GK One-Liners

What: NASA’s Artemis II became the first crewed lunar flyby mission since Apollo 17 in December 1972 — a gap of 53 years. Launched on 1 April 2026 from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, the crew of four completed a 9-day, 1-hour mission aboard the Orion capsule (named “Integrity”), splashing down on 10 April 2026 in the Pacific Ocean off San Diego. The mission was carried aloft by the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket.

How: The crew set a new record by travelling over 406,000 km from Earth — the farthest any humans have been from the planet. Re-entry reached ~24,661 mph (about 39,688 kph), with the Avcoat ablative heat shield withstanding temperatures of ~5,000°F (~2,760°C); 11 parachutes slowed the capsule to ~20 mph at splashdown. The Orion capsule was recovered by USS John P. Murtha (a Naval Base San Diego amphibious transport dock ship).

Why: Artemis II is a high-yield UPSC Science & Technology topic for 2026. Key MCQ anchors: crew firsts (Victor Glover — first African-American on lunar mission; Christina Koch — first woman; Jeremy Hansen — first Canadian), the 53-year gap since Apollo 17, the 695,081-mile (1,118,949 km) total distance, and the mission sequence (Artemis I uncrewed 2022 → Artemis II crewed flyby 2026 → Artemis III crewed Moon landing). NASA Administrator at the time: Jared Isaacman. Cross-link: Artemis III targets the lunar south pole; India’s Gaganyaan crewed mission is planned for 2027.

What: Baisakhi (also spelled Vaisakhi) falls on 13 April 2026, marking the 327th anniversary of the founding of the Khalsa Panth — the order of initiated Sikhs — by Guru Gobind Singh Ji, the 10th Sikh Guru, on 13 April 1699 at Anandpur Sahib, Punjab. “Khalsa” means “the pure/sovereign.” The occasion is simultaneously the Punjabi/Sikh New Year, a Rabi (spring wheat) harvest festival, and the solar New Year in the Hindu Bikrami calendar. It also marks the 107th anniversary of the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre (13 April 1919), ordered by Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer.

How: On that historic day in 1699, Guru Gobind Singh Ji called for volunteers willing to give their lives; five men — the Panj Pyare (Five Beloved Ones) — stepped forward and became the first to receive Amrit (baptism). Guru Gobind Singh Ji established the Five Ks (Panj Kakars) as symbols of Sikh identity: Kesh (uncut hair), Kara (steel bracelet), Kachera (cotton undergarment), Kanga (wooden comb), and Kirpan (steel sword).

Why: This is a recurring UPSC GS-I (Indian History & Culture) and SSC General Awareness topic. Exam traps: confusing the founding year (1699 ≠ 1699 BC/CE confusion is common), misattributing Khalsa founding to Guru Nanak Dev Ji (the 1st Guru, not the 10th), and misidentifying Anandpur Sahib’s state (Punjab, not Haryana). The Jallianwala Bagh link adds a modern history layer. 13–14 April also clusters regional New Years: Vishu (Kerala), Puthandu (Tamil Nadu), and Pohela Boishakh (Bengal).

What: A two-week ceasefire between the USA and Iran was announced on 8 April 2026, with Islamabad talks led by US Vice President JD Vance beginning on 11 April. Under the ceasefire, Iran reopened the Strait of Hormuz (a critical global oil chokepoint connecting the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Sea) for two weeks under military traffic coordination. US demands include complete dismantling of nuclear enrichment sites at Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordow; Iran’s counterdemands are lifting of sanctions and return of ~$6 billion in seized assets.

How: The West Asia conflict had caused QatarEnergy to declare force majeure on Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) exports (disrupting India’s supply), and India’s exposure is acute — approximately 90% of India’s LPG and ~55% of crude oil imports originate from West Asia. The ceasefire provided temporary relief. India’s response was to welcome the ceasefire while stressing “dialogue, diplomacy, de-escalation” and emphasising freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.

Why: This is a hot-topic intersection of UPSC GS-II (International Relations) and GS-III (Energy Security). Key anchors: Strait of Hormuz geography (between Iran and Oman), the three Iranian nuclear sites, India’s “3D” formula (dialogue, diplomacy, de-escalation), and the coordinated energy diplomacy response (Jaishankar in UAE, Puri in Qatar, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri in the USA — all simultaneously under PM Modi’s direction). Cross-reference: India–Qatar LNG dependence (45% of India’s LNG) and India–UAE trade ($85 billion, FY26).

What: Amid the West Asia conflict disrupting crude oil and LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) supply chains, India launched a coordinated three-front diplomatic response in April 2026: External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar visited the UAE (11–12 April); Petroleum Minister Hardeep Puri visited Qatar (9–10 April); and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri visited the USA — all simultaneously under PM Modi’s direction. Domestically, an Informal Group of Ministers (IGoM), chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at Kartavya Bhawan, reviewed LPG, petrol, diesel, and fertiliser supply chains and invoked the Essential Commodities Act.

How: India’s vulnerability is stark: approximately 90% of its LPG and ~55% of its crude oil come from West Asia. Qatar — where QatarEnergy declared force majeure on gas exports — accounts for 45% of India’s LNG and 20% of its LPG. The UAE is India’s 2nd largest export destination and 3rd largest trading partner, with bilateral trade at ~USD 85 billion (FY26); approximately 3.5 million Indians live in the UAE, the largest Indian diaspora in any Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) country. Jaishankar met UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan; Puri met QatarEnergy President and CEO Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, who reaffirmed Qatar as a reliable long-term energy supplier.

Why: This is a textbook UPSC GS-II (India’s bilateral relationships) and GS-III (energy security) topic. Key exam anchors: the IGoM composition (Rajnath + Sitharaman + Jaishankar + Goyal + Puri), India–UAE Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (upgraded January 2017; elevated further January 2026), India’s “3D” formula (“dialogue, diplomacy, de-escalation”), and the Strait of Hormuz as an energy chokepoint. The UAE–Qatar–West Asia cluster is also common in banking exams’ international affairs sections. Cross-link with yesterday’s notes if the US–Iran ceasefire was covered.

What: 14 April 2026 marks the 135th birth anniversary of Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, born on 14 April 1891 in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh (now officially renamed Dr. Ambedkar Nagar). Also called “Equality Day,” it is a national public holiday. Dr. Ambedkar is widely recognised as the “Father of the Indian Constitution” and served as Chairman of the Constitution Drafting Committee. He was awarded the Bharat Ratna posthumously in 1990. His defining slogan: “Educate, Agitate, Organise.”

How: Dr. Ambedkar’s constitutional legacy centres on three landmark articles: Article 17 (abolition of untouchability), Article 15 (prohibition of discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex, or place of birth), and Article 16 (equality of opportunity in matters of public employment). Beyond the Constitution, he was instrumental in establishing the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) — his doctoral thesis at Columbia University formed the intellectual basis for the RBI — and in reducing the working day from 12 to 8 hours. He holds a Columbia University PhD (one of the first South Asians to earn a double doctorate in Economics) and a law degree from the London School of Economics, and was called to the Bar at Gray’s Inn.

Why: Ambedkar Jayanti is among the most reliably examined topics in UPSC Polity, SSC GK, and banking GK sections — especially in years marking significant anniversaries (135th in 2026). Common exam traps: confusing birthplace as Nagpur (that’s where he died and embraced Buddhism — 14 October 1956), misidentifying Bharat Ratna year as 1991 (it was 1990, posthumous), and mixing up the articles (Article 14 = equality before law, Article 17 = untouchability abolition). Cross-link: Article 124(4) and Article 218 (impeachment of SC/HC judges) appear in today’s Justice Varma note.

What: Justice Yashwant Varma of the Delhi High Court submitted his resignation to President Droupadi Murmu, following a controversy in which alleged burnt cash was recovered from his residence during a fire in March 2025. An in-house inquiry was conducted by then Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna. Subsequently, impeachment proceedings were initiated against him under the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968 — making this a rare invocation of the formal judicial removal mechanism.

How: The constitutional basis for removing a High Court or Supreme Court judge lies in Articles 124(4) and 218 respectively. A judge can be removed by the President only on grounds of “proved misbehaviour” or “incapacity,” and only after an address by each House of Parliament supported by a special majority — a majority of the total membership of each House and not less than two-thirds of members present and voting. The Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968 provides the procedural framework: a three-member inquiry committee (comprising a Supreme Court judge, a Chief Justice of a High Court, and a distinguished jurist) investigates the charges.

Why: Judicial independence and accountability is a high-value UPSC GS-II theme. Key exam anchors: Article 124(4) for SC judges; Article 218 extends the same to HC judges; the special majority requirement (distinct from simple majority and constitutional amendment majority — a type-trap); and the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968 as the enabling legislation. No judge has ever been successfully impeached in India — making each attempt a landmark event. The distinction between resignation (voluntary, as here) and impeachment (parliamentary removal) is itself a likely exam question. Cross-link: Article 15, 16, 17 in today’s Ambedkar note; all are fundamental rights directly linked to constitutional integrity.