RBI approves Anup Bagchi as MD & CEO of HDFC Bank for three years from 27 October 2026
On 1 October 2026, HDFC Bank announced that the Reserve Bank of India had approved Anup Bagchi as its Managing Director and CEO for three years from 27 October 2026. He succeeds Sashidhar Jagdishan, who did not seek a fresh term. Bagchi moves from ICICI Prudential Life Insurance, where he was MD & CEO. HDFC Bank is India's largest private-sector lender.
Exam angleNew head of HDFC Bank; predecessor Sashidhar Jagdishan
Rajasthan terracotta artist Chandra Shekhar Sain honoured with Lalit Kala Akademi National Award
On 29 September 2026, Union Culture and Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat felicitated the 20 winners of the National Akademi Award at the Lalit Kala Akademi's 65th National Exhibition of Art in New Delhi. They included Rajasthan-based terracotta artist Chandra Shekhar Sain (Sculpture) for his work 'My Entire World-I'; he was the only artist from Rajasthan among this year's awardees. He had received the Rajasthan Lalit Kala Akademi State Art Award in 2014.
Exam angleRajasthan artist and art form (terracotta sculpture); 65th National Exhibition
72nd National Film Awards presented at Ekta Nagar, Gujarat – first ceremony held outside Delhi
President Droupadi Murmu presented the 72nd National Film Awards at Ekta Nagar (Narmada district), Gujarat, on 22 September 2026, the first time the ceremony was held outside the national capital. ‘Article 370’ won Best Feature Film and Yami Gautam Best Actress for it; Mammootty (‘Bramayugam’) and Kartik Aaryan (‘Chandu Champion’) shared Best Actor. The Santhali film ‘Angen’ became the first Santhali film to win in the non-feature section.
Exam angleFirst National Film Awards ceremony outside Delhi; Best Feature Film
Veteran actor Anant Nag receives Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2024 on 22 September 2026
President Droupadi Murmu conferred the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2024 on veteran actor Anant Nag at the 72nd National Film Awards ceremony on 22 September 2026. Known mainly for Kannada cinema, he has acted in more than 300 films over 50 years, besides Hindi films, theatre and television. The President praised his acting as natural, restrained and authentic.
Ramon Magsaysay Award 2026 announced for Tommy Koh, Runa Khan and Bo Kyi
On 31 August 2026, the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation named three awardees for 2026: Singapore diplomat and law professor Tommy Koh, Bangladeshi development leader Runa Khan (founder of the NGO Friendship), and Myanmar human-rights advocate Bo Kyi, co-founder of the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners. The theme of the 68th awards is 'A World for All'. The awards will be presented in Manila on 15 November 2026.
Exam angle2026 awardees and their countries; no Indian awardee
Uzbekistan confers its highest honour, 'Oliy Darajali Do'stlik' Order, on PM Modi
On 30 August 2026 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev conferred the 'Oliy Darajali Do'stlik' Order, the country's highest honour, on PM Narendra Modi in recognition of his contribution to strengthening bilateral ties. DD News reported that the PM has now received over 30 international honours.
Exam angleHonour name and country: Oliy Darajali Do'stlik, Uzbekistan
National Sports Awards 2025: no Khel Ratna this year; 17 sportspersons named for Arjuna Award
On 18 August 2026, the Sports Ministry announced the National Sports Awards 2025 on the recommendation of a committee headed by retired Supreme Court judge Justice Arun Kumar Mishra. No one was named for the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna, while 17 sportspersons were named for the Arjuna Award, including chess players Vidit Gujrathi and Divya Deshmukh, badminton pair Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, and para-shooter Rudransh Khandelwal. Army Paralympic Node, Pune, got the Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar.
Exam angleNo Khel Ratna for 2025; 17 Arjuna awardees
President confers Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowships and Awards for 2024 and 2025 on over 100 artists
On 13 August 2026 in New Delhi, President Droupadi Murmu conferred the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowships (Akademi Ratna) and Awards (Akademi Puraskar) for 2024 and 2025 on more than 100 artists. A Fellowship carries ₹3 lakh and an Award ₹1 lakh, with a Tamrapatra and Angavastram. The honours cover music, dance, theatre, folk and tribal arts and puppetry.
Exam angleFellowship ₹3 lakh, Award ₹1 lakh; years 2024 and 2025
Viswanathan Anand takes charge as interim President of FIDE
On 24 July 2026, five-time world chess champion Viswanathan Anand took charge as interim President of FIDE, the International Chess Federation. This followed the inclusion of FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich of Russia in the European Union's sanctions list. Anand will serve while Dvorkovich remains under these restrictions.
Exam angleIndian heading a world sports body (FIDE)
Anurag Jain, 1989-batch IAS officer, appointed CEO of NITI Aayog
On 22 July 2026, the Centre appointed Anurag Jain, a 1989-batch IAS officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre, as Chief Executive Officer of NITI Aayog. The appointment is for two years or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
72nd National Film Awards announced: 'Article 370' best feature film
The 72nd National Film Awards (for 2024) were announced on 18 July 2026. 'Article 370' won the best feature film award and Yami Gautam won best actress for it. Mammootty ('Bramayugam') and Kartik Aaryan ('Chandu Champion') shared the best actor award.
Exam angleBest film, actor and actress of the 72nd awards
India wins five gold medals at the 56th International Physics Olympiad in Colombia
All five Indian students won gold medals at the 56th International Physics Olympiad, held at Bucaramanga, Colombia, from 4 to 12 July 2026. The winners were Kanishk Jain, Riddhesh Anant Bendale, Rishit Garg, Shresth Suraiya and Svarit Joshi. India shared the top position with Russia, China, Kazakhstan, South Korea and Taiwan.
President presents Padma Awards 2026 to 65 people at second investiture; Rohit Sharma gets Padma Shri
On 23 June 2026, at the second civil investiture ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan, President Droupadi Murmu conferred Padma Awards 2026 on 65 people: 2 Padma Vibhushan, 7 Padma Bhushan and 56 Padma Shri. Cricketer Rohit Sharma received the Padma Shri, while singer Alka Yagnik and tennis great Vijay Amritraj received the Padma Bhushan.
Lt Gen Dhiraj Seth was appointed on 13 June as Chief of the Army Staff from 30 June 2026
On 13 June 2026 the Government appointed Lt Gen Dhiraj Seth as the next Chief of the Army Staff with effect from the afternoon of 30 June 2026, when General Upendra Dwivedi retires. He was serving as Vice Chief of the Army Staff. An NDA alumnus, he was commissioned into the Armoured Corps in December 1986 and has commanded South Western Command and Southern Command.
Major Abhilasha Barak receives UN Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award from Antonio Guterres
On 5 June 2026 Major Abhilasha Barak, the Indian Army's first woman combat helicopter pilot, received the UN Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. She is the Engagement Team Commander and Gender Focal Point in the Indian battalion with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). She is the third Indian woman officer to win the award, after Major Suman Gawani and Major Radhika Sen.
Exam angleAward name; mission UNIFIL (Lebanon); third Indian woman
Vice Admiral Vineet McCarty took charge on 1 June as 20th Commander-in-Chief, Andaman and Nicobar Command
On 1 June 2026 Vice Admiral Vineet McCarty took charge as the 20th Commander-in-Chief of the Andaman and Nicobar Command at Sri Vijaya Puram. It is India's only tri-service operational command. He earlier served as Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet and as Commandant of the Indian Naval Academy.
Exam angleANC: India's only tri-service command; HQ Sri Vijaya Puram
President confers 66 Padma Awards; Padma Vibhushan to Dharmendra (posthumous) and N. Rajam
On 25 May 2026 President Droupadi Murmu presented 66 Padma Awards at the first Civil Investiture Ceremony of 2026 at Rashtrapati Bhavan: 2 Padma Vibhushan, 6 Padma Bhushan and 58 Padma Shri. Actor Dharmendra (posthumously) and violinist Dr N. Rajam received the Padma Vibhushan. In all, 131 Padma awards were approved for 2026 (5 Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan, 113 Padma Shri).
Cristian Mungiu's 'Fjord' wins Palme d'Or at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival
On 23 May 2026 Romanian director Cristian Mungiu's film 'Fjord' won the Palme d'Or, the top prize of the Cannes Film Festival in France. It is Mungiu's second Palme d'Or after '4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days' in 2007. The Grand Prix went to Russian director Andrey Zvyagintsev's 'Minotaur'.
'Taiwan Travelogue' by Yáng Shuāng-zǐ, translated by Lin King, wins International Booker Prize 2026
On 19 May 2026 in London, 'Taiwan Travelogue' by Yáng Shuāng-zǐ, translated by Lin King, won the International Booker Prize 2026. It is the first book translated from Mandarin Chinese to win, and the author and translator are the first Taiwanese and Taiwanese-American winners. The GBP 50,000 prize is shared equally.
Sweden confers Royal Order of the Polar Star (Commander Grand Cross) on PM Modi, his 31st foreign honour
On 17 May 2026 in Gothenburg, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden conferred the Royal Order of the Polar Star, Degree Commander Grand Cross, on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It recognises his contribution to India-Sweden relations. The order was instituted in 1748, and this is the PM's 31st international honour.
Exam angleCountry and name of PM's 31st foreign honour
Lt Gen N.S. Raja Subramani (Retd) appointed next Chief of Defence Staff
On 9 May 2026 the Government appointed Lt Gen N.S. Raja Subramani (Retd) as the next Chief of Defence Staff, who also serves as Secretary, Department of Military Affairs. He succeeds General Anil Chauhan, whose tenure was to end on 30 May 2026. Subramani was serving as Military Adviser in the National Security Council Secretariat and earlier was Vice Chief of the Army Staff.
Lyricist Prasoon Joshi appointed Chairman of Prasar Bharati
On 2 May 2026 the Government appointed writer-lyricist Prasoon Joshi as Chairman of Prasar Bharati, the public service broadcaster that runs All India Radio and Doordarshan under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Joshi earlier served as Chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).
ISRO's Chandrayaan-3 receives AIAA's 2026 Goddard Astronautics Award
In May 2026 the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) gave its 2026 Goddard Astronautics Award to ISRO for Chandrayaan-3. India's Ambassador to the US, Vinay Kwatra, received it at AIAA's ASCEND conference. Chandrayaan-3 made the first soft landing near the Moon's south pole on 23 August 2023.
Justice Lisa Gill sworn in as the first woman Chief Justice of the Andhra Pradesh High Court
On 25 April 2026 Governor S. Abdul Nazeer administered the oath to Justice Lisa Gill as Chief Justice of the Andhra Pradesh High Court at Lok Bhavan, Vijayawada. She is the first woman to head that High Court and succeeded Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur. She had served over 11 years as a judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
Exam angleFirst woman Chief Justice of AP High Court: Justice Lisa Gill
Laureus Awards 2026 (Madrid): Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka win Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year
At the Laureus World Sports Awards in Madrid on 20 April 2026, tennis players Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka won Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year. Paris Saint-Germain won Team of the Year, Lando Norris the Breakthrough award and Lamine Yamal Young Sportsperson of the Year.
Exam angleLaureus 2026: Alcaraz, Sabalenka; venue Madrid
Harivansh re-elected Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman unopposed, as a nominated member
On 17 April 2026 Harivansh was elected unopposed as Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha for a third term. He was then a nominated member: President Droupadi Murmu had nominated him to the House in the vacancy left by former Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi's retirement. His previous term had ended on 9 April 2026.
Exam angleDeputy Chairman, third term, held as a nominated member
German mathematician Gerd Faltings wins the 2026 Abel Prize
On 19 March 2026 the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters awarded the 2026 Abel Prize to Gerd Faltings of the Max Planck Institute for Mathematics, Bonn, for powerful tools in arithmetic geometry and for resolving the diophantine conjectures of Mordell and Lang. He proved the Mordell conjecture in 1983 and won the Fields Medal in 1986. He is the first German to win the prize, which is worth 7.5 million Norwegian kroner.
'One Battle After Another' wins Best Picture and six Oscars at the 98th Academy Awards
At the 98th Academy Awards on 15 March 2026 at the Dolby Theatre, Los Angeles, hosted by Conan O'Brien, 'One Battle After Another' won six Oscars including Best Picture, and Paul Thomas Anderson won Best Director. Michael B. Jordan won Best Actor for 'Sinners' and Jessie Buckley won Best Actress for 'Hamnet', the first Irish winner in that category. Autumn Durald Arkapaw ('Sinners') became the first woman to win the cinematography Oscar.
Exam angleBest Picture 2026: One Battle After Another; Best Actor: Michael B. Jordan
Tamil poet-lyricist R. Vairamuthu named for the 60th Jnanpith Award (2025)
On 14 March 2026 the Bharatiya Jnanpith announced the 60th Jnanpith Award, for 2025, for Tamil poet and film lyricist R. Vairamuthu. The decision was taken by the selection board chaired by writer Pratibha Ray. He is only the third Tamil writer to win it, after P.V. Akilan (1975) and D. Jayakanthan (2002). The Jnanpith is India's highest literary honour.
Exam angle60th Jnanpith (2025): Vairamuthu, Tamil; board chair Pratibha Ray
Manipuri film 'Boong' wins BAFTA for Children's and Family Film, a first for an Indian film
At the 2026 BAFTA Awards held at the Royal Festival Hall, London, on 22 February 2026, the Manipuri-language film 'Boong' won in the Children's and Family Film category. I&B Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said it is the first Indian film to win this award.
Exam angleBoong: Manipuri; BAFTA Children's and Family Film
Dalai Lama, 90, wins his first Grammy for the audiobook 'Meditations'
At the 68th Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on 1 February 2026, the Dalai Lama won his first Grammy, for Best Audio Book, Narration and Storytelling Recording. The album 'Meditations: The Reflections of His Holiness the Dalai Lama' set his teachings to music, with sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan and his sons Amaan and Ayaan Ali Bangash among the collaborators.
Exam angleDalai Lama Grammy category; Amjad Ali Khan collaboration
Indian teacher Rouble Nagi wins the US$1 million Global Teacher Prize 2026 in Dubai
Indian teacher Rouble Nagi won the Global Teacher Prize 2026, worth US$1 million, announced at the World Government Summit in Dubai in February 2026. Given by GEMS Education in its tenth edition, it was presented by Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan. Nagi turns neglected walls into learning murals, and her foundation runs more than 800 education centres; she was chosen from over 5,000 nominations from 139 countries.
Exam angleGlobal Teacher Prize 2026: Rouble Nagi; US$1 million
131 Padma Awards for 2026: 5 Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan and 113 Padma Shri
On the eve of Republic Day, 25 January 2026, the Government announced 131 Padma Awards: 5 Padma Vibhushan, 13 Padma Bhushan and 113 Padma Shri. The Padma Vibhushan went to Dharmendra (posthumous), K.T. Thomas, N. Rajam, P. Narayanan and V.S. Achuthanandan (posthumous). Nineteen awardees are women, six are foreigners/NRI/PIO/OCI and 16 awards are posthumous.
Ashoka Chakra for astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla among 70 gallantry awards
On the eve of Republic Day 2026, President Droupadi Murmu approved 70 gallantry awards to armed forces personnel, six of them posthumous. IAF Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian to visit the International Space Station (Axiom-4, 2025), received the Ashoka Chakra, India's highest peacetime gallantry award. The three Kirti Chakras went to Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, Major Arshdeep Singh and Naib Subedar Doleshwar Subba; 13 Shaurya Chakras were also awarded.
Exam angleAshoka Chakra 2026 awardee; number of Kirti Chakras
Sikkim SDMA and Lt Col Seeta Ashok Shelke get Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar 2026
On 23 January 2026 (Parakram Diwas), the Government selected the Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority (institutional category) and Lt Col Seeta Ashok Shelke of the Indian Army (individual category) for the Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar 2026. Lt Col Shelke led relief operations during the 2024 Wayanad (Kerala) landslides. The award carries ₹51 lakh for an institution and ₹5 lakh for an individual.
Exam angle2026 winners in institutional and individual categories
Justice Revati Mohite Dere takes oath as Chief Justice of Meghalaya High Court
Justice Revati Mohite Dere, a judge of the Bombay High Court, was sworn in as Chief Justice of the Meghalaya High Court on 10 January 2026 at Lok Bhavan, Shillong; Governor C.H. Vijayashankar administered the oath. Her appointment was notified on 1 January after Chief Justice Soumen Sen was transferred to the Kerala High Court. She is the 15th Chief Justice of the Meghalaya High Court.
Exam angleNew Chief Justice of Meghalaya HC; parent High Court
PM Modi receives the First Class of the Order of Oman, his 29th international honour
On 18 December 2025 in Muscat, Sultan Haitham bin Tarik conferred the First Class of the Order of Oman, the Sultanate's highest civilian honour, on PM Narendra Modi. It was the 29th international civilian honour given to him. The visit marked 70 years of India–Oman diplomatic ties and saw the signing of the India–Oman CEPA.
Exam angleOrder of Oman; count of Modi's international honours (29th)
PM Modi conferred 'Great Honour Nishan of Ethiopia', Ethiopia's highest award
On 16 December 2025, during his first bilateral visit to Ethiopia, PM Narendra Modi received the 'Great Honour Nishan of Ethiopia' from Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed Ali at the Addis International Convention Centre. He was the first global Head of State or Government to get this award. India–Ethiopia ties were raised to a Strategic Partnership during the visit.
Exam angleAward–country match: Great Honour Nishan – Ethiopia
Raj Kumar Goyal sworn in as Chief Information Commissioner by President Murmu
On 15 December 2025, President Droupadi Murmu administered the oath of office to Raj Kumar Goyal as Chief Information Commissioner at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Goyal is a 1990-batch retired IAS officer of the AGMUT cadre who retired on 31 August 2025 as Secretary, Department of Justice. Eight new Information Commissioners also took oath in the Central Information Commission the same day.
Exam angleNew CIC and who administers the CIC's oath (President)