4.5/5
Current Affairs 08th April 2026
Parliamentary Head:
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Chairman, Rajya Sabha → C. P. Radhakrishnan
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Deputy Chairman, Rajya Sabha → Harivansh Narayan Singh
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Secretary General, Rajya Sabha → Pramod Chandra Mody
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Leader of Opposition, Rajya Sabha → Mallikarjun Kharge
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Leader of the House, Rajya Sabha → J. P. Nadda
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Speaker, 18th Lok Sabha → Om Birla
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Leader of Opposition, Lok Sabha → Rahul Gandhi
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Secretary General, Lok Sabha → Utpal Kumar Singh
1. Payal Nag: First Quadruple Amputee Archery Champion
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Historic International Debut: At 18 years old, Payal Nag became the world’s first quadruple amputee (limbless) archer to compete internationally, making her debut at the 2025 Asian Youth Para Games in Dubai.
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Major Gold Medal Victory: In April 2026, she secured the gold medal at the World Archery Para Series in Bangkok by defeating her teammate and world No. 1, Sheetal Devi, with a score of 139-136 in the compound women’s final.
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Unique Shooting Technique: Hailing from Odisha, she was discovered by coach Kuldeep Vedwan; she uses customized prosthetic legs to hold the bow and a mouth-operated trigger mechanism to aim and release her arrows.
2. Rajeev Kumar accredited as High Commissioner to Solomon Islands
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Concurrent Accreditation: Shri Rajeev Kumar, a 2001-batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, was concurrently accredited as India's next High Commissioner to the Solomon Islands on April 7, 2026.
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Dual Responsibility: He is currently serving as the High Commissioner of India to Papua New Guinea and will manage his new role in the Solomon Islands while continuing to reside in Port Moresby.
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Diplomatic Strategy: This appointment strengthens India’s diplomatic outreach in the Pacific Islands region, focusing on bilateral cooperation and regional stability.
3. India Adds Record 6.05 GW Wind Power in FY26, Surpassing 56 GW Total Capacity
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Historic Milestone: India added a record 6.05 GW of wind energy capacity in Financial Year 2025–26, marking a 46% increase over the previous year and surpassing the prior peak of 5.5 GW set in FY17.
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Capacity Breakthrough: With this addition, the country’s cumulative installed wind power capacity has officially crossed the 56 GW mark, strengthening India’s progress toward its 500 GW non-fossil fuel target by 2030.
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Leading Contributors: The growth was primarily driven by high-performing wind-rich states—Gujarat, Karnataka, and Maharashtra—supported by new policy incentives like the waiver of inter-state transmission (ISTS) charges until 2028.
4. UP’s Divya Singh Becomes 1st Indian Woman to Cycle to Everest Base Camp in 14 Days
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Historic Feat: Divya Singh, a 28-year-old teacher from Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, became the first Indian woman (and second woman globally) to reach the Mount Everest Base Camp (EBC) at 17,560 feet on a bicycle.
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The Expedition: She completed the grueling journey from Kathmandu in just 14 days, cycling 10–12 hours daily through extreme conditions, including temperatures as low as -12°C and thinning oxygen levels.
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Unyielding Determination: Navigating rugged mountain trails and steep inclines, she famously carried her bicycle on her shoulders over impassable stretches rather than turning back to ensure she reached the destination.
5. Indian shooters Palak & Mukesh win Gold medal at the ISSF World Cup
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World Record Achievement: On April 7, 2026, the Indian duo of Palak Gulia and Mukesh Nelavalli clinched the gold medal in the 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team event at the ISSF World Cup in Granada, Spain, with a record-breaking score of 487.7.
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Double Record Holders: Their performance shattered both the senior and junior world records, surpassing the previous mark of 481.3 held by Uzbekistan; they defeated the reigning Chinese world champions to secure the top spot.
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Rising Shooting Stars: This victory marked Mukesh's first senior international medal and Palak's first ISSF World Cup gold, further solidifying her reputation following her 10m Air Pistol individual gold at the 2023 Asian Games.
6. Gujarat High Court Bars AI In Judgment Drafting
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Judicial Integrity Directive: The Gujarat High Court has officially barred the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for drafting judgments, emphasizing that legal reasoning and final decisions must remain the exclusive intellectual work of judges.
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Concerns Over Accuracy: The court highlighted risks associated with AI hallucinations, data privacy, and the potential for "algorithmic bias," stating that automated tools cannot replace the human discretion required for complex legal interpretation.
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Limited Utility Only: While prohibiting AI for the final drafting process, the court allows its use for administrative tasks such as basic research, translation, or organizing case files, provided the output is strictly verified by human oversight.
Footnotes: Gujarat's Governor: Acharya Devvrat, CM: BhupendrabhaiPatelCapital: Gandhinaga
7. Jindal Stainless appoints Actor Ranveer Singh as Brand Ambassador
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First-Ever Celebrity Face: On April 7, 2026, Jindal Stainless, India’s leading stainless steel manufacturer, announced Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh as its first-ever brand ambassador and nationwide celebrity endorser.
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Strategic Growth Objective: The partnership aims to enhance brand visibility and strengthen consumer connection as the company targets a capacity of 4.2 million tonnes by FY27 and focuses on the material's role in nation-building projects like Vande Bharat and Chandrayaan-3.
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Integrated Campaign Launch: Singh will front a series of multi-channel campaigns across television, digital, and social media platforms, highlighting the "reliability, grit, and performance" that align with the brand’s core identity.
8. Launch of the first ever Annual Survey of Incorporated Services Sector Enterprises
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Launch & Authority: The National Statistics Office (NSO), under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), officially launched the first-ever ASISSE on April 6, 2026, to build a comprehensive database of India’s formal services sector.
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Coverage & Reference Period: The survey covers approximately 1.21 lakh enterprises (including IT, hospitality, education, and healthcare) registered under the Companies Act or LLP Act across all States and UTs, with the reference period being FY 2024–25.
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Data Innovation: For the first time, the NSO is using the GSTN (Goods and Services Tax Network) database as the sampling frame; together with the ASI (manufacturing) and ASUSE (unincorporated), it completes the data ecosystem for India's non-agricultural economy.
WHAT HAPPENED TODAY
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1820: The Venus de Milo statue is discovered on the Aegeanisland of Melos.
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1948: The UN establishes the World Health Organization (WHO) to improve global health.
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1904: Longacre Square in New York City is officially renamed Times Square.
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