25th-27th April 2026

1. India and Japan Forge Data Partnership to Power AI-ready Smart Cities
2. BharatGen and L&T Arms Sign MoU to Build India’s Sovereign AI Compute Platform
3. Overview of Union MoS Jitin Prasada Official Visit to Czech Republic
4. Jio Financial Services & Allianz Sign Pact to Establish 50:50 Insurance JV in India
5. General Upendra Dwivedi Inducted into US Army War College International Hall of Fame
6. ACC Extends Tenure of MDs & CEOs of BoI, BoB; ED of Indian Bank for 3 Years
7. Blue Origin Rocket Fails to Orbit AST SpaceMobile Satellite forces deorbit
8. India Selected for FIFA Women’s Development Programme on Commercial Strategy 2026
9. Oscar-Winning Production Designer Dean Tavoularis Passed Away
10. Former Army Chief General MM Naravane Launches Book “The Curious and The Classified”
11. Administrative Professionals Day – April 22
12. UN Spanish Language Day – April 23
13. MoCA&PD Expands Procurement in Chhattisgarh; Launches Pulse Procurement in Bihar
14. Himadri Speciality Chemical Commissions India’s First Anode Material Plant in WB
15. Akashvani and MyGov Launched Nationwide Signature Tune & Jingle Contest
16. CMEC Signs MoU with Delhi University to Boost Maritime Education
17. Rocklink India Opens India’s First Lithium-Ion Battery & Rare Earth Recycling Plant in UP
18. AP’s Guntur Municipal Corporation Wins UNIDO GEM Award 2026 in Vienna, Austria
19. Ashok Lahiri Appointed as Vice-Chairman of NITI Aayog; Gobardhan Das Named Member
20. Reliance Enterprise Intelligence Appointed ‘Parminder Singh’ as CEO
21. International Girls in ICT Day – April 23
22. World Day for Laboratory Animals – April 24
23. Coca-Cola India Signs 3-Year MoU with UP for Community Development
24. World Design Day 2026: Why Design Matters in Shaping Modern Life
25. India’s 1968 Olympic Bronze Medalist Gurbax Singh Grewal Passed Away
26. India to Participate in SCO Defence Talks as Rajnath Singh Heads to Bishkek
27. Virat Kohli Becomes First Player in IPL History to Hit 800 Boundaries
28. US Announces Heavy Anti-Dumping Duty on Solar Cells and Panels from India
29. ISRO’s Nationwide Land Mapping Project to Empower Panchayats with Data-Driven Planning
30. India Launches Nationwide Toll-Free Helpline for Census 2027 Assistance
31. World Malaria Day 2026
32. Dabur Names Herjit S Bhalla as India Business CEO, Effective April 23, 2026
33. India Loses Top Spot in Bangladesh Corn Market Amid Rising Ethanol Demand
34. Satellite Study Places Mumbai and Secunderabad Landfills in Global Methane Top 25
35. Upendra Dwivedi Inducted into US Army War College International Hall of Fame

National News

Minister of State for Commerce Jitin Prasada Visits Czech Republic

• What: Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jitin Prasada visited the Czech Republic on April 22–23 to strengthen bilateral trade, investment, and industrial cooperation between India and the Czech Republic.
• Tell me more:
  • Jitin Prasada co-chaired the 13th India–Czech Republic Joint Commission for Economic Cooperation in Prague with Jan Sechter.
  • Jitin Prasada inaugurated the India–Czech Business Forum and met Czech industry representatives.
  • Jitin Prasada visited Skoda Transportation in Plzen, Czech Institute of Informatics, Robotics and Cybernetics in Prague, and ELI Beamlines in Dolni Brezany.

Akashvani Launches Signature Tune and Jingle Contests

• What: Akashvani, Prasar Bharati, in collaboration with MyGov launched Signature Tune-Making and Jingle-Making contests under “Akashvani @90” to create new audio identities for Akashvani programmes and channels.

• Tell me more:

  • The upload of the audio and video must be on MyGov portal.

  Signature Tune Contest

  • Theme: “Akashvani @90- The New Rhythm of Bharat”
  • Prize money: ₹30,000 first prize, ₹20,000 second prize, and ₹10,000 third prize; 10 consolation prizes of ₹5,000 each

  Jingle-Making Contest

  • Theme: “Akashvani @90- The Vibrant Voice of India”
  • The contest seeks vocal jingles for FM Gold, FM Rainbow, and Vividh Bharati.
  • Prize money: ₹20,000 first prize, ₹15,000 second prize, and ₹10,000 third prize; and 10 consolation prizes of ₹2,500 each

India Begins Largest Digital Census 2027 Exercise

• What: The Government of India has launched the Census 2027, the 16th overall and 8th since Independence, as a digital exercise with a financial outlay of Rs 11,718.24 crore to collect demographic and socio-economic data.
• Tell me more:
  • The Census is a Union subject under the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution of India.
  • The Census Act, 1948, and the Census Rules, 1990, provide the legal framework for this national exercise.
  • Section 15 of the Census Act ensures strict confidentiality of all personal information provided by the public.
  • The exercise will occur in two distinct phases across the country.
  • Phase one includes House Listing and Housing Census (HLO) between April and September 2026.
  • Phase two involves Population Enumeration in February 2027 to capture demographic, cultural, and migration data.
  • The Census Management and Monitoring System (CMMS) portal enables near real-time monitoring of the process.
  • Toll-free helpline 1855 has been launched for Census assistance.
  • India conducted its first synchronous census in 1881 and continues the practice every 10 years.

State News

Government Expands Pulse Procurement Under PM-AASHA

• What: Government expanded procurement under Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay SanraksHan Abhiyan (PM-AASHA) in Chhattisgarh and launched Bihar’s first structured pulse procurement (for masoor dal) under Atmanirbhar Pulses Mission.
• Tell me more:
  • National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation of India Limited (NCCF) and National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Limited (NAFED) led procurement operations in Chhattisgarh.
  • NCCF started organised masoor procurement in Bihar for the first time.
  • Chhattisgarh expanded procurement through E-Samyukti portal and awareness campaigns.
  • eSamyukti is a unified digital platform of NCCF that manages end-to-end agricultural procurement, from farmer registration to payments, with real-time tracking and compliance.

Himadri Speciality Chemical Commissions India’s First Anode Material Plant in WB

• Himadri Speciality Chemical started its first anode material plant at Mahistikry, West Bengal, entering the lithium-ion battery supply chain by making a key battery raw material.
• Anode material is used in lithium-ion batteries that power electric vehicles, mobile phones, laptops, power banks, and energy storage systems, and it helps batteries store and release energy efficiently.

Rocklink India Sets up Integrated Battery Recycling Facility in UP

• What: Rocklink India has established an integrated recycling facility for lithium-ion batteries and rare earth magnets at the UPSIDC Industrial Area in Sikandrabad, Uttar Pradesh (UP), marking its first such operation in India.
• Tell me more:
  • This factory recycles batteries and magnets to help India reuse important metals. This supports green energy and helps build more electric cars and machines using recycled materials.
  • Rocklink India will commission a rare earth chloride processing unit with a capacity of 1,500 tonnes annually in the first quarter of 2026.
  • This chloride unit processes leftover metal waste in a rotary kiln. This system converts the scrap into rare earth chlorides. These chemicals provide raw materials for manufacturing new high-tech products.
  • Rocklink India Private Limited (RIPL) is an Indian company that recycles lithium-ion batteries and rare earth magnets.

Coca-Cola India and Invest UP Partner for Community Development

• What: Coca-Cola India and Invest UP, Government of Uttar Pradesh (UP), signed a three-year MoU in Lucknow to improve water access, waste management, and local livelihoods through strategic Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) interventions.
• Tell me more:
  • CEO of Invest UP: Vijay Kiran Anand

International News

Blue Origin Misplaces AST Satellite in Orbit

• What: Blue Origin placed AST SpaceMobile’s BlueBird 7 satellite in the wrong orbit, making its direct-to-device communication mission unviable and forcing the company to de-orbit the satellite.
• Tell me more:
  • Blue Origin launched the satellite aboard New Glenn rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
  • BlueBird 7 was meant to become AST SpaceMobile’s eighth low Earth orbit satellite for its planned space-based cellular broadband network.
  • Separately, India’s Launch Vehicle Mark-3 launched AST SpaceMobile’s BlueBird 6 satellite from ISRO’s spaceport at Sriharikota in December 2025.
  • Blue Origin CEO – Dave Limp

SCO Defence Ministers’ Meeting in Bishkek, Uzbekistan

• What: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will lead India’s high-level delegation to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ Meeting in Bishkek on April 28.
• Tell me more:
  • SCO was established in 2001 in Shanghai.
  • SCO members are India, Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Iran, and Belarus. India became a full member of SCO in 2017.
  • India held the rotating chairmanship of SCO in 2023. It was the first time India held the chairship.

Banking and Economy

Jio and Allianz Form Insurance Joint Venture in India

• What: Jio Financial Services Limited (JFSL) signed a binding agreement with Allianz Group to form a 50:50 insurance joint venture in India for general and health insurance.
• Tell me more:
  • The joint venture will operate in general and health insurance, requires statutory and regulatory approvals, and formalises the partnership first announced in July 2025.

United States Imposes Steep Anti-Dumping Duty on Indian Solar

• What: The United States (US) Department of Commerce imposed a preliminary anti-dumping duty of 123.04% on solar cells and modules imported from India after finding critical circumstances in an investigation involving several Indian energy firms.
• Tell me more:
  • This new tax combines with existing countervailing duties of over 125% to create a total tariff burden exceeding 200% on Indian exports.
  • The United States imposes this duty to prevent “dumping.” This occurs when foreign companies sell goods below fair market value, which harms local manufacturers and creates unfair competition.
  • National Solar Energy Federation of India (NSEFI) CEO – Subrahmanyam Pulipaka

Brazil Overtakes India as Top Corn Supplier to Bangladesh

• Brazil replaced India as the primary exporter of corn to Bangladesh in the 2025-26 marketing year, capturing 78% of the total import share as Indian exportable surplus declined due to rising domestic ethanol production.

Reports and Indices

Two Indian Landfills Among World Top Methane Emitters

• What: A satellite-based analysis found that India hosted two of the world’s 25 largest methane-emitting landfill sites in 2025, located in Secunderabad and Mumbai, which significantly contribute to global warming.
• Tell me more:
  • Independent non-profit Carbon Mapper processed the satellite data for this global pollution hotspot report.
  • The Stop Methane Project (SPM) at the University of California, Los Angeles, analyzed the findings.
  • Ramky Enviro Engineers operates the site in Secunderabad while Anton Waste Handling Cell Limited manages the Mumbai facility.
  • The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates methane is 86 times more effective at trapping heat than carbon dioxide over 20 years.
  • Chile and Brazil had the highest number of top polluters with three landfill sites each.

Science and Technology

Indian Space Research Organisation Maps Every Village from Space

• What: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) completed high-resolution land use and land cover mapping for all 649,481 villages in India to support decentralized planning and improve grassroots governance.
• Tell me more:
  • ISRO announced this development on National Panchayati Raj Day to strengthen grassroots democracy.
  • ISRO integrated this information into the Grammanchitra web portal of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj. Grammanchitra web portal is a tool designed to help local bodies make data-driven development decisions.
  • The initiative utilizes data from the Bhuvan geoportal for agricultural planning and infrastructure development.

Awards

Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi Honoured at US Army War College

• What: Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi was inducted into the International Hall of Fame of the United States Army War College in Pennsylvania during his United States visit.
• Tell me more:
  • General Upendra Dwivedi became the third Indian Army Chief to receive this honour after General V. K. Singh and General Bikram Singh.
  • General Upendra Dwivedi, a distinguished fellow of the United States Army War College, began the visit in Hawaii and received a Guard of Honour at Fort Shafter, a military base in Hawaii.

Important Days

Administrative Professionals Day – April 22

• It’s observed every year on the Wednesday of the last full week of April.
• The full Administrative Professionals Week runs April 21-25, 2026.

UN Spanish Language Day – April 23

• Famous Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, author of Don Quixote, passed away on 22 April 1616.

First Global Observance of International Day of Women in Industry

• What: The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) hosted the inaugural International Day of Women in Industry (IDWI) on April 21, 2026, at its headquarters in Vienna, Austria.
• Tell me more:
  • The Day was adopted by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization’s (UNIDO) 173 Member States at the 21st session of the UNIDO General Conference held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in November 2025.
    • 22nd Session will be held in November 2027 in Vienna, Austria.
  • UNIDO hosted the global observation of this day at its headquarters in Vienna and organized “ELLEvate – Women Shaping Industry” exhibition on this occasion.
  • UNIDO Director General – Gerd Müller
  • UNIDO Gender Equality Mobilization (GEM) Awards are also presented, recognizing outstanding initiatives advancing gender equality in industry, in 3 categories – Programmatic GEM Award, Institutional GEM Award and External GEM Award.
  • From India, the Guntur Municipal Corporation (Andhra Pradesh) has secured the 4th Gender Equality Mobilisation (GEM) Award in the External GEM for its “Sustainable Cities” project.
    • Municipal Commissioner K. Mayur Ashok

International Girls in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Day – April 23

• Theme: “AI for Development: Girls shaping the digital future”
• The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) organized a worldwide event on April 23 to celebrate the ICT Day. The Europe and Americas regions are organizing the celebrations.
• Organizers established a real-time video link between Tiranë, capital of Albania (representing Europe) and Brasília, capital of Brazil (representing the Americas).

World Day for Laboratory Animals – April 24

• It was instituted in 1979.

World Design Day 2026 – April 27

• 2026 Theme: The spaces in between

World Malaria Day 2026 – April 25

• Theme: Driven to End Malaria: Now We Can. Now We Must. 

Sports

India Selected for FIFA Women’s Development Programme

• What: India became one of 12 countries selected by Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) for the FIFA Women’s Development Programme Commercial Strategy 2026.
• Tell me more:
  • The programme aims to help women’s football clubs build sustainable commercial models by improving sponsorships, fan engagement, and business planning, while preparing them for future Asian Football Confederation (AFC) club licensing requirements.
  • India’s ASMITA Under-13 Women’s Football League helped strengthen the youth base in women’s football.

Virat Kohli Hits Record 800 Fours in Indian Premier League

• What: Virat Kohli became the first player in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL) to hit 800 fours during a match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Gujarat Titans in the 2026 season.
• Tell me more:
  • Shikhar Dhawan holds the second position on the list with 768 fours across 222 matches for multiple franchises.
  • David Warner follows in third place with 663 fours and a batting average of 40.52 from 184 matches.

Memorandum of Understanding

Japanese and Indian Companies Sign MoU on Urban Construction Data

• What: ONESTRUCTION Inc. (Japanese construction technology firm) and DataKaveri Systems (India) signed an MoU to integrate construction data into artificial intelligence-ready urban data exchanges across Indian and Japanese cities.
• Tell me more:
  • DataKaveri Systems is the commercial arm of Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru’s Centre of Data for Public Good.
  • The MoU was signed during the Japan-India Artificial Intelligence Strategic Dialogue – a bilateral initiative to advance cooperation in AI and data infrastructure.
  • The partnership connects ONESTRUCTION’s openBIM platform with DataKaveri’s Intelligent Universal Data Exchange (IUDX), which operates across 55 smart cities in India.
  • openBIM uses Industry Foundation Classes (IFC), an open data standard for construction information.

L&T and BharatGen Sign MoU for Sovereign AI

• What: L&T Semiconductor Technologies Limited (LTSCT), Larsen & Toubro-Vyoma, and BharatGen Technology Foundation signed a five-year MoU to build India’s sovereign artificial intelligence (AI) platform for developing indigenous AI chips, models, and infrastructure.
• Tell me more:
  • In June 2025, Union Minister Jitendra Singh launched BharatGen, India’s first government-funded artificial intelligence (AI) large language model built in India for Indian languages, at the BharatGen Summit.
  • BharatGen was developed under the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS) at TIH Foundation for IoT and IoE at IIT-Bombay with support from the Department of Science and Technology (DST).
• Knowledge Nuggets:
  • National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS) launched in 2018 to build strong links among academia, industry, government, and international organisations to support innovation.
  • As per the DST website updated in April 2025, under this mission, 25 Technology Innovation Hubs (TIHs) have been established in reputed institutes across the country.
  • Each hub is a Section 8 company, operates independently within its host institute, and works on a specific advanced technology area.

CMEC Signs MoU with Delhi University to Boost Maritime Education

• What: University of Delhi (UoD) and the Centre for Maritime Economy and Connectivity (CMEC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the Delhi School of Economics to strengthen maritime education and research in India.
• Tell me more:
  • Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal addressed a seminar titled “Blue Economy: Its Imperatives for a Viksit Bharat” on the occasion.
  • India has a coastline of over 11,000 kilometres and 111 national waterways (NWs), and the seafaring workforce currently contributes about 12% to the global maritime workforce, and India has a target of contributing 20% of workforce by 2030.
  • An additional MoU was signed between the Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS) and the Delhi School of Economics to promote joint programmes in public policy research and training.

Appointments

Government Extends Terms of PSU Bank Chiefs

• What: Appointment Committee of the Cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved following extensions.
• Tell me more:

NITI Aayog Gets First Major Revamp Since 2015

• What: The government has appointed a new Vice-Chairperson and replaced four of the five full-time members of NITI Aayog, marking its first major revamp since its inception in 2015.
• Tell me more:
  • Chairperson: Prime Minister (ex-officio) and Sh. P. K. Mishra (Principal Secretary to PM)
  • New Vice-Chairperson: Eminent economist Ashok Lahiri
  • New Members
    • Abhay Karandikar, Secretary in the Department of Science and Technology (DST)
    • Dr. M. Srinivas, Director of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Delhi
    • Gobardhan Das, Director of Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Bhopal
    • K.V. Raju, member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister
  • Former Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba, appointed to the Aayog last year, is the only full-time member retained and reappointed in this revamp.
  • The reconstituted NITI Aayog retains the same area of expertise as before — an economist as Vice-Chairperson, two scientists, two economists, and one bureaucrat as full-time members.
  • Current CEO (Additional Charge): Ms. Nidhi Chhibber

Parminder Singh Joins Reliance Enterprise Intelligence as CEO

• What: Reliance Enterprise Intelligence Limited (REIL), a joint venture between Reliance Intelligence Limited and Facebook Overseas Incorporated, appointed technology leader Parminder Singh as its Chief Executive Officer (CEO) with immediate effect.
• Tell me more:
  • Reliance Intelligence Limited holds a 70% stake in the firm while Facebook Overseas Incorporated (Facebook) owns the remaining 30%.
  • Parminder Singh held executive roles at Google, Apple, Twitter, IBM, and Mediacorp and co-founded the firms ClayboxAI (for leadership advisory) and WeKamp (AI-powered community engagement).
  • Akash Ambani, Chairman of Jio

Dabur India Appoints Herjit Bhalla as New Chief Executive Officer

• Dabur India Limited (Dabur) appointed Herjit S. Bhalla as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for its India business while elevating Mohit Malhotra to the role of Global Chief Executive Officer.

Miscellaneous

Oscar-Winning Production Designer Dean Tavoularis Passed Away

• Dean Tavoularis, legendary production designer of Hollywood cinema, died at the age of 93.
• He designed Bonnie and Clyde, The Godfather trilogy, and Apocalypse Now, worked at Walt Disney, and transformed Hollywood production design through realistic, detailed, and influential visual storytelling.
• Tavoularis won the Oscar for his art direction/set decoration of 1974’s The Godfather: Part II.

General Naravane Releases New Military Non Fiction Book

• What: Former Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane released a new non fiction book titled “The Curious and the Classified: Unearthing Military Myths and Mysteries”.
• Tell me more:
  • General Naravane served as the 28th Chief of Army Staff from December 2019 to April 2022 and received Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Sena Medal, and Vishisht Seva Medal.
  • The earlier memoir “Four Stars of Destiny” remains unpublished amid controversy.

Olympian Gurbax Singh Grewal Passes Away

• Hockey India expressed grief over the death of former Indian Men’s Hockey Team player and Olympian Gurbax Singh Grewal, who passed away at 84 and was part of India’s bronze medal-winning team at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics.

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