Daily notes mapped to syllabus topics, with “Asked before” PYQs and original practice MCQs.
IITM Pune, under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, opened the open-field observatory of the Coastal Atmospheric Research Testbed (C-ART) at Andhra University, Visakhapatnam, on 1 May 2026. Under Mission Mausam, it will study monsoon convection and rain physics on the east coast to improve weather models and early warnings for cyclones.
UPSC angle: Prelims: MoES institutes.
1 May 2026
Houselisting and Housing Census (HLO), Phase 1 of Census 2027, began on 1 May 2026 in Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Haryana, Chandigarh, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh after a 15-day self-enumeration window. About 82 lakh households have already self-enumerated online. HLO uses 33 notified questions on housing, amenities and assets.
UPSC angle: Prelims: Census Act.
1 May 2026
The Bureau of Indian Standards has published standards for priority assistive products listed in ICMR's National List of Essential Assistive Products (NLEAP). They cover elbow crutches, walking sticks, multi-leg sticks, tactile guide maps, braille on signage and portable ramps. Two, on walking sticks and portable ramps, are indigenous standards.
UPSC angle: Prelims: RPwD Act.
1 May 2026
The Great Nicobar Project will build a 14.2 million TEU transhipment port at Galathea Bay, a greenfield international airport, a 450 MVA gas-solar power plant and a township on 166.10 sq km of the island, in three phases from 2025, the last in 2042–47. It diverts 1.82% of A&N forest cover and proposes no displacement of the Shompen or Nicobarese.
UPSC angle: Mains: development vs environment.
1 May 2026
UPI, launched by NPCI on 11 April 2016 under RBI oversight, completed ten years in 2026. In FY 2025-26 it handled about 24,162 crore transactions worth about ₹314 lakh crore, up from 2 crore in FY 2016-17. It has 703 banks, carries 85% of India's digital payments and about 49% of the world's real-time payment volume.
UPSC angle: Prelims: NPCI, UPI facts.
30 Apr 2026
TRAI released a consultation paper on the Regulatory Framework for Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) Communication on 30 April 2026. DoT had asked for recommendations on 1 December 2025 under clause 11(1)(a) of the TRAI Act, 1997. Comments are due by 28 May 2026 and counter-comments by 11 June 2026.
UPSC angle: Prelims: V2X.
30 Apr 2026
The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Rules, 2026 came into force on 1 May 2026. They put the PROG Act, 2025 into action: an Online Gaming Authority of India under MeitY, a 90-day test to decide if a game is a banned money game, registration for e-sports, user safety features and a two-tier appeal system.
UPSC angle: Prelims: Online Gaming Act provisions.
30 Apr 2026
On 30 April 2026 the Srinagar–Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Vande Bharat Express was extended to Jammu Tawi, linking Jammu and Srinagar by a direct passenger train for the first time. Coaches rose from 8 to 20. The train is built for sub-zero conditions, and the USBRL line is also moving freight such as apples.
UPSC angle: Prelims: USBRL, Chenab bridge.
30 Apr 2026
The Mines Ministry has found 58 companies eligible under the ₹1,500 crore Incentive Scheme for Promotion of Critical Mineral Recycling, part of the National Critical Mineral Mission. They pledged about 850 KTPA of recycling capacity and about ₹5,000 crore of investment, covering battery recycling, e-waste and other waste. Project execution is the next stage.
UPSC angle: Prelims: NCMM.
30 Apr 2026
MoSPI released the 27th edition of "Women and Men in India 2025: Selected Indicators and Data" at Bhubaneswar on 29 April 2026. It shows the sex ratio at birth rose from 904 (2017-19) to 917 (2021-23). Rural female LFPR rose from 37.5% to 45.9% during 2022 to 2025, and schools have reached gender parity.
UPSC angle: Prelims: SRB trends.
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