NESAC) — under the Department of Space (DoS) and the North Eastern Council (NEC) — signed an MoU to strengthen cooperation in geospatial technologies, Geospatial Artificial Intelligence (GeoAI), remote sensing, and higher education.

• Key Provisions: NESAC to provide geospatial databases, satellite imagery, GIS expertise; BIT Mesra to support research, training, and outreach.
• Academic Cooperation: Empanelment of NESAC scientists as guest faculty; joint PhD/MTech supervision.
• Focus Areas: GeoAI, remote sensing, geospatial technologies, and higher education.

The Bharath Digital Infrastructure Association (BDIA) launched ‘Bharat Digital Samvad’ — India’s first dedicated national forum on digital sovereignty and infrastructure policy — in New Delhi, to promote dialogue among policymakers, digital platforms, broadcasters, and industry stakeholders.

• Focus Areas: Cloud computing, AI, cybersecurity, Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), and data platforms.
• Guiding Principle: ‘Data Swaraj’ — India’s sovereign right to govern its data.
• Economic Target: India’s digital economy targets USD 1 trillion by 2030.
• Stakeholders: Policymakers, digital platforms, broadcasters, industry players.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi undertook a two-day official visit to Italy (19–20 May 2026) at the invitation of PM Giorgia Meloni. This visit was the culmination of PM Modi’s 5-nation tour (15–20 May 2026) covering UAE, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, and Italy. PM Modi was conferred the ‘Agricola Medal’ — the highest honour of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) — by Director-General Qu Dongyu at FAO HQ, Rome.

• Partnership Upgrade: India–Italy ties elevated to Special Strategic Partnership (SSP).
• Strategic Plan: Joint Strategic Action Plan 2025–2029 reviewed.
• Innovation Hub: INNOVIT India innovation hub launched.
• Defence: Joint Declaration of Intent (JDI) and Defence Industrial Roadmap adopted.
• Cultural Year: 2027 declared ‘Year of Culture and Tourism’.
• MoUs: Cover critical minerals, agriculture, maritime transport, marine products, higher education, and more.

The World Bank Group (WBG) released the 13th edition of its ‘State and Trends of Carbon Pricing 2026’ report, identifying India among the world’s largest new carbon markets following the launch of its Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS) in 2026. Globally, carbon pricing systems currently cover 29% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

• Report: ‘State and Trends of Carbon Pricing 2026’ — 13th edition by the World Bank Group (WBG).
• India’s Carbon Market: Among the largest new carbon markets globally, due to the launch of the Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS) in 2026.
• Revenue Growth: Tripled in a decade — from < USD 30 billion (2016) to > USD 107 billion (2025).
• Price Growth: Average direct carbon prices nearly doubled — from USD 10/tCO2e (2016) to ~USD 21/tCO2e (2026); up 7% year-on-year.
• Outlook: If all policies under development are implemented by 2030, nearly 1/3 (~33.33%) of global GHG emissions could come under carbon pricing systems.