Daily Current Affairs – 16-04-2026

International News

India Among Top Global AI Markets, but Usage Concentrated in Cities

OpenAI reported that India is among the top five global AI markets in terms of thinking capability usage, particularly in coding, data analysis, and complex reasoning, measured through reasoning tokens used by ChatGPT Plus users. The Codex coding agent, launched in February 2026, recorded 4X growth in India, making it one of the fastest-growing AI ecosystems. However, AI adoption is concentrated in major cities such as Delhi NCR, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Chennai, with the top 10 cities accounting for 50% of AI users. The report also noted that AI usage in India is about three times more concentrated compared to countries like the United States, United Kingdom, Brazil, and Germany.

Emergent Launches ‘Wingman’ AI Agent for Task Automation

Emergent, a SoftBank-backed startup, launched an AI agent named ‘Wingman’ designed to automate routine tasks across commonly used work tools to improve productivity through AI-driven automation. The company is part of the vibe coding startup ecosystem, and the product was introduced in New Delhi. Mukund Jha, Co-founder and CEO of Emergent, is associated with the development and launch of this AI-based autonomous agent.

iPhones Become India’s Largest Exported Commodity in FY 2025–26

In the FY 2025–26, iPhones emerged as India’s largest exported commodity, with exports rising above $14.25 billion recorded in FY 2024–25, driven mainly by Apple Inc. exports. Under the Smartphone Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme and Electronics Components and Manufacturing Scheme (ECMS), Apple produced $70 billion worth of iPhones in India, of which $51 billion (about 73%) were exported, mainly to the United States. This growth followed Apple’s shift of production from China to India since 2021. Key manufacturers involved include Foxconn, Tata Electronics, Pegatron, Motherson, Salcomp, TRIL Bangalore, and Yuzhan Technology, which also supported exports of components such as PCBAs, housing, flex PCBAs, and graphite buttons, classified under HSN codes. The government is now focusing on increasing domestic value addition and component exports under ECMS.

National News

Special Parliamentary Session on Women’s Reservation and Delimitation Bills

A special session of Parliament is being held for three days from April 16 as an extension of the Budget Session, to introduce and pass key legislations including the 131st Constitutional Amendment Bill. The bill proposes 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies from 2029, along with an increase in Lok Sabha seats from 543 to 850 (maximum 815 for States and 35 for Union Territories) to facilitate implementation. The Central Government is pushing for the passage of these bills, while opposition parties have opposed the delimitation process, citing concerns over reduced representation of southern states. A meeting of opposition leaders led by Mallikarjun Kharge, President of the Indian National Congress, was held in New Delhi, with participation from parties including Congress, DMK, Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party, RJD, CPI, and CPI(M), where a decision was taken to vote against the delimitation amendment provisions.

IIT Madras and Sarvam AI Sign MoU for Sovereign AI Solutions

IIT Madras Pravartak Technologies Foundation and Sarvam AI signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on April 15 in Chennai to develop Self-Reliant Artificial Intelligence (Sovereign AI) solutions for government, private sector, and industries in India. Sarvam AI, associated with Accenture, is developing multilingual and scalable AI solutions specifically for India. The collaboration aims to build AI systems operating within Indian infrastructure using the technical expertise of IIT Madras. Key individuals associated with the initiative include M.J. Shankar Ram, CEO of IIT Madras Pravartak Technologies Foundation, and Pratyush Kumar, Co-founder of Sarvam AI. The partnership focuses on developing secure AI technologies and AI applications for sectors such as public administration, defence, financial services, and healthcare.

India’s Sugar Production Rises in 2025–26 Season

India’s sugar production increased by 7.70% in the 2025–26 sugar season (October–September) to reach 2.74 crore tonnes, compared to 2.54 crore tonnes in the same period last year. According to the National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories, out of 541 sugar mills, only 21 mills are currently operational, as the production has already exceeded the total output of 2.62 crore tonnes in the 2024–25 season. The increase is mainly attributed to higher production in Maharashtra and Karnataka, where output rose by 23% to 99.2 lakh tonnes and 16.70% to 47.1 lakh tonnes respectively, while Uttar Pradesh recorded a decline of about 2% to 89.2 lakh tonnes. The sugar recovery rate improved from 9.37% to 9.55%.

India’s Exports Decline in March 2026 Amid Middle East Conflict

India’s merchandise exports declined by 7.44% in March 2026 to $38.92 billion, while imports fell by 6.51% to $59.59 billion, resulting in a trade deficit of $20.67 billion, according to data released by the Central Government. The decline is attributed to the Middle East conflict involving Iran, the United States, and Israel since February 28, which affected key maritime routes such as the Strait of Hormuz. As a result, India’s exports to the Middle East dropped by 57.95%, and imports from the region declined by 51.64%. Despite this, in the 2025–26 financial year, India’s total exports (goods and services) increased by 4.22% to $860 billion, with merchandise exports at $441.78 billion and imports at $774.98 billion, while services exports were estimated at $418.31 billion, as stated by Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal.

India’s Sugar Production Rises in 2025–26 Season

India’s sugar production increased by 7.70% in the 2025–26 sugar season (October–September) to 2.74 crore tonnes, compared to 2.54 crore tonnes in the same period last year. According to the National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories, out of 541 sugar mills, only 21 mills are currently operational as the production has already exceeded the total output of 2.62 crore tonnes in the 2024–25 season. The increase is mainly due to higher production in Maharashtra and Karnataka, where output rose by 23% to 99.2 lakh tonnes and 16.70% to 47.1 lakh tonnes respectively, while Uttar Pradesh recorded a decline of about 2% to 89.2 lakh tonnes. The sugar recovery rate improved from 9.37% to 9.55%.

Southern Railway Leads in Digital Unreserved Ticket Transactions

The Southern Railway (SR) ranked first in the unreserved ticketing segment of Indian Railways with 53.64% digital transactions, amounting to ₹1,125.71 crore out of ₹2,100.28 crore, while ₹974.57 crore was collected through cash. In the reserved ticketing segment, SR secured second position with 33% digital payments, accounting for ₹324 crore out of ₹986 crore, while ₹662 crore was received in cash. The South East Central Railway ranked first in this category with 38% digital transactions (₹123 crore out of ₹328 crore). The national average for digital payments in Indian Railways stands at 21%. Additionally, six out of the top 10 high-occupancy trains in Indian Railways originate from Southern Railway, including Parasuram Express, Vivek Express, and Kerala Express.

India’s Unemployment Rate Rises to 5-Month High in March

India’s unemployment rate increased to a five-month high of 5.1% in March, up from 4.9% in February, according to data from the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS). The rise was mainly due to higher urban unemployment, which increased from 6.6% to 6.8%, while rural unemployment rose from 4.2% to 4.3%. Women’s unemployment rate stood higher at 5.3% compared to 5% for men. Among youth (15–29 years), unemployment increased to 15.2% from 14.8%, with young men at 14.3% and young women at 17.7%. The survey covered 89,234 households and 375,262 individuals, and the Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) remained largely stable.

Sports News

Viktor Axelsen Announces Retirement from Badminton

Viktor Axelsen, a Danish badminton player, announced his retirement at the age of 32 due to a back injury. He is a two-time World Champion (2017, 2022) and a two-time Olympic Champion, winning gold at the Tokyo 2021 Olympics and Paris 2024 Olympics. He also won the European Championship three times and held the position of World No.1 for 183 consecutive weeks. His retirement follows surgery in April 2025 and a setback in October 2025, which affected his ability to compete.

States’ News

Carlos Alcaraz Appointed as Infosys Global Brand Ambassador

Carlos Alcaraz, a tennis champion, has been appointed as the Global Brand Ambassador of Infosys under a multi-year partnership announced in Bengaluru. The collaboration aims to strengthen Infosys’s presence at the intersection of sports and technology. As part of the partnership, Infosys will use its AI-first platform ‘Infosys Topaz’ to work with Carlos Alcaraz and his coaching team on advanced match analytics and personalised performance applications to enhance match preparation and in-game strategy.