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Daily Current Affairs: 20 May 2026

Current affairs of 20 May 2026: Palamu Tiger Reserve: India’s First AI Elephant Centre; Panzath Nag Spring Festival of Anantnag Explained; Royal Order of the Polar Star Awarded to PM Modi, and 16 more topics. Key facts for every exam, with a quiz.

Take the quiz (15 questions)May 2026
19 TOPICSDaily CurrentAffairs20 May 2026In focus: Palamu Tiger Reserve: India’s First AI…safalsetu.com

In this issue: 19 topics

National Affairs

  1. Supreme Court Judges’ Strength Raised to 38 by Ordinance
  2. V. D. Satheesan Sworn In as 13th Kerala Chief Minister
  3. Saurabh Vijay Takes Over as UIDAI Chief Executive Officer
  4. World Hypertension Day 2026: Theme and Origin

Government Schemes

  1. NIOS ‘To Reach the Unreached’ Drive for Out-of-School Teens

Banking & Finance

  1. Banks Seek RBI Relief on 3-Year Rule for InvIT Loans
  2. RBI Draft Pillar 3 Disclosure Norms for Banks’ Capital Adequacy
  3. Yashwant Co-operative Bank Licence Cancelled by RBI
  4. Gunveer Singh Named RBI Executive Director for Payments
  5. TVS Motor Plans Up to 9.9% Stake in Jana Small Finance Bank

International Affairs

  1. IDAHOBIT 2026: Theme and Origin of 17 May Observance

Science & Technology

  1. Google-Blackstone USD 5 Billion AI Cloud Joint Venture
  2. World Telecommunication and Information Society Day 2026 theme

Environment & Ecology

  1. Palamu Tiger Reserve: India’s First AI Elephant Centre
  2. Panzath Nag Spring Festival of Anantnag Explained

Defence & Security

  1. AMCA Programme Facility in Andhra Pradesh: Rajnath Lays Stone
  2. US Clears USD 428.2 Million Defence Support for India

Awards & Persons

  1. Royal Order of the Polar Star Awarded to PM Modi
  2. Italian Open 2026 Winners: Sinner, Svitolina and Bolelli-Vavassori

National Affairs

Polity & Governance

1. Supreme Court Judges’ Strength Raised to 38 by Ordinance

  • The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Ordinance, 2026 raises sanctioned judges from 33 to 37, excluding the CJI.
  • Total court strength rises from 34 to 38 including the Chief Justice of India.
  • The President acted under Article 123 as Parliament was not in session; over 80,000 cases are pending in the Supreme Court.
  • An ordinance lapses six weeks after Parliament reassembles unless approved, so it cannot last beyond about 7.5 months.
Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Government Schemes

Banking & Finance

Economy

6. Banks Seek RBI Relief on 3-Year Rule for InvIT Loans

  • Banks urged the RBI to ease the three-year operating-history requirement for lending to InvITs, effective 1 July 2026.
  • Under the March 2026 directions, banks may lend only to listed REITs and InvITs with three years of operations and no adverse regulatory action in three years.
  • SEBI in May 2026 allowed InvITs fresh borrowings above 49% of asset value for capex and capacity addition.
  • CRISIL expects road-sector InvIT assets under management to rise 30% to ₹3.9 lakh crore by end-FY26.
Full notes and 3 MCQs ›
Economy

7. RBI Draft Pillar 3 Disclosure Norms for Banks’ Capital Adequacy

  • RBI circulated draft rules on how commercial banks disclose capital adequacy, tuned to Basel's Pillar 3 market-discipline pillar.
  • Goals: reduce information asymmetry and make bank risk profiles comparable.
  • Disclosures apply at the top consolidated level and to unlisted entities too; they must come with financial reports.
  • Banks need a disclosure policy cleared by their Board, and Whole-Time Directors must certify compliance in writing.
Full notes and 3 MCQs ›
Economy

8. Yashwant Co-operative Bank Licence Cancelled by RBI

  • RBI cancelled the licence of Yashwant Co-operative Bank, Phaltan (Maharashtra); it stopped banking at close of business on 19 May 2026.
  • Reasons: inadequate capital and no earning prospects; the Maharashtra Registrar was asked to order winding up and appoint a liquidator.
  • DICGC covers up to ₹5 lakh per depositor; 99.02% of depositors get full amounts; ₹106.96 crore was paid by 20 April 2026.
  • DICGC's limit rose from ₹1 lakh to ₹5 lakh in February 2020 after the PMC Bank crisis.
Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

International Affairs

Science & Technology

Environment & Ecology

Environment & Ecology

15. Panzath Nag Spring Festival of Anantnag Explained

  • Panzath Nag Spring Conservation Festival is a centuries-old community event at Panzath village, Anantnag district, Jammu and Kashmir.
  • Villagers from about 45 communities in the Qazigund region clean the spring and channels, removing silt, weeds and waste.
  • Fish are caught only with wicker baskets and mosquito nets; destructive modern gear is avoided. 'Nag' means spring in Kashmiri.
Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Defence & Security

Awards & Persons

International Relations

18. Royal Order of the Polar Star Awarded to PM Modi

  • PM Modi became a Commander Grand Cross of Sweden's Royal Order of the Polar Star, the top Swedish honour open to a visiting head of government.
  • King Fredrik I founded the order in 1748 (17 April); its Latin motto is Nescit occasum.
  • Since the 1975 reforms it is limited to foreign citizens and stateless persons who served Sweden exceptionally.
  • The award came during a Stockholm stopover on a European tour that also covered the Netherlands and Norway.
Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Test yourself

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