Current Affairs 12 May 2026

National Affairs

Overview of PM Narendra Modi's Visit to Karnataka and Telangana on 10 May 2026

Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi visited Karnataka and Telangana on 10 May 2026 to participate in the Art of Living's 45th anniversary in Bengaluru and inaugurate/dedicate projects worth around ₹9,400 crore in Hyderabad, including infrastructure, rail, and healthcare initiatives.

The visit included the inauguration of India's first functional Pradhan Mantri Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel (PM MITRA) Park in Warangal, Telangana.

Visit to Karnataka:

• Participated in the 45th anniversary celebrations of The Art of Living and attended the 70th birthday celebrations of Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in Bengaluru.
• Inaugurated the newly constructed Dhyan Mandir at the Art of Living International Centre.

Visit to Telangana:

• Laid the foundation stone for four-laning of NH-167 from Gudebellur to Mahabubnagar under the Hyderabad-Panaji Economic Corridor at a cost exceeding ₹3,175 crore.
• Laid the foundation stone for the Zaheerabad Industrial Area in Sangareddy district.
• Dedicated IOCL's Malkapur Terminal Project in Hyderabad and Sindhu Hospital in Hyderabad.

AIFF & Odisha Government Renew 5-Year MoU to Strengthen Youth Football Development

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) and the Department of Sports and Youth Services (DSYS), Government of Odisha, signed a renewed five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to continue and expand their elite youth football development partnership.

The MoU was signed by Vijay Yeddula, Director of Sports, DSYS, and M. Satyanarayan, Deputy Secretary General of AIFF, in the presence of AIFF Technical Director Syed Sabir Pasha.

Background: The collaboration began with an MoU signed in November 2023 under the AIFF-FIFA Talent Academy initiative, supported by FIFA's Talent Development Scheme.

New Framework: Introduces a structured framework with defined roles, governance mechanisms, performance benchmarks, and financial commitments.

Roles & Support:

International Affairs

India Hands Over IUCAA Banner to SAAO to Strengthen Scientific Cooperation

India's High Commissioner to South Africa, Prabhat Kumar, formally handed over the banner of the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) to the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) during a ceremony at the Royal Observatory in Cape Town, South Africa.

Handover: The banner will be displayed at the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT), one of the largest optical telescopes in the Southern Hemisphere, symbolising the strengthening India–South Africa scientific and astronomical partnership.

Collaboration Areas: Joint research, academic exchanges, and collaborative projects in astronomy and space sciences.

Cooperation: SALT highlighted collaboration with Indian researchers on a new camera detector and controller system; South African scientists are set to participate in astronomy meetings hosted by India during its 2026 BRICS chairship.

About IUCAA: Located in Pune, Maharashtra, focusing on research and education in astronomy and astrophysics.

Banking & Finance

RBI & ECB Sign MoU to Boost Central Banking Cooperation

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the European Central Bank (ECB) to enhance cooperation in the field of central banking.

Signatories: Dr. Sanjay Malhotra, Governor of RBI, and Christine Lagarde, President of ECB, on the sidelines of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) meetings in Basel, Switzerland.

Key Focus Area: Updates the previous agreement signed in 2015; establishes a framework for regular exchange of information, policy dialogue, and technical cooperation in areas of mutual interest in central banking.

Significance: Expected to bolster institutional engagement and collaboration on central banking practices and financial sector developments.

Delhi Metro Partners with Airtel Payments Bank to Launch RuPay 'On-The-Go' Cards

Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) partnered with Airtel Payments Bank to launch co-branded RuPay 'On-The-Go' National Common Mobility Cards (NCMC) for seamless digital payments and metro travel across India.

The announcement was made in the presence of Vikas Kumar, MD, DMRC, and Anubrata Biswas, MD & CEO, Airtel Payments Bank, in New Delhi, Delhi.

Objective: Promote the GoI's vision of 'One Nation, One Card' by enhancing interoperability, convenience, and cashless mobility solutions.

Key Feature: Single open-loop card usable across metro systems, buses, and other transit networks nationwide.

Card Variants:

Sustainability & Digital Access: Cards made using 99% recycled plastic to reduce carbon footprint; digitally rechargeable through DMRC or Airtel mobile apps.

Economy & Business

SBI Research Projects India's Q4 FY26 Growth at 7.2%

State Bank of India (SBI) released its latest Ecowrap Research report. India's real GDP is projected to reach nearly 7.2% in Q4 (January–March) of FY26, lower than the advanced estimates of 7.3% (projected in February 2026).

The report noted that despite global headwinds, the Indian economy has maintained robust growth momentum supported by rural demand, fiscal stimulus, and urban consumption.

Key Projections:

Awards & Recognitions

National Panchayat Awards 2025: 42 Panchayats Recognised; Karnataka Tops with 6 Awards

The Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) announced the winners of the National Panchayat Awards 2025 (NPA-2025), recognising 42 Panchayats for excellence in rural governance, sustainable development, sanitation, infrastructure, and grassroots leadership.

Karnataka topped with 6 awards, followed by Odisha and Andhra Pradesh (AP) with 5 awards each.

DDUPSVP (Deen Dayal Upadhyay Panchayat Satat Vikas Puraskar): 34 Gram Panchayats (GPs) across 17 States and UTs selected; awards linked to PAI 2.0 scores.

NDSPSVP (Nanaji Deshmukh Sarvottam Panchayat Satat Vikas Puraskar) 2025: 8 Panchayats selected:

Top Best GP Winners (NDSPSVP):

Appointments & Resignations

Suvendu Adhikari Sworn in as 9th CM of West Bengal — 1st BJP CM in State

Suvendu Adhikari, leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), was officially sworn in as the 9th Chief Minister (CM) of West Bengal (WB), becoming the first leader from the BJP to hold the post in the state. He succeeded Mamata Banerjee, who served as WB's CM since 2011.

Administered By: Ravindra Narayana Ravi, Governor of West Bengal, at Brigade Parade Grounds in Kolkata.

Election Result: In the 2026 WB Legislative Assembly elections, the BJP won 207 of 294 seats, ending the 15-year rule of the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC), which secured 80 seats.

Cabinet Induction: Senior BJP leaders — Dilip Ghosh, Agnimitra Paul, Nisith Pramanik, Ashok Kirtania, and Kshudiram Tudu — were inducted into the initial council of ministers.

TVK Founder C. Joseph Vijay Takes Oath as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister

C. Joseph Vijay (Perambur constituency), founder of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), was sworn in as the 13th Chief Minister (CM) of Tamil Nadu, succeeding Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin.

The ceremony took place at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai, TN, where Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath.

Leader of Opposition: Udhayanidhi Stalin of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), representing Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni constituency, became the 19th Leader of the Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly.

Immediate Announcements (3 Major Files Signed):

• 200 Units Free Electricity for all domestic consumers using up to 500 units
• Singappen Special Task Force for women's safety
• Anti-Narcotic Task Force (ANTF) to curb drug trafficking across Tamil Nadu

SAIL Appoints Ashok Kumar Panda as New Chairman & MD

Ashok Kumar Panda has been appointed as the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of the Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), under the Ministry of Steel (MoS), effective 9 May 2026.

He succeeded Krishna Kumar Singh, who held additional charge as interim MD & CEO after Amarendu Prakash stepped down on 1 April 2026.

Science & Technology

Indian Coast Guard Commissions Indigenous FPV 'ICGS Achal' in Goa

The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) commissioned ICGS Achal, the fifth in the series of eight new-generation Adamya-class Fast Patrol Vessels (FPV), at Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) in Goa.

Formally commissioned by A. Anbarasu, Additional Secretary & DG (Acquisition), MoD, in the presence of IG Tekur Sashi Kumar, Commander, Coast Guard Region (North-West).

Supports: GoI's Atmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India initiatives with indigenous controllable pitch propellers and high-precision gearboxes.

DRDO Successfully Conducts 1,200-Second Scramjet Combustor Test in Hyderabad, Telangana

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), through its laboratory Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), successfully conducted a long-duration test of an Actively Cooled Full-Scale Scramjet Combustor at the Scramjet Connect Pipe Test (SCPT) Facility in Hyderabad, Telangana, achieving a run-time of over 1,200 seconds.

The test validates the combustor design and strengthens India's Hypersonic Cruise Missile Development Programme.

Agni MIRV Missile Test:

Sports

Shanghai Hyundai Archery World Cup Stage 2: India Women's Recurve Team Wins Gold

The 20th edition of the Shanghai Hyundai Archery World Cup Stage 2 was held in Shanghai, China, from 5–11 May 2026. India won 2 medals — a gold by the women's recurve team and a bronze by Sahil Jadhav.

Türkiye topped the medal tally with 6 medals (2G, 3S, 1B), followed by China with 5 medals (2G, 2S, 1B) and South Korea with 5 medals (2G, 1S, 2B).

India's Medals:

Overview: The 2026 Hyundai Archery World Cup is the annual international circuit organised by World Archery, held from 7 April to 13 September 2026 in 5 stages.

Obituary

Australian Tennis Legend Mal Anderson Passes Away

Australian tennis legend Mal Anderson, former World No. 2, passed away at the age of 91 in Australia. He was born on 3 March 1935 in Theodore, Queensland, Australia.

Profile: Began playing tennis on a dirt court; became one of Australia's leading and most respected players during the 1950s and 1970s.

Historic Achievement: In 1957, became the first unseeded player to win the U.S. National Championships (now the US Open) men's singles title by defeating fellow Australian Ashley Cooper in the final.

Major Achievements:

• Multiple Grand Slam doubles titles, including the 1973 Australian Open doubles
• Represented Australia in Davis Cup-winning teams in 1957 and 1973
• Runner-up at the 1972 Australian Open

Honours:

Books & Authors

Union Minister Amit Shah Releases Tushar Mehta's Books 'The Bench, the Bar, and the Bizarre' and 'The Lawful and The Awful'

Union Minister Amit Shah, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), released 2 books titled "The Bench, the Bar, and the Bizarre" and "The Lawful and the Awful", authored by Tushar Mehta, Solicitor General of India, at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, Delhi.

Published By: Rupa Publications India.

Objective: Provide readers with insights into legal practice, advocacy, and judicial proceedings through real-life experiences and anecdotes.

Content: Presents courtroom experiences, legal observations, and reflections from the professional journey of Tushar Mehta in India's judicial system.

Focus Areas: Bench-Bar interactions, constitutional values, legal ethics, and notable courtroom incidents.

Important Days at a Glance

Current Affairs 12 May 2026