Current Affairs Study Guide - May 2026

International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) and Global Conservation Initiatives

• Saudi Arabia's Accession: Saudi Arabia has officially joined the India-led International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) as its 26th member country. This inclusion is regarded as a significant boost to global wildlife conservation efforts.

• Alliance Leadership and Goal: The IBCA was launched by India in 2024 to centralize successful conservation practices and scientific expertise into a repository for global use.

• Membership Structure:

  • Signatory Countries: 26 nations.

  • Observer Nations: 5 nations, including Kazakhstan, Namibia, Thailand, Ecuador, and Vietnam.

  • Stakeholder Network: Includes 95 big cat range and non-range countries, scientific organizations, and corporate entities.

• Protected Species: The alliance focuses on the protection of seven major big cat species and their natural habitats:

  • Lion

  • Tiger

  • Leopard

  • Snow Leopard

  • Cheetah

  • Jaguar

  • Puma

• Key Facts and History:

  • Origin: Proposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2019.

  • Official Launch: April 2023, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of Project Tiger.

  • Legal Status: Recognized as a full-fledged treaty-based international organization on January 23, 2025.

  • Headquarters: New Delhi, India (which also hosts the Secretariat).

  • Funding: Initial "seed finance" provided by the Indian government is $\text{Rs. } 150\,crore$ for the first five years (2023–2028).

  • Summit Update: The 1st IBCA Summit, originally scheduled for June 1, 2026, in New Delhi, was postponed due to health concerns regarding the Ebola virus in African regions. A new date is pending announcement by the Ministry of Environment.

Trade and Economic Partnerships

• India and Bangladesh Trade Relations: India has overtaken the United States to become Bangladesh's second-largest trading partner.

  • Top Partners for Bangladesh:

    1. China: Ranked first; accounts for approximately $20\%$ of total trade through manufactured goods, machinery, and raw materials.

    2. India: Ranked second; holds a trade share of $8.47\%$. This growth is attributed to geographical proximity and imports of food commodities and industrial inputs.

    3. United States: Ranked third; holds an $8.46\%$ trade share.

• India's Top Trading Partners (FY 2025–26):

  1. China: Bilateral trade reached $\$151.1\,billion$, driven by a $16\%$ surge in imports.

  2. United States: Recorded $\$140.2\,billion$ in trade; remains India's largest export destination.

  3. United Arab Emirates (UAE): The third-largest partner, bolstered by petroleum and precious metal imports.

• India's Import/Export Breakdown:

  • Import Partners: 1. China, 2. Russia, 3. UAE.

  • Export Destinations: 1. United States, 2. UAE, 3. China.

Mountaineering Achievements and Global Peaks

• Mount Everest Record Breakers:

  • Kami Rita Sherpa: Known as the "Everest Man," he reached the summit for the 32nd time. Born in Nepal, his journey began in 1994, and he has climbed almost every year since, sometimes twice in a year.

  • Lhakpa Sherpa: Reached the summit for the 11th time.

• World's Highest Mountains (Elevation Above Sea Level):

  1. Mount Everest (Nepal/China): $8,849\,meters$

  2. K2 (Pakistan/China): $8,611\,meters$

  3. Kangchenjunga (Nepal/India): $8,586\,meters$

  4. Lhotse (Nepal/China): $8,516\,meters$

  5. Makalu (Nepal/China): $8,485\,meters$

• India's Highest Peaks:

  • Kangchenjunga (Sikkim): $8,586\,meters$

  • Nanda Devi (Uttarakhand): $7,816\,meters$

  • Kamet (Uttarakhand): $7,756\,meters$

  • Saltoro Kangri (Ladakh): $7,742\,meters$

  • Saser Kangri (Ladakh): $7,672\,meters$

Agriculture and Pricing Structures

• Sugarcane Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) 2026–27:

  • The FRP for the season starting October 1, 2026, is fixed at $\text{Rs. } 365\,per\,quintal$. This represents a $\text{Rs. } 10$ increase from the 2025–26 rate of $\text{Rs. } 355$.

  • Basis: A sugar recovery rate of $10.25\%$.

  • Premium: Farmers receive an extra $\text{Rs. } 3.56\,per\,quintal$ for every $0.1\%$ increase in recovery above the basis.

  • Safety Floor: The minimum guaranteed price is $\text{Rs. } 338.3\,per\,quintal$ even if recovery falls below $9.5\%$.

• Minimum Support Price (MSP):

  • Covers 22 mandated crops: 14 Kharif crops, 6 Rabi crops, and 2 commercial crops.

  • The government guarantees a return of at least $1.5$ times the all-India weighted average cost of production.

  • 2026–27 Kharif Hikes:

    • Sunflower Seed: Highest absolute hike of $\text{Rs. } 622$, bringing the total MSP to $\text{Rs. } 8,343\,per\,quintal$.

    • Cotton: Hike of $\text{Rs. } 557$.

    • Paddy (Common): Increased by $\text{Rs. } 72$ to $\text{Rs. } 2,441\,per\,quintal$.

    • Paddy (Grade A): Increased to $\text{Rs. } 2,461\,per\,quintal$.

    • Profit Margins: Moong ($61\%$), Bajra ($56\%$), Maize ($56\%$).

  • PM-AASHA Scheme: This umbrella scheme includes the Price Deficit Payment Scheme (PDPS), where the government pays farmers the difference between MSP and the market price if the latter is lower.

International Years and Diplomatic Summits

• India-Italy Collaboration: 2027 is designated as the "Year of Culture and Tourism" to deepen historical connections. Announced on May 20, 2026, by Narendra Modi and Giorgia Meloni.

• United Nations International Years:

  • 2026: Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists; Volunteers for Sustainable Development; the Woman Farmer.

  • 2027: Year of Sustainable and Resilient Tourism; Legal Literacy.

  • 2029: Year of Asteroid Awareness and Planetary Defence.

• Quad Foreign Ministers' Meeting: Scheduled for May 26, 2026, in New Delhi.

  • Host: Dr. S. Jaishankar.

  • Attendees: Marco Rubio (US), Penny Wong (Australia), Toshimitsu Motegi (Japan).

Science, Space, and Climate

• Earth's Radiational Shielding: Earth uses its magnetosphere (a magnetic bubble) to deflect solar wind. The SMILE mission (Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer) is a joint mission by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) to study this.

• Aditya-L1: India's first dedicated solar mission. It is in a halo orbit around Lagrange point 1 (L1), approximately $1.5\,million\,kilometers$ from Earth.

• Indian Heatwave Records: AQI.in data indicates 97 of the world's 100 hottest cities are in India.

  • Balangir (Odisha): $48\,^{\circ}C$

  • Sasaram (Bihar): $48\,^{\circ}C$

  • Varanasi (UP): $47\,^{\circ}C$

• Bhopal's Algae Tree: India's first solar-powered "Algae Tree" was inaugurated in Swami Vivekananda Park, Bhopal. It uses microalgae to absorb $CO_2$ and release oxygen.

• Space-Tech Unicorn: Skyroot Aerospace has become India's first space-tech unicorn with a valuation of roughly $\$1.1\,billion$.

Regional News and Governance

• Sikkim Judiciary: The first state in India to implement a fully paperless judiciary, integrating e-filing and virtual hearings. Chief Justice of India Surya Kant announced the initiative.

• Gujarat Barrier-less Tolling: Minister Nitin Gadkari launched India's first Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) barrier-less tolling system at Chorayasi Toll Plaza on the Surat-Bharuch section of NH-48.

• Tamil Nadu Marine Production: Tamil Nadu became India's top marine fish producer in 2025 with $6.85\,lakh\,tonnes$. Gujarat slipped to second place ($6.43\,lakh\,tonnes$) due to a $15\%$ production decline.

  • Total Fish Production (Inland + Marine): Andhra Pradesh led with $5\,million\,tonnes$, followed by West Bengal at $2\,million\,tonnes$.

• West Bengal Politics: Suvendu Adhikari took oath as the first BJP Chief Minister of West Bengal on May 9, 2026.

• Karnataka Leadership: D.K. Shivakumar set to take oath as Chief Minister of Karnataka following the resignation of Siddaramaiah.

• Judicial Expansion: The Union Cabinet approved increasing the Supreme Court's judge strength from 33 to 37 (total 38 including the Chief Justice).

Infrastructure and Transportation

• Railway Zones: As of May 2026, India has 18 operational administrative zones plus a dedicated zone for Kolkata Metro, totaling 19. The new South Coast Railway (SCoR) Zone with headquarters in Visakhapatnam became the 18th zone.

• Ganga Expressway: A $594\,km$ long expressway connecting Village Bijoli (Meerut) to Judapur Dandu (Prayagraj) at a cost of $\text{Rs. } 36,230\,crore$.

• Airport Traffic: Kempegowda International Airport (Bengaluru) became India's second-busiest domestic airport in April 2026, surpassing Mumbai. Indira Gandhi International (Delhi) remains first.

• Coastline Data: Canada has the world's longest coastline ($202,080\,km$). India ranks 18th globally ($11,098\,km$). Inside India, Gujarat has the longest mainland coastline ($2,340\,km$), but the Andaman & Nicobar Islands have the longest overall territory coastline ($3,083\,km$).

Banking, Finance, and RBI Circulars

• RBI Appointments: Rohit Jain assumed charge as Deputy Governor of the RBI for a three-year tenure, succeeding T Rabi Sankar. The RBI board consists of 21 members: 1 Governor, 4 Deputy Governors, 10 government-appointed directors, 4 local board directors, and 2 officials from the Finance Ministry.

• HaRBInger 2025 Hackathon:

  • Theme: "Secure Banking: Powered by Identity, Integrity, and Inclusivity."

  • Tokenized KYC Winner: EarthID (UK).

  • Offline CBDC (eRs.) Winner: A-SPARSH (Pune Institute of Computer Technology).

  • Best All-Women Team: Bank of Baroda for "NIDAAN."

  • Prizes: Problem statement winner ($\text{Rs. } 40\,lakh$), Runner-up ($\text{Rs. } 20\,lakh$).

• UPI Market Share: PhonePe became the first app to cross $10\,billion$ monthly transactions in March 2026. PhonePe and Google Pay combined hold over $80\%$ of the market. The NPCI extended the $30\%$ market volume cap deadline to December 31, 2026.

• NARCL Recovery: The National Asset Reconstruction Company Limited (the "Bad Bank") recovered $\text{Rs. } 4,364\,crore$ in FY 2025–26, approaching its $\text{Rs. } 2\,lakh\,crore$ target for stressed assets.

• Credit Card Payments: RBI introduced a 3-day grace period for credit card payments starting April 1, 2027. Late fees and credit reporting can only occur after a 3-day delay past the due date.

• RBI Gold Holdings: Total gold reserves increased to $880.52\,MT$ in March 2026. Approximately $77.23\%$ ($680.05\,MT$) is held in India; the rest is with the Bank of England and BIS.

• Non-Performing Assets (NPA): Public Sector Bank Gross NPAs hit a historic low of $1.93\%$ in FY26. Net NPAs are at $0.39\%$.

• GST Collection: April 2026 recorded a record gross collection of $\text{Rs. } 2.42\,lakh\,crore$, an $8.7\%$ year-on-year growth.

• Remittances: India topped global remittances with $\$138\,billion$ in 2024, the only nation to surpass $\$100\,billion$ annually.

• Currency Distribution Incentives: RBI pays $\text{Rs. } 2$ per packet for exchanging soiled notes ($\text{Rs. } 50$ and below) and $\text{Rs. } 65\,per\,coin\,bag$ distributed.

National Schemes and Missions

• PM MITRA Parks: Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel parks. India's first operational park was inaugurated at Warangal, Telangana (Warangal). Seven parks are planned in total (Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Gujarat, Karnataka, MP, UP, Maharashtra) with an outlay of $\text{Rs. } 4,445\,crore$.

• PM SVANidhi and Namo Stall: The Namo Stall initiative upgrades street vendor pushcarts with green energy (solar) and hygienic setups. Loans up to $\text{Rs. } 50,000$ are provided collateral-free over three tranches.

• Viksit Bharat - Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin): VB-G RAM G replaces MGNREGA starting July 1, 2026. It guarantees $125\,days$ of wage employment (up from $100$). Haryana has the highest wage at $\text{Rs. } 400\,per\,day$.

• PM Vishwakarma: Provides support to traditional artisans. Benefits include a $\text{Rs. } 15,000$ toolkit incentive, $\text{Rs. } 500\,daily$ training stipend, and collateral-free loans up to $\text{Rs. } 3\,lakh$ at a $5\%$ interest rate.

• JANANI Platform: Journey of Antenatal, Natal and Neonatal Integrated Care. Developed to monitor maternal and child healthcare digitally.

• SARTHAK-PDS: Allocated $\text{Rs. } 25,530\,crore$ to assist in ration transport and automation in the Public Distribution System (2026–2031).

Awards and Honors

• Pulitzer Prize 2026:

  • Anand RK and Suparna Sharma: Winners in Illustrated Reporting and Commentary for "trAPPed," detailing digital surveillance in India.

  • Aniruddha Ghosal: Winner in International Reporting as part of an Associated Press team.

• PM Modi's International Honors:

  • Sweden: "Royal Order of the Polar Star, Commander Grand Cross," Sweden's highest civilian honor.

  • FAO Agricola Medal: Highest honor of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, awarded for leadership in food security.

• Padma Awards 2026: Total of 131 awards (5 Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan, 113 Padma Shri).

  • Padma Vibhushan Recipients: Dharmendra Singh Deol (Posthumous), K. T. Thomas, N. Rajam, P. Narayanan, V. S. Achuthanandhan (Posthumous).

  • Padma Shri Cricket: Rohit Sharma and Harmanpreet Kaur.

• International Booker Prize 2026: Won by "Taiwan Travelogue" by Y
  ng Shu
  ng-z
  (Author) and Lin King (Translator). It is the first Mandarin Chinese novel to win.

Sports News

• IPL 2026 (19th Edition):

  • Champions: Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).

  • Runners-up: Gujarat Titans (GT).

  • Player of the Match (Final): Virat Kohli.

  • Orange Cap: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (RR) with $776\,runs$. He also hit a record $72\,sixes$.

  • Purple Cap: Kagiso Rabada (GT) with $29\,wickets$.

  • Environmental Initiative: 1 league dot ball = 19 tree saplings; 1 playoff dot ball = 500 trees.

• Thomas and Uber Cup 2026:

  • Thomas Cup (Men): Winner: China; Silver: France.

  • Uber Cup (Women): Winner: South Korea; Silver: China.

• Fastest Indian Sprinter: Gurindervir Singh clocked $10.09\,seconds$ in the $100\,meters$ final at the Federation Cup, becoming the first Indian in the sub-$10.10$ range.

• World Yogasana Championship 2026: India will host the inaugural edition in Ahmedabad from June 4 to 8, 2026. The mascot is 'Veer' the lion.

Important Days and Themes

• May 1: International Labour Day; Maharashtra Day; Gujarat Day.

• May 3: World Press Freedom Day (Theme: "Shaping a Future of Peace").

• May 4: International Firefighters' Day.

• May 8: World Red Cross Day.

• May 11: National Technology Day.

• May 12: International Nurses Day (Theme: "Our Nurses. Our Future. Empowered Nurses Save Lives").

• May 21: National Anti-Terrorism Day.

• May 22: International Day for Biological Diversity.

• May 31: World No Tobacco Day.

Questions & Discussion

• What is the Contingency Risk Buffer (CRB) level after the RBI surplus transfer decision? It is at $6.5\%$.

• Under which law was IDPIC (Indian Digital Payment Intelligence Corporation) incorporated? Companies Act, 2013.

• What is India's GDP growth projection for FY27 by the RBI? $6.9\%$.

• Which city recorded the highest suicide rate in India according to NCRB 2024 data? Bengaluru.

• How long must an account be inactive before being classified as an "Unclaimed Deposit"? 10 years.