Current Affairs 08 May 2026

Government of India launched the Swasth Bharat Portal for digital health services.

• Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched the Swasth Bharat Portal at the 10th National Summit on Innovation and Inclusivity.
• Aims to integrate multiple health programmes into a single digital platform.
• Functions as an API-based system to unify fragmented health data and remove multiple logins.
• Fully integrated with the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), including ABHA, HPR, and HFR systems.
• Designed to support frontline health workers with real-time data access and monitoring tools.

Indian journalists won the Pulitzer Prize 2026 for a cybercrime investigation.

• Indian journalists won the Pulitzer Prize 2026 for investigative reporting on cybercrime and digital surveillance.
• Winners in Illustrated Reporting and Commentary: Anand RK, Suparna Sharma, and Natalie Obiko Pearson.
• Exposed cyber fraud networks and a major ₹2.8 crore digital house arrest scam case in India.
• Devjyot Ghoshal was a finalist for reporting on Southeast Asia cyber scam trafficking networks.
• Aniruddha Ghosal was part of an Associated Press team that won in International Reporting.

Cabinet Committee on Security approved increasing the judge strength of the Supreme Court of India from 33 to 37.

• Union Cabinet approved a bill to increase the judge strength of the Supreme Court of India.
• The sanctioned strength will rise from 33 to 37 judges (excluding the Chief Justice of India).
• The move is part of the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026.
• Aims to amend the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Act, 1956.
• All expenses will be charged to the Consolidated Fund of India.

Coal India Limited commissioned a 100 MW solar power project in Gujarat.

• Coal India Limited commissioned a 100 MW solar power plant in Gujarat on March 31, 2026.
• The project was certified by the Gujarat Energy Development Agency (GEDA).
• Part of Coal India’s transition towards renewable energy and Net Zero targets.
• The company has a 3,000 MW solar capacity target, but only a small portion has been achieved so far.
• The initiative supports India’s clean energy transition strategy.

Government of India has extended the duty-free import of yellow peas and black gram.

• Government of India extended duty-free imports of yellow peas and black gram till March 31, 2027.
• Move aims to stabilize pulse supply and control food inflation.
• Implemented through a notification by Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT).
• MIP and port restrictions on yellow peas have been removed for eligible imports.
• Black gram (urad dal) import relaxation extended by one year to ensure domestic availability.