Current Affairs Today — May 27, 2026

Today’s Edition (May 27, 2026): Two major Supreme Court verdicts (ECI’s Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls; 28% GST on online money gaming), Cabinet approval of the ₹25,530 crore SARTHAK-PDS modernisation scheme, India climbing to the 2nd-largest data centre market in Asia-Pacific (Cushman & Wakefield 2026 report), DRDO’s GaN MMIC breakthrough placing India in a 7-nation club, the rediscovery of the Long-tailed Duskhawker dragonfly in Namdapha after 110 years, and the 62nd death anniversary of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.

At a Glance

1. Supreme Court Upholds ECI’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR)

GS Paper 2 — Polity: A Supreme Court bench led by CJI Surya Kant (with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M. Pancholi) upheld the ECI’s Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar and other states. The Court held that maintaining the “purity, integrity, and accuracy” of electoral rolls is a constitutional duty under Article 324, while emphasising that the exercise must remain fair, inclusive, and non-arbitrary with safeguards (reasoned notice + hearing + appellate remedies). The Court also held that the ECI can examine citizenship in the context of voter registration. The Bihar SIR (2025) triggered the litigation amid allegations of mass disenfranchisement of poor and minority voters.

2. Supreme Court Upholds 28% GST on Online Money Gaming

GS Paper 3 — Economy: A bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan upheld the 28% GST levy on the full face value of bets placed on online money gaming, fantasy sports, casinos and horse racing. The Court ruled that the skill-vs-chance distinction is irrelevant once money is staked on an uncertain outcome — validating tax demands exceeding ₹1 lakh crore (industry exposure: ~₹2.5 lakh crore). The amended regime (CGST Amendment Act, 2023) has been effective since October 1, 2023; the verdict closes long-pending litigation including the ₹21,000 crore Gameskraft notice (2022).

3. Cabinet Approves SARTHAK-PDS Scheme — ₹25,530 Crore

GS Paper 2/3 — Schemes & Food Security: The Union Cabinet approved the “Scheme for Assistance in Ration Transport and Handling — Income with Automation in PDS (SARTHAK-PDS)” with a central outlay of ₹25,530 crore for April 2026 – March 2031. It merges the Intra-State Movement of Foodgrains scheme with SMART-PDS, and deploys AI, ML, NLP and Blockchain to modernise the PDS — promising a 15–50% reduction in foodgrain travel distances and tighter chain-of-custody. The scheme operates under the National Food Security Act, 2013 umbrella, which entitles ~81 crore Indians to subsidised foodgrains (currently free under PMGKAY through December 31, 2028).

4. India 2nd in APAC Data Centre Capacity — Cushman & Wakefield

GS Paper 3 — S&T/Economy: As per Cushman & Wakefield’s Global Data Center Market Comparison 2026, India is the 2nd largest data centre market in Asia-Pacific with 1.6 GW operational capacity, behind only mainland China. Another 3.1 GW is under construction or planned. Mumbai is set to cross 1 GW operational by end-2026 — India’s first gigawatt-scale DC hub. The six key markets are Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi NCR, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Pune. With population-per-MW at ~9.43 lakh, India remains structurally underpenetrated — and AI workloads (40–100+ kW per rack) are accelerating capacity builds.

5. India Becomes 7th Nation with GaN MMIC Capability

GS Paper 3 — S&T/Defence: DRDO’s Solid State Physics Laboratory (SSPL), Delhi has indigenously developed Gallium Nitride Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuits (GaN MMICs), placing India in a select 7-nation club (USA, France, Russia, Germany, South Korea, China, India). The breakthrough — driven by France’s earlier refusal to transfer GaN under the Rafale 2016 offset clause — enables indigenous AESA radars, electronic warfare suites, satellite communications and naval radars. GaN is a wide-bandgap semiconductor (3.4 eV vs Silicon’s 1.1 eV) with high power density and switching speed; commercial applications span 5G/6G base stations, EV chargers and data centres.

6. Gynacantha khasiaca — Long-tailed Duskhawker Rediscovered After 110 Years

GS Paper 3 — Environment: The Long-tailed Duskhawker dragonfly (Gynacantha khasiaca) — last recorded in Arunachal Pradesh during the 1914 Abor Expedition — has been rediscovered in Namdapha Tiger Reserve during an October 2024 biodiversity survey along the Miao–Vijaynagar road. The publication appeared in the Journal of Threatened Taxa in May 2026. The species, described by McLachlan in 1896 from the Khasi Hills, is IUCN Data Deficient. Namdapha — declared a National Park and Tiger Reserve in 1983 — is the only Indian PA hosting all four big cats (tiger, common leopard, clouded leopard, snow leopard). The rediscovery underscores how India’s invertebrate inventory remains massively under-documented in the Eastern Himalaya biodiversity hotspot.

7. Nehru — 62nd Death Anniversary

GS Paper 1 — Modern History: May 27 marks the 62nd death anniversary of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (1889–1964), India’s first Prime Minister (tenure August 15, 1947 – May 27, 1964, 16 years 286 days — the longest unbroken PM tenure). Tributes were paid at Shantivan, his memorial on the Yamuna. Nehru’s institution-building legacy includes the Planning Commission (1950), IIT Kharagpur (1951), Atomic Energy Commission (1948) with Homi Bhabha, AIIMS Delhi (1956), Panchsheel (1954), Non-Aligned Movement (1961, Belgrade), the Hindu Code Bills (1955–56), and the foundational Objectives Resolution (December 13, 1946) that became the basis of the Preamble. His phrase “scientific temper” later became a Fundamental Duty (Article 51A(h), 42nd Amendment, 1976). He received the Bharat Ratna in 1955 while in office.

Brief — Other Important News

West Bengal — Annapurna Bhandar Yojana Application Opens

The Government of West Bengal opened applications on May 27, 2026 for the Annapurna Bhandar Yojana, providing eligible women ₹3,000/month via Aadhaar-linked DBT starting June 1, 2026. The scheme replaces the Lakshmir Bhandar Scheme; existing beneficiaries are migrated automatically. Decided at the new WB Cabinet’s first meeting on May 11, 2026 and notified on May 19, 2026. Implementing department: WB Integrated Child Development Services (WBICDS). Significance: part of the rising trend of state-level unconditional cash transfers to women — fiscal sustainability questions are increasingly acute across states.

Andhra Pradesh — “Farm-to-Home” Strategy

Andhra Pradesh CM N. Chandrababu Naidu unveiled a “Farm-to-Home” agricultural strategy mandating direct delivery of fruits and vegetables from farmers to consumer doorsteps via Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) — bypassing middlemen. Significance: AP joins states pushing FPO-led disintermediation; the Centre’s 10,000 FPOs scheme (2020) is the underlying enabler. Watchpoints: cold-chain logistics, FPO governance capacity, demand aggregation at city level.

UPSC Connect — Today’s Themes

Tomorrow: Watch for follow-ups on the SC SIR judgment (state-wise SIR rollouts), GST Council reactions, and PIB releases on SARTHAK-PDS operational guidelines.

Sources: The Hindu, Indian Express, LiveMint, PIB, Bar and Bench

Source: Current Affairs Today — May 27, 2026 — Ujiyari.com | Free UPSC & State PCS Current Affairs