Prelims Current Affairs includes Mother’s Day 2026, India-Eu Free Trade Agreement To Take Effect In 2027, Odisha Records Highest Violent Crime Rate, Bengaluru Records Highest Cybercrime Cases, Aizawl Hosts First-Ever Regional Cooperative Reform Conference, Odisha Leads Pmay-U 2.0 Housing Completions, Jharkhand Achieves Zero Primary Dropout Rate, Drdo And Iaf Conduct Maiden Tara Flight Trial, India Conducts Maiden Test Of Nuclear-Capable Icbm, Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan Appointed Next Navy Chief, Lt Gen N S Raja Subramani Appointed India’s Next Cds & Suvendu Adhikari To Become West Bengal Chief Minister

 DAY TO REMEMBER

1. MOTHER’S DAY 2026

Current Context: Mother’s Day 2026 will be celebrated on Sunday, 10 May 2026, honouring mothers and their love, care, and sacrifices.

ABOUT MOTHER’S DAY

• Date: Celebrated on the second Sunday of May
• Theme 2026: “The Great Unburdening” reducing pressure on mothers, sharing responsibilities at home
• Historical Background:
  • Ancient times: Honoured mother goddesses Rhea (Greek) and Cybele (Roman)
  • Britain: Mothering Sunday tradition
• Iconic Mothers of India: Ahilyabai Holkar, Rani Lakshmibai, Sarojini Naidu, Indira Gandhi, Kiran Bedi, Savitribai Phule, Mother Teresa

ECONOMY

2. INDIA-EU FREE TRADE AGREEMENT TO TAKE EFFECT IN 2027

Current Context: The India-European Union Free Trade Agreement was politically concluded on 27 January 2026 after nearly two decades of negotiations, expected to take effect in early 2027.

ABOUT THE AGREEMENT

• EU Member States: 27
• Ratification Process: Requires approval by Council of the European Union and consent from European Parliament, scrutiny expected to conclude by July 2026
• Trade Data (2024-25):
  • Goods trade: USD 136.54 billion
  • Services trade: USD 83.10 billion
• Coverage: Nearly one-third of global trade, affects about 2 billion people

REPORTS

3. ODISHA RECORDS HIGHEST VIOLENT CRIME RATE

Current Context: Odisha recorded the highest rate of violent crimes in India in 2024, with 161.6 victims per lakh population, as per Crime in India-2024 data by NCRB.

ABOUT THE DATA

• Source: Crime in India-2024 (National Crime Records Bureau)
• Odisha Violent Crime Rate: 161.6 victims per lakh population (Rank 1)
• Bihar: 83 victims per lakh population (Rank 2)
• Violent Crime Cases (Odisha):
  • 2022: 43,566
  • 2023: 31,749
  • 2024: 75,403 (Rank 4 in absolute numbers after Bihar, Maharashtra, UP)
• Crimes Against Women (Odisha):
  • Ranked 2nd nationally (118.3 crimes per lakh women)
  • Cases: 33,021 (2025)
• NCRB: Established 1986 under Ministry of Home Affairs
• Crime & Law

REPORTS

4. BENGALURU RECORDS HIGHEST CYBERCRIME CASES

Current Context: Bengaluru registered 17,561 cybercrime cases in 2024, the highest among metropolitan cities in India.

ABOUT THE DATA

• Bengaluru Cybercrime Rate: 206.6 cases per one lakh population
• Fraud Cases (Bengaluru 2024): 16,842
• Computer Offences: 17,310
• Charge-sheeting Rate (Bengaluru 2024): 24.2%
• National Cybercrime Cases:
  • 2023: 86,420
  • 2024: 1,01,928 (↑17.9%)

STATES IN NEWS

5. AIZAWL HOSTS FIRST-EVER REGIONAL COOPERATIVE REFORM CONFERENCE

Current Context: Aizawl, Mizoram, hosted its first-ever Regional Cooperative Reform Conference under the vision of “Sahkar se Samriddhi,” organised by the Ministry of Cooperation.

ABOUT THE CONFERENCE

• Organised by: Ministry of Cooperation
• Key Focus Sectors: Dairy cooperatives, fisheries cooperatives, cooperative banking, grain storage infrastructure, PACS expansion, organic farming, exports
• Participating Institutions: NABARD, NCDC, NAFED, NCCF, NDDB, NFDB, NEDFi

STATES IN NEWS

6.  ODISHA LEADS PMAY-U 2.0 HOUSING COMPLETIONS

Current Context: Odisha has emerged as the top-performing state in India for house completion under PMAY-U 2.0 as of 8 May 2026.

ABOUT PMAY-U 2.0

• Launched: September 2024 (PMAY-U Initial Launch 25 June 2015)
• Type: Central sector housing scheme for urban areas
• Odisha Data (as of 8 May 2026):

STATES IN NEWS

7. JHARKHAND ACHIEVES ZERO PRIMARY DROPOUT RATE

Current Context: Jharkhand recorded a primary dropout rate of 0% in 2024-25, compared with 6.41% in 2014-15, as per UDISE+ data.

ABOUT THE ACHIEVEMENT

• Primary Dropout Rate: 0% (2024-25) vs 6.41% (2014-15)
• Upper Primary Dropout Rate: 1.7% (down from 7.42%)
• Secondary Dropout Rate: 3.5% (down from 23.2%)
• UDISE+: Unified District Information System for Education Plus (national school education database)

DEFENCE

8. DRDO AND IAF CONDUCT MAIDEN TARA FLIGHT TRIAL

Current Context: DRDO and IAF conducted the maiden flight trial of the Tactical Advanced Range Augmentation (TARA) weapon system on 7 May 2026 off the coast of Odisha.

ABOUT TARA

• Full Form: Tactical Advanced Range Augmentation
• Type: India’s first indigenous glide weapon system (modular range extension kit converting unguided warheads into precision-guided munitions)
• Developed by: DRDO’s Research Centre Imarat (RCI), Hyderabad
• Release Platform: Jaguar aircraft (IAF)
• Trial Validated: Aerodynamic performance of winged glide configuration, navigation, guidance, control architecture

DEFENCE

9. INDIA CONDUCTS MAIDEN TEST OF NUCLEAR-CAPABLE ICBM

Current Context: India conducted a maiden test of a nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) off the Odisha coast on 8 May 2026.

ABOUT THE TEST

• Launch Site: Abdul Kalam Island (formerly Wheeler Island), near Chandipur, Odisha
• Range: Over 5,500 km (ICBM range)
• Danger Corridor: About 3,560 km over Bay of Bengal
• Pre-launch Notice: Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) issued for Bay of Bengal (6-9 May 2026)
• Abdul Kalam Island: Named after former President and scientist A.P.J. Abdul Kalam; part of Integrated Test Range under DRDO

 APPOINTMENTS

10. VICE ADMIRAL KRISHNA SWAMINATHAN APPOINTED NEXT NAVY CHIEF

Current Context: Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan was appointed as the next Chief of the Naval Staff of India on 9 May 2026.

ABOUT THE APPOINTMENT

• Commissioned: 1 July 1987
• Specialisation: Communication and Electronic Warfare
• Previous Role: Western Naval Commander (Mumbai)
• Takes Charge: 31 May 2026 (succeeds Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi)

 APPOINTMENTS

11. LT GEN N S RAJA SUBRAMANI APPOINTED INDIA’S NEXT CDS

Current Context: Lieutenant General N S Raja Subramani (Retd.) was appointed as India’s next Chief of Defence Staff on 9 May 2026.

ABOUT THE APPOINTMENT

• Commissioned into: The Garhwal Rifles (December 1985)
• Previous Roles: Military Adviser at National Security Council Secretariat, Vice Chief of Army Staff, GOC-in-C of Central Command
• Takes Charge: 30 May 2026 (succeeds General Anil Chauhan)
• CDS Office created: 2019 (recommendations of Kargil Review Committee and Group of Ministers on defence reforms)

 APPOINTMENTS

12. SUVENDU ADHIKARI TO BECOME WEST BENGAL CHIEF MINISTER

Current Context: Suvendu Adhikari was elected leader of the BJP legislative party in West Bengal on 8 May 2026 and will take oath as the 9th Chief Minister of West Bengal on 9 May 2026.

ABOUT THE TRANSITION

• New CM: Suvendu Adhikari (9th CM of West Bengal)
• BJP Seats: 206 (ended Trinamool Congress rule of 14 years)
• Adhikari defeated Mamata Banerjee in Bhabanipur constituency; also won from Nandigram

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