Prelims Current Affairs includes 11th Review Conference of The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Public Accounts Committee (PAC), India’s First National Ai and Digital Water Summit, Oreshnik Missile, Bhavya Scheme, India’s First Private Medical Museum Opens In Thiruvananthapuram, Padma Awards 2026, Indian Army Officer Major Abhilasha Barak Wins Un Military Gender Advocate Award

INTERNATIONAL 

1. 11TH REVIEW CONFERENCE OF THE NUCLEAR NON-PROLIFERATION TREATY (NPT)

Current Context: The 11th Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) at the UN Headquarters in New York collapsed without reaching a consensus on a final declaration.

ABOUT NPT REVIEW CONFERENCE

• Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) entered into force in 1970.
• Aim: Prevent spread of nuclear weapons, promote peaceful use of nuclear energy, and encourage nuclear disarmament.
• Three Pillars of NPT:
  • Non-proliferation: Non-Nuclear Weapon States (NNWS) agree never to acquire nuclear warheads
  • Disarmament: Nuclear-Weapon States (NWS) pledge to pursue good-faith atomic disarmament
  • Peaceful use of nuclear technology: Guarantees access to civilian nuclear applications
  • Review Conferences are held every five years to assess implementation of the treaty.

OBJECTIVE OF THE 11TH REVIEW CONFERENCE

• Review progress on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation commitments.
• Strengthen global nuclear security framework.
• Discuss peaceful uses of nuclear technology and regional security challenges.
• Held every: Five years
• Participants: Nearly 190 signatory states
• Original NPT signed: 1968
• Indefinite extension: 1995
• Five recognized Nuclear-Weapon States (P5): United States, Russia, China, United Kingdom, France (based on pre-1 January 1967 cut-off)
• Non-signatory nuclear-armed states: India, Pakistan, Israel, North Korea

India and NPT

• India is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
• India considers the NPT discriminatory because it recognizes only five countries as nuclear-weapon states based on possession before 1 January 1967.
• India believes the treaty creates inequality between nuclear and non-nuclear states.
• India supports universal, non-discriminatory nuclear disarmament.

INDIA’S POSITION

• Advocates “No First Use” nuclear policy.
• Maintains a policy of credible minimum deterrence.
• Supports peaceful use of nuclear energy.
• Follows strong export control measures and nuclear safety standards.

POLITY & GOVERNANCE

2 PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMITTEE (PAC)

Current Context: The reconstituted Public Accounts Committee (PAC) convened and took up certain subjects for examination.

ABOUT PAC

• Ensure that public money is spent legally, efficiently, and for the purpose approved by Parliament.
• Known as the “watchdog of public finances.”

Key Roles

• Examines reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG).
• Scrutinizes government accounts and expenditure.
• Detects financial irregularities, wasteful spending, and corruption.
• Ensures accountability of the executive to Parliament.

Public Accounts Committee (PAC)

• Public Accounts Committee (PAC) is a Parliamentary Committee that examines government expenditure and audit reports.
• Established in 1921 under the Government of India Act, 1919. Oldest parliamentary committee in India. Constituted every year.

COMPOSITION

• Total Members: 22
• 15 members from Lok Sabha
• 7 members from Rajya Sabha
• Members are elected annually by Parliament.
• Chairperson is appointed by the Speaker of Lok Sabha.
• By convention, the Chairperson is from the Opposition party.
• Term: One year
• Ministers cannot be members

POLITY & GOVERNANCE

3. INDIA’S FIRST NATIONAL AI AND DIGITAL WATER SUMMIT

Current Context: India’s first National AI and Digital Water Summit, titled the National AI Summit on Water 2026, will be hosted by BWSSB in Bengaluru on 27 May 2026.

ABOUT THE SUMMIT

• National AI and Digital Water Summit is a national conference focused on the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and digital technologies in water management and governance.
• Organized by the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) in collaboration with Elets Technomedia Pvt. Ltd.
• To promote AI-driven smart water governance and intelligent urban water management.
• To address challenges like climate change, groundwater depletion, urbanisation, and pressure on civic infrastructure.

Key Focus

• AI-enabled smart water operations
• Digital twins and predictive analytics
• IoT-enabled monitoring systems
• Water-loss management and energy optimisation
• BWSSB’s Five Panchasutras framework: Artificial intelligence, data-driven governance, smart infrastructure, sustainable investments, climate-resilient water security systems
• Proposed AI-powered command centre: Shimsha Bhavan, Jayanagar (one of Asia’s largest integrated AI-powered command centres for water and sewage management)

DEFENCE

4. ORESHNIK MISSILE

Current Context: Russia used the powerful hypersonic Oreshnik ballistic missile during a mass drone and missile attack on Kyiv.

ABOUT ORESHNIK MISSILE

• Oreshnik is a Russian intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile (IRBM) reportedly capable of carrying conventional or nuclear warheads.
• Revealed publicly by Russia in 2024 during the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
• Believed to be a hypersonic-capable missile with very high speed and maneuverability.

Features

• Intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM).
• Estimated range: around 1,000-5,500 km.
• Can carry multiple warheads.
• Based on: RS-26 Rubezh ballistic missile
• Mounting: Mobile transporter and launcher
• Capable of carrying: Nuclear and conventional warheads

ECONOMY

5. BHAVYA SCHEME

Current Context: The central government announced the launch of guidelines for the ‘BHAVYA (Bharat Audyogik Vikas Yojna) Scheme’.

ABOUT BHAVYA SCHEME

• BHAVYA stands for Bharat Audyogik Vikas Yojna.
• Approved by the Union Cabinet in March 2026.
• Implemented by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

Objective

• Develop world-class plug-and-play industrial parks across India.
• Boost manufacturing, investment, exports, and employment generation.
• Strengthen the Make in India and PM Gati Shakti initiatives
• Type: Central Sector Scheme
• Target: Development of 100 industrial parks
• Time Period: Six years (2026-27 to 2031-32)
• Minimum land requirement: 100 acres (non-hilly states), 25 acres (hilly states, NE states, UTs, smaller states)
• Implementation: Through Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) under the Companies Act, 2013

CULTURE & HERITAGE

6. INDIA’S FIRST PRIVATE MEDICAL MUSEUM OPENS IN THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

Current Context: The Museum of Medical Archives opened in Thiruvananthapuram, on 25 May 2026, Kerala’s first private medical museum and India’s first private medical museum.

ABOUT THE MUSEUM

• To preserve historical medical teaching aids and archives.
• To promote awareness about medical science and medical education.
• India’s first private medical museum, named Museum of Medical Archives, was opened in Ulloor, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala on 25 May 2026.
• Founded by Sivaraman, a former artist-modeler at Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram.
• Exhibits: Handcrafted anatomical models, embryological displays, paintings, microbiology archives, photographs
• Subjects covered: Fetal circulation, embryonic development, stages of mitosis, tooth formation, reproductive anatomy, heart development, vascular structures

AWARDS

7. PADMA AWARDS 2026

Current Context: President Droupadi Murmu conferred Padma Awards 2026 on 66 distinguished personalities at Rashtrapati Bhavan on 25 May 2026.

ABOUT THE AWARDS

• Total awards for 2026: 131 (5 Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan, 113 Padma Shri)
• Awarded in first ceremony: 66 (2 Padma Vibhushan, 6 Padma Bhushan, 58 Padma Shri)
• Ceremony date: 25 May 2026
• Venue: Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi
• Presented by: President Droupadi Murmu

MAJOR AWARDEES

• Padma Vibhushan:
• Dharmendra (Posthumous)
• T. Thomas
• Rajam
• S. Achuthanandan (Posthumous).
• Padma Bhushan:
• Mammootty
• Alka Yagnik
• Uday Kotak.
• Padma Shri:
• Rohit Sharma
• Harmanpreet Kaur.

Padma Awards 2026

• Padma Awards are among India’s highest civilian honours.
• Categories:
• Padma Vibhushan – Exceptional and distinguished service
• Padma Bhushan – Distinguished service of high order
• Padma Shri – Distinguished service in any field.
• Any person can receive Padma Awards regardless of race, profession, gender, or position.
• Government servants and PSU employees are generally not eligible, except doctors and scientists.
• Awards may also be given posthumously in exceptional cases.
• Nominations are invited online through the Rashtriya Puraskar Portal / Padma Awards Portal. Any citizen can nominate someone.

AWARDS

8. INDIAN ARMY OFFICER MAJOR ABHILASHA BARAK WINS UN MILITARY GENDER ADVOCATE AWARD

Current Context: Major Abhilasha Barak has won the 2025 UN Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award for her outstanding peacekeeping work in Lebanon.

ABOUT THE AWARD

• Recipient: Major Abhilasha Barak (Commander of Female Engagement Team – FET, UNIFIL)
• Position: First woman combat helicopter pilot in Indian Army
• Award created: 2016 by UN Department for Peace Operations
• Linked to: UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (Women, Peace and Security)
• Previous Indian recipients:
• India’s contribution to UNIFIL (as of February 2026): 642 personnel (4th largest contributor after Italy, Indonesia, Spain)

About UNIFIL

• UNIFIL stands for United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon.
• It is a UN peacekeeping mission deployed in southern Lebanon.
• Established in 1978 by the United Nations Security Council through Resolutions 425 and 426.
• Headquarters: Naqoura, Lebanon.

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