Entrance & Scholarship Current Affairs One-liners — Last 6 months

Tue, 28 Apr 2026

• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh addressed the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers' Meeting in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on 28 April 2026, saying Operation Sindoor showed terrorism epicentres are no longer immune, and held bilaterals with Kyrgyz, Kazakh and Belarusian counterparts.

Mon, 27 Apr 2026

• India and New Zealand signed a Free Trade Agreement at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, on 27 April 2026, giving zero-duty access to 100% of India's exports, a USD 20 billion investment commitment and post-study work visas, while excluding dairy and key farm products.
• The Ministry of Home Affairs said on 27 April 2026 that online nominations for the Padma Awards 2027, which opened on 15 March 2026 on the Rashtriya Puraskar Portal, will close on 31 July 2026; the awards were instituted in 1954.
• NITI Aayog on 27 April 2026 launched 'DPI@2047 for Viksit Bharat', a roadmap developed with EkStep Foundation and Deloitte that sets out DPI 2.0 (2025–2035) and DPI 3.0 (2035–2047) with eight sectoral transformations.

Sun, 26 Apr 2026

• Raghu Rai, one of India's foremost photojournalists and the first Indian photographer invited to join Magnum Photos in 1977 on the nomination of Henri Cartier-Bresson, died in Delhi on 26 April 2026 at the age of 83; Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled his death.
• Union Minister Jitendra Singh on 26 April 2026 reviewed plans to set up space laboratories in universities and colleges, with seven labs in the first phase, as private investment in India's space sector crossed USD 600 million in five years and startups passed 400.
• In the 133rd episode of Mann Ki Baat on 26 April 2026, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the criticality of the Fast Breeder Reactor at Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu, said India's wind capacity has crossed 56 GW with India fourth in the world, and noted Beating Retreat music is now on WAVES OTT.

Sat, 25 Apr 2026

• DPIIT issued operational guidelines on 25 April 2026 for the ₹10,000 crore Startup India Fund of Funds 2.0, to be deployed through SEBI-registered Category I and II AIFs, with SIDBI as the initial Implementation Agency.
• India met its all-time highest peak electricity demand of 256.1 GW at 15:38 hrs on 25 April 2026 without any shortage, surpassing the previous record of 250 GW set on 30 May 2024, the Ministry of Power said.
• Census 2027 will be India's first digital enumeration using mobile-based data collection, the 16th census overall and 8th since Independence, with caste enumeration and an outlay of ₹11,718.24 crore, a PIB backgrounder said on 25 April 2026.

Fri, 24 Apr 2026

• Project DANTAK of the Border Roads Organisation celebrated its 66th Raising Day at Thimphu on 24 April 2026, marking 65 years of work in Bhutan since its establishment in April 1961, during which it has built over 1,500 km of roads.
• The Cabinet Secretariat notified on 24 April 2026 the reconstitution of NITI Aayog, with Ashok Kumar Lahiri as Vice Chairperson and Rajiv Gauba, K. V. Raju, Gobardhan Das, Abhay Karandikar and M. Srinivas as full-time members; NITI Aayog was constituted by a Cabinet resolution of 1 January 2015.
• On National Panchayati Raj Day, 24 April 2026, marking 33 years of the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj released the Panchayat Advancement Index (PAI) 2.0 report for FY 2023-24, which cut indicators from 516 to 150 and covered 97.30% of Gram Panchayats.

Thu, 23 Apr 2026

• An Indian delegation held in-person talks in Washington D.C. from 20 to 23 April 2026 to finalise details of the India–US Interim Agreement on trade and advance the broader Bilateral Trade Agreement, following the 7 February 2026 Joint Statement on a framework.
• A PIB backgrounder on 23 April 2026 said India is the 10th largest insurance market by premium volume (Swiss Re), the FDI limit in insurance has been raised to 100% under the Sabka Bima, Sabki Raksha (Amendment of Insurance Laws) Act, 2025, and IRDAI is working towards 'Insurance for All by 2047'.

Wed, 22 Apr 2026

• MeitY announced on 22 April 2026 the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Rules, 2026, framed under Section 19 of the PROG Act, 2025, which come into force on 1 May 2026 and set up the Online Gaming Authority of India.
• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius held talks in Berlin on 22 April 2026, where a Defence Industrial Cooperation Roadmap and an Implementing Arrangement for Cooperation in UN Peacekeeping Training were signed and exchanged.

Tue, 21 Apr 2026

• India's seafood exports reached a record ₹72,325.82 crore (US$8.28 billion) and 19.32 lakh tonnes in FY 2025–26, according to provisional MPEDA data released on 21 April 2026.
• The Atal Pension Yojana, administered by PFRDA, surpassed 9 crore total gross enrolments on 21 April 2026, after a record 1.35 crore enrolments in FY 2025–26.

Mon, 20 Apr 2026

• MoSPI released the 'Household Social Consumption: Health' survey of the NSS 80th round (January–December 2025) on 20 April 2026, showing 96% institutional deliveries and wider health insurance coverage.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung held talks in New Delhi on 20 April 2026 and announced a Joint Strategic Vision for the India–ROK Special Strategic Partnership for 2026–2030.

Sat, 18 Apr 2026

• Both Houses of Parliament were adjourned sine die on 18 April 2026, ending the Budget Session that began on 28 January, with 31 sittings, 9 Bills passed and productivity of about 93% in the Lok Sabha and about 110% in the Rajya Sabha.
• The Union Cabinet on 18 April 2026 approved continuation of Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana-III (PMGSY-III) beyond March 2025 up to March 2028, raising its outlay to ₹83,977 crore from ₹80,250 crore.
• The Union Cabinet on 18 April 2026 approved a domestic 'Bharat Maritime Insurance Pool' (BMI pool), backed by a sovereign guarantee of ₹12,980 crore, to keep maritime insurance available for Indian trade even through volatile sea corridors.

Fri, 17 Apr 2026

• The Government amended the Aviation Turbine Fuel (Regulation of Marketing) Order, 2001 by a notification dated 17 April 2026, bringing ATF blended with Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) under the ATF Control Order.
• The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, which sought to enlarge the Lok Sabha and tie women's reservation to a fresh delimitation, was negatived in the Lok Sabha on 17 April 2026 after 298 members voted for it and 230 against, short of the two-thirds of members present and voting required under Article 368(2).

Thu, 16 Apr 2026

• Three linked Bills, the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, the Delimitation Bill, 2026 and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, were introduced in the Lok Sabha on 16 April 2026 after the motion for introduction was carried by 251 votes to 185 in a division.

Wed, 15 Apr 2026

• Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal launched the Operational Guidelines of the Urban Challenge Fund, with ₹1 lakh crore of central assistance meant to catalyse about ₹4 lakh crore of urban investment, along with a Credit Repayment Guarantee Sub-Scheme, on 15 April 2026.
• The Ministry of Home Affairs announced on 15 April 2026 that Houselisting and Housing Census field operations, Phase I of Census 2027, would begin on 16 April in eight States/UTs and parts of Delhi, after a 15-day Self-Enumeration window that about 12 lakh households had used.

Mon, 13 Apr 2026

• The India Meteorological Department's first-stage forecast on 13 April 2026 said the June–September 2026 southwest monsoon rainfall is most likely to be below normal, at 92% of the Long Period Average with a model error of ±5%.