Asia Current Affairs One-liners — Last 12 months

Sun, 26 Apr 2026

• The Environment Ministry and the National Biodiversity Authority launched a five-year project, 'Strengthening Institutional Capacities for Securing Biodiversity Conservation Commitments', with a USD 4.88 million GEF–UNDP grant for 2025–2030, covering the Sathyamangalam landscape in Tamil Nadu and the Garo Hills in Meghalaya.
• 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.
• Gujarat held local body elections on 26 April 2026 for 15 municipal corporations, 84 municipalities, 34 district panchayats and 260 taluka panchayats, with over 4.18 crore eligible voters; Union Home Minister Amit Shah voted in the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation polls.
• 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.
• The Agriculture Ministry on 26 April 2026 said the 2025–26 wheat crop, sown on about 33.4 million hectares, saw no major pest or disease and that an extra 0.6 million hectares of area should offset localised losses from February heat stress and hailstorms.
• Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya released the 'Srinagar Khel Sankalp' document on 26 April 2026, the final day of the three-day Chintan Shivir of State and UT sports ministers in Srinagar, setting out a shared, athlete-centric vision for Indian sport.
• Indian Ocean Ship SAGAR, INS Sunayna, with a multinational crew from 16 friendly foreign countries, arrived at Changi Naval Base, Singapore, on 26 April 2026 — its fourth port call of the deployment after Malé, Phuket and Jakarta.
• The three-day National Chintan Shivir of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment concluded in Chandigarh on 26 April 2026, with States and UTs agreeing on time-bound recommendations, including inclusion of Denotified Tribes in Census-2027 and strengthening the SEED scheme.

Sat, 25 Apr 2026

• DRDO Chairman Samir V Kamat unveiled the Advanced Armoured Platforms (Tracked and Wheeled), designed by the Vehicles Research & Development Establishment, at Ahilyanagar, Maharashtra on 25 April 2026; both carry a 30 mm crewless turret and are amphibious.
• 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.
• Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on 25 April 2026 flagged off flight hardware of Skyroot Aerospace's Vikram-1, India's first privately built orbital rocket, from Hyderabad to the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, where the company hopes to launch it in June.
• Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal released NITI Aayog's report 'Moving Towards Effective City Government – A Framework for Million-plus Cities' on 25 April 2026, recommending a directly elected Mayor with a fixed tenure and an empowered Mayor-in-Council.
• Indian Coast Guard Director General Paramesh Sivamani inaugurated the OTM Administrative Complex of Coast Guard District Headquarters No. 13 at Puducherry on 25 April 2026, housing an Operations Centre and the Maritime Rescue Sub Centre, Puducherry.
• Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman delivered the keynote at SEBI's 38th Foundation Day in Mumbai on 25 April 2026, launched SEBI's nationwide investor awareness initiative 'Mission Jagrook', and urged regulated entities to strengthen cyber security.
• Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis launched the 'Goda to Narmada' Jal Yatra from Trimbakeshwar in Nashik district on 25 April 2026, a five-day water conservation campaign (25–29 April) marking the 300th birth anniversary of Ahilyabai Holkar.
• The India Meteorological Department issued detailed heatwave guidance on 25 April 2026 as maximum temperatures reached 40–44°C across northwest, central and peninsular India, with the highest of 44.5°C at Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan.
• Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO), a Navratna CPSE under the Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry, marked its 56th Foundation Day 'Sankalp Diwas' on 25 April 2026, where the Urban Invest Window (UiWIN) Technical Assistance Framework was unveiled.

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.
• MeitY Secretary S. Krishnan on 24 April 2026 launched an indigenous Silicon Photonics Process Design Kit with over 50 verified components and a Universal Programmable Photonic IC Test Engine, both developed at the MeitY-sponsored CoE-CPPICS, IIT Madras.
• Punjab Governor and Chandigarh Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria and Union Social Justice Minister Virendra Kumar launched the upgraded Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan (NMBA) 2.0 App in Chandigarh on 24 April 2026 to strengthen monitoring under the National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction.
• Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu released the second phase ranking (April 2026) of DGCA-approved Flying Training Organisations on 24 April 2026; the first phase was published on 1 October 2025.
• Scrutiny of Form 17A and other poll-day documents was completed on 24 April 2026 in all 152 Assembly constituencies of West Bengal Phase I and all 234 of Tamil Nadu, and no repoll was recommended in any of the 44,376 and 75,064 polling stations respectively, the Election Commission said.
• Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill Development Jayant Chaudhary launched the UNESCO Chair on Gender Inclusion and Skill Development, described by the ministry as Asia's first, at Symbiosis Skills and Professional University, Pune on 24 April 2026.
• The National Statistics Office under MoSPI on 24 April 2026 proposed annual city-level statistical reports for 47 million-plus cities (as per Census 2011), based on PLFS and ASUSE data, and invited stakeholder comments.
• The Ministry of Mines said on 24 April 2026 that a ₹5,000 crore incentive for mining sector reforms has been included in the Scheme for Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI) for FY 2026-27, and that it has issued the operational guidelines as nodal ministry.