28th MAY 2026 CURRENT AFFAIRS

1. The Sansad Ratna Awards 2026

The Sansad Ratna Awards 2026 were announced to honour outstanding performance by Members of Parliament (MPs) and Parliamentary Standing Committees

The awards recognised 10 Lok Sabha MPs, 2 Rajya Sabha MPs, and 4 Parliamentary Standing Committees for their parliamentary performance.

Important awardees include Smita Uday Wagh, Medha Kulkarni, Jagdambika Pal, and Nishikant Dubey.

Sansad Ratna Awards:

The awards were instituted in 2010 by the Prime Point Foundation on the suggestion of former President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

The first award ceremony was launched by Dr. Kalam in 2010

The awards are based on official parliamentary data such as debates, questions, attendance, committee participation, and private member bills.

2. Port Performance Index

India took another step towards modernising its maritime sector with the launch of the Logistics Port Performance Index (LPPI) for FY 2024-25 and FOUR major digital initiatives aimed at improving governance, transparency and ease of doing business across the shipping ecosystem.

The initiatives were launched by Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW), Sarbananda Sonowal during the 37th Foundation Day celebrations of the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) in Mumbai, Maharashtra.

Sagar Aankalan framework, is a national benchmarking mechanism designed to assess and improve the operational performance of Indian ports.

The index aligns with the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan, Maritime India Vision 2030 and Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047, and seeks to strengthen India's position in global logistics and maritime trade.

Logistics Port Performance Index (LPPI)is a major step towards improving the efficiency, transparency & global competitiveness of Indian ports.

By promoting continuous improvement & global benchmarking, it will strengthen India’s position as a leading maritime power.”

The LPPI evaluates ports across three cargo segments dry bulk, liquid bulk and container cargo using operational indicators such as cargo handled, vessel turnaround time, berth idle time, pre-berthing waiting time, container dwell time and ship berth day output.

The framework assigns equal weightage to absolute performance and year-on-year improvement, encouraging continuous enhancement of port operations

The initiatives include a 24x7 Grievance Redressal Module under the e-Navik platform, a Ship Registration Module on the e-Samudra platform, a Medical Practitioner Module and a Unified Ship Recycling Credit Note Module.

India's ranking in the World Bank's Logistics Performance Index improved from 44th to 22nd position in the International Shipments category, while seven Indian ports featured among the world's top 100 ports in the World Bank's Container Port Performance Index 2024.

3. 11th Quad Foreign Ministers' Meeting

QUAD, also known as the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue or simply the Quad, is a strategic forum comprising four countries: the United States, Japan, India, and Australia.

The Quad wasformed in 2007 during (ASEAN)meeting . It was Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe who first proposed the idea of creating the Quad.

India, Japan, USA, and Australia held the first 'Quad' talks in Manila ahead of the ASEAN Summit 2017 meeting

The Quad is aimed at promoting regional security and economic cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.

The four countries share a common interest in maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific, promoting democracy, human rights, and the rule of law, and countering China's expanding influence in the region

Key outcomes of the meeting:

The Quad partners launched the first ever Indo-Pacific Maritime Surveillance Collaboration (IPMSC) initiative to leverage Quad country maritime surveillance in the Indo-Pacific

The Quad partners expanded their work as part of the Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA). Quad countries are developing a comprehensive Common Operating Picture (COP)

Quad partners have provided tangible support to ensure that all Pacific Island Forum countries are connected via undersea cables by 2026 to secure their digital futures. They will continue to explore opportunities to support future undersea cable connections in the region to further provide trusted redundancy

India will host the next edition of the Quad-at-Sea Ship Observer Mission to strengthen interoperability and knowledge-sharing to best address unlawful maritime activities across the region.

India hosted two Quad Workshops on counter-terrorism in September 2025

4. National Sports Governance Board Rules and National Sports Tribunal Rules, 2026

The Union Government has notified the National Sports Governance (National Sports Board) Rules, 2026 and the National Sports Governance (National Sports Tribunal) Rules, 2026 under the provisions of the National Sports Governance Act, 2025.

This rules provide for the composition of the Board, term of office of the Chairperson and Members, salary, allowances and other conditions of service, as well as the powers and functions of the Board.

Under the Rules, the National Sports Board shall consist of a Chairperson and two Members to be appointed by the Central Government from a panel of names recommended by the Search-cum-Selection Committee constituted under the National Sports Board (Search-cum-Selection Committee) Rules, 2026.

The National Sports Board will function as the central authority for granting recognition to National Sports Bodies and ensuring compliance with governance, financial and ethical standards.

The Chairperson and every other Member shall hold office for a term of three years from the date on which they enters upon their office or till they attain the age of sixty-five years, whichever is earlier.

The National Sports Governance (National Sports Tribunal) Rules, 2026 provide for the term of office of the Chairperson and Members of the Tribunal, their appointment and re-appointment process, salary and allowances, service conditions and powers of the Tribunal.

The National Sports Tribunal will serve as a dedicated adjudicatory body for sports-related disputes in the country. It is aimed at reducing reliance on civil courts and ensuring independent, speedy, effective and cost-efficient disposal of disputes relating to sports governance and administration.

The Chairperson shall hold office for a term of five years or till he attain the age of seventy years, whichever is earlier.

(2) The Members shall hold office for a term of five years or till they attain the age of sixty-seven years, whichever is earlier.

5. Assam clears Uniform Civil Code Bill, 3rd State to do so after Uttarakhand, Gujarat

The Assam Assembly on Wednesday passed the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill, becoming the third state after Uttarakhand and Gujarat to clear the legislation

However, the Bill states that it will not apply to Scheduled Tribes residing in Assam. It also proposes several punitive measures, including imprisonment of up to seven years for bigamy or polygamy, and up to three months in jail for failing to register a live-in relationship.

Under the proposed law, bigamy and polygamy would attract imprisonment of up to seven years under Section 82 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.

Child marriage and marriage without valid consent would invite imprisonment of up to two years, a fine, or both, under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006.

Fraudulent or deceptive marriages carried out through force, coercion or concealment would be punishable with imprisonment of up to seven years along with a fine.

Marriage within prohibited relationships — unless protected under valid customs — would be punishable with imprisonment of up to six months and a fine of up to Rs 50,000.

Violation of lawful divorce procedures and illegal dissolution of marriage would attract imprisonment of up to three years and a fine. Compelling a divorced person to fulfil unlawful conditions before remarriage would invite a jail term of up to three years and a penalty of Rs 1 lakh.

The Bill also proposes a penalty of Rs 10,000 for deliberate non-registration of marriages or divorces within 60 days.

Submission of forged or fabricated documents during registration would attract imprisonment of up to three months, a fine of up to Rs 25,000, or both.