Current Affairs Today — April 11, 2026

Jyotirao Phule — 200th Birth Anniversary

🗞️ Why in News April 11, 2026 marks the 200th birth anniversary of Mahatma Jyotirao Phule (1827–1890), the pioneering social reformer, educationist, and anti-caste activist. Prime Minister Modi and President Murmu paid tributes, and the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment held commemorative events.

Background

Jyotirao Phule was born into the Mali (gardener) community in Pune on April 11, 1827. He challenged Brahminical caste orthodoxy at a time when such resistance carried severe social consequences. With his wife Savitribai Phule, he established India’s first school for girls on January 1, 1848 at Bhide Wada, Pune — making Savitribai the country’s first female teacher.

Key Contributions

• Founded the Satyashodhak Samaj (Truth-Seekers’ Society) on September 24, 1873 for Shudra-Dalit emancipation
• Authored Gulamgiri (1873) — compared the caste system to the American institution of slavery
• Conferred the title “Mahatma” on May 11, 1888 by Vithalrao Krishnaji Vandekar in Bombay — predating Gandhi’s use of the title

📌 Facts Corner

Jyotirao Phule: Born April 11, 1827 (Pune) — Died November 28, 1890 | Wife: Savitribai Phule (first female teacher) | First girls’ school: Bhide Wada, Pune — January 1, 1848 | Founded Satyashodhak Samaj: September 24, 1873 | Key work: Gulamgiri (1873) | Title “Mahatma”: May 11, 1888 | GS1: History, Art & Culture

India Achieves 3rd Rank Globally in Renewable Energy Capacity

🗞️ Why in News As of March 31, 2026, India’s total non-fossil fuel installed power capacity reached 283.46 GW, making India the third-largest renewable energy nation in the world — behind only China and the United States.

Key Data

• Total non-fossil capacity: 283.46 GW (renewable: ~274.68 GW + nuclear: 8.78 GW)
• Record annual addition: 55.3 GW in FY 2025–26
• Renewables now meet 51.5% of peak electricity demand
• India surpassed Brazil to reach the 3rd position globally

📌 Facts Corner

India RE Milestones: Total non-fossil: 283.46 GW | 3rd globally (1st: China, 2nd: USA) | Annual addition FY26: 55.3 GW | Peak demand met by RE: 51.5% | India’s 2047 nuclear target: 100 GW

VBSA Bill 2025 — Higher Education Regulatory Overhaul

🗞️ Why in News The Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhisthan (VBSA) Bill, 2025 proposes to replace the UGC, AICTE, and NCTE with a single apex regulatory body for higher education, aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

Key Provisions

• Replaces: University Grants Commission (UGC), All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE)
• Excludes: Medical education (under NMC) and legal education (under BCI)
• Separates funding authority from regulatory functions
• Three operational verticals: Regulatory Council, Accreditation Council, Standards Council
• Composition: Chairperson + 12 Commission members
• Penalty for violations: ₹10 lakh to ₹2 crore

📌 Facts Corner

VBSA Bill 2025: Replaces UGC + AICTE + NCTE | Excludes: medical (NMC) and legal (BCI) education | Three councils: Regulatory, Accreditation, Standards | Penalties: ₹10 lakh–₹2 crore | Aligns with NEP 2020 | GS2: Polity & Governance

Women’s Credit Portfolio Crosses ₹76 Lakh Crore

🗞️ Why in News A joint report by NITI Aayog, TransUnion CIBIL, and MicroSave Consulting titled “From Borrowers to Builders: Women and India’s Evolving Credit Market” reveals that women borrowers in India now hold ₹76 lakh crore in total credit — representing 26% of the total financial system credit.

Key Findings

• 16 crore credit-active women borrowers as of 2025
• Credit-active share of women doubled: 19% (2017) → 36% (2025)
• Women default rates are 30% lower than the market average
• Business loan CAGR: 59% in Bihar, 42% in Uttar Pradesh since 2017
• Same-day loan approval for consumption loans rose from 34% (2022) to 45% (2025)
• Only 4.3% of women-owned entities access complex commercial products

📌 Facts Corner

Women’s Credit (2025): ₹76 lakh crore total portfolio | 26% of system credit | 16 crore credit-active women | Default rate 30% below average | Report: NITI Aayog + TransUnion CIBIL + MicroSave Consulting | GS2/GS3: Social Issues, Economy

FIU-IND and I4C Sign MoU on Financial Cybercrime

🗞️ Why in News The Financial Intelligence Unit-India (FIU-IND) and the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) signed a Memorandum of Understanding to enable real-time intelligence sharing and a coordinated response to cyber-enabled financial fraud.

Key Points

• FIU-IND: Under the Ministry of Finance (Department of Revenue) — tracks financial transactions related to money laundering and terrorism financing
• I4C: Attached office under the Ministry of Home Affairs — runs the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal, National Cyber Forensic Laboratory, and Suspect Registry
• The MoU adopts a “Whole of Government” approach
• Aims to develop red flag indicators for financial institutions

📌 Facts Corner

FIU-IND: Ministry of Finance (Dept. of Revenue) | I4C: Ministry of Home Affairs | Cybercrime Portal: cybercrime.gov.in | Key mandate: Combating cyber-enabled money laundering and financial fraud | GS3: Security & Internal Security

GLP-1 Drugs — DCGI Issues Advisory

🗞️ Why in News India’s Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) issued an advisory restricting the prescription of GLP-1 receptor agonist drugs (Semaglutide, Liraglutide, Tirzepatide) to specialists only, amid concerns about misuse in non-clinical weight loss.

Key Facts

• GLP-1 (Glucagon-Like Peptide-1) drugs mimic natural gut hormones to regulate blood sugar and reduce appetite
• Approved for Type 2 Diabetes and clinical obesity under specialist supervision
• DCGI restricts prescriptions to: endocrinologists, cardiologists, and internal medicine specialists
• Concern: non-prescription use for cosmetic weight loss by non-obese individuals

📌 Facts Corner

GLP-1 Drugs: Semaglutide (Ozempic/Wegovy), Liraglutide (Victoza), Tirzepatide (Mounjaro) | Approved uses: Type 2 Diabetes + clinical obesity | DCGI: Drugs Controller General of India | Restricts to specialists | GS3: Science & Technology

UK Halts Chagos Archipelago Transfer to Mauritius

🗞️ Why in News The United Kingdom suspended the previously negotiated deal to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago (British Indian Ocean Territory) to Mauritius, following pressure from the United States under the Trump administration.

Key Facts

• Location: Chagos Archipelago — Indian Ocean; key island: Diego Garcia
• Diego Garcia: Hosts a major US-UK joint military base; critical to Indo-Pacific and West Asia operations
• The deal was agreed under the previous UK government; the current government halted it after Trump administration objections
• Mauritius holds a colonial-era claim; the islands’ original inhabitants (Chagossians) were displaced in the 1960s–70s
• ICJ advisory opinion (2019) had supported Mauritius’s sovereignty claim

📌 Facts Corner

Chagos Archipelago: British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) | Key island: Diego Garcia (US-UK base) | Mauritius claim: colonial-era sovereignty | ICJ opinion (2019): supported Mauritius | Deal suspended: US pressure under Trump | GS2: International Relations

Narmada Water Reaches Sundra Village, Barmer (728 km Pipeline)

🗞️ Why in News Sundra, a remote border village in Barmer district, Rajasthan, received piped drinking water from the Narmada River after a 728 km pipeline journey — a milestone in India’s border area development and inter-state water distribution.

Background

Barmer is situated in the Thar Desert near the India-Pakistan border — one of India’s most water-scarce regions. The Narmada canal network from the Sardar Sarovar Project (SSP) has been incrementally extended into Rajasthan.

📌 Facts Corner

Narmada Pipeline: Source: Narmada River | Distance: 728 km | Destination: Sundra village, Barmer, Rajasthan (India-Pakistan border) | Parent project: Sardar Sarovar Project | GS1/GS2: Geography, Social Issues

Womaniya on GeM — ₹28,000 Crore to Women Entrepreneurs

🗞️ Why in News The Government e-Marketplace (GeM) reported that its “Womaniya” initiative has enabled 2.1 lakh women-led micro and small enterprises to secure ₹28,000 crore in government procurement contracts — exceeding its 3% target with a 5.6% share.

Key Data

• 2.1 lakh women MSEs registered on GeM under Womaniya
• ₹28,000 crore in contracts in FY 2025–26
• 13.7 lakh orders; 27.6% YoY growth
• Women’s orders: 5.6% of total GeM orders (target was 3%)
• Launched: 2019, under Ministry of Commerce & Industry

📌 Facts Corner

Womaniya (GeM): 2.1 lakh women MSEs | ₹28,000 crore contracts | 27.6% YoY growth | Share: 5.6% (target 3%) | Ministry: Commerce & Industry | Platform: gem.gov.in | GS2/GS3: Economy, Social Issues

KABIL — India’s Critical Minerals Push

🗞️ Why in News Khanij Bidesh India Limited (KABIL) is expanding overseas exploration of lithium, cobalt, and nickel — critical minerals essential for India’s battery, EV, and electronics manufacturing ambitions under the PLI scheme.

Key Facts

• Full name: Khanij Bidesh India Limited
• JV partners: NALCO (40%) + HCL (30%) + MECL (30%)
• Ministry: Ministry of Mines, Government of India
• Incorporated: August 8, 2019
• Mandate: Identify, acquire, and develop strategic mineral assets overseas
• Targets: Lithium (Argentina, Australia), Cobalt (DRC), Nickel

📌 Facts Corner

KABIL: JV of NALCO + HCL + MECL (40:30:30) | Under Ministry of Mines | Incorporated: August 8, 2019 | Minerals targeted: Lithium, Cobalt, Nickel, Cobalt | Linked to: PLI for Battery Storage, EV Mission | GS3: Economy, Science & Technology

India Declines to Host COP33 (2028)

🗞️ Why in News India has decided against pursuing the hosting of COP33 scheduled for 2028, reversing an informal offer made at COP28 (Dubai, December 2023). The decision reflects India’s pushback against mitigation-centric climate frameworks.

Background

• COP28 was held in Dubai, UAE, in December 2023
• The 2028 COP would include the second Global Stocktake (GST) under the Paris Agreement
• India has consistently argued that 1.5°C/2°C temperature targets impose inequitable burdens on developing nations
• Article 9.1 of the Paris Agreement obligates developed nations to provide climate finance — India has emphasised this obligation

📌 Facts Corner

COP33: Scheduled 2028 | Second Global Stocktake (GST) due 2028 | COP28: Dubai, December 2023 | India’s position: adaptation priority + binding climate finance | Relevant: Paris Agreement Art. 9.1, UNFCCC | GS3/GS2: Environment, IR

Artemis II — Successful Splashdown

🗞️ Why in News NASA’s Artemis II mission — the first crewed lunar flyby since Apollo 17 in December 1972 — completed successfully with a crew splashdown, marking a new era of human deep space exploration.

Key Facts

• Artemis II is the first crewed lunar flyby mission in over 50 years
• Apollo 17 (1972) was the last time humans traveled to the lunar vicinity
• The 4-member crew included the first woman and the first person of color to travel to the vicinity of the Moon
• India’s LVM3 rocket may carry future commercial payloads under Artemis-aligned agreements

📌 Facts Corner

Artemis II: First crewed lunar flyby since Apollo 17 (December 1972) | NASA | 4 crew members | First woman + first person of color to lunar vicinity | Artemis I (uncrewed): November 2022 | India: LVM3 potential commercial tie-up | GS3: Science & Technology

UPSC Relevance — Today’s Edition

📌 Combined Facts Corner — April 11, 2026

Jyotirao Phule (1827–1890): Born April 11, 1827 | First girls’ school: January 1, 1848 (Bhide Wada, Pune) | Satyashodhak Samaj: September 24, 1873 | Gulamgiri: 1873 | “Mahatma” title: May 11, 1888

India RE: 283.46 GW non-fossil capacity | 3rd globally (1st China, 2nd USA) | 55.3 GW added FY26 | 51.5% peak demand met by renewables

VBSA Bill: Replaces UGC + AICTE + NCTE | Excludes medical (NMC) + legal (BCI) | Penalties: ₹10 lakh–₹2 crore | NEP 2020 aligned

Women’s Credit: ₹76 lakh crore | 26% system credit | 16 crore credit-active women | NITI Aayog + TransUnion CIBIL + MicroSave

FIU-IND: Ministry of Finance (Dept. of Revenue) | I4C: Ministry of Home Affairs

Chagos Archipelago: BIOT | Diego Garcia: US-UK military base | ICJ 2019 advisory: supported Mauritius | UK deal suspended under US pressure

KABIL: NALCO (40%) + HCL (30%) + MECL (30%) | Ministry of Mines | Incorporated: August 8, 2019

Womaniya (GeM): 2.1 lakh women MSEs | ₹28,000 crore | 5.6% of GeM orders | Ministry: Commerce & Industry