DAILY GK 23-25 APR 2026

 DAILY GK 23-25 APR 2026

1.       FIFA WOMEN’S DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME ON COMMERCIAL STRATEGY 2026

·         FIFA selected India as one of 12 countries for its Women’s Development Programme (Commercial Strategy 2026) following a successful application and presentation by the All India Football Federation (AIFF).

·         The programme aims to strengthen the commercial viability, sustainability, and professional structure of women’s football globally.

·         India is among 12 participating nations including Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, Scotland, Canada, Mexico, Finland, Ghana, Jordan, Lithuania, and Paraguay.

 

2.       BOOK “DIVYA BHARAT: A WINDOW TO THE SOUL OF INDIA”

·         Suman Bery, Vice Chairman of the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog, launched the anthology titled “Divya Bharat: A Window to the Soul of India”, to promote India’s tourism potential by showcasing its rich cultural heritage, traditions, and diverse destinations, in New Delhi.

·         It includes around 3,000 curated entries comprising 2,100 tourism destinations and 1,200 cultural listings covering landmarks, heritage, festivals, cuisine, textiles, handicrafts, and lesser-known sites.

 

3.       BOOK “THE CURIOUS AND THE CLASSIFIED”

·         General ManojMukundNaravane (Retd), former Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), launched his new book titled “The Curious and the Classified: Unearthing Military Myths and Mysteries,” 

·         He served as the 28th COAS from December 2019 to April 2022 and is also the author of The Cantonment Conspiracy (2025).

 

4.       WORLD HEMOPHILIA DAY 2026 – APRIL 17

·         The World Hemophilia Day(WHD) is observed annually across the globe on 17 April to raise awareness about hemophilia and other inherited bleeding disorders that affect the blood’s ability to clot.

·         2026 Theme: “Diagnosis: First step to care”.

·         The day was initiated by the World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH) in 1989.

·         The first-ever WHD was observed on 17th April 1989.

·         The WFH, in collaboration with the Hemophilia Society of Malaysia (HSM), is hosting the WFH 2026 World Congress in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

 

5.       WORLD LIVER DAY 2026 – APRIL 19

·         World Liver Day (WLD) is observed annually on April 19 worldwide to raise awareness about liver health and promote prevention and management of liver-related diseases.

·         2026 Theme: “Solid Habits, Strong Liver”.

·         WLD was first launchedin India in 2019 to raise awareness about rising liver disease cases.

 

6.       NATIONAL CIVIL SERVICES DAY 2026 – APRIL 21

·         National Civil Services Day is observed across India on 21st April to recognize the role of civil servants in governance and encourage renewed commitment to public service, citizens’ welfare, and administrative excellence.

·         2026 Theme: “Viksit Bharat: Citizen-Centric Governance and Development at the Last Mile”.

·         Government of India (GoI) formally established National Civil Services Day in 2006, with the first celebration held in New Delhi by Manmohan Singh.

·         GoI selected 21 April to commemorate Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s 1947 address at Metcalfe House, Delhi.

 

7.       INTERNATIONAL MOTHER EARTH DAY 2026 – APRIL 22

·         The United Nations (UN) International Mother Earth Day or Earth Day is observed annually on April 22 to promote environmental awareness, highlight human–Earth interdependence, and encourage balanced, sustainable development.

·         2026 Theme: “Our Power, Our Planet”.

·         The inaugural Earth Day was celebrated on April 22, 1970.

 

8.       WORLD BOOK AND COPYRIGHT DAY 2026 – APRIL 23

·         World Book and Copyright Day is observed annually across the world on 23 April to highlight the importance of books, authors, and copyright in promoting knowledge, culture, and education globally.

·         World Book and Copyright Day was officially established by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) during its General Conference in Paris in 1995.

·         April 23 was chosen as it marks the death anniversaries of renowned literary figures such as William Shakespeare (England), Miguel de Cervantes (Spain), and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega (Peru).

·         The first official celebration of World Book and Copyright Day was held on 23 April 1996 in Barcelona, Spain.

Rabat has been designated as the 2026 World Book Capital, and is the 26th city to receive the title.

 

9.       RBI ISSUES MASTER DIRECTIONS ON NOTES AND COINS EXCHANGE FACILITY

·         The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released Master Directions on Facility for Exchange of Notes and Coins, mandating all bank branches to provide free and non-discriminatory exchange services of currency notes and coins to the public.

·         RBI has instructed that all bank branches in all parts of the country are mandated to provide following customer services:

·         Issuing fresh/ good quality notes and coins of all denominations.

·         Exchanging soiled/ mutilated/ imperfect notes.

·         Accepting coins and notes either for transactions or exchange.

·         A ‘soiled note’ means a note which has become dirty due to normal wear and tear and also includes a two-piece note pasted together wherein both the pieces presented belong to the same note and form the entire note with no essential feature missing.

·         These notes shall be accepted over bank counters for exchange or credit to accounts of the public maintained with banks.

 

10.    DGFT AUTHORIZES 17 BANKS TO IMPORT GOLD & SILVER UNTIL MARCH 2029

·         The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), under the Department of Commerce(DoC), Ministry of Commerce & Industry (MoC&I), updated the list of authorised banks, permitting 15 banks to import both gold and silver and 2 banks to import only gold.

·          As per DGFT, the authorisation will come into effect from April 01, 2026 and will remain valid till March 31, 2029.

·         Imports Both: Indian Overseas Bank (IOB); Bank of India(BoI); Punjab National Bank (PNB); RBL Bank Limited; State Bank of India (SBI); Axis Bank Limited; Federal Bank Limited; HDFC Bank Limited; ICICI Bank Limited; IndusInd Bank Limited; Kotak Mahindra Bank Limited (KMBL); Karur Vysya Bank Limited (KVB); Yes Bank Limited; Deutsche Bank; Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Limited.

·         Import Only: Union Bank of India (UBI) and SBER Bank, a Russian state-publicly listed company.

 

11.    RBI ISSUES E-MANDATE FRAMEWORK FOR DIGITAL PAYMENTS

·         The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released the new ‘Digital Payments – E-mandate Framework, 2026’ consolidating the existing regulations while introducing stricter safeguards, clearer notification and greater flexibility for users.

·         The directions shall be applicable to all payment system providers and payment system participants.

The new rules apply across Unified Payment Interface (UPI) auto-pay, Debit and Credit cards, Prepaid Payment Instruments (PPI)

·         Electronic-Mandate (E-Mandate)-The following guidelines define the rules for e-mandate registration and management:

·         A customer must complete one-time registration with Additional Factor Authorisation (AFA) validation to set up e-mandate.

·         Every e-mandate registered by the issuer shall specify the validity period of the e-mandate.

·         An e-mandate can be for a fixed or variable amount, with a cap and option to set a maximum limit for recurring transactions.

 

12.    RBI EASES FOREX RULES FOR BANKS

·         The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) withdrew some of the restrictions imposed on the forex dealers taking positions in the offshore non-deliverable forwards market (NDF) to curb rupee volatility.

·         On 27 March 2026, the RBI capped bank’s net bank open positions in the offshore derivatives market at USD 100 million (Mn) to control volatility.

·         On 1 April 2026, the RBI further tightenedby,Banning arbitrage trades,Prohibiting banks from offering non-deliverable forwards to corporate clients.

·         The restrictions were imposed to curb one-sided positioning in the rupee and tighten control over speculative flows in the foreign exchange market.