The Bharat Maritime Insurance Pool (BMIP) is a domestic maritime insurance mechanism with a total capacity of USD 1.5 billion.
— It is backed by a sovereign guarantee of USD 1.4 billion (around ₹12,980 crore) approved by the Union Cabinet in April 2026.
— The pool has been created in response to growing geopolitical instability, sanctions risks, and rising insurance costs affecting global maritime trade.
— GIC Re has been designated as the administrator of the pool.

The pool covers all maritime risks such as Hull and Machinery, Cargo, P&I and War risk for Indian flagged or controlled vessels or vessels destined to or starting from India, in the context of the current Middle East tensions.

Recently, the 11th century Chola copper plates were formally handed over to India by the Netherlands during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit.

They were likely excavated during Dutch colonial activities in Nagapattinam between 1687 and 1700.

These plates were brought to Netherlands in 1712 from Nagapattinam by Florentius Camper, a Dutch missionary, associated with Dutch East Indies Company.

The European Space Agency (ESA) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) lead the Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE) mission.

This collaboration marks the first time these two agencies launch a joint space mission to study Earth's defenses against the Sun.

A European Vega-C rocket launched the 2,600 kg spacecraft from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana.

SMILE builds a complete understanding of the Sun-Earth connection by measuring the dynamic interaction between solar wind and Earth's magnetosphere.

Important Issues for Exam.

I. Polity:
Census 2027 + Delimitation
16th Finance Commission
8th Commission
SIR (Special Intensive Revision)
Removal of HC/SC Judges
Removal of CEC
Vice-President Election
Menstrual Rights under Article 21
State Name Change Process (Keralam)
Passive euthanasia
150 Years of Vande Mataram
SHANTI Act 2025
5th vs 6th Schedule
Women Reservation Bill
Transgender Persons Act

II. Economy:
New Labour Codes
GST Reforms / GST 2.0/ GSTAT
Municipal Bonds
Sovereign Gold Bonds (SGBs)
Base Year Changes (GDP/CPI/IIP)
MSME TReDS
Orange Economy
International Investment Position (IIP)
PM e-Drive / e-Bus Seva
Rare Earth Corridor/ Rare Earth Elements (REEs)
PM Dhan-Dhanya Krishi Yojan
Aatmanirbharta in Pulses
ISM 2.0
Insurance Sector FDI 100% and Insurance for All 2047
Swagat FI Framework
Essential Commodities Act
RELIEF Scheme
Small Hydro Power Development Scheme
VB G-RAM-G
Bhavya Scheme
Strategic Oil Reserves
World Economic Outlook

III. Environment:
India’s New NDCs
COP30/COP33
New Ramsar Sites
India State of Forest Report
FAO Global Forest Resources Assessment
Great Nicobar Project
Project Cheetah
National Green Hydrogen Mission
Carbon Capture Technologies (CCUS)
IBCA Summit
Montreal Protocol
National Clean Air Programme (NCAP)
Green Credit Programme
Cloud Seeding
National Coal Gasification Mission
CBDR Principle

IV: International:
Strait of Hormuz
Malacca Strait
Greenland
Chagos Archipelago
Kharg Island
OPEC/OPEC+
Free Trade Agreements (FTA / CEPA / EFTA)
EU–India FTA
WTO Ministerial Conference
Uranium Deal with Canada
Pax Silica
BRICS Summit

V. Geography
Aravalli Mountains
Super El Niño
Major Ports of India
Recent Volcanic Eruptions
Recent Cyclones and Cyclone Naming
Western Disturbances
EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone)
Punatsangchhu-II Project
Zojila Tunnel / Z Tunnel
Lipulekh Pass

VI. Science and Technology
Artemis-II
India AI Summit 2026
Vikram 32-bit Processor
Qubits
Biopharma Shakti
Adivaani
HPV Vaccine
Samudrayaan Project
Mission Drishti
Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI)
Difference Between LPG, PNG & CNG

You can use Gemini to compile content on these Topics to get the Context of these News Items. Here is the Prompt: https://gemini.google.com/share/fe1cea932775

Don't Paste whole list in One go, rather put it section wise such as all the topics under I. Polity then II, III So on.. for better response.

FAO honours PM Modi with Agricola Medal

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been conferred with the Agricola Medal for 2026 by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), at the FAO Headquarters in Rome on May 20.

• The award was conferred in recognition of his exceptional leadership to address food security, sustainable agriculture and rural development in India and at the global level.

• The Prime Minister received the award from Qu Dongyu, Director General of FAO.

• Modi is the second Indian PM to win the prestigious prize from the UN organisation after Manmohan Singh in 2008.

• The FAO Agricola Medal is conferred by the FAO Director-General on extraordinary leaders who demonstrated commitment and action in support of FAO’s mandate to eradicate hunger, reduce poverty, and ensure food security and nutrition for all.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) published the half-yearly Payment System Report, December 2025 on May 18.

• India’s digital payments ecosystem has witnessed impressive expansion, with transaction volumes surging 33 times and values rising by almost three times over the 10-year period 2016 to 2025.

• In the second half (H2) of Calendar Year (CY) 2025, the UPI commanded the largest share of transaction volume at 85.5 per cent. It was followed by National Electronic Funds Transfer (NEFT) at 3.6 per cent and Prepaid Payment Instruments (PPIs) at 3.6 per cent, while Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) accounted for a mere 0.1 per cent.

• However, in terms of transaction value, RTGS dominated with 68.6 per cent of the total transaction value, followed by NEFT at 14.9 per cent and UPI at 9.5 per cent, with PPIs contributing only 0.1 per cent.

Half-yearly Payment Systems Report for December 2025 Summary.

PIB 360 Magazine Covering Schemes and Circulars for May 2026 by Brajesh Mohan is available Now for Updates from 1-20th May 2026. Buy Here: https://www.brajeshmohan.in/p/buy-pib-summary.html

Best 100 Monthly Current Affairs MCQs - April 2026 has been Uploaded under Phase I Mock Test. Attempt Here

“I am not able to recall anything I read in GA.”

That is why you need revision and regular tests to train your brain for active recalling.

You cannot store everything in your brain. It is practically impossible. Dimag hi phatt jayega.

The beauty of MCQ-based exams is that you are given with the Options you only need to identify the correct answer from the given options. If you have practiced active recall through tests and quizzes, your brain will automatically recognize and connect many things you have already read.

Yes, too many facts and data points can create confusion. For that, you can make short notes or sticky notes for important information.

Prelims is not like Mains answer writing where you need to write too many things. It is more about recognition, elimination, and identifying the right answer in the exam hall.

Wahan click ho jaata hai. Options themselves give clues. That is enough.

Don’t think something is wrong with you. This happens with everyone.

Calmness is the biggest asset in the exam hall. The moment you panic, you are already out of the game.

Most of what you study will not even come in the exam. There are only 80 questions, and in reality, you need around 40-45 good attempts.

Keep Working Hard. By the time exam comes, all things will fall in place.

The Reserve Bank of India has approved the transfer of a record ₹2.87 lakh crore ($29.99 billion) as surplus to the Central Government for the financial year 2025-26, marking one of the highest dividend payouts by the central bank.

The decision was taken during the 623rd meeting of the Central Board of Directors of the RBI, chaired by Governor Sanjay Malhotra in Mumbai

WPT NABARD Grade A Set - IV (17th May 2026) - Sunday (11:00 AM)