CURRENT AFFAIRS OF THE DAY 02-04-26

1 World Autism Awareness Day- 2nd April 2026

The 2026 theme is “Autism and Humanity – Every Life Has Value”, focusing on recognizing the dignity, rights, and potential of all autistic people

Neuro-developmental disorder affecting social interaction, communication, and behavior

Niramaya (health insurance), Samarth (respite care), GHARAUNDA (rehabilitation), and Disha (early intervention). These programs are designed for individuals with autism under the RPwD Act 2016

216th Finance Commission

16thcommission is chaired by Arvind Pangariya.

Its recommendations became effective from April 1, 2026, and will apply for the subsequent five years, concluding on March 31, 2031.

The Finance Commission

(FC) is a Constitutional body constituted by the President every five years to make recommendations on centre-state fiscal relations (Article 280)

The Report of the 16th Finance Commission (Chair: Dr. Arvind Panagariya) was tabled in Parliament on February 1, 2026 for the five-year period between 2026-27 and 2030-31

3.Qdenga,dengue vaccine

Taleda's terravalent dengue vaccine,

TAK-OC3 (called Qdenga")

This vaccine use among individuals aged 4 to 60 years

Importantly, unlike an earlier dengue vaccine, it does not require pre-vaccination screening to determine prior dengue infection, making it simpler to use in real-world settings

Dengue is caused by four closely related but distinct viruses, known as serotypes (DENV-1 to DENV-4)

key limitation of TAK-003.

it performs very well against the DENV-2 serotype, since it was developed on the DENV-2 backbone, and reasonably well against DENV-1, its effectiveness against DENV-3 and DENV-4 appears to be lower - particularly in individuals who have not previously been infected with dengue.

India's dengue epidemiology is evolving, with increasing reports of DENV-3 becoming more prominent in several regions.

DENV-2 accounting for around 48-66% of cases, followed by DENV-3 at around 20-30%, with DENV-4 and DENV-4 contributing smaller shares

Indian pipeline

India's dengue vaccine pipeline is advancing, with an indigenous candidate called 'DengiAll', developed by Panacea Biotec in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research

4What is the difference between LPG, LNG, PNG, and CNG

How are LPG and natural gas transported to the user?

Propane and butane gases are mixed, pressurised, and cooled to below 40 degrees Celsius, and then transported from the source to consuming countries via ships.

LPG is bottled in cylinders and physically delivered to customers.Piped natural gas is transported through pipelines. Before this, imported natural gas is liquefied and transported through LNG carriers. "LNG carriersspecial cargo tanks and insulation systems designed for ultra-low temperature

Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY), launched in May 2016 , aims to provide LPG connections to women from poor households to promote clean cooking fuel

5Jan Vishwas Bill, 2026 introduced in Lok Sabha

Ministry: Commerce and Industry

The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2026 was introduced in Lok Sabha on March 27, 2026

It seeks to amend 80 central Acts to decriminalise or rationalise offences and penalties.

Decriminalising offences

Removal of imprisonment term:

Omission of offences:

The Bill removes several offencesThese include offences such as: (i) giving false alarm of fire under the Delhi Police Act, 1978, (ii) failure to give information of births and deaths under the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957, and (iii) making false entries in the register of copyrights under the Copyright Act, 1957.

Revision of fines and penalties:The Bill revises the monetary value of fines and penalties

several offences.It further provides that fines and penalties specified by it will increase by 10% of the respective minimum amount every three years.

Warnings on first and second offences

6The Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2026

Ministry:Home Affairs

The Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2026 was introduced in Lok Sabha on April 1, 2026

It seeks to amend the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014The Act provides for reorganisation of the erstwhile state of Andhra Pradesh into two states — Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

Capital of Andhra Pradesh:

The Act provides that Hyderabad will be the common capital of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh for 10 years, after which Hyderabad will be the capital of Telangana and there will be a new capital for Andhra Pradesh.

The Amendment Bill states that Amaravati will be the new capital of Andhra Pradesh.

Section 5 of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014- state's capital

The previous decision (2019-2025) to establish three capitals — administrative in Visakhapatnam, legislative in Amaravati, and judicial in Kurnool — is being reversed.

7. The Central Armed Police Forces (General Administration) Bill, 2026 (CAPF)

Ministry:Home Affairs

CAPF Bill seeks to regulate certain matters related to officers of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs)

Powers to make Rules:The Bill empowers the central government to make Rules on matters related to officers of specified CAPFs

These include recruitment, deputation, promotion, and conditions of service.

The Bill applies to five CAPFs listed in the Schedule to the Bill.

These are:(i) Central Reserve Police Force, (ii) Border Security Force, (iii) Central Industrial Security Force, (iv) Indo-Tibetan Border Police, and (v) Sashastra Seema Bal.

The Bill provides that the central government may frame Rules notwithstanding any other law, any judgement or order of any Court, or any government order

Positions to be filled by deputation:The following positions in CAPFs must be filled by deputation of IPS officers:

(i) 50% of the posts in the rank of Inspector General, (ii) a minimum of 67% of the posts in the rank of Additional Director General, and (iii) all posts in the ranks of Director General and Special Director General



8National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC)

NAAC was established in 1994 as an autonomous institution under the University Grants Commission.

Its primary objective is to assess and enhance the quality of higher education institutions (HEIs)

It has not granted fresh accreditation to any university or college in the current academic year, raising concerns about the accreditation process

Criteria:

Currently, only institutes that are at least 6 years old or from where at least two batches of students have graduated can apply for accreditation, which is valid for 5 years.

The UGC launched a scheme named 'Paramarsh' in 2019 to mentor institutes aspiring to get accredited

The National Education Policy (2020) has set an ambitious target of getting all higher educational institutes to obtain the highest level of accreditation over the next 15 years

9.Sadhna Saptah 2026(2-8 April) for Civil Servants’ Capacity Building

Prime Minister of India launched Sadhna Saptah 2026 as a week-long initiative for strengthening the capacity of civil servants.

The programme is being organised under Mission Karmayogi by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT).

To improve capacity, performance, and efficiency of civil servants

10. Pastor Chintada Anand Paul vs. The State of Andhra Pradesh case

case was registered under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act

person who has converted to Christianity cannot continue to claim Scheduled Caste (SC) protections

Article 366(24) defines Scheduled Castes as those groups notified by the President under Article 341

Articles 341 and 366(24) work in tandem, creating a self-reinforcing framework that limits SC status to members of Hindu, Sikh, or Buddhist faiths.

11.World’s First Digital Census Begins on April 1, 2026

India Census 2027 officially commenced its first phase on April 1, 2026. As the 16th Census in the series and the 8th since Independence

Caste Census: Conducts a detailed nationwide caste enumeration, last done in 1931.

Languages: Portal is available in 16 languages, including Hindi and English.

India’s first census was conducted in 1872, with regular decennial censuses since 1881

Henry Walter is famously known as the "Father of Indian Census" for conducting the first systematic census of an Indian city (Dacca) in 1830.

India's First systematic census conducted in 1881 by Viceroy Lord Ripon under the chairmanship of W. C Plowden