Current Affairs Quiz - May 2026

Notes:
Scientists discovered two new firefly species named Diaphanes meghalayanus and Diaphanes mawlynnong. They were found in the East Khasi Hills of Meghalaya. This marks the first formal documentation of firefly species from the state. The name meghalayanus reflects its regional distribution, while mawlynnong is named after Mawlynnong. The naming also acknowledges the local Khasi community. Both species thrive in dark, humid environments with minimal human disturbance. The discovery highlights the rich biodiversity of Northeast India.

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India’s first commercial seaplane service has been approved by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. The operator is SkyHop Aviation. The initial launch of services will be in Lakshadweep. It will connect five islands internally and link them to the mainland. Trial water take-offs and landings were conducted in Rishikesh. The service will use a 19-seater aircraft and improve connectivity to remote regions. It is expected to boost tourism and reduce travel time in island areas.

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United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) partnered with Sikkim government to document Ru-Soam bridges. Ru-Soam is a traditional cane bridge built by the Lepcha community in Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve. ‘Ru’ means cane and ‘Soam’ means bridge in Lepcha language. Bridges can extend up to 100 metres and support limited people. It reflects ecological balance and indigenous engineering knowledge. These bridges are still functional and represent sustainable design practices.

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Mount Dukono recently erupted, sending an ash column up to 1,400 meters above its summit. It is an active volcano located on Halmahera Island in North Maluku, Indonesia. The volcano has a broad, low profile with multiple summit peaks and overlapping craters. It lies within the Pacific Ring of Fire. Since 1933, it has shown continuous volcanic activity with frequent eruptions and ash emissions. Its eruptions are both explosive and effusive, producing lava flows and mudflows.

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The Reserve Bank of India reshuffled portfolios among deputy governors after the appointment of Rohit Jain for a three-year term. Rohit Jain succeeded T. Rabi Sankar and took charge of key departments like corporate strategy, IT, fintech, foreign exchange, and risk monitoring. Currency management and payment systems were reassigned to Shirish Chandra Murmu.
Swaminathan J became the senior-most deputy governor and took over the secretary’s department along with supervision-related functions. Poonam Gupta retained her existing portfolios including monetary policy and economic research. The reshuffle aims to streamline responsibilities and improve coordination within RBI operations.

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The 2nd BRICS Employment Working Group (EWG) Meeting was held in Thiruvananthapuram under India’s Presidency. Delegations from China, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Indonesia, Russia, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates participated in the meeting. The meeting focused on three major areas: social security and labour formalisation, women’s workforce participation, and skills development. The discussions emphasized the need for inclusive social protection systems, greater participation of women in the workforce, and responsive skill development systems.

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Researchers have recorded Lutjanus arakan, a rare species of snapper fish, in Indian waters for the first time at Gopalpur-on-Sea in the Ganjam district of Odisha. Lutjanus arakan belongs to the Lutjanidae family, a group of marine fishes commonly known as snappers that are mainly found in tropical and subtropical coastal waters. Snapper fishes are ecologically important because they act as mid-level predators in reef and coastal ecosystems, helping maintain marine ecological balance. The species was earlier recorded only along the coast of Bangladesh, making this discovery significant for Indian marine biodiversity and fish taxonomy studies.

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Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched JANANI to strengthen maternal and child healthcare services in India. JANANI stands for Journey of Antenatal, Natal and Neonatal Integrated Care and is an upgraded version of the Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) portal. The platform digitally tracks antenatal care, delivery, postnatal care, newborn care, immunisation, and family planning services. JANANI introduces QR-enabled digital Mother and Child Health cards, automated alerts for high-risk pregnancies, real-time dashboards, and reminder systems for timely healthcare services.

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Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme is a flagship scheme of the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises implemented through the Khadi and Village Industries Commission to promote entrepreneurship and self-employment. The scheme provides Margin Money subsidy on bank loans for setting up new micro-enterprises in the non-farm sector, especially in rural areas. During the 15th Finance Commission cycle from 2021–22 to 2025–26, PMEGP helped establish more than 4 lakh micro-enterprises and generated employment for about 36.33 lakh people.

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India will host the inaugural World Yogasana Championship from 4 to 8 June 2026 at TransStadia in Ahmedabad with participation from more than 40 countries. The championship is organised under World Yogasana and hosted by Yogasana Bharat. Selection trials for the Indian Yogasana team were held at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) Centre in Sonepat, Haryana. Yogasana combines yoga with competitive sports and performances are judged on balance, flexibility, precision, stability, and difficulty level under standardised rules.