Daily Current Affairs 20 April 2026

The Union Cabinet has approved the establishment of the Bharat Maritime Insurance Pool (BMI pool) to provide continuous maritime insurance coverage for Indian vessels. The initiative is backed by a sovereign guarantee of ₹12,980 crore to provide financial security and ensure insurance availability for the pool.

The BMI pool is intended to reduce dependency on external insurance and mitigate risks from global volatility and geopolitical instability in the maritime sector of India.

The Union Cabinet has approved an additional installment of Dearness Allowance (DA) for central government employees and Dearness Relief (DR) for pensioners, effective from January 2026.

The increment represents a 2% increase over the existing rate of 58% of the basic pay or pension.

The move aims to provide compensation against price escalation.

The total financial impact on the exchequer due to the increase in DA and DR is estimated at ₹6,791.24 crore per annum.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved two multi-tracking projects of the Ministry of Railways (MoR) with a total estimated cost of ₹24,815 crore. The projects aim to expand the network of Indian Railways by 601 km, covering a total track length of 1,317 km.

The expansion will span across 15 districts in the states of Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh. The infrastructure development is scheduled for completion by the FY31.

The Union Cabinet has approved the continuation of the PM Gram Sadak Yojana-III (PMGSY-III) from March 2025 until March 2028.

The scheme focuses on the consolidation of Through Routes and Major Rural Links to connect habitations with Gramin Agricultural Markets (GrAMs), Higher Secondary Schools, and Hospitals.

The financial outlay for the PMGSY-III has been revised to ₹83,977 crore from the original allocation of ₹80,250 crore.

The timeline for completing roads and bridges in plain areas, as well as roads in hilly regions, is extended to March 2028, while the deadline for bridges in hilly areas is extended to March 2029.

The government has also authorized the sanctioning of 161 Long Span Bridges (LSBs), worth ₹961 crore, located on the alignments of previously sanctioned roads.

According to the government data, China has emerged as the largest trading partner of India for FY26, with total bilateral trade reaching $151.1 billion. The country has replaced the USA, which served as the primary trading partner of India for four consecutive years until FY25.

The trade deficit between India and China widened to $112.16 billion. During this period, the exports of India to China increased by 36.66% to $19.47 billion, while imports from China grew by 16% to $131.63 billion.

Paytm has introduced biometric authentication for UPI and cardless Automated Teller Machine (ATM) withdrawals to enhance security. These features align with the RBI guidelines for two factor authentication (2FA).

Biometric payments are capped at ₹5,000 per transaction as per the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) guidelines. The cardless withdrawal feature allows users to withdraw cash from ATMs without a physical card, with a maximum limit of ₹10,000 per transaction.

The RBI has issued the “RBI (Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFC) - Branch Authorisation) Amendment Directions, 2026” to enhance operational flexibility for NBFCs while ensuring regulatory oversight. The rules have come into force with immediate effect.

All applications must be submitted through the Platform for Regulatory Application, Validation And AutHorisation (PRAVAAH) portal. Under the revised norms, deposit-taking NBFCs with Net Owned Funds (NOF) up to ₹50 crore or lower credit ratings are permitted to open branches only within the state of their registered office.

The Broadcast Engineering Consultants India Ltd (BECIL) has signed an MoU with the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) to collaborate in the fields of advanced technologies, digital transformation, and capacity building. The partnership focuses on joint project implementation, consultancy, and technical support, including the development of solutions in emerging technologies.

The Government of Andhra Pradesh has signed an MoU with the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), a constituent unit of the ISRO, to strengthen lightning forecasting and early warning systems.

The partnership also aims to enhance the overall disaster preparedness and management framework of the state.

The Department of Posts (DoP) has signed an MoU with the Prime

Ministers’ Museum and Library (PMML) to promote the democratic

history of India through philately and cultural outreach.

The agreement was signed at the PM Sangrahalaya on its 4th

Foundation Day. Under the partnership, both organizations will

organize joint exhibitions and establish a permanent co-branded

postal outlet within the museum premises.

The Gujarat government has signed an MoU with Allegiance International Company Ltd to establish an Indo-Taiwan Industrial Park in the Sanand-Dholera region.

The proposed industrial park will focus on high-technology sectors like semiconductors, electronics manufacturing, Electric Vehicles (EVs), robotics, and related supply chain infrastructure.

According to the “India Digital Payments Report- Year 2025 in Review” released by Worldline SA, the UPI processed 228.5 billion transactions in 2025. This is a 33% Year-on-Year (Y-o-Y) increase from 172.2 billion transactions in 2024. The total value of transactions reached ₹299.74 trillion.

Person-to-Merchant (P2M) transactions grew by 34% to 143.82 billion. The merchant acceptance infrastructure expanded as the number of Quick Response (QR) codes increased by 15% Y-o-Y to reach 731.38 million. The report also states that the total number of payment cards in circulation exceeded 1.62 billion by the end of 2025.

Nizar Mohammed Saeed Amedi, belonging to the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), has been elected as the 9th President of Iraq. He succeeds Abdul Latif Rashid.

The Regiment of Artillery of the Indian Army has launched its first blue water sailing expedition named ‘Samudra Sahas’ from Marve, Mumbai. The event, inaugurated by NS Sarna (Commandant of the School of Artillery), commemorates the bicentenary (200 years) of the Regiment and honours the maritime legacy of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

The voyage covers 520 nautical miles along the Konkan Coast in four legs using 21-foot Seabird class boats. Led by Kshitij Nair and Prakash Funde, the team navigates 7 nautical miles off the coast with wind speeds ranging from 2-15 knots.

Sonam Wangchuk, a 1999 Kargil War hero fondly known as the “Lion of Ladakh”, passed away at the age of 61. He was a recipient of the Maha Vir Chakra (MVC), the second-highest wartime gallantry award of India, in 1999.