Daily Current Affairs

In May 2026, the Ministry of Power (MoP) revised Make in India norms for High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) substations through an official notification, replacing the earlier immediate 60% local content requirement with a phased roadmap.

• Applicable to: HVDC substations, particularly Line Commutated Converter (LCC) systems under Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) or turnkey project category.
• Framework: Public Procurement (Preference to Make in India) framework; provides ‘purchase preference’ in the power sector.
• Significance: Critical for long-distance power transmission infrastructure and energy self-reliance.

In May 2026, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), under the Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA), Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution (MoCAF&PD), published six new Indian Standards for priority medical assistive products under the National List of Essential Assistive Products (NLEAP) framework.

• Ministry: BIS under DCA, MoCAF&PD.
• Framework: NLEAP (National List of Essential Assistive Products) — promotes affordable assistive products for differently-abled persons.
• Purpose: Ensure quality, safety, and accessibility standards for assistive devices used by persons with disabilities.

In May 2026, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) released a ‘Guidance Document on Diabetes Mellitus in Children’ at the National Summit on Best Practices in Public Healthcare Service Delivery held in Chandigarh.

• Significance: India’s first structured and standardised national framework for screening, diagnosis, treatment, and long-term management of diabetes in children (0–18 years).
• Objective: Universal diabetes screening of all children from birth to 18 years using community and school platforms for early detection.
• Free-of-Cost Package: Comprehensive free care at public health facilities — screening, diagnostic services, lifelong insulin therapy, and monitoring devices.
• 4Ts Framework: Toilet (frequent urination), Thirsty, Tired, and Thinner — early warning signs for Type 1 Diabetes in children.

On 20 May 2026, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw (Ministry of Railways/MoR) officially notified the creation of the South Coast Railway (SCoR) Zone with its headquarters at Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh (AP).

• Significance: Becomes India’s 18th railway zone; operational from 1 June 2026.
• Background: SCoR Zone announced in February 2019 as part of railway reorganisation; fulfils the long-pending demand of AP following its 2014 bifurcation.
• Divisions: Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, and Guntur divisions of AP — reorganised primarily from South Central Railway (SCR) with minor adjustments from East Coast Railway (ECoR).
• Connectivity Focus: Cargo and container trains to connect ports, tourism centres, and major cities along the East Coast Corridor.
• Expected Impact: Enhanced coastal AP connectivity, port-led freight and logistics boost, industrial growth, and employment generation.

In May 2026, the United States of America (USA), under President Donald Trump, launched ‘Project Freedom’ — a naval escort operation designed to guide stranded commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz amid escalating Iran–USA tensions.

• Objective: Ensure safe maritime passage and protect global shipping routes from disruptions caused by regional conflict and oil supply instability.
• Operation: Deployment by the US Navy under US Central Command (CENTCOM) — warships, 100+ air- and sea-based aircraft, multi-domain unmanned platforms, and ~15,000 personnel; concurrent economic blockade on Iranian ports.
• Strait of Hormuz: Narrow maritime passage between Oman and Iran connecting the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and Arabian Sea — one of the world’s most critical energy transit routes.
• Significance: ~20% of global oil trade transits through this strait; disruptions have global energy price implications.

In May 2026, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) launched a new financing facility titled ‘Critical Minerals-to-Manufacturing Financing Partnership Facility’ at its 59th Annual Meeting (AM) of the Board of Governors held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, aimed at strengthening critical mineral supply chains across Asia and the Pacific.

• Critical Minerals Database: ADB established a Critical Minerals Database to enhance transparency and coordination across global supply chains.
• ADB HQ: Mandaluyong City, Manila, Philippines.
• ADB President: Masato Kanda.
• Established: 1966.

On 4 May 2026, the National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) launched the Electronic Gold Receipts (EGR) segment, with approval from the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), to create a transparent and efficient gold trading ecosystem.

• About EGR: Dematerialised securities backed by physical gold stored in SEBI-approved vaults; traded electronically on exchanges to formalise gold investments.
• Tax Advantage: No GST applicable on EGR trading until conversion into physical gold.
• Participants: Platform serves jewellers, refiners, traders, and institutional players; enables retail investors to invest in gold in smaller, secure denominations.
• Significance: Improves price discovery, broadens participation, enables small-ticket investments through a secure digital route, and strengthens investor confidence.
• NSE HQ: Mumbai; Established 1992; India’s largest stock exchange by trading volume.

On 6 May 2026, the Pulitzer Board announced the winners of the 110th Pulitzer Prize (2026) across categories including Journalism, Books, Drama, Music, and Special Citations. The announcement was made at Columbia University, New York.

• Indian connection: Anand RK and Suparna Sharma (along with Bloomberg colleague Natalie Obiko Pearson) won under ‘Illustrated Reporting and Commentary’ for their investigative report ‘trAPPed’ — exposing cybercrime digital arrests.
• NYT milestone: Total Pulitzer prizes now 142 — a record high since the awards began in 1917.
• About Pulitzer: Established 1917; administered by Columbia University; named after journalist Joseph Pulitzer.

In May 2026, the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (MIB) appointed National Award-winning lyricist Prasoon Joshi as Chairman of Prasar Bharati (PB), India’s public service broadcaster. He succeeded Navneet Kumar Sehgal who resigned in December 2025.

• Profile: Renowned creative professional known for contributions to literature, advertising, cinema, and public communication.
• Prasar Bharati: India’s public service broadcaster; established under Prasar Bharati Act 1990; operational since 1997; includes Doordarshan (est. 1959) and All India Radio (est. 1936).
• Predecessor: Navneet Kumar Sehgal — resigned December 2025.

In May 2026, SpaceX successfully launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, USA, deploying the Republic of Korea’s CASS500-2 Earth observation satellite along with 45 secondary rideshare payloads into Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO).

• CASS500-2: 534 kg Earth observation satellite developed by Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) and Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI); designed for high-resolution optical imaging.
• Secondary Payloads: 45 additional payloads including small satellites, CubeSats, technology demonstration units, and commercial research satellites.
• Falcon 9 Booster B1071: Completed its 33rd flight; landed at Landing Zone 4 within 7.5 minutes — marking the 34th landing at that site and the 608th overall booster landing for SpaceX’s reusable launch system.

World Laughter Day (WLD) is observed on the first Sunday of May every year to promote health, peace, and well-being through laughter. In 2026, it was observed on 3 May 2026. The theme for 2026 is ‘World Peace through Laughter’.

• Origin: Initiated in 1998 by Dr. Madan Kataria — a Mumbai (Maharashtra)-based physician and founder of the Laughter Yoga Movement, promoting laughter as a form of exercise.
• First Celebration: 11 January 1998 in Mumbai with over 12,000 participants; has since expanded to 100+ countries.
• First Global Event outside India: 9 January 2000 in Copenhagen, Denmark (‘HAPPY-DEMIC’) — 10,000+ people, setting a Guinness World Record for the largest laughter session.

The Badminton World Federation (BWF) Thomas & Uber Cup Finals 2026, marking the 34th Thomas Cup and 31st Uber Cup editions, were held at Horsens, Denmark from 24 April to 3 May 2026.

• Thomas Cup 2026: China defeated France 3–1; China’s 13th overall title.
• Uber Cup 2026: South Korea defeated China 3–1; South Korea’s 3rd title.
• India’s performance: Secured a bronze medal in Thomas Cup 2026 as losing semi-finalists.
• About BWF: Badminton World Federation; HQ: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Thomas Cup (men’s team championship) — first edition 1949.

In May 2026, Italian former Formula 1 (F1) driver and four-time Paralympic gold medallist Alessandro Leone Zanardi (Alex Zanardi) passed away at the age of 59 in Veneto, Italy. He was born on 23 October 1966 in Bologna, Italy.

• Inspirational Journey: Lost both legs in a 2001 CART racing accident in Germany; went on to become a 4-time Paralympic gold medallist as a hand-cyclist.
• CART Success: Won back-to-back CART Championship Auto Racing Teams titles in 1997 and 1998 with Chip Ganassi Racing (15 wins).