Current Affairs — 01 May 2026
Daily news by your exam, state and topic — each with a short summary, key facts and MCQs.
Fri, 01 May 2026
Amit Shah inaugurates exposition of Lord Buddha's sacred relics in Leh on Buddha Purnima
Home Minister Amit Shah on 1 May 2026, Buddha Purnima, inaugurated the 'Sacred Exposition of the Holy Relics of the Tathagata' in Leh, bringing relics linked to the Piprahwa Stupa to Ladakh after 75 years; the exposition runs until 14 May and will also travel to Zanskar.
Census 2027 houselisting begins in six States/UTs; self-enumeration opens in five more
House-to-house Houselisting and Housing Census operations under Phase 1 of Census 2027 began on 1 May 2026 in Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Haryana, Chandigarh, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, while the online self-enumeration facility, used by nearly 82 lakh households so far, opened in five more States/UT.
India's first Multi-Lane Free Flow barrier-less tolling launched at Chorayasi, Gujarat
Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari on 1 May 2026 launched India's first Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) barrier-less tolling system at Chorayasi Toll Plaza on the Surat–Bharuch section of NH-48 in Gujarat, using ANPR cameras and FASTag; about 41,500 vehicles crossed it on the first day.
BIS publishes six new standards for priority assistive products
The Bureau of Indian Standards published six new Indian Standards for priority assistive products — elbow crutches, walking sticks, multi-legged walking sticks, portable ramps, tactile guide maps and Braille on signage — under ICMR's National List of Essential Assistive Products, the Consumer Affairs Ministry said on 1 May 2026.
PMGSY-IV launched in Odisha with 827 roads; Centre releases MGNREGA instalment
Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Odisha CM Mohan Charan Majhi launched PMGSY-IV in Odisha at Rayagada on 1 May 2026, with 827 new roads covering 1,701.84 km at a cost of ₹1,698.04 crore sanctioned in the first phase.
Amit Shah lays foundation of 10,000-litre-a-day dairy plant in Kargil
Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on 1 May 2026 laid the foundation stone of a ₹25-crore, 10,000-litres-per-day dairy plant in Kargil and witnessed an MoU between Ladakh Milk Federation and Mother Dairy to take Ladakh's dairy products to national markets.
Anugraha Narayana Das becomes CGDA; Vishvajit Sahay takes over as Secretary (Defence Finance)
Anugraha Narayana Das, a 1991-batch Indian Defence Accounts Service officer, took charge as Controller General of Defence Accounts on 1 May 2026, the same day his predecessor Vishvajit Sahay assumed charge as Secretary (Defence Finance) in the Ministry of Defence.
Ashutosh Gowariker appointed Festival Director of 57th IFFI
The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting on 1 May 2026 appointed filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker as Festival Director of the 57th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), to be held in Goa.
Maharashtra Day and Gujarat Day observed on 1 May
Maharashtra and Gujarat marked their statehood days on 1 May 2026, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeting the people of both states; the two states were formed on 1 May 1960 under the Bombay Reorganisation Act, 1960.
President Droupadi Murmu visits Army Training Command headquarters in Shimla
President Droupadi Murmu, Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, visited the headquarters of the Army Training Command (ARTRAC) in Shimla on 1 May 2026 and was briefed on its drone training, 'Red Teaming' and digitisation initiatives.
NCB's Operation WHITE STRIKE seizes 349 kg cocaine worth ₹1,745 crore in Mumbai region
The Narcotics Control Bureau, under Operation WHITE STRIKE, busted a transnational cocaine syndicate and seized about 349 kg of high-grade cocaine worth nearly ₹1,745 crore from the Mumbai region, the Home Ministry said on 1 May 2026.
'Padma Doree' textile initiative blending Eri silk and Chanderi launched
The North Eastern Handicrafts and Handlooms Development Corporation, a CPSE under the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region, on 1 May 2026 launched 'Padma Doree', a textile initiative blending Northeast India's Eri (Ahimsa) silk with Madhya Pradesh's Chanderi weaving.
IITM's Coastal Atmospheric Research Testbed observatory opens at Andhra University
The open-field observatory of the Coastal Atmospheric Research Testbed (C-ART), set up by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology at Andhra University, Visakhapatnam, under Mission Mausam, was inaugurated on 1 May 2026 by Earth Sciences Secretary M. Ravichandran.
Bharat Khera assumes charge as Secretary, Ministry of MSME
Bharat Khera, a 1995-batch IAS officer of the Himachal Pradesh cadre, assumed charge as Secretary of the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, the Ministry said on 1 May 2026.