Prelims Current Affairs includes Imf Projects 6.5% Growth For India In 2026, India Slips To Sixth In Imf Gdp Rankings 2025, China Becomes India’s Top Trade Partner In Fy26, India Unemployment Rate Rises To 5.1% In March 2026, Türkiye Outlines ‘Cop Of The Future’ Vision For Cop31, China Plans 120 Km Undersea Bullet Train Tunnel, Sanju Samson Wins Icc Men’s Player Of The Month, Melie Kerr Wins Women’s Award For March 2026, Karnataka High Court Directs State To Implement Menstrual Leave Policy  & Baisakh Pilgrimage Begins As Bijli Mahadev’s Palanquin Reaches Kullu’s Jia Village

IMPORTANT DAYS

1. WORLD LIVER DA

Current Context: World Liver Day is observed every year on April 19th, with an aim to raise awareness about liver health, which acts as the body’s powerhouse performing over 500 functions.

ABOUT WORLD LIVER DAY

• Theme for 2026:“Solid Habits, Strong Liver”
• Focus:Simple lifestyle changes to protect the liver and prevent conditions like Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD), cirrhosis, and liver cancer

IMPORTANT DAYS

2. INTERNATIONAL WELLNESS DAY

Current Context: The United Nations General Assembly has proclaimed International Wellness Day to be observed on 15 April, promoting holistic well-being across the globe.

ABOUT INTERNATIONAL WELLNESS DAY

• Proclaimed by:United Nations General Assembly
• Focus:Raising awareness and encouraging action for physical, mental, and emotional health through education and wellness initiatives

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

3. UKRAINE IS THE LARGEST ARMS IMPORTER IN THE WORLD

Current Context: According to the 2026 report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Ukraine is currently the biggest arms importer in the world, receiving about 9.5% of all global arms imports between 2021 and 2025.

ABOUT GLOBAL ARMS TRADE (2021-25)

Global Arms Transfer Increase: 9.2% between 2016-20 and 2021-25

Top 5 Largest Arms Importers:

• India’s Major Suppliers:Russia, France, Israel
• Largest Arms Exporters:
  • United States:42% share (world’s largest)
  • France:8% share (second largest)
  • Russia:Third place (exports dropped significantly)
• Key Trends:
  • Europe saw fastest growth in arms imports (increased by more than 200%)
  • Asia and Middle East imports declined (Middle East: -13%; Asia/Oceania: -20%)

 INTERNATIONAL

4. PHILIPPINES JOINS PAX SILICA CHIP SUPPLY INITIATIVE

Current Context: The Philippines has joined the US-led initiative “Pax Silica” aimed at securing global semiconductor and technology supply chains.

ABOUT PAX SILICA INITIATIVE

• Purpose:Secure full technology supply chain (raw materials extraction to advanced manufacturing)
• Membership:India, South Korea, Singapore, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Philippines (13th member)
• Luzon Industrial Hub:4,000-acre hub in Luzon, Philippines, focusing on semiconductors, electronics, and critical minerals processing (nickel, cobalt, copper)
• Concept:“Friend-shoring” – relocating supply chains to allied countries

SPORTS

5. WISDEN 2025: MITCHELL STARC & DEEPTI SHARMA NAMED LEADING CRICKETERS

Current Context: Mitchell Starc and Deepti Sharma were named Leading Cricketers in the World for 2025 by Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack.

ABOUT WISDEN 2025 AWARDS

• Leading Cricketer (Men):Mitchell Starc
• Leading Cricketer (Women):Deepti Sharma
• Leading T20 Cricketer:Abhishek Sharma
• Five Cricketers of the Year:
  • Shubman Gill
  • Ravindra Jadeja
  • Rishabh Pant
  • Mohammed Siraj
  • Haseeb Hameed
• Wisden Trophy (Best Individual Test Performance):Shubman Gill (430-run effort at Edgbaston)
• Wisden Almanack Edition:163rd

PERSON IN NEWS

6.  ‘LION OF LADAKH’ SONAM WANGCHUK, MAHA VIR CHAKRA AWARDEE, PASSES AWAY

Current Context: Sonam Wangchuk, a decorated Indian Army officer honoured with the Maha Vir Chakra, passed away.

ABOUT SONAM WANGCHUK

• Unit:Ladakh Scouts
• Location of Action:Chorbat La (Batalik sector) at altitude of around 18,000 feet

POLITY 

7. WOMEN’S QUOTA LAW BEGINS IN J&K AND PUDUCHERRY

Current Context: The women’s reservation framework has formally come into effect in the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Puducherry, with the Union government notifying April 17, 2026, as the implementation date.

ABOUT WOMEN’S RESERVATION IMPLEMENTATION

• Constitutional Basis:Constitution (106th Amendment) Act, 2023 (Women’s Reservation Act)
• Provision:One-third (33%) reservation for women in Lok Sabha, state legislative assemblies, and Delhi Assembly
• Separate Laws for UTs:
  • Puducherry:Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Act, 2023
  • Jammu and Kashmir:J&K Reorganisation (Second Amendment) Act, 2023
  • Implementation Condition:Reservation will become effective only after the first delimitation exercise conducted on the basis of the next relevant Census (expected Census 2027)
  • Notification Date:April 17, 2026
• 2026 Bills Defeated in Lok Sabha:
  • Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill
  • Delimitation Bill
  • Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill

DEFENCE 

8. HAL AND GE AEROSPACE SIGN DEAL TO CO-DEVELOP ADVANCED JET ENGINES

Current Context: Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and GE Aerospace have signed a key technology agreement to jointly manufacture advanced jet engines for India’s next-generation indigenous fighter aircraft.

ABOUT THE DEAL

• Engine:F414 jet engine (turbofan, designed for high-performance fighter aircraft)
• Features:High thrust-to-weight ratio, enhanced durability and reliability
• Purpose:Power 120-130 planned indigenous fighter jets (replace older Russian-origin aircraft)
• Key Highlights:
  • Includes transfer of critical manufacturing technology to India
  • First such collaboration between HAL and GE
  • Supports ‘Make in India’ initiative
• Other Countries India is in talks with:France, Japan, United Kingdom

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

9. US PLANS SPACE NUCLEAR REACTORS BY 2030

Current Context: The United States has announced an ambitious plan to deploy nuclear reactors in space orbit by 2028 and on the Moon by 2030 under the policy memorandum “National Initiative for American Space Nuclear Power”.

ABOUT THE SPACE NUCLEAR POWER INITIATIVE

• NASA’s Lunar Reactor Programme:Develop mid-power space reactor with lunar fission surface power version ready for launch by 2030
• Power Capacity:20 kilowatts of electricity (3 years in orbit, 5 years on Moon)
• Future Applications:Nuclear thermal propulsion for crewed missions to Mars in the 2030s

ART & CULTURE

10. KHASI AND GARO LANGUAGES DECLARED OFFICIAL LANGUAGES OF MEGHALAYA

Current Context: Meghalaya announced the indigenous Khasi and Garo languages as official languages of the state, in addition to English.

ABOUT KHASI AND GARO LANGUAGES

• Khasi Language:
• Member of Khasian branch of Mon-Khmer family
• Part of Austroasiatic stock
• Garo Language:
• One of the most important languages of Garo Hills districts, Meghalaya
• Belongs to Bodo group of Sino-Tibetan language family
• Note:Both languages are not currently part of the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution

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