Current Affairs 20 May 2026

3rd India-Nordic Summit

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral meetings with the Prime Ministers of Iceland, Finland, and Denmark during the 3rd India-Nordic Summit in Oslo.
• With Iceland Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir, discussions focused on geothermal energy, fisheries, Arctic research, tourism, and innovative technologies.
• India and Iceland also discussed opportunities under the India-EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA).
• During talks with the Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, both countries aimed to double bilateral trade by 2030.
• India and Finland emphasized cooperation in AI, 5G/6G, quantum technologies, renewable energy, circular economy, and digitalization.
• India and Finland will jointly host the World Circular Economy Forum 2026 in Gandhinagar in September 2026.
• Prime Minister Modi also met Denmark Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and reviewed progress under the India-Denmark Green Strategic Partnership.
• India and Denmark discussed cooperation in climate action, green technologies, defence, AI and advanced research.
• Both leaders highlighted the Smart Laboratory on Clean Rivers initiative in Varanasi.

V.D. Satheesan Becomes New Chief Minister of Kerala

Senior Congress leader V. D. Satheesan was sworn in as the new Chief Minister of Kerala at a ceremony held at Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram. Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar administered the oath of office and secrecy to Mr. Satheesan and 20 Ministers of the new Council of Ministers.

The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) secured victory in the Kerala Assembly elections by winning 102 out of 140 seats, defeating the Left Democratic Front (LDF).

Centre Amends the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), 2019

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has amended the Citizenship Rules under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), 2019. Under the new amendment, applicants seeking Indian citizenship through the CAA must declare whether they possess a valid or expired passport issued by Pakistan, Afghanistan, or Bangladesh.

If applicants possess such passports, they must provide details including passport number, date and place of issue, and expiry date. The rules also require the surrender of these passports within 15 days after approval of citizenship.

The CAA provides a pathway to Indian citizenship for six non-Muslim communities — Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians — who migrated from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan before December 31, 2014.

The amendment is significant for communities such as the Matua community in West Bengal, many of whom migrated from Bangladesh and lack sufficient documents for citizenship applications.

79th World Health Assembly

Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda addressed the plenary session of the 79th World Health Assembly in Geneva. Speaking on the theme “Reshaping Global Health: A Shared Responsibility,” he highlighted India’s commitment to equitable, inclusive, and people-centric healthcare.

Key highlights from the address:

• Over 1.85 lakh Ayushman Arogya Mandirs have been established to provide comprehensive primary healthcare services.
• India is advancing towards Universal Health Coverage through a “whole-of-government” and “whole-of-society” approach.
• Shri Nadda also reaffirmed India’s role as the “Pharmacy of the World” through affordable generic medicines and vaccines.

Ayush Anudan Portal

The portal aims to streamline the submission, processing, approval, and monitoring of grants under various Central Sector Schemes of the Ministry of Ayush. It promotes transparency, efficiency, accountability, and paperless governance in the Ayush sector.

Key features of the portal include:

• Online submission of funding proposals
• Integration with the NGO Darpan Portal for verification
• Scheme-wise application management
• Real-time application tracking system

The portal is part of the Government’s Digital India vision and is integrated with the MAISP (My Ayush Integrated Services Portal). It is also compliant with the Ayush Grid and ABDM digital ecosystem initiatives.

Q1. Recently, who was sworn in as the new Chief Minister of Kerala?
A. Ramesh Chennithala
B. Pinarayi Vijayan
C. V.D. Satheesan
D. K. Muraleedharan

Q2. Recently, the Union Home Ministry amended the Citizenship Rules under the CAA requiring applicants to declare possession of passports issued by which countries?
A. Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka
B. Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh
C. Myanmar, China and Nepal
D. Iran, Iraq and Syria

Q3. India will jointly host the World Circular Economy Forum 2026 in Gandhinagar with which country?
A. Denmark
B. Norway
C. Finland
D. Iceland

Q4. Recently, the Ayush Anudan Portal was launched under which initiative?
A. Digital Bharat Mission
B. Ayush Grid Initiative
C. National Health Stack
D. e-Sanjeevani Mission

Q5. Recently, Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda addressed the 79th World Health Assembly held in which city?
A. Paris
B. Vienna
C. Geneva
D. New York