Compass · Mains · Current Affairs
Current affairs for Mains
Core arguments, dimensional angles, and value-adds for essay and GS answer writing — anchored to the Mains node taxonomy.
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Challenges Surrounding Google's Hyperscale Data Centre in Visakhapatnam
Google's proposed hyperscale data centre in Visakhapatnam highlights critical infrastructural and environmental challenges for India's digital expansion. While hyperscale hubs are essential for processing massive data volumes and supporting artificial intelligence workloads, they demand unprecedented amounts of electricity and freshwater for cooling systems. India's current grid infrastructure, heavily reliant on fossil fuels, faces strain in accommodating such energy-intensive facilities without compromising climate goals. Additionally, local resource competition, particularly concerning water scarcity in coastal regions like Vizag, necessitates stringent regulatory frameworks before scaling such digital infrastructure.
Provisional Accounts of the Union Government for Financial Year 2025-2026
The Controller General of Accounts (CGA) has released the provisional and unaudited accounts of the Union Government for the financial year 2025-2026. These accounts provide a comprehensive overview of the government's fiscal performance, detailing actual receipts, expenditure, and the resulting fiscal deficit against the Revised Estimates (RE) of the Union Budget. The data highlights trends in tax revenue collections, non-tax revenues, and capital expenditure, serving as a crucial indicator of macroeconomic stability and the government's adherence to fiscal consolidation targets under the FRBM Act.
PM Modi Holds Bilateral Talks with Myanmar President U Min Aung Hlaing
Prime Minister Narendra Modi held comprehensive bilateral talks with Myanmar's President U Min Aung Hlaing, focusing on deepening cooperation across security, trade, and regional connectivity. The leaders emphasized the critical need for a stable and peaceful border, addressing transnational crimes, and expediting delayed infrastructure projects like the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project and the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway. The high-level meeting underscored India's commitment to its 'Neighborhood First' and 'Act East' policies, highlighting Myanmar's indispensable strategic role as India's primary land gateway to Southeast Asia and the broader Indo-Pacific region.
J&K High Court Rules President and Governor Can Terminate Government Employees Without Inquiry for State Security
The Jammu and Kashmir High Court has ruled that the President or Governor holds the constitutional authority to terminate government employees without conducting a prior inquiry if it is deemed necessary for the security of the state. This ruling interprets the exceptions provided under Article 311(2)(c) of the Indian Constitution, which bypasses the standard requirement of a departmental inquiry before dismissal. The court emphasized that the subjective satisfaction of the highest executive authority regarding national security concerns overrides the procedural safeguards typically afforded to civil servants.
Breakaway Faction of Banned Jamaat Supports J&K L-G's Anti-Drug Campaign in Kulgam
A breakaway faction of the banned Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) publicly supported Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha’s anti-drug campaign in Kulgam district. The L-G emphasized that choking drug smuggling networks directly weakens anti-national elements seeking to destabilize the region and fund terrorism. This development marks a significant shift, as former members of a banned socio-religious organization are aligning with state-led initiatives to combat narco-terrorism, reflecting changing grassroots dynamics and a collective push against the weaponization of narcotics in the Kashmir Valley.
India-Myanmar Joint Statement During the State Visit of the President of Myanmar
India and Myanmar issued a comprehensive joint statement during the State Visit of the Myanmar President to India, emphasizing the strengthening of bilateral ties under India's 'Neighborhood First' and 'Act East' policies. Key highlights include enhanced cooperation in border security, connectivity projects like the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project and the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway, and capacity building. Both nations reiterated their commitment to combating cross-border terrorism and insurgent groups. The visit also saw the signing of multiple MoUs focusing on digital public infrastructure, energy cooperation, and cultural exchange, reinforcing Myanmar's strategic importance to India's regional geopolitical framework.
Union Minister Defends Environmental Clearances for Great Nicobar Project
Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav has defended the environmental and forest clearances granted to the ₹72,000-crore Great Nicobar Island mega project, rejecting allegations of regulatory bypass raised by former minister Jairam Ramesh. The project, spearheaded by the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Integrated Development Corporation (ANIIDCO), includes an international transshipment terminal, an international airport, a power plant, and a township. Yadav asserted that the clearances strictly adhered to the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification, 2006, and the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, emphasizing strategic and economic imperatives alongside mandated ecological safeguards and compensatory afforestation measures.
The Persecution of Consent: Judicial Sensitivity and the POCSO Act
The strict application of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, which sets the age of consent at 18, has increasingly led to the criminalization of consensual adolescent relationships. Because the law does not distinguish between coercive sexual exploitation and consensual teenage romance, young boys often face severe mandatory minimum sentences, while minor girls endure institutional trauma and social stigma. Legal experts and various High Courts have emphasized the urgent need for legislative amendments or guided judicial discretion to handle such cases with sensitivity, ensuring that the protective intent of the law does not inadvertently upend young lives.
Launch of AI-Enabled Voice Chatbot 'Samadhan Didi' for CPGRAMS
Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Dr. Jitendra Singh, launched 'Samadhan Didi', an AI-enabled voice chatbot integrated with the Centralized Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS). The initiative aims to democratize the public grievance redressal mechanism in India by allowing citizens to lodge complaints using voice commands in multiple languages. This technological intervention bridges the digital divide, ensuring accessibility for rural and non-tech-savvy populations, and enhances the efficiency, transparency, and responsiveness of the government's grievance redressal framework.
PM SVANidhi: Advancing Financial Inclusion for Street Vendors
The PM Street Vendor's AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) scheme has significantly advanced financial inclusion for urban micro-entrepreneurs by providing collateral-free working capital loans. Launched by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), the scheme facilitates initial loans of ₹10,000, with enhanced tranches of ₹20,000 and ₹50,000 upon timely repayment. It incentivizes digital transactions through cashback and builds credit profiles for street vendors, integrating them into the formal financial system. The initiative also encompasses the 'SVANidhi se Samriddhi' program, linking vendors' families to broader socio-economic welfare schemes, thereby ensuring holistic development and economic resilience.
Government, Industry, and Academia Collaborate to Strengthen India's Water Research and Innovation Ecosystem
The Government of India, in collaboration with industry leaders and academic institutions, has launched a unified platform to bolster the nation's water research and innovation ecosystem. This tripartite synergy aims to address pressing water scarcity, quality, and management challenges through indigenous technological solutions and data-driven policy-making. By pooling resources, expertise, and infrastructure, the initiative seeks to accelerate the lab-to-market transition of water technologies, promote sustainable water usage in industrial sectors, and align academic research with national water security goals under the Jal Jeevan Mission and AMRUT schemes.
Non-Communicable Diseases Now Cause 66% of Deaths in India — NCD Policy Response Analysis
Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) — cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic respiratory disease, and diabetes — now account for approximately 66% of all deaths in India, up from 37% in 1990, according to WHO and ICMR data synthesised in recent UPSC-relevant health analysis. India carries the world's largest absolute burden of diabetes (approx. 101 million cases) and the second-largest burden of cardiovascular deaths. The National Programme for Prevention and Control of NCDs (NP-NCD), operating under Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs), is the primary delivery mechanism, but coverage gaps, workforce constraints, and health behaviour factors continue to drive avoidable NCD mortality.
National Health Accounts FY2022-23: Government Health Expenditure Triples, OOPE Declines to 39.4%
The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare released the 10th edition of National Health Accounts (NHA) Estimates for FY 2022-23, prepared by the National Health Accounts Technical Secretariat (NHATS) under the NHSRC. Government Health Expenditure (GHE) has tripled from ₹1.30 lakh crore in 2013-14 to ₹3.85 lakh crore in 2022-23, with GHE as a share of GDP rising from 1.15% to 1.43%. Out-of-Pocket Expenditure (OOPE) as a share of Total Health Expenditure (THE) declined from 64.2% in 2013-14 to 39.4% in 2022-23. Despite progress, India remains below the National Health Policy 2017 target of 2.5% of GDP in government health spending.
Siddaramaiah Resigns as Karnataka Chief Minister — D.K. Shivakumar Set to Succeed
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah submitted his resignation on May 28, 2026, following directions from the Congress high command, completing three years of a power-sharing arrangement with Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar. Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot formally accepted the resignation on May 29, 2026, under Article 164(1) of the Constitution, dissolving the Council of Ministers. Siddaramaiah declined an offered Rajya Sabha seat and will continue as Caretaker CM until Shivakumar is sworn in. The transition ends a three-year leadership tussle that was a defining feature of Congress's 2023 Karnataka victory — during which both leaders had been summoned to Delhi for back-to-back meetings with Rahul Gandhi and AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge.
Vizhinjam International Seaport — Commissioning and India's Transhipment Ambition
Vizhinjam International Seaport in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, began commercial operations in July 2024 after over a decade of delays, becoming India's first dedicated transhipment port. Developed on a public-private partnership model by the Kerala government and Adani Ports, Vizhinjam's natural depth of 18–20 metres accommodates ultra-large container vessels (ULCVs) without dredging. Located just 10 nautical miles from the main east-west shipping lane and near the southern tip of India, it directly competes with Colombo (Sri Lanka) and Singapore as a transhipment hub for Indian cargo — currently 75% of India's transhipment trade is handled at foreign ports.
Supreme Court Judgment on Sub-Classification of Scheduled Castes for Reservation Priorities
The Supreme Court constitution bench has affirmed the constitutional validity of state governments sub-classifying Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) to ensure equitable distribution of reservation benefits. Overruling the 2004 EV Chinnaiah judgment, the Court established that SCs do not constitute a homogenous macro-class under Article 341. States can mathematically identify the most marginalized sub-groups within the Presidential list and allocate priority quotas without altering the original list itself. This landmark ruling directly impacts sub-quota legislation in states like Punjab and Tamil Nadu, triggering a nationwide administrative recalibration of affirmative action rosters to target ultra-marginalized communities.
Supreme Court Strikes Down Electoral Bonds Scheme — SBI Disclosure Ordered
A five-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court unanimously struck down the Electoral Bonds Scheme, 2018, as unconstitutional in February 2024, holding that anonymous political funding violates the voters' right to information under Article 19(1)(a). The Court ordered the State Bank of India to submit all bond purchase and encashment data to the Election Commission of India for public disclosure. The judgment is the most significant electoral reform ruling since the 2013 PUCL judgment that decriminalised note-NOTA and the 2003 ADR judgment mandating candidate disclosure.
RBI MPC Holds Repo Rate at 6.25% — Pivot Signals in Policy Commentary
The Reserve Bank of India's Monetary Policy Committee held the repo rate unchanged at 6.25% in its April 2026 meeting, marking the second consecutive hold after a 25 basis point cut in February 2026 that broke a five-year rate-hold cycle. The MPC shifted its policy stance from 'withdrawal of accommodation' to 'neutral', signalling readiness to cut further if inflation sustains below the 4% target. Retail inflation (CPI) had eased to 3.6% in March 2026, led by a sharp fall in food prices, while GDP growth held at 6.8% for FY26.
PM POSHAN Scheme Revamp — Mid-Day Meal Nutrition Norms and Fortification Mandate
The Ministry of Education revised the nutritional norms under PM POSHAN Shakti Nirman (formerly Mid-Day Meal Scheme) in March 2026, mandating 100% fortified rice in all school meals from Class 1 to Class 8, increasing caloric requirements for primary school children by 15%, and introducing a weekly egg or milk provision in 11 aspirational district states. The scheme covers approximately 11.8 crore children across 11.4 lakh government and government-aided schools. PM POSHAN was renamed and restructured from the Mid-Day Meal Scheme under the National Education Policy 2020 framework.
PM-JANMAN — Implementation Progress for Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups
Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM-JANMAN), launched in November 2023 with a ₹24,000 crore outlay over three years, is India's first targeted programme exclusively for the 75 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) — the most marginalised among India's tribal communities. The scheme converges nine central ministries to deliver housing, road connectivity, mobile medical units, Anganwadi centres, and clean drinking water to PVTG habitations across 18 states and one Union Territory. As of November 2024, 1.2 lakh PVTG households had been allocated housing under PMAY-G and 860 km of roads had been constructed or sanctioned.
ISRO Launches NVS-02 — NavIC Constellation Updated with L1 Band Capability
ISRO successfully launched NVS-02, the second satellite in the NavIC Next Generation (NVS) series, aboard GSLV-F15 on 29 January 2025. NVS-02 adds the L1 frequency band (1575.42 MHz) to NavIC's existing L5 and S band signals, making the system compatible with civilian GPS receivers and smartwatch chipsets without hardware modification. The NVS series replaces the original IRNSS (Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System) constellation, with improved atomic clocks and extended design life of 12 years. NavIC provides positioning accuracy of better than 20 metres over India and extends 1,500 km beyond its borders.
IPCC AR6 Synthesis Report — The 1.5°C Threshold, India's Exposure, and Adaptation Gaps
The IPCC Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) Synthesis, released in March 2023, concluded that global surface temperature has already risen 1.1°C above 1850–1900 levels and that limiting warming to 1.5°C requires net-zero CO2 emissions globally by 2050. The report found that even at 1.5°C, South Asia faces increased heat wave frequency, disrupted monsoon patterns, sea level rise threatening 40 million coastal Indians, and significant crop yield losses. The report identified a widening adaptation finance gap — developing countries need $127–300 billion annually by 2030 but are receiving less than $50 billion.
India-UAE CEPA — First-Year Trade Review and Strategic Significance
The India-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which came into force on 1 May 2022, became India's fastest-negotiated free trade agreement — completing in 88 days. In its first full year, bilateral trade grew 16% to reach $85 billion, making the UAE India's third-largest trading partner and second-largest export destination. The agreement covers 97% of India's exports to the UAE with zero or reduced tariffs, includes digital trade provisions, and provides a services chapter covering 11 sectors. India's key exports — gems and jewellery, engineering goods, and pharmaceuticals — saw the highest growth.
India Heatwave 2026 — IMD Early Warning System and Heat Action Plans
India experienced one of its most severe pre-monsoon heat waves in May 2026, with temperatures exceeding 47°C across Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh — 4–6°C above normal for the period. The India Meteorological Department issued red alerts across 8 states using its colour-coded Heat Wave Warning System, while the National Disaster Management Authority activated State Heat Action Plans in 15 states. The 2026 event follows a pattern of intensifying and earlier-onset heat waves since 2015, consistent with IPCC projections of increased extreme heat frequency under a 1.5°C warming scenario.
WTO Peace Clause and India's Food Security Programme
The WTO Peace Clause, agreed at the 2013 Bali Ministerial Conference, is an interim arrangement that protects developing nations from trade disputes when their food-security stockholding programmes exceed the de minimis subsidy limit of 10% of production value set under the Agreement on Agriculture. India's MSP-based procurement programme for rice and wheat regularly breaches this ceiling. The clause has been renewed at successive Ministerials but a permanent solution remains unresolved, leaving India's food security programme technically vulnerable to WTO challenge.
Supreme Court Upholds 28% GST on Online Money Gaming — ₹1.12 Lakh Crore Tax Liability Confirmed
On May 27, 2026, a Supreme Court bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan upheld the constitutional validity of levying 28% GST on online money gaming, fantasy sports, and casino transactions in DGGI v. Gameskraft Technologies and related petitions. The court held that staking money on an uncertain outcome constitutes 'betting and gambling' under the CGST Act regardless of skill involved, and that the entire bet value — not just the platform fee — is taxable. The ruling overturns the Karnataka High Court's 2023 order that had quashed a ₹21,000 crore GST notice against Gameskraft. Across 71 companies, cumulative retrospective tax demands exceed ₹1.12 lakh crore.
Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act 2025 Comes into Force — Real-Money Gaming Banned in India
The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming (PROG) Act 2025, passed by Parliament in August 2025, came into force in May 2026, effectively banning real-money gaming platforms operating in India. The Act cited national security concerns — digital wallets and cryptocurrencies used for money laundering, and offshore platforms serving as communication channels for terror organisations. Platforms including Dream11, Gameskraft, and Games24x7, which had more than 600 million users collectively, have shut down or pivoted to non-money-gaming models. The Act's commencement coincides with the Supreme Court's May 27, 2026 ruling upholding ₹1.12 lakh crore in retrospective GST demands, creating a situation where an industry has been simultaneously banned and billed.
India's Total Fertility Rate Drops to 1.9 — SRS Statistical Report 2024
The Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner released the Sample Registration System (SRS) Statistical Report 2024 on May 20, 2026, confirming India's Total Fertility Rate (TFR) has declined to 1.9 — below the replacement threshold of 2.1 for the second consecutive year. All states except Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, and Jharkhand have fallen below replacement level. The Crude Birth Rate stands at 18.3 per 1,000, the Infant Mortality Rate at 24 per 1,000 live births, and 95.4% of deliveries are now institutional. The north–south fertility divergence has sharpened, with Delhi at 1.2 and Bihar at 2.9.
COP31 President-Designate Calls for Global Economy-Wide Electrification at Copenhagen Ministerial
At the Copenhagen Climate Ministers' Meeting on May 20, 2026, COP31 President-Designate Murat Kurum — Turkey's Environment Minister — called for rapid economy-wide electrification across transport, buildings, and industry as the central pillar of the November 2026 COP31 agenda in Antalya. The call was driven by the geopolitical energy crisis following the US-Israel-Iran conflict (since February 2026), which reinforced fossil fuel vulnerability. COP31 will be co-led by Turkey as host and Australia as President of Negotiations — a Troika structure linking COP29 (Azerbaijan), COP30 (Brazil), and COP31. COP30 in Belém (November 2025) had mobilised USD 1.3 trillion annually by 2035 for climate action but notably failed to produce a fossil fuel phase-out commitment.
India and Vietnam Elevate Ties to Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership
During Vietnamese President To Lam's state visit to India on May 5–7, 2026, India and Vietnam elevated their bilateral relationship from a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (established 2016) to an Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, with the framework described as 'shared vision, strategic convergence, substantive cooperation.' The two leaders signed 13 MoUs covering critical minerals, digital payments (NPCI International-NAPAS cross-border QR interoperability), defence, healthcare, and rare earth cooperation. Bilateral trade, currently around USD 16 billion, was targeted at USD 25 billion by 2030. Vietnam also joined India's Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI). The upgrade marks the 10th anniversary of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
Supreme Court Holds Safe Travel on National Highways a Fundamental Right Under Article 21
In a suo motu case titled In Re: Phalodi Accident vs. NHAI and Others, the Supreme Court held that safe travel on National Highways is an enforceable component of the right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution. Acting on two November 2025 accidents that killed 34 people, a bench of Justices J.K. Maheshwari and A.S. Chandurkar invoked Article 142 to issue binding nationwide directives to NHAI, MoRTH, and all State governments. The judgment imposes a positive obligation on the State — not merely a negative restraint — to maintain safe highway conditions, marking a significant expansion of Article 21's jurisprudential scope.
RBI MPC Holds Repo Rate at 5.25% — First Policy Decision of FY 2026-27
The Reserve Bank of India's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), chaired by Governor Sanjay Malhotra, held the benchmark repo rate unchanged at 5.25% in its April 2026 meeting — the first policy decision of FY 2026-27 — maintaining a neutral stance. The hold follows a cumulative 125 basis point reduction since February 2025. Analysts cited the West Asia conflict's upward pressure on commodity prices and India's weakening rupee as the primary reasons for caution. The RBI signalled a 'wait-and-watch' approach, with the next meeting scheduled for June 2026.