DAILY GK 3-4 APR 2026

 

DAILY GK 3-4 APR 2026  

 

1.       JAPANESE GRAND PRIX 2026

·         Italian Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes won the 40th edition of the Formula One (F1) Japanese Grand Prix (GP) 2026 held at Suzuka, Japan, and became the youngest driver ever to lead the F1 World Championship.

·         Oscar Piastri of McLaren (Australia) finished second while Charles Leclerc of Ferrari (Monaco) secured third with 15 points.

 

2.       INDIAN NAVY MARITIME EXERCISE ‘IMEX TTX 2026’

·         The Indian Navy (IN) conducted the 3rd edition of the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) Maritime Exercise (IMEX) Tabletop Exercise (TTX) 2026 in Kochi, Kerala.

·         The exercise involved delegates from IONS member navies, officers from Indian Ocean Ship–Security and Growth for All in the Region (IOS-SAGAR), and the IN, with participation from Bangladesh, France,Indonesia, Kenya, Maldives, Mauritius, Myanmar, Seychelles, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, and Timor-Leste.

 

3.       BOOK -TIDES OF TIME’

·         Book ‘Tides of Time: Bharat’s History through Murals in Parliament’ is authored by SudhaMurty, Member of Parliament (MP), Rajya Sabha.

·         The book covers 124 mural panels (including 58 commissioned in 1954) tracing history from Mohenjo-daro of the Indus Valley Civilization to Independence in 1947.

 

4.       RBI IMPOSES PENALTIES ON UBI, CENTRAL BANK, BOI, PINE LABS

·         The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) imposed monetary penalties exceeding Rs 2 crore on Union Bank of India (UBI), Central Bank of India, Bank of India (BoI) and Pine Labs Limited for non-compliance with regulatory directions.

·         The RBI imposed a penalty of Rs 95.40 lakh on Union Bank of India (UBI), Rs 63.60 lakh on Central Bank of India, Rs 58.50 lakh on Bank of India (BoI), and Rs3.10 lakh on Pine Labs Limited.

 

5.       RBI UNVEILS PAYMENT VISION 2028

·         The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) unveiled its ‘Payment Vision 2028’ document, titled ‘Shaping India’s Payment Frontier’, outlining a roadmap to strengthen and expand India’s rapidly growing digital payments ecosystem.

·         The RBI has been periodically preparing Payments Vision since 2001.

·         The 2028 vision document focuses on user empowerment, safeguards against fraud, efficiency of cross border payment frameworks and promoting ease of doing business.

·         It consists of 15 specific initiatives.

·         The vision document charts a roadmap for the next three years, extending up to December 2028.

·         The RBI proposed multiple initiatives to strengthen the payments ecosystem, including a switch on/off facility for digital payments, development of an efficient cross-border (CB) payments framework with a single-window authorisation process, and introduction of a Shared Responsibility Framework (SRF) for fraud liability.

 

6.       INTEREST RATES ON SMALL SAVINGS SCHEMES UNCHANGED

·         The Department of Economic Affairs (DEA-Budget Division) under the Ministry of Finance (MoF) retained interest rates unchanged across all Small Savings Schemes (SSS) for the 1st Quarter of Financial Year 2026–27 (Q1FY27), i.e., from April 1, 2026 to June 30, 2026, as per the rates notified for Q4FY26.

·         Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana (SSY) offers 8.2% interest, allows a guardian to open an account for a girl child below 10, with Rs. 250Rs. 1,50,000 yearly deposits, Section 80C benefits, and Exempt-Exempt-Exempt (EEE) tax status (tax free).

·         Public Provident Fund (PPF) provides 7.1% interest with a Rs. 1.5 lakh annual limit, 15-year lock-in, and tax-free maturity under Section 80C.

·         Senior Citizen Savings Scheme (SCSS) yields 8.2% interest, is designed for retirees, and ensures regular income with high safety.

·         National Savings Certificate (NSC) offers 7.7% interest with a 5-year lock-in, where reinvested interest qualifies for Section 80C deduction.

·         Kisan Vikas Patra (KVP) provides 7.5% interest, doubles investment in 115 months, and has no maximum deposit limit.

 

7.       RBI EXTENDS IMPLEMENTATION OF REVISED CME FRAMEWORK

·         The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) extended the implementation of its revised Capital Market Exposure (CME) framework by another 3 months to July 01, 2026 (originally scheduled for April 01, 2026).

·         In February 2026, RBI issued the final Amendment Directions on CME, aimed to provide an enabling framework for banks to finance acquisitions by Indian corporates; rationalize the limits for lending by banks to individuals against shares, units of REITs, InvITs, among others, and introduce a principle-based framework for lending to Capital Market Intermediaries (CMIs).

·         RBI has also modified the definition of acquisition finance which now includes the mergers and amalgamations. RBI has further clarified that acquisition finance may be extended only to acquiring control over non-financial target companies.

·         As per RBI directions, the new rules will now apply limits on loans against eligible securities across the banking system, restricting them at Rs 1 crore per individual and Rs 25 lakh for Initial Public.

·         Offering (IPO)-related loans, Follow-on-Public Offer (FPOs) and Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) subscriptions.

 

8.       IRDAI MANDATES INDIA’S INSURERS TO ADOPT IND AS FROM APRIL 01, 2026

·         The Insurance Regulatory Development Authority of India (IRDAI) mandated insurers to prepare and present financial statements in accordance with applicable Indian Accounting Standards (Ind AS) effective from April 01, 2026.

·         IRDAI has clarified that the implementation of Ind AS will apply to all categories of insurers which include life, general, stand alone health insurers and reinsurers.

·         IRDAI approved new regulations providing parallel reporting for a period of 2 years, or such period as may be specified by authority.

 

9.       RBI IMPOSES PENALTY ON AIRTEL PAYMENTS BANK

·         The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) imposed a monetary penalty of Rs 31.80 lakh on Airtel Payments Bank Limited for non-compliance with regulatory directions related to Disclosure in Financial Statements for the Financial Year 2024-25 (FY25).

·         The penalty was imposed after confirming non-compliance with RBI directions based on supervisory findings.

 

10.    IRDAI APPROVES INDIA AS FRAMEWORK FOR INSURERS

·         The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) approved the IRDAI (Actuarial, Finance and Investment Functions of Insurers) (Amendment) Regulations, 2026 at its 135th Authority Meeting.

·         The amendments mandate the preparation and presentation of financial statements by insurers in accordance with applicable Indian Accounting Standards (Ind AS), with effect from 1st April 2026.

·         The implementation will be applicable to all categories of insurers including Life, General Stand Along Health Insurers and Reinsurers.

·         The regulations provide for parallel reporting for a period of 2 years, that is financial statements prepared in accordance with Ind AS and under existing accounting framework.

·         The IRDAI constituted a joint expert group on IndAS, chaired by the Whole Time Member (WTM) (Finance and Investment), IRDAI currently Mr. Rajay Kumar Sinha.  

 

11.    WORLD PIANO DAY 2026 – MARCH 29

·         World Piano Day is observed annually across the globe on the 88th day of the year (March 28 or 29), symbolizing the piano’s 88 keys and honoring the instrument by bringing together musicians, enthusiasts, and industry professionals.

·         In 2015, World Piano Day was established by Nils Frahm, a German pianist and composer.

·         The first World Piano Day was observed on March 29, 2015.

 

12.    INTERNATIONAL DAY OF ZERO WASTE 2026 – MARCH 30

·         2026 Theme: Food Waste.

·         The first International Day of Zero Waste was observed on 30 March 2023.

·         The observance of the Day is facilitated jointly by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat).

 

13.    WORLD AUTISM AWARENESS DAY 2026 – APRIL 2

·         The United Nations (UN’s) World Autism Awareness Day (WAAD) is observed every year on April 2 to raise awareness about Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and promote the rights and inclusion of autistic individuals.

·         2026 Theme: “Autism and Humanity – Every Life Has Value.”

·         WAAD was first observed on April 2, 2008.

·         Symbol:The puzzle ribbon, adopted in 1999, features bright colours such as red, yellow, and blue and represents the complexity and diversity of autism.