Today’s important current affairs, which are essential for students preparing for government jobs
NATIONAL
1. N. Rangasamy became CM of Puducherry for the 5th time
On 13 May, Natesan Krishnasamy Rangasamy became the Chief Minister of Puducherry for the 5th time. Lieutenant Governor Kailash Nathan administered the oath to him at Lok Bhavan.
- Apart from Rangasamy, BJP’s A Namassivayam and AINRC leader Malladi Krishna Rao took oath as Cabinet Ministers.
- In the Puducherry Assembly election results announced on 4 May, the NDA alliance led by Rangasamy won 16 out of 30 seats.
- N. Rangasamy entered politics in 1988. He was earlier a member of Congress.
- Rangasamy was Chief Minister from Congress from 2001 to 2006 and then from 2006 to 2008.
- In 2011, he split from Congress and formed a new party All India NR Congress (AINRC).
- Rangasamy won the Assembly elections from AINRC in 2011 and became Chief Minister for the third time.
- Under Article 239A of the Indian Constitution, Puducherry has been granted the status of ‘Partial State’.
N. Rangasamy’s full name is Natesan Krishnasamy Rangasamy.
2. Vijay government wins floor test in Tamil Nadu Assembly
Actor-turned-politician C. Joseph Vijay’s government proved its majority in the Tamil Nadu Assembly on May 12 with 144 votes.
- 25 rebel MLAs from AIADMK voted in support of the government.
- 118 votes were needed for majority, while Vijay’s government received 144 votes.
- The main opposition party DMK walked out of the house proceedings.
- Chief Minister Vijay has decided to close liquor shops and provide 200 units of free electricity immediately after assuming office.
- The government has also launched schemes for free bus travel for women and distribution of gold chains.
Vijay took oath as the 9th CM of Tamil Nadu on May 10.
3. India-Oman Trade Economic Agreement to come into effect from June 1
Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal held a meeting with the Omani delegation in New Delhi on 12 May.
- This meeting discussed the implementation of the India-Oman Trade Economic Agreement, i.e., CEPA.
- CEPA stands for Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement.
- After the CEPA agreement, import custom duty, i.e., customs duty on more than 98% of Indian products will be eliminated.
- CEPA will come into effect from June 1, 2026. India and Oman agreed on CEPA in December 2025.
- This agreement will benefit sectors like textiles, engineering goods, pharmaceuticals and automobiles in India.
- In 2024-25, bilateral trade between India and Oman was approximately 10.6 billion US dollars, i.e., more than 1,01,406 crore rupees.
- Approximately 6,000 joint ventures of India operate in Oman in the fields of petroleum, manufacturing, engineering, health, and communication.
- Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, Oman’s Commerce Minister Anwar bin Hilal Al Jabri, and Foreign Trade and International Cooperation Advisor HE Pankaj Khimji participated in the talks.
4. Approval for Expansion of Nagpur International Airport
The Union Cabinet approved the expansion of Nagpur International Airport on 13 May.
- The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the modernization of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport in Nagpur.
- This project will be completed under the PPP model, that is Public Private Partnership model.
- This project is part of MIHAN, that is Multi-modal International Cargo Hub and Airport at Nagpur.
- MIHAN India Limited, that is MIL is a joint venture of Airport Authority of India and Maharashtra Airport Development Company.
- In MIL, Airport Authority of India has 49% and Maharashtra Airport Development Company has 51% stake.
- The plan aims to create capacity to handle 3 crore passengers every year.
- Additionally, the lease period of Airports Authority of India (AAI) land will also be extended beyond August 6, 2039.
- The expansion of Nagpur International Airport aims to boost regional air connectivity.
Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnav informed about the approval for expansion of Nagpur International Airport.
INTERNATIONAL
4. Indian Rupee reaches historic low of 95.74
On 13 May, the Indian Rupee reached its lowest level ever.
- The value of the rupee has fallen due to the strength of the US Dollar in the international market.
- Now 1 US Dollar has reached equivalent to 95.74 Indian Rupees.
- The main reason for the rupee’s fall is the large-scale withdrawal of money from the Indian stock market by Foreign Institutional Investors (FII).
- Rising crude oil prices have also put additional pressure on the rupee.
- The weakening of the rupee will make imports expensive for India, which poses a risk of increasing inflation.
5. Cyber Crime Coordination Centre signed MoU with RBI Innovation Hub
On 12 May, the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C) signed an MoU with the Reserve Bank Innovation Hub.
- This MoU will help in tackling cyber fraud and detecting hidden accounts.
- Under this MoU, I4C and RBI will work together for intelligence sharing and analytical support related to fraud.
- The full form of I4C is Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre.
- The objective of this MoU is to detect fraud accounts and reduce fraud risk.
- Fake accounts or fraud accounts are those bank accounts which fraudsters use to transfer money obtained from cybercrime.
- This MoU will make India’s digital payment system more secure and simple.
- This MoU was signed in the presence of I4C’s Inspector General Rupa M, RBIH (Reserve Bank Innovation Hub) CEO Sahil Kinni, and RBI Deputy Governor Rohit Jain.
DEATH
6. Author Radhakrishnan Pillai Passes Away
Author Dr. Radhakrishnan Pillai passed away on 12 May. He was 50 years old.
- Dr. Pillai was a renowned author. Dr. Pillai wrote a total of 24 books in his career.
- Dr. Radhakrishnan did his PhD on Kautilya’s Arthashastra.
- He did his post-graduation in Sanskrit, while he was a commerce student.
- He has been the Chief Mentor at Chanakya Anvikshiki Private Limited since 2014.
- Dr. Radhakrishnan has also been the Director of Chanakya International Institute of Leadership Studies at Mumbai University since 2016.
- Dr. Pillai’s bestselling books include Corporate Chanakya (2010), Chanakya in You (2015), Chanakya in Daily Life (2016), Chanakya and the Art of War (2019), and 100 Best Sutras of Chanakya.
Dr. Radhakrishnan Pillai was originally from Kerala.
Miscellaneous
7. Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Sugiyono arrived in India
On 13 May, Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Sugiono arrived at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi.
- Sugiono has come to India to participate in the 18th BRICS meeting.
- The BRICS Foreign Ministers’ meeting will begin on 14 May in New Delhi, which will be chaired by Foreign Minister Dr. S Jaishankar.
- Sugiono will also meet PM Modi after attending the BRICS meeting.
- On 13 January, India officially assumed the chairmanship of the 18th BRICS 2026 meeting.
- The name BRICS is formed from the initial letters of its founding member countries- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
- Meanwhile, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, UAE and Indonesia later became full members of this forum.
2026 marks 20 years since the establishment of BRICS, which was formed in 2006.
History of May 14
- In 1948, Israel declared its independence.
- In 1981, NASA launched Space Vehicle S-192.
