Daily Current Affairs

International Dance Day is observed globally on 29 April every year, marking the birth anniversary of Jean-Georges Noverre (1727–1810), the creator of modern ballet. The 2026 main celebration is hosted in Manila, Philippines, organised by the Philippine Centre of the International Theatre Institute (ITI).

• Jean-Georges Noverre — Author of ‘Letters on Dancing and Ballets’ (1760); considered the father of modern ballet.
• Organised by — International Theatre Institute (ITI), in partnership with the Dance Committee and World Dance Alliance; ITI is a UNESCO partner organisation.
• Objective — Promote dance as a universal art form and cultural expression; encourage governments to integrate dance in education; celebrate dance’s role in bridging political, cultural, and ethnic barriers.

India and New Zealand signed a landmark Free Trade Agreement (FTA) on 27 April 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, in the presence of Union Minister Piyush Goyal (Ministry of Commerce and Industry) and New Zealand’s Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay. Negotiated in just nine months after talks concluded in December 2025, the deal is described as a ‘once-in-a-generation agreement.’

• Indian exports to benefit: Textiles, leather, plastics, engineering goods, pharmaceuticals, ceramics — 100% duty-free from Day 1.
• Sensitive sectors excluded from Indian liberalisation: dairy, edible oils, sugar, onions, spices.
• Mobility: 5,000 Temporary Employment Entry (TEE) visas — IT (1,000), healthcare (1,200), engineering (1,000), construction (700), education (500); first-ever Working Holiday Visa for Indians (1,000/year, ages 18–30).
• GI Protection: New Zealand to amend its GI law within 18 months.
• Significance: India’s most comprehensive FTA with an Oceanian/Pacific nation; aligns with Viksit Bharat 2047.

In April 2026, Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar (Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs — MoHUA) released the NITI Aayog report ‘Moving Towards Effective City Government — A Framework for Million-plus Cities’ at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi.

• Report focus: Pivotal role of urbanisation in India’s long-term development; vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047 and USD 30 trillion economy; review of global best practices.
• Key issues addressed: Weak/fragmented leadership, constrained fiscal capacities, capacity gaps limiting service delivery in urban areas.
• Key recommendation: Position million-plus cities as engines of national economic growth; strengthen institutional structures alongside sectoral reforms.
• NITI Aayog: National Institution for Transforming India; established 1 January 2015, replacing the Planning Commission; HQ: New Delhi; CEO is ex-officio member.

In April 2026, the Supreme Court of India (SCI) officially declared the ‘Right to Safe Road Travel’ an integral part of the Right to Life under Article 21 of the Constitution. The landmark judgment was delivered in the matter of In Re: Phalodi Accident, examining road safety and accountability on highways and expressways.

• Legal significance: Expands Article 21 — recognises commuter safety as a fundamental right and emphasises the State’s duty to ensure safe infrastructure and prevent avoidable loss of life.
• Restrictions imposed: Court banned unauthorised dhabas and eateries on National Highway Right of Way (ROW); mandated no new licences or NOCs without NHAI approval.
• Highway safety mandates: Barred heavy vehicle parking on highways outside designated areas; mandated patrols, surveillance, and emergency response systems.

In April 2026, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan formally joined three India-led global initiatives — the International Solar Alliance (ISA), the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), and the Global Biofuels Alliance (GBA). Membership documents were handed by Yousef Abdelghani (Jordan’s Ambassador to India) to Dr Neena Malhotra (Secretary (South), MEA) in New Delhi.

• ISA: HQ — New Delhi; established post Paris Agreement 2015; launched at COP21; over 120 member countries.
• Membership documents: Handed by Jordan’s Ambassador Yousef Abdelghani to MEA’s Dr Neena Malhotra (Secretary, South).

In April 2026, UNESCO designated 12 new Global Geoparks, expanding the UNESCO Global Geopark Network to 241 sites across 51 countries. The newly designated sites span China, France, Greece, Ireland, Japan, Malaysia, Portugal, Russia, Tunisia (first-ever), and Uruguay.

• Network coverage: Over 882,000 sq km — equivalent to the size of Venezuela.
• Designation details: Official UNESCO label created in 2015; valid for 4 years (revalidation required); green card = full renewal; yellow card = 2-year conditional renewal.
• Tunisia milestone: Dahar is the first UNESCO Global Geopark in Tunisia and the first African Arab country to receive the designation.
• India status: India currently has no UNESCO Global Geoparks.
• Purpose: Protect geological heritage; promote environmental education, sustainable development, and local community empowerment through geotourism.

In April 2026, India and Kenya signed a customs cooperation Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the 10th India–Kenya Joint Trade Committee (JTC) meeting held in Nairobi, Kenya — after a gap of seven years at the Commerce Secretary level.

• MoU objective: Exchange pre-arrival information on goods; faster customs clearance; improve risk management; facilitate smoother bilateral trade.
• Key sectors: Pharmaceuticals, agriculture, digital infrastructure, fintech, energy, renewable energy, manufacturing.
• Significance: First Commerce Secretary-level meeting in 7 years — signals renewed bilateral trade focus.

In April 2026, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) approved the Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) application of One MobiKwik Systems Limited, allowing it to set up its subsidiary MobiKwik Financial Services Private Limited as a lending arm, subject to receiving the Certificate of Registration (CoR).

• Purpose: Enables regulated lending with secured and unsecured products; faster rollout; stronger underwriting and risk control.
• Strategy: Focuses on consumers and MSMEs in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities to expand formal credit access and financial inclusion.
• Products: Personal loans, merchant loans, Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) credit, MSME working capital loans.
• Regulatory requirement: Minimum Net Owned Fund (NOF) of Rs 10 crore (as of October 2022, to be met by 31 March 2027); registration with RBI required.

In April 2026, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC), under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG), approved a Joint Venture (JV) with its subsidiaries Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL) and ONGC Petro Additions Limited (OPaL) for integrated petrochemicals marketing and trading. Subject to DIPAM (Department of Investment and Public Asset Management) approval.

• Objective: Integrate petrochemical marketing operations of ONGC group; enhance efficiency, optimise supply chains, reduce costs through economies of scale.
• Strategic fit: Supports import substitution; strengthens domestic capacity; aligns with Atmanirbhar Bharat; positions ONGC as an integrated energy major.
• Subject to: DIPAM approval pending.

On 25 April 2026, Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy ceremonially flagged off the flight hardware of Vikram-1 — India’s first privately built orbital rocket by Skyroot Aerospace Private Limited — from the company’s Max-Q campus in Hyderabad, Telangana. The rocket is en route to the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, for its maiden orbital launch.

• Skyroot Aerospace co-founders: Pawan Kumar Chandana (Co-founder & CEO) and Naga Bharath Daka (Co-founder & COO) — former ISRO scientists and IIT alumni.
• Historical note: Skyroot’s first rocket Vikram-S launched in 2022 (suborbital); Vikram-1 will be India’s first private orbital launch if successful.
• Regulatory framework: Authorised by IN-SPACe (Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre); under Department of Space (DoS).

In April 2026, Sigma Advanced Systems Limited (SIGD), an aerospace and defence company in India, signed a 7-year long-term agreement worth Rs 3,800 crore (~300 million pounds) with Rolls-Royce (United Kingdom) to manufacture and supply high-precision, safety-critical components for Rolls-Royce’s global aerospace programmes.

• Scope: Manufacturing of high-precision aerospace components, assemblies, engine and aerostructure parts for Rolls-Royce programmes.
• Platform: Integrated India–UK advanced manufacturing platform combining cost efficiency with engineering proximity.
• Significance: Positions Sigma as a global aerospace OEM partner; enhances financial predictability; drives higher-value manufacturing in India’s aerospace sector.

In April 2026, the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) signed an agreement to transfer the governance and operations of Shooting Para Sport from the IPC to the ISSF. The sport is currently governed by World Shooting Para Sport under the IPC.

• Objective: Create unified governance for Olympic and Paralympic shooting; harmonise rules and standards; enhance visibility and development for Para athletes.
• Key safeguard: Transition timed carefully to avoid disrupting Los Angeles 2028 Paralympics preparations.

Renowned Indian hockey player Gurbax Singh Grewal passed away on 25 April 2026 at his residence in Zirakpur, near Chandigarh, following a heart attack. He was 84. Born on 1 April 1942 in Lyallpur (now Faisalabad, Pakistan).

• Olympic milestone: Member of the Indian men’s hockey team that won the bronze medal at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics.
• Unique distinction: Played alongside his brother Balbir Singh Grewal at the same 1968 Olympic Games — one of very few instances of two real brothers representing India at the same Olympics in hockey.
• Administration: Served as Honorary Secretary, Mumbai Hockey Association (MHA); contributed to hockey development and stadium renovation.