Day 122: 19 April target:

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🔆 CURRENT AFFAIRS POINTERS — 18 APRIL 2026

🔆 BANKING & FINANCE

📍 Developing Nations Launch Borrowers’ Platform
✅ 30 developing countries, including India, launch first-ever Borrowers’ Platform during IMF–World Bank Spring Meetings 2026
✅ Chaired by Egypt and supported by United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
✅ Aim: strengthen borrower voice in sovereign debt negotiations and improve debt management capacity
✅ Platform comes at a time when developing nations’ external debt has reached $11.7 trillion

📍 55 Years of Bank Nationalisation
✅ India marks 55 years of bank nationalisation
✅ Major phase took place on 19 July 1969, when 14 private banks were nationalised by the government of Indira Gandhi
✅ Earlier, in 1955, Imperial Bank of India became State Bank of India
✅ Second phase in 1980 nationalised 6 more banks

🔆 INTERNATIONAL

📍 Strait of Hormuz Remains Open
✅ United States and Iran confirm that the Strait of Hormuz remains fully open despite regional tensions
✅ Iran is strategically important due to its location between the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman
✅ Iran is also a member of SCO, BRICS and OPEC

🔆 NATIONAL

📍 India Recognises Over 55,000 Startups in FY26
✅ More than 55,000 startups recognised in FY 2025–26 — highest ever in a single year
✅ Total recognised startups in India cross 2.23 lakh
✅ These startups created over 23.36 lakh direct jobs
✅ Startup recognition grew by 51.6% year-on-year

📍 ‘Divya Bharat’ Tourism Anthology Released
✅ NITI Aayog releases anthology titled Divya Bharat: A Window to the Soul of India
✅ Released by Suman Bery
✅ Focuses on experiential, balanced and sustainable tourism across India

📍 IndiaAI Mission Selects 10 Startups
✅ IndiaAI Mission selects 10 startups for second Global Acceleration Programme cohort
✅ Programme conducted with Station F and HEC Paris
✅ Includes 3-week online preparation followed by 3-month residency in Paris
✅ Objective: provide Indian AI startups global exposure and market access

📍 India–Austria Economic Cooperation
✅ India and Austria hold 17th session of Joint Economic Commission
✅ Both sides agree to expand cooperation in trade, investment and innovation sectors

📍 Government Expands RELIEF Scheme
✅ Government expands RELIEF Scheme for exporters affected by West Asia tensions
✅ Egypt and Jordan added under scheme coverage
✅ Scheme helps exporters facing higher freight cost, insurance premiums and war-related risks
✅ Implemented by Export Credit Guarantee Corporation of India

📍 DGFT Updates List of Banks for Gold & Silver Imports
✅ Directorate General of Foreign Trade authorises 17 banks till FY29 for importing bullion
✅ 15 banks can import both gold and silver
✅ Union Bank of India and Sberbank allowed to import only gold

📍 India’s First Bat Assessment Report Released
✅ “The State of India’s Bats (2024–25)” released
✅ India has nearly 135 bat species, including 16 endemic species
✅ Seven species listed as threatened by IUCN
✅ Major threats: urbanisation, deforestation, climate change and post-COVID stigma

📍 CAFE-III Norms Finalised
✅ Government and automobile industry reach consensus on CAFE-III norms
✅ New norms to apply from 1 April 2027 to 31 March 2032
✅ Fleet CO₂ emissions target reduced from about 113 g/km to 78.9 g/km by FY32
✅ EVs to receive “super credit” multiplier of 3.0 under new system

🔆 STATES

📍 Khasi and Garo Become Official Languages in Meghalaya
✅ Meghalaya declares Khasi and Garo as official languages along with English
✅ These languages can now be used in government communication and Assembly debates

📍 New Gecko Species Discovered in Tripura
✅ New bent-toed gecko species, Cyrtodactylus jayadityai, discovered in Tripura
✅ Named after herpetologist Jayaditya Purkayastha
✅ Raises total number of Cyrtodactylus species in Northeast India to 31

🔆 IMPORTANT DAYS
📍 World Haemophilia Day 2026
✅ Observed on 17 April every year
✅ Theme for 2026: “Diagnosis: The First Step to Care”
✅ Marks birth anniversary of Frank Schnabel

#CurrentAffairs

🔆 Glaciers and Their Associated Rivers
1. Batura – Hunza
2. Hispar – Hispar
3. Biafo – Braldu
4. Kedar Bamak – Mandakini
5. Godwin Austen – Tributary of Baltoro Glacier
6. Siachen – Nubra
7. Baltoro – Braldu
8. Bandarpunch – Hanuman Ganga
9. Gangotri – Bhagirathi
10. Yamunotri – Yamuna
11. Satopanth – Alaknanda
12. Milam – Saryu
13. Pindari – Pindar (tributary of Alaknanda)
14. Zemu – Lanchen (tributary of Teesta)
15. Kunchenjunga – Kanchen (very small river)

Different types of soil

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🔆 JIVA Program (Joint Initiative for Village Advancement)

📍 In News
✅ In Betul district, Madhya Pradesh, farmer-led natural farming under JIVA is reversing crop loss, soil degradation and distress migration.

📍 About JIVA Program
✅ Launched by: National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (2022)
✅ Framework: Implemented under existing watershed & wadi programmes

📍 Aim & Approach
✅ Promote natural farming using principles of agroecology
✅ Ensure long-term sustainability of agriculture
✅ Revive and utilise local social & natural capital
✅ Nudge farmers away from chemical-intensive practices

📍 Significance
✅ Improves soil health & productivity
✅ Reduces crop failure and farmer distress
✅ Supports livelihood resilience and checks rural migration

#goverment_schemes

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🔆 Comparison of Saguna & Nirguna Bhakti Traditions

📍 Meaning
✅ Saguna Bhakti: Worship of a personal God with form — divine embodied in idols like Rama, Krishna, Shiva, Devi.
✅ Nirguna Bhakti: Worship of a formless, abstract, supreme consciousness — God beyond shape or attributes.

📍 Concept of God
✅ Saguna: God possesses attributes (compassion, love, strength) and manifests physically.
✅ Nirguna: God is Brahman — eternal, infinite, without qualities or limitations.

📍 Expression
✅ Saguna: Expressed through bhajans, kirtans, and hymns glorifying deities.
✅ Nirguna: Emphasizes philosophical poetry focused on unity, introspection, and spiritual realization.

📍 Prominent Saints
✅ Saguna Tradition:
• Tulsidas (Rama devotion – Ramcharitmanas)
• Mirabai (Krishna devotion)
• Surdas (Sursagar)
• Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (Vaishnavism)
• Ramanuja (Vishishtadvaita philosophy)
• Sant Eknath, Tyagaraja (Carnatic Bhakti)

✅ Nirguna Tradition:
• Kabir (Unity of Nirguna Brahman)
• Guru Nanak (Sikhism – Oneness of God)
• Dadu Dayal, Namdev, Ravidas, Bulleh Shah (Sufi–Sant traditions)

📍 Major Literary Works
✅ Saguna Bhakti: Ramcharitmanas, Sursagar, Bhakti Songs of Mirabai, Hymns of Alvar & Nayanar
✅ Nirguna Bhakti: Bijak (Kabir), Guru Granth Sahib, Dohas of Kabir & Rahim, Abhangas of Namdev & Tukaram

📍 Core Essence
✅ Saguna Bhakti: Focuses on personal devotion, emotional surrender, and love for a chosen deity.
✅ Nirguna Bhakti: Focuses on inner realization, universal equality, and breaking barriers of caste and ritual.

#history

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🔆 The Anglo-Maratha Wars (1775–1819)

📍 Context: A series of three wars fought between the British East India Company and the Maratha Confederacy, leading to the end of Maratha power in India.

📍 First Anglo-Maratha War (1775–1782)

✅ Cause
• Dispute over Peshwaship succession between Raghunath Rao (Raghoba) and Nana Fadnavis

✅ Key Events
• Raghoba sought British support in return for Salsette and Bassein
• Mahadaji Scindia and Bhonsle later shifted allegiance to the British

✅ Major Players
• Raghunath Rao
• Nana Fadnavis
• Mahadaji Scindia
• British East India Company (Bombay Administration)

✅ Outcome
• Treaty of Salbai (1782)
✔ British retained Thane and Salsette
✔ Raghoba pensioned off
✔ Peace for 20 years

📍 Second Anglo-Maratha War (1803–1806)

✅ Cause
• Treaty of Bassein (1802) imposed on Peshwa Baji Rao II, humiliating Maratha chiefs

✅ Key Events
• Marathas resisted but were defeated at:
✔ Delhi
✔ Assaye
✔ Laswari
• Treaty of Bassein formalised Subsidiary Alliance

✅ Major Players
• Peshwa Baji Rao II
• Governor-General Wellesley
• Maratha chiefs: Scindia, Holkar, Bhonsle, Gaikwad

✅ Outcome
• Marathas lost Ahmadnagar, Broach, Doab, hilly regions
• Subsidiary Alliance accepted
• British gained dominance over Maratha states

📍 Third Anglo-Maratha War (1817–1819)

✅ Cause
• Conspiracies among Maratha leaders
• British intervention
• Tensions due to escape of Trimbakji and disputes with Peshwa

✅ Key Events
• Peshwa attacked British Residency at Poona
• Battles of:
✔ Ashta
✔ Kirkee
✔ Koregaon
• Ended in Maratha defeat

✅ Major Players
• Peshwa Baji Rao II
• British officials (notably Mountstuart Elphinstone)
• Maratha Confederacy leaders: Scindia, Bhonsle, Holkar

✅ Outcome
• End of Maratha Confederacy
• Abolition of Peshwaship
• Peshwa territories annexed
• Pratap Singh installed as ruler of a reduced Satara kingdom
• Baji Rao II pensioned and kept captive till death (1851)
• British reinstated jagirs of fief holders
• Mountstuart Elphinstone became Governor of Bombay

📍 Important Treaties (At a Glance)

✅ First War: Treaty of Salbai (1782)
✅ Second War: Treaty of Bassein (1802)
✅ Third War: No specific treaty → Direct British annexation

#history #prelims #mains

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🔆 Treaty of Sugauli (1816)

📍 The Treaty of Sugauli ended the Anglo-Nepalese War (1814–1816) between the British East India Company and Nepal.

📍 Signed: 1816 at Sugauli (now in Bihar)

📍 Major Provisions
▪️ Nepal accepted a British Resident in Kathmandu, increasing British influence over Nepal’s foreign affairs.

▪️ Nepal ceded large territories to the British, including:
✅ Garhwal
✅ Kumaon

▪️ Nepal gave up its claims over the Terai region.

▪️ Nepal withdrew its territorial claims over Sikkim.

📍 Impact of the Treaty
✅ It marked a major territorial setback for Nepal.
✅ The treaty established British political dominance over Nepal.
✅ It also fixed the broad outline of the modern India–Nepal boundary.

📍 Historical Significance
▪️ After the treaty, the British began recruiting Gurkha soldiers from Nepal into the British Indian Army.
▪️ The treaty laid the foundation of the long-term strategic relationship between India and Nepal.

#history #prelims #mains

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🔆 Keytruda (Pembrolizumab)

📍 Why in News?
Keytruda is increasingly being used worldwide for the treatment of lung, cervical, renal cell and aggressive breast cancers.

📍 About Keytruda
▪️ Keytruda is the brand name of pembrolizumab, an immunotherapy medicine used against several cancers.
▪️ Manufactured by Merck & Co. (MSD).

📍 Type of Drug
✅ It belongs to a class of drugs called checkpoint inhibitors.
✅ It is also a monoclonal antibody.

▪️ Checkpoint inhibitors remove the “brakes” on the immune system, allowing T-cells to attack cancer cells.
▪️ Monoclonal antibodies are laboratory-made molecules designed to target specific proteins.

📍 How Keytruda Works
▪️ Pembrolizumab binds to PD-1 receptors present on T-cells.
▪️ This blocks the interaction between PD-1 on T-cells and PD-L1 on cancer cells.
▪️ As a result, the immune system can recognise and destroy cancer cells more effectively.

📍 Uses
✅ Used globally to treat:
▪️ Lung cancer
▪️ Cervical cancer
▪️ Renal cell carcinoma
▪️ Breast cancer

📍 Dosage and Cost
▪️ Recommended dose: 200 mg once every 3 weeks.
▪️ Each 100 mg vial costs more than ₹1.5 lakh.

📍 Availability in India
✅ Available in tertiary care hospitals across India.
✅ India has also developed its first indigenous CAR-T cell therapy, NexCAR19, by ImmunoACT.

🔆 About Immunotherapy

▪️ Immunotherapy is a treatment that strengthens or trains the immune system to fight diseases, especially cancer.
▪️ It is often combined with chemotherapy, radiotherapy or surgery.

📍 Immunotherapy vs Chemotherapy
✅ Chemotherapy directly kills cancer cells but may also harm healthy cells.
✅ Immunotherapy helps the body’s immune system selectively identify and destroy cancer cells while largely sparing healthy cells.

#GS3
#prelims
#science_technology
#science_and_technology

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🔆 Kamba Ramayana

📍 Why in News?
The South Zone Cultural Centre has launched an initiative to preserve and promote Kamba Ramayana recitals in Tamil Nadu.

📍 About Kamba Ramayana
▪️ Kamba Ramayanam, also known as Ramavataram, is a 12th-century Tamil retelling of the Ramayana.
▪️ It was composed by Kambar.

📍 Patronage
✅ Patronised by Sadayappa Vallal of Thiruvannainallur.
✅ As a mark of gratitude, Kambar mentioned his patron’s name after every 1,000 verses.

📍 Characteristics
▪️ It is a Tamil adaptation of the Ramayana of Valmiki.
▪️ Kambar introduced artistic and literary modifications while retaining the core story.
▪️ It is regarded as one of the greatest works of Tamil literature.

📍 About Kambar
▪️ Also known as “Kavichakravarthy Kamban” meaning “Emperor of Poets”.
▪️ He flourished during the reign of Kulothunga III in the Chola Empire.
▪️ He received royal recognition and the title “Kavi Chakravarthy”.
▪️ His work reflects the influence of Ramanuja and later Vaishnavite traditions.

#prelims
#art_and_culture

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🔆 CURRENT AFFAIRS — 20 APRIL 2026

🔆 INTERNATIONAL

📍 Semiconductor Supply Chains
✅ Philippines joins US-led “Pax Silica” initiative
✅ Aim: strengthen global supply chains for semiconductors, AI and advanced electronics
✅ Initiative led by United States and supported by partner nations in Indo-Pacific

📍 Strait of Hormuz Maritime Initiative
✅ Around 40 countries, including India, join Strait of Hormuz Maritime Freedom of Navigation Initiative
✅ Co-chaired by Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron in Paris
✅ Aim: ensure freedom of navigation and secure global energy supply chains

📍 Mars Mission
✅ National Aeronautics and Space Administration announces that SpaceX will launch Rosalind Franklin Rover to Mars in 2028
✅ Rover is part of ExoMars mission of European Space Agency
✅ Objective: drill 2 metres below Martian surface and search for signs of past or present microbial life

🔆 NATIONAL

📍 DA Hike for Central Employees
✅ Union Cabinet approves 2% increase in Dearness Allowance (DA) and Dearness Relief (DR)
✅ DA/DR rises from 58% to 60%
✅ Effective from 1 January 2026
✅ Benefits:
➡ 50.46 lakh Central Government employees
➡ 68.27 lakh pensioners

📍 Punjab Deploys AI-Based Crime Tracking
✅ Punjab government partners with Indian Institute of Technology Ropar
✅ Launches AI system for real-time crime tracking
✅ Will help identify crime patterns, track criminal networks and support anti-drug campaigns like “Yudh Nashiyan Virudh”

🔆 IMPORTANT DAYS

📍 World Liver Day 2026
✅ Observed on 19 April
✅ Theme: “Solid Habits, Strong Liver”
✅ Focus: healthy lifestyle and preventive care for liver health

📍 World Heritage Day 2026
✅ Observed on 18 April every year
✅ Aim: celebrate and protect cultural and natural heritage across the world

🔆 AWARDS / EVENTS

📍 Miss Sake India 2026
✅ Nishita Yogesh Antarkar wins Miss Sake India 2026 title
✅ Event held in Mumbai on 17 April
✅ Focus: strengthening India–Japan cultural ties and promoting Japanese sake culture

🔆 SPORTS

📍 ICC Women’s T20I Challenge Trophy 2026
✅ International Cricket Council launches inaugural Women’s T20I Challenge Trophy 2026
✅ Venue: Kigali, Rwanda
✅ Participating teams: Rwanda, Italy, Nepal, USA and Vanuatu
✅ Tournament to be held from 18 April to 2 May 2026

📍 Golf
✅ Shubhankar Sharma wins inaugural Boulders Classic 2026
✅ Event held at Boulder Hills Golf & Country Club, Hyderabad
✅ Prize money: ₹1 crore

#CurrentAffairs

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🔆 Personality in News: Srimanta Shankar Dev (1449–1568)

📍 Why in News?
✅ The redevelopment project of Batadrava Than, the birthplace of Mahapurush Srimanta Shankar Dev, has recently been inaugurated.

📍 About Srimanta Shankar Dev
▪️ Born at Aali-Pukhuri in the present-day Nagaon district.
▪️ He was a saint-scholar, social-religious reformer, poet, dramatist and cultural icon of Assam.
▪️ He played a leading role in shaping the Bhakti movement in North-East India.

📍 Religious Contributions
✅ Propounded a new form of Vaishnavism called Eka-Sarana Hari-Nama Dharma.
▪️ It was a monotheistic faith centred on devotion to Lord Krishna.
▪️ It emphasized:
✅ Equality
✅ Devotion over rituals
✅ Opposition to caste discrimination

📍 Institutions Established
▪️ Founded:
✅ Namghars – community prayer halls
✅ Sattras – monastic and cultural institutions

▪️ These became centres of:
✅ Religious learning
✅ Cultural activities
✅ Social reform and community life

📍 Social Reforms
▪️ He opposed caste hierarchy and untouchability.
▪️ He advocated greater dignity and participation for women.
▪️ His teachings promoted:
✅ Equality
✅ Tolerance
✅ Truthfulness
✅ Humanism

📍 Literary and Cultural Contributions
▪️ He was a prolific writer and composer.
✅ Major works include:
▪️ Kirtana Ghosha
▪️ Bhakti Pradipa

▪️ He enriched Assamese culture through:
✅ Borgeet – devotional songs
✅ Ankia Naat – one-act plays
✅ Bhaona – theatrical performances
✅ Sattriya – classical dance form of Assam

📍 Ethical Values Associated with Him
✅ Social conscience and humanism
✅ Harmony and fraternity
✅ Religious tolerance
✅ Service to society

▪️ His teachings deeply influenced the spiritual and social life of the people of North-East India and continue to remain relevant today.

#history #prelims #mains

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