7 April 2026

On World Health Day 2026 themed "My Health, My Right", WHO launched the Global Health Equity Initiative with India and Brazil as co-chairs. India announced a Rs 5,000 crore expansion of the Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission to build 150 new critical care hospital blocks in aspirational districts.

India's foreign exchange reserves rose to an all-time high of $698.4 billion for the week ending March 28, 2026. Foreign currency assets stood at $592.1 billion, gold reserves at $78.6 billion, SDRs at $18.4 billion, and the reserve position in IMF at $9.3 billion.

President Murmu promulgated an ordinance establishing the National Judicial Infrastructure Authority of India (NJIAI) as a statutory body to plan, develop, and maintain judicial infrastructure across the country. NJIAI will be chaired by the Chief Justice of India and will have an initial corpus of Rs 9,000 crore.

The Indian Navy commissioned INS Vishal, India's second indigenous aircraft carrier, at Cochin Shipyard. The 65,000-tonne CATOBAR carrier features an electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS) and can operate 40 aircraft including the TEDBF twin-engine deck-based fighter. The commissioning makes India the fourth nation with two operational carriers.

The Department of Food and Public Distribution notified ONORC 2.0, upgrading the portability framework with Aadhaar-based face authentication at all Fair Price Shops. The system eliminates the need for biometric devices and enables beneficiaries to collect rations at any of the 5.4 lakh FPS nationwide using just a smartphone.

GSI confirmed the discovery of 8.2 million tonnes of lithium ore reserves in Mandya district, Karnataka — India's second major lithium find after Reasi in J&K. The deposit has an average grade of 550 ppm lithium oxide, and KABIL has been tasked with preparing a detailed mining feasibility report.

Scientists at CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Pune developed a novel enzyme-catalysed process to convert rice straw and sugarcane bagasse into PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoates), a fully biodegradable plastic alternative. The process reduces production cost by 40% compared to existing methods and has been licensed to three Indian companies.

India's installed renewable energy capacity crossed the 250 GW mark, driven by a record 28 GW of solar capacity additions in FY 2025-26. Solar accounts for 152 GW, wind 52 GW, biomass 11.5 GW, small hydro 5 GW, and large hydro 47 GW. India is now third globally in RE capacity after China and the United States.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved the reappointment of Sanjay Malhotra as Governor of the Reserve Bank of India for a second term of three years. The reappointment signals policy continuity as RBI navigates the transition to a new monetary policy framework and the progressive internationalisation of the rupee.

NGT imposed an environmental compensation of Rs 500 crore on the Tamil Nadu government for persistent discharge of 680 MLD of untreated sewage into the Cooum river in Chennai. The tribunal directed completion of 12 sewage treatment plants within 18 months and ordered weekly compliance reporting.