Monthly current affairs for May 2026

International Mother Earth Day:

Day – April 22

Theme 2026 – “Our Power, Our Planet”

Observed by – UN

Observed since – 2009

Proposed by – John McConnell (American peace activist)

L&T Energy Hydrocarbon Onshore, a division of Larsen & Toubro (L&T), has secured a contract valued between ₹2,500 crore and ₹5,000 crore from Bharat Coal Gasification and Chemicals Ltd (BCGCL) to develop a coal-to-ammonium nitrate project in Odisha.

BCGCL is a Joint Venture (JV) between Coal India Ltd (CIL) and Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL). The project is designed to produce 2,000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate per day, aiming to reduce import dependence and conserve foreign exchange.

Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd (MDL) has delivered the advanced stealth frigate ‘Mahendragiri (Y-12654)’ to the Indian Navy (IN) under Project 17A (Nilgiri-class). It is the 6th ship delivered under the project and the 4th frigate built by MDL, marking the completion of all warships assigned to the shipyard under this initiative. The frigate, named after the Mahendragiri mountain peak in the Eastern Ghats of Odisha, features 75% indigenous content.

It measures 149 metres in length, has a displacement of 6,670 tonnes, and can reach a maximum speed of 28 knots using a Combined Diesel or Gas (CODOG) propulsion system. The vessel was designed by the Warship Design Bureau (WDB) and overseen by the Warship Overseeing Team (WOT) Mumbai. Notably, this marks the 100th vessel designed and delivered by the WDB.

The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has proposed the introduction of a new Index of Service Production (ISP) to monitor the performance of the formal services sector in India.

The index will use FY25 as its base year and aims to cover at least 70% of the service sector at the 2-digit National Industrial Classification (NIC) level. It is to be noted that MoSPI intends to use Producer Price Indices (PPI) or sector specific Consumer Price Indices (CPI) as a deflation strategy to convert nominal turnover into real volume terms.

Lt Gen Madhavan Unnikrishnan Nair (Retd.) has been appointed as the Strategic Defence Advisor to Synergy Quantum. Prior to the appointment, he served as the 3rd National Cyber Security Coordinator (NCSC) at the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS).

Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has attended the 75th anniversary celebrations of the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range (DKSSR) in New Delhi. A commemorative logo was unveiled to mark 75 years of competitive shooting in India.

The NRAI launched the “MyNRAI Athlete App”, making it the first fully digitised sports federation in India. Additionally, a nationwide grassroots programme was announced to introduce 7.5 lakh school and college students to shooting through a “10-shot experience” before the 2028 Olympics.

The RBI has launched a nationwide mission-mode initiative named “Mission SAKSHAM” (Sahkari Bank Kshamta Nirman) for the Urban Co-operative Banking (UCB) sector. The mission focuses on the comprehensive capacity building of the sector to enhance overall performance. The core objectives of the initiative include strengthening managerial and operational efficiency to ensure that the UCB sector aligns with modern banking standards.

Sikkim has become the first fully paperless state judiciary in India, marking a milestone that coincides with the 50th anniversary of the statehood of Sikkim. The declaration was made by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant during a two-day national conclave on technology and judicial education held in Gangtok. The transition to a digital system incorporates AI tools to assist judicial officers. These include the Supreme Court Portal for Assistance in Court’s Efficiency (SUPACE) for legal research and the Supreme Court Vidhik Anuvaad Software (SUVAS) for language translation.

The SEBI has operationalized the “Past Risk and Return Verification Agency” (PaRRVA) framework, a global initiative to standardize performance disclosures and prevent misleading claims. CARE Ratings Ltd is the designated agency for the independent validation of performance claims, while the National Stock Exchange (NSE) will act as the PaRRVA Data Centre (PDC). The framework applies to Investment Advisers (IAs), Research Analysts (RAs), and Algorithmic Trading service providers.

These entities must enroll with the agency by August 3, 2026, to share certified performance data. From May 3, 2028, only PaRRVA verified metrics can be used in client communications, and the use of data from the pre-PaRRVA period will be banned. It is to be noted that the agency will compute 50 risk and return parameters using transaction-level data from exchanges and clearing corporations.

The winners of the 110th edition of the Pulitzer Prizes (2026) have been announced across 23 categories. Administered by Columbia University, the awards carry a certificate and a cash prize of $15,000 for each winner. In the Journalism section, The Washington Post won the award for Public Service, while the staff of The New York Times received the prize for Investigative Reporting. The Associated Press (AP) team, which included Aniruddha Ghosal, was honoured in the International Reporting category.

Saher Alghorra, a contributor to The New York Times, won for Breaking News Photography for documenting the situation in Gaza. Notably, freelance journalists Anand RK and Suparna Sharma, along with Natalie Obiko Pearson of Bloomberg, won the Illustrated Reporting & Commentary award for “trAPPed”, a graphic investigation into digital arrest scams in India.

Winners in the Arts and Books categories include Daniel Kraus for Fiction (“Angel Down”), Bess Wohl for Drama (“Liberation”), Jill Lepore for History (“We the People”), and Amanda Vaill for Biography (“Pride and Pleasure”).

Other recipients are Yiyun Li for Memoir (“Things in Nature Merely Grow”), Brian Goldstone for General Nonfiction (“There Is No Place for Us”), Juliana Spahr for Poetry (“Ars Poeticas”), and Gabriela Lena Frank for Music (“Picaflor: A Future Myth”). Julie K. Brown, a reporter for the Miami Herald, received a Special Citation for her reporting on Jeffrey Epstein.

The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has released the 27th edition of the publication titled “Women and Men in India 2025: Selected Indicators and Data” during the National Deliberative Summit on “Data for Development” in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. The report incorporates metadata for 50 key indicators.

According to the report, the sex ratio at birth in India improved to 917 during 2021-23, compared to 904 during 2017-19. The Total Fertility Rate (TFR) in 2023 was recorded at 1.5 for urban regions and 2.1 for rural areas.

In the education sector, the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education rose from 28.5 to 30.2 for females and from 28.3 to 28.9 for males between 2021-22 and 2022-23. The Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) for the population aged 15 and above increased from 37.5% to 45.9% for rural females between 2022 and 2025.

World Immunization Week:

Day – Last week of April (April 24-30 in 2026)

Theme 2026 – “For Every Generation, Vaccines Work”

Observed since – 2012

Initiated by – World Health Assembly

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has launched a $70 billion connectivity initiative to integrate power and digital networks across the Asia-Pacific region by 2035. The initiative includes a $50 billion programme named “Pan-Asia Power Grid Initiative” to transition from bilateral energy links to a regional power trade framework.

ADB will contribute $25 billion (50% of the funding). By 2035, the project aims to integrate 20 Gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy, construct 22,000 circuit-km of transmission lines, and reduce regional power sector emissions by 15%. It will improve electricity access for 200 million people by focusing on infrastructure.

The “Asia-Pacific Digital Highway” involves a $20 billion investment to bridge the digital divide and facilitate growth driven by AI. By 2035, it targets providing first-time broadband access to 200 million people and enhancing service quality for 450 million others.

The programme aims to reduce connectivity costs by 40% for remote areas. Additionally, a “Centre for AI Innovation and Development” will be established in Seoul, South Korea. The announcement was made during the 59th Annual Meeting of the bank in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu laid the foundation stone for the Google Cloud India AI Hub in Tarluvada, Visakhapatnam. Valued at $15 billion (₹1.35 lakh crore), it is the largest single Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) project in India.

The facility will be managed by Raiden Infotech India Pvt Ltd (a subsidiary of Google) in collaboration with AdaniConneX (a Joint Venture (JV) between Adani Enterprises and EdgeConneX) and Nxtra by Airtel. The project will be completed over 5 years with a capacity of 1 gigawatt (GW), making it one of the largest AI focused data centers in India.

Dr Neena Malhotra, Secretary (South) of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), has chaired the Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa (BRICS) Deputy Foreign Ministers and Special Envoys for the Middle East and North Africa (BRICS MENA) meeting in New Delhi.

The deliberations focused on the post-conflict reconstruction in Syria, achieving a political settlement in Yemen, and promoting stability and development in Iraq. The representatives also discussed the progress of the political process in Libya and the humanitarian crisis in Sudan. It is to be noted that the participating members have agreed to meet again in 2027 under the chairship of China.

Union Minister Piyush Goyal and Todd McClay have signed the India–New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (IN-NZ FTA) at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.

Under the IN-NZ FTA, India has secured 100% duty-free access on all 8,284 tariff lines to New Zealand. In return, India has liberalized 70.03% of its tariff lines, which covers 95% of the total bilateral trade value.

New Zealand has opened 118 service sectors with Most Favoured Nation (MFN) commitments across 139 sub-sectors. Furthermore, New Zealand has committed to an investment of $20 billion over a 15 year period in sectors like infrastructure, renewable energy, manufacturing, and startups.

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) report titled “TRENDS IN WORLD MILITARY EXPENDITURE, 2025” (published as the “SIPRI Fact Sheet April 2026”), India is ranked 5th among the largest military spenders globally in 2025.

The defense expenditure of India reached $92.1 billion, which is an 8.9% increase compared to the preceding year. This expenditure accounts for 3.2% of the total global military spending.

The USA is ranked first with an expenditure of $954 billion, followed by China, Russia, and Germany.

The Maharashtra Cabinet has approved the ‘AI Policy 2026’ to foster technological growth and infrastructure development in the state.

The policy aims to attract an investment of ₹10,000 crore and generate 1.5 lakh employment opportunities by 2031. The initiative focuses on the establishment of innovation centres and the implementation of skill training programs to support AI driven economic expansion.

The Government of India (GoI) has appointed Dr R Balasubramaniam and Dr Joram Aniya as full-time members of NITI Aayog.

Pixxel has partnered with Sarvam to develop and operate the first orbital data centre satellite of India named “Pathfinder”. The 200 kg-class spacecraft is projected to be deployed in orbit by the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2026.

It is to be noted that Pixxel will handle the design, construction, and launch of the satellite, while Sarvam will integrate an AI framework to facilitate on-orbit training and inference through full-stack language models.