INS Malwan — Second ASW Shallow Water Craft Delivered

🗞️ Why in News The Indian Navy received ‘Malwan,’ the second of eight Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Crafts (ASW SWC), built by Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) at Kochi on March 31, 2026.

Key Facts

  • Part of a series of 8 ASW SWCs under Aatmanirbhar Bharat; over 80% indigenous content
  • Equipped with torpedoes, multi-function anti-submarine rockets, advanced radar and sonar
  • Named after the historic coastal town of Malwan (Maharashtra) associated with Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj
  • Capable of Low Intensity Maritime Operations (LIMO) and mine warfare

📌 Facts Corner

  • Builder: Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), Kochi
  • Indigenous content: >80% by cost
  • Classification: DNV rules
  • Malwan: Coastal town in Sindhudurg district, Maharashtra

INS Sanshodhak — Survey Vessel (Large) Programme Complete

🗞️ Why in News GRSE, Kolkata delivered INS Sanshodhak — the fourth and final Survey Vessel (Large) to the Indian Navy on March 30, 2026, completing the four-ship SVL programme.

Key Facts

  • Contract for 4 SVL ships signed: October 30, 2018
  • Sister ships: INS Sandhayak (Feb 2024), INS Nirdeshak (Dec 2024), INS Ikshak (Nov 2025)
  • 110 metres long; ~3,400 tonnes; equipped with autonomous underwater vehicles and digital side-scan sonar
  • Designed by Indian Navy’s Warship Design Bureau; >80% indigenous content

📌 Facts Corner

  • Builder: Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata
  • Displacement: ~3,400 tonnes; Length: 110 m
  • Capability: Hydrographic, oceanographic surveys; port/harbour approach surveys

IRDAI Makes Ind AS Mandatory for Insurers

🗞️ Why in News IRDAI made Indian Accounting Standards (Ind AS) mandatory for all insurers — life, general, health, and reinsurers — effective April 1, 2026.

Key Facts

  • Aligns India’s insurance financial reporting with IFRS (International Financial Reporting Standards)
  • Key standard: Ind AS 117 for insurance contracts
  • Two-year parallel reporting period permitted; one-year forbearance given for initial non-compliance
  • Ind AS originally notified in 2015 by MCA; now extended to insurance sector

📌 Facts Corner

  • Ind AS: India’s version of IFRS; mandatory for large listed companies since 2016
  • Ind AS 117: Insurance contract accounting standard (equivalent to IFRS 17)
  • IRDAI: Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India; established 1999

India Approved First Dengue Vaccine — Qdenga (TAK-003)

🗞️ Why in News India’s drug regulator approved Takeda’s tetravalent dengue vaccine Qdenga (TAK-003) for individuals aged 4–60 years — India’s first approved dengue vaccine.

Key Facts

  • Developed by Japan’s Takeda; 2 doses, 3 months apart; no pre-vaccination screening needed
  • Unlike Sanofi’s Dengvaxia, Qdenga does not require prior dengue infection history
  • Expected cost: Rs 3,000–6,000 per dose (private sector)
  • Lower efficacy against DENV-3 and DENV-4 in seronegative individuals
  • Indian candidate DengiAll (Panacea Biotec + ICMR) in Phase III trials; expected ~2027

📌 Facts Corner

  • Dengue serotypes: 4 (DENV-1 to DENV-4); infection with one doesn’t protect against others
  • Dengvaxia (Sanofi): Requires prior infection; increases severity risk in seronegative recipients
  • Qdenga: Tetravalent; live attenuated; no prior infection needed

India Declared Effectively “Naxal-Free”

🗞️ Why in News Home Minister Amit Shah declared India effectively “Naxal-free” on March 30, 2026, citing security operations that neutralised Maoist strongholds across 180+ districts.

Key Facts

  • 4,839 Maoists surrendered; 2,218 arrested; 706 neutralised in security encounters
  • At peak, Naxalites operated across 180+ districts in mineral-rich tribal areas
  • Development push: schools, Aadhaar, ration cards, state presence in formerly affected areas
  • Experts urge implementation of PESA and Forest Rights Act for lasting peace

📌 Facts Corner

  • Naxalbari (1967): Origin of Naxal movement, West Bengal
  • LWE peak: ~180 districts in 9 states (Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, AP, Telangana, Maharashtra, MP, Bihar, WB)
  • PESA, 1996: Extends Gram Sabha powers to tribal (Schedule V) areas

RoDTEP Scheme Extended to September 2026

🗞️ Why in News The government extended the RoDTEP scheme for six months (April 1 – September 30, 2026) amid West Asia trade disruptions, via DGFT Notification No. 74/2025-26.

Key Facts

  • Covers Central, State, and Local taxes not refunded under GST or Duty Drawback
  • Rates unchanged at 0.3%–3.9% of FOB value; budget allocation FY27: Rs 10,000 crore
  • Replaces MEIS scheme which faced WTO challenges from the US
  • e-scrip valid for 2 years and transferable; administered by DGFT

📌 Facts Corner

  • RoDTEP: Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products; launched January 2021
  • MEIS: Merchandise Exports from India Scheme; discontinued after WTO dispute
  • DGFT: Directorate General of Foreign Trade under Ministry of Commerce

Rare Earth Corridors — Budget 2026-27

🗞️ Why in News Union Budget 2026-27 announced dedicated Rare Earth Corridors in Odisha, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu for integrated mining, processing, and manufacturing.

Key Facts

  • Targets reducing India’s ~90% dependence on Chinese rare earth processing
  • Builds on November 2025 scheme for Sintered Rare Earth Permanent Magnets (Rs 7,280 crore)
  • Key sectors: electronics, renewables, EVs, and defence
  • A Joint Working Group to develop SOPs for corridor development

📌 Facts Corner

  • Rare Earth Elements (REEs): 17 elements (lanthanides + Sc, Y); critical for EVs, defence electronics, wind turbines
  • China’s share: ~90% of global REE processing
  • India’s REE deposits: Monazite beach sands in AP, TN, Kerala, Odisha (2nd largest thorium reserves globally)

Raja Ravi Varma’s “Yashoda and Krishna” — Rs 167.2 Crore Record

🗞️ Why in News Raja Ravi Varma’s oil painting “Yashoda and Krishna” sold for Rs 167.2 crore at Saffronart’s Spring Live Auction — the highest price ever paid for an Indian artwork at auction.

Key Facts

  • Surpasses previous record of ~Rs 118 crore (MF Husain’s “Untitled — Gram Yatra”)
  • Estimated at Rs 80–120 crore; bought by Cyrus Poonawalla (Serum Institute)
  • Painted in the 1890s; Raja Ravi Varma (1848–1906), from Kilimanoor, Travancore, Kerala
  • His lithographic press (est. 1894) mass-produced oleograph prints of Hindu deities
  • Works classified as National Treasures; cannot be permanently exported

📌 Facts Corner

  • Raja Ravi Varma: Father of modern Indian art; first Indian artist to use European oil technique on Indian mythological themes
  • Famous works: Shakuntala, Saraswati, Hamsa Damayanti, Yashoda and Krishna
  • Lithographic press (1894): Democratised religious imagery; standardised Hindu deity iconography across India

S-400 Triumf — Final Deliveries Ahead of Schedule

🗞️ Why in News Russia’s remaining two S-400 Triumf squadrons contracted by India are set to arrive ahead of the original 2027 schedule — one in April 2026, the last by November 2026.

Key Facts

  • India contracted 5 S-400 squadrons in a $5.43 billion deal signed October 2018
  • S-400 intercepts aircraft, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles at ranges up to 400 km
  • Delivery delayed due to Russia–Ukraine conflict impacting Russian defence exports

📌 Facts Corner

  • S-400: Russia’s most advanced long-range surface-to-air missile system
  • CAATSA risk: US Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act; India given waiver
  • Deal value: ~$5.43 billion (2018); 5 squadrons total

e-GramSwaraj Crosses Rs 3 Lakh Crore Cumulative Payments

🗞️ Why in News India’s Gram Panchayats have routed over Rs 3 lakh crore in payments through e-GramSwaraj; SabhaSaar meeting tool now available in 23 Indian languages.

Key Facts

  • FY26 alone: Rs 53,342 crore transferred via e-GramSwaraj-PFMS interface
  • 2,55,254 Gram Panchayats uploaded development plans; 2,50,807 made online payments in FY26
  • SabhaSaar (AI-powered voice-to-text meeting summarisation) expanded from 13 to 23 languages

📌 Facts Corner

  • e-GramSwaraj: Digital platform for Panchayat planning and accounting; Ministry of Panchayati Raj
  • PFMS: Public Financial Management System for direct benefit transfers
  • SabhaSaar: AI meeting summarisation tool in 23 Indian languages

Bodhana Sivanandan — Britain’s Top Female Chess Player

🗞️ Why in News Eleven-year-old Bodhana Sivanandan (Indian-origin) became Britain’s number one ranked female chess player in April 2026, surpassing four-time British Women’s Champion Lan Yao.

Key Facts

  • FIDE rating: 2366; ranked 72nd among women globally
  • Took up chess during COVID lockdown
  • Beat former Women’s World title holder GM Mariya Muzychuk at European Club Cup (Rhodes)
  • Became the youngest female player to beat a grandmaster (beat GM Peter Wells, aged 10)

📌 Facts Corner

  • FIDE: Fédération Internationale des Échecs; world chess governing body; HQ: Lausanne, Switzerland
  • GM title: Highest FIDE title; requires rating ≥2500 + 3 GM norms
  • Bodhana: Studies in Harrow, London; parents of Indian origin

Indonesia Earthquake (Magnitude 7.4–7.6) — Molucca Sea

🗞️ Why in News A 7.4–7.6 magnitude earthquake struck Indonesia’s Molucca Sea on April 1–2, 2026, triggering a tsunami warning for Indonesia, Philippines, and Malaysia.

Key Facts

  • Waves up to 75 cm recorded; warning lifted after threat subsided; one killed
  • Nearly 50 aftershocks; buildings damaged in Manado
  • Indonesia sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” — one of the world’s most earthquake-prone nations

📌 Facts Corner

  • Molucca Sea: Part of the western Pacific Ocean; between Sulawesi and Maluku islands
  • Ring of Fire: ~40,000 km horseshoe arc; 75% of world’s volcanoes; 90% of earthquakes
  • Indonesia: 4th most populous country; 17,000+ islands; sits at junction of 3 tectonic plates

Thailand to Host IMF–World Bank Annual Meetings 2026

🗞️ Why in News Thailand will host the 2026 IMF–World Bank Annual Meetings in Bangkok (October 12–18) — its second time hosting after 1991.

Key Facts

  • Venue: Queen Sirikit National Convention Center, Bangkok
  • 15,000+ participants from 191 member countries expected
  • Theme: “Thailand’s New Horizons: Empowering People, Building Resilience”

📌 Facts Corner

  • IMF: International Monetary Fund; 191 members; HQ: Washington D.C.; MD: Kristalina Georgieva
  • World Bank: 189 members; HQ: Washington D.C.; President: Ajay Banga (Indian-origin)
  • Annual Meetings: Held jointly every year; once every 3 years outside Washington

Odisha Police — President’s Police Colour

🗞️ Why in News The President of India approved the President’s Police Colour — the highest honour for a police force — to Odisha Police on April 1, 2026, the force’s 91st Foundation Day.

Key Facts

  • Recognition for achievements in anti-Naxal operations, cybercrime, and narcotics control
  • Officers entitled to wear a special emblem on the left sleeve as mark of distinction

📌 Facts Corner

  • President’s Police Colour: Highest honour for a police force in India; conferred by President
  • Odisha Police: Founded 1936; HQ: Cuttack

NAAC Reforms and UGC Regulations 2026

🗞️ Why in News New UGC (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education) Regulations 2026 make NAAC accreditation or 60% NBA-accredited programmes mandatory for colleges to receive UGC grants.

Key Facts

  • NAAC established 1994 as autonomous institution under UGC
  • CBI arrested NAAC inspection committee members in Feb 2025 for bribery in A++ accreditation
  • Regulations notified January 13, 2026; uses outcomes-based, data-driven assessment

📌 Facts Corner

  • NAAC: National Assessment and Accreditation Council; autonomous body under UGC; HQ: Bengaluru
  • NBA: National Board of Accreditation; programme-level accreditation (engineering, management)
  • Accreditation grades: A++, A+, A, B++, B+, B, C, D (failing)

GLP-1 Receptor Agonist Drugs — India Crackdown

🗞️ Why in News India’s drug regulators inspected 49 businesses selling GLP-1 receptor agonist drugs amid concerns about non-medical use and counterfeit products.

Key Facts

  • GLP-1 drugs approved for Type 2 diabetes and obesity; can only be prescribed by specialists
  • Originally developed by Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly; now widely copied by generics manufacturers
  • Concerns: weight-loss trend-driven misuse and counterfeit products

📌 Facts Corner

  • GLP-1: Glucagon-Like Peptide-1; hormone that stimulates insulin secretion and reduces appetite
  • Examples: Semaglutide (Ozempic/Wegovy), Liraglutide (Victoza), Dulaglutide (Trulicity)
  • Mechanism: Slows gastric emptying, reduces appetite, controls blood sugar

Contempt of Court — Constitutional Framework

🗞️ Why in News Recent high-profile cases involving NCERT textbooks and police reform compliance have highlighted India’s contempt powers under Articles 129 and 215.

Key Facts

  • Civil contempt: wilful disobedience of court order
  • Criminal contempt: scandalising the court or obstructing justice
  • Punishment: imprisonment up to 6 months, fine up to Rs 2,000, or both
  • Truth added as valid defence through 2006 amendment (must serve public interest)

📌 Facts Corner

  • Article 129: SC is a court of record; power to punish for contempt
  • Article 215: High Courts are courts of record; similar contempt power
  • Contempt of Courts Act, 1971: Defines civil and criminal contempt; statutory safeguards
  • Inherent powers: SC’s contempt power is self-derived, not delegated by Parliament

FCRA Amendment Bill 2026

🗞️ Why in News The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill 2026 seeks to tighten oversight of foreign assets when NGO registrations are cancelled, with a new Designated Authority for asset management.

Key Facts

  • Distinguishes provisional vesting (reversible) and permanent vesting (transferred to government)
  • Expands prohibitions to individuals engaged in news production/broadcast
  • Reduces maximum imprisonment for violations from 5 years to 1 year
  • Appeals allowed to District Judge within 90 days

📌 Facts Corner

  • FCRA, 2010: Regulates foreign contributions to NGOs, associations, and individuals
  • Administered by: Ministry of Home Affairs
  • FCRA purpose: Prevent foreign interference in domestic affairs through funding channels

YUVIKA 2026 — ISRO’s Programme for Young Scientists

🗞️ Why in News ISRO’s YUVIKA 2026 — a two-week residential space science programme for Class 9 students — is scheduled for May 11–22, 2026 across seven ISRO centres.

Key Facts

  • Fully sponsored: lodging, boarding, course materials, II AC train fare reimbursement
  • Hosted at VSSC, SDSC (Sriharikota), URSC (Bengaluru), SAC (Ahmedabad) and others
  • Selection: academic performance, science Olympiads, NCC/NSS/sports achievements

📌 Facts Corner

  • YUVIKA: YUva VIgyani KAryakram; for Class 9 students; started 2019
  • VSSC: Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram
  • SDSC: Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota (launch site)

Kugti Wildlife Sanctuary — Snow Leopard Research

🗞️ Why in News New research documented snow leopard presence in Kugti Wildlife Sanctuary, Chamba, Himachal Pradesh — producing the first photographic evidence.

Key Facts

  • Second largest wildlife sanctuary in Himachal Pradesh
  • Located in Bharmour, Chamba district; altitude 2,195–5,040 metres
  • Hosts snow leopards, Himalayan brown bear, Himalayan tahr, musk deer

📌 Facts Corner

  • Snow Leopard: Panthera uncia; Schedule I (Wildlife Protection Act); Vulnerable (IUCN)
  • Kugti WLS: ~400 sq km; part of the Great Himalayan biodiversity zone
  • Himachal Pradesh largest WLS: Pin Valley National Park / Great Himalayan National Park (UNESCO WHS)

Sadhna Saptah 2026 — Mission Karmayogi

🗞️ Why in News PM launched Sadhna Saptah 2026 — a week-long national capacity-building programme for civil servants using the iGOT platform.

Key Facts

  • Organised by DoPT; aligns civil service with Viksit Bharat 2047
  • Covers AI, technology, governance reforms, and indigenous knowledge systems
  • Uses iGOT (Integrated Government Online Training) digital platform

📌 Facts Corner

  • Mission Karmayogi: National Programme for Civil Services Capacity Building; launched 2020
  • iGOT: Integrated Government Online Training Karmayogi platform
  • DoPT: Department of Personnel and Training under Ministry of Personnel, PG & Pensions

📌 Combined Facts Corner — April 2, 2026

Naval deliveries: INS Malwan (ASW SWC #2, CSL) + INS Sanshodhak (SVL #4, GRSE) — both >80% indigenous Dengue vaccine: Qdenga (TAK-003, Takeda) — India’s first; 2 doses; no prior screening needed Naxalism: 4,839 surrendered; 2,218 arrested; 706 neutralised — declared effectively “Naxal-free” RoDTEP: Extended April 1 – September 30, 2026; rates 0.3–3.9% of FOB value Rare Earth Corridors: Odisha, Kerala, AP, Tamil Nadu — reduces China’s ~90% processing monopoly Raja Ravi Varma: “Yashoda and Krishna” sold Rs 167.2 cr (record); born Kilimanoor, Kerala, 1848 S-400: $5.43 bn deal (2018); 5 squadrons; final 2 to arrive April–November 2026 Qdenga vs Dengvaxia: Qdenga — no prior infection needed; Dengvaxia — requires seropositivity Contempt of Court: Articles 129 (SC) + 215 (HC); Contempt of Courts Act, 1971