Select Daily Current Affairs Quiz 21st May 2026, Top 10 Questions |

Daily Current Affairs: 21st May, 2026

Q1. Which country is hosting the 68th Session of the Asian Productivity Organization (APO) Governing Body in May 2026?

(a) Japan

(b) Singapore

(d) Thailand

(e) South Korea

Answer: c

Solution:

The 68th Session of the Asian Productivity Organization Governing Body is being hosted by the Government of India from 20 to 22 May 2026 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.
India is hosting the session in its capacity as the Chair of the Asian Productivity Organization.
The meeting will bring together more than 60 senior delegates representing 20 member economies of the APO.
The inaugural session on 21 May 2026 will be attended by Piyush Goyal.
APO Directors, Advisors, representatives of diplomatic missions from member economies, and other invitees are also expected to participate in the event.
Observers from the governments of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Bhutan, along with representatives of the Global Green Growth Institute, will also attend the session.
The three-day event will include high-level discussions on the APO Vision 2030 framework, the preliminary budget for the 2027–28 biennium, and the review of procedures related to the election of the APO Secretary-General.

Q2. What does the acronym ‘PRAGATI’ stand for in the context of the multilateral military exercise launched in May 2026?

(a) Promoting Regional Alliances for Growth and Tactical Integration

(b) Partnership of Regional Armies for Growth and Transformation in the Indian Ocean Region

(d) Progressive Recovery of Armies via Green Action and Training Initiatives

(e) Protocol of Regional Armed Groups for Counter-Terrorism and Intelligence

Answer: b

Solution:

The multilateral military exercise PRAGATI 2026 commenced on 20 May 2026 at Umroi Military Station in Meghalaya.
The exercise is being conducted from 18 May to 31 May 2026 with the participation of 12 friendly nations.
Participating countries include Bhutan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam.
The participating contingents received a traditional welcome from the Indian Army upon their arrival, showcasing India’s cultural heritage and hospitality.
PRAGATI stands for “Partnership of Regional Armies for Growth and Transformation in the Indian Ocean Region.”
The exercise is being conducted in the spirit of equality, friendship, and mutual respect among participating nations.
PRAGATI 2026 provides a common platform for participating armies to exchange professional expertise, learn from shared experiences, and strengthen military-to-military cooperation.

Q3. On May 20, 2026, the Maharashtra government launched the ‘Kasa Kay?’ public awareness campaign. Under which overarching initiative has this campaign been introduced?

(a) Swachh Bharat Abhiyan

(b) Majhe Gaav, Arogya Sampanna Gaav

(d) Maha Arogya Shivir

(e) Ladli Behna Yojana

Answer: b

Solution:

The Maharashtra government launched the “Kasa Kay?” public awareness campaign on 20 May 2026 under the “Majhe Gaav, Arogya Sampanna Gaav” initiative.
The campaign aims to strengthen healthcare awareness and improve public health conditions in rural areas of the state.
The programme focuses on preventive healthcare, sanitation, nutrition, access to clean drinking water, and disease control measures.
Villages demonstrating strong performance on health-related indicators will be recognised as “Arogya Sampanna Gaav” under the initiative.
The campaign is intended to encourage community participation and promote healthier and more sustainable rural living conditions.

Q4. What is the specific age bracket required for fresh female applicants to qualify for benefits under the Annapurna Yojana introduced by the West Bengal Government?

(a) 18 to 60 years

(b) 21 to 50 years

(d) 30 to 65 years

(e) 25 to 60 years

Answer: e

Solution:

The West Bengal Government has notified the “Annapurna Yojana” to provide assured monthly financial assistance of ₹3,000 to women for their socio-economic upliftment.
The scheme has been introduced by the Department of Women and Child Development and Social Welfare and will come into effect from 1 June 2026.
Under the scheme, financial assistance will be transferred directly into Aadhaar-linked bank accounts of eligible beneficiaries through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system.
To qualify for the scheme, women applicants must be between 25 and 60 years of age.
Beneficiaries should not be income tax payers and must not hold permanent government employment or receive regular salaries or pensions from the Central or State Government, statutory bodies, local bodies, panchayats, municipalities, or government-aided educational institutions.
All existing beneficiaries of the Lakshmir Bhandar Scheme will be automatically migrated to the Annapurna Yojana.
For new applicants, an online portal for the Annapurna Yojana will be launched on 1 June 2026.

Q5. The Ayush Anudan Portal has been developed as a key component under which overarching IT and digital transformation backbone of the Ministry of AYUSH?

(a) Ayush Suraksha Kavach

(b) Ayush Grid Initiative

(d) Ayush Nidhi Portal

(e) National Ayush Mission (NAM)

Answer: b

Solution:

Prataprao Jadhav launched the “Ayush Anudan Portal” in New Delhi to strengthen digital governance and improve transparency in the AYUSH sector.
The portal has been developed by the Ministry of Ayush under the Ayush Grid initiative.
The initiative marks an important step towards streamlining the submission, processing, approval, and monitoring of funding proposals under various Central Sector Schemes of the Ministry of Ayush.
The Ayush Anudan Portal aims to improve transparency, operational efficiency, accountability, and ease of access in grant management processes.

Q6. In May 2026, Nepal’s Parliamentary Hearing Committee (PHC) unanimously approved the appointment of which senior judge as the new Chief Justice of the Supreme Court?

(a) Justice Dr. Manoj Kumar Sharma

(b) Justice Prakash Man Singh Raut

(d) Justice Sapana Pradhan Malla

(e) Justice Hari Krishna Karki

Answer: a

Solution:

In May 2026, Nepal’s Parliamentary Hearing Committee (PHC) unanimously approved Manoj Kumar Sharma as the new Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
Manoj Kumar Sharma had been serving as a Justice of the Supreme Court prior to his appointment as Chief Justice

Q7. In May 2026, the Eastern Regional Agriculture Conference was inaugurated in which capital city?

(a) Patna

(b) Ranchi

(d) Raipur

(e) Kolkata

Answer: c

Solution:

Shivraj Singh Chouhan inaugurated the Eastern Regional Agriculture Conference on 19 May 2026 at the Mayfair Convention in Bhubaneswar.
The one-day conference brought together representatives from Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, and West Bengal to discuss agricultural transformation in Eastern India.
The conference focused on key agricultural issues such as increasing pulses and oilseeds production, integrated farming for small and marginal farmers, and promotion of natural farming practices.
Discussions were also held on farmer registry systems, horticulture development, agricultural credit, marketing reforms, control of fake agricultural inputs, and measures to enhance farmers’ income.

Q8. Under India’s BRICS Chairship for 2026, which city is hosting the BRICS Youth Entrepreneurship Working Group Meeting in May 2026?

(a) Indore

(b) Mumbai

(d) Bengaluru

(e) Hyderabad

Answer: a

Solution:

Under India’s BRICS Chairship for 2026, the Department of Youth Affairs under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports is organising the BRICS Youth Entrepreneurship Working Group Meeting 2026 on 20–21 May 2026 in Indore.
The meeting is being held under the broader theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.”
The event will bring together young entrepreneurs and representatives from BRICS member countries to discuss entrepreneurship, innovation, and sustainable development.

Q9. Which premier DRDO laboratory served as the lead designer for the ULPGM-V3 precision-guided missile system?

(a) Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory (DMRL)

(b) Research Centre Imarat (RCI)

(d) Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL)

(e) High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL)

Answer: b

Solution:

India has achieved another milestone in strengthening indigenous defence capabilities under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative.
In May 2026, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully completed the final development trials of the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Launched Precision Guided Missile (ULPGM)-V3.
The trials were conducted in both air-to-ground and air-to-air modes at the DRDO test range near Kurnool.
The trials successfully demonstrated the missile’s precision strike capability, operational reliability, and effectiveness in different combat scenarios.
The missile was developed by Research Centre Imarat in collaboration with other DRDO laboratories.
Developed entirely within the country, the project highlights the growing strength of India’s domestic defence manufacturing ecosystem with active participation from MSMEs and private industries.
For production, DRDO has partnered with Bharat Dynamics Limited and Adani Defence and Aerospace.
The missile system was integrated with UAVs developed by NewSpace Research and Technologies during the trials.

Q10. In May 2026, the Urtan and Dhirauli coal mines commenced production to boost domestic energy availability. In which Indian state are both of these resource-rich mines located?

(a) Jharkhand

(b) Chhattisgarh

(d) Odisha

(e) Maharashtra

Answer: c

Solution:

The Ministry of Coal has taken another major step towards strengthening India’s energy security with the commencement of coal production from the Urtan and Dhirauli coal mines in Madhya Pradesh.
The operationalisation of these mines is expected to increase domestic coal availability and support India’s goal of self-reliance in the energy sector.
The Urtan Coal Mine, located in the Anuppur district of Madhya Pradesh, has been allocated to JMS Mining Private Limited.
Coal production from the Urtan Coal Mine commenced on 15 May 2026.
Urtan has become the first underground coal mine to begin production under India’s commercial coal auction regime, marking a significant milestone in the reform-oriented transformation of the coal sector.
In another important development, coal production also commenced at the Dhirauli Coal Mine in the Singrauli district of Madhya Pradesh.
The Dhirauli Coal Mine has been allocated to Mahan Energen Limited and started production on 17 May 2026.
The operationalisation of the Dhirauli mine is expected to further strengthen coal supply from the resource-rich Singrauli region.