Current Affairs for Competitive Exams — Free Notes & Practice
Strategic preparation guide for national, international, economy, science, sports, and governance current affairs for UPSC, SSC, and Banking exams.
Relevant for: UPSC, SSC CGL, IBPS PO, SBI PO.
Free, topic-wise Current Affairs preparation on Siksha Sarovar with 15 topics — theory, formulas, key points and solved examples, available in English and Hindi.
Topics covered (15)
- 2026 Current Affairs (Jan – Apr) — Union Budget 2026–27 (February 1, 2026) Finance Minister presented the Union Budget 2026–27 on 1 February 2026. Key highlights: - Total expenditure: ₹50.65 lakh crore (highest…
- National News — What to Study in National News National News for competitive exams covers governance, legislation, constitutional developments, government schemes, infrastructure projects, and…
- International News — What Matters in International News International current affairs for competitive exams includes: India's bilateral relations and diplomatic events, geopolitical conflicts and…
- Economy & Business — Economic Current Affairs: What to Study Economy current affairs is the highest-weightage current affairs section in Banking exams (IBPS PO, SBI PO, RBI Grade B) and significant…
- Science & Space — Science and Technology Current Affairs Science and technology (S&T) current affairs is a growing segment in UPSC Prelims and features in SSC CGL and Banking GK. Key areas to focus…
- Sports Events — How to Prepare Sports Current Affairs Sports current affairs is one of the most scoring and fastest-to-prepare sections in competitive exams. Questions are straightforward: "Who…
- Appointments — Why Appointments Matter in Exams Appointments are among the most consistently tested current affairs topics. Questions ask: "Who is the current Governor/CM of state X?", "Who was…
- Awards & Rankings — Awards and Rankings in Competitive Exams Awards and rankings current affairs tests knowledge of: recent Nobel Prize winners (all categories), recent Bharat Ratna recipients, Padma…
- Summits & Conferences — Types of Summits Tested in Exams Summits and conferences are tested from three angles: (1) India-hosted summits (India was host, so all details are tested), (2) Major multilateral…
- Government Schemes — Why Government Schemes Are Important Government schemes are among the most consistently tested topics across SSC CGL, RRB NTPC, IBPS PO, SBI PO, and UPSC Prelims. Every exam has…
- Defence & Security — Defence Current Affairs — What to Prepare Defence and security current affairs covers: indigenisation of defence (Atmanirbhar Bharat in defence), new weapon systems inducted or…
- Budget & Union Finance (2025-26 & 2026-27) — Union Budget 2025-26 The Union Budget 2025-26 was presented on February 1, 2025, by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. Total expenditure stood at ₹50.65 lakh crore, with total…
- State-Wise Important Events (2025-26) — State Assembly Elections 2024 Several important state elections were held in 2024. In Jammu & Kashmir (September–October 2024), assembly elections were held for the first time…
- Science & Technology Developments (2026) — Artificial Intelligence Developments OpenAI launched ChatGPT in November 2022, followed by GPT-4o (multimodal) in 2024. Google launched Gemini Ultra in 2024, replacing Bard as its…
- Environment & Climate (2026) — COP28 and COP29 Climate Conferences COP28 was held in Dubai, UAE (November–December 2023), presided over by Sultan Al Jaber. It completed the first "Global Stocktake" under the…
2026 Current Affairs (Jan – Apr)
Union Budget 2026–27 (February 1, 2026)
Finance Minister presented the Union Budget 2026–27 on 1 February 2026. Key highlights:
- Total expenditure: ₹50.65 lakh crore (highest ever)
- Fiscal deficit target: 4.4% of GDP for FY27 (down from 4.9% in FY26)
- Capital expenditure: ₹11.21 lakh crore — focus on infrastructure, railways, and green energy
- New income tax slabs: zero tax up to ₹12 lakh under new regime
- PM Kisaan Samman Nidhi enhanced to ₹8,000/year per farmer
- "Viksit Bharat Fund" of ₹1 lakh crore announced for 2047 target milestones
- Flagship allocation: Education ₹1.48 lakh crore, Defence ₹6.81 lakh crore, Health ₹1.22 lakh crore
India's Economy Milestones (2026)
India surpassed Japan in nominal GDP terms in early 2026, becoming the 4th largest economy in the world (after USA, China, Germany). IMF projected India's GDP growth at 7.0% for FY2026–27, making India the fastest-growing major economy. India's foreign exchange reserves crossed $710 billion in February 2026 — a record high providing over 14 months of import cover. Wholesale Price Index (WPI) inflation remained contained at ~2.3%; CPI inflation held near 4.0%, within RBI's target band.
RBI Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) decisions in 2026:
- February 2026: Repo rate cut by 25 bps to 6.00% — first rate cut in the easing cycle
- April 2026: Repo rate cut again by 25 bps to 5.75% — supporting growth amid global uncertainty
ISRO & Science & Technology (2026)
- Chandrayaan-4: Union Cabinet approved India's first lunar sample-return mission; launch targeted for 2027; India will become the 4th nation to bring lunar samples to Earth (after USA, USSR, China)
- Gaganyaan Mission: Crew Module Atmospheric Re-entry Experiment (CARE) rehearsals completed; first crewed mission (with 4 Indian astronaut-candidates) scheduled for 2026-end
- PSLV-C61: Launched EOS-09 Earth observation satellite; 63rd PSLV mission; also carried two foreign co-passengers
- QuSat-1: India's first quantum-encrypted communication satellite (DST + ISRO collaboration) placed in orbit — making India the 4th nation with quantum-secured satellite communication
- Bharat 6G Vision: India joined the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) working group on 6G standards; domestic 6G trials announced for 2026
Government Schemes & Policies (2026)
- PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana: 1 crore households under rooftop solar achieved by March 2026; 300 units/month free electricity
- Viksit Bharat 2047 Dashboard: Real-time tracking portal launched tracking progress across 12 sectors (health, infra, education, economy, etc.)
- National Quantum Mission (NQM): Phase 1 milestones achieved; ₹6,003 crore mission to develop quantum computers, communication, sensing
- PM PRANAM (Promotion of Alternate Nutrients for Agriculture Management): Extended to 18 more states in 2026; incentivises balanced fertiliser use
- ONDC (Open Network for Digital Commerce): Crossed 10 lakh daily orders; expanded to 200+ cities
International Affairs (Jan–Apr 2026)
- India-UK FTA: Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement between India and UK signed after 3 years of negotiations; covers goods, services, and investment; expected to boost bilateral trade from $36 billion to $100 billion
- India–ASEAN Summit (February 2026): Held in New Delhi; focus on the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework and India's Act East Policy
- India elected to UN Human Rights Council: India elected as member for 2026–28 term by General Assembly with 182 votes
- SCO Summit 2026: India participated in Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit; Afghanistan's status discussed; focus on counter-terrorism
- QUAD Foreign Ministers' Meeting: Held in Tokyo (March 2026); joint statement on Indo-Pacific maritime security and technology cooperation
- India-US 2+2 Dialogue: Defence and Foreign Ministers of both nations met in Washington; MQ-9B drone deal implementation update; iCET (Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology) milestones reviewed
Awards & Appointments (2026)
- Padma Awards 2026: Announced on Republic Day (January 26, 2026)
- Padma Vibhushan: 5 awardees (including 2 posthumous) in fields of public affairs, literature, art
- Padma Bhushan: 17 awardees across science, arts, sports, public service
- Padma Shri: 110 awardees — highest number in a single year
- CJI Appointment: New Chief Justice of India sworn in early 2026 after retirement of previous CJI
- RBI Governor: New RBI Governor assumed charge; monetary easing cycle began under new leadership
- New IMF Managing Director: Succession process completed; new MD from Europe takes charge
- ICC Cricket Committee: BCCI representative named vice-chairman
Key points
- Union Budget 2026–27 presented on February 1, 2026 by Finance Minister
- India became 4th largest economy globally in 2026, surpassing Japan
- RBI repo rate cut to 5.75% in April 2026 MPC meeting — first easing cycle since 2020
- Chandrayaan-4 approved: India to become 4th nation to return lunar samples (target: 2027)
- India-UK Free Trade Agreement signed — covers goods, services, investments
- India elected to UN Human Rights Council (2026–28 term)
- QuSat-1: India 4th nation with quantum-encrypted satellite communication
- PM Surya Ghar scheme: 1 crore households reached under rooftop solar by March 2026
- Padma Awards 2026: 110 Padma Shri — highest in a single year
- Fiscal deficit target: 4.4% of GDP for FY2026–27
Frequently asked questions
Is this Current Affairs material free?
Yes — all Current Affairs notes and practice on Siksha Sarovar are completely free.
Is the content available in Hindi?
Yes. Lessons are bilingual (English and Hindi) so you can study in whichever language you are comfortable with.
Which exams does this help with?
It is aligned to UPSC, SSC CGL, IBPS PO, SBI PO and similar government exams.