DAILY GK 7-9 MAY 2026
1.
INTERNATIONAL WORKERS’ DAY 2026 – MAY 1
·
International Workers’ Day,
also known as International Labour Day,
is observed annually across the world on May 1.
·
In India, International Workers’ Day is also
known as ‘May Day’, ‘AntarRashtriyaShramik Divas’, and ‘Kamgar
Din’.
·
The day traces back to the Haymarket Affair on May 4, 1886, when a
peaceful rally demanding an eight-hour workday turned violent
after a bomb explosion, marking a defining moment in the global struggle for
workers’ rights.
·
In India, the day was first observed on May
1, 1923, in Chennai (then Madras) by the LabourKisan Party of
Hindustan .
2. WORLD
PRESS FREEDOM DAY 2026 – MAY 3
·
The United Nation (UN’s) World
Press Freedom Day or World Press Day is observed annually across
the globe on May 3 to promote freedom of expression,
assess global press freedom conditions, and honour journalists.
·
2026 Theme: “Shaping a Future at Peace”
·
In 1991, UNESCO 26th General Conference
recommended May 3 for observance, which was formally proclaimed in 1993 by the
United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
·
The
first World Press Freedom Day was observed on May 3, 1994.
·
The
Sudanese Journalists Syndicate, (Sudan), an independent body, was
awarded the 2026 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize .
·
Reporters
Without Borders (RSF) released RSF World Press Freedom Index (WPFI) 2026 .
·
The
top 3 countries in the 2026 index are Norway (1st), Netherlands (2nd), Estonia (3rd) and India ranks 157th with a score of 31.96.
3. INTERNATIONAL
LEOPARD DAY 2026 – MAY 3
·
International Leopard Day is
observed across the globe on 3 May to raise
awareness about protecting leopards, (Pantherapardus),
one of the most adaptable big cats and to encourage peaceful coexistence between
humans and leopards.
·
The day
was officially recognised after the Global
Leopard Conference in 2023, the
first international gathering on leopard conservation.
·
Listed
as “Vulnerable” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List under criteria
A2cd due to population decline.
4. WORLD
LAUGHTER DAY 2026 – MAY 3
·
World Laughter Day (WLD)
is observed on the first Sunday of May
·
2026 Theme: “World Peace through Laughter”
·
In 1998,
World Laughter Day (WLD) was initiated by Dr. Madan Kataria,
a Mumbai based physician and founder of the Laughter Yoga Movement, promoting
laughter as a form of exercise.
·
The first World Laughter Day was celebrated
in Mumbai on 11 January 1998.
·
The first WLD event outside India, titled “HAPPY-DEMIC,” was held on 9 January
2000 in Copenhagen, Denmark.
5.
INTERNATIONAL FIREFIGHTERS’
DAY 2026 – MAY 4
·
IFFD was initiated to honour five fire fighters Garry Vredeveldt, Chris
Evans, Stuart Davidson, Jason Thomas, and Matthew Armstrong, who lost their lives in a 1998 wildfire in Linden, Australia.
·
The first IFFD was observed
on May 4, 1999.
6. WORLD
HAND HYGIENE DAY 2026 – MAY 5
·
World Hand Hygiene Day (WHHD) is
observed annually by the World Health Organization(WHO) to
promote awareness on proper hand hygiene practices and their role in preventing
infectious diseases.
·
2026 Theme: “Action saves lives– Safer care starts
with clean hands”.
·
WHHD aligns with the “SAVE LIVES: Clean Your Hands” campaign, which promotes
evidence-based hand hygiene practices worldwide to reduce Healthcare-Associated
Infections (HAIs).
·
The campaign began under the WHO’s First
Global Patient Safety Challenge: Clean Care is Safer Care in 2009.
7. WORLD
ASTHMA DAY 2026 – MAY 5
·
World Asthma Day(WAD) is
annually observed across the globe on the
first Tuesday of May.
·
2026 Theme: “Access to anti-inflammatory inhalers
for everyone with asthma, still an urgent need”.
·
WAD
was first observed in 1998 during the
inaugural World Asthma Meeting in
Barcelona, Spain, with participation from over 35 countries.
8. BORDER
ROADS ORGANISATION RAISING DAY 2026 – MAY 7
·
The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) celebrates
its Raising Day annually on 7 May to commemorate its
establishment in 1960
·
The BRO was established on 7 May
1960 .
·
Earlier,
on 14 March 1960, the Union Cabinet approved the formation of the Border Roads Development Board (BRDB)
under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister (PM) of India .
·
In 1985, the BRDB was reconstituted under the
chairmanship of the Defence Minister to align it more closely with national
security priorities.
9. WORLD
RED CROSS AND RED CRESCENT DAY 2026 – MAY 8
·
World Red Cross and Red
Crescent Day is annually observed across the globe
on May 8 to honour the principles and humanitarian
efforts of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.
·
The day
commemorates the birth anniversary of Henry
Dunant (8 May 1828 – 30 October 1910), founder of the
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the first laureate of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1901.
·
2026 Theme: ‘United in Humanity’.
·
The
first International Red Cross Day was celebrated on 8
May 1948 and was later renamed
World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day in 1984 to recognise the inclusion of
Red Crescent Societies.
10. MOF
AMENDS FEMA RULES
·
The Ministry of Finance (MoF) notified
amendments to the Foreign Exchange Management (Non-debt
Instruments) (Second Amendment) Rules, 2026, allowing 100% Foreign
Direct Investment (FDI) in Indian
insurance companies and insurance intermediaries via the automatic route, subject to
regulatory approval and compliance with the Insurance Act, 1938.
·
MoF has clarified that foreign investment in Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC)
continues to be capped at 20% under
the automatic route.
11. ADB
LAUNCHES USD 70 BILLION INITIATIVE TO CONNECT ASIA’S POWER GRIDS
·
The Asian Development Bank (ADB)
launched a USD 70 billion initiative to expand energy
and digital infrastructure across Asia-Pacific by 2035, enhancing
connectivity, power trade, broadband access, and regional resilience.
·
It was
announced during its 59th Annual Meeting
held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
·
The
ADB introduced two key programmes to enhance cross-border
connectivity and expand access to electricity and broadband a USD 50 billion Pan-Asia Power Grid Initiative and USD 20 billion Asia-Pacific
Digital Highway
·
A
Center for AI Innovation and Development will be set up in Seoul,South
Korea backed by a USD 20 million contribution from the Government of the
Republic of Korea, to promote responsible and inclusive AI adoption.
12. NSE
LAUNCHES ELECTRONIC GOLD RECEIPTS
·
The National Stock Exchange of India (NSE)
launched Electronic Gold Receipts (EGR) segment,
with approval from the Securities and
Exchange Board of India (SEBI), to create a transparent
and efficient gold trading ecosystem by enhancing price discovery, broadening
participation, and strengthening investor confidence.
·
EGRs are dematerialised
securities backed by physical gold stored in SEBI-approved vaults, traded
electronically on exchanges to formalise gold investments.
·
No Goods and Services Tax (GST) is applicable on EGR trading until
conversion into physical gold.
·
The platform serves jewellers, refiners, traders, and institutional players,
while also enabling retail investors to invest in gold in smaller, secure
denominations.
13. SCHEDULED
COMMERCIAL BANKS RECORD ROBUST CREDIT GROWTH
·
According to data release by the Ministry of
Finance (MoF), Scheduled Commercial Banks (SCBs) recorded
a 15.9% year-on-year
(Y-o-Y) growth in non-food credit
during Financial Year 2025–26 (FY26), an increase
of 497 basis points (bps) compared to 10.9% in the corresponding period of
2025.
·
Credit
to agriculture and allied activities grew by 15.7%,
up from 10.4% in FY25, indicating continued strength in rural demand and
improved credit flow to the farm sector.
·
The credit deployment to the industrial sector expanded at almost double the
rate to 15.0%, against 8.2% growth
registered last year.
·
The
services sector, which accounts for around 28% of
total credit, recorded the highest growth at 19%, up from
12% in the previous year.
14. FRP
FOR SUGARCANE FOR 2026-27 SEASON
·
The Cabinet Committee on Economic
Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi,
approved the proposal to increase the Fair
and Remunerative Price (FRP) payable to sugarcane farmers (GannaKisan) to
Rs 365 per quintal for 2026-27 season, at a basic recovery rate
of 10.25%.
·
The
revised FRP marks an increase of 2.81%
compared to Rs 355 per quintal for the current season (2025-26).
·
The Union Cabinet chaired by PM Narendra
Modi, approved ‘Mission for Cotton Productivity (2026-27
to 2030-31)’ with total budget outlay of Rs 5659.22 crore.
·
The new mission aligns with the Government of
India (GoI)’s5F vision (Farm to Fibre to Factory to Fashion to Foreign).
15. DFS
APPROVES VIABILITY PLAN 2.0 FOR RRB
·
The Department of Financial Services (DFS), under
the Ministry of Finance(MoF), approved Viability Plan 2.0 to
institutionalize performance monitoring and strengthen governance reforms for
Regional Rural Banks (RRBs).
·
Viability Plan 2.0 is based on 30
performance parameters under four pillars to improve financial performance and strengthen monitoring
mechanisms of RRBs, such as operational excellence, asset quality,
profitability, and growth.
·
The
plan evaluates RRBs based on indicators such as Capital to Risk
Weighted Assets Ratio (CRAR), credit-deposit ratio, digital adoption,
Non-Performing Asset (NPA) levels, recovery performance, profitability ratios,
and implementation of Government of India (GoI) schemes.
16. SEBI SETS
UP ‘CYBER-SURAKSHA.AI’ TASK FORCE
·
Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)
constituted a dedicated task force ‘Cyber-suraksha.ai’ to
evaluate cybersecurity risks arising
from advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools and strengthen
cyber resilience.
·
The Cyber Suraksha AI will comprise
representatives from Market Infrastructure Institutions (MIIs),
Qualified Registrar and Transfer Agents (QRTAs), Regulated
Entities (REs) and other stakeholders.
17. GDP
CALCULATION WITH 2022-23 AS NEW BASE YEAR
·
The National Statistics Office (NSO),
Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoS&PI)
notified uniform guidelines for compiling
Gross State Value Added (GSVA), with 2022-23 as
the new base year.
·
The MoS&PI has updated the base year of
the National Accounts to 2022-23.
·
In line with this change, states and Union Territories (UTs)
are required to adopt the new base year for compilation of Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP).
·
At present, 34 states
and UTs compile GSDP estimates using 2011-12 as
the base year, except Lakshadweep, Dadra
and Nagar Haveli and Daman
and Diu (DNH&DD).
