Daily Current Affairs (06/05 – May – 26)

Daily Current Affairs (06/05 – May – 26)

1. Cabinet Approves Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme 5.0  –

• The Union Cabinet has approved Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme 5.0, which belongs to the family of credit guarantee measures used in India for liquidity support to eligible borrowers. The Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme, or ECLGS, was first introduced in 2020 as a pandemic-era measure for collateral-free additional credit to stressed businesses.

Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme

• The Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme is a government-backed credit guarantee framework for lending institutions. It was designed to provide additional working capital support through guaranteed loans to eligible entities, including micro, small and medium enterprises, and certain other borrower categories notified under the scheme.

Key Features of ECLGS

• The scheme uses a sovereign guarantee mechanism to reduce lender risk on sanctioned credit.
• The scheme has been linked to collateral-free or partially collateral-free lending in its earlier versions.
• The scheme has been implemented through banks and other eligible financial institutions.
• The scheme has been extended in multiple versions since its launch in 2020.

2. India Among Top Migration Corridors –

• India remained one of the largest migration corridors in the world in 2024, and remittances to India reached $134 billion in the same year. Remittances are cross-border personal transfers sent by migrant workers to households in their home countries.

Migration Corridors

• A migration corridor is a route between a country of origin and a country of destination for migrant workers and other migrants. India has large migration links with the Gulf region, North America, Europe, and parts of Asia.

Remittances

• Remittances are recorded in balance of payments statistics and are classified as personal transfers in many international datasets. India has ranked among the largest remittance-receiving countries for several years because of its large overseas workforce.

3. Cabinet Approves Supreme Court Judge Strength Increase from 33 to 37 –

• The Union Cabinet approved on 5 May 2026 a proposal to increase the sanctioned strength of Supreme Court judges from 33 to 37, excluding the Chief Justice of India. With the Chief Justice of India included, the total strength of the Supreme Court will rise from 34 to 38 judges.

Supreme Court Strength and Statutory Basis

• The strength of the Supreme Court is governed by The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956. The proposed change will require an amendment through The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026, which will be introduced in Parliament.

Caseload and Bench Formation

• The Supreme Court has more than 92,000 pending cases. The increase in judge strength is linked to the functioning of more benches at the same time, since the court hears matters through division benches and larger constitutional benches.

4. Anand RK, Suparna Sharma Win 2026 Pulitzer Prize –

• Indian illustrator Anand RK, freelance investigative journalist Suparna Sharma, and Natalie Obiko Pearson of Bloomberg won the 2026 Pulitzer Prize in the Illustrated Reporting and Commentary category on 4 May 2026. The winning work, titled trAPPed, is a visual investigation into India’s digital arrest scam.

Pulitzer Prize Category

• The Pulitzer Prize is an annual set of awards administered by Columbia University in New York. The Illustrated Reporting and Commentary category recognises work that combines visual storytelling with reporting.

About trAPPed

• trAPPed examines a case involving a neurologist in India who was placed under digital arrest through her phone. The project was published by Bloomberg and deals with online fraud, surveillance, and scam networks.

5. India Gifts 10 BHISHM Cube Units to Jamaica –

• India has gifted 10 BHISHM Cube mobile hospital units to Jamaica as part of bilateral cooperation in health support. BHISHM stands for Bharat Health Initiative for Sahyog, Hita and Maitri, and the system is designed for rapid medical response in emergencies and disaster zones.

BHISHM Cube: Basic Features

• BHISHM Cube is a modular mobile medical unit developed for field deployment. It can be transported to affected areas and used for triage, emergency care, and short-term treatment. The system is intended for use in disaster relief, mass casualty situations, and remote locations with limited medical infrastructure.

India-Jamaica Cooperation

• India and Jamaica maintain diplomatic relations through the Commonwealth framework and wider South-South cooperation. India has extended assistance to several countries through medical aid, disaster relief supplies, and capacity-building support in public health.

MCQ Quiz

Q1. Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) is located in which state ?

1. a) Maharashtra
2. b) Karnataka
3. c) Kerala
4. d) Tamil Nadu

Q2. The Bureau of Indian Standards functions under which ministry ?

1. a) Ministry of Commerce and Industry
2. b) Ministry of Science and Technology
3. c) Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution
4. d) Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

Q3. Sanjay Gandhi National Park is located in which state ?

1. a) Kerala
2. b) Karnataka
3. c) Gujarat
4. d) Maharashtra

Q4. According to the United Nations report (2024), which of the following migration corridors are among the top 10 in the world ?

1. India–United Arab Emirates
2. India–United States of America
3. India–Australia
4. India–Canada

Select the correct answer:

1. a) 1 and 2 only
2. b) 1 and 3 only
3. c) 2 ,3 and 4 only
4. d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

Explanation-

• According to the United Nations report, the India–UAE and India–USA migration corridors are among the top 10 globally. In the UAE, Indian migrants are largely from the labor workforce, whereas in the United States they are mostly skilled professionals and students. India is the world’s largest recipient of remittances.

Q5. Consider the following statements regarding the Supreme Court of India based on recent developments:

The Union Cabinet approved increasing the sanctioned strength of the Supreme Court to 38, including the Chief Justice of India (CJI).

• The power to increase the number of judges in the Supreme Court lies with the Supreme Court Collegium.
• The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Act, 2026, was passed to increase the judge strength from 34 to 38.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

1. a) 1 only
2. b) 1 and 3 only
3. c) 2 and 3 only
4. d) 1, 2, and 3

Explanation-

• Statement 1 is correct: The Union Cabinet, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved increasing the sanctioned strength of the Supreme Court of India from 34 to 38 judges, which includes the Chief Justice of India (CJI).
• Statement 2 is incorrect: Under Article 124(1)of the Constitution of India, the Parliament is empowered to prescribe by law a larger number of judges for the Supreme Court. The Collegium recommends names for appointment, but it does not determine the total sanctioned strength.
• Statement 3 is incorrect: The Cabinet approved the introduction of the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026, not the Amendment Act 2026. The approval is for the Bill to amend the existing Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956.