April 2026 Current Affairs

APRIL 2026 CURRENT AFFAIRS SUMMARY

A. IMPORTANT DAYS - APRIL 2026

• * April 4: International Day for Mine Awareness, Theme: "Invest in Peace; Invest in Mine Action"
• * April 5: National Maritime Day, Theme: "Maritime India - Empowering Progress"
• * April 7: World Health Day, Theme: "Together for health. Stand with science", WHO founded 1948
• * April 10: World Homeopathy Day, Theme: "Homoeopathy for Sustainable Health"
• * April 10: World Sindhi Language Day (added to 8th Schedule in 1967)
• * April 11: Jyotirao Phule 200th Birth Anniversary (Born: April 11, 1827)
• * April 13: Jallianwala Bagh Tragedy Remembrance (1919)
• * April 14: New Year Day (Tamil, Vishu, Baisakhi, Bohag Bihu, Pohela Boishakh)
• * April 14: World Equality Day (Dr. B.R. Ambedkar's Birthday)
• * April 15: Himachal Pradesh Day (18th state, formed 1948; statehood 1971)
• * April 16: World Voice Day, Theme: "Caring for Our Voices!"
• * April 17: World Hemophilia Day, Theme: "Diagnosis: First Step to Care"
• * April 18: World Heritage Day, Theme: "Emergency Response for Living Heritage..."
• * April 19: World Liver Day, Theme: "Solid Habits, Strong Liver"
• * April 21: Indian Civil Services Day
• * April 21: International Day of Women in Industry
• * April 22: Pahalgam Attack 1st Anniversary (26 killed, led to Operation Sindoor)
• * April 22: World Earth Day, Theme: "Our Power, Our Planet"
• * April 24: National Panchayati Raj Day (73rd Amendment, 1992)
• * April 25: World Malaria Day, Theme: "Driven to End Malaria: Now We Can. Now We Must."
• + Global Malaria Conference 2026 held in New Delhi
• + 45th malaria-free country: Georgia
• + 46th: Suriname
• + 47th: Timor-Leste
• * April 26: Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster Remembrance Day (1986)
• * April 28: World Day for Safety and Health at Work, Theme: "Let's ensure a healthy psychosocial working environment", ILO founded 1919

B. APPOINTMENTS

C. SPORTS

• * Asian Squash Federation Player of Year 2025: Abhay Singh (India)
• * Rassie van der Dussen (SA) retired from international cricket
• * Bodhana Sivanandan (11-yr-old, Indian origin) - England's No.1 women's chess
• * Khelo India Tribal Games 2026 - Karnataka topped (38 medals)
• * WTT Youth Contender Table Tennis - Serbia
• * Charleston Open Women's Tennis - Jessica Pegula (USA)
• * ISSF World Cup Shooting (Granada) - India gold: Palak & Mukesh Nelavalli (Air Pistol mixed)
• * Asian Wrestling Championships - Lalit: Silver (55kg); Sunil Kumar: Bronze (87kg)
• * Asian Boxing Championships (Mongolia) - Meenatchi: Gold (48kg); Preeti: Gold (54kg)
• * Laura Cardoso (Brazil) - 9 wickets in T20 innings (World record)
• * Asian Boxing (Mangolia) - Vishwanath Suresh: Gold (50kg)
• * Asian Badminton Championships - Ayush Shetty: Silver (men's singles)
• * Monte Carlo Masters Tennis - Jannik Sinner (Italy)
• * World Cup Archery (Mexico) - India Gold (Compound women's team)
• * Commonwealth Games 2030 - Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
• * Viktor Axelsen (Denmark) - retired from badminton (2020 & 2024 Olympic gold)
• * Candidates Chess (women) - R. Vaishali (India); Open: Javokhir Sindarov (Uzbekistan)
• * Stuttgart Open Women's Tennis - Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan)
• * BWF World Badminton Championships - India (August 17-23)
• * Bundesliga - Bayern Munich (34th title)
• * India's 95th Chess Grandmaster - Aaron Yasik Kosh
• * Laureus World Sports Awards: Best Athlete - Carlos Alcaraz (Spain); Best Female - Aryna Sabalenka; Best Team - Paris Saint-Germain
• * ISSF World Cup (Egypt) - Piracy Keivat: Gold (50m Rifle 3P women)
• * 2038 Asian Games bid submitted to Olympic Council of Asia
• * SAFF Women's Championship 2026 - Goa, India
• * London Marathon World Record - Sebastian Sawe (1:59:30)

D. AWARDS & RECOGNITION

• * Ma. Aranganathan Literary Award 2026 - Ki. Vittal Rao & Amshan Kumar
• * Yudh Seva Medal (Operation Sindoor) - Vice Admiral A.N. Pramod & Rear Admiral Raghul Kogale
• * Global Nature Fund National Award - N. Aleem Yusuf (Kerala botanist, NeophyteID app)
• * M.S. Swaminathan Award 2026 - Dr. C. Srinivasa Rao (9th recipient)
• * Femina Miss India World 2026 - Sathvi Saisal (Goa)
• * Goldman Environmental Prize 2026 - 6 winners (first time from all 6 continents)
• * Padma Awards started: 1954

E. SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

• * e-RaktKosh - National blood bank digital platform (mandatory for all blood banks)
• * Artemis II (NASA) - 4 astronauts lunar flyby; traveled 4,06,771 km (new record); splashed down in Pacific
• * Mission Mitra (ISRO) - at 3,500m altitude in Ladakh for astronaut health research (Apr 2-9)
• * "Kar Saathi" - AI platform for income tax assistance (24/7)
• * LIC "Super Sales Saathi" - digital platform for insurance agents
• * CBI "Abhay Chatbot" - launched to fight digital fraud
• * G20 satellite - to be launched in 2027 (climate/weather monitoring)
• * "Prajna" - DRDO AI-based surveillance system for internal security
• * Mythos AI (Anthropic) - detects cyber vulnerabilities, auto counter-attacks
• * ORS discovered by - Dr. Dilip Mahalanabis (1971, Bangladesh war)
• * Vikram-1 - India's first private orbital rocket (Skyroot Aerospace)
• * Coartem Baby - WHO approved first malaria drug for infants under 5kg

F. STATE & SCHEME

• * Amaravati - officially recognised as sole capital of Andhra Pradesh (AP Reorganisation Amendment Bill 2026)
• * 'Samrat Samprati' Jain Museum - Gandhinagar, Gujarat (opened by PM Modi)
• * Bhaavasagara Centre (Kochi) - India's first national repository for deep-sea organisms
• * 'Mukhyamantri Mavan Dhiyan Satkar Yojana' - Punjab (?1,000/month general; ?1,500 SC women)
• * Kamala & Kalai-2 Hydroelectric Projects - Arunachal Pradesh (?26,069.50 crore)
• * Puducherry Assembly Election voter turnout - 89.87%
• * Kerala Assembly Election voter turnout - 78% (140 seats)
• * India's first quantum computing facility - Amaravati, AP (SRM University)
• * India's first 3D glass chip packaging plant - Bhubaneswar, Odisha
• * CM-INSPIRE Scheme - Meghalaya (UPSC prelims: ?50,000; mains: ?1 lakh)
• * West Bengal election - 2 phases, 92.47% turnout
• * Google AI Data Centre (Asia's largest) - Visakhapatnam (?1.35 lakh crore)
• * Sikkim joined India - 1975 (22nd state)

G. TAMIL NADU SCHEMES

• * Thiran Iyakkam - learning improvement program for Classes 6-9 (from July 2025)
• * Organ Transplant Programme - started 2008; 226 donors in 2025; 1476 organs donated

H. TAMIL NADU

• * Total voters in TN - 5,73,43,291
• * Kalpakkam PFBR coolant - Liquid Sodium
• * TN Assembly Election voter turnout - 85.10% (74-year record high; 234 seats, 75,064 booths)
• * Cauvery Water Management Authority - established June 1, 2018
• * Nilgiri Tahr integrated census - first done in 2024 (1,031 tahrs); 2025: 1,303 (21% rise)
• * TANFED - Tamil Nadu Cooperative Marketing Federation (est. Feb 20, 1959; related to agriculture marketing)
• * 5-year central project for biodiversity - launched in Sathyamangalam, TN

I. WORLD & INTERNATIONAL

• * Russia-Ukraine War started - 2022
• * Indonesia earthquake - 7.6 Richter scale
• * UNSC veto power countries - Russia, China, France, UK, USA
• * Iran capital - Tehran (located near Strait of Hormuz)
• * Russia declared 'Memorial' human rights group as terrorist organization
• * First full statue of Swami Vivekananda in USA - Seattle
• * Smoke-free generation law passed - UK (2009 birth year and after banned from buying cigarettes)
• * World's first ban on social media for under-16 - Australia
• * UAE to exit OPEC from May 1, 2026
• * China announced 100% tariff exemption for 20 least-developed African nations

J. DEFENCE

• * INS Taragiri - warship commissioned at Visakhapatnam (built in Mumbai, 6,670 tons)
• * INS Aridhaman - India's 3rd nuclear-powered submarine (SSBN class)
• * 1000kg bomb - Indian Air Force developing domestically
• * Cyclone-IV - India-Egypt joint exercise (4th edition, Egypt)
• * DUSTLIK - India-Uzbekistan joint exercise (7th edition, Namangan)
• * IN-SLN DIVEX 2026 - India-Sri Lanka diving exercise (4th edition, Apr 21-27)
• * S-400 - made by Russia; India signed deal for 5 units (?47,000 crore)
• * India's first helicopter-launched anti-ship missile test - Bay of Bengal ("Salvo" method)
• * Exercise Pragati - India Army exercise in Umroi, Meghalaya (first edition, 11 countries)

K. CENTRAL SCHEMES

• * Jal Jeevan Mission - launched Aug 15, 2019 (tap water to all homes)
• * MUDRA Scheme - launched Apr 8, 2015 (loans up to ?20 lakh; 11 years completed)
• + ? Shishu: ?50K | Kishor: ?5L | Tarun: ?10L | Tarun Plus: ?20L
• * Beti Bachao Beti Padhao - launched Jan 22, 2015
• * Startup India - launched Jan 16, 2016 (55,200 startups recognised in 2025-26)
• * MGNREGS - launched 2006 (100 days wage employment; ?17,744 crore for 100 days)
• * PM Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY-III) - extended to March 2028 (?83,977 crore)
• * Vishwa Sutra - Textiles Ministry scheme ("Weaves of India for the World")

L. NATIONAL

• * Naxal extremism ended - March 31 (Home Minister Amit Shah)
• * Foreign data centre companies - 20-year tax holiday announced
• * 'Pax Silica' - India-USA pact on Silicon/semiconductor technology
• * Transgender Amendment Bill 2026 - max 14 years imprisonment for offences
• * Census Act 1948 - empowers central govt to conduct census
• * PLR Systems - India's first private small arms manufacturer
• * Raja Ravi Varma painting "Yashoda and Krishna" sold for ?167.20 crore
• * India's defence exports 2025-26 - ?38,424 crore (62.66% increase)
• * UGC directed colleges/universities to adopt 5-6 orphanages
• * NCERT granted Deemed University status (De Novo category)
• * Bharti Airtel - world's 2nd largest telecom company (650 million subscribers)
• * Kerala Assembly has 140 seats
• * Amul - first FMCG brand to cross ?1 lakh crore brand value
• * Rajya Sabha membership minimum age - 30 years
• * Greenwich Mean Time is basis for India's time calculation (debate ongoing)
• * 84th Amendment - no change in constituency numbers till 2026 census
• * Article 26 - right to establish religious institutions
• * NCERT Curriculum Committee - 20 members (revised from 22)
• * India's total e-commerce quick commerce share - 17%
• * CAPF Bill 2026 - 67% of ADG posts to be filled by IPS officers
• * High Court judge resignation letter goes to - President of India
• * CBSE multilingual policy from Class 6 (from 2026-27)
• * Vantara University (Jamnagar, Gujarat) - world's first integrated wildlife & veterinary university
• * Mundra Port - India's largest cargo port (6,008 cars exported in one ship)
• * India - highest number of women pilots in the world
• * Voting right - constitutional right under Article 326
• * Western tariffs risk pushing 25 lakh Indians into poverty (UN report)
• * Women's Reservation Act - 2023 (106th Amendment; 33% in Parliament)
• * Article 142 - Supreme Court's special powers
• * India-Austria agreements - 6 MoUs signed
• * Cocoa self-sufficiency target for India - 2040
• * China - India's largest trading partner 2025-26 (bilateral trade: $151.1 billion)
• * Trade deficit means - Current Account Deficit
• * OCI Card - for Indian-origin diaspora abroad
• * Passenger safety - Article 21 (Right to Life includes travel safety per SC)
• * Pension sector FDI limit (current) - 49%
• * India-Russia RELOS agreement - 5 years (3,000 troops each, 5 ships, 10 aircraft)
• * "Human Cost of Terrorism" exhibition - Washington D.C. (by Indian Embassy)
• * India-New Zealand FTA - agriculture & dairy products excluded from India's side
• * India has 12 major ports
• * Mining auction incentive for states - ?5,000 crore
• * SC sub-classification judgment - 2024 (states can give internal reservation)
• * Anti-Defection Law - 10th Schedule (52nd Amendment, 1985)
• * Wind power capacity - 56 GW
• * RTI Act - 2005
• * Coal India Limited - world's largest coal producer
• * Ganga Expressway - India's longest (594 km, UP; ?36,230 crore)

M. ECONOMY

• * Moody's India GDP forecast 2026-27: 6% (due to Middle East war impact)
• * India Debt-to-GDP ratio: 81%
• * RBI Repo Rate: 5.25%
• * World Bank India GDP 2026 forecast: 7.6%
• * Asian Development Bank India GDP 2026-27: 6.9%
• * Retail inflation (March): 3.4%
• * Universal Bank - provides all financial services at one place
• * IMF India GDP 2026-27: 6.5%
• * IMF member countries: 191
• * IMF current year India growth: 6.4%
• * India agricultural exports growth 2025-26: 2.8%
• * India rice exports growth 2025-26: 7.5% (172 countries; 2.01 crore tonnes)
• * Tamil Nadu GDP growth 2025-26: 10.83% (2nd consecutive double-digit growth)
• * Overall industrial sector growth 2025-26: 4.1%

N. INDEX & REPORT

• * India telecom market leader (new subscribers) - Bharti Airtel
• * India's rank in pharma production globally - 3rd
• * Foreign aid to poor nations reduced in 2025 - 23%
• * TN per capita income 2024-25 - ?3,61,619
• * Leading sugar producing state - Maharashtra
• * IMF world economy ranking of India - 6th
• * Asia's richest (Bloomberg) - Gautam Adani
• * South India states with most govt hospital usage - Tamil Nadu (43%)
• * India's military spending rank globally - 5th ($92.1 billion; SIPRI 2025)

O. OBITUARY

• * Alexander Leonov - Russian scientist behind BrahMos missile
• * Mohsina Kidwai (94) - former Union Minister (Congress), served under Indira & Rajiv Gandhi
• * C.D. Gopinath (96) - India's oldest Test cricketer
• * Asha Bhosle (92) - legendary singer; Padma Bhushan, Dadasaheb Phalke; 12,000+ songs in 20+ languages
• * Raghu Rai (83) - renowned photographer; Padma Shri; documented 1971 Bangladesh war & 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy

P. SUMMITS

• * COP 2028 - COP 33 (India withdrew bid; South Korea expressed interest)
• + COP 30 (Nov 2025): Belem, Brazil
• + COP 31 (2026): Antalya, Turkey
• + COP 32 (2027): Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
• * 9th Indian Ocean Conference - Port Louis, Mauritius (Apr 10-12)
• + Theme: "Collective Stewardship for Indian Ocean Governance"
• * SCO Defence Ministers Meeting - Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

Q. BOOKS & AUTHOR

• * "Tides of Time: Bharat's History through Murals in Parliament" - by Sudha Murthy
• + (124 murals in Parliament; preface by C.P. Radhakrishnan)

R. MISCELLANEOUS (KEY POINTS)

• * Adani Ports crossed 50 crore tonne cargo milestone
• * Oracle laid off 12,000 employees in India
• * LPG cylinder for commercial use - ?195.5 (increased)
• * Aviation fuel price increased 8.56%
• * UK PM Keir Starmer announced international conference on reopening Strait of Hormuz
• * Iran's Ali Khamenei (supreme leader) killed in US-Israel joint strikes
• * TN Assembly Election - 4,023 candidates
• * Operation Sindoor - India's precision strikes on Pakistan after Pahalgam attack
• * India's foreign exchange reserves crossed $69,712.1 crore (Apr 3)
• * India has 3 months coal reserve
• * Saathaankula father-son murder case - 9 convicted, death sentence by Madurai court
• * Germany conscription law - men 17-45 years must register for service abroad
• * Singapore's 'Olam' group signed deal with Indian agri company (?100 crore)
• * Yes Bank new MD & CEO - Vinay Muraleedharan Danse
• * Iran: America warned Iran is "completely destroyed; infrastructure cannot be rebuilt"
• * India's power demand hit record 256.11 GW (Apr 25)
• * Tanjore Nayak coins found in Tanjore fort archaeological excavation
• * Pahalgam attack - Lashkar-e-Taiba's 'The Resistance Front' involved
• * Egypt World Cup (Rifle, Pistol, Shotgun) - India topped with 16 medals (5G, 6S, 5B)
• * UPI digital transaction value grew from ?551 crore (2021) to ?22,931 crore (2025)
• * India's March export fell 7.44% due to Middle East tensions
• * Israel-Lebanon 10-day temporary ceasefire announced
• * Hormuz Strait - Iran controls it; closed it to all commercial shipping after conflict
• * Ukraine drone attack on Russia's Ust-Luga oil export port
• * France-UK 3-year security pact to control illegal immigration via English Channel