Daily Current Affairs: 9 April 2026

Mohsina Kidwai, Congress veteran and former Union minister, passes away at 94.

Key Updates:

• Mohsina Kidwai died at the age of 94, as confirmed by her family.
• She won her first election from Barabanki at the age of 28.
• Kidwai held Union ministerial portfolios of railways, civil aviation and urban development.
• She remained actively involved in Congress organisational work in Punjab, Assam and Chandigarh alongside Sonia Gandhi.
• She secured a major electoral victory in the post-Emergency period despite nationwide Congress setbacks.

Bank of Baroda (BoB) launches AI platform bob SAMVAD across 250 branches

[Bank of Baroda]

Key Updates:

• Bank of Baroda (BoB) launched its artificial intelligence-powered conversational platform bob SAMVAD on March 28 in Mumbai.
• The platform enables real-time two-way communication in 22 languages to reduce language barriers at branches.
• Initial rollout covers 250 branches across Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.
• The system was developed in-house and uses AI-based speech and language technologies for low-latency communication.

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) keeps repo rate at 5.25% and projects FY26 GDP at 7.6%

[Reserve Bank of India]

Key Updates:

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) unanimously voted to keep the repo rate unchanged at 5.25% and retained a neutral stance.
• RBI maintained FY26 real GDP growth forecast at 7.6% and set FY27 growth at 6.9% with quarterly paths of 6.8% in Q1, 6.7% in Q2, 7% in Q3 and 7.2% in Q4.
• Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation for 2027 is projected at 4.6% average, expected at 4% in Q1, 4.4% in Q2, 5.2% in Q3 and 4.7% in Q4.
• India’s foreign exchange reserves rose to $697.1 billion as of 3 April after falling to $688.058 billion on 27 March.
• Under a higher crude oil price scenario, RBI models real GDP growth at 6.7% for 2026-27 and 6.4% for 2027-28.

Textile Ministry Survey unveils domestic textiles market size at Rs 14.95 lakh crore in 2024

[Ministry of Textiles]

Key Updates:

• Textiles market size grew from Rs 4.89 lakh crore in 2010 to Rs 14.95 lakh crore in 2024 at 8.3% CAGR.
• Man-made fibre (MMF) and blended products account for 52.2% of the product basket.
• Cotton-based products contribute 41.2%, silk 5.2%, and woollen 1.3%.
• Household sector contribution rose from Rs 4.18 lakh crore in 2010 to Rs 8.77 lakh crore in 2024.
• Per capita demand increased from Rs 2,119 in 2010 to Rs 6,066 in 2024, marking 7.8% CAGR.
• Women consumers drive 55.5% of textile purchases against 44.5% by men.
• Sustainable textiles demand reached Rs 37,000 crore in 2024, with reused/retailored items forming 58%.
• Rural households consume 58% of technical textiles, urban 42%.

Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) grants PMS licence to Bajaj Alternate Investment Management.

[Securities and Exchange Board of India]

Key Updates:

• Bajaj Alternate Investment Management (Bajaj Alts) has received SEBI approval to commence portfolio management services (PMS).
• The PMS will target high net-worth individuals (HNIs) and ultra high net-worth individuals (UHNIs).
• Lakshmi Iyer is Group President – Investments and Managing Director & CEO of Bajaj Alts.
• Jitendra Gohil serves as CIO – Listed Equities at Bajaj Alts.

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) cancels licence of Shirpur Merchants' Co-operative Bank effective 6 April 2026.

[Reserve Bank of India]

Key Updates:

• Reserve Bank of India (RBI) cancelled the licence of The Shirpur Merchants' Co-operative Bank due to inadequate capital and earning prospects.
• The bank ceases all banking operations from the close of business on 6 April 2026.
• The Commissioner for Cooperation, Registrar of Cooperative Societies, Maharashtra has been requested to order winding up and appoint a liquidator.
• Depositors will receive up to Rs 5 lakh per account from Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC).
• As per bank data, 99.7% of depositors are eligible to receive the full amount of their deposits from DICGC.
• As on 31 January 2026, DICGC has already paid Rs 48.95 crore of total insured deposits based on depositors' willingness.

Morgan Stanley (MS) cuts India FY27 GDP growth forecast to 6.2% on Gulf conflict supply shocks

[Morgan Stanley]

Key Updates:

• Morgan Stanley lowered India’s FY27 GDP growth forecast by 30 basis points to 6.2%.
• Crude oil price assumption raised to $95 per barrel amid Gulf conflict.
• Inflation projection revised upward to 5.1% from earlier 4%.
• Current account deficit (CAD) seen widening to 2.5% of GDP.
• Pharmaceuticals, paints, textiles and toys sectors face margin pressures from higher oil and gas costs.
• Textiles sector reports job losses due to limited pricing power.
• If oil spikes to $150 per barrel for a quarter, GDP growth could slow to 5.7%, inflation may exceed 6% and CAD could reach 3% of GDP.
• India imports over 85% of its crude oil requirements with about half sourced from the Gulf region transiting through the Strait of Hormuz.
• Oil and gas account for 80% of India’s total commodity trade balance, tracking at 3.5% of GDP.
• Reserve Bank of India (RBI) likely to hold policy rates steady at 5.25% initially, with non-rate tools such as managing oil marketing companies’ dollar demand, tightening outward direct investment flows and encouraging NRI deposits.

Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana crosses ₹40 lakh crore in collateral-free loans in 11 years

[PM Mudra Yojana]

Key Updates:

• Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY) completed 11 years on 8 April 2026.
• Over 58 crore collateral-free loans worth more than ₹40 lakh crore have been disbursed since 2015.
• PMMY provides loans up to ₹20 lakh for non-corporate, non-farm income-generating activities.
• Loans are classified as Shishu (up to ₹50,000), Kishor (₹50,000–₹5 lakh), Tarun (₹5–10 lakh), and Tarun Plus (₹10–20 lakh).
• Two out of every three Mudra loans are sanctioned to women beneficiaries.
• The scheme covers manufacturing, trading, services, and allied agriculture activities like dairy, poultry, and beekeeping.

Maharashtra launches ₹65.25 crore 'Majha Gaon, Arogyasampann Gaon' rural healthcare initiative

[Maharashtra]

Key Updates:

• Maharashtra government launched the ₹65.25 crore 'Majha Gaon, Arogyasampann Gaon' rural healthcare initiative on World Health Day.
• Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis inaugurated the campaign in Mumbai in the presence of Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Ajit Pawar.
• Public Health and Family Welfare Minister Prakash Abitkar outlined the campaign’s vision to strengthen rural healthcare systems and make villages disease-free.
• The initiative emphasises preventive healthcare including sanitation, clean drinking water, wastewater management, nutrition, and control of communicable and non-communicable diseases.
• It prioritises maternal and child health, mental health, and lifestyle-related illnesses.
• Administrative committees have been set up from state to village level for implementation.
• Villages meeting predefined health indicators will be recognised as 'Arogyasampann Gaon'.

INS Sunayna arrives in Male under IOS SAGAR to boost India-Maldives maritime cooperation

[Maldives]

Key Updates:

• INS Sunayna, a Saryu-class Offshore Patrol Vessel, reached Male on Sunday as part of the Indian Ocean Ship (IOS) SAGAR initiative.
• The deployment is the first international stop of a 50-day overseas mission and carries 39 multinational crew from 16 Friendly Foreign Countries (FFCs).
• Prior to berthing, INS Sunayna and Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) Coast Guard units completed joint seamanship training covering tactical station-keeping, advanced signalling, small-arms firing, damage control and firefighting drills.
• During the three-day visit, Subject Matter Expert Exchanges (SMEE) will be held to consolidate maritime domain awareness.
• The Indian Navy currently chairs the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) after assuming the role in February 2026.
• IOS SAGAR is aligned with India’s SAGAR vision (Security and Growth for All in the Region) and the broader MAHASAGAR framework.

Russia and China veto UN Security Council resolution on Strait of Hormuz security

[Russia, China, United Nations]

Key Updates:

• The UN Security Council (UNSC) failed to adopt a resolution on boosting security in the Strait of Hormuz after Russia and China exercised their veto on 7 April 2026.
• Eleven countries voted in favour, Colombia and Pakistan abstained, and permanent members China and Russia voted against the draft resolution.
• The draft was submitted by Bahrain together with Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
• The draft resolution encouraged States to coordinate defensive efforts to ensure safety of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and demanded Iran immediately cease all attacks on shipping.
• Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani stated that the Council’s failure to adopt the resolution sends the wrong signal that threats to international waterways can pass without decisive action.
• United States Ambassador Mike Waltz declared that the Strait of Hormuz cannot be held hostage and must not be weaponized by any one State.
• Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia criticised the draft for presenting Iranian actions as the sole source of tensions while omitting illegal attacks by the United States and Israel.
• Chinese Ambassador Fu Cong said the draft failed to capture the root causes and the full picture of the conflict comprehensively and in a balanced manner.
• Iran’s Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani claimed the draft sought to punish Iran for defending its sovereignty while providing cover for further unlawful acts by aggressors.
• The UNSC comprises 15 members, of which 5 permanent members—China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States—hold veto power.

Indian Army releases Technology Roadmap for Unmanned Aerial Systems and Loitering Munitions

[Indian Army]

Key Updates:

• Lt Gen Rahul R Singh, Deputy Chief of the Army Staff (Capability Development & Sustenance), released the Indian Army’s Technology Roadmap for Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and Loitering Munitions (LM).
• The roadmap aims to increase long-term visibility of army requirements in UAS and channelise domestic industry, R&D bodies and academia.
• Combat roles sought include counter-UAS, loitering munitions, helicopter-launched littoral systems, bomb-delivery drones and mine-laying drones.
• Support roles sought include reconnaissance, land survey, electromagnetic jamming, radio relay and long-range logistics.
• The mission covers operational needs across Himalayas, Andaman & Nicobar Islands and all intermediate terrains.
• Emphasis is placed on boosting MSME and start-up participation in the indigenous drone ecosystem.

Gurgaon topped India’s pollution chart in March 2026, Haryana held four of top 10 polluted cities: CREA

[Gurugram]

Key Updates:

• Gurgaon recorded the highest monthly average PM2.5 level of 116 μg/m³ in March 2026, making it India’s most polluted city that month.
• Haryana contributed four cities—Gurgaon, Bahadurgarh, Faridabad and Manesar—to the national top 10 most polluted list for March.
• The other top 10 polluted cities in March were Singrauli, Mandideep, Ghaziabad, Bhiwadi, Noida and Nandesari.
• Across the full financial year 2025-26, Ghaziabad emerged as India’s most polluted city.
• Haryana had nine out of 24 monitored cities exceeding the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for PM2.5, the highest among states.
• Uttar Pradesh followed with eight out of 21 cities breaching the NAAQS.
• Under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), nine Uttar Pradesh cities cut PM10 by over 40 % versus the 2017-18 baseline.
• Maharashtra posted three, West Bengal, Uttarakhand and Punjab two each, and Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand, Nagaland, Jammu & Kashmir, Chhattisgarh, Bihar and Assam one city each with similar >40 % PM10 reductions.
• Odisha led with five cities registering an increase in PM10, while Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh each had two cities showing higher concentrations relative to the baseline.
• Dehradun (Uttarakhand) achieved the steepest PM10 reduction of 75 % compared to 2017-18.
• Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) recorded the highest PM10 increase at 73 % over the same period.
• Delhi reported a 17 % reduction in PM10 levels since 2017-18.

Tagged Sanderling completes 7,472 km Australia-to-Andamans migration

Key Updates:

• A Sanderling tagged on 13 April 2025 at Brown Bay, South Australia, was photographed on Narcondam Island, Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
• The bird covered 7,472 km in just over two months before being spotted in June 2025.
• Photographer G Thikanna, an Andaman Police officer, recorded the bird during a routine shoreline check.
• The 40–100 gram wader carried a red flag marked ‘DYM’ and a yellow tag enabling origin confirmation.
• Mumbai-based ornithologist Dr Raju Kasambe stated this is the first recorded re-sighting of a tagged bird on Narcondam Island.
• The sighting underscores the East Asian-Australasian Flyway, a migratory route spanning 37 countries from the Arctic to Australia and New Zealand.
• Narcondam Island, located about 140 nautical miles from Port Blair, is noted for biodiversity including the Narcondam Hornbill.
• The bird was originally tagged by Maureen Christie as part of South Australian shorebird monitoring efforts.

Uttarakhand High Court stays felling of oak trees in Mussoorie for construction

[Uttarakhand]

Key Updates:

• The Uttarakhand High Court stayed the felling of oak trees in Mussoorie on April 1 after a PIL revealed no NOC was sought from the forest department.
• Oak belongs to the genus Quercus in the Fagaceae family and 35 species are reported in Indian Himalayan regions between 800 and 3,000 metres above sea level.
• In Uttarakhand the oak species are Banj oak, Moru oak, Kharsu oak, Rianj oak, and Phaliath oak.
• Oak forests support 440 bird species in Tehri Garhwal, 391 in Rudraprayag, 491 in Almora, 311 in Bageshwar, 383 in Chamoli, and 366 in Champawat according to eBird data.
• A 2022 Ranichauri study recorded 24 butterfly species in Banj oak forests alone.
• Degradation of oak forests in the Indian Himalaya occurs at 0.36 sq km per year due to natural calamities and anthropogenic disturbances including developmental activities.
• Average fuel wood collection by locals in the study area ranged between 25 and 30 kg per household per day and fodder collection between 15 and 22 kg per household per day.

Parakneria thysi shellear fish scale 15 m Luvilombo Falls in Congo Basin

[Congo]

Key Updates:

• Thousands of Parakneria thysi, a shellear fish species, climb the 15 m (50 ft) Luvilombo Falls in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
• Observations were recorded in April–May 2018 and 2020 during seasonal floods at the end of the rainy season.
• Only small to medium-sized fish (3.7–4.8 cm) ascend; larger individuals about 9.8 cm are too heavy to climb.
• Fish use pectoral and pelvic fins plus tiny hook-like unculi to grip wet rock in the splash zone and wiggle upward.
• A single fish may take nearly 10 hours to reach the top, resting frequently and risking fatal falls from sudden water jets.
• Lead author Pacifique Kiwele of Université de Lubumbashi published the findings in the journal Scientific Reports.
• Threats to the species include illegal fishing with fine-mesh mosquito nets and water extraction for irrigation depleting the Luvilombo River.

UAE becomes world’s first ‘10 giga’ nation with commercial U6GHz network launch

[United Arab Emirates]

Key Updates:

• The Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA) announced the world’s first commercial upper 6GHz (U6GHz) network at the SAMENA Council Leaders’ Summit 2026.
• The U6GHz band operates between 6425–7125 MHz and is termed the ‘golden spectrum’ for balancing coverage and speed.
• The network delivers download speeds up to 10Gbps and upload speeds up to 1Gbps under advanced 5G technology.
• Global technology firms Huawei, Nokia and GSMA, together with UAE telecom operators du and e&, supported the rollout.
• The U6GHz spectrum was allocated for mobile services in 2024, field tests reached 10Gbps in 2025, and commercial deployment began in 2026.

India records highest-ever annual wind capacity addition of 6.05 GW in FY26

Key Updates:

• India added 6.05 GW of wind capacity in FY26, a 46% increase year-on-year.
• The previous record annual wind capacity addition was 5.5 GW in FY17.
• Total installed wind power capacity in India has crossed 56 GW.
• Gujarat, Karnataka and Maharashtra led the capacity additions in FY26.
• The expansion included standalone wind projects and hybrid wind-solar installations.
• Green energy open access supported demand from commercial and industrial consumers.
• Government measures include concessional customs duty on key components and waiver of inter-state transmission system (ISTS) charges until June 2028.
• The National Institute of Wind Energy (NIWE) provided technical support for project development.
• The record capacity addition supports India’s target of 500 GW non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030.

Jindal Stainless appoints Ranveer Singh as first brand ambassador

[Jindal Stainless]

Key Updates:

• Jindal Stainless appointed actor Ranveer Singh as its first-ever brand ambassador on 7 April 2026.
• The campaigns will run across television, digital and social media platforms to boost stainless steel awareness.
• The collaboration will highlight stainless steel usage in infrastructure, transport, defence, aerospace and daily life.
• Jindal Stainless Managing Director Abhyuday Jindal stated Singh’s dynamic personality makes him a fitting partner.
• Jindal Stainless reported a turnover of ₹40,182 crore in FY25.
• The company is expanding capacity to 4.2 million tonnes by FY27 and operates 16 facilities in India, Spain and Indonesia.

International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda observed on 7 April

[Rwanda]

Key Updates:

• International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda is observed on 7 April every year.
• The 2026 commemoration at UN Headquarters included survivors Serge Gasore and Marcel Mutsindashyaka sharing their experiences.
• UN Secretary-General António Guterres honoured victims and stressed rejecting hatred and incitement to violence.
• The Outreach Programme on the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and the United Nations coordinates global remembrance events.
• The Outreach Programme was established by the UN General Assembly in 2005 to mobilise civil society for remembrance and education.