Current Affairs — 27 May 2026

📖 Explanation

Vande Bharat trains currently run only on broad gauge for domestic use. Because most rail networks worldwide use standard gauge, a standard-gauge platform is needed before the trains can be exported. This widens the potential market to countries in South Asia, Latin America and Africa, reflecting India's shift toward exporting high-technology rail products.

📖 Explanation

The visit, planned for 1–4 June 2026, aims to finalise an interim bilateral trade agreement (BTA) and carry forward wider negotiations on market access, customs and investment. It follows an April 2026 round of talks in Washington DC and a framework agreed in February 2026. A key domestic concern is that US agricultural imports under the deal could hurt Indian farmers.

📖 Explanation

The Court upheld the 28% GST on online gaming and rejected challenges to retrospective tax demands exceeding ₹1.5 trillion. It accepted the government's argument that the relevant amendments merely clarified the existing legal position rather than imposing a fresh levy. The verdict has major financial implications for the online gaming sector.

📖 Explanation

Betting and gambling are subjects in the State List of the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution. By treating online gaming as betting and gambling, the verdict raised questions about a central law banning online gaming. This connects to the division of legislative powers between the Centre and the States, a frequently tested polity theme.

📖 Explanation

The project stalling rate — the value of stalled projects as a share of projects under implementation — dropped to about 5.5% in FY26, down from nearly 11% in 2014-15. The improvement was driven mainly by the private sector. A lower stalling rate indicates that a larger share of planned investment is actually being completed.

📖 Explanation

Mission STRATO-XI demonstrated India's first air-breathing cold plasma propulsion in the stratosphere, using a super-pressure balloon that can reach about 25 km altitude. It was carried out by private space-tech startups with state-backed incubation support. It highlights the growing role of private players in India's space ecosystem.

📖 Explanation

The Cabinet approved a ₹25,530 crore extension of Sarthak-PDS for five years, from April 2026 to March 2031. The scheme uses artificial intelligence to identify beneficiaries, track food grains and handle complaints. It aims to modernise the PDS, which delivers subsidised food grains to about 80 crore citizens every month.

📖 Explanation

The scheme introduces AI-enabled systems under 'SMART PDS Phase 2', supported by the IndiaAI Mission, to identify beneficiaries in real time, track grain movement and handle citizen grievances. This is an example of technology being used to improve welfare delivery and reduce leakages, linking food security with digital governance.

📖 Explanation

The Union government raised the sanctioned strength of the Supreme Court from 33 to 37 judges, excluding the CJI, through an ordinance in 2026. The collegium, led by CJI Surya Kant, then recommended four high court chief justices and a senior advocate for elevation. The President issues warrants of appointment after the government's approval.

📖 Explanation

The Supreme Court collegium is headed by the Chief Justice of India along with the senior-most judges of the court. It recommends names to the Union government, which then forwards them to the President for the warrants of appointment. This collegium system, evolved through judicial pronouncements, is a recurring polity topic.

📖 Explanation

The four cheetahs were brought from South Africa and arrived in India on 18 April, after which they were kept in quarantine. They will be open for public viewing at the Bannerghatta Biological Park in Karnataka from 4 June. This is part of wider efforts to reintroduce cheetahs, which had become locally extinct in India decades ago.

📖 Explanation

The study found that 119 of the 191 documented species — more than 60% — are endemic to India, meaning they occur naturally nowhere else. The species are spread across 74 genera. Researchers also built the first large DNA barcode reference library for cockroaches of peninsular India, published in a scientific journal.