Current Affairs Quiz — May 7, 2026

Operation Sindoor was launched in the early hours of May 7, 2025 (night of May 6–7), in direct retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack of April 22, 2025, which killed 26 civilians — mostly male Hindu tourists in the Baisaran meadow area of Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir. The 15-day gap between the attack and the military response was used for intelligence confirmation and mission planning.
The operation struck nine terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK), eliminating at least 100 terrorists. JeM headquarters at Bahawalpur and LeT’s main base at Muridke (both in Punjab province, Pakistan) were among the targets.
The conflict lasted 4 days (May 7–10, 2025). Uri (2016) triggered Surgical Strikes; Pulwama (2019) triggered Balakot air strikes — each represented an escalation in India’s cross-border counter-terrorism doctrine.

India-Vietnam relations have evolved through several tiers: Diplomatic relations (1972) → Strategic Partnership (2007) → Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (2016) → Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (2026). The 2026 upgrade during Vietnamese President To Lam’s state visit to India is a logical progression, NOT a leap from a lower tier.
India also has “Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership” with the USA and Russia. The new trade target set is USD 25 billion by 2030 (from ~USD 16 billion).
Vietnam’s significance: it is in advanced negotiations to purchase BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles (~USD 700M deal) — note that the Philippines is India’s first BrahMos export customer (deliveries 2022), not Vietnam — and Vietnam shares India’s concerns about Chinese assertiveness in the South China Sea, making it a key partner for India’s Act East Policy and Indo-Pacific strategy. The BrahMos sale was significant but not the sole trigger for the 2026 upgrade — the overall strategic convergence drove it.

ECLGS 5.0 (approved May 5, 2026) provides 100% government guarantee for both MSMEs and airlines — removing all default risk for lenders. Airlines have a cap of ₹1,500 crore per borrower.
This full guarantee structure is what makes banks willing to lend to these stressed sectors without collateral. The corpus is ₹18,100 crore, enabling ₹2.55 lakh crore additional credit.
Airlines earmark: ₹5,000 crore. Loan terms differ: MSMEs — 5-year loan with 1-year moratorium on principal repayment; Airlines — 7-year loan with 2-year moratorium.
ECLGS was first launched in May 2020 during COVID-19 as part of the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan economic package. The administering body is the National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company (NCGTC), set up by the Dept. of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance.
The West Asia conflict (2025–26) triggered ECLGS 5.0 — it raised crude oil prices, disrupted Red Sea shipping, and reduced air traffic on Gulf routes.

The International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA), founded in 2023 and headquartered in India, covers exactly seven big cat species: (1) Tiger — India’s national animal; India holds ~75% of world wild tigers; Project Tiger 1973; (2) Lion — Asiatic Lion only in Gir Forest, Gujarat; (3) Leopard — most widespread; ~13,000 in India; (4) Snow Leopard — Himalayan states (J&K, HP, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh); (5) Cheetah — reintroduced to Kuno NP, MP from Namibia (2022) and South Africa; (6) Jaguar — range: Americas only (Central + South America); not in India; (7) Puma (also called Cougar or Mountain Lion) — range: Americas only; not in India. India has direct conservation interest in the first five; Jaguar and Puma are included to make IBCA truly global (95 range countries).
The Clouded Leopard and Ocelot are NOT included in IBCA’s seven. IBCA was launched by PM Modi on April 9, 2023 — the 50th anniversary of Project Tiger (1973).
First IBCA Summit: June 1–2, 2026, New Delhi.

Under the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, all three national symbols carry the SAME maximum punishment of 3 years imprisonment (or fine, or both): (1) National Flag (Tricolour) — insult/disrespect = up to 3 years; (2) National Anthem (“Jana Gana Mana”) — insult/obstruction = up to 3 years; (3) National Song (“Vande Mataram”) — insult/obstruction = up to 3 years (newly added by 2026 amendment). The 2026 amendment maintains parity across all three national symbols.
Vande Mataram facts: Composed by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee (1882); published in the novel Anandamath; first sung at the 1896 Indian National Congress session in Calcutta (by Rabindranath Tagore’s troupe); adopted as National Song on January 24, 1950. Distinction: National Anthem (Jana Gana Mana) is mentioned in the Constituent Assembly debates; National Song is not mentioned in the Constitution itself but was given equal status by resolution.
Article 51A(a): Fundamental Duty to abide by and respect national symbols.

The Supreme Court ruling applies retrospectively from October 19, 2016 — the date the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016 received Presidential assent and came into force. The logic: the RPwD Act should have always covered internal acid injury survivors, so the Court is clarifying/correcting the interpretation from the Act’s very commencement, not creating a new right from 2026.
Impact: Any acid attack survivor who ingested acid and suffered internal injuries after October 19, 2016 (even those who did not previously qualify) can now apply for disability certification under the Act. The RPwD Act 2016 replaced the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995.
Key features of RPwD 2016: 21 specified disabilities (expanded from 7 in 1995); Schedule I lists “acid attack victim” as a specified disability; enables disability certificate (basis for reservations, benefits); implements India’s obligations under UNCRPD (UN Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities, 2006; ratified by India 2007). The ruling also emphasised stricter enforcement of acid sale regulations and called for harsher deterrence.

Under Section 45ZA of the RBI Act, 1934 (inserted by the Finance Act 2016), the CENTRAL GOVERNMENT is legally empowered to determine the inflation target in consultation with the RBI — NOT the MPC, and NOT the RBI unilaterally. The MPC’s role is to SET THE POLICY RATE (repo rate) to ACHIEVE the target, not to determine what the target should be.
This is a critical constitutional/legal distinction. Current target: 4% CPI-Combined (headline) with ±2% tolerance band (2%–6%).
The target is reviewed every 5 years (or triggered if inflation remains outside the band for 3 consecutive quarters — the “failure” clause). The MPC has 6 members: RBI Governor (chairs), 1 RBI DG (monetary policy), 1 RBI Board nominee, and 3 Government nominees (4-year term, non-renewable).
Decisions by majority; Governor has casting vote in case of tie. 2022–23: MPC failed the target (avg CPI ~6.7%) — RBI sent a report to Parliament explaining the failure, as required under Section 45ZN of the RBI Act.

The Vadinar Ship Repair Facility (approved by CCEA in May 2026 at a cost of ₹1,570 crore) is being jointly developed by: (1) Deendayal Port Authority (DPA) — previously known as Kandla Port Trust; located in Gujarat (India’s largest port by cargo volume); and (2) Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) — India’s largest shipbuilding facility, located in Kochi (Cochin), Kerala; a public sector company under Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways. Vadinar is located near Kandla/Deendayal Port in Gujarat.
The facility will have a 650-metre jetty and two large floating dry docks, capable of repairing vessels up to 300 metres (currently India can only handle up to 230 metres). This addresses India’s gap in large-vessel ship repair, which currently forces Indian shipowners to send large vessels to Singapore, Dubai, or China for repair — losing significant revenue.
Employment: ~290 direct, ~1,100 indirect jobs. MDSL is the Mumbai-based naval shipbuilder (Project 17A frigates); GRSE is the Kolkata shipbuilder — neither is involved in Vadinar.

The DPIIT (Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade) revised framework for FDI from land-border countries mandates a processing timeline of 60 days — a significant improvement from the previously undefined timelines that caused investor uncertainty. Land-border countries requiring prior government approval for FDI (per Press Note 3 of 2020): China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Afghanistan.
The 40 sub-sectors across 6 main segments expedited include: capital goods manufacturing, electronic capital goods, advanced battery components, polysilicon and wafers (solar supply chain), rare earth processing, rare earth permanent magnets. Each ministry must establish a dedicated FDI Cell with a nodal officer of minimum Joint Secretary rank.
DPIIT Secretary will hold review meetings every 4–6 weeks. This follows Press Note 2 (2026 series) which eased the threshold for automatic route (≤10% Chinese/HK shareholding + no control).
The 60-day timeline is mandatory — missing it triggers escalation protocols.

The Balakot air strikes of February 26, 2019 (following the Pulwama attack of February 14, 2019 which killed 40 CRPF personnel) were India’s FIRST ACKNOWLEDGED air strikes inside undisputed Pakistani territory since 1971. India officially confirmed the strikes on a JeM (Jaish-e-Mohammed) training camp in Balakot, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan — this was not in PoK but in Pakistan proper, unlike the 2016 surgical strikes.
The 2016 surgical strikes (post-Uri) were across the Line of Control (LoC) into Pakistan-administered PoK — India acknowledged them but Pakistan denied they occurred. Operation Sindoor (2025) represents the next escalation: multiple targets, deeper inside Pakistan (Bahawalpur and Muridke are far from the LoC in Punjab province), and lasting 4 days.
Operation Parakram (2001-02) was a military mobilisation but no actual strikes occurred. This escalation ladder is important for UPSC: restraint (pre-2016) → surgical strikes (2016) → air strikes Balakot (2019) → precision multi-target operation (2025).

India recorded 1,70,746 suicides in 2024 — a SLIGHT DECREASE from 1,71,418 in 2023, per NCRB’s Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India (ADSI) 2024 report. While the decrease is marginal and not cause for celebration, it is a reversal of the increasing trend seen in previous years.
NCRB = National Crime Records Bureau (under Ministry of Home Affairs); publishes ADSI annually. Key additional data from the same report: missing children cases increased 7.8% from 91,296 to 98,375 (girls: 75,603; boys: 22,768; transgender: 4).
Context for UPSC: India’s suicide rate remains a public health concern; major reasons include financial distress, mental health issues, family problems, illness. Farmers’ suicides remain a tracked category.
States with highest total suicides: Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, MP, West Bengal, Telangana. Suicide as a public health issue: India accounts for ~17% of global suicides despite having ~18% of world population — rates roughly proportional.
National Mental Health Programme (NMHP) and Vandrevala Foundation helpline (iCall, Vandrevala) are government/civil society responses.

Central Prabhari Officers (CPOs) are senior central government officers (typically at the level of Joint Secretary or above from various ministries) who are assigned to specific Aspirational Districts or Aspirational Blocks to: (1) Conduct field visits; (2) Identify bottlenecks in service delivery; (3) Facilitate coordination between central schemes and state/district implementation; (4) Provide guidance and problem-solving support to district collectors; (5) Report observations directly to NITI Aayog. The CPO Portal (launched by NITI Aayog CEO Nidhi Chhibber) allows CPOs to upload field observations via mobile devices in real-time for immediate administrative action.
Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP): launched 2018 by PM Modi; covers 112 districts (poorest in India across states); measured on 49 key performance indicators (KPIs) across 5 sectors (health, education, financial inclusion, agriculture, basic infrastructure). Aspirational Blocks Programme (ABP): covers 500 blocks in 329 districts (launched later, similar model).
Champion of Change award given to best-performing aspirational districts.

The Reserve Bank of India has a maximum of 4 Deputy Governors as per the RBI Act, 1934. The four Deputy Governors typically oversee different functional areas: (1) Monetary Policy (traditionally a career RBI official; also serves on MPC); (2) Banking Regulation and Supervision (typically a career RBI official); (3) Currency Management, RBI Internal Administration, Financial Inclusion (varies); (4) One post is typically held by a specialist (economist, finance expert) — often government/external nominee.
Rohit Jain was appointed as DG from May 3, 2026, succeeding T. Rabi Sankar (who oversaw fintech regulation and digital payments). As a former Executive Director at RBI, Jain was an internal appointment.
The RBI Governor has been Sanjay Malhotra (appointed December 2023, succeeding Shaktikanta Das). MPC external members (3 government nominees) are NOT Deputy Governors — they are separate appointments.
Section 8 of RBI Act governs the Central Board of Directors; Deputy Governors are appointed by the Central Government (not the RBI Central Board).

Vande Mataram was composed by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee (also spelled Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay) in 1882 and published as part of the Bengali novel Anandamath (1882). The novel is set against the backdrop of the Sannyasi Rebellion (1770s) against British rule and depicts Hindu ascetic warriors (Sannyasis) fighting the British East India Company.
Vande Mataram appears as a patriotic song in the novel and became deeply associated with the Indian independence movement. First sung at a national platform: 1896 Indian National Congress session in Calcutta (by Rabindranath Tagore’s troupe).
Adopted as National Song: January 24, 1950 (same day as National Anthem). Bankim Chandra Chatterjee (1838–1894) is considered the father of the Bengali novel and a major figure of the Bengal Renaissance.
Other major works: Durgesh Nandini (1865, first major Bengali novel), Rajsimha, Krishnakanter Will, Kapalkundala. Durgesh Nandini, Rajsimha, and Krishnakanter Will are all Bankim Chandra works — but Vande Mataram is from Anandamath specifically.

India’s National Quantum Mission (NQM) was approved by the Cabinet in April 2023 with an outlay of ₹6,003 crore (approximately USD 750 million) for 8 years (2023–2031). Note that ₹10,372 crore is the IndiaAI Mission (not Quantum), and ₹18,100 crore is the ECLGS 5.0 corpus (not Quantum).
The National Quantum Mission aims to: (1) Develop intermediate-scale quantum computers (50–100 qubits in 3 years; 50–1,000 qubits in 8 years); (2) Satellite-based quantum communication over 2,000 km within India and 7,000 km globally; (3) Quantum sensing and metrology; (4) Quantum materials and devices. Nodal ministry: Department of Science and Technology (DST).
Mission Secretariat: Bengaluru. India-Japan MoC signed in May 2026: AMED (Japan Agency for Medical Research) + ICMR + DST (India) on medical devices; Letter of Intent: Japan Cabinet Office ↔ India DST on Quantum Science and Technology.
The Japan LoI specifically links to NQM as India’s framework for international quantum collaboration.

The newly discovered inscription is from Sri Bugga Ramalingeswara Swamy Temple in Tadipatri, Anantapur district, Andhra Pradesh, written in Telugu script. The inscription is dated to approximately 1574 CE or 1634 CE (the cyclic year “Bhava” appears in both these years — without an absolute year stated, both are possible).
It records an act of devotion by Basavappa, son of Satram Cheruvupalli Kalayya, on the occasion of Chaitra Bahula Dwadashi. Tadipatri is known for its outstanding examples of Vijayanagara-era temple architecture — particularly the Chintala Venkataramana Swamy Temple and Bugga Ramalingeswara Temple — representing the mature Vijayanagara architectural style (fusion of Dravida and northern elements).
The Vijayanagara Empire (1336–1646 CE) was one of the greatest Hindu kingdoms of South India, with its capital at Hampi (now a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka). Telugu was the court language of Vijayanagara alongside Kannada; inscriptions from this period are often in Telugu or Kannada or Sanskrit, sometimes mixed.

CARICOM stands for Caribbean Community and Common Market, established by the Treaty of Chaguaramas on July 4, 1973 in Trinidad and Tobago. CARICOM currently has 15 full member states and 5 associate members.
Jamaica is one of the founding members. CARICOM’s goals: single market and economy (CSME — CARICOM Single Market and Economy), foreign policy coordination, functional cooperation in health, education, disaster management.
India’s engagement with CARICOM: limited historically but expanding — India has a significant Indian-origin diaspora in the Caribbean (especially Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname — descendants of indentured labourers brought under the colonial “coolie” system 1838–1917). EAM Jaishankar’s Jamaica visit (May 2–4, 2026) was historic as the first bilateral visit — a signal of India’s expanding diplomatic footprint under the “Neighbourhood First” and “Global South” strategies.
Jamaica independence: August 6, 1962 (from British colonial rule). India-Jamaica diplomatic relations established 1962.

The 112 Aspirational Districts were selected based on composite indicators of socio-economic underdevelopment — they are India’s poorest-performing districts on 49 key performance indicators across 5 sectors: Health & Nutrition (30 KPIs), Education (9 KPIs), Agriculture & Water Resources (5 KPIs), Financial Inclusion & Skill Development (5 KPIs), and Basic Infrastructure (5 KPIs). Selection methodology: Districts were ranked by combining data from multiple indices (Composite Index of Health, Education, Agriculture etc) and the bottom-performing districts were selected, with attention to: states with high tribal populations, states with low HDI, states with NE/hilly geography, and states with historically low development.
Many aspirational districts are also (but not exclusively) former Naxal-affected areas — but that is NOT the primary selection criterion. High population density is also not the criterion.
The programme (launched 2018) uses “competitive federalism” and “peer learning” as design principles — districts are ranked monthly on improvements (delta rankings), creating competition. NITI Aayog Secretary: Nidhi Chhibber oversees the programme.
CPO Portal (launched May 2026): enables Central Prabhari Officers to upload real-time field observations for immediate administrative action.

The Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971 (after the May 2026 amendment) protects three national symbols: (1) National Flag (Tricolour) — insult = up to 3 years; (2) National Anthem (“Jana Gana Mana”) — insult/obstruction = up to 3 years; (3) National Song (“Vande Mataram”) — insult/obstruction = up to 3 years (newly added). The Act does NOT cover the National Emblem or National Animal.
The National Emblem (Lion Capital of Ashoka) is protected by the State Emblem of India (Prohibition of Improper Use) Act, 2005. The National Animal (Tiger), National Bird (Peacock), National Flower (Lotus), National Tree (Banyan), National River (Ganga), National Fruit (Mango), National Heritage Animal (Elephant) — none are protected by the Prevention of Insults Act.
The Constitution of India is also NOT protected by this Act (the Constitution’s dignity is upheld through Contempt of Constitution provisions). Note: Insult to the National Flag also separately covered by Flag Code of India, 2002 (which governs display and use) alongside the Prevention of Insults Act.

The National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company (NCGTC) administers the ECLGS. NCGTC was set up in 2014 by the Government of India (under Ministry of Finance) as a company to operate credit guarantee schemes. It is NOT a bank — it provides guarantees TO banks and NBFCs who then lend to MSMEs.
Mechanism: Government deposits corpus to NCGTC → NCGTC issues guarantees to banks → banks lend to MSMEs without additional collateral → if MSME defaults, NCGTC pays the bank under the guarantee. NCGTC also administers: CGTMSE (Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises — the main MSME credit guarantee scheme), CGFMU (Credit Guarantee Fund for Micro Units — for Mudra loans), NCGTC for education loans, etc.
SIDBI (Small Industries Development Bank of India) is the apex institution for MSME financing but does NOT administer ECLGS directly. SBI is a lender, not the guarantor.
NABARD provides agricultural credit guarantees (CGFSSL, NCDC schemes) — not ECLGS. Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan (May 2020): announced ₹20 lakh crore package; ECLGS was the headline credit scheme component.

The Union Cabinet approved the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026 on May 5, 2026, raising the strength from 33 puisne judges + CJI (34 total) to 37 puisne judges + CJI (38 total). The parent Act is the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956 — this is the statute that determines how many judges the Supreme Court can have, separate from the Constitution.
The Constitution (Article 124) gives Parliament the power to fix the number by law. History of strength increases: Original (1950) — CJI + 7 judges; 1956 Act — 10 total; subsequently increased to 14, 18, 26, 31, 34, and now 38 total.
Last increase before 2026: 2019, from 30 to 33 puisne judges (31 to 34 total). Reason for 2026 increase: to reduce the massive pendency of cases before the Supreme Court (approximately 80,000+ cases pending).
Each additional judge can significantly increase disposal capacity. The Consolidated Fund of India bears the expenditure for judges’ salaries and pensions under the Supreme Court Judges (Salaries and Conditions of Service) Act, 1958.