Current affairs relevant to GS3.
The Mines Ministry has found 58 companies eligible under the ₹1,500 crore Incentive Scheme for Promotion of Critical Mineral Recycling, part of the National Critical Mineral Mission. They pledged about 850 KTPA of recycling capacity and about ₹5,000 crore of investment, covering battery recycling, e-waste and other waste. Project execution is the next stage.
30 Apr 2026
On 30 April 2026 the Srinagar–Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Vande Bharat Express was extended to Jammu Tawi, linking Jammu and Srinagar by a direct passenger train for the first time. Coaches rose from 8 to 20. The train is built for sub-zero conditions, and the USBRL line is also moving freight such as apples.
30 Apr 2026
The Prime Minister inaugurated the 594-km access-controlled greenfield Ganga Expressway at Hardoi, Uttar Pradesh, on 29 April 2026. Called the country's longest green corridor expressway, it was completed in under five years. It links western UP's trade centres, central UP's farm belt and eastern UP's cultural sites across twelve districts.
29 Apr 2026
An inter-ministerial review on the Strait of Hormuz situation, held on 29 April 2026, set a roadmap to add 62 vessels in FY 2026-27 backed by ₹51,383 crore, adding 2.85 million GT of capacity. It also reviewed the SCI–oil PSU joint venture to acquire 59 vessels and asked for a white paper on gaps and targets.
29 Apr 2026
On 28 April 2026 the Centre handed J&K the sanction for rural roads under PMGSY-IV (Batch-II), worth ₹3,566 crore, at Srinagar. With the first batch, J&K has got nearly ₹8,000 crore of road projects in a single year. A Mother Sanction of over ₹4,568.23 crore under DAY-NRLM was also released for SHGs in 24 States and UTs.
28 Apr 2026
On 28 April 2026 the Coal Ministry signed Coal Mine Development and Production Agreements for four mines from the 14th commercial auction round. They are the first commercial coal mines in India with built-in provisions for Underground Coal Gasification (UCG), which turns coal into syngas inside the seam. The mines are in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.
28 Apr 2026
India's Index of Industrial Production grew 4.1% in March 2026 (quick estimate), down from 5.2% in February. Mining grew 5.5%, manufacturing 4.3% and electricity 0.8%. Capital goods led use-based groups at 14.6%. For the full year 2025-26, IIP grew 4.1%, against 4.0% in 2024-25.
28 Apr 2026
NITI Aayog launched "DPI@2047 for Viksit Bharat" on 27 April 2026. The roadmap plans two phases: DPI 2.0 (2025–2035) to drive livelihood-led growth and DPI 3.0 (2035–2047) for broad-based prosperity. DPI 2.0 names eight sectoral transformations and four execution priorities, taking digital rails beyond identity, payments and welfare into jobs and productivity.
28 Apr 2026
The Railway Minister said on 28 April 2026 at Visakhapatnam that the gazette notification for the South Coast Railway zone will be issued with 1 June 2026 as the effective date. Andhra Pradesh has a record rail budget of ₹10,134 crore, about ₹1,06,000 crore of projects under way, and a fully electrified network.
28 Apr 2026
India has 111 National Waterways covering 20,187 km across 23 States and 4 UTs, declared under the National Waterways Act, 2016. As of March 2026, 32 are operational over 5,155 km. Budget 2026-27 plans 20 new operational waterways in five years. NW cargo hit 145.84 million tonnes in 2024-25 and 198 MMT by February 2026.
27 Apr 2026