Current Affairs — 22 May 2026

📖 Explanation

The 'Kasa Kay?' campaign is part of Maharashtra's 'Majhe Gaav, Arogya Sampanna Gaav' initiative, which translates to 'My Village, A Health-Rich Village'. Swachh Bharat Abhiyan is a central sanitation programme unrelated to this state health campaign. Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (Ayushman Bharat) is a central health insurance scheme, not a rural awareness drive. The campaign focuses on preventive healthcare — disease control, sanitation, nutrition and clean drinking water in Maharashtra's rural areas.

📖 Explanation

Villages that show strong health performance under this initiative are awarded the title 'Arogya Sampanna Gaav', meaning Health-Rich Village. This recognition is designed to motivate village communities to compete and raise their health standards. The other options — Swasth Gram Puraskar, National Rural Health Award and Green Village Certificate — are not part of this Maharashtra programme. The campaign was launched in Mumbai by the Chief Minister along with health songs and informational booklets.

📖 Explanation

Under this sustainability-linked dealer financing scheme, loan interest rates depend directly on the dealer's environmental performance. Dealers are assessed on factors such as greenhouse gas emissions, water conservation, use of renewable energy, waste management and setting up EV charging stations. Better environmental performance earns a lower interest rate — this is the defining feature of sustainability-linked financing. The programme is connected to Mahindra's Green Dealership Programme and supports India's net-zero target for 2070.

📖 Explanation

The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR) were India's main partners in signing the five agreements with Norway. The Norwegian partners included SINTEF, the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and the research centre FME NorthWind. DRDO focuses on defence research, ISRO on space, DBT on biotechnology and DST on science policy — none of these were named as lead partners in these specific bilateral agreements. The agreements cover clean energy, offshore wind, geosciences, sustainability and public health.

📖 Explanation

The five bilateral agreements between India and Norway signed in Oslo on 18 May 2026 cover clean energy, offshore wind technology, geosciences, sustainability and public health research. Norway has significant expertise in offshore wind and clean energy, which is directly relevant to India's renewable energy expansion goals. Space technology, defence, agriculture or fisheries were not mentioned as themes in these agreements. The agreements also support student mobility and scientific exchanges between the two countries.

📖 Explanation

The Draft National Water Metro Policy, 2026 covers 18 major Indian cities and is being reviewed under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways. The first-phase cities identified include Guwahati, Srinagar, Patna and Varanasi — all situated near rivers or large water bodies. The Ministry of Urban Development handles city planning broadly, but water transport specifically falls under Ports, Shipping and Waterways. The policy is inspired by the success of the Kochi Water Metro in Kerala, India's first modern water-based metro system.

📖 Explanation

The Kochi Water Metro in Kerala is India's first modern water-based metro system and served as the inspiration for the Draft National Water Metro Policy, 2026. Mumbai's harbour ferry and Kolkata's Hooghly river ferries are older services but are not classified as modern water metro systems. Guwahati is listed as one of the first-phase cities in the new policy, but it does not yet have a water metro. The new policy aims to replicate and expand the Kochi model to 17 more cities across the country.

📖 Explanation

The MoUs signed by Maharashtra for 25,400 MW of nuclear power capacity carry a total planned investment of approximately ₹6.5 lakh crore. This makes it one of the largest clean-energy investment announcements by any Indian state. The four companies involved are NTPC Limited, Adani Power, Reliance Industries Limited and Lalitpur Power Generation Company. The projects will use technologies such as Bharat Small Reactors and Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), with major installations planned in Ratnagiri district.

📖 Explanation

Maharashtra's nuclear power MoUs specifically mention Bharat Small Reactors and Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) as the technologies to be deployed. SMRs are smaller, factory-built reactors that are easier to set up than large conventional nuclear plants, making them suitable for phased deployment. PHWRs are used in existing Indian nuclear plants like those operated by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India, but are not mentioned in these MoUs. The use of private companies such as NTPC, Adani and Reliance for nuclear power marks a notable shift in India's nuclear energy sector.

📖 Explanation

Shukrayaan is India's first dedicated mission to the planet Venus. The name 'Shukrayaan' comes from 'Shukra', the Sanskrit/Hindi name for Venus, and 'yaan' meaning vehicle or craft. India's Mars mission was Mangalyaan (Mars Orbiter Mission), launched in 2013 — Shukrayaan is a separate and entirely different mission targeting Venus. Under the India–Sweden MoU, Sweden's Swedish Institute of Space Physics will build the Venusian Neutrals Analyser (VNA) to study solar wind interaction with Venus's atmosphere. The agreement was finalised during Prime Minister Modi's visit to Sweden.

📖 Explanation

The Venusian Neutrals Analyser (VNA), to be developed by the Swedish Institute of Space Physics, will study how solar wind interacts with Venus, how the planet loses gases from its atmosphere, and how plasma behaves around it. These are fundamental questions about planetary atmospheric evolution and space weather effects. While Shukrayaan will also examine Venus's volcanic surface and weather systems, the VNA instrument specifically focuses on neutral particle analysis related to solar wind and atmospheric escape. Venus is similar in size to Earth but has an extremely hot and dense atmosphere, making its study valuable for understanding planetary change.