Monthly current affairs for May 2026

The United States Trade Representative (USTR) has released the 38th annual “2026 Special 301 Report” to evaluate the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) protection of global trading partners. India remains on the Priority Watch List along with 5 other nations.

Vietnam is designated as a Priority Foreign Country (PFC), which represents the highest level of scrutiny. Argentina and Mexico were moved to the Watch List following improvements in regulatory frameworks, while Bulgaria was removed from the report entirely.

The European Union (EU) was added to the report due to concerns regarding Geographical Indications (GI) and pharmaceutical legislation. It is to be noted that the review of Ukraine is suspended due to the ongoing conflict.

World Veterinary Day:

Day – Last Saturday of April (April 25 in 2026)

Theme 2026 – “Veterinarians: Guardians of Food and Health”

Observed since – 2000

Union Minister of State Sanjay Seth has launched the ‘Namo Stall Scheme’ in Ranchi, Jharkhand, to empower street fruit and vegetable vendors with better infrastructure.

The initiative is implemented under the PM Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) scheme. In the first phase of the project, stalls worth ₹50,000 each were distributed to 5 vendors to help them secure stable livelihoods.

The Bengaluru City Police has launched a multilingual AI integration within the ‘Namma 112’ Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) to enhance accessibility and inclusivity. This is the first-of-its-kind initiative in India.

The integration utilizes the Multilingual Voice AI for Nationwide Key Interventions (VANKI) system, which was developed in collaboration with technical partners Monday Ventures and Aeos.

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoC&I) has signed an MoU with Chamber India to enhance the Indian startup ecosystem and promote innovation-led development.

The partnership aims to increase interaction between startups, corporate bodies, investors, and global stakeholders, while facilitating international linkages and cross-border collaboration.

The 2nd edition of the bilateral military exercise between the Indian Army (IA) and the Royal Cambodian Army (RCA) named “CINBAX-II” has commenced at the Techo Sen Phnom Thom Mreas Prov Royal Cambodian Air Force Training Centre (Camp Basil) in Kampong Speu Province, Cambodia.

The IA contingent comprises 120 personnel from the Battalion of the Maratha Light Infantry Regiment, while the RCA is represented by 160 personnel. Conducted under Chapter VII of the UN mandate, the exercise focuses on sub-conventional operations in jungle and semi-urban environments.

The Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) is set to launch a digital platform named ‘E-PRAAPTI’ (EPF Aadhaar-based Access Portal for Tracking Inoperative Accounts). The portal is designed to facilitate the identification, tracking, Universal Account Number (UAN) linking, and activation of legacy EPF accounts.

The initial phase of the implementation will be member Identification (ID)-based. The EPFO plans to later expand the scope of the portal to include members who are unable to recall or access their historical member IDs. It is to be noted that the organization settled 8.31 crore claims in the FY26, representing an increase from the 6.01 crore claims settled during FY25.

The Ministry of Mines has approved 58 companies as eligible participants under the “Incentive Scheme for Promotion of Critical Mineral Recycling” (IS-PCMR).

The scheme is a key initiative under the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) with a total financial outlay of ₹1,500 crore. The initiative has attracted pledged investments worth ₹5,000 crore and aims to achieve a recycling capacity of 850 Kilo Tonnes Per Annum (KTPA).

The first Joint Commission meeting between India and Algeria was held in New Delhi to discuss strategic sectors of mutual interest. During the meeting, both countries discussed cooperation in military training, joint exercises, medical collaboration, and the development of the defense industry. They also agreed to expand the scope of defense cooperation activities to strengthen the bilateral relationship.

NPCI Bharat BillPay Ltd (NBBL), a subsidiary of the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), has partnered with the fintech firm Juspay Technologies Pvt Ltd to launch a unified switch and software development kit (SDK) for the ‘Banking Connect’ platform.

The initiative is designed to improve the net banking experience in India by providing seamless technological integration for financial institutions.

India and the European Union (EU) have launched a joint initiative to improve Electric Vehicle (EV) battery recycling under the India-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC) - Working Group 2 on Green and Clean Energy Technologies.

The project involves a third coordinated call for proposals to secure critical raw materials and accelerate the global transition to a circular economy. The initiative has a combined funding pool of €15.2 million (₹169 crore). The component of the EU is funded through the Horizon Europe programme, while the part of India is supported by the Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI).

PM Narendra Modi has visited Sikkim to attend the closing ceremony of the Golden Jubilee (50th year) of the statehood of Sikkim at Paljor Stadium in Gangtok.

During the visit, the PM inaugurated and laid foundation stones for more than 30 development projects worth over ₹4,000 crore across various sectors. He also visited the Swarnajayanti Maitri Manjari Park in Gangtok, which serves as a world-class Orchid Experience Centre showcasing the floral heritage of the state.

The Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the Government of India (GoI) has signed an MoU with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) at Kartavya Bhavan in New Delhi.

The collaboration aims to strengthen the national Research and Development (R&D) ecosystem by facilitating synergy between industry, academia, and research institutions.

SkyHop Aviation Pvt Ltd has received the Air Operator Certificate (AOC) from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) under the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) to launch the first-ever commercial seaplane services of India.

The initial flight operations are scheduled in Lakshadweep. The service will utilize a 19-seater De Havilland Canada (DHC)-6 Twin Otter aircraft, which has been indigenously converted into a seaplane using float attachments to facilitate take-offs and landings on both water and short runways.

Tata AIA Life Insurance has launched a unit-linked life insurance plan (ULIP) named “Shubh Health Criti” to create a market-linked health fund for long-term medical needs. The plan provides coverage for over 60 critical illnesses and is available for individuals aged 18-65 years.

The Telangana government, through the Hyderabad Metro Rail Ltd (HMRL), has signed a Share Purchase Agreement (SPA) with Larsen & Toubro Ltd (L&T) and L&T Metro Rail (Hyderabad) Ltd (LTMRHL). The agreement enables the state government to acquire 100% equity of the Hyderabad Metro Phase I for ₹1,461.47 crore.

Tsinghua University (China) is ranked top for the 8th consecutive year with a score of 93.6 at the 14th edition of the “Asia University Rankings 2026” released by the UK-based Times Higher Education (THE). It is followed by Peking University (China) and the National University of Singapore (NUS).

IISc Bengaluru, is the highest-ranked Indian university, ranking 43rd in Asia with a score of 65.1. It is to be noted that India leads the overall representation with 128 universities.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment of Justice (Retd.) Anupinder Singh Grewal as the President of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) for a period of 5 years. He succeeds Justice (Retd.) Ramalingam Sudhakar.

Bengaluru-based GalaxEye has launched “Mission Drishti”, the largest and heaviest privately developed Earth observation satellite (EOS) of India to date. The 190 kg satellite was launched aboard a Falcon 9 rocket of SpaceX from California, USA. It is the world’s first operational “OptoSAR” satellite, which combines Electro-Optical (EO) sensors and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) on a single platform. This allows for 24/7 all-weather surveillance through clouds, rain, and darkness, providing high-resolution imagery at 1.5-meter.

It is to be noted that the EOS uses the NVIDIA Jetson Orin platform for onboard AI to process data in orbit for faster results. This mission is the first step toward a planned constellation of 8 to 12 satellites by 2029 to 2030 for real-time global coverage.

Union Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda and his Japanese counterpart Kimi Onoda have co-chaired the 3rd Joint Committee Meeting (JCM) on Healthcare between India and Japan at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. The meeting focused on deepening the bilateral partnership through strategic cooperation in innovation, technology, and research.