Daily Current Affairs

The United Nations’ World Autism Awareness Day (WAAD) is observed every year on 2 April to raise awareness about Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and promote the rights and inclusion of autistic individuals. The 2026 theme is ‘Autism and Humanity — Every Life Has Value.’

In March 2026, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) officially designated the Bhavasagara Referral Centre at the Centre for Marine Living Resources & Ecology (CMLRE) in Kochi, Kerala as a National Repository for Deep-sea Fauna.

• Legal Basis — Granted under Section 39 of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002; designates CMLRE as a key national facility for conservation, research, and documentation of India’s deep-sea biodiversity.
• Key Function 1 — Secure Custody: Preserves representative biological samples as voucher specimens with essential data including DNA sequences.
• Key Function 2 — Type Specimens: Official custodian of newly discovered deep-sea species.
• Key Function 3 — Capacity Building: Promotes expertise in deep-sea taxonomy in line with the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021–2030).

In March 2026, the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) under MoEFCC announced that India has emerged as the global leader in issuing Internationally Recognised Certificates of Compliance (IRCCs) under the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS).

• Key Driver: India’s effective implementation of the ABS framework under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002.
• Nagoya Protocol: Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and Fair & Equitable Sharing of Benefits; under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD); India ratified in 2012.
• Nodal Authority: National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) — India’s implementing body for the Nagoya Protocol.

In April 2026, the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) in partnership with the United Nations Resident Coordinator Office (UNRCO) developed the India Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Dashboard — a centralised data platform to monitor India’s progress on SDG indicators.

• Alignment: With India’s SDGs-National Indicator Framework (NIF); covers all 17 SDGs and 169 targets under the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
• e-Sankhyiki Portal: Provides time-series data on macroeconomic indicators.
• Advance Release Calendar (ARC): Ensures timely dissemination of statistical data.

In March 2026, the Ministry of Education (MoE) in collaboration with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) launched a new Curriculum on Computational Thinking (CT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Classes 3 to 8, to be implemented from the 2026–27 academic session.

• Documents Released: Curriculum, Teachers’ Handbook, and Learning Materials (3 key documents).
• Classes 3–5: Activity-based learning with basic computational thinking and logic-building exercises.
• Classes 6–8: Introduction to AI concepts, coding fundamentals, and real-world applications.
• Focus Areas: Foundational AI concepts, coding, data handling, logical reasoning, and algorithmic thinking.
• Policy Alignment: National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) 2023.

In April 2026, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) under the Ministry of Communications extended the deadline for Over-The-Top (OTT) platforms to implement Subscriber Identity Module (SIM)-binding by 31 December 2026. The earlier 90-day timeline had come into effect from 1 March 2026 (directive issued 28 November 2025).

• SIM-Binding: Requires OTT applications to remain continuously linked to a mobile number, preventing use without an active SIM — aims to curb cybercrimes like digital arrest scams and financial frauds.
• Key Update: DoT replaced the earlier six-hour automatic logout rule with a risk-based mechanism — sessions terminated only in suspected fraud cases, reducing user inconvenience.
• Legal Framework: Issued under Telecommunications (Telecom Cyber Security) Rules, 2024, under the Telecommunications Act, 2023 (which replaced the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885).

On 1 April 2026, Bharat Coal Gasification and Chemicals Limited (BCGCL) and Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL), a subsidiary of Coal India Limited (CIL), signed a land lease agreement for setting up India’s first indigenous coal-to-ammonium nitrate project at Lakhanpur, Odisha, in the presence of Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy (Ministry of Coal and Mines).

• BCGCL: Bharat Coal Gasification and Chemicals Limited; JV of CIL (51%) and BHEL (49%); incorporated 21 May 2024; HQ: Lakhanpur, Jharsuguda, Odisha.
• MCL: Mahanadi Coalfields Limited; subsidiary of CIL under Ministry of Coal; HQ: Sambalpur, Odisha.
• Coal Gasification: Converts coal into synthesis gas (syngas) for producing chemicals, fuels, and fertilisers — supports Atmanirbhar Bharat and reduces import dependency.

On 1 April 2026, Vice President (VP) of India and Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, Chandrapuram Ponnusami (C.P.) Radhakrishnan, released the book ‘Tides of Time: Bharat’s History through Murals in Parliament’ authored by Sudha Murty (Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha), at Samvidhan Sadan, New Delhi.

• Publisher: Lok Sabha Secretariat — documents visual archives of Parliament showcasing India’s civilizational journey through its murals.
• Content: Covers 124 mural panels (including 58 commissioned in 1954); traces India’s history from Mohenjo-daro (Indus Valley Civilization) to Independence in 1947.
• Legacy: Murals portray Bharat as ‘Mother of Democracy’ through systems like Vaishali and the Kudavolai system.
• Sudha Murty: Chairperson, Infosys Foundation; author, social worker, educator; appointed to Rajya Sabha by the President of India in 2024.

In April 2026, the Government of Meghalaya signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) with Starlink India (satellite internet service by SpaceX) to boost internet connectivity across the state, particularly in remote areas. With this, Meghalaya became the 3rd Indian state after Maharashtra and Gujarat to collaborate with Elon Musk’s satellite internet venture.

• Signatories: Sampath Kumar (Additional Chief Secretary, Meghalaya) and Gwynne Shotwell (President and COO, SpaceX), New Delhi.
• Focus Sectors: Education, healthcare, disaster management, and economic development.
• Starlink: SpaceX’s satellite internet service using Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites; provides low-latency broadband; approved by TRAI in India in 2025.

In March 2026, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) approved the IRDAI (Actuarial, Finance and Investment Functions of Insurers) (Amendment) Regulations, 2026 at its 135th Authority Meeting, mandating the India Accounting Standards (Ind AS) framework for insurers from 1 April 2026.

• Applicable to: All categories — Life, General, Stand Alone Health Insurers, and Reinsurers.
• Parallel Reporting: Financial statements to be prepared both under Ind AS and the existing accounting framework for 2 years.
• Expert Group: IRDAI constituted a joint expert group on Ind AS, chaired by Whole Time Member (WTM) Finance and Investment — currently Mr. Rajay Kumar Sinha; group to remain in force for 2 years.

In April 2026, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) approved Emirates NBD’s (ENBD PJSC) acquisition of a 60% stake (approvable up to 74%) in RBL Bank through a preferential allotment of equity shares — a deal valued at ~Rs 26,853 crore (~USD 3 billion), making it the largest Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the Indian banking sector ever.

• RBL Bank: Formerly Ratnakar Bank Limited; private sector bank established 1943; HQ: Mumbai, Maharashtra.
• Emirates NBD: UAE’s largest bank; HQ: Dubai, UAE; UAE government holds 56% stake; operates branches in Chennai, Gurugram, and Mumbai in India.
• Strategic Significance: Reflects the India–UAE IMEC (India-Middle East-Europe Corridor) economic partnership.

The 15th Meeting of the Conference of Parties (COP15) to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) was held under Brazil Presidency from 23 to 29 March 2026 in Campo Grande, Brazil, with 132 countries and the EU participating under the theme ‘Connecting Nature to Sustain Life.’

• Key Outcome: 40 species (subspecies and populations) newly included or reclassified under Appendices I and II, of which 16 are found in Brazil.
• World’s Migratory Species Report 2026: Nearly 49% of migratory species populations are declining; around 24% face risk of extinction.
• Next Steps: Brazil assumed CMS presidency for the next 3 years to oversee implementation of decisions.
• COP16: Germany announced as host in 2029 — to mark the 50th anniversary of CMS.

On 1 April 2026, Lieutenant General (Lt Gen) Dhiraj Seth assumed the office of the 49th Vice Chief of the Army Staff (VCOAS) of the Indian Army (IA).

• VCOAS Role: Second-highest ranking officer in the Indian Army; senior-most Principal Staff Officer (PSO) to the Chief of the Army Staff (COAS); senior adviser to the Ministry of Defence (MoD); manages strategic planning and operational logistics.

In March 2026, Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), a Schedule A Miniratna company under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways (MoPSW), delivered the second Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW-SWC) ‘Malwan’ to the Indian Navy (IN) at CSL, Kochi, Kerala.

• CSL: Cochin Shipyard Limited; Schedule A Miniratna CPSE; under MoPSW; HQ: Kochi, Kerala; India’s largest public sector shipyard; established 1972.
• Handover signed by: Dr. Harikrishnan S. (Director Operations, CSL) and Commander Pravin Kumar Tiwari (Commanding Officer, INS Malwan, Designate).

On 1 April 2026 at 6:35 PM EDT, NASA launched the Artemis II mission from Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Launch Complex 39B, Florida, USA using the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion crew capsule — marking the first human journey beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in December 1972 (over 53 years ago).

• Mission Duration: ~10-day journey around the Moon and back to Earth.
• Distance: ~406,000 km (252,000 miles) — farthest human spaceflight ever, surpassing Apollo 13.
• Mission Aim: Test spacecraft systems, crew performance, deep-space operations, life-support, and safety in high-radiation environment.
• Artemis Program: NASA’s flagship lunar program launched 2017; Artemis I (uncrewed) launched November 2022; Artemis III (lunar landing) planned 2028 on Artemis IV.
• SLS: Space Launch System — NASA’s most powerful rocket; only rocket that can send Orion, astronauts, and cargo directly to the Moon in a single launch.