The Government of India has approved the export of an additional 25 Lakh Metric Tonnes (LMT) of wheat, reinforcing its commitment to ensuring remunerative returns for farmers while maintaining stability in domestic markets. The decision follows a comprehensive review of current production, stock availability, and price trends.
Wheat acreage during the Rabi 2026 season has increased to approximately 334.17 lakh hectares, compared to 328.04 lakh hectares last year. This rise reflects strong farmer confidence in wheat cultivation, supported by assured Minimum Support Price (MSP) and robust procurement mechanisms, and indicates the likelihood of another strong harvest.
As per the Second Advance Estimates released by the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare on 10 March 2026, wheat production for 2025–26 is estimated at 1202 LMT. In view of the comfortable production outlook and higher stock availability, permitting additional exports was considered appropriate.
Prior to this DFPD, had approved the export of 5 LMT of wheat products in January 2026. This was followed by further approval of additional 5 LMT wheat products and 25 LMT wheat in the month of February 2026. With the latest round of approvals, a total of 50 LMT of Wheat and 10 LMT of Wheat products have now been permitted to exports.
The Ministry of Minority Affairs has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Patna under the PM VIKAS (Pradhan Mantri Virasat Ka Samvardhan) Scheme.
Under this strategic collaboration, 600 minority youth from the State of Bihar will be trained by IIT Patna in emerging and high-demand job roles such as AI Technocrat and Business Analytics Executive. The training programme is designed to equip participants with industry-relevant skills aligned with evolving market needs.
The initiative aims to enhance employability and facilitate placement opportunities for minority youth by providing technology-driven, modern skilling interventions. It reinforces the core objective of the PM VIKAS Scheme to bridge the skill gap and enable sustainable livelihood opportunities through contemporary training frameworks.
The stock limits imposed by the Jute Commissioner through the notification dated 20.03.2026 have now been revised to ensure fair distribution and prevent hoarding or speculative practices. The move follows a sharp rise in raw jute prices over the past few months, which have remained well above the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for 2025-26.
The Ministry of Textiles has launched an initiative called ‘Vishwa Sutra – Weaves of India for the World’. A designer collection based on the initiative was presented at the 61st Femina Miss India held in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
The initiative has been developed by the Office of the Development Commissioner (Handlooms) in collaboration with the National Institute of Fashion Technology. It aims to present Indian handlooms in a contemporary global design framework.
Under this initiative, 30 distinct handloom weaves from across the country have been brought together, each representing a different state. These weaves have been creatively reinterpreted with design inspirations drawn from 30 countries, reflecting diverse cultures and modern fashion sensibilities.
The Ministry said that the initiative highlights the Government’s vision of Vocal for Local to Global and the Prime Minister’s 5F framework – Farm to Fibre to Factory to Fashion to Foreign. It also emphasises the role of the handloom sector in preserving cultural heritage, generating sustainable livelihoods and strengthening India’s presence in the global textile.
Singapore was the top source of foreign direct investment (FDI) equity inflows in April-December FY26 at $17.6 billion, with a 37% share of the total, data released by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) showed. The US and Mauritius were the next two sources, accounting for 16% and 10%, respectively.
The FDI from offshore tax haven Cayman Islands rose five times to $2 billion from $422 million in 2024. Another tax haven from Cyprus invested $1.4 billion in India compared to $1.2 billion in 2024 while inflows from Luxembourg rose to $545 million from $352.67 million in the same period.
India received $47.87 billion of FDI equity inflows in April-December FY26 of which $7.8 billion came from the US and $4.8 billion from Mauritius. Japan and the UAE were also among the top five investor countries.
Investments from China were $6.49 million in 2025, higher than $3.73 million in 2024, according to the data whereas those from Hong Kong fell to $61.4 million from $87.7 million.
As per the data, the most attractive sectors for these funds are Computer Software & Hardware (22%) which received inflows worth $10.7 billion followed by the Services Sector (Financial, Banking, and R&D) at 18%.
Among states, Maharashtra received the highest inflows from abroad at $15.38 billion followed by Karnataka at $11.15 billion in the first three quarters of FY26.
India’s economy is well-positioned to withstand the impact of the ongoing oil shock and geopolitical tensions in West Asia, with GDP growth projected at 6.8 to 7.1 per cent in FY27, according to a report by SBI Research.
The report noted that India has entered the current phase of global uncertainty from a position of strength, supported by robust macroeconomic fundamentals.
While growth for FY27 is projected at around 6.8 per cent, the report flagged potential risks such as the possibility of a Super El Niño, which could impact economic activity.
While growth for FY27 is projected at around 6.8 per cent, the report flagged potential risks such as the possibility of a Super El Niño, which could impact economic activity. Inflation is expected to average around 4.5 per cent, while the fiscal deficit is projected at 4.5 to 4.6 percent.
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has appointed Rakesh Bhanot, advisor at the commission, as acting director general (DG), CCI.
Bhanot has taken over from erstwhile DG Ansuman Pattanaik, who was appointed additional secretary in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs in an order dated March 31, 2026.
The antitrust watchdog has extended the last date for applying for the DG post till May 5, 2026, in an office memorandum dated April 17.
The DG’s office of CCI is responsible for investigating all contraventions against the Competition Act.
Indian Ocean Ship (IOS) SAGAR - INS Sunayna departed Phuket, Thailand on 17 Apr 2026 on completion of a high-tempo three-day Operational Turnaround (OTR), marking the successful culmination of her second port call during the ongoing deployment.
IOS SAGAR has now proceeded to Jakarta, Indonesia, for the next port of call, continuing her mission to strengthen maritime cooperation in the Southeast Indian Ocean Region.
During a Passage Exercise (PASSEX) with HTMS Klongyai, operational interoperability was demonstrated, which included communication drills and formation manoeuvres, highlighting seamless coordination and “plug-and-play” capability between the two navies.
Blue Origin on April 19, 2026 said its New Glenn rocket booster touched down after its launch, marking its first landing of a reused booster.
New Glenn carries AST SpaceMobile’s BlueBird 7 satellite to low-Earth orbit in a flight that marks a pivotal step for the Jeff Bezos-led company.
The mission was key in showing that New Glenn, a 29-story heavy-lift rocket, has a reliable booster reuse capability and can compete with Elon Musk’s SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
The rocket’s booster, “Never Tell Me the Odds,” previously flew on the NG-2 mission in November and was recovered, setting up this week’s milestone attempt.
The booster’s name is a nod to Han Solo’s line in the film ‘Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.’
Following a series of delays earlier this month, the mission comes amid a surge of activity in the space sector, including a successful NASA Artemis II lunar flyby.
Brazil’s Oscar Schmidt, one of the most prolific scorers in basketball history, has passed away.
Schmidt, a Hall of Fame inductee in 2013, had played a 30-year professional career in Brazil and Europe and retired in 2003. He represented Brazil in five Olympic Games and four World Cups, holding all-time scoring records in both competitions.
He retired at the age of 45 in 2003 after a professional career spanning three decades. His unofficial world record of 49,737 points for club and country was surpassed by LeBron James in 2024.
World Creativity and Innovation Day is a global UN day celebrated on April 21 to raise awareness around the importance of creativity and innovation in problem solving with respect to advancing the United Nations sustainable development goals, also known as the "global goals".
The creative economy too has no single definition. It is an evolving concept which builds on the interplay between human creativity and ideas and intellectual property, knowledge and technology. Essentially it is the knowledge-based economic activities upon which the ‘creative industries’ are based.
Apple CEO Tim Cook, who has led Apple since 2011, will step down on September 1, 2026, ending a 15-year leadership tenure. He will move to an Executive Chairman role, with current hardware engineering head John Ternus stepping in as the new CEO. This transition concludes a period of significant growth and shifts leadership to focus on future innovation.
Apple has named insider John Ternus as its next chief executive, tasking the long-time hardware chief to steer the company after Tim Cook, as the iPhone maker gears up for an industry change spurred by artificial intelligence.
Ternus, who joined Apple in 2001, has recently overseen the company’s hardware engineering efforts and has played a key role in reigniting sales of products such as Apple’s Mac computers, which have gained market share in recent years.
In shooting, Asian Games medallist Shiva Narwal and shotgun shooter Sabeera Haris will spearhead a 71-member Indian contingent at the ISSF Junior World Cup 2026, beginning today in Cairo. The squad also includes Abhinav Shaw.
The squad also includes Abhinav Shaw. Shiva Narwal had earlier teamed up with Arjun Singh Cheema and Olympic medallist Sarabjot Singh to win India the 10m air pistol men’s team gold at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games.
Sabeera Haris brings senior-level experience, having won mixed trap bronze with Olympian Kynan Chenai at the ISSF World Cup 2025 in Cyprus.
Abhinav Shaw, the Asian junior champion in men’s 10m air rifle, is also part of the squad. A total of 284 athletes from 25 federations will compete in Cairo, with India fielding the largest contingent.
India will participate in 18 medal events, including 15 Olympic disciplines.
The Junior World Cup, for Under-21 shooters, features rifle, pistol, and shotgun events and runs until 27th of this month. At last year’s Junior World Cups in Suhl and New Delhi, Indian shooters topped the medal tally with 37 medals, including 17 golds.
