April 24, 2026
76 articles published on this date
Urdu no longer mandatory for J&K revenue services; sparks row
The J&K Revenue Department issued draft recruitment rules for non-gazetted revenue service posts, in which the clause making Urdu a compulsory language requi...
Six detained under PSA in Kashmir for ‘inciting’ students protest
Sopore Police in north Kashmir invoked the Public Safety Act (PSA) against six individuals for their alleged role in orchestrating violence and vandalism dur...
Big blow to AAP as Chadha, 6 more Rajya Sabha MPs quit, join BJP
Seven Rajya Sabha members announced their departure from their original party and declared their intention to merge with another party, constituting one of t...
Anti-defection law won't apply to AAP MPs, say experts
Seven of the ten Rajya Sabha members belonging to a regional political party resigned from their party and submitted a merger application to the Rajya Sabha ...
Incremental change: On Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency-III
India is transitioning to the third phase of its Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency (CAFE) norms — CAFE-III — effective from April 1, 2027, running through Ma...
Paytm distances itself from Payments Bank after RBI cancels PPBL’s banking licence
The Reserve Bank of India cancelled the banking licence of Paytm Payments Bank Limited (PPBL) on April 24, 2026, effective from the close of business that da...
US slaps 123% anti-dumping duty on Indian solar imports
The United States Department of Commerce (USDOC) imposed a preliminary anti-dumping (AD) duty of 123.04% on crystalline silicon photovoltaic (PV) cells and m...
Opposition files new notice seeking CEC Gyanesh Kumar's ouster
Seventy-three members of the Rajya Sabha submitted a fresh removal notice to the Rajya Sabha Secretary-General on April 24, 2026, seeking the ouster of the C...
Switch by Raghav Chadha, others no surprise as BJP targets new voter blocs in Punjab
Seven members of the Rajya Sabha, constituting two-thirds of their legislative party's strength in the Upper House, announced their departure from their orig...
India-US bilateral trade agreement talks progress: Digital trade, market access in focus
An Indian delegation held in-person talks with US counterparts in Washington D.C. from April 20–23, 2026, as part of ongoing negotiations to finalise the fir...
Opposition files fresh Rajya Sabha notice to remove CEC
Seventy-three members of the Rajya Sabha from opposition parties submitted a fresh notice seeking removal of the Chief Election Commissioner, listing nine ch...
Ex-CEA Ashok Lahiri to be next NITI Vice-Chairman
The Central Government reconstituted NITI Aayog in April 2026 — described as the first major revamp since the institution's inception in 2015. Economist Asho...
7 out of 10 AAP MPs cross over to BJP; Raghav Chadha, Swati Maliwal, Mittal among them
Seven of the ten Rajya Sabha members belonging to a regional political party resigned from their party and submitted a merger application to the Rajya Sabha ...
Manipur Violence: Three killed in two separate incidents in Ukhrul district
Three people were killed in two separate armed incidents in Manipur's Ukhrul district on April 24, 2026, as violence between Kuki-Zo and Naga (Tangkhul) comm...
India assured DTAA tax benefits will continue after Supreme Court ruling, Mauritius Cabinet Note says
Following a landmark Supreme Court ruling in January 2026 that upheld the application of India's General Anti-Avoidance Rule (GAAR) to override DTAA capital ...
Statehood delay 'price for voting for National Conference': Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah
The Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir has stated publicly that the restoration of statehood to J&K — promised in Parliament and before the Supreme Court — ha...
Economist Ashok Lahiri from Bengal to become Niti Aayog vice-chairman, Gobardhan Das named as member
The central government reconstituted NITI Aayog on April 25, 2026, replacing almost the entire full-time membership in a comprehensive overhaul of the policy...
Credit flows jump 38% in FY26 as RBI easing boosts demand
Total formal credit flows to the commercial sector expanded by 38% in FY2025-26, reaching ₹44.6 lakh crore — a strong reversal from an 8% contraction in the ...
Government to bring new seed, pesticide laws next Parliament session, says Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan
The government has indicated that new laws governing seeds and pesticides are nearing finalisation and are targeted for introduction in the upcoming Parliame...
RBI cancels the Licence of Paytm Payments Bank Limited
The Reserve Bank of India cancelled the banking licence issued to Paytm Payments Bank Limited under Section 22(4) of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, effect...
Prolonged West Asia conflict to raise energy costs, hit trade and markets: RBI’s State of the Economy article
The Reserve Bank of India's April 2026 Monthly Bulletin, released on April 23, 2026, included a "State of the Economy" article that assessed the impact of th...
India’s inflation, external debt well within target levels despite global shocks: RBI Governor
On April 20, 2026, the Consulate General of India, New York, hosted an exclusive round-table session attended by over 100 representatives from financial inst...
Sarthi: SEBI’s Trusted Guide for Smarter Investing
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has been actively promoting its investor education ecosystem through two integrated platforms: the SEBI Inv...
RBI cancels Paytm Payments Bank licence
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) cancelled the banking licence of Paytm Payments Bank Limited (PPBL) on 24 April 2026, citing a sustained pattern of complianc...
73 Opposition MPs sign fresh notice to remove Gyanesh Kumar as CEC
Seventy-three members of the Rajya Sabha submitted a fresh notice to the Rajya Sabha Secretary-General seeking the removal of the Chief Election Commissioner...
A sweeping new H-1B Bill has raised alarm. What does it mean for Indian students and working professionals?
A sweeping new piece of legislation — the "End H-1B Visa Abuse Act of 2026" — was introduced in the US legislature on April 22, 2026, with seven Republican c...
Mythos shock: Why regulators in India, other nations are spooked by Anthropic’s new tool
Anthropic, an AI safety company, announced the limited release of its most capable AI model to date — Claude Mythos Preview — on April 7, 2026, under a contr...
Explained: The Odisha-Chhattisgarh Mahanadi river dispute, amid new tribunal warning
The Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal issued a final warning to the two riparian states in its March 28, 2026 order, expressing dissatisfaction with the slow ...
Explained: The Indian economy’s goldilocks scenario that wasn’t
Economic analysis has emerged questioning whether India's so-called "Goldilocks" macro-economic phase — characterised by high growth alongside low inflation ...
Will AAP Rajya Sabha MPs face disqualification after joining BJP? Explained
A petition was filed before the Rajya Sabha Chairman seeking disqualification of members under the Tenth Schedule after they voluntarily gave up their member...
Why RBI cancelled Paytm Payments Bank’s banking licence
The Reserve Bank of India cancelled the banking licence of Paytm Payments Bank Limited (PPBL) with effect from April 24, 2026, ordering the bank to wind up o...
Opposition MPs move fresh motion seeking removal of CEC Gyanesh Kumar
Seventy-three Rajya Sabha members of Parliament submitted a fresh notice seeking a motion for the removal of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), accusing ...
CESL starts tender process for 3,604 e-buses
Convergence Energy Services Limited (CESL), a government enterprise under the Ministry of Power, has initiated a tender process for the procurement of 3,604 ...
Centre raises wheat procurement target to 34.5 million tonnes amid erratic weather
The central government raised its wheat procurement target for the 2026-27 Rabi Marketing Season (RMS) by 15 percent — from 30 million tonnes to 34.5 million...
World Bank’s IFC targets $10 billion in annual investments in India by 2030
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private-sector arm of the World Bank Group, has announced a target to scale its annual investments in India ...
India, U.S. conclude ‘constructive’ in-person talks on trade deal, but no word on deadline
Senior Indian trade officials visited Washington, D.C. from April 20–23 for the first in-person round of trade negotiations since October 2024, holding detai...
Rupee's valuation sinks to over-a-decade low, bruised by Iran war, portfolio outflows
The Indian rupee's Real Effective Exchange Rate (REER) based on a 40-currency basket fell to 92.72 — significantly below its long-run average of 98.25 — mark...
India hikes wheat procurement target as farm-gate prices rule lower
The Central government has raised India's wheat procurement target for the 2026-27 Rabi Marketing Season (RMS) from 303 lakh tonnes to 345 lakh tonnes — an i...
EU formally approves Ukraine loan and 20th sanctions package against Russia
The Council of the European Union formally approved a €90 billion (approximately USD 105 billion) loan to Ukraine on April 23, 2026, to cover Ukraine's most ...
CropLife demands 5-year data protection in pesticides bill
The Pesticides Management Bill (PMB), intended to replace the Insecticides Act, 1968, is reported to be nearly ready for introduction in an upcoming session ...
Indian economy remains stable despite West Asia conflict, says RBI Bulletin
The Reserve Bank of India's April 2026 Monthly Bulletin, released on April 23, 2026, included a "State of the Economy" article that assessed the impact of th...
Rajnath Singh to attend Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Defence Ministers’ meet in Bishkek
India was represented at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers' meeting held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on April 28, 2026. The Defence M...
El Nino may return by mid-2026 amid warming seas, says WMO
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has signalled a clear shift in equatorial Pacific conditions: sea-surface temperatures (SSTs) are rising rapidly,...
Rising temperatures put India’s rice farming at risk, says FAO-WMO report
A joint report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) — titled "Extreme Heat and Agriculture" — has f...
West Asia tensions and oil supply disruption may push Asian economies towards faster renewable shift: Jefferies
A report by financial services firm Jefferies assessed that ongoing tensions in West Asia and the disruption to the Strait of Hormuz — a critical global oil ...
Net FDI jumps to 45-month high in February 2026, breaking six-month negative streak
Net Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into India turned sharply positive in February 2026, reaching $4.6 billion — the highest net FDI figure in 45 months (sin...
RBI highlights mixed economic trends in India as West Asia crisis impacts demand, supply
The Reserve Bank of India's April 2026 Bulletin identified a pattern of mixed economic trends in India, with demand conditions remaining broadly resilient ev...
Mines Ministry announce ₹5,000 crore incentive scheme for states to spur blocks’ auction, operationalisation
The Ministry of Mines announced a Rs 5,000 crore incentive mechanism for states and union territories to accelerate mining sector reforms, incorporated into ...
China's DeepSeek releases long-awaited new AI model
China's leading AI laboratory released its DeepSeek V4 series, described as the most significant model release from the company since DeepSeek-R1 disrupted g...
Trump says U.S. in no rush but 'clock is ticking' for Iran
The United States indicated it was in no hurry to resolve its military standoff with Iran, while simultaneously warning that "the clock is ticking" for Tehra...
Warming US-Pakistan ties may temper India’s ‘muscular’ counter-terror response—American ex-envoy Juster
A former US Ambassador to India, speaking at the Hudson Institute in Washington, cautioned that improving US-Pakistan diplomatic relations could constrain Ne...
China slaps export curbs on European firms over Taiwan arms sales
China added seven European entities to its export control blacklist, prohibiting the export of "dual-use items" to these companies on grounds that their acti...
What is 100% ethanol blending? | Explained
India has intensified its push toward 100% ethanol fuel (E100) for road vehicles and is simultaneously advancing the use of ethanol as a feedstock for Sustai...
Oil prices up 1% amid continued stalemate on US-Iran talks, closure of Strait of Hormuz
Brent crude oil prices rose above $106 per barrel as the stalemate in US-Iran negotiations continued, with the Strait of Hormuz remaining a flashpoint of geo...
Meta sets up automatic blocking for govt., police-referred content
Meta — the parent company of Facebook and Instagram — has established an automatic, near-instantaneous content blocking system for content referred by govern...
Seed, pesticide laws nearly ready; likely to be tabled in next Parliament session: Chouhan
Draft legislation to replace the Seeds Act, 1966 and the Insecticides Act, 1968 is near finalisation and is expected to be tabled in the next Parliament sess...
Rupee ends 22 paise weaker at 94.23 against U.S. dollar
The Indian rupee depreciated by 22 paise to close at 94.23 per US dollar on April 24, 2026, extending a week-long losing streak driven by global risk aversio...
Agro-forestry will be renamed as ‘tree-based farming’, says Shivraj
The Agriculture Ministry announced that the practice of agro-forestry would be officially renamed "tree-based farming" — a rebranding aimed at making the con...
West Asia conflict could cause 120 bcm of LNG supply loss from 2026-2030, says International Energy Agency
The International Energy Agency (IEA) has projected that the West Asia conflict could result in cumulative LNG (liquefied natural gas) supply losses of over ...
Industry flags concerns on draft Pesticides Management Bill
Industry stakeholders have raised targeted concerns about the Draft Pesticides Management Bill, 2025, which was released by the Central Government for public...
Has Anthropic’s Mythos made the cure worse than the disease?
A frontier AI model named Mythos (developed by Anthropic) has demonstrated the ability to autonomously identify previously unknown software vulnerabilities (...
India, US agree to stay engaged on trade pact after latest round of talks
An Indian delegation held in-person talks with US counterparts in Washington D.C. from April 20–23, 2026, as part of ongoing negotiations to finalise the fir...
India-New Zealand FTA to be signed on Monday, says PM Christopher Luxon
India and New Zealand are set to sign a landmark Free Trade Agreement (FTA) on April 27, 2026, as confirmed by New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon —...
Indian seafarer safe as vessel in Iranian custody moved to safer zone
The container ship Epaminondas, seized by Iranian forces in the Strait of Hormuz on April 22, 2026, was relocated from the western to the eastern side of the...
AAP to submit letter to Rajya Sabha Chairman seeking disqualification of Raghav Chadha, others
Seven of the ten Rajya Sabha members belonging to a regional political party resigned from their party and submitted a merger application to the Rajya Sabha ...
India approves Rs 30 billion for Maldives under SAARC currency swap
India approved the first withdrawal of Rs 30 billion (approximately USD 360 million) for the Maldives under the INR Swap Window of the SAARC Currency Swap Fr...
RBI cancels banking licence of Paytm Payments Bank
The Reserve Bank of India cancelled the banking licence of Paytm Payments Bank Limited (PPBL), effective close of business on April 24, 2026, citing that the...
Govt misses FY26 highway construction target due to delay in land acquisition
National highway construction in FY 2025-26 stood at 9,380 km against a target of 10,000 km — the lowest construction output since FY 2017-18 (when 9,829 km ...
Infra projects see cost overrun of Rs 5.61 lakh crore in March
As of March 2026, cost overruns in centrally funded infrastructure projects tracked by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) stood ...
Forecast for strong El Nino fans worries about global crops as Iran war bites
Forecasts from multiple international climate agencies point to a strong El Nino event developing in the second half of 2026, with Japan's meteorological age...
India's wheat output likely at 110-120 mn ton in 2025-26 amid weather damage, says Food Secy
India's wheat production for the 2025-26 crop year is projected to come in between 110 and 120 million tonnes, a revision downward from the agriculture minis...
Raghav Chadha joins BJP: Can he be disqualified from Rajya Sabha? What the anti-defection law says
Seven Rajya Sabha members announced their exit from their parent party and merger with another party, invoking the merger exception under Paragraph 4 of the ...
Consumption sustaining growth; predictable support essential for GDP expansion: FM
The Union Finance Ministry highlighted that domestic consumption is the primary driver of India's current economic growth, with Real Private Final Consumptio...
India, US agree to remain engaged on trade pact: Govt
Trade negotiations between Indian and US officials concluded on April 23, 2026, with a three-day in-person meeting in Washington, D.C. — the first such meeti...
Karnataka approves revised internal reservation for SCs within 15 pc quota
A special meeting of the Karnataka Cabinet cleared a revised internal reservation formula for Scheduled Castes within the overall 15% SC quota, paving the wa...
India growth expected at 6.5% as country 'most directly impacted' by West Asia crisis: Gita Gopinath
India's GDP growth for the current fiscal year is projected at approximately 6.5%, placing it among the fastest-growing major economies globally, but analyst...