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Thursday, Apr 23

Daily Current Affairs: 23 April 2026

Analysis for 23 April 2026

United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) projects India's economy to grow at 6.4% in 2026 and 6.6% in 2027

[United Nations]

Key Updates:

  • The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) released the Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific 2026.
  • India's economy is projected to grow at 6.4% in 2026 and 6.6% in 2027.
  • India's growth rate for 2025 was 7.4%, supported by rural economy consumption, goods and services tax rate cuts, and export frontloading.
  • Inflation in India is projected to be 4.4% in 2026 and 4.3% in 2027.
  • Economies in South and South-West Asia grew by 5.4% in 2025 and 5.2% in 2024.
  • India's exports to the United States declined by 25% in the second half of 2025 following the introduction of 50% tariffs in August 2025.
  • India attracted the largest share of greenfield Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the first three quarters with $50 billion, followed by Australia ($30 billion), Republic of Korea ($25 billion), and Kazakhstan ($21 billion).
  • India was the world's largest remittance recipient in 2024 with $137 billion.
  • The United States has levied a 1% tax on all remittances since January 2026.
  • The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) estimated that India has 1.3 million green jobs, which is 8% of the global total of 16.6 million.
  • India's Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme provides incentives for domestic manufacturing of solar photovoltaic, batteries, and green hydrogen.

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World Bank (WB) projects India GDP growth at 7.6 per cent for FY26 (Start of April) ▼
  • The World Bank (WB) estimated India's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth to have accelerated to 7.6 per cent in Financial Year 2025-26 (FY26) from 7.1 per cent in FY25.
  • The WB projected India's growth to slow to 6.6 per cent in FY27, an upward revision from the 6.5 per cent forecast made in the January Global Economic Prospects report.
  • India remains the fastest-growing large economy in the world in FY26, supported by strong domestic demand and export resilience.
  • The WB identified high foreign exchange (Forex) reserves, fiscal space, and low inflation as strong policy buffers to weather global energy shocks.
  • The growth estimates for FY27 are based on an assumed oil price range of USD 90-100 per barrel.
  • Moody's Investors Service (Moody's) lowered its India GDP growth estimate for FY27 to 6 per cent due to the West Asia conflict.
  • Domestic consumption was bolstered by income tax cuts and Goods and Services Tax (GST) rate reductions implemented in the previous year.
  • The WB noted that India's growth momentum is supported by positive policies including the European Union (EU) Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and new labour laws.
Economic Survey 2025–26 projects India’s FY27 real GDP growth at 6.8–7.2% and FY26 fiscal deficit at 4.4% of GDP. (End of January) ▼
  • Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman tabled the Economic Survey 2025–26 in the Lok Sabha on 30 January 2026.
  • The Survey forecasts India’s real GDP growth at 6.8–7.2% for 2026–27, marginally below the current fiscal’s 7.4%.
  • Retail inflation averaged 1.7% during April–December 2025, with anchored core inflation reflecting improved supply conditions.
  • The central government’s fiscal deficit for FY25 stood at 4.8% of GDP, better than budgeted, with a 4.4% target set for FY26.
  • India’s foreign-exchange reserves rose to $701.4 billion as of 16 January 2026, covering 11 months of imports and 94% of external debt.
  • Capital expenditure more than quadrupled from ₹2.63 lakh crore in FY18 to ₹11.21 lakh crore in FY26 Budget Estimates, with effective capex at ₹15.48 lakh crore.
  • Production Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes across 14 sectors have attracted over ₹2.0 lakh crore actual investment, generating incremental production/sales exceeding ₹18.7 lakh crore and over 12.6 lakh jobs by September 2025.
  • India’s share of global merchandise exports nearly doubled from 1% in 2005 to 1.8% in 2024.
  • Foodgrain production is estimated at 3577.3 lakh metric tonnes for agriculture year 2024–25, up 254.3 lakh metric tonnes over the previous year.
  • India remains the world’s largest recipient of remittances, receiving $135.4 billion in FY25.
  • High-speed railway corridors expanded nearly ten-fold from 550 km in FY14 to 5,364 km by December 2025, with 3,500 km of new railway lines added in FY26.
  • The number of operational airports increased from 74 in 2014 to 164 in 2025, making India the 3rd largest domestic aviation market.
  • Discoms posted a historic positive PAT of ₹2,701 crore in FY25 for the first time.
  • India ranks 3rd globally in overall renewable energy and installed solar capacity.
  • India became the 4th nation to achieve autonomous satellite docking (SpaDeX) capability.
  • The E-Shram Portal registered over 31 crore unorganised workers by January 2026, with 54% women.
  • NITI Aayog’s Multidimensional Poverty Index shows poverty falling from 55.3% in 2005–06 to 11.28% in 2022–23.
Moody's Projects India Real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) Growth at 6.4% for FY27 (Mid of February) ▼
  • Moody's (Moody's) forecasts India's real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) will grow by 6.4% in Fiscal Year 2026-27 (FY27).
  • India is expected to record the fastest growth pace among the Group of Twenty (G-20) economies according to the ratings agency.
  • The Economic Survey 2026 projects India's real GDP expansion to range between 6.8% and 7.2% for FY27.
  • The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has raised its growth projections for FY27 to 6.9% for the first quarter and 7.0% for the second quarter.
  • Structural reforms including the rationalisation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and income tax reductions are expected to boost domestic consumption.
  • A trade agreement reached between India and the United States (US) in February 2026 is anticipated to improve conditions for export-linked Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) reports record seafood exports of ₹72,325.82 crore in FY 2025-26

[Marine Products Export Development Authority]

Key Updates:

  • India's seafood exports reached an all-time high of ₹72,325.82 crore ($8.28 billion) with volumes of 19.32 lakh metric tonnes in Financial Year (FY) 2025-26, according to the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA).
  • Frozen shrimp was the primary growth driver, contributing ₹47,973.13 crore ($5.51 billion) and accounting for over two-thirds of total export earnings.
  • Shrimp exports grew by 4.6 per cent in volume and 6.35 per cent in value.
  • The United States remained the largest export destination with imports totalling $2.32 billion, although shipments declined by 19.8 per cent in volume and 14.5 per cent in value.
  • Total taxes on Indian shrimp in the United States market rose to 58 per cent since August last year, including a 50 per cent levy, countervailing duty, and anti-dumping duty, before being reduced to 18 per cent.
  • China, the second-largest destination, recorded an increase in exports of 22.7 per cent in value and 20.1 per cent in volume.
  • Exports to the European Union (EU) increased by 37.9 per cent in value and 35.2 per cent in volume.
  • Under a finalized free trade agreement with the EU, the existing tariff of 26 per cent on seafood is set to be reduced to zero.
  • Exports to Southeast Asia rose by 36.1 per cent in value and 28.2 per cent in volume.
  • Exports to Japan grew by 6.55 per cent in value, while shipments to West Asia declined by 0.55 per cent.
  • The top five ports—Vizag, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), Kochi, Kolkata, and Chennai—accounted for nearly 64 per cent of the total export value.

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Ministry of Defence (MoD) records India's defence exports at ₹38,424 crore in FY 2025-26 (Start of April) ▼
  • India's defence exports reached a record ₹38,424 crore in FY 2025-26, up over 62% from FY 2024-25.
  • Defence public sector undertakings (DPSUs) contributed 54.84% of total exports, while private industry contributed 45.16%.
  • Defence exports rose from ₹21,083 crore in FY 2023-24 to ₹23,622 crore in FY 2024-25 before the FY 2025-26 jump.
Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways records India's major ports handling 915.17 MT cargo in FY 2025-26 (Start of April) ▼
  • India's major ports handled 915.17 million tonnes of cargo in FY 2025-26, exceeding the annual target of 904 MT and registering 7.06% year-on-year growth.
  • Deendayal Port Authority led with 160.11 MT, followed by Paradip Port Authority at 156.45 MT and Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) at 102.01 MT.
  • Visakhapatnam Port Authority, Mumbai Port Authority, Chennai Port Authority, and New Mangalore Port Authority also contributed significantly to overall cargo throughput.
  • Mormugao Port Authority recorded the highest growth at 15.91%, followed by Kolkata Dock System at 14.28% and JNPA at 10.74%.
  • The Ministry attributed the performance to infrastructure upgrades, better hinterland connectivity, digital initiatives, and faster turnaround times.
India to host World Seafood Congress 2026 in Chennai (Start of February) ▼
  • Chennai will host the World Seafood Congress (WSC) 2026, marking India’s first time hosting the biennial forum.
  • The Congress is jointly organised by the International Association of Fish Inspectors (IAFI), PDA Ventures, and the National Fisheries Development Board, Hyderabad.
  • Co-organisers include the Department of Fisheries with support from the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, the Ministry of Earth Sciences, and NITI Aayog – Government of India.
  • Technical partners are the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), and WorldFish.
  • Supporting industry bodies include Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), Seafood Exporters Association of India (SEAI), Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME), Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), Foundation for Aquaculture Innovation & Technology Transfer (FAITT), Indian Marine Ingredients Association (IMIA), and National Institute of Fisheries Post Harvest Technology and Training (NIFPHATT).
  • The inaugural session will feature addresses from Dr Manuel Barange (FAO), Mr Alejandro Rivera Rojas (UNIDO), Dr Jörn O Schmidt (WorldFish), Dr K N Raghavan (SEAI), Mr G Pawan Kumar (SEAI), Mr Dodda Venkata Swamy (MPEDA), and Dr Ian Goulding (IAFI).
  • Keynote address titled 'Netting Aqua Potentials for Nutrition Security and Economic Prosperity' will be delivered by Dr Tarun Shridhar, Former Secretary of Fisheries and Chairman of the WSC 2026 International Advisory Committee.
  • The Congress agenda includes plenary sessions, expert panels, technical workshops, and thematic discussions on sustainable seafood trade, inspection standards, market access, and inclusive growth.
  • The WSC 2026 exhibition will showcase innovations in processing, packaging, quality control, logistics, certification, digital systems, and cold-chain solutions.
  • Winners of the 2026 Peter Howgate Award are Ms Harini Ravi from the National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship, India, and Ms Riza Jane Banicod from the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Republic of the Philippines.
Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI) records India's total exports at US$ 790.86 billion for April 2025-February 2026 (Mid of March) ▼
  • India's total merchandise and services exports grew by 5.79% to reach US$ 790.86 billion (₹72.76 lakh crore) between April 2025 and February 2026.
  • The Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI) reported that merchandise exports during this period reached US$ 402.93 billion (₹37.07 lakh crore), an increase of 1.84% compared to the previous year.
  • Non-petroleum exports rose by 5.03% to US$ 354.12 billion (₹32.58 lakh crore) during the April-February period.
  • Merchandise imports reached US$ 713.53 billion (₹65.64 lakh crore), resulting in a merchandise trade deficit of US$ 310.60 billion (₹28.58 lakh crore).
  • Services exports reached US$ 387.93 billion (₹35.69 lakh crore), creating a services trade surplus of US$ 200.96 billion (₹18.49 lakh crore).
  • In February 2026, India's export value reached US$ 76.13 billion (₹7.00 lakh crore), representing an 11.05% increase compared to the previous year.
  • Export growth was supported by sectors including engineering goods, electronics, chemicals, gems and jewellery, agri-based products, pharmaceuticals, marine products, rice, handicrafts, coffee, meat, dairy, and poultry products.
  • Significant export growth was recorded in markets including China, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Togo, Sri Lanka, the United States, and the United Arab Emirates.

Government to Review Voting Rights Cap in Banks to Attract Long-Term Capital

Key Updates:

  • The Government may review the voting rights cap in banks to attract long-term capital.
  • A panel, yet to be formally constituted, is expected to include officials from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
  • The panel is expected to include senior executives from large public sector banks.

Similar Coverage

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) imposes ₹2.20 crore penalties on Union Bank, Central Bank, Bank of India, Pine Labs (End of March) ▼
  • Reserve Bank of India (RBI) imposed penalties of ₹95.40 lakh on Union Bank of India, ₹63.60 lakh on Central Bank of India, ₹58.50 lakh on Bank of India, and ₹3.10 lakh on Pine Labs for regulatory non-compliance.
  • Union Bank of India failed to credit amounts related to unauthorised electronic transactions within 10 working days of notification as of 31 March 2025.
  • Bank of India violated Priority Sector Lending directions by levying ad hoc charges on loans up to ₹25,000 and not paying interest on some matured Term Deposit Receipts until repayment.
  • Central Bank of India breached KYC and Financial Inclusion norms concerning Basic Savings Bank Deposit Accounts.
  • Pine Labs issued full-KYC Prepaid Payment Instruments without completing proper KYC verification during July 2024–May 2025.
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) levies penalties totalling Rs 1.35 crore on three banks and two NBFCs (Mid of February) ▼
  • Reserve Bank of India (RBI) imposed penalties totalling Rs 1.35 crore on CSB Bank (Rs 63.60 lakh), Bank of Maharashtra (Rs 32.50 lakh), DCB Bank (Rs 29.60 lakh), IIFL Finance (Rs 5.30 lakh) and Navi Finserv (Rs 3.80 lakh).
  • CSB Bank was penalised for non-compliance with directions on ‘Scope of activities to be undertaken of Business Correspondents (BCs)’ and ‘Customer Service in Banks’ and for failure to classify certain accounts as non-performing assets on restructuring.
  • Bank of Maharashtra was penalised for non-compliance with directions on ‘Credit information reporting in respect of Self Help Group members’ and ‘Know Your Customer’, including not reporting Self Help Group member level data to Credit Information Companies and not identifying Beneficial Owners in certain accounts.
  • DCB Bank was penalised for non-compliance with directions on loans against pledge of gold ornaments and jewellery for non-agricultural end uses by failing to maintain the prescribed loan-to-value ratio in certain non-agricultural gold loan accounts.
  • IIFL Finance was penalised for non-compliance with directions on ‘Asset Classification’ by entering into an arrangement with BCs for activities outside the permitted scope and levying charges in savings bank accounts without ensuring prior customer awareness.
  • Navi Finserv was penalised for non-compliance with directions on ‘Recovery Agents’ by contacting customers after 7:00 p.m. and before 8:00 a.m. for recovery of overdue loans and not following due protocol while sending messages to customers.
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) imposes ₹11.50 lakh penalty on Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services Limited. (Start of March) ▼
  • The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) imposed a monetary penalty of ₹11.50 lakh on Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services Limited on 27 February 2026.
  • The penalty was for non-compliance with RBI directions on ‘Fair Practices Code’ and ‘Internal Ombudsman for Regulated Entities’.
  • The statutory inspection of the company was conducted by RBI with reference to its financial position as on 31 March 2025.
  • The company levied revised foreclosure charges on certain borrower accounts without incorporating suitable conditions in loan agreements.
  • The company failed to escalate certain complaints to its Internal Ombudsman within the prescribed time and did not communicate final decisions to complainants within the prescribed time in certain cases.

Draft Sugarcane (Control) Order 2026: Regulatory Revamp and Ethanol Integration

Key Updates:

  • The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution released the draft Sugarcane (Control) Order 2026 to replace the 1966 regulations.
  • The draft order recognizes ethanol as a core output of sugar mills and brings khandsari sugar under the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) regime.
  • For sugar units producing ethanol from sugarcane juice, syrup, and B-heavy molasses, 600 litres of bio-fuel will be counted as equivalent to one tonne of sugar.
  • The draft rules prohibit the establishment of new sugar factories within a 25-km radius of an existing unit, increasing the distance from the current 15 km.
  • Under the draft order, mills are required to pay for sugarcane within 14 days of delivery, with delayed payments attracting interest at 15% per annum.
  • The order integrates by-product valuation for bagasse, molasses, and press mud to align sugar policy with the national biofuel programme.
  • In the 2024-25 crop year, the total estimated sugarcane production was 43.5 million tonne (MT), with 13.5 MT used for manufacturing jaggery, juices, and khandsari.
  • Khandsari sugar is primarily manufactured by approximately 370 units located in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Maharashtra.

Similar Coverage

Asia-Africa Agri Alliance (AAAA) launched on 13 March 2026 to boost bilateral trade and investment (Mid of March) ▼
  • The Asia-Africa Agri Alliance (AAAA) was formally launched by diplomats and agribusiness leaders from over ten nations to accelerate agricultural trade, investment, and technology transfer.
  • The AAAA is established as a neutral, not-for-profit Section 8 institution to bridge gaps through investment-ready and policy-aligned mechanisms.
  • The alliance operates on five pillars: trade and market access, technology and innovation transfer, investment and finance, policy and agriculture diplomacy, and capacity building.
  • The forum will specifically focus on maize and millets as they are major crops in both the Asian and African regions.
  • Asia and Africa together account for over 40 per cent of global agricultural production, with bilateral agri-trade exceeding $90 billion annually.
  • Africa holds 65 per cent of the world's remaining arable land, and its agricultural sector is projected to reach a market value of $1 trillion by 2030.
  • Key Indian representatives include Ashok Dalwai, Chairman of the Karnataka Agriculture Price Commission and former CEO of the National Rainfed Area Authority (NRAA).
  • Participating industrialists include Atul Chaturvedi of Shree Renuka Sugars Limited and Sanjeev Asthana, CEO of Patanjali Foods Limited and President of the Solvent Extractors' Association of India (SEA).
World’s Largest Grain Storage Plan in Cooperative Sector Achieves 9,750 MT Capacity (Mid of March) ▼
  • Pilot phase of the World’s Largest Grain Storage Plan in the cooperative sector completed godowns at Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) in 11 states: Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Assam, Telangana, Tripura, and Rajasthan.
  • Total storage capacity created under the pilot is 9,750 metric tonnes.
  • Implementing agencies are National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC), National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), and NABARD Consultancy Services (NABCONS).
  • Three godowns in Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Telangana are retained for PACS’ own use; three in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat have been hired out to state or central agencies.
  • Over 500 additional PACS have been identified for godown construction as of 21 November 2024.
  • Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF) provides PACS a 3% interest subvention on loans up to ₹2 crore with a seven-year repayment tenure (2+5 years).
  • Agricultural Marketing Infrastructure Scheme (AMI) gives PACS a 33.33% subsidy for storage units and reduces margin money requirement from 20% to 10%.
  • Subsidy for ancillary infrastructure such as boundary walls and drainage systems is capped at one-third of the total permissible subsidy for the godown or the actual cost, whichever is lower.
National Mission on Cocoa – Aim for Self‑sufficiency by 2040 (Mid of April) ▼
  • The knowledge paper recommends launching a National Mission on Cocoa to achieve self‑sufficiency by 2040‑41.
  • The Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare will shape a dedicated policy framework for cocoa, aligned with the Union Budget 2026‑27.
  • Phase 1 (2026‑28) proposes establishing a Centre of Excellence and creating nearly 250 hectares of polyclonal seed gardens across states.
  • Phase 2 (2028‑30) aims to set up regional CoE hubs and train about 1 lakh farmers, with a target of supplying 25 million seedlings and launching a pilot digital farmer registry.
  • Phase 3 (2030‑35) seeks to expand cocoa cultivation to 1 lakh hectares, improve yields, and scale up R&D, targeting 50 percent of domestic cocoa demand.
  • Phase 4 (2035‑40) envisions full self‑sufficiency in cocoa production and positioning India as a global cocoa processing hub, with 100 percent digital traceability.
  • Domestic cocoa consumption is projected to reach 4.67 lakh tonnes by 2040, growing at a CAGR of 5.5 percent.
  • Current imports exceed $866 million annually, with India meeting less than 20 percent of its cocoa requirement.
  • The roundtable “India’s Cocoa Future: Self Sufficiency and Global Value Chain Integration” was held in New Delhi, launching the knowledge paper.
  • Naveen Kumar Patle, Additional Commissioner (Horticulture), Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, highlighted the need for a dedicated cocoa policy.
  • Syed Junaid Altaf, Chairperson, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) Task Force on Horticulture, emphasised cocoa’s potential to boost farmer incomes and export‑oriented growth.
Cocoa Self‑Sufficiency Roadmap – Targeting Domestic Production by 2040 (Mid of April) ▼
  • The roadmap is overseen by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (MAFW).
  • It proposes the establishment of a National Mission on Cocoa.
  • Phase 1 (2026‑28) includes launching the mission, setting up a Centre of Excellence and creating nearly 250 hectares of polyclonal seed gardens across states.
  • Phase 2 (2028‑30) aims to train nearly 1 lakh farmers, supply around 25 million seedlings, establish regional CoE hubs and pilot a digital farmer registry and traceability system.
  • Phase 3 (2030‑35) targets expanding cocoa cultivation to 1 lakh hectares and meeting 50 percent of domestic cocoa demand.
  • Phase 4 (2035‑40) envisions self‑sufficiency in cocoa production, positioning India as a global processing hub and achieving 100 percent digital traceability.
  • Domestic cocoa consumption is projected to reach 4.67 lakh tonnes by 2040, growing at a CAGR of 5.5 percent.
  • India currently meets less than 20 percent of its cocoa requirement, with annual imports exceeding $866 million.
  • Implementation begins in 2026.

Online Gaming Authority of India (OGAI) to Regulate Online Gaming Ecosystem

[OGAI]

Key Updates:

  • The Online Gaming Authority of India (OGAI) will become operational from May 1.
  • The OGAI is established under the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025.
  • The OGAI will function as a digital office under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
  • The authority will be chaired by the additional secretary of MeitY.
  • Members of the OGAI include joint secretary-level officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Department of Financial Services (DFS), Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB), Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS), and the Department of Legal Affairs (DLA).
  • The OGAI is tasked with regulating the online gaming ecosystem in India, including the determination and registration of online games and esports titles.
  • The OGAI has powers to issue directions regarding data retention and other regulatory matters concerning the sector.
  • Mandatory registration is not required for online games that do not involve real money.

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Karnataka Innovation Act to Establish Regulatory Sandbox for Emerging Technologies (End of January) ▼
  • The Karnataka Department of Information Technology and Biotechnology (IT/BT) is establishing a regulatory sandbox framework under the Karnataka Innovation Act to enable the testing and development of emerging technologies.
  • The announcement was made at the 20th edition of the India Digital Summit (IDS) 2026, organised by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) in Bengaluru.
  • The IDS 2026 was conducted under the theme India’s AI Moment: Leveraging the Intelligent Economy.
  • The Karnataka Innovation Authority Act, 2020, provides a legal framework for the temporary relaxation of regulations to promote innovation in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and deep-tech.
  • The Internet and Mobile Association of India and Kantar launched the Internet in India Report 2025, which recorded 958 million active internet users in India in 2025.
  • The report highlighted an 8% year-on-year growth in internet users, driven by rural adoption, short-video consumption, e-commerce, and AI usage.
Goa considers social media ban for users under 16 (End of January) ▼
  • Goa’s Minister for Information Technology, Rohan Khaunte, announced on 26 January that the state government is studying the Australian model to ban social media for children below 16.
  • The proposed ban would target platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and X.
  • The Australian law requires social media companies to take reasonable steps to prevent minors from holding accounts, with significant fines for non-compliance.
  • The Goa government is examining whether a state-wide restriction is legally viable under India’s central IT laws.
  • The proposal will be discussed with Goa’s Chief Minister before any final decision is made.
NeSDA Way Forward December 2025 Report: 24,090 e-services across States/UTs (End of January) ▼
  • Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances (DARPG) released the 32nd NeSDA Way Forward monthly report for December 2025.
  • 24,090 e-services are provided across States/UTs.
  • 8,656 e-services relate to Local Governance & Utility Services.
  • 156 new e-services were added by States/UTs in November 2025.
  • 21 States/UTs achieved over 90% saturation of 59 mandatory e-services: Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Andhra Pradesh, Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal.
  • Portals providing 100% services are Assam (Sewa Setu), Jammu & Kashmir (e-UNNAT), Karnataka (Seva Sindhu), Odisha (Odisha One), Madhya Pradesh (MP e-Service), Uttarakhand (Apuni Sarkar) and Kerala (e-Sevanam).
  • Over 90% of services are provided by 4 States/UTs through their Unified Service Delivery Portals: e-District Chandigarh, e-District Delhi, Saral Haryana and e-Mitra (Rajasthan).
  • National Digital Library of India (NDLI) and Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) are highlighted as best-practice portals of Central Government Ministries/Departments.
  • City-level digital platforms of Puducherry and Guwahati Municipalities are showcased as best practices.
India signs MoUs with 23 countries for Digital Public Infrastructure cooperation (Start of February) ▼
  • India has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)/agreements with 23 countries for sharing and cooperation on India Stack / Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI).
  • The MoUs focus on digital identity, digital payments, data exchange and service delivery platforms under India Stack framework.
  • The countries are: Republic of Armenia, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Suriname, Antigua and Barbuda, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, United Republic of Tanzania, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Cuba, Republic of Colombia, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Ethiopia, Jamaica, Gambia, Fiji, Guyana, Venezuela, Sri Lanka, Brazil, Lesotho, Maldives, Mongolia.
  • UPI is now live in over eight countries: UAE, Singapore, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, France, Mauritius and Qatar.
  • MoUs for Digilocker have been signed with Cuba, Kenya, United Arab Emirates and Lao People's Democratic Republic.
  • India Stack Global portal (www.indiastack.global) showcases 18 key digital platforms for global adoption.
  • Global DPI Repository (www.dpi.global) was launched during India’s G20 Presidency in 2023, with India contributing the highest number of DPI solutions.
  • Key DPI platforms include Aadhaar, UPI, CoWIN, API Setu, DigiLocker, Aarogya Setu, GeM, UMANG, DIKSHA, e-Sanjeevani, e-Hospital, e-Office, eCourts, POSHAN Tracker, National NCD Platform, Skill India Digital Hub, PFMS and PM GatiShakti.
  • The information was provided by Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Shri Jitin Prasada in Rajya Sabha on 06.02.2026.

Andhra Pradesh Integrated Clean Energy Policy: Target Net-Zero by 2047

[Andhra Pradesh]

Key Updates:

  • A delegation led by Tirupati Urban Development Authority (TUDA) Chairman C. Divakar Reddy presented the Andhra Pradesh Integrated Clean Energy Policy at the World Climate Cities Forum in Yeosu, South Korea.
  • The World Climate Cities Forum was organised as part of the Korea Green Transition Week.
  • The policy envisions transforming Andhra Pradesh into a global clean energy hub.
  • The state government aims to achieve net-zero emissions by 2047.

Similar Coverage

First Bharat Electricity Summit (BES) concludes with focus on clean energy transition (End of March) ▼
  • The maiden Bharat Electricity Summit (BES) concluded at Yashobhoomi, New Delhi, with over 35,000 exhibition attendees, 28 States/Union Territories, 200+ exhibiting companies including 80+ Start-ups, 6,000+ delegates, 300+ speakers, and 100+ conference sessions.
  • India has crossed over 50% non-fossil fuel capacity and targets 500 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030.
  • Union Power Minister Manohar Lal announced that the next edition of BES will be held in 2028 in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
  • Three reports were released: Rating Regulatory Performance of States and Union Territories 2025 by Power Foundation of India; Ash Generation and Utilisation at coal/lignite-based Grid Connected thermal power stations for 2024-25 by Central Electricity Authority (CEA); and Establishing a Sodium-ion Battery Ecosystem in India by Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW).
Indian States’ Electricity Transition (SET) report highlights best performers in electricity transition (End of February) ▼
  • Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan emerged as the strongest performers in the market enablers dimension of the Indian States’ Electricity Transition (SET) report.
  • The report was released by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) and Ember.
  • The SET report assessed 21 states that account for 95% of India’s power demand.
  • Karnataka remained the top performer in the decarbonisation dimension.
  • Chhattisgarh recorded a negligible power supply shortage of 0.07% in FY25.
  • Bihar recorded the best improvement in smart meter deployment with 78% of its sanctioned meters installed under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) as of March 2025.
India Energy Week 2026 to be held in Goa from 27–30 January (Start of February) ▼
  • India Energy Week (IEW) 2026 will be held in Goa from 27 to 30 January 2026.
  • The event is organised under the patronage of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and jointly hosted by the Federation of Indian Petroleum Industry (FIPI) and dmg events.
  • Over 120 countries are expected to participate in IEW 2026.
  • The previous edition saw 68,000 attendees, 570 exhibitors and 5,400 conference delegates.
  • India is projected to account for more than 23 per cent of global incremental energy demand by 2050, according to the International Energy Agency’s World Energy Outlook 2025.
  • IEW 2026 will showcase recent reforms under the Oilfields (Regulation and Development) Act, 2025 and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Rules, 2025.
  • Clean energy initiatives such as India’s ethanol blending programme, biofuels, green hydrogen and sustainable fuels will be major focus areas.
ASSET (Accelerating Sustainable State Energy Transition) platform aims to make Andhra Pradesh a top-three renewable energy hub by 2035. (Start of February) ▼
  • NITI Aayog unveiled a draft blueprint under the ASSET platform to transform Andhra Pradesh into one of India’s top three renewable energy hubs by 2035.
  • The plan envisages total sectoral investments of Rs 7.5 lakh crore, with 90% expected from private players and the creation of 5-6 lakh new jobs.
  • Andhra Pradesh targets adding 35 GW solar, 12 GW wind, and 55-60 GWh storage capacity for domestic needs, plus 30 GW solar, 25-30 GW wind, and 10-12 GW pumped storage for national exports by 2035.
  • Power purchase costs are estimated to fall to Rs 3.90 - Rs 4 per unit, with supply costs kept below Rs 6 per unit, benefiting households, farmers, and industries.
  • Infrastructure upgrades include Rs 65,000-Rs 70,000 crore for transmission modernisation and Rs 40,000 crore for strengthening distribution networks.
  • The blueprint will be finalised by March 2026 and implementation is expected to begin mid-March, monitored by a dedicated ‘Energy War Room’.

National Blood Policy: Target to establish one blood centre in every district by December 2026

Key Updates:

  • The Ministry of Health (Health Ministry) aims to establish at least one blood centre in every district by December 2026, in line with the National Blood Policy.
  • Approximately 10 per cent of districts in the country currently do not have a blood centre.
  • Performance of blood transfusion services was evaluated against a framework of 10 key performance indicators (KPIs) using data from eRaktKosh, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), and the Blood Bank Management System (BBMS).
  • The National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) reiterated the national goal of ensuring timely access to safe blood in every district with zero transfusion-transmitted infections.
  • The review of blood transfusion services covered five critical stages: Licensing and Renewal; Donor Screening and Blood Collection; Testing for Transfusion-Transmitted Infections (TTIs) and referral/linkage of reactive donors; Processing, Storage and Issuance; and Reporting and Record-keeping.
  • Priority actions identified include ensuring 100 per cent licensing compliance of all operational blood centres and scaling up voluntary blood donation through structured outreach and awareness campaigns.

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Transplant Authority of Tamil Nadu (Transtan) oversees State’s deceased organ donation programme (Start of March) ▼
  • Tamil Nadu recorded 57 deceased organ donations in January–February 2026.
  • Government Order 331 mandates state honours for deceased organ donors.
  • About 652 honour walks have been accorded since 2023.
  • Vidiyal mobile-cum-web application launched in 2021 streamlines organ allocation.
  • First-round counselling achieves 75% family consent; second round raises acceptance to around 80%.
  • Government Dharmapuri Medical College Hospital, a non-transplant organ retrieval centre, recorded the highest donations this year.
Janaushadhi Saptah 2026: Nationwide Health Check-Ups Launched (Start of March) ▼
  • Janaushadhi Saptah 2026 began today with health check-up camps across the country to raise awareness about affordable and quality generic medicines.
  • The Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers (MoCF) stated that the week-long celebrations will culminate in the 8th Janaushadhi Diwas.
  • The Department of Pharmaceuticals is organising health check-up camps at over 250 locations nationwide until the 5th of this month.
  • On the first day, health camps were held at approximately 50 locations offering general health check-ups, free blood tests, blood pressure, and thyroid tests.
  • Free distribution of Janaushadhi medicines, physiotherapy consultations, eye check-ups, and child health initiatives were also organised at several centers.
  • Special attention was given to women and senior citizens at the camps.
  • Over 18,000 Janaushadhi Kendras are operating across the country under the Pradhan Mantri Bharatiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP).
  • The government targets expanding the network to 25,000 Kendras by 2027.
Oil India and NSTFDC MoU: ₹86.27 Lakh Sanctioned for Tribal Healthcare Infrastructure in Madhya Pradesh (Mid of March) ▼
  • Oil India Limited (OIL) signed an MoU with the National Scheduled Tribes Finance and Development Corporation (NSTFDC) on 12 March 2026 at OIL’s corporate office in Noida.
  • The MoU sanctions ₹86.27 lakh for upgrading healthcare facilities in Rajgarh district, Madhya Pradesh, an Aspirational District under the Government of India’s programme.
  • Funds will strengthen Community Health Centres (CHCs) and Primary Health Centres (PHCs) by providing ambulances, life-care and diagnostic equipment, ventilators, CPAP machines, BiPAP machines, and USG machines.
Swasth Seema Abhiyan: Uttarakhand govt & ITBP sign MoU to strengthen health services in 108 border villages (End of January) ▼
  • Uttarakhand government and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) signed an MoU under the first phase of Swasth Seema Abhiyan to provide integrated primary health services in 108 border villages of Pithoragarh, Chamoli and Uttarkashi districts.
  • ITBP will provide qualified doctors, paramedical staff, medical examination rooms, telemedicine facilities and conduct regular visits to border villages as per a fixed schedule.
  • ITBP will maintain beneficiaries' Medical Health Cards and manage equipment, medicines and consumables.
  • State government will provide demographic data of villages, initial medical equipment and ensure continuous supply of medicines every six months based on consumption.
  • State government will handle emergency evacuation, telecommunication support, equipment ownership and necessary replacements.

India's INS Nireekshak arrives in Sri Lanka for training and maritime cooperation

[Sri Lanka]

Key Updates:

  • The Indian Navy (IN) ship INS Nireekshak arrived in Sri Lanka for a training visit and Operational Turnaround (OTR).
  • The visit is aimed at strengthening maritime cooperation between India and Sri Lanka.
  • The ship was welcomed by the Sri Lankan Navy at the port of Colombo.

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INS Sunayna arrives in Male under IOS SAGAR to boost India-Maldives maritime cooperation (Start of April) ▼
  • 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.
Indian Navy launches Indian Ocean Ship SAGAR with 16 friendly nations (Start of April) ▼
  • INS Sunayna, an Offshore Patrol Vessel of the Indian Navy, set sail from Mumbai as Indian Ocean Ship (IOS) SAGAR.
  • Sanjay Seth, Minister of State for Defence, flagged off the ship carrying naval personnel from India and sixteen maritime forces of Friendly Foreign Countries (FFCs).
  • IOS SAGAR harbour phase was completed from March 16-29, and the sea phase runs from April 2 to May 20 across the South-Eastern Indian Ocean Region.
  • Port calls during deployment include Colombo (Sri Lanka), Phuket (Thailand), Jakarta (Indonesia), Singapore, Chittagong (Bangladesh), Yangon (Myanmar), Male (Maldives), and Kochi (India).
  • Training modules cover seamanship, navigation, communication procedures, maritime safety, firefighting, damage control, VBSS operations, and advanced bridgemanship.
Indian Army EME and IIT-Madras partner for Nodal Indigenisation Centre (End of March) ▼
  • The Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers (EME) of the Indian Army has partnered with the IIT-Madras Pravartak Technologies Foundation to develop indigenous military technologies.
  • A Nodal Indigenisation Centre has been established at Avadi to strengthen the Tamil Nadu Defence Corridor.
  • The partnership focuses on critical domains including sensing systems, cyber-physical systems, and autonomous technologies.
  • Major General Lalit Kapoor serves as the Indian Army Commander-Base Workshop Group.
  • M J Shankar Raman is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the IIT-Madras Pravartak Technologies Foundation.
  • The Corps of EME is the technical backbone of the Indian Army responsible for the maintenance and sustenance of equipment.
India hosts Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) maritime exercise IMEX TTX 26 in Kochi (End of March) ▼
  • Indian Navy hosted the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) maritime exercise at Maritime Warfare Centre of Southern Naval Command in Kochi last Friday.
  • The exercise brought together delegates from IONS member navies to deliberate on evolving non-traditional maritime security challenges in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
  • Participating countries included Bangladesh, France, Indonesia, Kenya, Maldives, Mauritius, Myanmar, Seychelles, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Tanzania and Timor-Leste.
  • India assumed the IONS chairmanship for the 2026–2028 cycle after a gap of 16 years.
  • IMEX TTX 2026 marks a key milestone in strengthening regional maritime leadership.

Pakistan Navy test-fires 'Taimoor' air-launched cruise missile on April 21, 2026

[Pakistan]

Key Updates:

  • The Pakistan Navy successfully test-fired the indigenously developed 'Taimoor' air-launched cruise missile (ALCM) on April 21, 2026.
  • The Taimoor ALCM is an anti-ship weapon system capable of striking land and sea targets at ranges of up to 600 km.
  • The test was conducted under the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
  • The Pakistan Navy conducted a live weapon firing of a homegrown ship-launched anti-ship missile on April 16.
  • In January, the Pakistan Navy fired a surface-to-air missile during a comprehensive exercise in the north Arabian Sea.
  • India's BrahMos cruise missile has a speed of Mach 2.8–3 and a strike range of 450-800 km.
  • The BrahMos can carry a 200–300 kg warhead and can be launched from land, ships, submarines, and Su-30MKI combat aircraft.
  • On May 10, 2025, the Indian Air Force (IAF) used the Barak-8 missile system to intercept and destroy a Pakistani ballistic missile targeting Delhi.
  • Air Commodore Rohit Kapil of the IAF 45 Wing was awarded the Yudh Seva Medal for leading the Barak-8 interception operation.

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North Korea conducts strategic cruise and anti-warship missile tests on 12 April 2026 (Mid of April) ▼
  • North Korea test-fired two strategic cruise missiles and three anti-warship missiles from the 5,000-ton Choe Hyon-class destroyer.
  • The tests were conducted off the western coast of the country to verify the integrated weapons command system and the accuracy of upgraded navigation systems.
  • The strategic cruise missiles recorded flight times ranging from 7,869 to 7,920 seconds, while the anti-warship missiles flew for 1,960 to 1,973 seconds.
  • The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that the drills were supervised by Kim Jong Un to strengthen the national nuclear war deterrent and naval strike capabilities.
  • The North Korean administration confirmed the construction of a third and fourth Choe Hyon-class vessel as part of a plan to build two additional destroyers in 2026.
  • The exercise aimed to train naval crews in missile-launch procedures and verify the anti-jamming performance of the warship's systems.
Iran Claims Deployment of Qader Cruise Missile Against United States Aircraft Carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (End of March) ▼
  • The Qader cruise missile is a shore-based anti-ship weapon developed by Iran to target naval vessels such as warships and tankers.
  • It is an upgraded version of the Noor missile, which is based on a Chinese missile design.
  • The missile has a reported operational range of between 120 and 300 kilometres.
  • It carries a warhead containing approximately 200 kilograms of high explosives.
  • The system utilizes a turbojet engine and employs a sea-skimming flight path at low altitudes to avoid radar detection.
  • In its final phase, the missile uses active radar guidance to lock onto and strike moving targets.
  • The United States (US) Navy aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln is protected by the Phalanx Close-In Weapon System (CIWS), Sea Sparrow missiles, and Aegis defence systems.
  • Iran previously claimed that the carrier was targeted on 1 March 2026 using four ballistic missiles launched by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
India commissions stealth frigate INS Taragiri under Project 17A (Start of April) ▼
  • 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.
India successfully test-fires nuclear-capable Agni-III ballistic missile from Odisha (Start of February) ▼
  • India successfully carried out a test launch of the Agni-III intermediate-range ballistic missile on 06 Feb 2026.
  • The missile was fired from the Integrated Test Range, Chandipur, Odisha.
  • The launch met all mission objectives and validated operational and technical parameters.
  • The test was conducted under the aegis of the Strategic Forces Command (SFC).

L&T Energy GreenTech Ltd and Japan's ITOCHU Corporation sign green ammonia supply deal

[Larsen & Toubro, Japan]

Key Updates:

  • L&T Energy GreenTech Ltd (LTEGL) signed a long-term agreement with Japan's ITOCHU Corporation to supply 300,000 tonnes of green ammonia annually.
  • The green ammonia will be supplied from the upcoming LTEGL facility in Kandla on a long-term, take-or-pay basis.
  • The project is intended to position Kandla as a key export hub for low-carbon fuels in line with the National Green Hydrogen Mission.
  • ITOCHU Corporation plans to use the ammonia primarily for marine fuel applications, particularly in Singapore.

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Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) signs $3 billion green ammonia supply deal with Samsung C&T Corporation (Mid of March) ▼
  • Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) has signed a binding 15-year Supply and Purchase Agreement to supply green ammonia to Samsung C&T Corporation starting second half FY2029.
  • The contract is valued at more than $3 billion and is among the largest binding long-term green ammonia offtake agreements globally.
  • The deal supports India’s National Green Hydrogen Mission and positions India as a major exporter of green fuels through a domestic clean-energy value chain.
  • RIL is developing an integrated new energy platform covering renewable power generation, energy storage, green hydrogen production, and downstream green fuels and chemicals.
  • RIL’s initiative includes domestic manufacturing of solar modules, battery energy storage systems (BESS), and electrolyser systems.
LPG carrier Green Asha delivers 15,400 tonnes of LPG to Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) (Start of April) ▼
  • The India-flagged LPG carrier Green Asha berthed at Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) on Tuesday.
  • The vessel carried 15,400 tonnes of LPG and transited through the Strait of Hormuz.
  • JNPA’s liquid terminal is operated by Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) and Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL).
  • The arrival is expected to stabilise LPG supplies in Mumbai and Maharashtra where dependence on imported fuel is high.
GAIL (India) Ltd to acquire equity stake in Singapore-based LNG ship-owning company. (End of January) ▼
  • GAIL (India) Ltd will take an equity stake in a Singapore-based LNG ship-owning company through its wholly owned subsidiary GAIL Global IFSC Ltd registered in Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City).
  • The LNG vessel is under construction in South Korea and is linked to a long-term charter signed by GAIL.
  • Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha Ltd (K LINE) and J M Baxi Marine Services will also be equity partners in the ship-owning company.
  • GAIL already holds a 26 per cent stake in the LNG carrier ‘GAIL Bhuwan’ hired from Japan’s Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd.
Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) Secures $360 Million Contract from CMA CGM Group (End of February) ▼
  • Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) has signed an international shipbuilding contract worth approximately $360 million (around ₹3,267 crore) with the France-based CMA CGM Group.
  • Under the agreement, CSL will construct and deliver six Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)-powered container vessels.
  • Each vessel will have a capacity of 1,700 Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) and is estimated to cost approximately $60 million.
  • The vessels will be designed by Korea Maritime Consultants Co., Ltd. (KOMAC) and manufactured at the CSL facility in Kerala.
  • The first vessel is expected to be delivered by February 2029, with a subsequent delivery target of two vessels per year.
  • This contract has increased the total order book of CSL to approximately ₹23,000 crore.
  • The supply agreement was signed in the presence of Shantanu Thakur, Minister of State at the Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways.

United Kingdom passes Tobacco and Vapes Bill to ban tobacco sales for those born after 2008

[United Kingdom]

Key Updates:

  • The United Kingdom (UK) passed the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, making it illegal for anyone born after 2008 to buy tobacco products.
  • From 2027, the legal age for the sale of tobacco products will increase by one year every year, meaning individuals born since January 1, 2009, will never be able to buy them.
  • The law applies only to those who sell tobacco products, while individuals will not be punished for buying, possessing, or using them.
  • Vaping is banned in hospitals, playgrounds, outside schools, and in cars carrying children.
  • The bill prohibits vapes and other consumer nicotine products, such as nicotine pouches, from being branded and advertised to appeal to children.
  • The UK government estimates that 1.7 million fewer people will be smoking by 2075 as a result of this legislation.
  • The bill was approved by the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the upper house of the UK parliament.

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No Smoking Day 2026 observed on March 11 (Mid of March) ▼
  • No Smoking Day 2026 is observed on March 11, the second Wednesday of March.
  • The theme for 2026 is 'A Smoke-Free Life Starts With A Smoke-Free Day'.
  • No Smoking Day was first launched in 1984 in the United Kingdom.
EU Parliament tightens water pollution standards to curb PFAS, microplastics and pharmaceuticals (Start of April) ▼
  • The European Union (EU) Parliament approved updated water pollution standards on 26 March 2026.
  • The updated lists add Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), pharmaceuticals such as painkillers, industrial substances, pesticides, microplastics and antimicrobial resistance indicators.
  • Tighter environmental quality standards now apply to several pollutants already regulated under previous directives.
  • The directive amends Directive 2000/60/EC, Directive 2006/118/EC and Directive 2008/105/EC.
  • EU countries must align national rules by 21 December 2027.
  • The measures support the European Green Deal goal to make Europe climate-neutral by 2050.
  • The European Environmental Bureau (EEB) warns full compliance is not required until 2039, with possible extensions to 2045.
Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) relaxes CAFE-3 emission slopes, steering automakers toward EVs and hybrids (Mid of April) ▼
  • 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.
India reaffirms 2019 e-cigarette ban rejecting Philip Morris lobbying (Mid of February) ▼
  • India banned e-cigarettes including heat-not-burn devices in 2019 and will not revoke, amend or relax the ban.
  • The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare stated the law explicitly prohibits heat-not-burn products and the situation will stay.
  • Philip Morris International lobbied Indian officials and a parliamentary panel from 2021 to 2025 to exempt its IQOS heated tobacco device from the ban.
  • India is the seventh-largest cigarette market by volume with over 100 billion cigarettes sold annually and tobacco kills more than a million people each year in the country.
  • Philip Morris holds 76% of the global heated tobacco market and IQOS has more than 35 million users across 79 markets.
  • The Indian Council of Medical Research told Reuters it is not considering or undertaking any research on heated tobacco products.

India signs Rs 975 crore contracts for T-72 and T-90 tank equipment on 22 April 2026

[Ministry of Defence (India)]

Key Updates:

  • The Ministry of Defence signed contracts worth nearly Rs 975 crore for the procurement of TRAWL assembly for T-72 and T-90 tanks.
  • The contracts were signed with Bharat Earth Movers Ltd (BEML) and Electro Pneumatics and Hydraulics (India) Private Ltd.
  • The TRAWL assembly is a critical equipment developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
  • The equipment is designed to create vehicle safe lanes through minefields containing anti-tank mines with proximity magnetic fuses.
  • The procurement is classified as a 'Buy (Indian-indigenously designed, developed and manufactured)' case.
  • The agreements were signed in the presence of Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh.

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India signs Rs 1,950 crore deal with Bharat Electronics Limited for two mountain radars for Indian Air Force (Start of April) ▼
  • The Ministry of Defence signed a Rs 1,950 crore contract with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) for procurement of two mountain radars and associated infrastructure for the Indian Air Force (IAF).
  • The mountain radar is indigenously designed and developed by the Electronics and Radar Development Establishment of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
  • The radars will be manufactured by BEL and their installation will enhance India’s air defence and reduce dependence on foreign equipment.
Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) approves procurement of 114 Rafale jets worth Rs 3.25 lakh crore (Mid of February) ▼
  • Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by defence minister Rajnath Singh approved the procurement of 114 Rafale fighter jets from France.
  • The government-to-government deal with Dassault Aviation is estimated at Rs 3.25 lakh crore, making it India’s biggest defence deal since Independence.
  • About 20 aircraft will be bought in fly-away condition and are expected to join the Indian Air Force (IAF) fleet by 2030.
  • The remaining jets will be manufactured in India with Dassault-HAL collaboration and up to 50-60% indigenous content.
  • IAF currently operates 36 Rafale jets; Indian Navy has ordered 26 naval variants, bringing the eventual total to 150 Rafales.
  • DAC also cleared procurement of P-8I Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft from Boeing, combat missiles, high-altitude pseudo satellite, anti-tank mines (Vibhav), overhaul of T-72 tanks, BMP-II infantry combat vehicles and armoured recovery vehicles, and an electro-optical infra-red system for Coast Guard Dorniers.
  • The combined value of all acquisitions approved on Thursday is Rs 3.6 lakh crore.
Indian Army signs first-ever Capital Procurement Contract via GeM Portal (Start of April) ▼
  • Indian Army executed its first capital procurement contract through Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal.
  • Contract covers supply of 93 Telescopic Handlers under Buy (Indian) category.
  • Contract signed with M/s JCB India Ltd at total cost of Rs 25.90 Cr.
  • Procurement aims to compress timelines while maintaining procedural integrity.
  • Move reinforces Government’s push towards Aatmanirbharta in defence and promotes Indian industry participation.
  • GeM portal was developed in five months based on recommendations of a Group of Secretaries.
Ministry of Defence signs Rs 2,312 crore deal with HAL for 8 Dornier 228 aircraft on 12 February 2026 (Mid of February) ▼
  • The Ministry of Defence (MoD) signed a contract worth Rs 2,312 crore with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the acquisition of eight Dornier 228 aircraft for the Indian Coast Guard (ICG).
  • The agreement was signed in New Delhi under the Buy (Indian) category in the presence of Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh.
  • The aircraft will be manufactured by the Kanpur-based Transport Aircraft Division of HAL and will include Operational Role Equipment.
  • The Dornier 228 is a twin-engine turboprop multi-mission maritime patrol aircraft used for maritime surveillance, marine pollution contingency, search and rescue, and medical evacuation.
  • The ICG currently operates this aircraft in two variants, specifically the 228-100 and 228-200 series.
  • This is the second major deal with HAL in the current financial year, following a Rs 62,370 crore contract signed in September 2025 for 97 Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Mk1A.
  • The LCA Mk1A procurement for the Indian Air Force (IAF) includes 68 fighters and 29 twin-seaters, with deliveries scheduled to commence in 2027-28.
  • The programme is expected to support a network of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and create opportunities in Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) and life cycle technical support.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Completes Assembly of Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope

Key Updates:

  • The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has completed the final assembly of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland.
  • The telescope is scheduled to launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, with a target launch window as early as fall 2026 or by May 2027.
  • The observatory features a primary mirror measuring about 2.4 metres and a field of view approximately 100 times greater than the Hubble Space Telescope.
  • The mission's primary objectives include studying dark energy and dark matter, and mapping the distribution and movement of galaxies.
  • The telescope will use a specialised coronagraph instrument to enable direct imaging of exoplanets and their surrounding disks.
  • The observatory will be positioned at Lagrange Point 2, located nearly one million miles from Earth.

Similar Coverage

India approves two new telescopes and Himalayan Chandra Telescope upgrade in Ladakh (Mid of February) ▼
  • Union Budget sanctioned National Large Solar Telescope (NLST), a 2-metre aperture solar telescope to be built in Merak near Pangong Tso lake, Ladakh.
  • NLST will operate in visible and near-infrared wavelengths and help study solar dynamics, magnetism, energetic solar events, and space-weather processes affecting Earth and national space assets.
  • NLST will be India’s third ground-based solar observatory, joining Kodaikanal Solar Observatory (Tamil Nadu, 1899) and Udaipur Solar Observatory (Rajasthan, 1975).
  • National Large Optical–Near Infrared Telescope (NLOT) will be a 13.7-metre segmented-mirror telescope with 90 hexagonal segments, to be built in Hanle, Ladakh.
  • NLOT will enable frontier research on exoplanets, stellar and galactic evolution, supernovae, and origins of the universe, leveraging Ladakh’s high altitude and clear skies.
  • Himalayan Chandra Telescope (HCT) will be upgraded from 2-metre to 3.7-metre segmented primary mirror and continue optical-infrared observations of transient astronomy.
  • Upgraded HCT operations will complement international facilities like LIGO-India and the Square Kilometre Array.
  • Hanle village in Ladakh is India’s first and only Dark Sky Reserve.
European Space Agency (ESA) launches first Celeste satellites from New Zealand to test LEO navigation layer for Galileo (Start of April) ▼
  • The European Space Agency (ESA) launched the first two Celeste satellites aboard a Rocket Lab Electron launcher from New Zealand on 28 March at 10:14 CET.
  • The satellites separated into a quasi-polar low Earth orbit at 510 km and signal acquisition has been confirmed for both spacecraft.
  • Celeste is an in-orbit demonstration mission to assess a complementary LEO layer for Galileo and aims to enable an operational PNT constellation from 2030.
  • The current IOD phase plans 11 satellites in orbit plus one ground spare, totalling 12 satellites to be launched by end-2027.
  • The next nine satellites, scheduled for launch by end-2027, will occupy a 560 km quasi-polar orbit with larger, more advanced payloads and extended frequencies.
  • Two parallel industry consortia lead development: GMV Spain with OHB Germany, and Thales Alenia Space France with Thales Alenia Space Italy, involving over 50 entities.
Union Budget 2026-27 allocates over ₹500 crore for four mega-telescope projects (Mid of February) ▼
  • The Union Budget 2026-27 announced funding for four mega-telescope facilities to be spearheaded by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA).
  • The National Large Solar Telescope (NLST) is a 2-metre class Gregorian multi-purpose telescope to be located in Merak, near Pangong Tso Lake in Ladakh.
  • The NLST is designed to study the Sun's magnetic fields and atmospheric processes with a spatial resolution of approximately 50 kilometres.
  • The National Large Optical-Infrared Telescope (NLOT) will be a 10-12 metre class facility situated at the Indian Astronomical Observatory (IAO) in Hanle, Ladakh.
  • The NLOT will utilise segmented mirror technology to observe star births, early galaxies, and chemical signatures of distant exoplanets in the deep infrared.
  • The 2-metre Himalayan Chandra Telescope (HCT) at Hanle, operational since 2001, will receive an upgrade to its sensors and backend instrumentation for transient astronomy.
  • The COSMOS-2 Planetarium will be established in Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh, as a Cosmology Education and Research Training Centre featuring an 8K LED dome.
  • The Union Government has allocated a combined investment of over ₹500 crore specifically for these space science infrastructure projects.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Completes Artemis II Moon Mission (Mid of April) ▼
  • The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) successfully concluded the Artemis II mission with the Orion spacecraft splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego.
  • The mission crew consisted of commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen.
  • Artemis II set a new record for the farthest distance humans have traveled from Earth, reaching a maximum distance of 252,756 miles during the lunar flyby.
  • The Orion capsule, named Integrity, traveled a total estimated distance of 694,481 miles over a mission duration of 9 days, 1 hour, and 31 minutes.
  • During atmospheric reentry, the spacecraft reached a maximum speed of 24,661.21 mph and its heat shield endured temperatures of approximately 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • A system of 11 parachutes was deployed to slow the capsule from 300 mph to a splashdown velocity of approximately 17-20 mph.
  • The United States Navy recovery ship USS John P. Murtha was utilised to recover the crew and the spacecraft from the Pacific Ocean.
  • The mission involved a lunar flyby where the spacecraft reached its closest approach of 4,067 miles above the surface of the moon.
  • The crew carried a plush mission mascot named Rise, designed by an eight-year-old, which served as the zero-gravity indicator for the mission.

Shekha Jheel Bird Sanctuary in Uttar Pradesh designated as India’s 99th Ramsar site

[Uttar Pradesh]

Key Updates:

  • Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav announced the designation of Shekha Jheel Bird Sanctuary as a Ramsar site.
  • Located in the Aligarh district of Uttar Pradesh, Shekha Jheel is the 12th Ramsar site in the state and the 99th in India.
  • The sanctuary serves as a crucial stopover on the Central Asian Flyway, which is one of the primary migratory bird routes in the world.
  • Migratory bird species recorded at the site include the Bar-headed Goose, Painted Stork, and various types of ducks.
  • The Ramsar Convention is an international treaty focused on the protection and sustainable utilisation of ecologically significant wetlands.
  • The designation is part of the ecosystem restoration mission led by the Prime Minister (PM) of India.
  • The recognition is intended to support local livelihoods, global biodiversity, water security, and climate security while promoting eco-tourism.

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Jitendra Singh announces Doppler weather radar and seismological observatory for Jammu and Kashmir (Mid of April) ▼
  • Union Minister Jitendra Singh announced the establishment of a Doppler weather radar in Doda and a permanent seismological observatory in Kishtwar, Jammu and Kashmir.
  • The Doppler weather radar will strengthen weather forecasting capabilities in the region.
  • The permanent seismological observatory will improve earthquake monitoring and enhance disaster preparedness.
  • Site selection for automated weather stations in Paddar and Machail (Kishtwar) has been completed and installation will begin soon.
  • Development of an airstrip in Kishtwar under the UDAN scheme was discussed, focusing on acquiring additional land.
  • The proposal for developing a Saffron Park in Kishtwar, pending for 12 years, was reviewed and authorities were directed to finalise land suitability.
  • Promotion of cumin seeds under the One District One Product initiative was emphasised to boost local produce.
Geological Survey of India (GSI) declares Kalinjar Fort area National Geo-Heritage Site (End of March) ▼
  • The Geological Survey of India (GSI) declared the hill region surrounding Kalinjar Fort in Banda district a National Geo-Heritage Site on 16 March 2026.
  • The site exhibits the Eparchaean Unconformity where 2.5-billion-year-old Bundelkhand granite is overlain by 1.2-billion-year-old Kaimur sandstone.
  • The region lies within the Vindhya Mountain range and contains temples from the Gupta dynasty including the Neelkanth Mahadev temple.
  • GSI installed an information board at the site to highlight its geological importance and historical relevance.
Gaudham Yojana launched in Chhattisgarh for Cattle Conservation (Mid of March) ▼
  • Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai launched the Gaudham Yojana for cattle conservation at Guru Ghasidas University in Bilaspur.
  • In the first phase of the scheme, 29 Gaudhams (cattle conservation centres) have commenced operations across 11 districts of the state.
  • The Chief Minister laid the foundation stone for the state’s first cow sanctuary at Jogipur village in the Kota development block of Bilaspur district.
  • The proposed cow sanctuary will be developed over 184 acres with an initial approved budget of ₹1.32 crore and a capacity to shelter 2,500 cattle.
  • All Gaudhams established on government lands in Chhattisgarh will be officially known as Surabhi Gaudham.
  • The state government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) to promote animal husbandry and milk production.
  • The scheme aims to provide shelter to stray cattle, boost the rural economy through cow dung products, and reduce cattle deaths in road accidents.
India adds Patna Bird Sanctuary and Chhari-Dhand as new Ramsar sites, tally reaches 98 (Start of February) ▼
  • Patna Bird Sanctuary in Etah district, Uttar Pradesh, and Chhari-Dhand in Kutch district, Gujarat, were designated as Ramsar wetlands of international importance on 1 February 2026.
  • India became a signatory to the Ramsar Convention in 1982 and now has 98 Ramsar sites.
  • Chhari-Dhand is a seasonal saline wetland between the Banni grasslands and Kutch salt flats that supports about 30,000 common cranes and critically endangered sociable lapwings each winter.
  • Patna Bird Sanctuary comprises freshwater marshes, woodlands and grasslands, records 178 bird species and 252 plant species, and is recognised as an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area by BirdLife International.
  • Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav stated the sites are also home to chinkara, wolves, caracal, desert cats and desert foxes besides endangered birds.

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Releases People and Nature Report

[United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization]

Key Updates:

  • The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) released the People and Nature Report, the first assessment covering World Heritage Sites, Biosphere Reserves, and Global Geoparks.
  • The report assesses a network of more than 2,260 sites spanning over 13 million square kilometres.
  • Nearly 90% of UNESCO-designated sites are currently experiencing high levels of environmental stress.
  • Climate change has impacted 98% of sites since 2000, with extreme heat identified as the most widespread hazard.
  • Wildfires have emerged as the primary driver of forest change in World Heritage sites, contributing to the loss of over 300,000 sq km of tree cover since 2000.
  • Invasive species have been recorded in more than 80% of UNESCO-designated sites.
  • More than a quarter of these sites could reach critical, potentially irreversible tipping points by 2050.
  • Glacier loss in UNESCO sites has exceeded 2,500 gigatonnes of ice since 2000, with mountain glaciers losing around 9% of their volume.
  • More than 300 World Heritage sites are facing chronic water stress.
  • These sites are home to more than 60% of globally mapped species, with approximately 40% being endemic to these areas.
  • UNESCO sites support nearly one-third of the remaining populations of elephants, tigers, and pandas, as well as critically endangered species including the vaquita, Javan rhino, and pink iguana.
  • The sites absorb nearly 700 million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually and store an estimated 240 gigatonnes of carbon in soils and sediments.
  • UNESCO-designated sites support the livelihoods of nearly 900 million people and contribute close to 10% of global GDP.
  • The UNESCO initiative Women for Bees supports sustainable beekeeping in India's Western Ghats.

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US and Israel strikes on 12 March 2026 damage UNESCO World Heritage sites in Iran (Mid of March) ▼
  • The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) verified damage to at least four cultural and historical sites in Iran following strikes by the United States (US) and Israel.
  • The affected landmarks include the Qajar-era Golestan Palace in Tehran, the 17th-century Chehel Sotoun Palace in Isfahan, and the Masjed-e Jame, which is the oldest Friday mosque in Iran.
  • Damage was reported near the Khorramabad Valley, a site containing five prehistoric caves and a rock shelter with evidence of human occupation dating back to 63,000 B.C.
  • Iran and Lebanon have submitted a formal request to UNESCO to include additional locations on the agency’s enhanced protection list.
  • UNESCO confirmed that heritage sites in other regions have also been impacted by the conflict, including Tyre in Lebanon and the White City in Israel.
  • The US government announced its intention to withdraw from UNESCO by December, following a previous announcement made in July.
International Day for Monuments and Sites observed on April 18 (End of April) ▼
  • The International Day for Monuments and Sites, also referred to as World Heritage Day, is observed on April 18.
  • The observance was first proposed by the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) during a symposium in Tunisia on April 18, 1982.
  • The General Assembly of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) approved the proposal in 1983 during its 22nd session.
  • The date April 18 marks the anniversary of the Second International Congress of Architects and Technicians of Historic Monuments held in Venice in 1964.
  • The Venice Charter, which established fundamental international principles for the conservation and restoration of monuments and sites, was adopted during the 1964 Venice congress.
  • The event is supported by national committees in over 100 countries.
World Heritage Day observed on April 18 (Mid of April) ▼
  • World Heritage Day, also known as the International Day for Monuments and Sites, is observed every year on April 18.
  • The theme for 2026 is Emergency Response for Living Heritage in Contexts of Conflicts and Disasters.
  • The day was established by the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) in 1982 and later approved by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
  • India is home to numerous UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including the Taj Mahal and the Ajanta Caves.
United Nations (UN) releases State of Finance for Nature 2026 report (End of January) ▼
  • The United Nations (UN) released the State of Finance for Nature 2026 report on 22 January 2026.
  • The report finds that for every $1 invested in protecting nature, $30 is spent on activities that destroy it.
  • Global nature-negative finance flows are estimated at $7 trillion, while nature-positive finance flows amount to $200 billion.
  • Environmentally harmful subsidies are concentrated in sectors including fossil fuels, agriculture, water, transport, and construction.
  • The data identifies utilities, industrials, energy, and basic materials as sectors where environmental damage is particularly significant.
  • The report advocates for scaling up nature-positive investments such as regenerative agriculture, sustainable forestry, and nature-based infrastructure.

World Earth Day 2026 Observed with Theme 'Our Power, Our Planet'

Key Updates:

  • World Earth Day is observed annually on 22 April to promote environmental protection, conservation, and sustainability.
  • The theme for World Earth Day 2026 is 'our power, our planet', which emphasises human agency and collective action.
  • Campaigns in 2026 focus on civic mobilisation, environmental literacy, and democratic action through activities such as voter registration drives, teach-ins, and town halls.
  • World Earth Day began on 22 April 1970 in the United States (US) following protests against environmental degradation in cities including New York and Boston.
  • The 1970 movement led to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and key environmental laws.
  • The movement expanded globally in 1990 with participation from 141 countries.

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Earth Hour 2026 observed on March 28 (End of March) ▼
  • Earth Hour 2026 was observed on 28 March 2026 from 8:30 PM to 9:30 PM.
  • India marked 20 years of Earth Hour participation in 2026.
  • Mysore Palace in Karnataka and Monsoon Palace in Rajasthan switched off their lights for the event.
  • WWF-India stated that India witnessed one of its largest-ever participations with iconic monuments, heritage sites, and government buildings switching off lights.
  • Participating Delhi landmarks included Akshardham, India Gate, Qutub Minar, Red Fort, Humayun's Tomb, Jantar Mantar, and Safdarjung Tomb.
  • Mumbai landmarks included Gateway of India, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, and BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation headquarters.
  • Shanti Stupa in Ladakh, Kerala Legislative Assembly and Kanakakunnu Palace in Kerala, and Dr B. R. Ambedkar Telangana State Secretariat, State Museum, Golconda Fort, Raj Bhavan, Charminar, and Buddha Statue on Tank Bund in Telangana also participated.
  • Kolkata dimmed Rabindra Setu (Howrah Bridge), Vidyasagar Setu, Victoria Memorial, Tata Centre, Lok Bhawan, and Victoria House.
  • Chennai's Ripon Building, Victoria Public Hall, and Napier Bridge joined the switch-off.
World Water Day 2026: Water and Gender (End of March) ▼
  • World Water Day 2026 is observed on Sunday, March 22, 2026.
  • The official theme for 2026 is 'Water and Gender' with the campaign slogan 'Where water flows, equality grows'.
  • World Water Day was first observed on Monday, March 22, 1993, following United Nations General Assembly Resolution A/RES/47/193 adopted on December 22, 1992.
  • UN-Water is the coordinating body for World Water Day, with UNICEF and UN Women as the 2026 campaign co-leads.
  • The UN World Water Development Report 2026, titled 'Water for all people: Equal rights and opportunities', was launched on Thursday, March 19, 2026, at United Nations Headquarters in New York.
  • 2.2 billion people — approximately 27% of the global population — lack access to safely managed drinking water.
  • Women and girls spend an estimated 200 million hours per day collectively collecting water.
  • Women hold fewer than 20% of leadership roles in the water sector across most regions.
  • WASH stands for Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene.
  • SDG 6 calls for universal access to safe and affordable drinking water and adequate sanitation for all by 2030.
Earth Hour marks 20th anniversary, urges sustained eco-friendly habits beyond 60-minute lights-off (End of March) ▼
  • Earth Hour is organised annually by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).
  • Participants switch off non-essential lights for 60 minutes from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on March 28.
  • The movement began in Sydney in 2007 and now involves millions across more than 190 countries.
  • The 20-year milestone campaign emphasises reducing waste, conserving energy daily, and engaging in community conservation efforts.
  • In the Philippines, an in-person celebration will be held in Pasig City with environmental advocates and youth groups.
WWF India and MoEFCC mark Earth Hour 20th anniversary with nationwide awareness drive (Start of April) ▼
  • WWF India and Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) organised Earth Hour outreach in Gwalior on 28 March.
  • Activities were held under WWF-India’s Environmental Information, Awareness, Capacity Building and Livelihood Programme (EIACP).
  • Nameeta Prasad, Joint Secretary, MoEFCC, and Lipika Roy, Joint Director, attended the programme.
  • Trainees of the Green Skill Development Programme (GSDP) on “Nature Conservator cum Eco-Tourism Guide” participated.
  • An awareness campaign and exhibition took place at The Scindia School, Gwalior.
  • The initiative continued at Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management (IITTM), Gwalior, with Dr. Chandra Shekhar Barua present.
  • Lights were symbolically switched off from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. to promote energy conservation.
  • Earth Hour began in 2007 and now spans over 190 countries.
  • In India, activities include clean-up drives, tree plantation, biodiversity walks, cycling campaigns and sustainability workshops.
  • Dr. G. Areendran, Director – Tech for Conservation, WWF-India, stressed youth engagement and capacity building.
  • Students from more than 15 States and Union Territories conveyed Earth Hour messages and pledged sustainable lifestyles.
  • GSDP students nationwide joined the unified switch-off to support Mission LiFE and the Save Energy theme.
  • Iconic monuments, heritage sites and government buildings across India switched off lights from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) Selects Pakistani Astronauts for Tiangong Space Station

[China, Pakistan]

Key Updates:

  • The China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) selected Muhammad Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud as the first foreign reserve astronauts for space mission training.
  • One of the selected candidates will participate in a space mission as a payload specialist on board the Tiangong space station.
  • The Tiangong space station currently orbits approximately 400 km above the Earth and has been in orbit for nearly five years.
  • The agreement for the mission was signed between the CMSA and Pakistan's Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) in February last year.
  • The Tiangong space station was developed by China after its reported exclusion from the International Space Station (ISS).

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International Day of Human Space Flight observed on April 12 (Mid of April) ▼
  • The International Day of Human Space Flight is observed annually on April 12 to commemorate the beginning of the space era for mankind.
  • Yuri Gagarin, a Soviet cosmonaut, became the first human in space on April 12, 1961, completing a 108-minute mission aboard the Vostok 1 spacecraft.
  • The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) officially declared April 12 as the International Day of Human Space Flight in 2011 to mark the 50th anniversary of the first flight.
  • Valentina Tereshkova, a Soviet cosmonaut, became the first woman in space on June 16, 1963, aboard the Vostok 6 spacecraft.
  • Gherman Titov holds the record for the youngest professional astronaut, having travelled to space at the age of 25 aboard Vostok 2.
  • Oliver Daemen from the Netherlands became the youngest space tourist at age 18 during a Blue Origin flight on July 20, 2021.
  • China has completed its Tiangong space station, which includes the Tianhe core module and two laboratory modules named Wentian and Mengtian.
  • The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Artemis II mission is a crewed flyby carrying Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen around the Moon.
  • NASA astronauts use an emergency propulsion unit called Simplified Aid For EVA Rescue (SAFER) to return to the station if they become untethered during spacewalks.
  • According to 2024 pay schedules, NASA astronauts earn an annual salary of $152,258, while European Space Agency (ESA) astronauts earn between €5,500 and €7,900 monthly.
China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) to develop space-based AI data centres (End of January) ▼
  • China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) announced plans to construct gigawatt-class space digital-intelligence infrastructure over the next five years.
  • The project aims to create an industrial-scale Space Cloud by 2030 by integrating space-based solar power with artificial intelligence (AI) computing.
  • The initiative is identified as a core pillar of China's 15th Five Year Plan, which serves as the national economic development roadmap.
  • The space data centres will integrate cloud, edge, and terminal device capabilities to enable data from Earth to be processed directly in orbit.
  • SpaceX plans to launch solar-powered AI data centre satellites within the next two to three years, utilizing orbital solar panels that produce five times more power than terrestrial ones.
  • China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) aims to commence flight operations for suborbital space tourism and develop orbital space tourism within five years.
  • The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) inaugurated the School of Interstellar Navigation to focus on frontier fields including interstellar propulsion and deep space navigation.
  • China achieved a record 93 space launches last year as part of its strategic goal to become a world-leading space power by 2045.
  • India link not mentioned in the article.

Oldest Neanderthal Population in Central-Eastern Europe Identified via DNA from Stajnia Cave

Key Updates:

  • Scientists have reconstructed the oldest Neanderthal population in Central-Eastern Europe using DNA from the Stajnia Cave in Poland.
  • The genetic evidence dates back over 80,000 years and was extracted from a Neanderthal tooth.
  • Using paleogenomic methodology to analyse mitochondrial DNA, researchers found the group was genetically connected to contemporary Neanderthals in the Caucasus area.
  • The discovery was published in the journal Scientific Reports in an article titled First multi-individual Neanderthal mitogenomes from north of the Carpathians.
  • The study indicates that climate changes during the Ice Age served as drivers for migratory events and population turnovers across Eurasia.

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Neanderthal 'fat factory' at Neumark-Nord reveals 125,000-year-old organised bone-grease production. (Mid of March) ▼
  • A study in Science Advances reports Neanderthals operated a lakeside 'fat factory' at Neumark-Nord near Leipzig, Germany, 125,000 years ago.
  • Leiden University researchers identified processing of at least 172 mammals including deer, horses, and aurochs at the site.
  • Inhabitants broke bones, crushed them into thousands of fragments, and heated the fragments in water to extract calorie-rich bone grease.
First complete mitochondrial genome of Madras hedgehog decoded (Start of April) ▼
  • The complete mitochondrial genome of the Madras hedgehog (Paraechinus nudiventris) was sequenced for the first time, yielding a 17,232-base-pair sequence with 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNAs and two rRNAs.
  • The study ‘Mitochondrial genome of the lesser known Madras hedgehog: genomic characterization and comparative analysis within Erinacidae’ appeared in the peer-reviewed journal Mitochondrial DNA Part A.
  • Researchers Brawin Kumar, Harald Meimberg and Thapasya Vijayan from BOKU University, Vienna, Austria, assembled and analysed the genome.
  • DNA samples were collected from hedgehogs killed by vehicles across 62 km² in Thoothukudi district.
  • Analysis shows the Madras hedgehog diverged from its sister species, the Indian hedgehog (Paraechinus micropus), about 3.69 million years ago during the late Pliocene to early Pleistocene.
  • The species inhabits semi-arid plains, dry grasslands, thorn forests and rocky landscapes of southern India.
India Identified as Cradle of Jamun Evolution (End of April) ▼
  • A new study indicates that the genus Syzygium (Jamun) has an East Gondwanan origin dating back to approximately 80 million years ago, with India serving as a major centre of early diversification.
  • The research was led by the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences (BSIP), an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), along with the Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR) and Tribhuvan University.
  • Fossil specimens were collected from the Kasauli Formation in Himachal Pradesh, dating back approximately 20 million years.
  • Researchers identified 11 well-preserved fossil leaves from the Early Miocene deposits as Syzygium paleosalicifolium Sadanand, Bhatia et Srivastav.
  • Evidence suggests the genus was present in the Indian region since the early Eocene (55 million years ago) and subsequently dispersed to Australia and Southeast Asia.
  • The study was published in the Journal of Palaeogeography.
Scientists discover 289-million-year-old reptile skin fossil in Oklahoma (Mid of March) ▼
  • Palaeontologists discovered a 289-million-year-old fossilised reptile skin fragment in the Richards Spur cave system in Oklahoma, United States.
  • The specimen is identified as the oldest known preserved epidermis, extending the record of preserved skin by more than 130 million years.
  • The skin is believed to belong to Captorhinus aguti, an early Permian reptile featuring pebbled, non-overlapping scales similar to those of a crocodile.
  • The research, led by Ethan Mooney from the University of Toronto, was published in the journal Current Biology in January 2024.
  • The fossil was preserved in remarkable three-dimensional detail due to a unique environment involving fine clay, low oxygen, and Permian oil that mummified the skin.
  • Scientists used uranium-lead dating on associated stalagmites to confirm the age of the fossil as being between 286 and 289 million years old.
  • The discovery provides critical insights into the evolution of amniotes, including reptiles, birds, and mammals, and their adaptation to terrestrial life.

University of California (UCLA) Report Identifies Two Indian Waste Sites Among Top Global Methane Emitters

Key Updates:

  • The University of California (UCLA) released a report titled 'Spotlight on the Top 25 Methane Plumes in 2025: Landfills'.
  • The report utilised data gathered by Planet Labs' Tanager-1 satellite and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) EMIT instrument on the International Space Station.
  • A waste facility in Secunderabad, Telangana, ranks fourth globally, emitting 5.9 tonnes of methane per hour.
  • A waste facility in Mumbai, Maharashtra, ranks 12th globally, emitting 4.9 tonnes of methane per hour.
  • The global list is topped by a waste facility in Argentina, which emits 7.6 tonnes of methane per hour.
  • Methane is responsible for 30 per cent of global warming since preindustrial times, second only to carbon dioxide.

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UCLA Stop Methane Project identifies mega methane leaks from oil, gas and waste sites as major global warming driver (End of March) ▼
  • University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) researchers analysed Carbon Mapper satellite data and detected about 4,400 significant methane plumes in 2025, each releasing more than 100 kilograms per hour.
  • Major leak hotspots are concentrated in Turkmenistan, the United States, Venezuela and Iran, with nine of the 10 largest US leaks found in Texas.
  • One recorded leak released roughly 5.5 tonnes of methane per hour, an emission level comparable to that from about one million vehicles.
  • Methane accounts for approximately a quarter of current global warming, and cutting these leaks could deliver fast climate benefits while providing time for longer-term clean energy transitions.
Solid Waste Management Rules 2026 introduce four-stream segregation and digital monitoring (Start of April) ▼
  • Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) notified the Solid Waste Management Rules 2026 on 27 January 2026 to replace the 2016 framework.
  • Rules come into force on 1 April 2026 and mandate four-stream segregation at source: Wet waste (biodegradable), Dry waste (recyclable), Sanitary waste, and Special care waste.
  • Extended Bulk Waste Generator Responsibility (EBWGR) makes large institutions, hotels and residential complexes accountable for collection, segregation, transport and environmentally sound disposal of their waste.
  • A centralised online portal enables real-time digital tracking of collection, transportation, processing and disposal of waste to improve compliance and reporting.
  • Cement plants and waste-to-energy units must raise Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) substitution from the current 5% to 15% within six years.
  • Urban and rural local bodies, State and Union Territory governments and central ministries are assigned clearly defined responsibilities and graded land-allocation criteria for faster setting up of waste-processing facilities.
Gurgaon topped India’s pollution chart in March 2026, Haryana held four of top 10 polluted cities: CREA (Start of April) ▼
  • 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.
Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban: Lucknow achieves 100% scientific municipal solid-waste processing (End of January) ▼
  • Lucknow has become the first city in Uttar Pradesh to achieve 100 per cent scientific processing of municipal solid waste under Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban.
  • The city now operates three waste-processing facilities, each with a capacity of 700 MT per day, collectively handling over 2,100 MT daily.
  • Door-to-door waste-collection efficiency has reached 96.53 per cent and source-segregation levels have crossed 70 per cent.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Completes Assembly of Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope

[National Aeronautics and Space Administration]

Key Updates:

  • The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has completed the final assembly of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland.
  • The telescope is expected to launch in 2026 aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket.
  • The mission aims to study dark energy, dark matter, galaxy formation, and distant planetary systems using visible and near-infrared light.
  • The observatory features a primary mirror approximately 2.4 metres wide and can collect data around 1,000 times faster than the Hubble Space Telescope during survey operations.
  • Each image captured by the telescope will cover an area of the sky roughly 100 times larger than a single shot from Hubble.
  • The telescope is equipped with a coronagraph designed to block bright starlight to enable direct imaging of large exoplanets, particularly gas giants similar to Jupiter.
  • The coronagraph system may detect planets up to 100 million times dimmer than their host stars.
  • Following launch, the telescope will travel nearly one million miles from Earth to be positioned at Lagrange Point 2.
  • The telescope will be shipped to the Kennedy Space Center for final preparations after undergoing vibration and thermal simulations.

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India approves two new telescopes and Himalayan Chandra Telescope upgrade in Ladakh (Mid of February) ▼
  • Union Budget sanctioned National Large Solar Telescope (NLST), a 2-metre aperture solar telescope to be built in Merak near Pangong Tso lake, Ladakh.
  • NLST will operate in visible and near-infrared wavelengths and help study solar dynamics, magnetism, energetic solar events, and space-weather processes affecting Earth and national space assets.
  • NLST will be India’s third ground-based solar observatory, joining Kodaikanal Solar Observatory (Tamil Nadu, 1899) and Udaipur Solar Observatory (Rajasthan, 1975).
  • National Large Optical–Near Infrared Telescope (NLOT) will be a 13.7-metre segmented-mirror telescope with 90 hexagonal segments, to be built in Hanle, Ladakh.
  • NLOT will enable frontier research on exoplanets, stellar and galactic evolution, supernovae, and origins of the universe, leveraging Ladakh’s high altitude and clear skies.
  • Himalayan Chandra Telescope (HCT) will be upgraded from 2-metre to 3.7-metre segmented primary mirror and continue optical-infrared observations of transient astronomy.
  • Upgraded HCT operations will complement international facilities like LIGO-India and the Square Kilometre Array.
  • Hanle village in Ladakh is India’s first and only Dark Sky Reserve.
GalaxEye's Mission Drishti to carry NVIDIA Jetson Orin for AI-driven Earth observation (End of February) ▼
  • GalaxEye, a Bengaluru-based private space technology company, will deploy NVIDIA Jetson Orin on its upcoming satellite mission, Mission Drishti.
  • Mission Drishti will feature the world’s first SyncFused OptoSAR architecture, integrating Electro-Optical (EO) and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) sensors on a single satellite platform.
  • The satellite is designed to accelerate processing and interpretation of Earth observation data in space and quickly deliver insights to customers.
  • Insights from Mission Drishti are expected to benefit sectors including agriculture, disaster management, and natural resource management.
  • The mission will explore the feasibility of Orbital Data Centres (ODC), where multiple satellites operate as interconnected compute nodes.
  • GalaxEye plans to scale Mission Drishti to a constellation of 10 satellites by 2030.
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope produces highest-resolution dark-matter map covering 800,000 galaxies. (End of January) ▼
  • NASA's James Webb Space Telescope identified nearly 800,000 galaxies to create the most detailed dark-matter map over such a large sky area.
  • The map has twice the resolution of previous attempts using the Hubble Space Telescope and captures galaxies spanning the past 10 billion years.
  • The study, led by Diana Scognamiglio of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), was published in Nature Astronomy.
  • Dark matter comprises just over 25% of the universe, while ordinary matter makes up only 5% and dark energy fills the remainder.
  • Scientists infer dark-matter distribution by measuring how its gravity warps light from distant galaxies, a technique called gravitational lensing.
Union Budget 2026-27 allocates over ₹500 crore for four mega-telescope projects (Mid of February) ▼
  • The Union Budget 2026-27 announced funding for four mega-telescope facilities to be spearheaded by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA).
  • The National Large Solar Telescope (NLST) is a 2-metre class Gregorian multi-purpose telescope to be located in Merak, near Pangong Tso Lake in Ladakh.
  • The NLST is designed to study the Sun's magnetic fields and atmospheric processes with a spatial resolution of approximately 50 kilometres.
  • The National Large Optical-Infrared Telescope (NLOT) will be a 10-12 metre class facility situated at the Indian Astronomical Observatory (IAO) in Hanle, Ladakh.
  • The NLOT will utilise segmented mirror technology to observe star births, early galaxies, and chemical signatures of distant exoplanets in the deep infrared.
  • The 2-metre Himalayan Chandra Telescope (HCT) at Hanle, operational since 2001, will receive an upgrade to its sensors and backend instrumentation for transient astronomy.
  • The COSMOS-2 Planetarium will be established in Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh, as a Cosmology Education and Research Training Centre featuring an 8K LED dome.
  • The Union Government has allocated a combined investment of over ₹500 crore specifically for these space science infrastructure projects.

Tashkent to host World Para Athletics Championships 2027

Key Updates:

  • World Para Athletics (WPA) announced that the 13th edition of the World Para Athletics Championships will be held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, in June 2027.
  • The event will take place at the Olympic City Main Stadium.
  • This marks the first time the championships will be staged in Uzbekistan and Central Asia.
  • Tashkent 2027 will be the fifth time the event is hosted in Asia, following Doha 2015, Dubai 2019, Kobe 2024, and New Delhi 2025.
  • The 2027 championships expect around 1,300 athletes from more than 100 nations to participate.
  • The programme will include at least 164 events.
  • The 2025 edition of the championships was held in New Delhi, India, where Brazil topped the medals table.
  • Uzbekistan finished inside the top 15 with five gold medals at the New Delhi 2025 edition.

Similar Coverage

Ria Solanki wins gold in shot put at national para-athletics championship (End of March) ▼
  • Ria Solanki, 19, won gold in shot put at the national para-athletics championship in Bhubaneswar.
  • She was born without her left hand below the elbow and began training in shot put in 2018.
  • Her mother Sakshi works as a housemaid in Meerut and the family faced severe financial constraints to support her training and nutrition.
Kalinga Stadium hosts National Para Athletics Championship (Mid of March) ▼
  • The National Para Athletics Championship is scheduled to be held at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar from 19 March to 21 March.
  • A total of 1,460 para-athletes representing 28 states, the Border Security Force (BSF), and the Services Sports Control Board (SSCB) will compete in 145 medal events.
  • The tournament is organised by the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) in collaboration with the Sports & Youth Services Department, Government of Odisha, and the Para Sports Association of Odisha.
  • The championship serves as a selection platform for the upcoming Asian Para Games to be held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, from 18 October to 24 October.
  • Notable participants include triple Paralympic medallist Mariyappan Thangavelu and double Paralympic gold medallist Sumit Antil, who recently threw 69.25m in the men’s Javelin throw (F43/F44/F64).
  • Other prominent athletes in the event include Navdeep Singh (F41), Praveen Kumar (T64), Preethi Pal, Shailesh Kumar, Yogesh Kathuniya, Dharambir, and Pranav Soorma.
  • Defending champions Haryana will field the largest contingent in this edition of the championship.
  • The Odisha contingent comprises 40 athletes led by Suchitra Parida, the national record holder in the F55 Javelin throw event.
  • The event will be inaugurated by Suryabanshi Suraj, the Minister for Sports and Youth Services of Odisha.
Bhubaneswar hosts India's first National Indoor Athletics Championships (End of March) ▼
  • The Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar has been named as the venue for the World Indoor Athletics Championships to be held from 3-5 March 2028.
  • India is hosting its maiden national indoor athletics championship in Bhubaneswar as a preparatory step towards conducting the 2028 global showpiece.
  • The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) worked in coordination with the Odisha government to secure the hosting rights for the 2028 world event.
  • The indoor facility at Kalinga Stadium features a 200m synthetic oval track and a 100m straight track, both compliant with World Athletics Category 1 standards.
  • The national championship consists of 11 events for both men and women, including 60m, 400m, 800m, 1500m, 3000m, 60m hurdles, high jump, pole vault, long jump, triple jump, and shot put.
  • Approximately 300 athletes are participating in the national championships, with Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, and Maharashtra sending the largest contingents of around 30 athletes each.
  • National record holders Animesh Kujur, Mohammed Afsal, and Praveen Chitravel are among the key competitors in the indoor event.
  • The AFI is also bidding to host the Asian Indoor Athletics Championship in Bhubaneswar in 2028, with a decision expected from the Asian Athletics Association in May.
  • The indoor facility at Kalinga Stadium has a spectator seating capacity of approximately 1700.
Odisha selected to host World Athletics Indoor Championships 2028 (Mid of March) ▼
  • Odisha in India will host the World Athletics Indoor Championships from 3-5 March 2028.
  • Astana in Kazakhstan will host the 2030 edition of the championships from 15-17 March 2030.
  • The decisions were taken during the 240th World Athletics Council Meeting held in Torun, Poland.
  • Hefei in China was awarded the 2028 World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships to be held on 9 April 2028.

Sunrisers Hyderabad defeats Delhi Capitals in IPL 2026

Key Updates:

  • Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) defeated Delhi Capitals (DC) by 47 runs in an Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 match held in Hyderabad.
  • SRH scored 242 for 2 in 20 overs, while DC scored 195 for 9 in 20 overs.
  • Abhishek Sharma scored 135 not out off 68 balls, including 10 sixes and 10 fours, reaching his century in 47 balls.
  • Abhishek Sharma became the first Indian cricketer to score two IPL centuries in under 50 balls, with his first coming off 40 balls against Punjab Kings in IPL 2025.
  • Abhishek Sharma equalled Virat Kohli's record for the most centuries by an Indian in T20 cricket with 9 hundreds, surpassing Rohit Sharma's record of eight.
  • The score of 135
  • by Abhishek Sharma is the fifth-highest individual score in IPL history.
  • Abhishek Sharma is the second batter to hit 10 or more sixes in an IPL innings multiple times, following Chris Gayle.
  • Travis Head (37) and Heinrich Klaasen (37 not out) provided support for SRH, while Axar Patel was the lone wicket-taker for DC.

Similar Coverage

Sunil Narine overtakes Kieron Pollard as IPL's most-capped overseas player (End of March) ▼
  • Sunil Narine made his 190th IPL appearance for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) against Mumbai Indians, breaking Kieron Pollard's record of 189 matches as the most-capped overseas player.
  • Narine has played all 190 matches for KKR since his debut in 2012, mirroring Pollard's single-franchise loyalty with Mumbai Indians.
  • KKR has won three IPL titles with Narine (2012, 2014, 2024).
  • Mumbai Indians became the first franchise to play 300 T20 matches on the same night.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar becomes first fast bowler to claim 200 IPL wickets. (Start of April) ▼
  • Bhuvneshwar Kumar reached 200 IPL wickets by dismissing Ayush Mhatre during RCB vs CSK on Sunday.
  • He is the second bowler overall and the first fast bowler to reach the 200-wicket mark in IPL history.
  • Bhuvneshwar now has 202 wickets in 192 IPL matches at an average of 27.25.
  • Yuzvendra Chahal leads the all-time list with 224 wickets in 176 IPL matches.
  • Sunil Narine is third with 193 wickets in 191 IPL matches.
Sahibzada Farhan tops T20 World Cup 2026 run-scorers list (Start of March) ▼
  • Sahibzada Farhan (PAK) scored 383 runs in 7 matches at a strike rate of 160.25.
  • Tim Seifert (NZ) amassed 326 runs in 9 matches at a strike rate of 166.32.
  • Sanju Samson (IND) aggregated 321 runs in 5 matches at a strike rate of 199.37.
  • Ishan Kishan (IND) totalled 317 runs in 9 matches at a strike rate of 193.29.
  • Finn Allen (NZ) accumulated 298 runs in 9 matches at a strike rate of 200.00.
  • Sanju Samson’s 46-ball 89 in the final against New Zealand in Ahmedabad was the highest individual score in a T20 World Cup final.
  • India defeated New Zealand by 96 runs in the T20 World Cup 2026 final held in Ahmedabad.
India defeats West Indies to record third-highest successful T20 World Cup chase (Start of March) ▼
  • India chased 196 against West Indies at Eden Gardens, Kolkata in 2026, ranking third in T20 World Cup history.
  • England holds the record for the highest successful chase: 230 against South Africa at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai in 2016.
  • South Africa’s 208-run chase against West Indies in Johannesburg in 2007 is the second-highest successful chase.
  • Sanju Samson scored 97 to lead India to victory and secure a semifinal berth in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8.
  • India will face England in the second semifinal in Mumbai; South Africa will play New Zealand in the first semifinal.

Vibha Padalkar reappointed Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of HDFC Life Insurance Company

[HDFC Life]

Key Updates:

  • The Board of Directors of HDFC Life Insurance Company (HDFC Life) approved the re-appointment of Vibha Padalkar as Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for a five-year term effective September 12.
  • The appointment received clearance from the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) and approval from shareholders at the Annual General Meeting.
  • Padalkar joined HDFC Life in 2008 and was instrumental in the company's successful listing in 2017.
  • She is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales.
  • She serves as a member of the Executive Committee of the Life Insurance Council.
  • Padalkar received the 'CA Business Leader - Large Corporates - BFSI' award at the 15th ICAI Awards.
  • She has been honoured by the ET Prime Women Leadership Awards, IMA India, and was named 'Businesswoman of the Year' at the Economic Times Awards for Corporate Excellence 2025.
  • Her other recognitions include Business Today's 'Top 30 Most Powerful Women in Business' (2018-2023, 2025), 'Timeless Icons' (2024), Fortune International's 'Most Powerful Women in Business' (2021), Fortune India's 'Most Powerful Women in Business' (2021-2025), Business World's 'Most Valuable CEOs' (2022, 2023), Business World's 'Most Influential Women in Business' (2022), and India Today's 'The She List' (2024).

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Parthanil Ghosh appointed as MD & CEO of HDFC ERGO General Insurance. (Mid of March) ▼
  • Parthanil Ghosh will succeed Anuj Tyagi as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of HDFC ERGO General Insurance.
  • His appointment is effective from 16 April 2026, subject to clearances from the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI).
  • Ghosh joined HDFC ERGO in 2016 after its integration of L&T General Insurance and has served as Executive Director since May 2025.
  • He has over 30 years of experience in financial services, including more than 16 years in general insurance.
  • During his tenure, he has overseen retail insurance, commercial lines, crop insurance, underwriting, reinsurance strategy, claims management and technology initiatives.
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) approves Keki Mistry as interim part-time Chairman of HDFC Bank for three months. (Mid of March) ▼
  • HDFC Bank part-time Chairman and Independent Director Atanu Chakraborty resigned with immediate effect citing ethical concerns over certain practices within the bank.
  • Reserve Bank of India (RBI) approved the appointment of Keki Mistry as interim part-time Chairman of HDFC Bank effective 19 March for three months.
  • Keki Mistry was Vice-Chairman of HDFC Ltd before its merger with HDFC Bank.
  • HDFC Bank is the second largest bank with a market capitalisation of Rs 12.97 lakh crore.
  • Atanu Chakraborty joined HDFC Bank board in May 2021 and oversaw the merger of HDFC Ltd with HDFC Bank.
  • Chakraborty is a retired IAS officer of Gujarat cadre and served as Secretary in Ministry of Finance (Department of Economic Affairs) during FY 2019-20.
Uday Kotak appointed chairman of Gujarat International Finance Tec-City Company Ltd (GIFT City). (Mid of February) ▼
  • The Gujarat government appointed Uday Kotak as chairman of Gujarat International Finance Tec-City Company Ltd (GIFT City).
  • Uday Kotak is the founder of Kotak Mahindra Bank.
  • He chaired the 2017 SEBI Committee on Corporate Governance that recommended sweeping governance reforms.
Financial Services Institutions Bureau (FSIB) recommends Hitesh Rameshchandra Joshi for CMD of General Insurance Corporation of India (GIC Re) (End of February) ▼
  • The Financial Services Institutions Bureau (FSIB) has recommended Hitesh Rameshchandra Joshi for the position of Chairman-cum-Managing Director (CMD) of General Insurance Corporation of India (GIC Re).
  • The FSIB conducted an interface with five eligible candidates on 24 February 2026 before making the recommendation.
  • Hitesh Rameshchandra Joshi currently serves as the Executive Director with additional charge of CMD at GIC Re.
  • Joshi holds a postgraduate degree in Accountancy from Mumbai University and a Master’s Degree in Financial Management from the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies.
  • He is a Fellow of the Insurance Institute of India.

Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nadendla Bhaskar Rao Passes Away at 90

[Andhra Pradesh]

Key Updates:

  • Nadendla Bhaskara Rao, the former Chief Minister of united Andhra Pradesh, passed away at the age of 90 at Continental Hospitals in Hyderabad.
  • He served as the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh for a brief period in 1984.
  • He began his legislative career in 1978 after being elected as a Congress Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA).
  • He held ministerial positions in the state government under leaders including N. T. Rama Rao, Marri Chenna Reddy, and T. Anjaiah.
  • His son, Nadendla Manohar, currently serves as the Civil Supplies Minister of Andhra Pradesh and the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) Chairman of the Jana Sena Party.
  • Nadendla Manohar also held the position of the last Speaker of the united Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly.

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Asha Bhosle Passes Away at 92 (Mid of April) ▼
  • 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.
Chelluru Narayana Rao 'Somanna' surrendered to Andhra Pradesh Police. (End of March) ▼
  • Chelluru Narayana Rao, alias Somanna, was a senior Maoist leader and member of the AOB State Committee.
  • He served on the State Military Commission and was Commander of the 3rd Company of the Central Regional Committee (CRC).
  • He assumed leadership after the deaths of top Maoists Gazarla Ravi and Aruna in Alluri and Sitarama Raju districts.
  • Narayana Rao is a native of Bathupuram village in Vajrapu Kothur mandal, Srikakulam district.
  • He surrendered to Andhra Pradesh Police in Vijayawada along with several other Maoists from AOB Special Zonal, Area, and Divisional Committees.
  • Weapons were reportedly handed over during the surrender.
Telangana Employees Accountability and Monitoring of Parental Support Bill, 2026 passed to ensure financial security for senior citizens (End of March) ▼
  • The Telangana Assembly passed the Telangana Employees Accountability and Monitoring of Parental Support Bill, 2026, to ensure financial security for senior citizens.
  • The legislation mandates that public representatives, government employees, and private employees must provide care for their elderly parents.
  • Failure to comply with the Bill will result in a deduction of 15 per cent of the salary or ₹10,000, whichever is lower, payable to the parents.
  • Chief Minister (CM) A Revanth Reddy stated that the Bill aims to go beyond the existing national law, the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007.
  • The Bill was supported by various political entities including the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Communist Party of India (CPI).
R. Nallakannu, Veteran Communist Party of India (CPI) Leader and Freedom Fighter, Passes Away at 101 (End of February) ▼
  • Veteran Communist Party of India (CPI) leader and freedom fighter R. Nallakannu passed away at the age of 101 on 25 February 2026 at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
  • Born on 25 December 1925 in Srivaikuntam, he joined the CPI in 1944 and later served as the State Secretary of the party in Tamil Nadu for 13 years.
  • He was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1949 in the Nellai conspiracy case for organising a land for tillers agitation and was released in 1956.
  • The Government of Tamil Nadu conferred the Thagaisaal Tamilar (Scholarly Tamil) award upon him in 2022, which carried a cash prize of ₹15 lakh.
  • He received the Ambedkar Award for the year 2007 from the then Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi.
  • He donated the ₹15 lakh prize money from the Thagaisaal Tamilar award to the Chief Minister’s relief fund and returned a car and ₹1 crore gifted by party cadres to the CPI.
  • At the age of 95, he successfully argued a petition before the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court to secure a five-year ban on illegal sand mining in the Thamirabarani river.
  • His body was donated for medical research in accordance with his final wishes.

European Union (EU) approves €90 billion loan package for Ukraine

[European Union, Ukraine, Russia]

Key Updates:

  • The European Union (EU) has approved a loan package of €90 billion to bolster Ukraine's defence against Russia.
  • The financial aid will be disbursed in two equal installments of €45 billion in 2026 and €45 billion in 2027.
  • The annual allocation consists of €28 billion for military needs and €17 billion for general budget needs.
  • The loan covers two-thirds of Ukraine's total estimated requirements of €135 billion for the next two years.
  • The EU will provide interest-free loans funded by borrowing on capital markets and underpinned by EU budget headroom.
  • Repayment is expected only after Russia pays war reparations, with frozen Russian central bank assets in the EU, worth approximately €210 billion, earmarked as a potential guarantee.
  • Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic have secured exemptions from this joint borrowing initiative.
  • The loan's revival follows the election defeat of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and the appointment of Peter Magyar as the incoming prime minister.

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European Union (EU) Adopts Stepwise Ban on Russian Gas and Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) Imports on 26 January 2026 (End of January) ▼
  • The 27 EU member states formally adopted a regulation to phase out imports of Russian pipeline gas and LNG.
  • The regulation serves as a key milestone in achieving the REPowerEU objective of ending the EU reliance on Russian energy.
  • The ban will start to apply six weeks after the regulation enters into force, with a full ban on LNG imports by the beginning of 2027 and pipeline gas by autumn 2027.
  • Non-compliance with the new rules may result in maximum penalties of at least €2.5 million for individuals and at least €40 million for companies.
  • Companies may face penalties of at least 3.5% of their total worldwide annual turnover or 300% of the estimated transaction turnover for violations.
  • EU member states must verify the production country of gas imports and submit national diversification plans by 1 March 2026.
  • The European Commission (EC) is authorised to suspend the import ban for up to four weeks if the security of supply is seriously threatened.
  • Following the Versailles Declaration of March 2022, Russian gas imports fell to 13% of EU imports by 2025, valued at over €15 billion annually.
  • The EC plans to propose further legislation to phase out Russian oil imports by the end of 2027.
  • Michael Damianos, the Minister for Energy, Commerce and Industry of Cyprus, stated that the move is a step towards an autonomous Energy Union.
  • India link not mentioned in the article.
United States Congress approves $200 million Baltic Security Initiative funding amid Russian activity (Start of February) ▼
  • The United States Congress approved $200 million in security assistance for Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania under the Baltic Security Initiative (BSI) as part of the Fiscal Year 2026 Defense Appropriations Act.
  • President Donald Trump signed the $838.7 billion defense package on 3 February 2026, securing continued US backing for the three Baltic states.
  • An additional $10 million was allocated to Estonia through the Foreign Military Financing program, previously used by Tallinn to acquire HIMARS ammunition, Javelin missiles and large-caliber artillery shells.
  • The House of Representatives passed the Defense Appropriations Act by 217–214 votes and the Senate cleared it with 71–29 votes.
  • Three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets entered Estonian airspace over the Gulf of Finland in September and remained for approximately 12 minutes, prompting Tallinn to request an extraordinary UN Security Council meeting and activate Article 4 of the Atlantic Treaty.
  • Congressman Don Bacon, Republican-Nebraska and co-chair of the House Baltic Caucus, stated that Congress is committed to a strong NATO alliance and emphasised the need for friends to counter China, Russia and Iran.
Ukraine signs 10-year defence partnership with Qatar and expands drone warfare cooperation with Saudi Arabia and UAE (End of March) ▼
  • Ukraine and Qatar signed a 10-year mutually beneficial partnership agreement in the defence sector during a meeting in Doha.
  • The agreement between Ukraine and Qatar includes collaboration in technological fields, development of joint projects, defence investments, and the exchange of expertise in countering missiles and Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS).
  • The pact provides for joint defence industry projects, the establishment of co-production facilities, and technological partnerships between companies.
  • Ukraine signed an air defence agreement with Saudi Arabia to support the kingdom in countering drone-related threats.
  • Ukraine and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) agreed to cooperate in the field of security and defence, specifically regarding drone responses.
  • Ukraine has deployed anti-drone specialists to Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE to leverage its experience in countering aerial threats.
  • Ukraine proposed swapping its drone interceptors for air-defence missiles used by Gulf nations to counter missile strikes.
India abstains from United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution on 4th anniversary of Russia-Ukraine war (End of February) ▼
  • India and 50 other countries abstained from a United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) draft resolution calling for an immediate, full, and unconditional ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.
  • Titled Support for Lasting Peace in Ukraine, the resolution was adopted by the 193 members of the UNGA on February 24, 2026, marking four years of the conflict.
  • The resolution received 107 votes in favour, 12 against, and 51 abstentions.
  • The draft was introduced by Ukraine along with Bahrain, Bangladesh, Brazil, China, South Africa, Sri Lanka, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and the United States (US).
  • The resolution reaffirmed support for the sovereignty, independence, unity, and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders, including territorial waters.
  • It urged the full exchange of prisoners of war and the return of all unlawfully detained persons and deported civilians, including children.
  • The document expressed deep concern over intensified attacks by Russia on civilians, civilian infrastructure, and critical energy facilities in Ukraine.