Current Affairs 21 May 2026

Prime Minister’s Visit to Italy

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Italy on May 19–20, 2026, where he held talks with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. During the visit, both countries elevated their ties to a Special Strategic Partnership.

Key Highlights

• India and Italy set a target to increase bilateral trade to €20 billion by 2029.
• Both countries reaffirmed cooperation on the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC).
• MoUs were signed in areas such as:
  • Critical minerals
  • Agriculture and agricultural research
  • Maritime transport and ports
• The two nations announced the creation of INNOVIT India, an innovation hub to strengthen startup, AI, semiconductor and research collaboration.
• Both countries strongly condemned terrorism and reiterated cooperation against terror financing.
• Italy supported stronger India-EU cooperation and welcomed the conclusion of negotiations for the India-EU Free Trade Agreement.
• India and Italy will celebrate 2027 as the “Year of Culture and Tourism” between the two countries.

Arunachal Kiwi Mission Launched to Promote Organic Kiwi Economy

Union Minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia launched the mission titled “Arunachal Kiwi: The USP of Arunachal Pradesh” to strengthen kiwi cultivation and value-chain development in Arunachal Pradesh.

Key Highlights

• The mission has an outlay of approximately ₹167 crore.
• It follows a cluster-based approach for kiwi cultivation and post-harvest management.
• Arunachal Pradesh contributes over 50% of India’s kiwi production.
• The initiative seeks to establish “Arunachal Organic Kiwi” as a premium global brand by FY 2028.

The mission also leverages Arunachal Pradesh’s November–January harvest season, which coincides with the off-season for New Zealand kiwi exports.

Matsyakarula Sevalo Scheme

The Andhra Pradesh government deposited ₹261.59 crore into the bank accounts of around 1.3 lakh fishermen families under the Matsyakarula Sevalo Scheme. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu disbursed the financial assistance during a programme held in SPSR Nellore district.

Key highlights:

• Fishermen’s families are receiving ₹20,000 each during the annual fishing ban period from April 15 to June 15.
• The fishing ban is imposed to support fish breeding and marine conservation.
• The State government is also providing a diesel subsidy of ₹9 per litre for mechanised fishing boats.
• In 2026-27, Andhra Pradesh allocated ₹50 crore towards diesel subsidy for fishing boats.
• The Chief Minister also emphasised strict action against illegal intrusion by fishermen from Tamil Nadu and Puducherry into Andhra Pradesh territorial waters.

INS Sunayna Returns After IOS SAGAR Deployment

The Indian Navy successfully concluded the landmark IOS SAGAR Deployment with the return of INS Sunayna to Kochi on May 20, 2026.

Key Highlights

• Participating countries included Bangladesh, Indonesia, Kenya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Myanmar, Seychelles, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste and the UAE.
• The mission reflected India’s maritime vision of:
  • SAGAR – Security and Growth for All in the Region
  • MAHASAGAR – Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions
• IOS SAGAR aimed to strengthen maritime cooperation, interoperability and regional security.
• The deployment included port calls at Malé, Phuket, Jakarta, Singapore, Yangon, Chattogram and Colombo.
• Joint activities included passage exercises, maritime security discussions, cross-deck interactions and professional exchanges.
• The mission focused on tackling non-traditional maritime threats such as piracy, illegal fishing, arms trafficking and smuggling.

The deployment was flagged off from Mumbai on April 2, 2026.

Multilateral Military Exercise PRAGATI 2026

The Exercise PRAGATI 2026 commenced in Meghalaya with participation from 12 friendly nations. Participating countries include Bhutan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Seychelles, Sri Lanka and Vietnam.

Key Highlights

• PRAGATI stands for Partnership of Regional Armies for Growth and Transformation in the Indian Ocean Region.
• It aims to strengthen military cooperation, interoperability and defence ties among participating nations.
• The two-week exercise focuses on counter-terrorism operations in semi-mountainous and jungle terrain.

India to Host 68th Session of the Asian Productivity Organisation Governing Body

India is hosting the 68th Session of the Asian Productivity Organisation (APO) Governing Body from May 20 to 22, 2026, at Bharat Mandapam.

Key Highlights

• 20 APO member countries are participating.
• Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal will attend the inaugural session on May 21.
• Discussions will focus on APO Vision 2030, institutional reforms and the APO budget for 2027–28.
• Observers from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Bhutan are also participating.
• The APO was established in 1961 and currently has 21 member economies in the Asia-Pacific region.
• India assumed the Chairmanship of the APO Governing Body during the 67th session held in 2025.

Ex-Uttarakhand Chief Minister B.C. Khanduri Passes Away

Former Union Minister and former Chief Minister of Uttarakhand B. C. Khanduri passed away in Dehradun at the age of 91 due to age-related ailments.

• Served as Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways in the government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
• Played a major role in India’s highway expansion projects, including the Golden Quadrilateral Project.
• Served twice as the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand.

World Metrology Day 2026 – 20 May

The Department of Consumer Affairs celebrated World Metrology Day 2026 on May 20, marking the 151st anniversary of the Metre Convention signed in Paris in 1875. The theme for World Metrology Day 2026 was “Metrology: Building Trust in Policy Making.”

Key Highlights:

• India issued 40 Government Approved Test Centre (GATC) certificates to private entities to strengthen the legal metrology infrastructure.
• The government launched the e-Maap Portal for registration and enforcement-related services under Legal Metrology.
• Minor offences under the Legal Metrology Act were decriminalised under the Jan Vishwas reforms.
• India became the 13th country authorised to issue OIML pattern approval certificates.
• The “One Nation, One Time” initiative is being implemented with ISRO and the National Physical Laboratory for the precise dissemination of Indian Standard Time (IST).

India will also host the 61st Meeting of the International Committee of Legal Metrology in New Delhi in October 2026.

Q1. Recently, the Andhra Pradesh government provided financial assistance of ₹20,000 to fishermen families under which scheme?
A. PM Matsya Sampada Yojana
B. Matsyakarula Sevalo Scheme
C. Blue Revolution Scheme
D. Sagara Mitra Yojana

Q2. Former Union Minister B.C. Khanduri, who recently passed away, was closely associated with which major infrastructure project?
A. Sagarmala Project
B. Bharatmala Project
C. Golden Quadrilateral Project
D. Dedicated Freight Corridor

Q3. India is hosting the 68th Session of the Asian Productivity Organization (APO) Governing Body in which city?
A. Mumbai
B. Bengaluru
C. New Delhi
D. Hyderabad

Q4. What was the theme of World Metrology Day 2026?
A. Metrology for Sustainable Trade
B. Precision for Future Growth
C. Metrology: Building Trust in Policy Making
D. Smart Measurements for Smart Nations

Q5. Which Indian Navy ship successfully completed the IOS SAGAR multinational deployment in the Indian Ocean Region in 2026?
A. INS Vikrant
B. INS Chennai
C. INS Sunayna
D. INS Kolkata

Q6. In which state was the Multilateral Military Exercise PRAGATI 2026 conducted?
A. Assam
B. Arunachal Pradesh
C. Meghalaya
D. Sikkim

Q7. India and which of the following countries will celebrate 2027 as the “Year of Culture and Tourism”?
A. France
B. Germany
C. Italy
D. Spain

Q8. Which state is associated with the recently launched “Kiwi Mission”?
A. Sikkim
B. Meghalaya
C. Arunachal Pradesh
D. Nagaland