May 2026 Current Affairs Review

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering major current affairs from May 2026, including sports, government schemes, awards, and scientific advancements.

Yáng Shuāng-zǐ

The Taiwan-based winner of the 'International Booker Prize 2026' for the novel Taiwan Travelogue, which was translated into English by Lin King.

World Press Freedom Index 2026

An index released by Reporters Without Borders where India ranked 157th out of 180 countries, with Norway taking the top position.

2026 Thomas Cup

A men's badminton championship hosted by Denmark and won by China, where India secured a Bronze medal.

2026 Uber Cup

A women's badminton championship hosted by Denmark and won by South Korea after defeating China.

PM MITRA Park

India's first functional Mega Integrated Textile Region & Apparel park inaugurated by PM Modi in Warangal, Telangana, under a scheme with a total outlay of $₹4,445\text{ crore}$.

Chumur Village

Located in Eastern Ladakh, this village became India’s first model border village under the Vibrant Villages Programme (VVP).

Paperless Judiciary State

Sikkim became India's first state to achieve this status, as declared by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant.

Rohit Jain

One of the four Deputy Governors of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) appointed in 2026.

Whitley Award 2026

Also known as the 'Green Oscars', this award was given to Parveen Shaikh for her conservation efforts for the Indian Skimmer bird.

Mission Drishti

The world's first multi-sensor Earth observation (EO) satellite launched by the IIT Madras startup GalaxEye using a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

ULLAS Scheme

The Nav Bharat Saaksharta Karyakram literacy program under which Sikkim was declared the fifth fully literate state in India.

Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill

Assam became the first Northeast state to pass this bill; Uttarakhand was the first state to implement it post-independence.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)

The champion of TATA IPL 2026, winning their second consecutive title under the captaincy of Rajat Patidar.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi

The Rajasthan Royals player who won the Orange Cap in IPL 2026 with 776 runs and set a record for the most sixes (72) in a single season.

Kagiso Rabada

The Gujarat Titans bowler who won the Purple Cap in IPL 2026 for taking a total of 29 wickets.

Total Fertility Rate (TFR)

According to NFHS-6 (2023-24), India's TFR is $2.0$, which is slightly below the replacement level of $2.1$.

Logistics Port Performance Index (LPPI) 2024-25

An index where Paradip Port Authority (Odisha) topped the Dry Bulk category and Mundra Port topped the Container Cargo category.

Major Abhilasha Barak

The first woman combat helicopter pilot of the Indian Army and the third Indian to win the UN Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award.

Kumbhalgarh Fort

A UNESCO World Heritage Site in Rajasthan recognized as the world’s second longest continuous wall after the Great Wall of China.

Henley Passport Index 2026

A ranking where India holds the 78th position, allowing visa-free travel to 56 countries, while Singapore remains the most powerful passport.

Kaal Bhairava

India's first AI-powered autonomous combat aircraft developed by Flying Wedge Defence & Aerospace (FWDA), with a range of $3000\,km$.

V. D. Satheesan

The 13th Chief Minister of Kerala representing the Indian National Congress.

C. Joseph Vijay

The 9th Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and leader of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) party.

Tactical Advanced Range Augmentation (TARA)

A long-range precision-guided weapon system trialed by DRDO and the Indian Air Force (IAF).

Suvendu Adhikari

The first BJP leader to become the Chief Minister of West Bengal, serving as the state's 9th CM.

South Coast Railway Zone

The 18th railway zone of India, officially headquartered in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.

Pulitzer Prize 2026

Awarded to Indian journalists Anand RK and Suparna Sharma in the Illustrated Reporting and Commentary category for their project 'trAPPed'.

SkyCast System

India's first real-time weather monitoring system for pilots, launched at IGI Airport under 'Mission Mausam'.

BHAVYA Scheme

Standing for Bharat Audyogik Vikas Yojana, it aims to develop 100 world-class industrial parks with a total outlay of $₹33,660\text{ crore}$.

Pathfinder

India’s first orbital data centre satellite developed by Pixxel and Sarvam AI to carry GPUs into Low Earth Orbit (LEO) for AI processing.

Faustino Oro

An Argentinian player known as the 'Messi of Chess' who became the 2nd youngest Chess Grandmaster in history.

International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA)

A New Delhi-headquartered alliance for the conservation of 7 big cats; Saudi Arabia became its 26th member in 2026.

JANANI Digital Platform

A health platform launched by the Ministry of Health to maintain digital records of women during reproductive age (Antenatal, Natal, and Neonatal Integrated Care).

National Technology Day

Observed on May 11th to commemorate the 1998 Pokhran 2 nuclear tests (Operation Shakti) led by Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam.

SARTHAK-PDS

A central scheme for modernizing the Public Distribution System with an approved outlay of $₹25,530\text{ crore}$.

CLEAR Technology

Cleavable Light-Erased Antibody Reporter technology developed to visualize proteins in biological samples for early detection of diseases like cancer.

Suryastra

India’s first indigenous $300\,km$ Universal Rocket Launching System (URLS) flagged off in Shirdi, Maharashtra.

Exercise PRAGATI 2026

The first edition of a multilateral military exercise involving 12 nations, hosted by the Indian Army at Umroi Military Station, Meghalaya.

SEHAT

A joint initiative by ICMR and ICAR (Science Excellence For Health Through Agricultural Transformation) to improve public health through nutrition.

PRASHAST 2.0

A platform developed by NCERT for the early identification of disabilities in school children.