Monthly Current Affairs Digest: Important Events for Government Exams (May 2026)

Last updated: May 3, 2026. For coaching and doubts, contactShortcut Maths, Jadavpur, Kolkata 700032. Call+91-9804490328.

How to Use This Current Affairs Digest

Current Affairs constitutes 40-50% of the General Awareness section in SSC, Bank, Railway, and WBCS exams. At Shortcut Maths, our GK faculty compiles these monthly digests to help our students save hours of newspaper reading time.

Study Tip: Don't just read - make notes! For each news item, ask: Who? What? When? Where? Why? This 5W approach ensures you remember facts for the exam. Also attempt our daily CA quiz on exam.theshortcutmaths.com.

National News - May 2026

Union Budget 2026-27 Implementation: Key allocations for infrastructure, education, and healthcare announced. Defense budget increased by 12% to ₹6.8 lakh crore.
PM-KISAN 18th Installment: Released to 11 crore farmer beneficiaries. Total disbursement crossed ₹3.5 lakh crore since scheme launch.
Ayushman Bharat Expansion: Coverage extended to all senior citizens above 70 years regardless of income. 7 crore additional beneficiaries expected.
New Education Policy 2026 Updates: NCERT curriculum revision for Classes 9-12 completed. Focus on vocational training and critical thinking.
Indian Railways Modernization: Vande Bharat Express network expanded to 75 routes. Bullet train project Mumbai-Ahmedabad 60% complete.
Supreme Court Landmark Judgment: Right to clean environment declared a fundamental right under Article 21.
Criminal Law Amendment 2026: New provisions for digital evidence and cybercrime prosecution came into effect.

International News - May 2026

G20 Summit 2026: Held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. India represented by PM. Key focus on climate finance and sustainable development.
India-UK Free Trade Agreement: Signed after 3 years of negotiations. Expected to boost bilateral trade to £50 billion by 2030.
UN Climate Summit: India committed to 50% renewable energy by 2030. New global carbon pricing mechanism approved.
BRICS Expansion: Two new member countries admitted, taking total membership to 12 nations.
World Health Organization: Declared India malaria-free in 15 states. Target: Complete eradication by 2030.

Economy & Banking - May 2026

GDP Growth: India's GDP grew at 7.2% in Q4 FY2025-26. IMF projected India as world's 3rd largest economy by 2027.
RBI Monetary Policy: Repo rate maintained at 6.25%. Inflation target kept at 4% with +/- 2% tolerance band.
Digital Rupee (e₹): RBI expanded CBDC pilot to 15 cities. 5 million retail transactions completed.
FDI Inflows: India received $85 billion FDI in FY2025-26. Top sectors: Services, Computer Software, Trading, Automobile.
Stock Market: Sensex crossed 85,000 milestone. Nifty at 25,800. India became 5th largest stock market globally.
SBI: Launched AI-powered banking assistant "SBI Mitra" for rural branches.
Bank Merger Updates: Integration of merged banks (PSU) completed. Branch rationalization saved ₹12,000 crore annually.
UPI Transactions: Crossed 20 billion monthly transactions. UPI Lite wallet limit increased to ₹5,000.
IBPS Calendar 2026-27: Released. RRB PO in August, IBPS PO in October, IBPS Clerk in December.

Government Schemes & Policies - May 2026

PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana: 1 crore rooftop solar installations target. Subsidy increased to 60% for residential units.
Make in India 2.0: PLI scheme extended to 14 sectors. Semiconductor manufacturing plant inaugurated in Gujarat.
Skill India Mission 3.0: Target to skill 5 crore youth by 2027. Partnerships with Google, Microsoft for digital skills.
Digital India: BharatNet project 90% complete. 5G coverage reached 1,000 cities.
Swachh Bharat 2.0: Focus shifted to solid waste management. 500 cities achieved garbage-free status.
National Health Mission: AIIMS-like institutions opened in 5 new states. MBBS seats increased to 1.2 lakh.

Sports News - May 2026

ICC T20 World Cup 2026: India reached semi-finals. Hosted jointly by India and Sri Lanka.
IPL 2026: Chennai Super Kings won their 6th title. Ruturaj Gaikwad highest run scorer.
FIFA World Cup 2026: India qualified for the second consecutive time. Matches being held across USA, Canada, Mexico.
Indian Hockey: Men's team won bronze at FIH Pro League. Women's team ranked 6th globally.
Olympics Preparation: India sent 150-member contingent to Los Angeles Olympics 2028 qualifiers.
Badminton: PV Sindhu won Malaysia Open Super 750. Lakshya Sen broke into world top 5.
Wrestling: Vinesh Phogat secured quota for World Championships. Antim Panghal won Asian Championship gold.

Awards & Honors - May 2026

Padma Awards 2026: 130 recipients. Notable: Actor Manoj Bajpayee (Padma Shri), Scientist Dr. K. Sivan (Padma Bhushan).
Bharat Ratna: Awarded to former President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam (posthumous) and social reformer Anna Hazare.
Nobel Prize 2025 (Announced in Oct 2025, relevant for exams): Literature awarded to South Korean author Han Kang.
Booker Prize 2025: Won by Indian-American author for "The Earth Chronicles."
Oscars 2026: Indian documentary "The Last Forest" won Best Documentary Feature.
Arjuna Awards 2026: 25 sportspersons honored. Includes 5 para-athletes.

Important Appointments - May 2026

Chief Election Commissioner: Shri Rajiv Kumar (new appointment)
CAG of India: Shri Girish Chandra Murmu
Attorney General: Shri R. Venkataramani
Solicitor General: Shri Tushar Mehta
NITI Aayog CEO: Shri BVR Subrahmanyam
ISRO Chairman: Shri V. Narayanan
RAW Chief: Shri Ravi Sinha
IB Chief: Shri Tapan Deka
RBI Governor: Shri Sanjay Malhotra
SEBI Chairman: Shri Tuhin Kanta Pandey
Lokpal Chairperson: Justice Ajay Manikrao Khanwilkar
Chief of Defence Staff: General Anil Chauhan

Science & Technology - May 2026

ISRO: Gaganyaan mission crew module testing completed. First manned mission scheduled for 2027.
Chandrayaan-4: Announced for lunar sample return mission by 2028.
AI Regulation: India released National AI Strategy 2.0. ₹10,000 crore allocated for AI research.
Green Hydrogen: India achieved 5 MMT annual production capacity target ahead of schedule.
Quantum Computing: IISc Bangalore developed India's first indigenous quantum processor.
Medical Science: India developed indigenous Malaria vaccine. Phase 3 trials showed 75% efficacy.

Important Days - May 2026

May 1: International Labour Day / Maharashtra Day / Gujarat Day
May 3: World Press Freedom Day
May 8: World Red Cross Day
May 11: National Technology Day (India)
May 15: International Day of Families
May 21: Anti-Terrorism Day (India)
May 22: International Day for Biological Diversity
May 31: World No Tobacco Day

West Bengal Specific News - May 2026

Join our GK classes at Jadavpur or Dumdum Nagerbazar. Get daily current affairs capsules, monthly digests, and 5000+ GA practice questions.

Duare Sarkar 5.0: 15 government services now available at doorstep. 2 crore beneficiaries registered.
Kolkata Metro: Orange Line (New Garia - Airport) partially opened. East-West Line fully operational.
West Bengal Economy: GSDP growth at 8.1%. Kolkata ranked among top 10 startup ecosystems in India.
Sunderbans Tourism: UNESCO heritage site visitor limit increased with eco-friendly infrastructure.
Education: West Bengal government schools digitalized. Free tablets provided to 10 lakh students.

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Frequently Asked Questions

For SSC CGL, focus on the last 12 months before the exam. For Tier I (expected early 2027), cover January 2026 to December 2026 thoroughly.

Monthly digests from reliable sources like Shortcut Maths are sufficient for most students. However, if you have time, reading The Hindu editorial daily improves vocabulary and comprehension for English sections too.

Bank exams focus heavily on Banking Awareness, RBI policies, Economic news, and Financial schemes. General news is less important compared to SSC.

Yes! All Shortcut Maths students get free monthly CA PDFs, daily CA quizzes on our app, and weekly CA classes. Non-students can access our blog for key updates.

Use the 5W Method (Who, What, When, Where, Why), make short notes, attempt daily quizzes, and revise weekly. Spaced repetition is the key to memory retention.

Last updated: May 3, 2026. For daily current affairs, follow Shortcut Maths on social media or call +91-9804490328.

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