Prelims Current Affairs includes World Design Day 2026, India-New Zealand Fta To Boost Duty-Free Trade, China Selects First Foreign Astronauts From Pakistan For Tiangong Mission, Safe Travel On National Highways Under Article 21, Defection: Seven Rajya Sabha Mps From Aap Defect To Bjp, Isro’s Nationwide Land Mapping Project To Empower Panchayats , Hindu Kush Himalaya (Hkh) Region, Srikanth Velamakanni Appointed As Nasscom Chairperson & Botanist N. Alim Yusuf Honoured By Wwf For Ai-Based Conservation App

IMPORTANT DAYS

1. WORLD DESIGN DAY 2026

Current Context: World Design Day, celebrated on April 27, focuses on the impact of design across daily life, from smartphones to city planning.

ABOUT WORLD DESIGN DAY

• Commemorates:Founding of the International Council of Design in 1963
• First Celebrated:1995 (originally known as World Graphics Day)
• Celebrated in:Over 50 countries
• Impact of Design:
  • Layout of mobile apps and websites
  • Architecture of buildings and public spaces
  • Efficiency of transportation systems
  • Usability of products and services

ECONOMY

2. INDIA-NEW ZEALAND FTA TO BOOST DUTY-FREE TRADE

Current Context: India and New Zealand will sign a Free Trade Agreement (FTA), providing Indian exporters with 100% duty-free access to the New Zealand market.

ABOUT THE FTA

• Signing Date:April 27, 2026
• Negotiation Period:March 2025 to December 2025 (less than one year) – one of India’s fastest-negotiated FTAs
• Key Provisions:
  • Indian exports to New Zealand: 100% duty-free access
  • Tariffs on 95% of imports from New Zealand: Removed or significantly reduced
• Benefits for Indian Exporters:Textiles, pharmaceuticals, engineering products, gems and jewellery, agricultural exports
• Key New Zealand Imports:Dairy-related products, wool, wood products, machinery, agricultural goods
• Indian Lead Negotiator:Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

3. CHINA SELECTS FIRST FOREIGN ASTRONAUTS FROM PAKISTAN FOR TIANGONG MISSION

Current Context: China has selected Muhammad Zeeshan Ali and Khurram Daud of Pakistan as part of its first batch of foreign astronauts for the Tiangong space station.

ABOUT THE SELECTION

• Announced by:China Manned Space Agency (CMSA)
• Role:Reserve astronauts, one to join Tiangong mission as payload specialist
• Significance:Pakistan becomes first country to send a citizen onboard Tiangong space station

POLITY

4. SAFE TRAVEL ON NATIONAL HIGHWAYS UNDER ARTICLE 21

Current Context: The Supreme Court has held that the right to safe travel on National Highways is part of the fundamental Right to Life guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution.

ABOUT THE JUDGMENT

• Legal Basis:Article 21 (Right to Life and Personal Liberty)
• Key Statistics:
  • National Highways: ~2% of India’s total road network
  • National Highways account for nearly 30% of all road accident deaths
• Prohibitions:
  • Construction and operation of dhabas, eateries, and unauthorised establishments on Right of Way (ROW) of National Highways
  • Parking of heavy and commercial vehicles except in designated parking bays and truck lay-bys
• Directions:
  • Regular highway patrols, surveillance through drones, Automated Traffic Management Systems
  • Emergency support (ambulances, cranes, rescue teams) at regular intervals
  • District-level Highway Safety Task Forces
• Trigger:Suo motu action after two major road accidents in 2025 causing 34 deaths

POLITY

5. DEFECTION: SEVEN RAJYA SABHA MPs FROM AAP DEFECT TO BJP

Current Context: Seven Rajya Sabha MPs from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), representing more than two-thirds of the party’s strength in the Upper House, have defected to the BJP.

ABOUT ANTI-DEFECTION LAW

• Constitutional Basis:Tenth Schedule (added via 52nd Amendment Act, 1985)
• Strengthened by:91st Amendment Act, 2003
• Grounds for Disqualification:
  • Voluntarily resigning from party
  • Defying party whip during division in the House
• Deciding Authority:Chairman of Rajya Sabha / Speaker of Lok Sabha
• Exemption:Two-Thirds Rule – if original political party merges with another, provided at least two-thirds of members of legislative party agree
• 91st Amendment also:Limited Council of Ministers size to 15% of total House strength

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

6. ISRO’S NATIONWIDE LAND MAPPING PROJECT TO EMPOWER PANCHAYATS

Current Context: On National Panchayati Raj Day, ISRO announced completion of high-resolution land use and land cover mapping of India to support rural governance.

ABOUT THE MAPPING PROJECT

• Scale:1:10,000 (high-resolution)
• Coverage:Entire country
• Integrated into:Grammanchitra portal (developed by Ministry of Panchayati Raj)
• Applications:
  • Preparing Gram Panchayat Development Plans (GPDPs)
  • Data-driven decision-making
  • Identifying land resources and usage patterns
• Land Use vs Land Cover:
• Land Use:Human activities (agriculture, urban areas, industries)
• Land Cover:Physical features (forests, water bodies, barren land)

GEOGRAPHY

7. HINDU KUSH HIMALAYA (HKH) REGION

Current Context: According to a new report by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), the Hindu Kush Himalaya region saw a record 27% drop in snow persistence.

ABOUT HINDU KUSH HIMALAYA

• Length:Approximately 3,500 km
• Countries (8):Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, Myanmar, Pakistan
• Known as:“Third Pole” (after North and South Poles)
• Highest Peak:Tirich Mir (Terichmir) – 7,708 meters (25,289 feet) in Chitral, Pakistan
• Major River Systems (10):Amu Darya, Indus, Ganges, Brahmaputra, Irrawaddy, Salween, Mekong, Yangtse, Yellow River, Tarim
• Ecosystems:Glaciers, alpine meadows, forests, wetlands, grasslands

APPOINTMENT

8. SRIKANTH VELAMAKANNI APPOINTED AS NASSCOM CHAIRPERSON

Current Context: NASSCOM has appointed Srikanth Velamakanni, Co-founder & Group CEO of Fractal, as its new Chairperson.

ABOUT THE APPOINTMENT

• New Chairperson:Srikanth Velamakanni (Co-founder & Group CEO of Fractal)
• Outgoing Chairperson:Sindhu Gangadharan
• ABOUT NASSCOM
  • Founded:1988
  • Headquarters:Noida

ENVIRONMENT

9. BOTANIST N. ALIM YUSUF HONOURED BY WWF FOR AI-BASED CONSERVATION APP

Current Context: Botanist N. Alim Yusuf has received a prestigious award from the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) for developing an AI-powered mobile application to detect invasive plant species in Kerala.

ABOUT THE ACHIEVEMENT

• Recipient: Alim Yusuf researcher at Malabar Botanical Garden and Institute for Plant Sciences
• Innovation:AI-powered mobile app to detect invasive plant species
• App Capability:Identifies nearly 100 invasive plant species found across Kerala
• Significance:Blends technology with biodiversity conservation; empowers researchers, forest officials, and public for timely action

ABOUT WWF

• Founded:1961 in Switzerland
• Headquarters:Gland, Switzerland

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