Daily Current Affairs: 5 April 2026

Amarendu Prakash resigns as Chairman and Managing Director of Steel Authority of India (SAIL).

[Steel Authority of India Limited]

Key Updates:

• Amarendu Prakash submitted his resignation on 2 January 2026 and ceased to be a member of the SAIL board from 1 April 2026.
• The Ministry of Steel approved his resignation effective 1 April 2026.
• Krishna Kumar Singh, Director (Personnel) of SAIL, has been given additional charge as CMD for three months from 2 April 2026 to 1 July 2026 or until a regular appointment is made, whichever is earlier.
• SAIL reported a consolidated net profit of ₹374.03 crore for the third quarter of the previous financial year.

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) records $30.5 billion fall in forex reserves since late February West Asia conflict

Key Updates:

• India’s foreign exchange reserves dropped $30.5 billion since the West Asia conflict started in late February.
• Total reserves fell $10.28 billion to $688.05 billion in the week ended 27 March 2026.
• Foreign currency assets declined $6.62 billion and gold reserves fell $3.66 billion in the same week.
• Special drawing rights rose $17 million to $18.64 billion and India’s reserve position with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) dipped $17 million to $4.81 billion.
• For FY26 total reserves rose $22.72 billion as gold reserves increased while foreign currency assets fell almost $14 billion.
• RBI’s outstanding net short dollar position in the rupee forward market reached $77.25 billion by end-February 2026, the highest since March 2025.

Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) partners with MapmyIndia to display authorised Aadhaar centres on Mappls App.

[Unique Identification Authority of India]

Key Updates:

• UIDAI signed a formal agreement with MapmyIndia on Wednesday to enable display of authorised Aadhaar centres on the Mappls App.
• The collaboration allows users to locate centres for adult enrolment, child enrolment, or updates to addresses and mobile numbers.
• MapmyIndia will integrate UIDAI-provided Aadhaar Centre information into the Mappls platform for accurate digital mapping.
• The rollout is expected in the next couple of months to direct users to authorised Aadhaar centres via the Mappls App.

National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) and Indian Gas Exchange (IGX) to launch natural gas derivatives linked to domestic benchmark GIXI

[National Stock Exchange, Indian Gas Exchange]

Key Updates:

• National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) and Indian Gas Exchange Ltd (IGX) will introduce exchange-traded derivatives based on natural gas traded on the IGX platform.
• NSE will launch Indian natural gas derivative contracts linked to IGX’s benchmark price index GIXI (Gas IndeX of India).
• Pricing of the contracts will be tied to actual trades on the exchange.
• The move aims to strengthen India’s domestic gas market by offering risk management tools to stakeholders across the value chain.
• The contracts will provide a transparent mechanism for hedging price risks and offer financial institutions, brokers and investors exposure to the domestic natural gas derivatives market.
• NSE has received approval from the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to launch Indian natural gas futures.
• Launch date to be announced later.

Karmayogi Sadhana Week 2026 launched to enhance civil-service capabilities

Key Updates:

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Karmayogi Sadhana Week 2026 on 2 April 2026.
• The initiative promotes the mantra 'Nagrik Devo Bhav' for citizen-centric governance.
• The week-long programme unites ministries, states, and training institutions for national capacity building.
• Activities include webinars and workshops themed around Technology, Tradition, and Tangible Outcomes.

Kar Saathi AI chatbot launched to simplify taxpayer services

[Central Board of Direct Taxes]

Key Updates:

• The Income Tax Department on 2 April 2026 unveiled an AI-powered chatbot named Kar Saathi on its revamped digital platform.
• Kar Saathi functions as an intelligent virtual assistant to help taxpayers understand rules, file returns, and resolve queries without intermediaries.
• The chatbot is positioned as a one-stop solution for accessing tax-related services and guidance.
• Kar Saathi is a key pillar of the government’s strategy to support the transition to the new Income Tax Act, 2025, effective from 1 April 2026.
• The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) Chairman Ravi Agrawal first outlined the concept during the launch of the PRARAMBH initiative.
• PRARAMBH has rationalised rules from 510 to 333 and reduced forms from 399 to 190, eliminating compliance for over six crore transactions.
• CBDT has prepared more than 2,200 FAQs and detailed guidance notes covering 186 forms to aid the transition.

United Nations marks International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action on 4 April 2026

[United Nations]

Key Updates:

• The International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action is observed globally on 4 April 2026.
• The 2026 theme is 'Invest in Peace, Invest in Mine Action'.
• The United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), UN Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS), Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD), Fondation Suisse de Déminage (FSD), Handicap International Switzerland, and the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, Cluster Munition Coalition (ICBL-CMC) jointly issued the call to action.
• The Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention prohibits weapons that cause indiscriminate and irreversible harm.
• The Convention on Cluster Munitions bans munitions whose unexploded remnants continue to claim lives long after conflict ends.
• The Political Declaration on Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas (EWIPA) focuses on the impact of explosive weapons in urban settings.
• More than 30 States have declared themselves mine-free as a result of sustained mine action efforts.

Israeli Defence Firm Supplies First Batch Of Light Machine Guns To India

[Israel]

Key Updates:

• Israel Weapons Industries (IWI) delivered the first batch of 2,000 NEGEV 7.62x51 light machine guns to India under the 'Make in India' initiative.
• The delivery was executed by PLR Systems, a joint venture between IWI and Adani Group, India's first private small arms and ammunition manufacturer.
• The overall contract covers 41,000 LMG units, with an additional 4,000 scheduled for delivery later this year.
• The NEGEV 7.62x51 LMG is deployed by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) and features semi-automatic and fully automatic modes.
• The weapon is compatible with helicopters, vehicles, and naval platforms and complies with NATO standards.
• PLR Systems has also secured a contract to supply 170,000 close-quarter battle (CQB) carbines to India, with the first 18,000 units due this year.
• India and Israel signed an agreement in November last year to enhance defence, industrial, and technological cooperation.

India commissions stealth frigate INS Taragiri under Project 17A

Key Updates:

• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh commissioned the stealth frigate INS Taragiri into the Indian Navy in New Delhi.
• INS Taragiri is the fourth stealth frigate built under the Navy’s Project 17A by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL).
• The 6,670-tonne warship has over 75 per cent indigenous content.
• The frigate replaces a Leander-class Taragiri that served from 1980 to 2013.
• It is equipped with supersonic surface-to-surface missiles, medium-range surface-to-air missiles and an advanced anti-submarine warfare system.
• The vessel uses a combined diesel or gas propulsion system and carries advanced indigenous sonar systems.
• INS Taragiri is designed for multi-domain warfare and missions including humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

Union Minister inaugurates BIRAC-BioNEST Incubation Centre at CSIR-CFTRI in Mysuru.

[Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council]

Key Updates:

• Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh launched the BIRAC-BioNEST Incubation Centre on the CSIR-Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) campus.
• The Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) supported the initiative under the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India.
• The facility nurtures entrepreneurial talent in food bioprocessing and biotechnology research and supports advanced research, scale-up, and efficacy studies.
• CSIR-CFTRI’s incubation ecosystem has supported 26 start-ups, including 12 physical incubatees, 11 hybrid incubatees, and three graduated ventures.
• Incubated companies have filed 12 patents so far and operate in domains such as CRISPR technology, nutraceuticals, precision fermentation, probiotics and postbiotics, and botanicals.
• The Indian Army has shown interest in the incubated innovations during high-profile visits in 2025 and 2026.
• A hostel facility for farmers, FPOs, SHGs, cluster representatives, and other training participants will be built under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) and will include a 50-seat classroom, twin-sharing accommodation, kitchen, dining, and other amenities.
• The Minister performed the bhoomi puja for the hostel facility on the M.G. Halli campus during his visit.
• CSIR-CFTRI conducts nearly 30-35 training programmes every year and the hostel is expected to be ready in a year to strengthen skill development initiatives aligned with the government’s ‘Skill India’ programme in food processing.

Microsoft unveils MAI-Transcribe-1 multilingual speech-to-text model

[Microsoft]

Key Updates:

• MAI-Transcribe-1 is Microsoft’s new speech-to-text model supporting 25 languages and available on Microsoft Foundry.
• The model achieves the lowest Word Error Rate on the FLEURS 25-language benchmark, outperforming Scribe v2, Whisper-large-V3, GPT-Transcribe, and Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite.
• It delivers batch transcription speeds 2.5× faster than the current Microsoft Azure Fast offering.
• MAI-Transcribe-1 is priced at $0.36 per hour of audio.
• The model handles noisy environments, background noise, low-quality recordings, and overlapping speech.
• Offline applications include subtitle generation, podcast transcription, video accessibility, meeting archives, compliance recording, legal discovery, call centre QA, customer insight extraction, searchable audio libraries, and large-scale data pipelines for ML training, search indexing, and summarisation.
• Online applications comprise meeting transcription, video closed captioning, and dictation.
• MAI-Transcribe-1 integrates with MAI-Voice-1 text-to-speech and an LLM to build voice agents.

Microsoft and Chandigarh University (CU) establish Microsoft Skill Center in AI

[Microsoft]

Key Updates:

• Microsoft and Chandigarh University (CU) inaugurated a Microsoft Skill Center in Artificial Intelligence (AI) at CU campus.
• The Centre of Excellence operates under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Microsoft and Chandigarh University.
• Microsoft will offer AI for All courses across all CU programmes, not limited to B.Tech students.
• The Skill Center provides Microsoft certifications in AI, Machine Learning (ML), Cloud Computing and emerging technologies.
• Students gain access to 4400+ Microsoft modules, virtual labs running on Microsoft Azure, and role-based curricula.
• Chandigarh University launches Bachelor of Engineering (BE) in Computer Science Engineering (CSE) with AI specialization under the initiative.
• Three core certification courses—AZ-900: Fundamentals, DP-900: Data Fundamentals and AI-900: AI Fundamentals—are initially offered to CU students.
• byteXL, Microsoft’s partner, supports the centre to deliver industry-certified training, paid internships and placement assistance.
• The Microsoft Skill Center in AI at Chandigarh University is the first such facility established at an Indian university.

NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) and Dhruva Space Private Limited sign MoU for satellite solar panels

[NewSpace India Limited, Dhruva Space]

Key Updates:

• NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) and Dhruva Space Private Limited (DHRUVA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on the design, manufacture, testing, and supply of solar panels.
• The partnership aims to address the solar panel requirements of global Satellite Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs).
• NSIL is a Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) under the Department of Space (DoS) and functions as the commercial arm of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
• DHRUVA is a Hyderabad-based private aerospace company providing full-stack space engineering solutions across space, launch, and ground segments.
• The collaboration will utilise the programme management and product assurance expertise of NSIL to scale the production of space-grade solar panels.
• The timing of the agreement aligns with the solar industry entering a restructuring phase in 2026, amid rising demand for satellite solar panels.
• DHRUVA has existing engagements with NSIL in Earth observation missions, satellite deployers, and ground segment development.

India tops Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) list of suspended track and field athletes due to doping

[Kenya, Russia]

Key Updates:

• India leads with 148 suspended track and field athletes on the latest Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) ineligibility list updated up to 1 April 2026.
• Kenya is second and Russia third with 66 suspended athletes.
• Notable Indians on the list include Dutee Chand, Parvej Khan and Dhanalakshmi Sekar.
• Dutee Chand is serving a four-year suspension from 2022, Parvej Khan is banned until July 2030, and Dhanalakshmi Sekar has an eight-year suspension after a second offence last year.

Rassie van der Dussen retires from international cricket

[South Africa]

Key Updates:

• Rassie van der Dussen announced immediate retirement from international cricket at age 37 after a seven-year career.
• He debuted in T20I against Zimbabwe in 2018 and played 57 T20Is scoring 1,406 runs at a strike rate of 128.75.
• In ODIs he debuted against Pakistan in 2019, averaged over 50 in 71 matches and scored 2,657 runs with six hundreds and 17 half-centuries.
• He represented South Africa in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021, ICC Men’s Cricket World Cups 2019 and 2023, and ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
• He played 18 Tests after debut in 2019, with six half-centuries and a top score of 98 against England at DP World Wanderers in 2020.
• He captained the Proteas in a T20I series against West Indies in 2024 and in a T20I tri-series involving Zimbabwe and New Zealand in 2023.

ECINet KYC module launched for Assembly elections 2026

[Election Commission of India]

Key Updates:

• Election Commission of India (ECI) activated the Know Your Candidates (KYC) module on ECINet for 2026 Assembly elections.
• Voters can view criminal antecedents, assets, liabilities, education and verified social media handles of candidates.
• Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal are among states set for Assembly polls.
• Users access the module under the Conduct of Elections section on ECINet and can download candidate affidavits (Form 26).
• ECINet integrates over 40 applications and portals into a single electoral service ecosystem.

Raja Ravi Varma canvas 'Yashoda and Krishna' sold for Rs 167.20 crore on April 1, setting new Indian art auction record

Key Updates:

• Raja Ravi Varma’s 1890s oil on canvas 'Yashoda and Krishna' fetched Rs 167.20 crore at Saffronart’s Spring Live Auction in Mumbai on April 1.
• The painting was acquired by Dr Cyrus S. Poonawalla, Managing Director of Serum Institute of India (SII).
• The previous Indian art auction record was Rs 118 crore for MF Husain’s 1954 Untitled (Gram Yatra) sold at Christie’s in March 2025.

International Children’s Book Day observed on April 2 with theme 'plant stories and the world will bloom'

Key Updates:

• International Children’s Book Day is observed on April 2 every year, the birthday of Hans Christian Andersen.
• The day has been celebrated since 1967.
• The International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) sponsors the day.
• IBBY is a non-profit organisation founded in Zurich.
• Cyprus is the host country for International Children’s Book Day 2026.
• The theme for 2026 is 'plant stories and the world will bloom'.
• Sandra Elephteriou designed the 2026 poster.
• Elena Perikleous wrote the 2026 message.
• Giorgos Hatzipieris wrote the 2026 official song 'The Little Gardener'.