May 2026 Current Affairs Review

A collection of vocabulary flashcards covering Tamil Nadu and national current affairs from May 2026, including legal rulings, environmental projects, and scientific achievements.

Article 162

Constitutional provision stating that a state's executive power is co-extensive with its legislative power, covering subjects in the State and Concurrent Lists.

Article 42

A Directive Principle of State Policy that directs the State to ensure humane working conditions and provide maternity relief.

Marine Fish Landings 2025 (Tamil Nadu)

Tamil Nadu recorded the highest marine fish landings in India in 2025, reaching $6.85\text{ lakh tonnes}$.

Para-Legal Volunteers (PLVs) for Missing Children

Trained volunteers in Tamil Nadu police stations acting as a bridge between victims' families, police, and welfare systems for cases under the Juvenile Justice Act.

Rabies

A $100\%$ fatal viral zoonotic disease caused by the Lyssavirus, primarily transmitted through the bite or saliva of infected animals like dogs.

S.R. Bommai v. Union of India (1994)

A landmark Supreme Court case which established that the floor test is the preferred method for determining a party's majority in the House.

Election Security Deposit Forfeiture

Under the Representation of the People Act, 1951, a candidate forfeits their deposit if they fail to secure at least one-sixth ($16.67\%$) of the total valid votes.

Rukmini Lakshmipathi

The first woman Minister in the Madras Presidency, inducted in 1946 with the portfolios of Public Health and Medicine.

Tamil Nadu Arunthathiyars (Special Reservation) Act, 2009

A law providing $16\%$ preferential reservation for Arunthathiyars within the overall $18\%$ reservation for Scheduled Castes.

Anaimangalam (Leiden) Copper Plates

$11\text{th}$-century Chola-era copper plates returned to India in 2026, recording Rajaraja Chola I's grant of land to a Buddhist monastery in Nagapattinam.

Keeladi Excavation Phase 11

An ongoing archaeological project that recently unearthed an intact complete circular pot and dye bowls in the Vaigai River Valley.

Pandit Iyothee Thass

A pioneering anti-caste activist and scholar (1845–1914) known as the 'Father of Social Reforms in South India' and founder of the 'Oru Paisa Tamizhan' newspaper.

Heatwave State-Specific Disaster

A declaration by the Tamil Nadu government allowing the use of the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) for heat-related relief and ex-gratia payments.

Kasanoi Erappila Thittam (TN-KET)

A differentiated tuberculosis care programme in Tamil Nadu launched in 2022 to reduce TB-related mortality through early high-risk screening.

Ru-Soam Engineering

Traditional suspension footbridge construction using bamboo and cane by the Lepcha community in Sikkim.

Operation WHITE STRIKE

A major anti-narcotics crackdown by the Narcotics Control Bureau that seized $349\,kg$ of cocaine in Mumbai.

Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024

An act to prevent paper leaks and cheating, prescribing imprisonment from 3 to 10 years and fines up to $\text{₹}1\text{ crore}$.

Algae Tree

A solar-powered bioreactor that uses microalgae to absorb up to $1.5\text{ tonnes of } CO_2$ annually while generating oxygen.

PaRRVA

The Past Risk and Return Verification Agency operationalised by SEBI to authenticate performance metrics of regulated financial market entities.

GST Council

A constitutional body under Article 279A, chaired by the Union Finance Minister, responsible for making recommendations on goods and services tax.

UDGAM Portal

Unclaimed Deposits – Gateway to Access Information; an RBI web portal to help legal heirs trace unclaimed bank deposits.

ASISSE

The Annual Survey of Incorporated Services Sector Enterprises, a new NSO survey targeting entities registered under the Companies Act and LLPs.

Non-Tariff Barriers (NTBs)

Trade restrictions other than customs tariffs, such as sanitary measures, technical standards, and import quotas.

Sovereign Gold Bond (SGB) Scheme

Government securities denominated in grams of gold and issued by the RBI as an alternative to purchasing physical gold.

Bond Yield

The return earned by an investor from holding a bond, which moves in the opposite direction of the bond's market price.

Artemis Accords

A set of non-binding international principles guided by NASA to ensure safe and sustainable exploration of outer space.

Cell Broadcast System (CBS)

A one-to-many mobile communication technology used to transmit near real-time emergency alerts to all devices in a specific area.

The Apnoea Test

A mandatory clinical procedure to determine brain death by assessing if a patient can initiate spontaneous breathing as blood $CO_2$ levels rise.

PFBR

The Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor; a $500\,MWe$ nuclear reactor at Kalpakkam that uses liquid sodium as a coolant and $\text{Uranium–Plutonium Mixed Oxide (MOX)}$ fuel.

CAR-T Cell Therapy

Modified immune-cell therapy where T cells are genetically engineered to identify and destroy specific targets, such as cancer or HIV-infected cells.

PMOS

Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome; the revised medical terminology for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS).

Mission Drishti

The world's first OptoSAR satellite, developed by GalaxEye, integrating both optical and radar sensors on a single platform.

VB–G RAM G Act, 2025

Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission; a law replacing MGNREGA that guarantees $125\text{ days}$ of rural employment annually.

ABHAY System

An AI-powered verification helpbot launched by the CBI to combat cyber fraud and 'digital arrest' scams.

Mahendragiri

The sixth indigenous stealth frigate under the Indian Navy’s Project 17A, built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited.

Bhumkal Rebellion of 1910

A historic tribal revolt led by Shaheed Veer Gundadhur against British colonial forest policies in the Bastar region.

Hoolock Gibbon

India's only ape species, classified as Endangered, primarily found in the forests of Northeast India.

Conocarpus erectus

An invasive mangrove species native to the Americas, often used for urban landscaping but criticized for damaging infrastructure and triggering allergies.