Daily Current Affairs: 24 April 2026

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issues Digital Payments: E-mandate Framework, 2026

[Reserve Bank of India (RBI)]

Key Updates:

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued the Digital Payments: E-mandate Framework, 2026, consolidating all existing guidelines on recurring digital payments into a single master framework.
• The framework applies to recurring domestic and cross-border transactions processed through cards, prepaid payment instruments (PPIs), and Unified Payments Interface (UPI).
• Customers opting for recurring payment facilities must complete a one-time registration process requiring validation through an Additional Factor of Authentication (AFA).
• Issuers must send pre-transaction notifications at least 24 hours before the debit, including merchant name, transaction amount, date and time of debit, reference number of the e-mandate, and reason for the debit.
• Pre-transaction notifications are not required for auto-replenishment of FASTag balances and National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) balances.
• The RBI retained a threshold allowing recurring transactions of up to ₹15,000 per transaction without additional authentication.
• Recurring payments of up to ₹1 lakh per transaction without additional authentication are permitted for insurance premium payments, mutual fund subscriptions, and credit card bill payments.
• No charges may be levied on customers for availing e-mandate services for recurring transactions.
• The RBI repealed multiple earlier circulars issued between 2019 and 2024 relating to recurring payment processing through cards, UPI, and other digital channels.

Karnataka Bank partners with Pine Labs for Point-of-Sale (PoS) services

[Karnataka Bank, Pine Labs]

Key Updates:

• Karnataka Bank has entered into a partnership with Pine Labs to provide point-of-sale (PoS) solutions.
• The collaboration aims to provide advanced PoS terminals to retail and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) customers.
• The digital payment services will be available at all branches of Karnataka Bank across the country.
• Karnataka Bank reported a 2.5% increase in standalone net profit to ₹290.79 crore in Q3 FY26 compared with Q3 FY25.
• The bank's total income for Q3 FY26 declined by 0.51% to ₹2,522.35 crore compared with Q3 FY25.

NPCI Bharat BillPay Limited (NBBL) onboards Postal Life Insurance (PLI) on Bharat Connect

[National Bill Payment Corporation of India (NBBL), PLI]

Key Updates:

• NBBL has integrated PLI as a biller under the insurance category to enable premium payments via digital and offline channels.
• State Bank of India (SBI) is acting as the Biller Operating Unit for this integration.
• PLI is operated by the Department of Posts and services over 1.25 crore active policies.
• PLI processes approximately 2.5 lakh transactions daily.
• The insurance category on Bharat Connect now includes 65 billers following this addition.
• Bharat Connect hosts more than 22,640 billers across over 29 categories and is accessible through over 700 apps and 5 lakh offline agents.
• Noopur Chaturvedi serves as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NBBL.

Abu Dhabi National Insurance Company (ADNIC) secures licence for reinsurance business in GIFT City

[Abu Dhabi National Insurance Company (ADNIC), Gujarat]

Key Updates:

• The Abu Dhabi National Insurance Company (ADNIC) has obtained a licence to undertake reinsurance business from the International Financial Services Centre Authority (IFSCA) at GIFT City.
• GIFT City is India's first International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) and is located in Gujarat.
• The licence to operate in GIFT City is effective from 1 April 2026.
• The entry into India follows the company's recent entry into the Saudi Arabia market.
• The India branch is intended to diversify revenue streams, improve service capabilities, enhance India-UAE economic ties, and expand bilateral trade and investment.
• Charalampos Mylonas is the Chief Executive Officer of ADNIC.

'Safe Cities' Project: ₹10 Crore Allocation for Dhar

Key Updates:

• The Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) has selected Dhar, Madhya Pradesh, under the 'Safe Cities' project for 2026.
• The project is fully funded by the Central Government, with an allocation of ₹10 crore for the Dhar district.
• The initiative will be implemented for a minimum period of five years.
• Dhar is among 10 major cities identified across the country under the MWCD initiative.
• Infrastructure upgrades include the installation of CCTV cameras at sensitive locations, improved street lighting, better monitoring mechanisms, and the construction of 'Pink Toilets' in public places.
• The project involves developing dedicated waiting areas for women and their families in district hospitals and health centres, and strengthening women-friendly amenities at tourist spots.
• The scheme includes conducting awareness campaigns and training programmes to promote community sensitivity towards women's safety and empowerment.

Atal Pension Yojana (APY): Exceeds 9 Crore Subscribers

Key Updates:

• The Atal Pension Yojana (APY), a flagship social security scheme of the central government, exceeded 9 crore total gross enrolments on April 21, 2026.
• The APY is administered by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) and was launched on May 9, 2015.
• The scheme is primarily focused on the poor, the underprivileged, and workers in the unorganised sector.
• Eligibility for APY is open to Indian citizens between the age of 18 and 40 years, excluding those who are or have been income taxpayers.
• The scheme provides a guaranteed monthly pension ranging from ₹1,000 to ₹5,000 after the subscriber attains 60 years of age.
• Additional benefits include the continuation of the same pension for the spouse after the subscriber's demise and the return of the accumulated corpus to the nominee after the death of both.
• In Financial Year (FY) 2025-26, gross enrolments crossed 1.35 crore, marking the highest single-year enrolment since the scheme's inception.
• The scheme is supported by the Ministry of Finance, Department of Posts (DoP), Public Sector Banks (PSBs), Regional Rural Banks (RRBs), private banks, Small Finance Banks (SFBs), co-operative banks, State Level Bankers' Committees (SLBCs), Union Territory Level Bankers' Committees (UTLBCs), and Lead District Managers (LDMs).
• Account opening charges and annual maintenance charges under APY are ₹15 each, while transaction charges are NIL.

India and Bhutan hold 7th Joint Group of Customs meeting in Munnar, Kerala on 20th-21st April 2026

[Bhutan, Kerala]

Key Updates:

• The 7th Joint Group of Customs (JGC) meeting between India and Bhutan was held on 20th–21st April 2026 in Munnar, Kerala.
• The meeting was co-chaired by Yogendra Garg, Special Secretary and Member (Customs) of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), and Mr. Sonam Jamtsho, Director General of the Department of Revenue and Customs, Ministry of Finance, Royal Government of Bhutan.
• India is the largest trading partner of Bhutan, accounting for nearly 80% of Bhutan's total trade.
• Bilateral trade between the two nations exceeded $1.9 billion in FY 2024–25, reflecting a growth of over 46% compared to the previous financial year.
• There are 10 notified land customs stations along the India–Bhutan border, located in West Bengal (6) and Assam (4).
• Priority areas discussed included Coordinated Border Management (CBM), digitization of customs processes, and the Electronic Cargo Tracking System (ECTS) for transit cargo movement.
• The sides discussed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on pre-arrival exchange of customs data and the strengthening of anti-smuggling mechanisms through intelligence sharing.
• The Bhutanese delegation visited the Kochi Port to review import and export procedures, maritime enforcement, and the Automatic Identification System (AIS).
• The engagement is conducted under the framework of the Agreement on Trade, Commerce and Transit.

Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) notifies Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) for Barasingha Wildlife Sanctuary

[Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (India), Uttar Pradesh]

Key Updates:

• The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) issued a draft notification declaring 408.7 sq km around the Barasingha Wildlife Sanctuary in Uttar Pradesh as an Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ).
• The sanctuary is located across five districts in Uttar Pradesh: Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, Hapur, Bijnor, and Amroha.
• The ESZ area comprises 138.71 sq km in Muzaffarnagar, 155.02 sq km in Bijnor, 46.35 sq km in Amroha, 18.35 sq km in Hapur, and 50.04 sq km in Meerut.
• A total of 307 villages fall within the proposed ESZ of the State Animal Barasingha Wildlife Sanctuary.
• The sanctuary area was rationalised from an initial 2,073 sq km to 1,159.16 sq km.
• The sanctuary hosts 41 species of mammals, 373 species of birds, 36 species of reptiles, 10 species of amphibians, 79 species of fishes, and 81 medicinal plant species.

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Ropar launches India's first fully integrated agricultural intelligence system

[Indian Institute of Technology Ropar (IIT Ropar)]

Key Updates:

• The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Ropar has launched India’s first fully integrated agricultural intelligence system.
• The system was developed by the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in AI for Agriculture, ANNAM.AI.
• The intelligence ecosystem comprises advanced weather stations called Swan, Krishi intelligence call centres, and the Annam chat engine (ACE).
• The platform integrates Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), climate science, and multilingual advisory systems.
• The AI architecture consists of three layers: the infrastructure layer (micro-climate intelligence units), the intelligence layer (Krishi AI), and the engagement layer (ACE).
• The CoE at IIT Ropar was established under a ₹990-crore national initiative to create three AI Centres of Excellence.
• The system is currently operating in Punjab and is designed to reduce water usage by 20–30 per cent and prevent 9–12 per cent of crop losses caused by sudden weather events.
• The ecosystem includes an offline AI capability that allows farmers to access insights without internet connectivity.

Federal Express Corporation (FedEx) Completes India's First Intra-City Drone Delivery Trials in Bengaluru

[FedEx, Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras)]

Key Updates:

• Federal Express Corporation (FedEx) completed India's first intra-city drone delivery flight trials in Bengaluru in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras).
• The trials were conducted under the research framework of the FedEx SMART Centre at IIT Madras.
• The aerial route of 39-42 km reduced the one-way transit time to nearly 21 minutes, compared to a 53-km road journey that typically takes over 60 minutes.
• The flight path involved coordinated navigation through Airport Yellow and Red Zones with permissions granted by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
• The research agenda of the FedEx SMART Centre includes air cargo optimisation, electric vehicle integration, and advanced demand forecasting.

Tata Steel and SMS Group to Implement EASyMelt Technology for Low-Carbon Steel in Jamshedpur

[Tata Steel (India), SMS Group (Germany)]

Key Updates:

• Tata Steel has entered into agreements with Paul Wurth, S.A (Luxembourg), part of the SMS Group GmbH (SMS Group), to implement the world's first electrically-assisted syngas smelter (EASyMelt) technology.
• The first industrial demonstration of the EASyMelt technology will be conducted in the 'E' Blast Furnace at the Tata Steel Jamshedpur plant.
• The project aims to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 50 per cent compared to the blast furnace's baseline operation.
• Tata Steel and SMS Group signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in June 2023 to collaborate on decarbonising the iron-making process.
• Tata Steel aims to achieve net-zero emissions by 2045.

World Athletics classifies India as extremely high doping risk nation

[Athletics Integrity Unit]

Key Updates:

• The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) Board moved the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) from Category B to Category A under Rule 15 of World Athletics Anti-Doping Rules.
• Category A is designated as the highest risk, Category B as medium risk, and Category C as low risk.
• India's Anti-Doping Rule Violations (ADRVs) were 48 in 2022 (ranked 2nd), 63 in 2023 (ranked 2nd), 71 in 2024 (ranked 1st), and 30 in 2025 so far (ranked 1st).
• India topped the AIU list of ineligible athletes with 148 suspended athletes, surpassing Kenya.
• Under Rule 15.3.3, the AIU reviews each federation's category every three years.
• Category A federations must establish an Anti-Doping Monitoring Committee under Rule 15.5.3.
• Athletes from Category A federations must undergo at least three no-notice out-of-competition tests in the 10 months before the AIU deadline to participate in the Olympic Games or World Athletics Championships.
• Blood testing for Category A federations must follow the Athlete Biological Passport system as per World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) guidelines.

ASI begins drilling at Konark Sun Temple on April 23, 2026

[Archaeological Survey of India (India)]

Key Updates:

• The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has initiated drilling a 6x5-foot passage into the Jagamohan (assembly hall) of the Konark Sun Temple.
• The Konark Sun Temple is a 13th-century monument designated as a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site.
• The British filled the Jagamohan with sand between 1901 and 1903 to provide structural stability and prevent the monument from collapsing.
• The temple was constructed by King Narasimhadeva I of the Eastern Ganga dynasty, involving approximately 1,200 sculptors over a 12-year period.
• Diamond drilling technology is being employed by the ASI technical team to ensure zero vibrations and protect the structural integrity of the site.
• Sand and stone samples from the temple were analysed by the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) prior to the start of the drilling process.
• A previous attempt to investigate the interior of the structure was conducted in the mid-1950s by the then Director General (DG) Debala Mitra.
• The monument was originally designed as a chariot for the Sun God, though the main temple tower that once housed the deity has since collapsed.

Vande Mataram Frames National Filmmaking Competition launched by Ministry of Culture

Key Updates:

• The Ministry of Culture, Government of India, has launched the Vande Mataram Frames National Filmmaking Competition to celebrate 150 years of the national song Vande Mataram.
• The competition features a total prize pool of up to ₹50 lakh.
• Participants must be aged 15 years and above and can enter individually or in teams of up to three members.
• The competition consists of three categories: Reel Category (up to 60 seconds), AI Film Category (3–5 minutes), and Short Film Category (up to 15 minutes).
• Prizes for the Reel Category are ₹1,50,000 for 1st, ₹1,00,000 for 2nd, and ₹50,000 for 3rd place.
• Prizes for the AI Film Category are ₹5,00,000 for 1st, ₹3,00,000 for 2nd, and ₹1,50,000 for 3rd place.
• Prizes for the Short Film Category are ₹15,00,000 for 1st, ₹12,00,000 for 2nd, and ₹10,00,000 for 3rd place.
• The competition themes include stories from India’s freedom struggle, unsung heroes and historical narratives, cultural diversity and heritage, and modern expressions of patriotism.
• The deadline for submissions through the official portal vandemataram150.in is April 23, 2026.

English Language Day observed on April 23

Key Updates:

• English Language Day is observed on April 23 to commemorate the contributions of William Shakespeare.
• The date marks the birth and death anniversary of William Shakespeare, who added over 1,700 new words and phrases to the English language.
• English Language Day was officially established by the United Nations (UN) in 2010.
• English is one of the two official working languages of the UN, alongside French.

World Book and Copyright Day observed on April 23

[United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)]

Key Updates:

• World Book and Copyright Day, also known as International Day of the Book, is celebrated globally on April 23.
• The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) established the day in 1995.
• The date April 23 marks the death anniversaries of prominent writers William Shakespeare and Miguel de Cervantes in 1616.
• The observance highlights the importance of protecting intellectual property through copyright laws.
• Iceland is cited as having the highest per capita readership in the world.
• Bibliosmia is the term used to describe the distinct smell of old books.
• Estimates suggest that more than 130 million books exist globally.
• The 10 recommended classics include 1984 by George Orwell, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
• The list of essential reads also features Moby-Dick by Herman Melville, War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy, Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, and The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien.

Earth Day (International Mother Earth Day) observed on April 22

Key Updates:

• Earth Day, also known as International Mother Earth Day, is observed annually on April 22.
• The first Earth Day took place on April 22, 1970, in the United States.
• The movement was founded by Senator Gaylord Nelson following the 1969 oil spill in Santa Barbara, California.
• Activist Denis Hayes organised the first national demonstration, which involved 20 million participants.
• The initial movement led to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the passage of the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts in the United States.
• In 1990, Earth Day events were organised for 200 million people across 141 countries.
• The United Nations (UN) Earth Summit was held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992.
• The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) officially designated April 22 as International Mother Earth Day in 2009.
• The day served as a launchpad for major international agreements, including the signing of the Paris Agreement in 2016.

Jay Shah Named to World Economic Forum (WEF) Young Global Leaders Class of 2026

[World Economic Forum (International)]

Key Updates:

• Jay Shah, the Chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC), has been selected for the Young Global Leaders (YGL) Class of 2026 by the World Economic Forum (WEF).
• He was recognised for his role in shaping the future of global cricket and his instrumental efforts in including the sport in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
• Jay Shah previously served as the youngest secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and managed Indian Premier League (IPL) operations and media rights deals.
• The YGL Class of 2026 comprises 118 leaders under the age of 40 from 55 countries, spanning sectors such as public service, science, business, and civil society.
• Other notable figures in the 2026 cohort include Tomas Okmanas of Nord Security, Jennifer Zhang of WIZ.AI, Thea LaFond, and Professor Sally Nuamah.

Dr Gopalrao Patil passes away as former Rajya Sabha member

[Rajya Sabha (India)]

Key Updates:

• Dr Gopalrao Patil, a former Rajya Sabha member and paediatrician, passed away at the age of 94 in Latur, Maharashtra.
• He served as a member of the Rajya Sabha representing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) between 1994 and 2000.
• He contributed to parliamentary committees on commerce, external affairs, and railways.
• He founded the Shiv Chhatrapati Shikshan Sanstha, which runs Rajarshi Shahu College in Latur.
• He served as the first president of a branch of the Indian Pediatric Association.
• He pursued his medical education from Osmania University in Hyderabad.