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Current Affairs
India Current Affairs — 21 May 2026
21 May 2026
5 min read

1. BIS Notifies E22–E30 Ethanol Fuel Blending Standards

Key DetailInformation
BodyBureau of Indian Standards (BIS)
MinistryMinistry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution (MoCAF&PD)
Standard CodeIS 19850:2026
Blends NotifiedE22, E25, E27, E30 (22%–30% ethanol in petrol)
Existing TargetE20 blend (20% ethanol)
SignificanceReduces dependence on imported crude oil (currently >85% of India's requirement)
Current StatusTechnical specifications notified; no immediate nationwide E30 rollout mandated

UPSC Relevance: Energy Security, Ethanol Blending Programme (EBP), Aatmanirbhar Bharat, GS-III (Infrastructure & Energy)

2. Ayush Anudan Portal Launched under Ayush Grid Initiative

Key DetailInformation
Launched byUnion MoS (IC) Prataprao Jadhav, Ministry of AYUSH
VenueKartavya Bhawan, New Delhi
PlatformBuilt under Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM)-compliant Ayush Grid
PurposeDigital submission, processing & monitoring of funding proposals under Central Sector Schemes
Key FeatureIntegration with NGO Darpan Portal for organisational verification
ImpactEliminates paper-based processes; strengthens digital governance in AYUSH sector

UPSC Relevance: Digital Governance, AYUSH sector, GS-II (Government Policies & Interventions)

3. CBI Launches ABHAY — AI-Based Notice Authentication Helpbot

Key DetailInformation
Full FormAI-Based Helpbot for Authentication of Your Notice
Launched byCentral Bureau of Investigation (CBI)
UnderDepartment of Personnel & Training (DoPT), Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions
TypeIndia's first real-time notice verification platform
Availability24×7
FunctionAllows citizens to upload suspected CBI notices (via OTP) to verify authenticity
TargetsFake CBI/police/customs notices; cyber fraud & digital arrest scams

UPSC Relevance: Cyber Security, Digital Fraud, Role of CBI, GS-III (Internal Security)

4. Bharat Forge to Set Up India's First Private Marine Gas Turbine Facility

Key DetailInformation
CompanyBharat Forge Limited (BFL) — Aerospace Division
MoU Signed WithGovernment of Andhra Pradesh
LocationVisakhapatnam, AP (within AP Defence Manufacturing Corridor)
Facility Area80 acres
Co-located WithNaval Dockyard, INS Eksila, Eastern Naval Command HQ
Phase 1Repair & overhaul facility; 72-hour turnaround service
Phase 2India's first private MGT Development & Assembly Hall + hot test cell
SignificanceFirst private-sector Marine Gas Turbine (MGT) facility in India; supports naval self-reliance
Key PresenceRajnath Singh (Defence Minister) & CM N. Chandrababu Naidu at signing

UPSC Relevance: Defence Manufacturing, Aatmanirbhar Bharat, AP Defence Corridor, GS-III (Defence)

5. PM Modi's Official Visit to the Netherlands (16–17 May 2026)

Key DetailInformation
Visit Type2nd leg of PM Modi's 5-nation tour (UAE → Sweden → Norway → Netherlands → Italy)
HostDutch PM Rob Jetten
Royal MeetingMet King Willem Alexander & Queen Maxima at Palace Huis ten Bosch, The Hague
Bilateral UpgradeIndia–Netherlands relations elevated to Strategic Partnership
RoadmapIndia–Netherlands Strategic Partnership Roadmap 2026–2030 adopted
Agreements Signed17 MoUs in technology, green energy, trade, mobility
TATA–ASML MoUTATA Electronics ↔ ASML (Netherlands) for semiconductor Fab at Dholera, Gujarat
Jal Shakti LoIMoJS (India) ↔ Netherlands Ministry of Infrastructure — Technical cooperation for Kalpasar Project, Gujarat
Cultural RestitutionLeiden University Library restituted 11th-century Chola Copper Plates to India

UPSC Relevance: India's Foreign Policy, Bilateral Relations, Semiconductor ecosystem, Kalpasar Project, GS-II (IR)

6. Mahindra & DBS Bank Launch India's First Green Dealer Financing Scheme

Key DetailInformation
PartiesMahindra & Mahindra (M&M) + DBS Bank India
First-of-its-KindIndia's first sustainability-linked dealer financing scheme (automotive sector)
FrameworkDealers evaluated on ESG parameters under Mahindra's Green Dealership Programme
ESG ParametersGHG emissions, water use, Renewable Energy, rainwater harvesting, waste management, EV charging
BenefitDealers meeting ESG + sales criteria get preferential interest rates on vehicle loans

UPSC Relevance: ESG, Green Finance, Sustainable Development, EV ecosystem, GS-III (Economy)

7. RBI Cancels Licence of Yashwant Co-operative Bank (Maharashtra)

Key DetailInformation
BankYashwant Co-operative Bank Limited, Maharashtra
Action ByReserve Bank of India (RBI)
Legal ProvisionBanking Regulation Act, 1949
GroundsPoor financial health, inadequate capital, regulatory violations
Winding-upCommissioner for Cooperation & Registrar of Cooperative Societies, Maharashtra directed to appoint liquidator
Depositor ProtectionUp to ₹5 lakh insured per depositor via DICGC (Deposit Insurance & Credit Guarantee Corporation)

UPSC Relevance: RBI Regulatory Powers, Banking Regulation Act, Co-operative Banks, DICGC, GS-III (Economy)

8. DRDO Successfully Tests ULPGM-V3 Missile in Air-to-Ground & Air-to-Air Modes

Key DetailInformation
Full FormUAV Launched Precision Guided Missile – Version 3
Test LocationDRDO test range near Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh
Modes TestedAir-to-Ground (anti-tank) & Air-to-Air (aerial target)
UAV IntegratorNewspace Research and Technologies (NRT) Pvt. Ltd., Bengaluru
DeveloperResearch Centre Imarat (RCI), Hyderabad
Support LabsDRDL (Hyderabad), TBRL (Chandigarh), HEMRL (Pune)
SignificanceEnhances India's UAV-based precision strike capability; advances Aatmanirbhar Bharat in defence

UPSC Relevance: Defence R&D, DRDO, Drone Warfare, Indigenisation, GS-III (Defence)

9. SMILE Space Weather Satellite Launched aboard Vega-C Rocket

Key DetailInformation
Mission NameSolar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE)
Joint MissionEuropean Space Agency (ESA) + Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)
Launch VehicleVega-C Rocket
Launch SiteKourou Spaceport, French Guiana
Initial Orbit707 km circular orbit → final elliptical orbit (11 engine burns over 42 days)
Mission Duration3 years
ObjectivePanoramic imaging of Earth's magnetosphere; study solar wind interaction, auroras, geomagnetic storms
Vega-C Specs34.8 m tall; 210 tonnes lift-off mass; 3 solid stages (P120C, Zefiro-40, Zefiro-9) + AVUM+

UPSC Relevance: Space Science, ESA–CAS cooperation, Space Weather, GS-III (Science & Technology)

10. Bharat Singh Chauhan Re-elected as CCA Chairman (2026–2030)

Key DetailInformation
PersonBharat Singh Chauhan
PositionChairman, Commonwealth Chess Association (CCA)
Term2026–2030
VenueAnnual General Body Meeting, Wasakaduwa, Sri Lanka
Deputy ChairmanAkhramsyah Muammar Ubaidsh Sanusi (Malaysia)
New InitiativeCommonwealth School Chess Championship — 1st edition in Malaysia, October 2026

11. Medha Kulkarni Appointed as Chair — Parliamentary Panel on Science & Environment

Key DetailInformation
PersonMedha Vishram Kulkarni, MP (Rajya Sabha)
CommitteeDepartment-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science & Technology, Environment, Forests & Climate Change
Appointed byVP C. P. Radhakrishnan (Chairman, Rajya Sabha)
Effective Date18 May 2026
Legal ProvisionSub-Rule (1) & (2) of Rule 269, Rules of Procedure — Rajya Sabha
Also NotedSudheer Gupta named Chair of Joint Committee on Corporate Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026 by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla

UPSC Relevance: Parliamentary Committees, Rajya Sabha procedures, GS-II (Indian Polity)

12. Liberty Mutual Insurance Raises Stake in Liberty General Insurance to 74%

Key DetailInformation
CompanyLiberty Mutual Insurance Company (LMIC), USA
Indian ArmLiberty General Insurance (LGI)
Stake Change55.40% → 74%
Remaining Stake26% held by Enam Securities
Enabled ByGoI approval of 100% FDI in insurance sector
Expansion PlanStrengthen retail & commercial insurance; expand urban & semi-urban distribution; support Asia-Pacific growth

UPSC Relevance: FDI in Insurance, IRDAI, Foreign Investment Policy, GS-III (Economy)

13. UNESCO–L'Oréal International Awards for Women in Science 2026

Key DetailInformation
Organised byUNESCO + Fondation L'Oréal
Number of Awardees5 women scientists
Award Ceremony Date11 June 2026, UNESCO HQ, Paris, France
Jury ChairProf. Brigitte L. Kieffer (France)
AwardeeCountryField
Prof. Liesl ZühlkeSouth AfricaCardiovascular Care
Prof. Felice JackaAustraliaNutritional Psychiatry
Prof. Sarah A. TeichmannUnited KingdomSingle-Cell Biology
Prof. Raquel Lia ChanArgentinaAgricultural Biotechnology
Prof. Gordana Vunjak-NovakovicUSATissue Engineering

14. Major General Bhuvan Chandra Khanduri (Retd.) — Former CM, Uttarakhand

Key DetailInformation
Passed Away19 May 2026, Dehradun
Age91 years
PartyBharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
RoleFormer Chief Minister of Uttarakhand
Military HonourAti Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM), 1982
State Response3 days of State Mourning declared by Uttarakhand Government

15. 'Better Never Stops' — by Shyam Srinivasan

Key DetailInformation
AuthorShyam Srinivasan
Former RoleMD & CEO, Federal Bank (2010–2024)
Book TypeLeadership & Memoir
PublisherWyzr Content Private Limited, Bengaluru
ThemeResilience, adaptability & continuous improvement in mid-sized private banking
Key AwardsBusiness Standard Banker of the Year (2021); FE Lifetime Achievement (2025); Forbes Icon of Excellence (2025)

16. Important Days — May 18, 2026

DayDateTheme 2026Key Fact
International Museum Day (IMD)18 May"Museums Uniting a Divided World"Established 1977 by ICOM General Assembly, Moscow; 2026 poster by Gérard Barbet (France); UNESCO–ICOM MoU signed
World AIDS Vaccine Day (HVAD)18 MayCommemorates Bill Clinton's 1997 speech at Morgan State University; first observed 18 May 1998
International Day for Women in Maritime (IDWIM)18 May"From Policy to Practice: Advancing Gender Equality for Maritime Excellence"Proclaimed by IMO Resolution A.1170(32), 2021; first observed May 18, 2022; 2026 IMO Gender Equality Award to Prof. Momoko Kitada (World Maritime University)

PRACTICE MCQs — 21 May 2026

Under which BIS standard code were the new ethanol fuel blend specifications (E22, E25, E27, E30) notified in May 2026?
The Ayush Anudan Portal was developed under which digital health initiative?
What does ABHAY stand for, as launched by the CBI in May 2026?
The Marine Gas Turbine facility being set up by Bharat Forge in Visakhapatnam will be co-located with which Indian Naval Command headquarters?
Which university in the Netherlands restituted the 11th-century Chola Copper Plates to India during PM Modi's visit in May 2026?
Under which legal provision does DICGC provide deposit insurance coverage, and what is the maximum insured amount per depositor?
The ULPGM-V3 missile system was developed primarily by which DRDO laboratory?
The SMILE spacecraft was launched to study which of the following?
International Museum Day was established in which year and by which organisation?
Which company signed an MoU with Dutch firm ASML during PM Modi's visit to the Netherlands in May 2026?