PPSC (Punjab) Current Affairs One-liners — Last 12 months

Mon, 20 Apr 2026

• Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on 20 April 2026 that the Department of Posts earned ₹15,296 crore in FY 2025–26, 16% more than the ₹13,218 crore of FY 2024–25.
• NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Suman Bery released the seventh edition of 'Trade Watch Quarterly', covering Q3 FY26 (October–December 2025), in New Delhi on 20 April 2026, with a thematic focus on gems and jewellery.
• Samriddh Gram, the Department of Telecommunications' BharatNet-enabled 'phygital' rural service model, has been nominated for the WSIS Prizes 2026 under Action Line C6: Enabling Environment, DoT said on 20 April 2026.
• The Centre approved on 20 April 2026 the export of an additional 25 lakh metric tonnes of wheat, taking total permitted exports to 50 LMT of wheat and 10 LMT of wheat products.
• The Election Commission of India directed on 20 April 2026 that dry days be declared in polling areas for 48 hours ending with the close of poll, and on the counting day of 4 May 2026, under Section 135C of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.

Sun, 19 Apr 2026

• Indian Railways earned ₹6,813.86 crore from scrap sales in FY 2025–26 against a target of ₹6,000 crore, the Railway Ministry said on 19 April 2026.
• The Ministry of MSME said on 19 April 2026 that it has trained 2,543 beneficiaries of the PM Vishwakarma Scheme in using Artificial Intelligence tools, with Telangana contributing the most participants (387).
• A PIB backgrounder of 19 April 2026 on high-value crop diversification said India's horticulture output rose to 370.74 million tonnes in 2024-25 and that India ranks second in the world in coconut production.
• The Election Commission of India said on 19 April 2026 that over 11,000 unlawful social media posts had been acted upon since the 15 March poll announcement, and that misleading AI-generated content must be acted upon within three hours of notice.
• The Centre for Trade and Investment Law of the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade held a panel discussion in New Delhi, announced on 19 April 2026, on the WTO panel ruling on transnational subsidies in dispute DS 616 between the EU and Indonesia.
• The Office of the Development Commissioner (Handlooms) and NIFT unveiled 'Vishwa Sutra – Weaves of India for the World', a collection of 30 state handloom weaves reinterpreted through 30 countries' styles, at the 61st Femina Miss India in Bhubaneswar, the Textiles Ministry said on 19 April 2026.

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.
• A PIB backgrounder of 18 April 2026 on monument conservation said the Archaeological Survey of India safeguards 3,686 centrally protected monuments and that India has 44 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including the Maratha Military Landscapes.
• The Indian Navy's sail training ship INS Sudarshini concluded a port call at Casablanca, Morocco, on 18 April 2026 as part of its Lokayan 26 deployment, and then sailed for Las Palmas, Spain.
• The Union Cabinet on 18 April 2026 approved an additional instalment of Dearness Allowance for Central Government employees and Dearness Relief for pensioners from 1 January 2026, raising the rate by 2% over the existing 58% of basic pay/pension.
• Rajya Sabha Chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan appointed Dr K.S. Somashekhar as Secretary in the Rajya Sabha Secretariat with effect from 18 April 2026.
• The Ministry of Electronics and IT on 18 April 2026 announced the Technology and Policy Expert Committee (TPEC), a standing advisory body chaired by the MeitY Secretary to support the newly constituted AI Governance and Economic Group (AIGEG).
• Union Minister Jitendra Singh said on 18 April 2026 that 299 of the 958 candidates recommended in the Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2025 are women, over 31% of the total.

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).
• The Commerce Ministry said on 17 April 2026 that Egypt and Jordan have been added to the eligible destinations under RELIEF (Resilience & Logistics Intervention for Export Facilitation), a time-bound intervention under the Export Promotion Mission.
• The first edition of the biannual Naval Commanders' Conference 2026 was held at Nausena Bhawan, New Delhi, from 14 to 17 April 2026, and the Indian Navy Maritime Security Strategy (INMSS-2026) was released during the conference.
• Indian Ocean Ship SAGAR, INS Sunayna, departed Phuket, Thailand, on 17 April 2026 after a three-day operational turnaround that included a Passage Exercise with HTMS Klongyai of the Royal Thai Navy, and sailed for Jakarta.
• Harivansh was elected unopposed as Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha on 17 April 2026, his third election to the office, Chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan said in his felicitation remarks.
• The Commerce Ministry said on 17 April 2026 that more than 55,200 startups were recognised in FY 2025-26, the highest in any single year since Startup India began, taking the total past 2.23 lakh as on 31 March 2026.
• The Ministry of Coal launched the 15th round of commercial coal mine auctions on 17 April 2026, offering 11 coal blocks across Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and Telangana.
• The 17th Session of the India–Austria Joint Economic Commission was held in New Delhi, the Commerce Ministry said on 17 April 2026, with both sides welcoming the conclusion of India–EU FTA negotiations.

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.