23 April 2026 — Daily Current Affairs Quiz
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Culture
World Book and Copyright Day — UNESCO World Book Capital 2026
Observed 23 April annually; established by UNESCO in 1995. 2026 theme: ‘Go All In on Reading’. World Book Capital 2026: Rabat, Morocco (26th city; selected jointly by UNESCO, IPA, IBF, IFLA). Previous: Rio de Janeiro (2025), Strasbourg (2024), Accra (2023). First capital: Madrid (2001). Date honours anniversaries of William Shakespeare, Miguel de Cervantes, and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega.
Environment
Eco-Sensitive Zone — Barasingha Wildlife Sanctuary, UP
MoEFCC notified 408.7 sq. km ESZ around Barasingha Wildlife Sanctuary, Uttar Pradesh in April 2026. Covers five districts: Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, Hapur, Bijnor, Amroha. Biodiversity: 41 mammals, 373 birds, 280+ plant species (81 medicinal). Barasingha named after swamp deer (Rucervus duvaucelii). ESZs act as transition/buffer zones between protected areas and human activity to minimise human-wildlife conflict.
International
VP Radhakrishnan’s Historic Sri Lanka Visit
VP C P Radhakrishnan visited Sri Lanka on 19–20 April 2026 — first bilateral visit by an Indian Vice President to Sri Lanka. Met President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and PM Harini Amarasuriya. Key outcomes: Phase III of Indian Housing Project (4,000 houses); CEWET scholarships expanded from 350 to 700; Sri Lanka joins India’s IBCA (International Big Cat Alliance); Bailey bridges and Northern Railway Line support post-Cyclone Ditwah.
Defence
TRAWL Assembly Contracts — T-72 & T-90 Tanks
MoD signed Rs 975 crore contracts on 21 April 2026 with BEML and Electro Pneumatics and Hydraulics (India) for TRAWL (Tank Mine Roller Assembly) for T-72 (Ajeya) and T-90 (Bhishma) tanks. Under Buy-IDDM category; developed by DRDO. Purpose: minefield breaching — creating vehicle-safe lanes through minefields including those with proximity magnetic fuse anti-tank mines. MoD Secretary: Rajesh Kumar Singh.
Technology
ANNAM.AI — India’s First AI Agricultural Ecosystem (IIT Ropar)
IIT Ropar launched India’s first AI-based agricultural intelligence ecosystem — ANNAM.AI (Alliance for Next-Gen Nourishment through Agriculture Modernisation) — in April 2026. Three components: ‘Swan’ weather stations, Krishi Intelligence Call Centres, and Annam Chat Engine (ACE). Three AI layers: Infrastructure (data collection), Intelligence (analysis), Engagement (advisory). Goal: improve productivity, risk management, and farmer decision-making.
Monetary Policy
RBI E-Mandate Framework, 2026 — Digital Payments
RBI issued ‘Digital Payments — E-Mandate Framework, 2026’ in April 2026. Channels covered: UPI auto-pay, Debit & Credit cards, Prepaid Payment Instruments (PPI). NOT covered: Bharat QR Code. Key rules: one-time registration with Additional Factor Authentication (AFA); mandatory validity period per e-mandate; variable amounts with maximum cap for recurring transactions. Aims to consolidate and strengthen consumer protections in recurring digital payments.
Environment
Goldman Environmental Prize 2026 — All-Women Historic First
Founded 1989 by Rhoda and Richard Goldman, San Francisco; known as the ‘Green Nobel’. In 2026, for the first time in 37-year history, all six winners were women: Nigeria (Iroro Tanshi), South Korea (Borim Kim), UK (Sarah Finch), Papua New Guinea (Theonila Roka Matbob), USA (Alannah Acaq Hurley), Colombia (Yuvelis Morales Blanco). Ceremony: 20 April 2026, San Francisco; hosted by Vanessa Hauc. Total: 239 winners from 98 nations to date.
Sports
26th Laureus World Sports Awards 2026 — Key Winners
Held 20 April 2026, Cibeles Palace, Madrid. Hosts: Novak Djokovic and Eileen Gu. Winners: Team of the Year — Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) (first UEFA Champions League title, 5-0 vs Inter Milan); Sportsman — Carlos Alcaraz; Sportswoman — Aryna Sabalenka; Comeback — Rory McIlroy; Breakthrough — Lando Norris; Lamine Yamal — youngest double Laureus winner at age 18.
Climate
Tata Steel EASyMelt Technology — Green Steel at Jamshedpur
Tata Steel signed definitive agreement (April 2026) with Paul Wurth S.A. (SMS Group, Germany/Luxembourg) for world’s first large-scale EASyMelt (Electrically Assisted Syngas Smelter). Location: ‘E’ Blast Furnace (649 m³), Jamshedpur, Jharkhand. Technology: replaces coal with syngas + plasma torches — a retrofit solution. Target: over 50% CO2 reduction. Tata Steel net-zero target: 2045. Initial MoU: June 2023. CEO & MD: T V Narendran.
International
WEF Young Global Leaders Class of 2026 — Indian Representation
WEF announced YGL Class of 2026 in April 2026 — 118 leaders from 55 countries. 10 Indians featured, including Jay Shah (Chairman, ICC), Isha Ambani (Director, Reliance Retail Ventures), Sumit Gupta, Abhishek Bansal, and Ameye Sharma. YGL programme established 2004; targets leaders under 40; five-year structured programme based in Geneva. Focus: cross-sector collaboration on global challenges across government, business, and civil society.
🎴 Revision Flashcards
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Which city is the UNESCO World Book Capital for 2026?
Rabat, Morocco — the 26th World Book Capital
2026 theme: ‘Go All In on Reading’; previous: Rio de Janeiro (2025)
Tap to Reveal
What is the area of the ESZ declared around Barasingha Wildlife Sanctuary in UP?
408.7 sq. km — across 5 districts (Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, Hapur, Bijnor, Amroha)
Declared by MoEFCC; sanctuary named after swamp deer (Rucervus duvaucelii)
Tap to Reveal
What was historically unique about VP Radhakrishnan’s April 2026 Sri Lanka visit?
First bilateral visit by an Indian Vice President to Sri Lanka
Met President Anura Kumara Dissanayake; CEWET scholarships doubled to 700; Sri Lanka joins IBCA
Tap to Reveal
TRAWL Assembly contracts (Rs 975 crore) are for which two Indian Army tanks?
T-72 (Ajeya) and T-90 (Bhishma)
TRAWL = Tank Mine Roller Assembly; BEML & Electro Pneumatics; Buy-IDDM category; developed by DRDO
Tap to Reveal
Which payment channel is NOT covered under RBI’s E-Mandate Framework, 2026?
Bharat QR Code
Covered channels: UPI auto-pay, Debit/Credit cards, PPIs; requires one-time AFA registration
Tap to Reveal
Who founded the Goldman Environmental Prize, and in which year?
Rhoda and Richard Goldman — 1989, San Francisco
Known as the ‘Green Nobel’; 2026 first year with all-women winners; 239 winners from 98 nations
Tap to Reveal
What does EASyMelt stand for and what is its CO2 reduction target?
Electrically Assisted Syngas Smelter — over 50% CO2 reduction
Tata Steel + Paul Wurth S.A.; ‘E’ Blast Furnace, Jamshedpur; net-zero target 2045
Tap to Reveal
Jay Shah was featured in WEF YGL Class of 2026. In what capacity?
Chairman, International Cricket Council (ICC)
WEF YGL 2026: 118 leaders, 55 countries, 10 Indians; programme est. 2004 for leaders under 40
Think & Discuss
Green Steel or Green Delay? Should India Prioritise Industrial Decarbonisation Through Retrofits Like EASyMelt — or Is the Focus on New Green-Field Plants More Impactful?
Context from today’s quiz: Tata Steel’s agreement to deploy EASyMelt — a retrofit technology that replaces coal with syngas and plasma torches in existing blast furnaces — promises over 50% CO2 reduction without dismantling costly existing infrastructure. India’s steel sector is one of its largest carbon emitters, and with a net-zero target of 2045, the choice between retrofitting legacy plants and building fresh green-field facilities has enormous consequences for industrial policy, employment, and climate commitments. Simultaneously, IIT Ropar’s ANNAM.AI initiative and the RBI’s E-Mandate Framework signal India’s broader push to use technology to modernise traditional sectors.
🤔 Your Perspective Matters
India’s industrial decarbonisation challenge is one of the most consequential policy debates of this decade. Retrofit technologies like EASyMelt offer faster, cheaper deployment paths — but critics argue they are transitional half-measures that lock in legacy infrastructure rather than driving a complete green transition.
Should India’s industrial climate policy prioritise deep retrofitting of existing plants (like EASyMelt at Jamshedpur) as the pragmatic path to decarbonisation — or should policy incentives be redirected toward building entirely new green-field facilities powered by hydrogen and renewable energy?
Should India’s industrial climate policy prioritise deep retrofitting of existing plants (like EASyMelt at Jamshedpur) as the pragmatic path to decarbonisation — or should policy incentives be redirected toward building entirely new green-field facilities powered by hydrogen and renewable energy?
- EASyMelt achieves over 50% CO2 reduction — but not net zero. Given India’s 2045 Tata Steel target and broader 2070 national net-zero commitment, is a 50% reduction sufficient progress, or does it merely delay the inevitable replacement of coal-based steelmaking infrastructure?
- The Goldman Environmental Prize 2026 celebrated all-women grassroots environmental activists — yet global decarbonisation is predominantly driven by large industrial agreements. How can India bridge the gap between community-level environmental action and large-scale industrial green transitions to ensure both are advanced simultaneously?
- IIT Ropar’s ANNAM.AI for agriculture and EASyMelt for steel both use technology to modernise traditional Indian sectors without displacing existing structures. Does this ‘retrofit-and-modernise’ philosophy represent a distinctly Indian development model — and is it the right framework for India’s broader economic transformation?
We’d love to hear your thoughts! Share your perspective in the comments.
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