May 01 to May 07, 2026 Current Affairs

🌍 Important Days

• International Labour Day is celebrated every year on 1 May to honour workers and their contribution to society and the economy.
• Gujarat Foundation Day marks the formation of Gujarat state in 1960 after its separation from Bombay State.
• World Tuna Day is observed on 2 May to spread awareness about sustainable tuna fishing and marine conservation.
• World Laughter Day encourages people to value happiness, positivity, and emotional well-being through laughter.

• Coal Miners Day recognises the hard work and dedication of coal miners in supporting energy production.
• World Press Freedom Day highlights the importance of free and independent journalism.
• World Asthma Day spreads awareness about asthma prevention and respiratory health.
• World Athletics Day promotes sports participation and physical fitness among youth.

🇮🇳 National & State Affairs

• The Employees Provident Fund Organisation announced the launch of the E-PRAAPTI digital platform to improve transparency and digital governance.
• The Maharashtra government approved the Maharashtra Artificial Intelligence Policy 2026 to position the state as a major AI innovation hub.
• Bengaluru Police introduced an AI-powered multilingual feature in the Namma 112 emergency helpline system.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Ganga Expressway in Uttar Pradesh.
• Karnataka launched India’s first digital grievance redressal platform for gig workers to improve accountability and worker protection.
• India deployed the Aarogya Maitri portable healthcare system in Jamaica under humanitarian assistance efforts.
• The Government of India announced the return of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra from June to August 2026.
• Tamil Nadu became India’s top marine fish-producing state, overtaking Gujarat.
• Union Minister Nitin Gadkari announced India’s first multi-lane free-flow tolling system in Gujarat.
• Sikkim became the first Indian state to achieve a completely paperless judiciary system.
• The Union Ministry of Health launched a national framework for managing childhood diabetes in the 0–18 years age group.
• Karnataka launched India’s first state-led Centre of Excellence for Space Technology in Bengaluru.
• Jyotiraditya Scindia launched the Cell Broadcast System to improve disaster communication and emergency alerts.
• Hazaribag district in Jharkhand is set to become India’s first pearl farming cluster.
• The Union Government officially created the South Coast Railway Zone with headquarters at Visakhapatnam.
• National Council of Educational Research and Training launched PRASHAST 2.0 for early disability identification among school children.
• The Union Cabinet approved an increase in the strength of Supreme Court judges from 33 to 37.
• The Government approved two new semiconductor projects worth over ₹3,936 crore under the India Semiconductor Mission.

🌐 International Affairs

• United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization added 12 new Global Geoparks, taking the total to 241 worldwide.
• The United Arab Emirates announced its exit from OPEC and OPEC+ from May 2026.
• The United States launched “Project Freedom” to protect commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz amid tensions with Iran.

💰 Banking, Finance & Economy

• The Reserve Bank of India launched Mission SAKSHAM to strengthen Urban Co-operative Banks.
• RBI introduced the Expected Credit Loss framework for banks and NBFCs from April 2027.
• Flipkart partnered with Axis Bank and PayU to introduce biometric authentication for card payments.
• India Post Payments Bank launched SHG Savings Accounts to support women in rural India.
• JPMorgan Chase downgraded Indian equities from “overweight” to “neutral”.
• The Government approved 100% Foreign Direct Investment in the insurance sector under the automatic route.
• India recorded a historic GST collection of ₹2.43 lakh crore in April 2026.
• The Union Cabinet approved ECLGS 5.0 to address liquidity challenges arising from the West Asia crisis.
• National Stock Exchange of India launched the Electronic Gold Receipts segment.
• The Asian Development Bank launched a major financing initiative for energy and digital infrastructure in Asia-Pacific.

🏆 Awards & Honours

• Indian conservationist Parveen Shaikh received the 2026 Whitley Award for protecting the endangered Indian Skimmer bird.
• Journalists R. K. Anand and Suparna Sharma won the Pulitzer Prize 2026 for illustrated reporting and commentary.

🧑‍💼 Appointments & Resignations

• Parminder Singh became CEO of Reliance Enterprise Intelligence Limited.
• Filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker was appointed Festival Director of the 57th International Film Festival of India.
• Rohit Jain was appointed Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India.
• Lyricist and writer Prasoon Joshi became Chairman of Prasar Bharati.
• Shashi Shekhar Vempati was appointed Chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification.

🤝 MoUs & Agreements

• UNESCO partnered with the Government of Sikkim to document the Ru-Soam cane bridge engineering tradition of the Lepcha community.
• The Ministry of Jal Shakti signed reform-linked agreements with Uttarakhand, Karnataka, and Tripura under Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0.

📊 Rankings & Reports

• India ranked 157th out of 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index 2026 released by Reporters Without Borders.

🚀 Science & Technology

• Ashwini Vaishnaw laid the foundation stone for the Google Cloud India AI Hub in Visakhapatnam.
• Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy flagged off Vikram-1, India’s first privately developed orbital rocket by Skyroot Aerospace.
• India successfully tested a Long-Range Hypersonic Anti-Ship Missile developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation.
• SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket from California.
• The Indian Council of Medical Research developed a Priority Pathogen List for syndromic surveillance.

🛡 Defence News

• Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited signed a defence technology transfer agreement with DRDO.
• Mahendragiri, the sixth Nilgiri-class warship, was delivered to the Indian Navy in Mumbai.
• The Indian Army departed for Exercise CINBAX-II with Cambodia.
• DRDO and the Indian Navy successfully tested the Naval Anti-Ship Missile–Short Range system.
• President Droupadi Murmu visited the Army Training Command headquarters in Shimla.
• Indigenous defence systems “KAL” and “JWALA” were unveiled during the North Tech Symposium in Prayagraj.

📱 Apps & Portals

• The Mizoram government launched the “Khuarel” mobile app for real-time disaster reporting and management.
• The Swasth Bharat Portal was introduced to support India’s digital healthcare transformation.

🏏 Sports

• India won a bronze medal in the Thomas Cup 2026 after losing to France in the semifinals.
• Thomas and Uber Cup Finals were held in Horsens.

🕊 Obituaries

• Veteran hockey player Gurbax Singh Grewal passed away at the age of 84.
• Former golfer Vijay Kumar passed away in Lucknow.
• Motorsport legend Alex Zanardi passed away at the age of 59 in Italy.