Here ar3 today’s important current affairs, essential for students preparing for government jobs and exams…
NATIONAL
1. Former Judge Anupinder Singh Grewal becomes President of NCLT
On April 30, former judge of Punjab and Haryana High Court, Anupinder Singh Grewal was appointed as the President of National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT). The Ministry of Corporate Affairs has approved his appointment.
- Justice Grewal will remain in his position for the next 5 years or until the age of 67, whichever comes first.
- Justice Grewal completed his M.A. (History) in 1987 and obtained his LLB degree in 1992.
- Justice Grewal started his law practice in 1992 at the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
- In 1995, Justice Grewal became the Assistant Advocate General of Punjab.
- Justice Grewal became Senior Deputy Advocate General in 1997 and remained in this position until 2002.
- Justice Grewal became Additional Advocate General in 2005.
- For 19 years, Justice Grewal argued cases on behalf of Punjab State in civil, constitutional, criminal, service and public interest litigation matters.
- Justice Grewal took oath as Additional Judge of Punjab & Haryana in 2016 while serving in different positions.
- NCLT is a quasi-judicial body that handles corporate disputes, insolvency cases and matters under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC).
- NCLT was established in 2016 under Section 408 of the Company Law. It comes under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs. Headquarters is in New Delhi.
Justice Grewal obtained his B.A. degree from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi in 1985.
2. PM Modi will visit 4 countries
PM Narendra Modi will visit four European countries in May. He will tour the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Italy from May 15 to 20.
- Modi is set to participate in the third India-Nordic Summit to be held on May 15 and 16 in Norway.
- This summit was scheduled to take place in May last year, but was cancelled after the Pahalgam terrorist attack.
- This summit will discuss innovation, economic development, climate solutions and mutually beneficial investment.
- PM Modi may also meet with leaders of the five Nordic countries participating in the summit during this visit – Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.
- This will be the PM’s first visit to Europe after several years of prolonged negotiations between India and the European Union.
- However, while Denmark, Finland and Sweden are members of the European Union, Norway and Iceland are not part of the group.
PM Modi will first visit Norway during this trip.
INTERNATIONAL
3. America returned 675 ancient sculptures to India
On April 30, America returned 675 ancient sculptures to India. These sculptures are worth 14 million dollars, which is more than approximately 120 crore rupees.
- All these idols were smuggled to America by a smuggling gang.
- The Attorney’s Office in Manhattan, New York, USA announced the return of these artifacts to India after investigating the smuggling.
- Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg Junior announced the return of these idols at a ceremony held in the presence of Rajlakshmi Kadam, Consul at the Indian Consulate in New York.
- Among the returned idols is a bronze statue of Avalokiteshvara (Bodhisattva), which was in the Mahant Ghasidas Memorial Museum in Raipur, valued at 20 lakh dollars.
- It was stolen in 1982 and taken to America, and was seized from a private museum in New York in 2025.
- These idols include a red sandstone Buddha statue worth 75 lakh dollars that was stolen from a temple in Madhya Pradesh in the year 2000.
- Also among the idols being returned was a sandstone statue of dancing Ganesha, which smugglers had auctioned at Christie’s New York in 2012 through fake certificates.
This idol of Lord Ganesha was stolen in the year 2000.
4. Vietnam’s President To Lam will visit India
On April 30, Vietnam’s President To Lam announced his state visit to India. President Lam will be on a state visit to India from May 5 to 7.
- A high-level delegation will also accompany President Lam, which will include several ministers and senior officials of the Vietnamese government.
- This is President Lam’s first visit after being elected President of Vietnam in April, with India being his first destination.
- President To Lam will arrive at Rashtrapati Bhavan on May 6, where comprehensive discussions will be held on bilateral relations as well as regional and global issues of mutual interest.
- President Lam will also visit Bodh Gaya and Mumbai during his India visit.
- India and Vietnam have had historical and long-standing civilizational ties.
- President Lam’s visit marks the 10th anniversary of advancing the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.
- The talks between the leaders are expected to give new momentum to strong bilateral relations and open new avenues of cooperation between India and Vietnam.
This is Lam’s first visit after being elected President of Vietnam in April.
5. Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited handed over Mahendragiri to the Indian Navy
On May 1, Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) handed over the indigenous advanced stealth frigate ‘Mahendragiri’ to the Indian Navy.
- This was the sixth and last ship to be built under Project 17A (P17A).
- Mahendragiri is part of Atmanirbhar Bharat and approximately 75% indigenous content has been used in it.
- The warship Mahendragiri has been named after the ‘Mahendragiri’ mountain peak of the Eastern Ghats in Odisha.
- Mahendragiri has been built jointly by the Indian Navy’s Warship Design Bureau.
- This frigate is 149 meters long and weighs approximately 6,670 tons.
- It can travel at speeds of up to 28 knots. This ship is capable of conducting naval operations for 45 days at a time.
- It includes 8 BrahMos supersonic anti-ship missiles, medium-range surface-to-air missiles (MR-SAM), and state-of-the-art anti-submarine warfare systems.
- INS Nilgiri, the first advanced stealth frigate among the seven Nilgiri Class warships being built under Project 17A, was commissioned into the Navy in January 2025.
- The Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft ‘Anjadip’ was also commissioned into the Navy in early 2026.
- All frigates of Project 17 and 17A are named after India’s mountain ranges. Such as- Shivalik, Sahyadri, Satpura, Nilgiri, Himgiri, Taragiri, Udaygiri, Dunagiri, Mahendragiri and Vindhyagiri.
Today in History
- In 1519, one of the world’s greatest painters, Leonardo da Vinci, passed away.
- In 1921, Bharat Ratna and Oscar Award-winning filmmaker, director and writer Satyajit Ray was born.
- In 1952, the world’s first jet aircraft De Havilland made its first flight between London and Johannesburg.
