Current Affairs — Saturday, 2 May 2026
39 items
# 🗞️ Daily Current Affairs Digest — 2 May 2026
Sources: The Hindu | Indian Express | Google News | Exam-focus: UPSC, TNPSC, SSC, Bank PO, Railway
Tamil Nadu
- CM Vijay (TVK) announces 2% Dearness Allowance hike — Tamil Nadu government increases DA for state government teachers and employees; relevant for State Finance and welfare policy questions.
- CM Stalin launches 10 lakh laptop distribution for college students — Large-scale scheme targeting Tamil Nadu college students; note the scale (10 lakh units) for scheme-based questions under Education/IT policy.
- MRF to invest ₹3,500 crore in Tamil Nadu — Announced alongside CM Stalin's multi-sector project launches; significant FDI/industrial investment fact for Economy-State relations questions.
- Stalin vs Sitharaman: Spar over Centre's letter on paddy bonus policy — Centre-State friction over Minimum Support Price/paddy procurement bonus policy; relevant for Centre-State financial relations (GS Paper II / TNPSC Unit 8).
- Madras High Court bans use of former Chief Ministers' photos in TN government scheme advertisements — HC ruling restricts use of ex-CMs' images in welfare scheme ads; relevant for separation of powers, judicial review, and election law questions.
- Supreme Court to hear TN plea on CM's name and photo ban in welfare schemes — TN government challenged restrictions on using CM Stalin's name/photo in state welfare scheme branding; touches on Article 32, constitutional governance, and model code debates.
- Tamil Nadu Higher Education Minister stirs controversy over Chancellor role — Minister stated new TVK government need not follow previous DMK stand that CM must be Chancellor of universities; raises questions on university autonomy and gubernatorial powers (GS Paper II).
India — National
- Parliamentary panel summons Education Ministry, NTA, CBI over exam conduct — Panel acts on a Rajya Sabha assurance (USQ dated 27 Nov 2024) regarding "Conduct of Examination by NTA"; relevant for Parliamentary oversight mechanisms and NTA reform debates.
- Key commander of banned Manipur insurgent group arrested in Delhi — Joint security operation nabbed the commander of a proscribed outfit; relevant for Internal Security, insurgency in North-East, UAPA-related questions.
- Kazipet Rail Manufacturing Unit nears completion; 200 intercity trains planned in 5 years — Located in Telangana, the unit will support manufacturing capacity for Indian Railways' expansion; relevant for Make in India, Railway infrastructure.
- Sharp rise in out-of-pocket health spending; 11% fall in government health expenditure in FY23 — Ministry report highlights declining public health investment alongside rising private burden; critical for Social Justice, Health Policy (GS Paper II / National Health Mission).
- Kalai-II hydel project gets forest clearance amid White-Bellied Heron concerns — Project granted forest nod despite concerns over the critically endangered White-Bellied Heron habitat; relevant for Forest Conservation Act, Environmental Clearance process, biodiversity.
- No relief from extreme heatwave in North India till May 29 — IMD warns of prolonged heatwave; relevant for Disaster Management, Climate Change impact questions.
- Noted poet Bashir Badr passes away at 91 — Celebrated Urdu poet and Padma Shri awardee; relevant for Art & Culture, Personalities in news.
- Activists urge Centre to reject Odisha's Sijimali mine nod — Vedanta's Sijimali bauxite mine recommendation challenged; threatens Panichida-Shuagad river and 100+ perennial streams; relevant for Mining, Forest Rights Act, Tribal issues.
Economy & Finance
- RBI holds repo rate; projects GDP growth slowing to 6.9% in FY27 — Monetary Policy Committee keeps rate unchanged while revising growth outlook downward; critical fact for Monetary Policy, Economy GS Paper III (repo rate + GDP figure must be memorised).
- India's energy investment to hit $170 billion in 2026: IEA — International Energy Agency reports solar PV investment grew 25% annually and oil refining 23%; together contributing one-fourth of India's energy investment growth — key for Energy Policy, IEA reports.
- LPG price hiked to balance consumer interest and oil companies' finances — Government confirms LPG hike with no plans to raise petrol/diesel prices; relevant for Energy subsidies, Oil PSU finances, Petroleum pricing policy.
- US gives India one-month waiver to purchase Russian oil — India described as "essential partner" by US amid sanctions regime; relevant for India's strategic autonomy, energy security, India-US relations.
- Rupee falls 47 paise to close at ₹95.73 against US dollar — Depreciation driven by FPI outflows and global uncertainty; experts suggest RBI use forex reserves to stabilise; relevant for Exchange Rate, Balance of Payments, RBI intervention mechanisms.
- Finance Ministry to conduct factory visits ahead of Budget planning — DEA officials to visit manufacturing units for ground-level inputs; relevant for Budget-making process, Union Budget 2026-27 preparation.
- India Inc profits may taper off by 15% in FY 2026-27 — Corporate earnings under pressure due to global headwinds and rupee depreciation; relevant for Economy, capital markets.
Science & Technology
- Chandrayaan-2 detects possible presence of subsurface ice near Moon's South Pole — Scientists used the DFSAR (Dual Frequency Synthetic Aperture Radar) payload aboard Chandrayaan-2; highly exam-probable — ISRO mission, instrument name, and finding all testable.
- Air pollution cut India's solar power output by 9.6% in 2023: Study — India records one of the world's highest solar generation losses due to pollution, especially in the heavily polluted north; relevant for Renewable Energy, Pollution Policy, Climate.
- SpaceX Starship grounded after test flight investigation — Spacecraft released 20 mock satellites before splashdown in Indian Ocean; grounded pending safety review; relevant for Space Technology awareness.
- NASA outlines Moon base plans including landers, buggies, and drones for Artemis III — Artemis III will involve docking Orion capsule in lunar orbit with landers from Blue Origin and SpaceX; relevant for International Space Missions awareness.
Environment
- Kalai-II hydel project forest clearance raises White-Bellied Heron concerns — The White-Bellied Heron (Ardea insignis) is critically endangered; forest nod for the hydel project in its habitat zone raises conservation red flags — relevant for Wildlife Protection Act Schedule, Biodiversity.
- Global temperatures forecast to reach near-record highs in next five years: UN/Met Office — WMO and UK Met Office jointly report continued global warming and faster Arctic temperature rise; relevant for Climate Change, IPCC/WMO reports, Paris Agreement targets.
- Budget 2026-27: Air quality management outlay cut by 10%; pollution control also sees dip — Reduced allocation for air quality and pollution control despite worsening AQI levels; relevant for Environment Policy, Budget analysis, CPCB/NCAP questions.
Sports
- Vaibhav Suryavanshi makes strong case for India T20I call-up — The 15-year-old IPL sensation's consistent performances put him in contention for national selection; relevant for Cricket/Personalities in news.
- Four Indian women in ICC's all-female match officials panel for Women's T20 World Cup — Third consecutive edition to feature an all-woman officiating panel; significant for Women in Sports and ICC governance.
- French Open 2026: Venus Williams and Hailey Baptiste withdraw from women's doubles — Williams (turning 46) had been the oldest woman in Australian Open singles main draw this year; relevant for Sports Personalities.
- Neymar doubtful for Brazil's FIFA World Cup opener due to injury — The 34-year-old Santos forward will miss pre-tournament friendlies against Panama and Egypt; relevant for FIFA World Cup 2026 awareness.
Appointments & Awards
- Padma Awards 2026 presented by President Droupadi Murmu — President Murmu conferred Padma awards including Padma Bhushan to Bhagat Singh Koshyari (former Uttarakhand CM and Maharashtra Governor); full list released — high exam probability for Padma awardees.
- SC Collegium recommends judges for Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka High Courts — Collegium process under spotlight; relevant for Judicial Appointments, Collegium System, Articles 217 & 224 of the Constitution.
- BJP announces new state unit chiefs for Delhi, Punjab, and Haryana — Party organisational reshuffle in three key states; relevant for Political Science / current polity awareness.
International
- Iran-Israel war: Shaky ceasefire challenged as Kuwait faces missile attack — Kuwait intercepted missiles and drones; US blames Iran for ceasefire breach; formal peace talks uncertain — relevant for West Asia geopolitics, India's energy security (Strait of Hormuz blockade context).
- US-India interim trade deal: US team to visit India on June 1–4 to finalise details — Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal had earlier conditioned deal on US tariff clarity; relevant for India-US trade relations, WTO, bilateral trade negotiations.
- Australian PM Albanese praises India's economic growth; looks forward to hosting PM Modi — Signals strengthening India-Australia bilateral ties under QUAD and trade frameworks; relevant for India's foreign policy, QUAD, ECTA.
⚡ Quick Revision
(Most exam-probable facts from today's digest)
- 📡 Chandrayaan-2's DFSAR payload detected possible subsurface ice near Moon's South Pole — ISRO mission instrument name is directly testable.
- 💰 RBI holds repo rate; GDP growth projected at 6.9% for FY27 — Both figures must be memorised for Economy GS/Bank PO papers.
- ☀️ India's energy investment to reach $170 billion in 2026 (IEA report); solar PV grew 25% annually — Key data point for Energy Policy and IEA-India questions.
📌 Next update: 3 May 2026 | Sources: The Hindu, Indian Express, PIB, IEA, ICC