Monthly current affairs for May 2026

Union Minister of State Dr. Jitendra Singh has inaugurated India’s first ‘SkyCast’ system at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi. With this, India has become the 19th country globally to implement this advanced integrated aviation weather monitoring system.

Developed under ‘Mission Mausam’, the system aims to enhance aviation safety by facilitating safer take-offs and landings. It integrates advanced atmospheric sensors to monitor atmospheric conditions up to an altitude of 3 km. A second facility is planned to be established at the Jewar Airport in Uttar Pradesh.

Union Minister of State Dr Jitendra Singh has launched the second phase of the Unique Methods of Management and Treatment of Inherited Disorders (UMMID) programme for Rare Genetic Disorders (RGDs) in New Delhi.

Under Phase-II, the initiative will expand its network by setting up 25 additional National Inherited Diseases Administration (NIDAN) Kendras across 13 states and one Union Territory, along with three proposed training centres in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Chandigarh. The NIDAN Kendras are designed to provide genetic testing and counselling.

It is to be noted that the first phase of the UMMID initiative was launched in 2019 by the Ministry of Science and Technology as the first comprehensive national program in India to introduce molecular diagnostics for rare genetic diseases.

The Delhi government has signed an MoU with the State Bank of India (SBI) to implement an integrated digital payment solution, ‘e-Pay’, on the state’s e-procurement portal.

India has launched its first electric hydrofoil vessel, the “Candela P12” (also called a “flying boat”), in Mumbai.

Developed by the Swedish manufacturer Candela, the vessel will be operated by JalVimana. The deployment is part of the initiative of the Maharashtra government to strengthen water-based transport infrastructure.

Vice Admiral Ajay Kochhar has been appointed as the 48th Vice Chief of the Naval Staff (VCNS) of the Indian Navy. He succeeds Vice Admiral Sanjay Vatsayan.

Prior to this, he served as the Commander-in-Chief of the Andaman and Nicobar Command. He was awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) in 2022 and the Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) in 2026.

The 79th edition of the annual Cannes International Film Festival 2026 was hosted in Cannes, France. The Palme d’Or, the highest award, was won by Romanian director Cristian Mungiu for his drama ‘Fjord’, marking his second win. The Grand Prix was awarded to Russian director Andrey Zvyagintsev for his political thriller ‘Minotaur’.

The Jury Prize was conferred upon ‘The Dreamed Adventure’ by Valeska Grisebach (Germany). The Best Director award was jointly presented to Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi (Spain) for ‘La Bola Negra’ and Paweł Pawlikowski (Poland) for ‘Fatherland’.

The Best Actor award was shared by Emmanuel Macchia and Valentin Campagne (Belgium) for ‘Coward’, while the Best Actress award was jointly awarded to Virginie Efira (Belgium-France) and Tao Okamoto (Japan) for ‘All Of A Sudden’.

The Best Screenplay award was presented to Emmanuel Marre (France) for ‘A Man of His Time’, and the Camera d’Or for Best First Film was awarded to ‘Ben’Imana’ by Marie-Clementine Dusabejambo (Rwanda).

Professor Manindra Agrawal, the Director of the IIT Kanpur, and Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist of the WHO, have been elected as Fellows of the Royal Society (FRS).

The Royal Society is one of the oldest and most prestigious scientific academies in the world.

Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, the CM of Himachal Pradesh, has launched the second edition of the novel titled “Bazaar”, authored by Niranjan Dev Sharma.

The book is published by Aadhar Prakashan Pvt Ltd and chronicles significant social and political events from 1971 to 1992.

International Museum Day:

Day – May 18

Theme 2026 – “Museums Uniting a Divided World”

Observed by – International Council of Museums (ICOM)

Observed since – 1977

World Metrology Day:

Day – May 20

Theme 2026 – “Metrology: Building Trust in Policy Making”

Observed by – UNESCO

Observed since – 2000