Daily Current Affairs – 09-04-2026

International News

US–Iran Two-Week Ceasefire

The United States, Iran, and Israel agreed to a two-week ceasefire on April 8, 2026, easing tensions in West Asia that had persisted for over a month. The conflict began after February 28, 2026, when the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran over allegations of nuclear weapons and long-range missile development. In retaliation, Iran attacked Israel and US positions in Gulf countries and closed the Strait of Hormuz, a key global crude oil shipping route, leading to a sharp rise in global crude oil prices. The ceasefire followed mediation efforts by Pakistan, with peace talks scheduled in Islamabad on April 10, 2026. US President Donald Trump announced the suspension of attacks after Iran agreed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, while US warships continue surveillance in the region. Israel, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, supported the ceasefire but continued operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon. India, through its Ministry of External Affairs, welcomed the ceasefire, highlighting its importance for restoring global fuel supply and trade. Iran also proposed key conditions, including lifting sanctions, recognition of its nuclear enrichment program, and withdrawal of US troops from West Asia.

India–Bangladesh Bilateral Relations Talks

Union External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman held talks in New Delhi to discuss the strategic restructuring of India–Bangladesh bilateral relations. The relations had weakened during the 18-month interim government led by Muhammad Yunus in Bangladesh. Following the February 2026 parliamentary elections, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) came to power, and its leader Tarique Rahman assumed office as Prime Minister. After the formation of the new government, Khalilur Rahman and Prime Minister’s Advisor Humayun Kabir visited India for the first time and discussed strengthening bilateral cooperation and issues of regional and international importance. India expressed its intention to continue constructive engagement with the new Bangladeshi government. Earlier, during August 2024, Sheikh Hasina resigned amid student protests and took refuge in India, and Bangladesh has reiterated its demand for her extradition. Khalilur Rahman also met Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri during the visit.

To Lam Sworn in as Vietnam President

To Lam (68), General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, was sworn in as the President of Vietnam in Hanoi. He was elected unanimously in the Vietnam Parliament, with all 495 members voting in his favour, making him a powerful leader holding both the party leadership and the highest state office. As part of administrative changes, Le Minh Hung (55), former Governor of the Central Bank of Vietnam, was appointed as the Prime Minister of Vietnam.

India Withdraws Bid to Host COP 33

India has withdrawn its bid to host the 33rd Conference of Parties (COP 33) of the United Nations Climate Summit in 2028, following a review of its commitments. The decision was communicated through a letter dated April 2, 2026, by Rajat Agrawal, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced India’s interest in hosting COP 33 during COP 28 held in Dubai in 2023. India belongs to the Asia-Pacific group, under which hosting rights are allocated on a rotational basis. India last hosted the summit in 2002 (COP 8). Upcoming summits include COP 31 (2026) jointly by Turkiye and Australia and COP 32 (2027) in Ethiopia, while South Korea remains the only country currently interested in hosting COP 33. India also announced its updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) on March 25, 2026, targeting 60% installed electricity capacity from non-fossil sources by 2035 and reducing emissions intensity by 47%.

National News

Sai Kumar Appointed as Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on April 8, 2026, ordered the transfer of N. Muruganandam and appointed N. Sai Kumar, a 1990-batch IAS officer, as the new Chief Secretary of Tamil Nadu, and he assumed charge immediately. The order was issued following a review of Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election arrangements, and the Commission directed that transferred officials should not be assigned any election-related duties until further orders. The ECI also ordered the appointment of Sandeep Mittal, a 1995-batch IPS officer, as Director of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) and Director General of Police (Armed Forces), replacing Davidson Devasirvatham, with the order implemented by Dheeraj Kumar, Additional Chief Secretary, Home Department. Earlier, the Commission had appointed Sandeep Rai Rathore as DGP of Tamil Nadu, replacing Venkatraman. The Tamil Nadu Assembly election is scheduled on April 23, 2026, with counting on May 4, 2026, and the ECI is monitoring election preparations in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, Assam, and Puducherry to ensure free and fair elections.

Women’s Reservation & Lok Sabha Expansion Draft Bills

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on April 8, 2026, approved draft bills to implement 33% reservation for women in Parliament and State Assemblies from 2029, and to increase the total number of Lok Sabha constituencies from 543 to 816, enabling allocation of 273 seats for women. The move modifies provisions of the Women’s Reservation Act, 2023 (106th Constitutional Amendment), under which implementation was earlier linked to post-census delimitation and expected only by 2034. The Cabinet also approved a draft Constitutional Amendment Bill, a Delimitation Act Amendment Bill, and provisions to extend reservation to Union Territories with legislatures such as Delhi, Jammu & Kashmir, and Puducherry. For delimitation, 2011 Census data is proposed instead of waiting for the 2027 Census. These bills are expected to be introduced in a special Parliament session from April 16, 2026.

Cabinet Approves Fertilizer Subsidy and Major Infrastructure Projects

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on April 8, 2026, approved a subsidy of ₹41,534 crore for Phosphatic and Potassic (P&K) fertilizers for the 2026 Kharif season, an increase from ₹37,216 crore in 2025, under the Nutrient Based Subsidy (NBS) scheme covering 28 types of fertilizers. The subsidy rates were fixed at ₹47.32/kg for Nitrogen, ₹52.76/kg for Phosphate, and ₹3.16/kg for Sulphur. The Cabinet also approved two hydropower projects in Arunachal Pradesh—the Kamala Hydropower Project (1,720 MW) costing ₹26,069.50 crore and the Kalai-2 Project costing ₹14,105 crore, with a total investment of ₹40,150 crore. Additionally, approval was given for Jaipur Metro Phase 2 in Rajasthan at a cost of ₹13,000 crore, covering 41 km with 36 stations, implemented jointly by the Central and State Governments (50:50). The Cabinet also approved increasing the cost of the Balotra Oil Refinery Project in Rajasthan to ₹79,459 crore, to be developed by HPCL Rajasthan Refinery Limited (HRRL), where Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) holds 74% stake and the Rajasthan Government 26% stake, with a production capacity of 90 lakh tonnes of petrochemical products annually.

Rooftop Solar Incentive Scheme for States

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) is planning an incentive scheme for States to promote rooftop solar installations under the PM Surya Ghar Scheme, targeting one crore households by March 2027. The Ministry is encouraging adoption of the Utility-Led Aggregation (ULA) model, under which State DISCOMs (Electricity Distribution Companies) will fund the installation of rooftop solar systems for households lacking financial capacity or infrastructure. Although the model has been in implementation since mid-2025, it has not gained significant public response, prompting the proposal of incentives to improve participation. According to Union Renewable Energy Minister Pralhad Joshi, the scheme is expected to cover around 30 lakh households.

1,500-Year-Old Stepped Reservoir Found at Elephanta Island

A 1,500-year-old stepped reservoir has been discovered on Elephanta Island near Mumbai during excavations conducted by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Mumbai Circle, which began in November 2025. The structure is T-shaped, measuring about 14.7 metres in length and 6.7–10.8 metres in width, with excavation reaching 5 metres depth and revealing 20 steps. The reservoir was constructed using stone blocks brought from the mainland, indicating advanced engineering for water storage. The excavation site also yielded a brick structure (possibly a dyeing vat), storage jars, terracotta figurines, glass and stone bangles, beads, and stone anchors. Around 3,000 amphorae sherds from the Mediterranean and torpedo jar fragments from West Asia including Mesopotamia were found, indicating long-distance maritime trade links. Additionally, about 60 coins made of copper, lead, and silver were unearthed, including coins of Krishnaraja of the Kalachuri dynasty (6th century CE).

NTPC–EDF MoU for Nuclear Power Cooperation

The National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC), a Government of India enterprise, signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Électricité de France (EDF) to explore opportunities in India’s nuclear power sector. The agreement aims to establish a framework for jointly assessing the feasibility and approach for collaboration in nuclear energy projects. As part of its long-term strategy, NTPC has set a target to establish 30 GW of nuclear power capacity by 2047.

Economy News

RBI Keeps Repo Rate Unchanged

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) , kept the Repo Rate at 5.25% unchanged for short-term loans to banks. This decision was taken unanimously by the six-member Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) chaired by RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra during its three-day meeting in Mumbai. The repo rate was also unchanged in the February 2026 MPC meeting, while it had been reduced from 5.50% to 5.25% in December 2025. As a result, interest rates on home loans and vehicle loans remain unchanged. The inflation target is maintained between 2% and 6%, with a projection of 4.6% inflation for the upcoming financial year. The economic growth rate for the current financial year is projected at 6.9%, compared to 7.6% in the previous financial year ending March 31, 2026. Changes in crude oil prices and the impact of the West Asian conflict may influence inflation and growth, while India’s core economic fundamentals remain stable.

MUFG Bank Acquires Stake in Shriram Finance

Japan’s MUFG Bank acquired a 20% stake in Shriram Finance for ₹39,618 crore, marking the largest foreign investment in India’s financial services sector. The transaction was executed through a rights issue, following approval by the Board of Directors of Shriram Finance, with 47,11,21,055 shares allotted at ₹840.93 per share. The investment was completed after obtaining approvals from regulatory authorities, including the Competition Commission of India (CCI). The initial agreement for this deal was signed in December 2025.

Tamil Nadu News

Increase in First-Time Voters in Tamil Nadu

In Tamil Nadu, the number of first-time voters (18–19 years) increased by 34% ahead of the Assembly Election 2026. The number of voters in this age group rose from 10.9 lakh during the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections to 14.6 lakh. After special intensive revision, the electoral roll initially had 5.67 crore voters, and with over 6 lakh Form 6 applications, the total voter strength increased to 5.73 crore. Among them, women voters account for 2.93 crore, male voters 2.80 crore, and third gender voters 7,728. The share of first-time voters increased from 1.8% in 2024 Lok Sabha Elections to 2.5% in the current election.

Sports News

India Defeats New Zealand in Billie Jean King Cup

In the Billie Jean King Cup Women’s Tennis Tournament – Asia-Oceania Group 1, India defeated New Zealand with a 3-0 scoreline on April 8, 2026. In the singles matches, Vaishnavi Adkar defeated Aishi Das with a score of 6-2, 6-4, and Sahaja Yamalapalli defeated Valentina Ivanov with 6-1, 6-3, securing a 2-0 lead for India. In the doubles match, the pair of Rutuja Bhosale and Ankita Raina defeated Monique Barry and Erin Routliffe with 6-4, 6-2, completing India’s 3-0 victory. Earlier, India lost its first tie to Thailand (1-2). After two ties, India is placed 4th and will face South Korea in the next match.