Current Affairs

India and New Zealand signed a free trade agreement (FTA)

India and New Zealand signed a free trade agreement (FTA) on 27 April 2026. The pact, which is likely to come into force later this year, will have to be ratified by the Parliament in New Zealand.

India and Maldives

India has approved the first withdrawal of Rs.30 billion under its continuing economic and financial assistance to Maldives. The funds are being released under the first drawdown of the SAARC Currency Swap Framework, the Indian mission said in a statement.

Indias textile sector

Indias textile sector recorded steady growth in global markets during FY 2025-26, with total exports rising by 2.1 percent to Rs.3,16,334.9 crore, according to the Ministry of Textiles.

Startups

The Centre on 2026, April 18 said it recognised more than 55,200 startups in 2025-26, the highest ever in a single year since the launch of the Startup India initiative in 2016.

Liebherr-Aerospace

US-based aerospace maker Jeh Aerospace has signed a long-term agreement with France-based original equipment manufacturer (OEM) Liebherr-Aerospace on 15 Apeil 2026, for precision landing gear components for narrow-body commercial aircraft programmes.

Piyush Goyal

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said that filing of patent applications has increased by 30.2 percent to 1,43,729 in 2025-26 against 1,10,375 in the previous fiscal (2024-25).

Unified Payments Interface (UPI)

Unified Payments Interface (UPI), the countrys most popular digital payment platform, closed the FY 26 processing transactions worth over Rs.308 lakh crore.

Reliance Retail

Reliance Retail has been ranked seventh among the worlds 100 most valuable privately held, venture capital-backed companies, according to research by the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Reserve Bank of India

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 8 April 2026 projected Indias real GDP growth at 7.6 percent for FY26 under a new GDP series, citing resilience driven by strong domestic demand, services activity and manufacturing expansion. For FY27, the central bank has estimated growth at 6.9 percent, indicating a likely moderation amid rising global uncertainties and cost pressures.

Wind energy

India has recorded its highest-ever annual wind energy capacity addition of 6.05 gigawatts (GW) in the financial year 2025 26, marking a significant milestone in the countrys renewable energy journey.

D-SII List

The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has designated Life Insurance Corporation of India, The New India Assurance Company Limited and General Insurance Corporation of India as Domestic Systemically Important Insurers (D-SIIs) for FY 2025-26.

NMDC

The Ministry of Steel-owned NMDC has registered its highest-ever iron ore production output at 53 million tonnes in the Financial year 2025-26, the Ministry of Steel said on 2 April 2026.

GST collections increased to Rs.1.78 lakh crore in March 2026

Indias net Goods and Services Tax (GST) collections increased to Rs.1.78 lakh crore in March 2026, marking a rise of 8.2 compared to the previous month.