20 April 2026 — Daily Current Affairs Quiz
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Culture
World Heritage Day 2026 — ICOMOS & the 2026 Theme
Observed 18 April annually. Proposed by ICOMOS in 1982 (Tunisia conference); approved by UNESCO at its 22nd General Conference (1983). 2026 theme: ‘Emergency Response for Living Heritage in Contexts of Conflicts and Disasters’. ICOMOS: headquartered in Paris, established 1965. India has 43 UNESCO World Heritage Sites (as of 2025).
Education
AICTE-VAANI Scheme — 3rd Edition (April 2026)
Full form: Vibrant Advocacy for Advancement and Nurturing of Indian Languages. Launched by AICTE (under Ministry of Education, chaired by Yogesh Singh). Annual outlay: Rs 4 crore for 200 events (Rs 2 lakh/institution). Conducted in 22 scheduled languages (Eighth Schedule). Covers 16 emerging tech areas: AI, Quantum Tech, Cybersecurity, Hydrogen Energy, Space & Defence. AICTE established 1945, HQ: New Delhi.
Technology
IndiaAI Startups Global Acceleration Programme — Cohort II
Launched by MeitY’s IndiaAI Mission. 10 AI startups selected for Cohort II. Partners: Station F (world’s largest startup campus, Paris) and HEC Paris. Structure: 3-week online prep + 3-month immersive residency at Station F. Sectors: healthtech, climate tech, edtech, satellite intelligence, cognitive AI. Part of Startup Financing Pillar under India’s National AI Strategy.
International
VP Radhakrishnan’s Sri Lanka Visit — First-Ever by an Indian VP
C.P. Radhakrishnan (assumed VP office: September 2025) visited Sri Lanka on 19–20 April 2026 — first-ever bilateral visit by an Indian Vice President. Met President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and PM Dr. Harini Amarasuriya. Highlight: virtual handover of houses under Phase 3 of India’s Indian Housing Project to Tamil community. Reinforces India’s Neighbourhood First policy and Indian Ocean Region strategy.
Defence
Surya Devbhoomi Challenge 2.0 — Army & Tourism Initiative
Flagged off by CDS Gen. Anil Chauhan on 16 April 2026 from Badrinath, Uttarakhand. Duration: 5 days (till 20 April). Route: Char Dham corridor — 3 sacred Kedars: Kalpeshwar, Rudranath, Tungnath; total 113 km. Organised by Indian Army with IconMetrix; supported by Uttarakhand Tourism Dept. Part of Vibrant Village Programme (VVP). Promotes tourism and employment in border villages.
Science
ExoMars — Rosalind Franklin Rover & SpaceX Falcon Heavy
NASA announced SpaceX Falcon Heavy will launch ESA’s Rosalind Franklin rover to Mars in 2028 from Launch Complex 39A, Kennedy Space Center. Mission: ESA’s ExoMars programme. NASA’s role (ROSA project): launch services, braking engines, radioisotope heater units. Rover will drill up to 2 metres into Martian surface to search for biosignatures. NASA-ESA MoU signed 2024.
Business & Economy
DGFT — Banks Authorised to Import Gold & Silver (2026–29)
DGFT Public Notice No. 04/2026-27 dated 17 April 2026. Effective: 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2029. Under FTP 2023. Total authorised banks: 17. Banks for both gold & silver: 15 (incl. SBI, HDFC, ICICI, Axis, PNB, Bank of India etc.). Gold-only: 2 — Union Bank of India and SBER Bank. Amendment to Appendix 4B, Handbook of Procedures, 2023.
Education
Herbalife India–IIT Madras CoE on Plant Cell Fermentation
MoU signed on 17 April 2026. India’s first CoE on Plant Cell Fermentation Technology at IIT Madras Research Park, Chennai. Objective: R&D in herbal biomass, enriched extracts, and high-value phytochemicals for health & wellness. Combines upstream cultivation with downstream processing and metabolomics platforms. IIT Madras: Institute of National Importance, est. 1959, under Ministry of Education.
Governance
Meghalaya — Khasi & Garo as Official Languages
Meghalaya Official Languages Ordinance, 2026 approved on 16 April 2026 by Cabinet led by CM Conrad Kongkal Sangma (National People’s Party). Declares Khasi and Garo as official languages alongside English. Amends Meghalaya State Language Act, 2005; repeals Meghalaya Legislature (Continuance of English Language) Act, 1980. MLAs can now speak in Khasi/Garo in Assembly. State exams also to be conducted in these languages. Capital: Shillong.
Business & Economy
JSW Steel–POSCO JV — 6 MTPA Steel Plant in Odisha
JSW Steel Board approved a 50:50 JV with South Korea’s POSCO Group in April 2026. JV vehicle: Saffron Resources Private Limited (wholly-owned JSW subsidiary). Plant capacity: 6 MTPA integrated steel plant in Odisha. POSCO’s equity acquisition: ~Rs 508.8 crore. Transaction deadline: 31 December 2026. JSW Group chaired by Sajjan Jindal. Odisha chosen for its rich iron ore reserves.
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Which organisation proposed World Heritage Day in 1982, and what is the 2026 theme?
ICOMOS — ‘Emergency Response for Living Heritage in Contexts of Conflicts and Disasters’
Approved by UNESCO at 22nd General Conference (1983); ICOMOS est. 1965, Paris
Tap to Reveal
What does AICTE-VAANI stand for, and what is its annual outlay?
Vibrant Advocacy for Advancement and Nurturing of Indian Languages — Rs 4 crore/year
200 events; Rs 2 lakh/institution; 22 scheduled languages; 16 tech areas
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Which two institutions partner MeitY’s IndiaAI Startups Global Acceleration Programme?
Station F (Paris) and HEC Paris
3-week online + 3-month residency; 10 startups selected for Cohort II
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What is the historic significance of VP Radhakrishnan’s Sri Lanka visit (19–20 April 2026)?
First-ever bilateral official visit by an Indian Vice President to Sri Lanka
Met President Dissanayake & PM Amarasuriya; Phase 3 Indian Housing Project handover
Tap to Reveal
Which rover will SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch to Mars in 2028, and under which mission?
Rosalind Franklin rover — ESA’s ExoMars Mission
NASA’s ROSA project; drills 2m into Mars surface; searches for biosignatures
Tap to Reveal
Out of 17 DGFT-authorised banks, how many can import BOTH gold and silver?
15 banks (gold + silver); 2 banks (gold only — UBI and SBER Bank)
DGFT Public Notice 04/2026-27; FTP 2023; valid till 31 March 2029
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Which ordinance declared Khasi and Garo official languages in Meghalaya, and who approved it?
Meghalaya Official Languages Ordinance, 2026 — CM Conrad Kongkal Sangma (NPP)
Amends State Language Act, 2005; repeals English Language Act, 1980; Capital: Shillong
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JSW Steel and POSCO are forming a JV for a 6 MTPA steel plant in which state, and at what equity cost to POSCO?
Odisha — POSCO equity acquisition: ~Rs 508.8 crore (50:50 JV)
JV vehicle: Saffron Resources Pvt Ltd; JSW Group — Sajjan Jindal; deadline: Dec 2026
Think & Discuss
India’s Language Policy at a Crossroads: Should Regional Languages Be the Medium of Technical and Higher Education?
Context from today’s quiz: Two seemingly unrelated news items from April 2026 share a common thread — India’s complicated relationship with language, identity, and opportunity. AICTE’s VAANI scheme allocates Rs 4 crore annually to promote 22 Indian languages in technical education across 16 cutting-edge technology domains. Meanwhile, Meghalaya passed an ordinance to make Khasi and Garo official languages, enabling MLAs to speak in these languages in the Assembly and enabling state-level examinations in regional languages. Both moves signal a larger national shift: from English-as-default toward linguistic inclusion — but the debate over whether this promotes equity or creates new barriers is far from settled.
🤔 Your Perspective Matters
India’s National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 emphasises mother-tongue-based learning. AICTE-VAANI extends this to technical domains like AI and Quantum Computing. Meghalaya now allows legislative debate in Khasi and Garo. But English remains the dominant language for competitive exams, job markets, and global opportunities.
Should India aggressively transition technical and higher education to regional languages — or does doing so risk deepening inequalities between those with English access and those without?
Should India aggressively transition technical and higher education to regional languages — or does doing so risk deepening inequalities between those with English access and those without?
- AICTE-VAANI covers 16 technology areas including AI and Cybersecurity in 22 scheduled languages. If cutting-edge technical knowledge is conveyed in regional languages, does this genuinely democratise access — or does it create a ceiling that prevents Indian graduates from competing globally where English-language resources and networks dominate?
- Meghalaya’s move to enable MLAs to debate in Khasi and Garo represents language as a tool of democratic empowerment. But should the same logic apply to judiciary and bureaucracy? What are the constitutional and practical implications of multilingual public administration under the Eighth Schedule framework?
- India hosts 43 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and World Heritage Day 2026 focuses on ‘Living Heritage’ — traditions and cultural knowledge — in conflict and disaster contexts. How does the preservation of indigenous languages connect to the preservation of intangible cultural heritage? Is a language ordinance a heritage intervention as much as a governance one?
We’d love to hear your thoughts! Share your perspective in the comments.
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