International
International Romani Day — 8 April
Observed on 8 April every year, commemorating the 1st World Romani Congress (8 April 1971) held in Orpington, Kent, London, UK. Officially recognised at the 4th World Romani Congress, 1990 in Serock, Poland. Celebrates Romani culture and raises awareness of social, political, and economic issues. Note: UNESCO’s World Day of Romani Language is on 5 November (proposed by Croatia, 2015).
Business & Economy
Amul Crosses Rs 1 Trillion Turnover in FY26
Amul became the first Indian FMCG company to cross Rs 1 lakh crore (Rs 1 trillion) turnover in FY26. Marketing arm GCMMF reported Rs 73,450 crore revenue (up 11.4% from Rs 65,911 crore in FY25). Amul has 3.6 million dairy farmers; 31 million litres milk/day; 1,200+ products; markets in 50+ countries. GCMMF MD: Jayen Mehta; HQ: Anand, Gujarat. Ranked No. 1 cooperative globally by ICA in November 2025.
Environment
NBA Notifies Two New National Repositories
National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) notified two new repositories under Section 39 of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002: (1) Referral Centre Bhavasagara at CMLRE, Kochi (deep-sea biodiversity; 3,500+ specimens; under MoES); (2) MACS Collection at ARI, Pune (microorganisms & fungal cultures). Total national repositories now: 20. NBA: statutory body under MoEFCC; HQ: Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
Banking
Bank of Baroda Launches ‘bob SAMVAD’
bob SAMVAD is India’s industry-first AI-powered multilingual conversational platform supporting 22 Indian languages with real-time two-way communication and text-to-speech. Launched by M. Nagaraju (Secretary, DFS). Initially rolled out across 250 branches in 5 states: Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra. Bank of Baroda: Navratna PSB; est. 1908; HQ: Vadodara, Gujarat; 3rd largest PSB by assets.
Technology
KreditBee Joins Unicorn Club — 3rd of 2026
KreditBee raised USD 280 million (Series E) at a post-money valuation of USD 1.5 billion — becoming India’s 3rd unicorn of 2026 (after Neysa and Juspay). Led by Motilal Oswal Alternates, Hornbill Capital, and Dragon Funds. Founded 2016; CEO: Madhusudan Ekambaram; operates via RBI-registered NBFC KrazyBee Services; Bengaluru-based. Metrics: 230 million+ app downloads; 18 million+ unique loan customers; AUM USD 1.5 billion (March 2026).
Geopolitics
Tô Lâm — Vietnam’s Consolidated Leader
Tô Lâm re-elected as President of Vietnam on 9 April 2026 (unanimously; 495/495 NA deputies) for term 2026–2031, while simultaneously serving as Party General Secretary of CPV — historic consolidation of roles. In the same session, Le Minh Hung (former Governor, State Bank of Vietnam) was elected Prime Minister. Vietnam: Socialist Republic; capital Hanoi; currency Vietnamese Dong; ASEAN member.
Regulatory
SEBI’s One-Time IPO & MPS Extension
SEBI granted two one-time reliefs citing geopolitical uncertainties: (1) IPO Observation Letters expiring between 1 April – 30 September 2026 extended to 30 September 2026; (2) MPS (Minimum Public Shareholding) compliance deadlines in the same window extended to 30 September 2026. MPS threshold: 25% — ensures minimum public ownership in listed companies to prevent promoter concentration. SEBI: statutory body under SEBI Act, 1992; HQ: Mumbai.
Governance
Bhopal RPO — First Braille & Sign Language Passport Services
RPO Bhopal became the first Regional Passport Office in India to launch Braille script and sign language services for differently-abled applicants. Inaugurated by B.S. Mubarak (Joint Secretary, PSP & Chief Passport Officer). Services: Braille booklets & signage (visually impaired); Sign Language videos via QR codes (speech/hearing-impaired). Passport Seva Programme (PSP) is under Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). RPO Bhopal serves Madhya Pradesh.
Health Policy
Telangana Declares Cancer a Notifiable Disease
Telangana declared cancer a notifiable disease to strengthen NCD monitoring and establish a centralised cancer registry. Mehdi Nawaz Jung Institute of Oncology and Regional Cancer Centre, Hyderabad designated as Centre of Excellence (CoE) for data validation. A state portal will enable digital reporting with strict patient data confidentiality. AstraZeneca signed an MoU with Telangana to implement AI-enabled lung cancer screening.
Infrastructure
DCIL Signs MoU with Colombo Dockyard PLC
DCIL = Dredging Corporation of India Limited; incorporated March 1976; HQ: Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh; under Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW). MoU signed with Sri Lanka’s Colombo Dockyard PLC (CDPLC) — Sri Lanka’s premier shipbuilding & repair company listed on Colombo Stock Exchange — for strategic alliance in shipbuilding, ship repair, and maritime services. Signed by Captain S. Divakar (MD & CEO, DCIL) and Thimira S. Godakumbura (MD & CEO, CDPLC).