UPSC Current Affairs April 2026 — PIB & The Hindu
All UPSC-relevant current affairs for April 2026, rated and summarised from PIB and The Hindu, with practice MCQs.
PIB press releases
- UPI completes 10 glorious years, Emerges as World’s Largest Real-Time Payments Platform, Anchoring India’s Digital Economy
- Jammu Directly Linked with Kashmir via Passenger Train for the First Time
- A New Era of Online Gaming Governance
- NSO 80th Round Survey on Household Social Consumption on Health Highlights Transformative Progress in India’s Healthcare System
- India Meets All-Time Highest Peak Power Demand of ~256 GW Without Shortage
- QUICK ESTIMATE OF INDEX OF INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION AND USE-BASED INDEX FOR THE MONTH OF MARCH 2026
- After Russia, India to be the second country in the world operating a commercial-level Fast Breeder Reactor; an indigenously designed Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) achieving first criticality is a significant mil...
- Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Shri Piyush Goyal and New Zealand’s Minister for Trade and Investment Hon. Todd McClay sign the landmark India–New Zealand Free Trade Agreement
- India – New Zealand Free Trade Agreement Signed
- A Ride through the Inland Waterways of India
- Small Hydro Power Development Scheme
- DPIIT Issues Operational Guidelines for ₹10,000 Crore Startup India Fund of Funds 2.0 to Streamline Capital Deployment
- Census 2027: India’s First Digital Enumeration Exercise
- Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Rules, 2026
- Shri Bhupender Yadav announces Shekha Jheel Bird Sanctuary as India’s 99th Ramsar site; Uttar Pradesh’s tally rises to 12
- PM to visit Rajasthan on 21st April
- PRESS NOTE HOUSEHOLD SOCIAL CONSUMPTION: HEALTH JANUARY – DECEMBER, 2025
- Cabinet approves Continuation of Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana-III (PMGSY-III) beyond March 2025 upto March 2028
- Cabinet approves proposal for creation of ‘Bharat Maritime Insurance Pool’ (BMI pool) with a sovereign guarantee of Rs 12,980 crore to facilitate continuous maritime insurance coverages
- Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah replies in Lok Sabha to the discussion on the Delimitation Bill, 2026; the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026; and the Union Territories Laws (Amendme...
- Text of the Reference made in the House today by Shri C. P. Radhakrishnan, Hon'ble Chairman, Rajya Sabha, on a significant milestone in India’s journey of scientific progress and technological self-reliance
- Government Notifies India’s First Chip Fabrication Plant at SEZ Dholera
- Government Constitutes AI Governance and Economic Group (AIGEG) to Lead India’s National AI Governance Strategy
- Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah intervenes in the discussion in the Lok Sabha on the Delimitation Bill, 2026, the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, and the Union Territories Laws (...
- Field operations for the Houselisting and Housing Census to begin in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Goa, Karnataka, Lakshadweep, Mizoram, Odisha, Sikkim and NDMC & Delhi Cantonment Board area in Delhi from tomorrow
- Union Minister Shri Manohar Lal Launches Operational Guidelines for Urban Challenge Fund
- Government notifies Startup India Fund of Funds 2.0 with ₹10,000 crore corpus to mobilize capital for startups
- Long Range Forecast For the 2026 Southwest Monsoon Season Rainfall
- Sagarmala: Transforming India’s Maritime Landscape
- India Ranks third globally in Renewable Energy Installed Capacity: Shri Pralhad Joshi
- National Quantum Mission achieves 1,000-km secure communication milestone in under 3 years of its launch: Dr. Jitendra Singh
- Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor at Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu attains First Criticality
- A New Chapter in India's Nuclear Journey
- Prime Minister congratulates scientists and engineers as Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor at Kalpakkam attains criticality
- India achieves highest-ever annual wind energy addition of 6.05 GW in 2025–26
- India’s Resilient Production Systems in Agriculture
- Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2026
- Indian Navy’s latest stealth frigate ‘INS Taragiri’ commissioned in Visakhapatnam
- Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2026: Rationalizing Compliance and Decriminalizing Minor Offences in the Health Sector
- Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha Pass Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2026
- Defence exports skyrocket to record Rs 38,424 crore in Financial Year 2025-26, a massive 62.66% increase over previous fiscal
- PARLIAMENT QUESTION: NUCLEAR ENERGY SECTOR
- PARLIAMENT QUESTION: RARE EARTH CORRIDORS
- Income-tax Act, 2025 comes into force from today (1st April, 2026)
- India–New Zealand FTA Elevates Ayush to Global Platform, Unlocks New Pathways for Wellness Professionals
- ECI Introduces QR-Based ID System to Strengthen Security at Counting Centres
- Invest India Facilitates 60 Projects Worth Over USD 6.1 Billion in FY 2025–26, Generating Over 31,000 Jobs
- Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah along with Union Minister of Communications Shri Jyotiraditya Scindia to Launch Nationwide Mobile-Based Disaster Communication Systems
- National Asset Reconstruction Company Limited (NARCL) Strengthens India’s Stressed Asset Resolution Framework, Accelerates Recoveries in FY 2025–26
- India Advances Critical Mineral Security: 58 Companies Eligible for Recycling Scheme
- Pan-India Testing of Indigenous Cell Broadcast System Underway for Rapid Disaster Alerts
- DRDO & Indian Navy successfully conduct maiden salvo launch of Naval Anti-ship Missile-Short Range
- India has significantly expanded its Doppler Weather Radar (DWR) network since 2014, increasing from 14 operational units to 50, marking over 250% rise: Dr Jitendra Singh
- Reform‑Linked MoUs signed with Uttarakhand, Karnataka and Tripura under Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0
- Panchayat Advancement Index (PAI) 2.0 Report Out: 3635 Panchayats Emerge as Front Runners
- “India Sets Course for Atmanirbhar Shipping; Plans 62 Vessels in FY 2026–27 with ₹51,383 Crore Investment:” Sarbananda Sonowal
- Release of Publication “Women and Men in India 2025: Selected Indicators and Data”
- India Strengthens Energy Security: Historic First — Coal Mine Development Agreements with Underground Coal Gasification Provisions Signed
- Raksha Mantri holds bilateral meetings with his Kyrgyz, Kazakh & Belarusian counterparts in Bishkek to further strengthen defence cooperation
- Op Sindoor demonstrated India’s firm resolve that terrorism epicentres are no longer immune to justifiable punishment: Raksha Mantri at SCO Defence Ministers’ Meeting in Kyrgyzstan
- “Empowering women is central to building a Viksit Bharat”: Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya
- Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw Announces Gazette Notification for South Coastal Railway and Major Expansion in Andhra Pradesh
- NITI Aayog Launches DPI@2047 Roadmap to Advance Inclusive and Productivity-Led Growth
- Prime Minister hails India-New Zealand FTA as landmark moment, says it will add unprecedented momentum to developmental partnership
- Raksha Mantri to lead Indian delegation at SCO Defence Ministers’ Meeting in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
- An Approach Paper to Compilation of the Index of Service Production (ISP) for the formal sector of the economy
- Dr Jitendra Singh reviews plan to set up Space laboratories in Universities and Colleges across India; with seven such labs to be established in the first phase
- Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Shri Piyush Goyal and New Zealand Minister for Trade and Investment Mr. Todd McClay Lead Industry Engagement in Agra Ahead of India–New Zealand FTA Signing
- DRDO unveils Advanced Armoured Platforms (Tracked & Wheeled)
- Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs delivers keynote address at 38th SEBI Foundation Day celebrations
- Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan (NMBA) 2.0 App launched to strengthen monitoring and institutional coordination under National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction (NAPDDR)
- NITI Aayog releases report on “Moving Towards Effective City Government – A Framework for Million-Plus Cities”
- Visit of Indian delegation for discussions on Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) between India-United States (U.S.) from 20th-23rd April 2026 at Washington D.C.
- Indigenously Developed Silicon Photonics Technology Solutions Launched
- Financial Incentives for undertaking mining reforms by States included in the Scheme for Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment FY 2026-27
- Rashtriya Panchayati Raj Diwas
- General Elections to Legislative Assemblies and bye-elections 2026
- Government Brings SAF-Blended Aviation Fuel Under ATF Control Order
- Insurance for All: Expanding Coverage, Strengthening Social Security
- Highlights of Telecom Subscription Data at the end of March 2026
- Union Minister Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia releases revised guidelines for Technology Development and Investment Promotion (TDIP) Scheme to strengthen India’s global telecom footprint
- MCA expands eligibility criteria of the Prime Minister Internship Scheme (PMIS) to include final-year graduate and post graduate students
- Raksha Mantri & his German counterpart hold bilateral talks in Berlin to bolster strategic defence partnership
- Atal Pension Yojana (APY) Crosses Historic Milestone: Total Gross Enrolments Surpass 9 Crore
- India Records Historic Growth in Wind Energy with 6.1 GW Addition in 2025–26: New & Renewable Energy Minister
- India’s Seafood Exports Hit All-Time High of ₹72,000 Crore
- India’s Seafood Exports Cross ₹72,000 Crore, Reach All-Time High in the history of marine products exports from the country; Frozen Shrimp Leads Exports; USA and China Remain Top Importers
- India and Republic of Korea Sign MoU to Strengthen Cooperation in MSME Sector
- Strengthening India’s Food Processing Ecosystem
- India- Republic of Korea Joint Statement on Energy Resource Security
- Joint Strategic Vision for India-ROK Special Strategic Partnership
- India-ROK Comprehensive Framework for Partnership in Shipbuilding, Shipping and Maritime Logistics
- List of Outcomes: State Visit of President of Republic of Korea to India
- INDEX OF EIGHT CORE INDUSTRIES (BASE YEAR: 2011-12=100) FOR MARCH, 2026
- Government Approves Additional 25 LMT Wheat Exports to Support Farmers and Stabilise Markets
- From Margins to Mainstream
- Groundbreaking of India’s First Advanced 3D Semiconductor Packaging Unit in Odisha; Major Boost to AI, 5G and Defence Tech
- DURING SEVENTH SESSION OF 18TH LOK SABHA, PRODUCTIVITY WAS AROUND 93 PERCENT: LOK SABHA SPEAKER
- Cabinet approves additional instalment of Dearness Allowance to Central Government employees and Dearness Relief (DR) to pensioners w.e.f. 01.01.2026
- Government Constitutes Technology and Policy Expert Committee (TPEC) to Provide Expert Advisory Support to India’s AI Governance Architecture
- Both Houses of Parliament Adjourn Sine-Die
- Protection and Conservation of Monuments in India
- Government Expands Coverage of RELIEF Scheme Amid West Asia Geopolitical Developments
- Government recognizes more than 55,200 startups during FY 2025-26, highest ever in a single year since launch of Startup India initiative
- Major Policy Drive by NBA to Streamline ABS Fund Utilisation; Guidelines for Designated Repositories Revised
- NHA Convenes Two-Day Chintan Shivir in Pune on AB PM-JAY and ABDM to review and accelerate AB PM-JAY and ABDM Implementation
- Workshop on SHANTI Act, 2025: Enabling India’s 100 GW Nuclear Power Roadmap through Public–Private Partnership
- The River Basin Management Scheme: Strengthening Water Governance
- List of outcomes: Visit of Federal Chancellor of Austria Dr. Christian Stocker to India
- The cumulative exports (merchandise & services) during FY 2025-26 (April-March) is estimated at US$ 860.09 Billion, as compared to US$ 825.26 Billion in FY 2024-25 (April-March), an estimated growth of 4.22%.
- Index Numbers of Wholesale Price in India for the Month of March, 2026 (Base Year: 2011-12)
- DoT and SEBI Sign MoU to Strengthen Fight Against Telecom-Linked Financial Frauds
- MONTHLY BULLETIN OF PERIODIC LABOUR FORCE SURVEY (PLFS)
- Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi inaugurates Delhi–Dehradun Economic Corridor
- Updates on Key Sectors in View of Developments in West Asia
- Mission Poshan 2.0 Strengthening India’s Nutrition Ecosystem
- PM to visit Uttarakhand and UP on 14 April
- e-SafeHER – a Cyber Security Awareness Training Programme to enable one million Cyber Sakhis across rural India
- PRESS RELEASE OF CONSUMER PRICE INDEX ON BASE 2024=100 FOR MARCH, 2026
- National Agriculture Market (e-NAM)
The Hindu
- Hate speech stems from ‘us versus them’ mindset: SC
- Compounding gains
- A recusal test the Delhi High Court failed
- The RTE Act and the idea of social inclusion
- India, New Zealand sign ‘historic’ trade deal
- Electoral roll purges raise constitutional questions
- New Zealand, India to sign free trade pact today; tariffs to be removed on all exports
- Scaling climate adaptation from policy to grassroots
- What Telangana’s survey shows about caste inequality
- Centre makes registration for e-sports mandatory
- West Bengal tribunals dispose of 657 cases, 139 allowed to vote
- Mamata-ED dispute not a Centre-State issue, says SC
- Beyond trade deals to building a new architecture
- Tamil Nadu and the climate question
- India must draw a red line on U.S. unilateral sanctions
- Delimitation — a case of to be or not to be
- On delimitation and Parliament seats
- United Opposition defeats Delimitation Bill
- Voters cleared by tribunals by April 21, 27 can vote: SC
- Stalin burns copy of the Delimitation Bill as T.N. protests
- India’s rural models are shaping development diplomacy
- States’ seats will rise 50% after delimitation: Centre
- Women’s reservation and delimitation should be delinked
- Implications of increasing the size of the Lok Sabha
- How proposed delimitation would redraw political map
- Centre moots inter-State redistribution of Lok Sabha seats based on 2011 Census
- A promising hate speech Bill, with gaps
- SC tells EC that voting is a sentimental right
- Delimitation will not affect southern States: Goyal
- Rise in middle class vulnerability
- Tapping fisheries in reservoirs
- Inside the world of shadow libraries: digital piracy, AI, and the fight for access
- An alternative to Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhisthan Bill
- West Asia war cuts India’s growth outlook to 6.6%
- Climate change reshaping disease patterns, straining health systems: report
- Jan Vishwas 2.0 is all about trust-based compliance
- Supreme Court begins review of 2018 ruling on Sabarimala shrine
- Delimitation, women’s reservation, political dynamics
- Limits of neutrality in addressing caste
- On India’s updated climate pledges
- SC denies Bengal plea to stay voter roll freeze
- A disturbing step for rights, dignity and mental health
- Transforming India’s nuclear power landscape
- The executive office without a limit
- What are the concerns over the FCRA Bill?
- How did the ‘Amaravati Bill’ come into place?
- ECI transfer controversy, top court’s clarifications
- Centre puts off FCRA Bill as protests erupt in LS
- Earth’s orbits are filling up because governance hasn’t kept pace
- On global tensions and India’s economy
- HC appoints Hindu couple as Muslim child’s legal guardian
- Judiciary chapter in NCERT textbook was reviewed ‘at highest level’, SC told
- Development of Indian Railways
- Rajnath seeks unified SCO approach to end menace of terrorism
- Child rights body condemns TVK’s political messaging, files plaint with EC
- SC seeks meeting to discuss CCTV funds for police stations
- Rahul meets Nicobarese community, promises to fight against infra project
- BJD seeks ‘urgent, decisive’ EC intervention on its Rajya Sabha polling complaint
- A face of Pompeii
- CIA activities: MPs’ fears allayed
- SC orders status quo in Asaram Trust land case
- BJD seeks disqualification of MLAs who cross-voted in Rajya Sabha poll
- Seizures of inducements in Bengal surpassed ₹510 crore: EC
- Rajnath in Bishkek for SCO meeting
- SC takes suo motu notice of stabbing of woman advocate
- Can middle school students engage with AI?
- RBI tightens bad loan rules to align with global norms
- At Chintan Shivir, DNT enumeration in Census discussed
- Hanging glaciers: NGT issues notice to Centre
- Meant to protect free speech, ‘merger’ now a defence for joining rival camp
- Poll body suspends five police officials in West Bengal
- U.S. slaps sanctions on China-based refinery, shippers over Iran oil trade
- Record poll turnout in Bengal, T.N. shows citizens’ strength: SC
- ‘Constructive’ trade deal talks held with U.S.: India
- The crisis of urban electoral disenfranchisement
- Net FDI hits 45-month high in Feb., breaks six-month ‘jinx’
- RBI cancels banking licence of Paytm Payments Bank
- Bill to allow assisted dying in England and Wales is set to fall as time runs out
- Supreme Court questions ED’s rule of law breach claim in West Bengal
- State support key for tribal welfare, says Social Justice Ministry report
- Protecting public against money-lenders
- Iran seizes two ships hours after Trump extends truce
- EC notice to Cong. chief for remark against PM
- Election-related seizures crossed ₹1,000 cr. in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, says poll body
- SC directs committee to formulate plan for disabled-friendly prisons
- Lunar governance should be multilateral
- On the Yashwant Varma probe’s future
- SBI seeks review of SC verdict barring use of spectrum as an ‘asset’ in IBC proceedings
- With tariffs stalled, U.S. President Donald Trump’s China policy drifts
- U.S. limits sharing of intelligence with Seoul on North Korea: report
- SC to seek a report on the functioning of tribunals for SIR
- EC will ensure free, fair and transparent election in Bengal: CEC
- ‘Upgrading India-Korea trade pact for balanced partnership’
- SEBI amends alternative investment fund rules
- Musk’s offshore tax tricks likely saved Tesla hundreds of millions
- Anti-sacrilege Bill has now become law with assent of Governor, says Punjab CM
- ‘Implement women’s Act without any conditions’
- EC takes action against 11,000 ‘unlawful’ posts
- ‘Nuclear plants require lifetime commitment’
- Allies fear a rushed U.S.-Iran agremeent could leave behind technical deadlocks
- ‘Why delay the 2023 Act?’: women’s reservation comes full circle as govt.’s ‘U-turn’ fails in LS
- ‘Centre’s conspiracy to permanently stay in power thwarted’
- Parliament adjourns sine die after Bill’s defeat
- ‘Only voters allowed within 100 m of booths’
- Address representation gaps in Sixth Schedule areas: MPs
- SC warns Rajasthan, M.P., U.P. over illegal mining in Chambal sanctuary
- SC asks if judges must rise above religious beliefs in matters of conscience
- Opposition has blocked an attempt to alter electoral framework of India: Rahul
- Rahul’s ‘no wife issue’ remark elicits laughter in LS
- ‘Centre’s approach to delimitation wrong’
- Deservedly dead
- IMF, World Bank restore relations with Venezuela; detainees released
- South’s share of seats will not be cut, PM and Shah tell Lok Sabha
- No injustice to any State with Delimitation Bill, says Modi
- Minorities will lose political, electoral power, says NC MP
- TDP sought clarity from govt. on South’s seat share
- Women MPs welcome Bill, against its ‘weaponisation’
- ‘Delimitation with old data can upset electoral framework’
- Left parties oppose delimitation, back women’s reservation
- Support Delimitation Bill if Odisha’s interests are protected: Naveen to MPs