Current Affairs — Wednesday, 27 May 2026

Tamil Nadu

- Tamil Nadu Maintains Two-Language Policy Despite Centre Withholding ₹3,500 Crore — The TVK government under CM Vijay has firmly stated it will not change the state's long-held two-language (Tamil + English) policy, even as the Union government has reportedly stalled ₹3,500 crore in funds for two years over the issue.

- Tamil Nadu Tells Supreme Court: Navodaya Schools Incompatible with Two-Language Policy — The state government argued before the Supreme Court that Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas, which follow a three-language formula, conflict with Tamil Nadu's established two-language policy.

- Tamil Nadu Launches First Urban Greening Policy — The state became the first in India to launch a dedicated Urban Greening Policy aimed at boosting climate resilience in cities through increased green cover.

- Tamil Nadu's Green School Scheme Could Offset 91% of Government Institution Power Demand — A new study found that if scaled up, the state's Green School Scheme has the potential to meet 91% of the electricity demand of government institutions through renewable energy.

- MRF to Invest ₹3,500 Crore in Tamil Nadu — CM Stalin launched multi-sector development projects across the state; tyre major MRF announced a ₹3,500 crore investment, signalling continued industrial confidence in Tamil Nadu.

- Supreme Court Censures Freebie Schemes on Tamil Nadu's Electricity Rules Plea — While hearing Tamil Nadu's challenge against the Centre's 'sustainable' electricity norms, the Supreme Court remarked that largesse and freebie schemes hamper economic growth.

India — National

- Union Cabinet Approves Increase of Supreme Court Judges from 33 to 38 — The Cabinet cleared a proposal to raise the sanctioned strength of Supreme Court judges by five, from the current 33 to 38, to help address the significant backlog of pending cases.

- Modi Government Introduces Three Delimitation Bills in Parliament — The Union government has tabled three delimitation-related bills that could significantly alter parliamentary constituency boundaries and affect representation across states.

- Supreme Court Dismisses Plea Against 'Ungaludan Stalin' Initiative; Imposes ₹10 Lakh Cost — The apex court dismissed a petition filed by AIADMK MP C. Ve. Shanmugam against the Tamil Nadu government's 'Ungaludan Stalin' public outreach scheme and slapped a cost of ₹10 lakh on the petitioner.

- SC Collegium Recommends Judges for Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka High Courts — The Supreme Court Collegium has forwarded fresh recommendations for judicial appointments to the High Courts of Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka.

- SC Holds Line Against Executive-Legislative Control Over Tribunals — The Supreme Court reaffirmed judicial independence by ruling against attempts by the executive and legislature to exercise control over the functioning of tribunals.

- Madras High Court Asked to Respond on TAPS Implementation Rules — The Madras High Court has been directed to respond to a petition seeking framing of clear rules for implementing the Tamil Nadu Assured Pension Scheme (TAPS).

- Tamil Nadu Moves Supreme Court Against Madras HC Order on Scheme Advertisements — The state challenged a Madras High Court order restraining use of living persons' names and former Chief Ministers' photos in government scheme advertisements.

Economy & Finance

- Economic Survey 2025-26 Released by PIB — The government published the Economic Survey 2025-26, providing a comprehensive assessment of India's macroeconomic performance and policy outlook for the fiscal year.

- RBI Keeps Repo Rate Unchanged at 5.25% — The Reserve Bank of India's Monetary Policy Committee held the repo rate steady at 5.25% in its first policy review following the Union Budget 2026, signalling a cautious but growth-supportive stance.

- RBI Projects Inflation at 2.1% and Real GDP Growth at 7.4% for FY26 — The MPC pegged retail inflation at a low 2.1% and revised the real GDP growth forecast upward to 7.4% for FY2025-26, upgrading the early FY27 outlook as well.

- RBI Governor Malhotra: Budget Measures, Trade Deals, and Benign Inflation to Boost Growth — RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra stated that Union Budget measures, favourable trade agreements, and low inflation are collectively setting the stage for stronger economic growth.

- Union Budget 2026 Presented Amid Strong Growth but Key Challenges — Budget 2026 was presented with India posting world-beating GDP growth, though analysts flagged lurking challenges including global trade uncertainty and fiscal consolidation pressures.

Science & Technology

- ISRO and DRDO Building India's Unhackable Quantum Communication Network — ISRO and DRDO have joined forces to develop a quantum-secured communication network, aimed at making India's critical communications immune to cyberattacks.

- ISRO's National Space Meet 2.0 Charts Roadmap for Viksit Bharat 2047 — The meet outlined a strategic roadmap leveraging space applications across sectors including agriculture, disaster management, and urban planning to support the Viksit Bharat 2047 vision.

- Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla to Carry ISRO & DRDO-Prepared Food on Axiom Mission 4 — Indian astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla will carry traditional Indian foods including moong dal halwa and aam ras, prepared by ISRO and DRDO, aboard the upcoming Axiom Mission 4.

- DRDO and ISRO Collaborate to Enhance Space Assets for Himalayan Meteorology — The two premier scientific organisations have partnered to use satellite-based space assets for improving weather monitoring and forecasting in the ecologically sensitive Himalayan region.

Environment

- State of India's Environment 2026 Report Highlights Rising Climate Risks and Pollution Gaps — The report flagged increasing climate-related risks, growing human-wildlife conflicts, and significant gaps in pollution monitoring infrastructure across India.

- Tamil Nadu Launches First Urban Greening Policy for Climate Resilience — Tamil Nadu's pioneering Urban Greening Policy is designed to integrate green infrastructure into city planning, making it the first state-level urban greening framework in India.

- Budget 2026-27: Air Quality Management Outlay Cut by 10% — The Union Budget reduced the allocation for air quality management by 10%, with pollution control budgets also seeing a dip, raising concerns among environmental experts.

Sports

- Cricket Scheduled to Make Olympics Return at LA 2028, Starting July 12 — Cricket will officially return to the Olympic Games at Los Angeles 2028, with matches scheduled to commence on July 12; the sport last featured in the Olympics in 1900.

- Jay Shah: India Aims to Host 2036 Olympics; Gujarat to Contribute 10 Medals — ICC Chairman and BCCI Secretary Jay Shah reiterated India's bid to host the 2036 Olympics and expressed hope that Gujarat would contribute approximately 10 medals to India's tally.

- 2026 Winter Olympics Medal Count: Norway Leads, Italy and USA Close Behind — In the ongoing 2026 Winter Olympics, Norway continues to top the medals table with Italy and the United States closely following.

- India Targets Record Medal Haul at Asian Games; LA 2028 the Primary Focus — Indian sports authorities are aiming for a record medal count at the upcoming Asian Games while keeping the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics as the principal long-term target.

Appointments & Awards

- Justice M. Fathima Beevi, First Woman Judge of Supreme Court of India, Passes Away — Justice M. Fathima Beevi, a trailblazing jurist who made history as the first woman to be appointed to the Supreme Court of India, passed away recently — a significant figure for Indian legal history questions.

- Bhagat Singh Koshyari Awarded Padma Bhushan — Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister and Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari was conferred the Padma Bhushan, one of India's highest civilian honours.

- Former CJI J.S. Khehar Receives Padma Award — Former Chief Justice of India J.S. Khehar, known for landmark judgments that often took positions independent of the government, was recognised with a Padma award.

- Justice K.T. Thomas Conferred Padma Vibhushan — Retired Supreme Court Justice K.T. Thomas was awarded the Padma Vibhushan; he is noted for his judicial opinions in high-profile cases including those relating to the Rajiv Gandhi assassination convicts.

- Justice Manikumar Appointed as New SHRC Chairman — Justice Manikumar has been appointed as the new Chairman of the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC), Tamil Nadu.

International

- India–Finland Joint Statement Issued Following State Visit (March 4–7, 2026) — India and Finland released a joint statement after the Finnish President's state visit, covering areas of bilateral cooperation including technology, clean energy, and education.

- 16th India–EU Summit Joint Statement Released (January 25–27, 2026) — India and the European Union issued a comprehensive joint statement following their 16th Summit, with the Presidents of the European Council and European Commission visiting New Delhi; key areas included trade, climate, and digital cooperation.

- 23rd India–Russia Annual Summit Joint Statement (December 5, 2025) — India and Russia concluded their 23rd Annual Summit with a joint statement reaffirming the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership, covering defence, energy, and trade ties.