Monday, Apr 13

Daily Current Affairs: 13 April 2026

Daily current affairs for 13 April 2026 with exam-focused key facts, connected news context, and revision notes for UPSC, SSC, banking and government exams.

Editorial note for exam revision Last updated: 13 April 2026. This briefing is structured for current affairs revision, with key updates and related coverage links to help readers connect recurring topics across days.

Today at a glance

Top current affairs to revise

  1. Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) approves PPFAS Asset Management to sponsor NPS pension fund.
  2. Tracxn reports Indian tech startups raise USD 11.7 billion in FY26, down 18% from FY25
  3. NPCI Bharat BillPay (NBBL) integrates Axis Bank into Banking Connect platform, expanding interoperable netbanking reach to 37 million customers.
  4. CSB Bank launches Smart Save Account with up to 7% interest on sweep-in Fixed Deposits.
  5. India rejects China’s renaming of places in Arunachal Pradesh
  6. Warangal and Adilabad airports approved for Telangana

Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) approves PPFAS Asset Management to sponsor NPS pension fund.

[Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority, PPFAS Asset Management Company]

Key Updates:

  • PPFAS Asset Management has received approval from the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) to act as a sponsor for a pension fund under the National Pension System (NPS).
  • The company will set up a separate pension fund entity to manage retirement savings of NPS subscribers.
  • PPFAS Asset Management will complete regulatory and operational formalities, including registration and infrastructure setup, before commencing operations.
  • Neil Parag Parikh, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of PPFAS Asset Management, stated the firm would approach pension fund management with a long-term focus and an emphasis on investor interest.
  • PPFAS Asset Management is based in Mumbai and was established in 2011.
  • The NPS framework, regulated by PFRDA, allows multiple pension fund managers to operate and enables subscribers to choose and switch between them.

Related Current Affairs Coverage

Tracxn reports Indian tech startups raise USD 11.7 billion in FY26, down 18% from FY25

Key Updates:

  • Indian tech startups raised USD 11.7 billion in FY 2025-26, an 18% decline from USD 14.3 billion in FY 2024-25.
  • Early-stage funding surged 33% to USD 4.8 billion in FY26 from USD 3.6 billion in FY25.
  • India ranked fourth-highest funded country globally in FY26, behind the US, UK, and China.
  • FinTech firms secured USD 2.4 billion in FY26, up 14% from USD 2.1 billion in FY25.
  • Enterprise Applications received USD 3.6 billion in FY26, same as FY25.
  • Late-stage startups raised USD 5.6 billion in FY26, down 38% from USD 9.2 billion in FY25.
  • Seed-stage funding declined 15% to USD 1.3 billion in FY26 from USD 1.5 billion in FY25.
  • India witnessed 13 funding rounds above USD 100 million in FY26, compared to 23 in FY25.
  • India Tech recorded 47 IPOs in FY26, up 52% from 31 IPOs in FY25.
  • Six unicorns were created in FY26, a 50% increase from four in FY25.

Related Current Affairs Coverage

NPCI Bharat BillPay (NBBL) integrates Axis Bank into Banking Connect platform, expanding interoperable netbanking reach to 37 million customers.

[National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development, Axis Bank]

Key Updates:

  • NPCI Bharat BillPay (NBBL) announced that Axis Bank is now live on the Banking Connect platform.
  • Banking Connect platform was launched in 2025 and provides interoperability between payment aggregators and banks for netbanking transactions.
  • Axis Bank joins State Bank of India (SBI), ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank on the platform.
  • The integration enables Axis Bank’s 37 million customers to experience faster checkout across more than 4,800 merchants in India.
  • Eight banks and 11 payment aggregators are currently live on the Banking Connect platform.
  • NBBL is a wholly owned subsidiary of the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).

Related Current Affairs Coverage

CSB Bank launches Smart Save Account with up to 7% interest on sweep-in Fixed Deposits.

[CSB Bank]

Key Updates:

  • CSB Bank launched the Smart Save Account after upgrading its core banking platform.
  • The account offers up to 7% interest on sweep-in Fixed Deposits over a 13-month tenure.
  • It is available in Savings, Current, and NRO variants for salaried individuals, business professionals, and Non-Resident Indians.
  • The auto-sweep facility transfers surplus funds into Fixed Deposits without manual intervention.

Related Current Affairs Coverage

India rejects China’s renaming of places in Arunachal Pradesh

[China, Arunachal Pradesh]

Key Updates:

  • The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) dismissed China’s assignment of new names to locations within Indian territory as mischievous attempts that carry no legitimacy.
  • Official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated that India categorically rejects any fictitious names assigned by China to places in Arunachal Pradesh.
  • The MEA emphasised that Arunachal Pradesh was, is, and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India.

Related Current Affairs Coverage

Warangal and Adilabad airports approved for Telangana

[Telangana]

Key Updates:

  • The Union Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) approved development of two new airports in Telangana at Warangal and Adilabad.
  • The foundation stone for the Adilabad airport will be laid within the next three months.
  • The Warangal airport development will be taken up by the MoCA while the Adilabad airport will be developed by the Defence Ministry.
  • The announcement was made by Union Civil Aviation Minister K. Ram Mohan Naidu and Union Minister for Coal and Mines G. Kishan Reddy at a press conference in New Delhi.

Related Current Affairs Coverage

SKYTRAX World Airport Awards 2026 announced (Start of April)

Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) was named the World’s Best Airport for the 13th consecutive year in the SKYTRAX World Airport Awards 2026. Seoul Incheon International Airport (ICN) rose to 2nd place in 2026 from 4th in…

Noida International Airport Phase I inaugurated by PM Modi (End of March)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Phase I of Noida International Airport at Jewar, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Uttar Pradesh on 28 March 2026. Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) granted the Aerodrome License to…

Indian Navy Commanders’ Conference 2026 to focus on AI, unmanned systems, jointness amid West Asia tensions

Key Updates:

  • Indian Navy’s bianxial Commanders’ Conference 2026 will be held in New Delhi from 14 to 16 April.
  • Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan will address senior naval leadership on jointness and interoperability.
  • Conference will review implementation of Indian Navy’s artificial intelligence roadmap and data-driven technologies.
  • Deliberations will emphasise lessons from US-I conflict, including AI-enabled targeting and uncrewed systems.
  • Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence recently commended Navy’s push on indigenisation and innovation initiatives.

Related Current Affairs Coverage

India and Uzbekistan begin 7th edition of joint exercise DUSTLIK at Gurumsaray, Namangan

[Uzbekistan]

Key Updates:

  • The 7th edition of India-Uzbekistan joint military exercise DUSTLIK runs from 12 to 25 April 2026 at Gurumsaray Field Training Area, Namangan, Uzbekistan.
  • The Indian contingent totals 60 personnel: 45 from the Army (Mahar Regiment battalion) and 15 from the Indian Air Force.
  • Uzbekistan fields around 60 personnel from its Army and Air Force.
  • The exercise focuses on physical fitness, joint planning, tactical drills, and basic special arms skills in semi-mountainous terrain.
  • Key operational aspects include land navigation, strike missions on enemy bases, and seizure of enemy-held areas.
  • A 48-hour validation phase will test joint tactical drills for neutralising unlawful armed groups.
  • The previous edition was held in April 2025 at the Foreign Training Node, Aundh, Pune.

Related Current Affairs Coverage

Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) relaxes CAFE-3 emission slopes, steering automakers toward EVs and hybrids

Key Updates:

  • The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) circulated an updated CAFE-3 draft on 8 April, covering 2027-32 and relaxing the permissible emission slope to 0.00158 for 2027-28 and 0.00131 for 2031-32.
  • The relaxed slope grants small cars an 11-13 g per km emission benefit while tightening the target by 10-12 g per km for larger cars.
  • Automakers selling higher-emission vehicles will face financial penalties, whereas credits from EVs and strong hybrids can offset these penalties.
  • Manufacturers must comply within a three-plus-two year block period—three years (2027-28 to 2029-30) and two years (2030-31 and 2031-32)—with credits or debits carried forward within each block.
  • Penalties for non-compliance will be assessed at the end of each block and paid into the Central Energy Conservation Fund, of which 90% will be redistributed to states proportional to vehicle sales and 10% retained by the Centre.

Related Current Affairs Coverage

NHAI launches ‘Arogya Van’ to plant 67,462 medicinal trees along National Highways

Key Updates:

  • National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will plant 67,462 medicinal trees on 17 vacant land parcels covering 62.8 hectares along National Highways in Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi-NCR, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh.
  • 36 medicinal tree species including Neem, Amla, Imli, Jamun, Lemon, Gular and Maulsari have been identified for plantation according to agro-climatic suitability.
  • Priority plantation sites include toll plazas, wayside amenities, interchanges and cloverleaf junctions to maximise public awareness.
  • NHAI has identified approximately 188 hectares of vacant land for plantations during the forthcoming monsoon season to ensure higher survival rates.

Related Current Affairs Coverage

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) completes second integrated air drop test for Gaganyaan crew module

[Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Andhra Pradesh]

Key Updates:

  • The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully carried out the second integrated air drop test (IADT-02) for its Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.
  • The test focused on validating the recovery mechanism of the crew module, ensuring safe astronaut return during re-entry and landing.
  • Union Minister Jitendra Singh congratulated ISRO on the achievement, noting Gaganyaan is scheduled for next year.
  • The first integrated air drop test was conducted on 24 August 2025 at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
  • During the first test, a 4.8-tonne dummy crew module was dropped from a Chinook helicopter at an altitude of three kilometres and descended safely via a parachute system of 10 parachutes.

Related Current Affairs Coverage

Deakin University and Telangana Government sign MoU for Applied Artificial Intelligence (AI) collaboration

[Telangana, Deakin University]

Key Updates:

  • Deakin University and the Government of Telangana, through Aikam™, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on applied Artificial Intelligence (AI), skilling, research, and innovation.
  • The agreement was signed at the Telangana State Secretariat by Professor Iain Martin, Vice-Chancellor of Deakin University, and Shri Phani Nagarjuna, CEO of Aikam™.
  • The partnership focuses on three key pillars: AI skilling and education, research and applied innovation, and ecosystem and industry engagement.
  • A Joint Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Applied AI, named the Aikam-Deakin Hub for Research in Intelligent Technology & Innovation (Aikam-DHRITI), will be established under the agreement.
  • Aikam™ is India's first ecosystem-approach based open innovation entity designed to position Telangana as a global hub for frontier technologies.
  • The collaboration aims to develop public sector use-case applications by leveraging emerging technologies such as Data, Cybersecurity, AI, and Machine Learning.

Related Current Affairs Coverage

India launches Bharat Bodhan AI Conclave-2026 (Mid of February)

Union Minister for Education Dharmendra Pradhan launched the two-day Bharat Bodhan AI Conclave-2026 in New Delhi. The conclave focuses on four verticals: AI for school education, AI for higher education, AI for skilling…

Army launches Sikkim’s first border village community radio station

[Sikkim]

Key Updates:

  • Indian Army’s Trishakti Corps launched Sikkim’s first border village community radio station named Radio ‘Sikkim Sundari’.
  • The station aims to boost communication and information access in remote high-altitude border areas of Sikkim.
  • It broadcasts local news, weather updates, government schemes, and promotes local culture and youth participation.
  • The inauguration was attended by senior officers of Trishakti Corps, civil administration representatives, and local community members.

Related Current Affairs Coverage

First-ever life-size Swami Vivekananda statue unveiled in Seattle

[United States]

Key Updates:

  • The first-ever life-size statue of Swami Vivekananda in the United States was unveiled at Westlake Square in downtown Seattle.
  • The bronze statue was sculpted by Indian artist Naresh Kumar Kumawat and gifted by the Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR) to the City of Seattle.
  • Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson and Consul General of India in Seattle Prakash Gupta jointly unveiled the statue.
  • The unveiling ceremony was held on the occasion of ICCR Day and is part of India's cultural diplomacy initiatives to strengthen India-US people-to-people ties.
  • Westlake Square, where the statue is installed, sees over 400,000 visitors daily and is located near the Amazon headquarters 'Spheres', the Seattle Convention Centre, and the Seattle Centre Monorail.

Related Current Affairs Coverage

First Mahatma Gandhi bust unveiled in Montana, USA (Start of March)

Montana Governor Greg Gianforte and Consul General of India in Seattle Prakash Gupta jointly unveiled the bust of Mahatma Gandhi at the Mike Mansfield Centre of the University of Montana in Missoula. The bust is a gift…

Gandhi statue theft in Rowville, Melbourne on Feb 3, 2026 (Start of February)

India condemned the vandalism and removal of the Mahatma Gandhi statue at the Australian Indian Community Centre in Rowville, Melbourne, Victoria. The bronze statue, weighing around 420 kg, was unveiled on 12 November…

Russia declares Stanford University undesirable on 12 April 2026

[Russia, Stanford University]

Key Updates:

  • The Justice Ministry of Russia added the United States (US)-based Stanford University to its list of undesirable organisations on 12 April 2026.
  • Stanford University is the 19th Western university to be added to the list over the last five years.
  • The Stanford University Centre for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies (CREEES) has also been included in the undesirable classification.
  • According to Russian law, students affiliated with an undesirable organisation can face up to four years in prison, while organisers may face up to six years.
  • Over 200 foreign organisations, including Yale University, Amnesty International, and the British Council, have been declared undesirable by Russia.
  • Russia introduced the law regarding undesirable organisations in 2015 to regulate foreign-funded entities and opposition groups.
  • The Kremlin has applied the foreign agent tag to more than 1,000 organisations and individuals, requiring them to adhere to strict reporting requirements.

Related Current Affairs Coverage

UGC releases 2026 state-wise list of fake universities (End of February)

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has identified 32 fake universities operating across 12 states in India. Delhi has the highest number of such universities with 12, followed by Uttar Pradesh with four.

FIU-IND and I4C sign MoU to combat cyber fraud and financial crimes

Key Updates:

  • Financial Intelligence Unit-India (FIU-IND) and Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) signed a comprehensive Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance information sharing and coordination.
  • The MoU was signed by Shri Amit Mohan Govil, Director, FIU-IND, and Shri Rajesh Kumar, Chief Executive Officer, I4C.
  • The collaboration aims to develop operational information and support investigative agencies to prevent financial crimes, protect digital transactions and undertake asset recovery.
  • The MoU will enable both agencies to establish robust feedback mechanisms for enhancing fraud detection protocols at the national level.
  • FIU-IND is the central national agency responsible for receiving, processing, analysing, and disseminating information relating to suspect financial transactions and coordinating efforts against money laundering and financing of terrorism.
  • I4C is an attached office of MHA responsible for providing a framework and ecosystem for Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) for dealing with Cyber Crime in coordinated and comprehensive manner.

Related Current Affairs Coverage

Asha Bhosle Passes Away at 92

Key Updates:

  • Legendary Indian singer Asha Bhosle passed away at the age of 92 on 12 April.
  • She was admitted to Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai due to extreme exhaustion and a chest infection prior to her demise.
  • Her last rites are scheduled to be held at Shivaji Park in Mumbai.
  • Her career spanned several decades, during which she recorded thousands of songs across genres including classical, ghazals, pop, and cabaret.
  • Her son, Anand Bhosle, confirmed the news of her passing.

Related Current Affairs Coverage

E.A. Rajendran passes away at 71. (End of March)

E.A. Rajendran, veteran Malayalam actor-director, died at age 71 at his residence in Pattathanam, Kollam. He was a graduate of the National School of Drama and appeared in around sixty Malayalam films.

Abhijit Majumdar dies at 54 (End of January)

Abhijit Majumdar, Odia composer-singer, died at the age of 54 while undergoing treatment at AIIMS Bhubaneswar. He was admitted to AIIMS Bhubaneswar on September 4 last year with hypertension, hypothyroidism and chronic…

André Béteille, pioneering Indian sociologist, died at 91. (Start of February)

André Béteille died in New Delhi on Tuesday night after a prolonged age-related illness at the age of 91. He was born in West Bengal to a French father and an Indian mother and completed his MA at Calcutta University…

Abu Hasem Khan Choudhury dies at 89.

Key Updates:

  • Abu Hasem Khan Choudhury, former Union Minister, died on 8 April 2026 in Kolkata.
  • He was 89 years old and had been suffering from multiple age-related complications.
  • He was popularly known as Dalu in political circles.
  • He is survived by his wife and son Isha Khan Choudhury, Congress MP from Malda Dakshin.
  • His death marks the end of an era in Malda district politics where he remained a key figure for decades.

Related Current Affairs Coverage