DAILY GK 19-20 APR 2026
1. APPLE
CEO
·
Apple Inc., officially announced that John
Ternuswill assume the role of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) effective
September 1, 2026.
·
He will
succeed Tim Cook, who will step down as CEO and continue
as Executive Chairman.
2.
NASSCOM CHAIRMAN
·
The National
Association of Software and Service Companies(Nasscom), an Information Technology (IT) industry body, appointed Srikanth Velamakanni, Co-Founder
and Group Chief Executive of Fractal,
as its new Chairman for the 2026–2027 term.
·
KishorPatil, Co-founder, Chief
Executive Officer (CEO) and Managing Director(MD) of KPIT Technologies, elected
the new Vice Chairperson.
3.
AUSTRIA CHANCELLOR CHRISTIAN STOCKER’S VISIT
TO INDIA
·
The Federal Chancellor of the Republic of Austria Dr.
Christian Stocker visited India marking the first visit by an Austrian Chancellor to India in 42 years
and the first official visit of Chancellor Stocker to India.
·
The 17th
session of the India–Austria Joint
Economic Commission (IAJEC) was held in New Delhi as a key platform to
review and advance bilateral economic relations.
·
India
and Austria signed multiple agreements across audiovisual
co-production, Foreign Trade Mechanisms
(FTM), defence cooperation, counter-terrorism, food safety, and skill
development to strengthen bilateral ties.
4.
UNION CABINET APPROVES THE EXTENSION OF
PMGSY-III TILL MARCH 2028
·
The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime
Minister (PM) Narendra Modi approved the continuation of Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana – III
(PMGSY – III) beyond its original
March 2025 deadline, extending it up to March 2028.
·
The programme
focuses on consolidation of through routes and major rural links connecting
habitations to Gramin Agricultural Markets (GrAMs), higher secondary schools
and hospitals.
·
The revised outlay of the scheme will
be Rs 83,977 Crore (Cr), up from the earlier Rs 80,250
Cr.
·
The cabinet also approved the Extension of
timeline till March 2028 for completion of roads and bridges
in plain areas and roads in hilly areas.
·
Extension of timeline till March 2029 for
completion of bridges in hilly areas.
·
Works sanctioned before 31.03.2025 but
un-awarded till now may be taken up for tender/award.
5.
INDIA TARGETS 100 GW NUCLEAR POWER CAPACITY
BY 2047
·
Ghanshyam Prasad, Chairman
of Central Electricity Authority (CEA) announced
that India has set a target to increase its nuclear power capacity from the
existing 8.8 Giga Watt (GW) to 100 GW by 2047 marking over a
tenfold increase.
·
He further mentioned that the set target for
2047 requires an investment of at least Rs 20 lakh crore, assuming
a baseline cost of Rs 22 crore per MegaWatt (MW).
6.
INDIA’S FIRST INTEGRATED AGRICULTURAL
INTELLIGENCE ECOSYSTEM
·
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)
Ropar, Punjab, launched an advanced Agricultural Intelligence
Ecosystem, marking India’s first fully integrated Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based system
for smart farming and agricultural decision-making.
·
It comprises key components, including ‘Swan’, advanced weather stations; Krishi Intelligence Call Centres; and
the Annam Chat Engine (ACE).
7. MCA
EXPANDS ELIGIBILITY FOR PMIS
·
The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA),
in consultation with the Department of Higher Education (DoHE), Ministry of
Education (MoE), expanded the eligibility criteria for the pilot phase of the Prime Minister Internship Scheme (PMIS) to
include final-year undergraduate and postgraduate students.
·
To include final-year
undergraduate and postgraduate students aged
18–25, revising the earlier 21–24 age bracket while retaining existing conditions.
·
Applicants must submit a No Objection Certificate (NOC) issued by authorized
officials such as the Head of Department, Dean, Principal, or Training &
Placement Officer, confirming the
internship will not affect academic requirements.
·
The Government of India (GoI) increased the monthly stipend to Rs. 9,000 (with 90%
funding) and provides Rs. 6,000 financial assistance in two installments
for the one-year internship duration.
8. SHEKHA
JHEEL BIRD SANCTUARY IN UP DECLARED RAMSAR SITE
·
Union Minister Bhupender Yadav, Ministry of
Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) announced
the designation of ShekhaJheel Bird Sanctuary in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh (UP)
as a Ramsar site.
·
With this new addition, the total number of ramsar sites in India has
increased to 99, while the number of ramsar sites in UP has risen to 12.
·
The sanctuary located in western UP is a key winter resting site for migratory birds along
the Central Asian Flyway, hosting species like bar-headed geese, painted
storks, and ducks.
·
As of February 2026, Tamil Nadu (TN)
has the highest number of Ramsar Sites
in India, with 20 designated wetlands.
·
Uttar Pradesh (UP) has
the 2nd highest number of ramsar sites with 12 sites.
9.
INDIA APPROVES RS 30 BILLION FOR MALDIVES
UNDER SAARC CURRENCY SWAP
·
The Government of India(GoI) approved
a Rs.30 billion currency swap facility for the Maldives under
the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Currency
Swap Framework, reaffirming India’s role as a key financial partner
for its island neighbour.
·
Previously, Maldives settled a USD
400 million swap facility available in October 2024 under the US Dollar
(USD)/Euro Swap Window.
·
The approval of Rs 30 billion facility was
signed between the Reserve Bank of India
(RBI) and the Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA) during President Mohamed
Muizzu’s state visit to New Delhi.
10.
VM FRAMES- NATIONAL FILMMAKING COMPETITION
·
The Ministry of Culture launched
the ‘VM Frames’, a national filmmaking competition inviting
especially youth to creatively celebrate India’s heritage, as part of the
150th anniversary of VandeMataram, written by Bankim Chandra
Chattopadhyay in 1875.
·
The competition is open in three categories: Reels (under 1 minute),
Artificial Intelligence(AI)-based films
(up to 5 minutes), and Short Films
(up to 15 minutes).
·
Awards worth up to Rs.50 lakh will
be presented across various categories.
·
The last date for submission is May 7, 2026.
