Monthly current affairs for May 2026

The China National Space Administration (CNSA) has launched the Pakistan Remote Sensing Satellite–Earth Observation-3 (PRSC-EO3) of Pakistan onboard the Long March-6 rocket.

The mission, conducted from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in Shanxi, China, successfully placed the satellite into its designated orbit. It is to be noted that this marks the 640th mission of the Long March series of rockets.

The Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh has officially notified the creation of 5 new districts in the Union Territory: Nubra, Sham, Changthang, Zanskar, and Drass.

This follows the preliminary approval granted by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in 2024. With this, the total number of districts in the UT has increased from 2 to 7. It is to be noted that the region previously consisted of only the Leh and Kargil districts.

The Uttar Pradesh government has introduced a 10-year warranty model for rural water schemes under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), becoming the first state in India to mandate long-term accountability under the JJM framework. Under the ‘Jal Arpan’ initiative, the ownership of village water infrastructure is transferred to Gram Panchayats (GPs). The policy mandates that construction agencies must handle the operation and maintenance (O&M) of the water systems for a period of 10 years.

Filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker has been appointed as the Festival Director for the 57th edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa. It is to be noted that the IFFI was established in 1952 and is one of the premier film festivals in Asia.

Parminder Singh has been appointed as the CEO of Reliance Enterprise Intelligence Ltd (REIL) with immediate effect. It is to be noted that REIL is a joint venture (JV) between Reliance Intelligence Ltd and Facebook Overseas Inc of Meta.

Ravi K has been appointed as the 22nd CMD of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL). He succeeds DK Sunil.

The International Chess Federation (FIDE) has officially joined the International World Games Association (IWGA) as its 40th member. The announcement was made during the Annual General Meeting (AGM 2026) held at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Dean Tavoularis, an Oscar winning production designer, passed away at the age of 93. He won the award in 1974 for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration for his work on the film ‘The Godfather Part II’.

International Day of Women in Industry:

Day – April 21

Theme 2026 – “Celebrating Women’s Leadership in Industrial Development”

Observed since – 2026

Commemorating – The anniversary of its first Gender Policy entering into force in 2009

National Civil Services Day:

Day – April 21

Observed since – 2006

Commemorating – Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel addressing newly formed Administrative Service Officers at the Metcalfe House, Delhi

World Creativity and Innovation Day:

Day – April 21

Observed since – 2018

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Jayant Chaudhary has inaugurated the first United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Chair in Asia on Gender Inclusion and Skill Development at the Symbiosis Skills and Professional University (SSPU) in Pune, Maharashtra.

The launch took place during the international conference “Women Leading the Future of Work”, organised in collaboration with UNESCO. Dr Swati Mujumdar, the Pro-Chancellor of SSPU, has been named the UNESCO Chairholder. The university has also introduced the “Kushal Saathi” initiative to provide structured mentorship for girls in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines and career opportunities.

Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has launched the nationwide indigenously developed Cell Broadcast System (CBS) in New Delhi. The system was engineered by the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT) in collaboration with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

The initiative aims to strengthen the disaster management framework of the country through homegrown technology. The CBS features multilingual capabilities to deliver emergency alerts in multiple Indian languages to ensure effective communication across the population.

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has inaugurated the first Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) based tolling system of India at the Chorayasi Toll Plaza, located on the Surat-Bharuch section of National Highway-48 (NH-48) in Gujarat. The system aims to modernize the Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) infrastructure.

The MLFF framework enables barrier-less tolling with minimal human intervention, allowing vehicles to transit toll locations without stopping for a seamless traffic flow. It is to be noted that 41,500 vehicles used the facility on the inaugural day of its implementation.

The Supreme Court of India (SCI) has officially declared the “Right to Safe Road Travel” as an integral part of the Right to Life under Article 21 of the Constitution of India.

The judgment was delivered in the case of “In Re: Phalodi Accident”, where the SCI examined critical issues related to road safety and the accountability of authorities on highways and expressways.

The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MSJE) has launched the ‘SMILE–Beggary Survey Mobile Application’ during the ‘Chintan Shivir’ held in Chandigarh. The initiative is part of the Support for Marginalised Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise (SMILE) scheme (2021-2026), which focuses on rehabilitating individuals through shelter, skill development, and social reintegration.

The project has been extended to cover 181 cities across India. It is supported by model shelter home guidelines and is integrated with the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan (NMBA) 2.0 App for drug demand reduction. The platform also provides access to the Mental Health and Normalcy Augmentation System (MANAS).

Flipkart Internet Pvt Ltd, in collaboration with Axis Bank Ltd and PayU Payments Pvt Ltd, has introduced biometric authentication for card-based transactions. The system enables users to authorize payments via fingerprint or Face Identification (Face ID), serving as a replacement for traditional One-Time Passwords (OTPs).

The RBI has approved the application of One MobiKwik Systems Ltd to operate as a Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC). This allows the company to establish a subsidiary named MobiKwik Financial Services Private Ltd as its lending arm, contingent upon the issuance of a Certificate of Registration (CoR).

RBI has imposed a monetary penalty of ₹41.8 lakh on Bandhan Bank for non-compliance with Know Your Customer (KYC) guidelines. It has also levied a fine of ₹80,000 on Muthoot Housing Finance Company for failing to follow the Fair Practices Code. Additionally, a cumulative penalty of ₹2.6 lakh was imposed on Ebix Payments Services Ltd and two cooperative banks under the Payment and Settlement Systems (PSS) Act, 2007.

According to a report titled “DPI@2047 for Viksit Bharat-A Strategic Roadmap to Enable Non-linear Inclusive Socio-economic Growth” released by the NITI Aayog, Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) initiatives currently account for nearly 1% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This contribution is projected to reach 4% by 2030.

The report, which details the implementation strategy for DPI 2.0, was developed in collaboration with the EkStep Foundation and Deloitte. It establishes a two-phase strategy to facilitate the digital transformation of the country.