Daily Current Affairs – 27-04-2026

National News

Wind Power & Census Updates in India

India has achieved a major milestone in renewable energy as its wind power generation capacity reached 56 GW, with an addition of 6 GW in the past year, placing the country 4th globally in wind power capacity, and states such as Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan are leading in this sector, while regions like Kutch, Patan, and Banaskantha in Gujarat are emerging as renewable energy hubs; the 133rd episode of ‘Mann Ki Baat’ was broadcast on April 26, highlighting these developments, and regarding the Population Census 2027, the process has been digitized with a self-registration facility providing a unique identification number, and house listing has begun in some states with 1.2 crore houses listed so far, while in the nuclear sector, the 500 MW Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) at Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR), Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu, achieved first criticality on April 6, marking a key milestone in India’s nuclear power programme, and additionally, Indian cheese products won awards at an international competition in Brazil, and the Beating Retreat ceremony performances were released on Prasar Bharati’s Waves OTT platform, while Rabindranath Tagore’s 165th birth anniversary is to be observed on May 9.

Three-Language Policy in Puducherry Government Schools

From the 2026–2027 academic year, the Three-Language Policy will be made mandatory in government schools of the Union Territory of Puducherry, which were converted into CBSE schools in 2024, as per the guidelines of the National Education Policy (NEP), with implementation starting from Class 6 and continuing up to Class 10, and it is mandatory that two of the languages must be Indian languages, while in Puducherry, Hindi is to be adopted along with other languages, and a circular issued on the 9th by Pragya M. Singh, Director of Education, CBSE Board, directed all schools that have not implemented the policy to do so within 7 days, following which government school principals informed parents that from Class 5, only Tamil or Hindi will be offered as the second language, and the vote counting for the Puducherry Assembly elections is scheduled on May 4.

Biodiversity Enhancement Project in Tamil Nadu and Meghalaya

The Union Ministry of Environment and the National Biodiversity Authority have jointly launched a 5-year project (2025–2030) to strengthen grassroots biodiversity management in Tamil Nadu and Meghalaya, with a total allocation of ₹46 crore, implemented in collaboration with the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), aiming to integrate biodiversity conservation into village panchayat development plans, strengthen Panchayat institutions and Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs), and empower local communities through financial support, while promoting Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives and green micro-enterprises for sustainable livelihoods, and the project will be implemented by coordinating forest and revenue department officials along with elected representatives, with key locations including Sathyamangalam in Erode district of Tamil Nadu and the Garo Hills in Meghalaya.

Personalities, Awards and Events

Raghu Rai: Renowned Indian Photographer Passes Away

Raghu Rai, one of India’s most celebrated photographers, passed away at the age of 83 on April 26 in New Delhi, he was born in 1942 in Jhang, West Punjab (now in Pakistan) and joined the English daily The Statesman as Chief Photographer in 1966, and over a career spanning nearly 60 years, he documented major socio-political events in India including the 1972 Bangladesh refugee crisis and the 1984 Bhopal Gas Tragedy, and he was awarded the Padma Shri for his coverage of the 1971 Bangladesh War and its aftermath, and he received several national and international awards during his career.

International News

India–New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (FTA)

India and New Zealand are set to sign a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in New Delhi, marking a milestone in bilateral economic relations, with negotiations launched in March 2025 and concluded within 9 months, and the agreement will provide duty-free access for 100% of Indian exports to New Zealand including sectors like leather and footwear, where tariffs will be reduced from 5% to zero, while the pact covers areas such as investment, mobility, education, agriculture, tourism, and AYUSH, and aims to benefit Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), professionals, and students, with participation from Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and New Zealand Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay, and the agreement is expected to support the leather sector’s target of reaching $50 billion by 2030.

BRICS Meeting Ends Without Joint Statement

The meeting of BRICS Deputy Foreign Ministers and Special Envoys of 11 nations held in New Delhi ended without a joint statement due to differences over the West Asia conflict and positions on Israel–Palestine, with disagreements involving representatives of the United Arab Emirates and Iran, and the issue is expected to impact India’s BRICS Presidency this year, while further discussions are scheduled ahead of the BRICS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on May 14–15 and the BRICS Summit on September 10–11, with participation confirmed from countries such as Russia, China, Egypt, and Brazil, and the discussions also involved references to earlier BRICS Summits in Kazan (2024) and Brasilia (2025), while the lack of consensus was attributed to sharp differences among member countries, and the Ministry of External Affairs (India) stated that there is no change in India’s position on the Palestine issue.

Sri Lanka Seeks Investors for Mattala Airport

The Government of Sri Lanka has invited Expressions of Interest (EOI) to operate the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA) located in the Hambantota district, with a Cabinet-appointed committee formed to negotiate with domestic and foreign investors, and proposals have been invited by the Ministry of Ports and Civil Aviation covering airside, aerodrome, and landside operations, while the airport was constructed during the tenure of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa using a $200 million Chinese loan and has been operational since 2013, but has not achieved commercial viability, and according to the Auditor General’s Report 2024, it has incurred a cumulative loss of about LKR 40 billion (approximately $130 million), and currently the airport has no scheduled flights and handles only charter flights, with earlier interest shown by India and a Russian company not materializing.

Tamil Nadu News

Panaiyur Fossils Linked to Holocene Period

A fossil assemblage discovered at Panaiyur in Thoothukudi district, Tamil Nadu, has been identified as belonging to the Middle to Late Holocene period (8,000–12,000 years ago) based on a scientific study conducted by the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) team comprising Dola Roy, Debashree Dam, R. Chandran, C. Raghunathan, and Dhriti Banerjee, following its identification by local archaeology enthusiast Rajesh Selvarathi and subsequent reference by former Thoothukudi Collector K. Elambahavath, and a total of 104 fossil specimens were collected including three bivalve species and one gastropod species, with findings indicating that the ecological and climatic conditions of the Gulf of Mannar remained relatively stable during the Holocene period, and the site located about 5 km from the coastline and 25 km from Thoothukudi was exposed due to soil erosion during the 2023 floods, as noted by Sudhakar Sivasubramaniam, Head of Archaeology Department, Manonmaniam Sundaranar University.

States’ News

Kerala Launches Upgraded SARPA App for Snakebite Management

The Kerala State Forest Department is set to launch an upgraded version of the SARPA (Snake Awareness, Rescue and Protection App) to strengthen emergency response to snakebite cases, which have increased due to the ongoing heat wave, with four deaths reported in the last week, and the SARPA platform plays a key role in coordinating snake rescue operations, enabling public reporting of sightings, and providing details of trained rescuers and nearby healthcare facilities, while the upgraded version will integrate medical professionals and snake experts to provide real-time guidance during emergencies, especially in the crucial minutes after a snakebite, and will include a dedicated login for doctors to guide first-aid measures remotely, addressing challenges such as identification of snake species and appropriate administration of anti-snake venom.

Sports News

Sanju Samson Reaches 5,000 IPL Runs

Sanju Samson, wicketkeeper-batter, reached 5,000 runs in the Indian Premier League (IPL) during a match against Gujarat Titans in Chennai on Sunday, becoming the 10th batter to achieve this milestone, and his record includes 5 centuries and 26 half-centuries, while Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma lead the list of highest run-scorers in IPL history.

Raghuvanshi Dismissed for Obstructing the Field in IPL

Angkrish Raghuvanshi became the 4th player in Indian Premier League (IPL) history to be dismissed under the rule of “Obstructing the Field”, following Yusuf Pathan who was the first in 2013 (Kolkata Knight Riders vs Pune Warriors India), Amit Mishra in 2019 (Delhi Capitals vs Sunrisers Hyderabad), and Ravindra Jadeja in 2024 (Chennai Super Kings vs Rajasthan Royals).

Sebastian Sawe Breaks Marathon World Record

Sebastian Sawe of Kenya became the first athlete to complete a marathon (42.195 km) in under 2 hours, winning the London Marathon with a time of 1:59:30, breaking the previous world record of 2:00:35 set by Kelvin Kiptum at the Chicago Marathon (October 2023), while Yomif Kejelcha of Ethiopia finished second with 1:59:41 and Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda secured third place with 2:02:28, and in the women’s category, Tigst Assefa of Ethiopia set a new record by finishing in 2:15:41, surpassing her previous record of 2:15:50 (London Marathon 2025), with Hellen Obiri finishing second in 2:15:53 and Joyciline Jepkosgei third in 2:15:55.

Jeongwoo Ham Wins Singapore Open Golf Title

Jeongwoo Ham of South Korea won the Singapore Open Golf Tournament by defeating Cameron John of Australia in the final round, finishing with a total score of 16-under 268, while Cameron John secured second place with 270, and by finishing in the top two positions, both players qualified for The Open Championship to be held at Royal Birkdale, Southport, and among Indian players, Gaganjeet Bhullar and Pukhraj Singh Gill finished tied for 26th place with a total score of 280, while Karandeep Kochhar finished in the 70th position.

Kwizera Sets Record at TCS World 10K Bengaluru 2026

Rodrigue Kwizera of Burundi won the TCS World 10K Bengaluru 2026 with a time of 27:31, setting a new event record and surpassing the previous record of 27:38 set by Nicholas Kipkorir Kimeli in 2022, and he received a prize of $34,000 (including $8,000 record bonus), while in the international women’s category, Florence Niyonkuru of Rwanda won with a time of 30:45, missing the previous record of 30:35, and among Indian participants, Harmanjot Singh secured first place in the men’s category with 29:13, narrowly missing the national record by one second, and Sanjivani Jadhav won the women’s category for the third consecutive time with 35:01, receiving ₹3,00,000 and ₹2,75,000 respectively.

Important Days

World Design Day – April 27

World Design Day is observed on April 27 every year to promote the value of design in innovation, creativity, and sustainable development, and it was established by the International Council of Design (ico-D) in 1995, marking the founding anniversary of the organization in 1963, and the day highlights the role of design in improving quality of life and solving global challenges.