UPSC Current Affairs – News Summary of 6-10 May 2026

News Summary · 11 min read

Stay ahead in your UPSC CSE preparation with our daily News Summary. Designed to save time, it highlights key national and international events from leading newspapers and government websites.

Cabinet approves Bill to increase Supreme Court judge strength

• The Union Cabinet approved the proposal to introduce the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026, in Parliament to amend the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956.
• The Bill proposes to increase the number of Judges of the Supreme Court to 37 (excluding CJI) → total sanctioned strength will become 38 (37 + CJI).
• Aims to help address the Supreme Court’s high pendency burden (92,000+ pending cases).
• Article 124(1) originally provided for the SC a CJI and up to seven judges, and authorised Parliament to increase the number of judges by law, if required. 
• Parliament enacted the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956, to increasethesanctioned strength of SC judges from 7 to 10 (excluding CJI). After that, the strength has been increased many times through an amendment to the 1956 Act. All such changes are noted below:
  • 1956 – from 7 to 10 (excluding CJI)
  • 1960 – increased to 13 (excluding CJI)
  • 1977 – increased to 17 (excluding CJI) → cabinet restricted the working strength to 15 (excluding CJI) till the end of 1979.
  • 1986 – increased to 25 (excluding CJI)
  • 2008 – increased to 30 (excluding CJI)
  • 2019 – increased to 33 (excluding CJI)

UDGAM portal and DEAF

• UDGAM stands for Unclaimed Deposits – Gateway to Access InforMation → launched by the RBI in 2023.
• Serves as a centralised search tool for unclaimed deposits across participating banks (now ~30, covering 90% of the value in the DEAF).
• Enables legal heirs to trace funds belonging to deceased account holders.
• It does not settle claims → banks process claims, with RBI reimbursing banks from DEAF post-verification.
• Depositors’ Education and Awareness Fund (DEAF): set up by RBI in 2014 under the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 → receives unclaimed deposits from banks after 10 years of inactivity.

Insulting Vande Mataram to be an offence

• Recently, the Union Cabinet approved a proposal to amend the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, to make any obstruction to the singing of the national song Vande Mataram a punishable offence.
• At present, the 1971 Act prescribes a punishment (imprisonment up to 3 years, or a fine, or both) for:
  • Intentionally preventing the singing of the National Anthem, Jana Gana Mana, or causing disturbances to any assembly engaged in such singing.
  • Insulting the Indian Constitution and the National Flag of India

MHA’s guidelines

• MHA has asked the States and govt bodies to play all six stanzas of Vande Mataram at all official events.
• National Song Vande Mataram should be given precedence before the National Anthem Jana Gana Mana, when both the songs are played at an event.
• Guidelines are advisory in nature and do not have a statutory backing as of now.

School Management Committee (SMC) Guidelines 2026

• Issued by the Ministry of Education (MoE) to decentralise school governance and align it with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
• Supersede all previous instructions under schemes such as the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan and the Right to Education Act.
• Mandate a single SMC for all grades from Balvatika to Grade 12.

School Management Committees (SMCs)

Evolution

• SMCs were mandated for the first time by the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009, for primary schools (grades 1-8) → created since 2010-11 onwards under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA).
• Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA, 2009) created School Management & Development Committees (SMDCs) in 2010 for secondary schools (grades 9-12).
• Samagra Shiksha (2018) merged SSA and RMSA, but both SMCs and SMDCs continued to operate in their respective domains.
• Post-NEP 2020, SMCs managed newly created Balvatikas as well.
• SMC Guidelines 2026 eliminate the SMDCs and expand the scope of SMCs from Balvatika to Grade 12 to create a single unified management system for each school.

Members (2026 guidelines)

• Number of members: 12-25 (based on student enrolments; <100: 12-15; 100-500: 15-20; >500: 20-25).
• 75% — parents/guardians (50% must be women)
• 25% — elected local officials, teachers, alumni, and local experts such as Anganwadi workers, ASHA workers, and academics
• Proportionate representation must be given to Socio-Economically Disadvantaged Groups, including SC, ST, OBC, and Children with Special Needs.
• Chairperson: Elected Member from Parents/Guardian
• Member-Secretary: Principal / Head Master / School In-charge

Powers/functions (2026 guidelines)

• Overseeing the implementation of all school-related schemes such as Samagra Shiksha, ULLAS, PM SHRI, PM POSHAN, etc.
• Executing school civil works costing up to ₹30 lakh (needs public tendering process above this amount).
• Reviewing the school budget, preventing financial irregularities, and maintaining records of receipts and expenditures.
• Making efforts to bring out-of-school children back into the mainstream
• Ensuring distribution of uniforms, textbooks, and scholarships.
• Ensuring school infrastructure safety and disaster preparedness.

First International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) summit

• To be held here from 1-2 June 2026 in New Delhi.
• Theme: “save big cats, save humanity, save ecosystem”

Crime in India 2024 (report)

• Released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).
• Overall crime rate: declined in 2024 compared to 2023.
• Cybercrime: increased by over 17% in 2024 compared to 2023 → maximum cases: motive of fraud (72.6%) > sexual exploitation (3.1%) > extortion (2.5%)
• Cognisable crimes: declined 6% in 2024 compared to 2023.
• Offences against the state: increased by 6.6% in 2024 compared to 2023 → maximum cases: The Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act (84.6%) > The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (12.5%).
• Crime against SC: decreased by 3.6% in 2024 compared to 2023.
• Crime against ST: declined by 23.1% in 2024 compared to 2023.

Accidental Deaths & Suicides in India 2024 (report)

• Released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).
• Total suicides (2024): over 1.7 lakh → highest: Maharashtra > Tamil Nadu
• Key causes: Family problems other than marriage related issues (33.5%) > illness > drug abuse/addiction
• Daily wagers accounted for 31% of total suicides.
• Drug overdose deaths: increased by 50% in 2024 compared to 2023 → highest: Tamil Nadu > Punjab > Madhya Pradesh

Maiden trial of TARA glide weapon

• Recently conducted by DRDO and the Indian Air Force (IAF) off Odisha’s coast.
• Tactical Advanced Range Augmentation (TARA): India’s first indigenous glide weapon system capable of converting conventional unguided warheads into precision-guided weapons for accurately engaging ground-based targets.
• Aims to improve the range and lethality of low-cost aerial weapons.

India successfully conducts 2^nd MIRV test

• India conducted the successful flight-trial of an Advanced Agni missile with Multiple Independently Targeted Re-Entry Vehicle (MIRV) system from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island, Odisha, on 8 May 2026.
• The Advanced Agni missile was tested with multiple payloads targeted at spatially distributed targets in the Indian Ocean Region.
• MIRV: a ballistic missile payload containing multiple warheads, each capable of hitting a different target independently.
• 1st MIRV test was conducted successfully in 2024 under Mission Divyastra to demonstrate indigenous MIRV capability on Agni-5 → 2nd MIRV test (2026) is a follow-up validation test aimed at demonstrating operational readiness and reliability.

Centre notifies rules for new Labour Codes

• The four Labour Codes, consolidating 29 earlier laws, came into effect (for Central govt workplaces) on 21 November 2025.
• 4 Labour Codes: Code on Wages 2019, Industrial Relations Code 2020, Code on Social Security 2020, Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code 2020.
• On 8 May 2026, the Union Government notified the Central Rules for these Codes, enabling operationalisation where the Central Government is the appropriate authority.
• A dual regime of labour codes persists until states notify their rules, because aspects of labour dealt with these codes are on the Concurrent List.

Key provisions

• Working hours cap: weekly working hours capped at 48, with at least one mandatory rest day per week, and overtime pay required for any hours worked beyond 48.
• Appointment letters: employers must issue a written appointment letter to workers at the time of joining, clearly stating job role, wages, and terms of employment.
• Fixed-term gratuity: fixed-term contract employees get gratuity on a pro-rata basis (proportionate to time served, calculated as if they completed full years) after completing one year of continuous service.
• Health checkups: employers must provide free annual health check-ups to all workers aged 40 years and above.
• Gig/platform coverage: gig and platform workers are now entitled to social security benefits like life/medical insurance.
• Re-skilling Fund: a national Worker Re-skilling Fund will be created; employers must contribute 15 days’ wages per retrenched (laid-off permanently) worker to support their training and new job placement.
• Construction cess: 1% welfare cess on construction contract value (excluding land/compensation) to fund welfare schemes like education/housing for building and construction workers.
• Retrenchment threshold: prior government permission required for retrenchment, lay-off, or closure only in establishments with 300+ workers.
• Vacancy reporting: employers must notify specified job vacancies to government career centres within 90 days (jobs paying below ₹11,000/month are exempted).
• Night shifts for women: women employees can work night shifts (10 PM–6 AM) if they give written consent and the employer provides safety measures.

Pathfinder satellite

• A joint initiative of two Indian companies, Pixxel and Sarvam AI, to launch India’s first orbital data centre satellite, named Pathfinder (200 kg-class).
• Single-satellite demonstrator mission to test whether ground-grade GPU hardware can operate reliably in low Earth orbit (LEO).
• Pixxel–Sarvam Partnership
  • Pixxel → satellite aspects of the mission
  • Sarvam AI → AI aspects of the mission
• India’s first private-sector-led attempt at orbital AI data infrastructure.

Hantavirus

• Recent context: an outbreak of the Andes strain of hantavirus on the MV Hondius ship.
• Hantaviruses (family Hantaviridae) are a group of zoonotic viruses that naturally infect rodents and are occasionally transmitted to humans → affect lungs, kidneys and blood vessels.
• Transmission: rodent-to-human (primary route); human-to-human transmission is limited → Andes strain found in South America is a currently known hantavirus variant for which limited human‑to‑human transmission has been documented.
• Treatment: no specific antiviral cure or approved vaccine exists → needs supportive care: oxygen therapy, fluid management, intensive care, and mechanical ventilation in severe cases.

Quick Picks

• India’s crude oil needs: India ranks 3rd in global crude oil consumption, after the US and China; Import dependence exceeds 88%.
• N. S. Subramani: named as the nextChief of Defence Staff (CDS), replacing Anil Chauhan → will also serve as Secretary, Department of Military Affairs.
• Krishna Swaminathan: named as the next Chief of the Naval Staff, replacing Dinesh Kumar Tripathi.
• Suvendu Adhikari: new CM of West Bengal (BJP).
• Shashi Shekhar Vempati: new Chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).
• D’Ering Memorial Wildlife Sanctuary: Arunachal Pradesh
• Zomi tribe: lives in northeast India (concentrated mainly in Manipur; smaller populations in Mizoram, Assam, and Nagaland), Bangladesh, and Myanmar.
• B1 Bridge (Bilqan 1): a bridge on the Karaj River in Iran’s Karaj region.
• Peter Magyar: new PM of Hungary.
• Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu: provinces of DR Congo, experiencing prolonged armed conflicts.
• ADF fighters: active in eastern DR Congo.