Current Affairs Quiz 23 April 2026

Shekha Jheel Bird Sanctuary in Aligarh district, Uttar Pradesh was designated as India’s 99th Ramsar site. It is a freshwater monsoonal wetland in the Gangetic Plain.

The Ramsar Convention was signed on February 2, 1971 in Ramsar, Iran. It entered into force in 1975. February 2 is observed as World Wetlands Day.

After the 86th Constitutional Amendment (2002), Article 45 was amended to direct the state to provide early childhood care and education for children until age six. Article 21A (fundamental right) covers ages 6-14.

The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act (RTE Act) was enacted in 2009 to implement Article 21A. It mandates free and compulsory education for children aged 6-14 and requires 25% seats in private schools for EWS/disadvantaged children.

CERC proposed Grid India (formerly POSOCO) as the Market Coupling Operator (MCO). Grid India is the neutral entity that operates the National Load Despatch Centre (NLDC) and manages the national electricity grid.

India’s short-term electricity market grew from 65.90 BU in 2009-10 to 238.35 BU in 2024-25 — nearly 4x growth, reflecting rising power demand and market development.

Stauranthera aureoglossa belongs to the family Gesneriaceae (the African violet family). It was discovered in mid-elevation evergreen forests of Arunachal Pradesh. Aureoglossa means “golden tongue” in Latin.

Arunachal Pradesh lies within the Indo-Burma Biodiversity Hotspot, which covers Northeast India, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and parts of South China. India has four biodiversity hotspots: Indo-Burma, Himalaya, Western Ghats+Sri Lanka, and Sundaland (Andaman & Nicobar).

OGAI was established under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) through the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Rules 2026, effective May 1, 2026.

Gambling and betting is a State List subject under Entry 34 of List II (Seventh Schedule). This is why different states have different laws on online gaming and why central regulation comes through IT Act framework rather than a direct gambling law.

India’s kharif urea requirement is 19.4 million tonnes, but only 5.5 million tonnes are currently available (April 2026), creating a massive supply gap of ~13.9 MT due to global price shocks from West Asia conflict and Hormuz disruptions.

The Nutrient Based Subsidy (NBS) scheme (introduced 2010) covers P&K fertilisers — DAP, MOP, SSP, and complex fertilisers. Urea remains under a separate controlled MRP regime and is not under NBS. Urea MRP is ~₹242/45-kg bag.

INS Nireekshak is a diving support and salvage vessel capable of saturation diving, underwater rescue, and submarine rescue operations. It was deployed to Colombo for DIVEX 2026 (India-Sri Lanka Diving Exercise).

DOSTI is a tri-lateral coast guard exercise involving India, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives. SLINEX is the primary India-Sri Lanka bilateral naval exercise. MALABAR involves India, USA, and Japan.

SAGAR stands for Security And Growth for All in the Region — India’s vision for the Indian Ocean, announced by PM Modi in Mauritius in 2015. It emphasises collective maritime security, humanitarian assistance, and anti-piracy cooperation.

Sri Lanka leased Hambantota Port to China’s CMPort on a 99-year lease in 2017, granting China strategic access in the Indian Ocean. This is a key concern for India’s maritime security in the region.

The 4th DefSpace Symposium 2026 was held at The Manekshaw Centre, New Delhi (April 23-24, 2026), focusing on integrating space technology into India’s national defence strategy.

India has four recognized biodiversity hotspots: (1) Indo-Burma — Northeast India; (2) Himalaya — the Himalayan arc; (3) Western Ghats + Sri Lanka — peninsular India; and (4) Sundaland — Andaman and Nicobar Islands. These are among the 36 global biodiversity hotspots defined by Conservation International.

IFFCO Nano Urea Liquid (2021) provides nitrogen in nanoparticle form absorbed through leaves. One 500 ml bottle is equivalent to one 45-kg bag of conventional urea. It reduces groundwater pollution from urea run-off and improves efficiency, though it cannot yet fully replace conventional urea for all crops.

NEP 2020 defines the Foundational Stage as ages 3-8, covering three years of pre-primary (3-6) and Grades 1-2 (6-8). This integrated stage emphasises play-based learning and early childhood care and education (ECCE).

In K.R. Lakshmanan v. State of Tamil Nadu (1996), the Supreme Court held that horse racing and games of skill are not “gambling” under law. This principle was extended in the Dream11 case (2021) where fantasy cricket was held to be a game of skill. OGAI 2026 uses this principle to distinguish skill games from prohibited money games.

CBG under SATAT is produced by anaerobic digestion of organic feedstocks: agricultural residue (paddy straw, sugarcane bagasse), cattle dung, municipal solid waste, press mud, and sewage sludge. This converts waste into clean fuel while addressing stubble burning and organic waste management.

India’s first two Ramsar sites, designated in 1981, were Chilika Lake (Odisha) and Keoladeo Ghana National Park (Rajasthan). India joined the Ramsar Convention in 1982 (not 1971). The Ramsar Secretariat is in Gland, Switzerland, not New Delhi.

The Botanical Survey of India (BSI), established in 1890 with headquarters in Kolkata, functions under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC). It is responsible for surveying and documenting India’s plant diversity, including discoveries like Stauranthera aureoglossa.

India imports nearly 100% of its Muriate of Potash (MOP/potassium chloride) requirement as it has no significant domestic potash reserves. Key suppliers are Canada, Belarus, Russia, and Jordan. This makes India highly vulnerable to global supply disruptions and geopolitical crises affecting potash-exporting nations.

BHISM (Bharatiya Health Stack for Management / Arogya Maitri Disaster Management Cube) is India’s modular mobile hospital system, deployable within 12 minutes. It contains surgical equipment, ICU, pharmacy, and oxygen supply. It was first deployed internationally during the Turkey earthquake relief operation in 2023 and was used during DIVEX 2026 with Sri Lanka.

Balvatika is a new pre-primary grade introduced under NEP 2020, attached to government primary schools, targeting children aged 3-6. It is part of NEP’s foundational stage, providing structured ECCE before Grade 1.

India has three operational power exchanges: Indian Energy Exchange (IEX), Power Exchange India Ltd (PXIL), and Hindustan Power Exchange (HPX). IEX dominates with 90%+ of the Day-Ahead Market. CERC’s market coupling proposal would aggregate bids from all three for a single uniform price.

SLINEX (Sri Lanka-India Naval Exercise) is the primary bilateral naval exercise between India and Sri Lanka, involving warships and maritime helicopters. DIVEX is a more specialised diving and salvage exercise. VARUNA is India-France and SIMBEX is India-Singapore.

SATAT (Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation) was launched in October 2018 by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. Oil Marketing Companies (IOC, BPCL, HPCL) are committed to purchase CBG at assured floor prices, with a target of 5,000 CBG plants.