DAILY GK 21-23 MAY 2026
1. GLOBAL
WATER AWARDS
·
The Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage
Board (BWSSB), Bengaluru, Karnataka, secured a place among the top five global water
utilities across three major award categories at
the 2026 Global Water Awards presented during the
Global Water Summit 2026 held in Madrid, Spain.
·
BWSSB
became the only Indian water utility to receive top-five global recognition in 3
categories such as Utility of the Year
2026, Sustainable Development Goal 6
(SDG-6) Champion of the year 2026, Water Project of the Year 2026.
·
Utility
of the Year 2026 category: BWSSB
secured a place among the top five
global utilities in the alongside
Sabesp of Brazil, which received distinction, and National Water Company of Saudi Arabia, which won the award.
·
SDG-6 Champion of the year
2026: It was ranked among
the global top five in the SDG-6 Champion of the Year 2026 category for contributions to clean water and
sanitation, alongside Aguas Nuevas
of Chile, which received distinction, Indah
Water Konsortium of Malaysia, which won the award, SANASA of Brazil, and Sanepar of Brazil.
·
Water Project of the Year
2026: The Cauvery Stage V Drinking Water Project of BWSSB
was shortlisted among the world’s top five in the Water Project of the Year 2026 category, with the Upper Wawa Bulk Water Project of the Philippines winning the award and the Surat Advanced Ultrafiltration Plant of
India receiving distinction.
2.
FIRST INDIAN TEST PILOT
ELECTED FELLOW OF SETP, USA
·
Group Captain Kolal Krishnamurthy (K.K.)
Venugopal (Retd), Executive Group of Hindustan Aeronautics
Limited (HAL), became the first Indian test pilot to
be elected as a Fellow of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots (SETP), USA.
·
SETP is
an international organisation that aims to promote air safety and contribute to
aeronautical advancements.
3.
ASIAN WEIGHTLIFTING
CHAMPIONSHIPS 2026
·
The Asian Weightlifting
Championships (AWC) 2026 was held in Gandhinagar,
Gujarat
·
India won 10
medals including 1 silver and 9 bronze
·
China topped
the medal tally with 41 medals (21 gold, 12
silver, 8 bronze).
·
North Korea finished second with 30 medals (18 gold, 11 silver, 1 bronze).
·
Chinese Taipei secured third place with 13 medals (3
gold, 7 silver, 3 bronze).
·
Gyaneshwari Yadav
secured a silver medal in the women’s 53 kilogram
(kg) snatch event along with a bronze medal in the overall category.
4. ITALIAN
OPEN TENNIS 2026
·
The 83rd edition
of the Italian Open 2026, officially known as the Internazionali BNL
d’Italia 2026, was an annual professional tennis tournament held
in Rome, Italy.
·
In Men’s singles, Italy’s Jannik Sinner defeated
Norway’s Casper Ruud with a scoreline of 6–4, 6–4 to win the Italian Open 2026
title.
·
In Women’s singles, Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina overcame
the United States America (USA)’s Coco Gauff 6–4, 6–7(3), 6–2 to clinch the
title.
5. MULTINATIONAL
MILITARY EXERCISE PRAGATI 2026
·
The first edition of
Multilateral Military Exercise Partnership
of Regional Armies for Growth and Transformation in the Indian Ocean
Region(PRAGATI 2026) at the Foreign Training Node (FTN), Umroi Military Station in Meghalaya.
·
The
two-week exercise, organised by the Indian Army (IA) is
being conducted with participation from
12 friendly nations across the Indian Ocean Region and Southeast Asia.
·
The exercise was conducted under India’s
SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) Doctrine.
·
Along
with India, military contingents from 12 countries namely
Bhutan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal,
Philippines, Seychelles, Sri Lanka and Vietnam are participating in the
exercise.
6.
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF LIVING TOGETHER IN PEACE
2026 – MAY 16
·
The United Nations (UN) observes the
International Day of Living Together in Peace annually on 16
May to promote peace, tolerance, inclusion, understanding, and
solidarity across the world.
·
2026 Theme: “Building Trust
through Dialogue, Inclusion and Reconciliation”.
·
The first International Day of Living
Together in Peace was observed on 16 May 2018.
7. INTERNATIONAL
DAY OF LIGHT 2026 – MAY 16
·
The International Day of Light (IDL)
is annually observed on May 16 by the United Nations
(UN) to highlight the role of light-based technologies and commemorate Theodore
Maiman’s first successful laser operation in 1960.
·
2026 Theme: “Light for a Sustainable Future.”
·
The IDL traces its origins to the
International Year of Light and Light-based Technologies (IYL 2015), proclaimed
by the UN General Assembly (UNGA) on December 20, 2013.
·
The first official IDL was celebrated on May
16, 2018.
8. NATIONAL
DENGUE DAY 2026 – MAY 16
·
National Dengue Day is
observed every year on May 16 across India to raise
awareness about dengue fever and strengthen pre-monsoon prevention efforts
through mosquito control, early detection, and community participation to
prevent outbreaks.
·
2026 Theme: “Community Participation for Dengue
Control: Check, Clean and Cover”.
·
Association
of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Dengue Day is observed annually on June 15.
9. WORLD
HYPERTENSION DAY 2026 – MAY 17
·
The World Health Organization (WHO) observes World
Hypertension Day (WHD) every year on 17 May to
raise awareness about hypertension (high Blood Pressure), and promote early
detection, monitoring, and treatment to prevent related health complications.
·
2026 Theme: “Controlling Hypertension Together: check
your blood pressure regularly, defeat the silent killer”.
·
The first WHD was celebrated
on 14th May 2005.
10. INTERNATIONAL
MUSEUM DAY 2026 – MAY 18
·
International Museum Day (IMD) is
observed globally on 18 May by the International Council of Museums (ICOM)
to raise awareness about the role of museums as spaces for cultural exchange,
mutual understanding, cooperation, and peace among nations.
·
2026 Theme: “Museums Uniting a Divided World.”
·
IMD was established in 1977 through
a resolution adopted at the ICOM General Assembly in Moscow, Russia, to unite
museums worldwide and highlight their role in societal development.
11.
WORLD AIDS VACCINE DAY 2026
– MAY 18
·
World AIDS Vaccine Day, also
known as HIV Vaccine Awareness Day(HVAD), is observed annually on 18th
May to highlight the urgent need for an effective Human Immunodeficiency Viruses (HIV)/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS)
vaccine .
·
18th May commemorates
the 1997 speech delivered by former Bill
Clinton at Morgan State University, wherehe stressed the urgent
need for a preventive HIV vaccine.
·
The
first World AIDS Vaccine Day was observed on 18th
May 1998 to mark the anniversary of Bill Clinton’s landmark speech.
·
The red
ribbon symbolizes global awareness and support for people affected by
HIV/AIDS.
12. WORLD
BEE DAY 2026 – MAY 20
·
The United Nations (UN) observes World
Bee Day (WBD) every year on May 20 to
raise awareness about the importance of bees and other pollinators in supporting
biodiversity, food security, and sustainable development.
·
2026 Theme: “Bee Together for People and the Planet
– A partnership that sustains us all.”
·
May 20 marks the birth anniversary of Anton
Janša, an 18th-century Slovenian pioneer known for developing modern
apiculture techniques.
·
The first WBD was celebrated on 20 May 2018.
13. INDIA’S
1ST AI-POWERED PHYGITAL BANK BRANCH IN GUWAHATI
·
HimantaBiswaSarma, Chief
Minister of Assam, inaugurated India’s 1st Artificial
Intelligence(AI)-powered ‘phygital’ banking branch of Slice
Small Finance Bank (Slice SFB) in Guwahati, Assam.
·
The phygital banking model
combines physical banking infrastructure with advanced digital technologies to
offer seamless, faster, and customer-friendly banking services.
14. RBI AMENDS
DIRECTIONS ON IFR FOR VARIOUS BANK CATEGORIES
·
Investment Fluctuation
Reserve (IFR) is a reserve created by banks out of their profits to absorb losses from
mark-to-market (MTM) valuation changes in investments,
especially in government securities.
·
It is
an additional buffer that banks are
required to maintain to protect themselves against depreciation in the
value of their investment portfolios.
·
Under the revised norms, the requirement of IFR has been discontinued with
effect from May 18, 2026.
·
Reason for
discontinuation: The RBI removed the IFR requirement
because the existing capital and risk management norms already provide adequate
protection against investment risks.
15. RBI
IMPOSES REGULATORY RESTRICTIONS ON NAGAR SAHAKARI BANK
·
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) imposed
several regulatory restrictions on Etawah(Uttar
Pradesh, UP)-based co-operative bank, Nagar Sahakari Bank
Limited, due to deteriorating financial conditions and supervisory concerns.
·
The
directions were issued under the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, and will remain
effective for a specified period, subject to review by the RBI.
·
The restrictions include a withdrawal cap
of Rs 10,000 per customer across all savings,
current, and other deposit accounts for a period of six months due
to supervisory concerns.
·
Without the written prior approval of RBI,
the co-operative bank is not authorised
to grant loans, accept fresh deposits, or borrow funds.
·
Despite such restrictions, the bank is allowed to incur expenditure in
respect of certain essential items like: salaries of employees, rent,
electricity bills.
·
RBI has also clarified that the
restrictions imposed on the bank should
not be construed as cancellation of the banking licence.
·
The eligible depositors will get deposit
insurance claim amount of their deposits i.e. maximum Rs 5 lakh from
the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC).
16. RBI
CANCELS LICENCE OF YASHWANT CO-OPERATIVE BANK IN MAHARASHTRA
·
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
cancelled the licence of Maharashtra-based Yashwant
Co-operative Bank Limited with immediate effect, citing poor
financial health, inadequate capital, and regulatory violations.
·
RBI has restricted the UCB to carry out
banking operations, including acceptance and repayment of deposits.
17. INDIA’S
FIRST WEATHER DERIVATIVES CONTRACT “RAINMUMBAI”
·
The National Commodities and Derivatives
Exchange Limited (NCDEX) launched India’s first
exchange-traded weather derivatives contract, ‘RAINMUMBAI’, marking
the country’s entry into a regulated weather-risk trading market.
·
The new contract derivative, is designed to hedge the financial exposure of
rainfall extremes and variability in the city of Mumbai and its surrounding
area.
·
The new weather derivative contract was
developed in collaboration with Indian
Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT-B) and is
anchored in official rainfall data from the India Meteorological
Department (IMD).
·
The contract will use a tick size of 1 millimeter (mm) with a lot multiplier of
Rs 50 per mm and a maximum order size of Rs
50 lots.
