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ЁЯФ╖ PNGRB Approves IOCL’s 425 km KochiтАУThoothukudi Gas Pipeline
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) authorised Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) to develop the KochiтАУKanyakumariтАУThoothukudi Natural Gas Pipeline (KTPL) to enhance gas infrastructure in Southern India.
Key Facts:
Pipeline length:┬а425 km
Starting point:┬аKochi LNG Terminal, Kerala
End point:┬аThoothukudi, Tamil Nadu
Pipeline capacity:┬а6.84 MMSCMD
Purpose: Enhance┬аnatural gas infrastructure┬аin Southern India
MMSCMD┬а= Million Metric Standard Cubic Metres per Day
About PNGRB:
Detail
Information
Full Name
Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board
Established
2006
Headquarters
New Delhi
Under
Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas
ЁЯТб Exam Tip:
PNGRB┬а= Regulator for petroleum and natural gas pipelines in India
IOCL┬а= Indian Oil Corporation Limited тАФ India’s┬аlargest public sector oil company
LNG┬а= Liquefied Natural Gas
Kochi LNG Terminal┬аis operated by┬аPetronet LNG
Important for┬аUPSC GS3 (Energy), SSC CGL, and Banking exams
India has┬а22 officially recognised languages┬аunder┬а8th Schedule┬аof Constitution
Important for┬аUPSC GS2 (Education), SSC, and Banking exams
ЁЯФ╖ Meghalaya Grants Full Official Status to Khasi and Garo Languages
The Government of Meghalaya approved the Meghalaya Official Languages Ordinance, 2026, granting Khasi and Garo full official language status alongside English.
Key Facts:
New status:┬аFull Official Language┬а(alongside English)
Previous status (under 2005 Act): Only┬аassociate official language
Ordinance:┬аMeghalaya Official Languages Ordinance, 2026
Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan appointed K.S. Somashekhar as Secretary in the Rajya Sabha Secretariat.
Key Facts:
Rajya Sabha Secretariat┬а= Administrative body assisting smooth functioning of Rajya Sabha
Rajya Sabha┬а= Upper House of India’s Parliament
Chairman of Rajya Sabha┬а=┬аVice President of India (ex-officio)
Current VP & RS Chairman =┬аC.P. Radhakrishnan
ЁЯТб Exam Tip:
Rajya Sabha┬аprovisions =┬аArticle 80┬аof Indian Constitution
Maximum strength =┬а250 members┬а(238 elected + 12 nominated)
VP is┬аex-officio Chairman┬аof Rajya Sabha
Important for┬аUPSC GS2 (Polity), SSC CGL, and State PCS exams
ЁЯПЖ Awards News
ЁЯФ╖ Kerala’s N. Alim Yusuf Wins WWF National Award for AI App ‘NeophyteID’
N. Alim Yusuf from Kerala won the WWF National Award at the National ECHO Youth Innovation Summit 2026 for developing the AI-based mobile app “NeophyteID”.
Key Facts:
App name:┬аNeophyteID
Purpose:┬аDetect invasive plant species
Can identify:┬а~100 invasive plant species in Kerala
Developed at:┬аMalabar Botanical Garden and Institute for Plant Sciences
Award:┬аWWF National Award
Prize:┬атВ╣1.5 lakh seed grant┬аfor further development
Presented by:┬аWorld Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)
ЁЯТб Exam Tip:
WWF┬а= World Wide Fund for Nature тАФ HQ:┬аGland, Switzerland
Invasive species┬а= Non-native species that cause ecological harm
NeophyteID┬а= AI app detecting invasive plants тАФ example of┬аAI in conservation
Important for┬аUPSC GS3 (Environment), SSC, and Banking exams
Recent Awards тАФ Quick Reference:
Award
Recipient
WWF National Award (NeophyteID)
N. Alim Yusuf (Kerala)
Harvard South Asian Association Person of Year 2026
Saraswati Samman┬а= Annual award by┬аK.K. Birla Foundation
These awards are frequently asked in┬аSSC CGL, IBPS PO, UPSC┬аexams
ЁЯЪА Science & Technology News
ЁЯФ╖ ISRO SAC and ATREE Sign MoU for Sustainable Land Management and Grassland Mapping
ISRO’s Space Applications Centre (SAC) and Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) signed an MoU to strengthen collaboration in sustainable land management.
Key Facts:
Focus areas:
Mapping India’s grasslands┬аand open natural ecosystems
Assessing┬аrestoration impacts┬аon degraded lands
Improving methods for estimating┬аabove and below-ground carbon
Aligns with India’s goal of achieving┬аLand Degradation Neutrality by 2030
Supports progress toward multiple┬аSustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
About the Organisations:
Organisation
Full Form
Location
SAC
Space Applications Centre
Ahmedabad, Gujarat
ATREE
Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment
Bengaluru, Karnataka
ЁЯТб Exam Tip:
ISRO SAC┬а= Space Applications Centre тАФ handles┬аremote sensing and satellite applications
Land Degradation Neutrality┬а= India’s commitment under┬аUNCCD (UN Convention to Combat Desertification)
India committed to restoring┬а26 million hectares┬аof degraded land by 2030
SDGs┬а= 17 Sustainable Development Goals adopted by UN in┬а2015┬а(Agenda 2030)
Important for┬аUPSC GS3 (Environment), SSC, and Banking exams
ЁЯЫбя╕П Defence News
ЁЯФ╖ Indian Navy Releases INMSS-2026 at Naval Commanders’ Conference
The first edition of the biannual Naval Commanders’ Conference 2026 was held at Nausena Bhawan, New Delhi, bringing together senior leadership of the Indian Navy.
Key Facts:
Venue:┬аNausena Bhawan, New Delhi
Edition:┬аFirst edition of biannual Naval Commanders’ Conference 2026
Key release:┬аIndian Navy Maritime Security Strategy (INMSS-2026)
Nausena Bhawan┬а= Headquarters of┬аIndian Navy, New Delhi
Chief of Naval Staff┬а=┬аAdmiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi
INMSS┬а= Indian Navy Maritime Security Strategy
India’s maritime doctrine covers┬аIndian Ocean Region (IOR)
Important for┬аUPSC GS3 (Defence), NDA/CDS, and Banking exams
ЁЯФ╖ Indian Army Flags Off “Samudra Sahas” Blue-Water Sailing Expedition from Mumbai
The Indian Army flagged off its first blue-water sailing expedition “Samudra Sahas” from Marve, Mumbai, marking the bicentenary celebrations of the Regiment of Artillery.
Key Facts:
Expedition name:┬а“Samudra Sahas”
Flagged off from:┬аMarve, Mumbai
Occasion:┬аBicentenary (200 years) of Regiment of Artillery
Total distance:┬а520 nautical miles
Route:┬аMumbai тЖТ Vijaydurg тЖТ Goa тЖТ and back┬а(4 legs)
Regiment of Artillery┬аcompleting┬а200 years┬а= Bicentenary
Vijaydurg┬а= Historic coastal fort in┬аSindhudurg district, Maharashtra
Indian Army adventure activities build┬аesprit de corps and leadership
Important for┬аUPSC GS3 (Defence), NDA/CDS exams
ЁЯУЕ Important Days
ЁЯФ╖ 20 April тАФ UN Chinese Language Day
Detail
Information
Date
20th April
Observed by
United Nations
Purpose
Promote multilingualism and cultural diversity
Significance
Honour Chinese language тАФ one of 6 official UN languages
Six Official Languages of the United Nations:
Language
UN Day
Arabic
18 December
Chinese
20 April
English
23 April
French
20 March
Russian
6 June
Spanish
23 April
ЁЯТб Exam Tip: The 6 official UN languages are a favourite question in SSC CGL, IBPS PO, and UPSC exams. Remember: ACRES = Arabic, Chinese, Russian, English, Spanish + French.
ЁЯФ╖ 21 April тАФ World Creativity and Innovation Day
Detail
Information
Date
21st April
Observed by
United Nations
Theme 2026
“Harnessing Creativity for Global Progress”
Purpose
Promote role of creativity and innovation in human development
Focus
Solving global challenges тАФ poverty, climate change, sustainable development
ЁЯТб Exam Tip: World Creativity and Innovation Day = 21 April. Proclaimed by UNGA. Theme 2026 = “Harnessing Creativity for Global Progress”. Important for SSC and Banking GK.
тЪб Quick Revision Table
Topic
Key Fact
Kochi-Thoothukudi Pipeline
PNGRB + IOCL, 425 km, 6.84 MMSCMD, Kochi LNG to Tamil Nadu
MeitY TPEC
AI Governance, Chaired by MeitY Secretary, B. Ravindran + Rajat Moona
Ganga Expressway
594 km, Meerut to Prayagraj, 12 districts, 519 villages, April 29 inauguration
21 April, Theme: Harnessing Creativity for Global Progress
ЁЯОп Practice MCQs тАФ 21st April 2026
Q1. What is the length of the KochiтАУThoothukudi Natural Gas Pipeline approved by PNGRB?
(a) 325 km
(b) 375 km
(c) 425 km тЬЕ
(d) 475 km
Q2. The Ganga Expressway will connect Meerut to which city?
(a) Varanasi
(b) Lucknow
(c) Agra
(d) Prayagraj тЬЕ
Q3. PMGSY was first launched in which year?
(a) 1998
(b) 2000 тЬЕ
(c) 2005
(d) 2010
Q4. AICTE-VAANI scheme promotes Indian languages in how many languages?
(a) 14 Languages
(b) 18 Languages
(c) 20 Languages
(d) 22 Languages тЬЕ
Q5. Which state granted full official status to Khasi and Garo languages in 2026?
(a) Manipur
(b) Assam
(c) Meghalaya тЬЕ
(d) Nagaland
Q6. Kankaria Coaching Depot тАФ India’s first water-neutral railway depot тАФ saves approximately how many litres of water daily?
(a) 80,000 litres
(b) 1,20,000 litres
(c) 1,60,000 litres тЬЕ
(d) 2,00,000 litres
Q7. The 60th Jnanpith Award 2025 was awarded to which personality?
(a) Ramkumar Mukhopadhyay
(b) R. Vairamuthu тЬЕ
(c) Gulzar
(d) Kiran Desai
Q8. Indian Army’s “Samudra Sahas” blue-water sailing expedition covers how many nautical miles?
(a) 320 nautical miles
(b) 420 nautical miles
(c) 480 nautical miles
(d) 520 nautical miles тЬЕ
Q9. How many official languages does the United Nations have?
(a) 4
(b) 5
(c) 6 тЬЕ
(d) 7
Q10. Which AI-based app developed by N. Alim Yusuf won the WWF National Award at ECHO Summit 2026?
(a) BioScan
(b) PlantID Pro
(c) NeophyteID тЬЕ
(d) EcoDetect
ЁЯУК Answer Key
Q No.
Answer
Q1
(c) 425 km
Q2
(d) Prayagraj
Q3
(b) 2000
Q4
(d) 22 Languages
Q5
(c) Meghalaya
Q6
(c) 1,60,000 litres
Q7
(b) R. Vairamuthu
Q8
(d) 520 nautical miles
Q9
(c) 6
Q10
(c) NeophyteID
ЁЯУв Editor’s Note
тЬНя╕П By Ishan Verma | TheExamHub.in
“Knowledge is the bridge between where you are and where you want to be. Build it daily!”
Today’s edition was truly diverse and rich тАФ from India’s longest expressway to AI governance, from water-neutral railway depots to Meghalaya’s historic language law. Every story here carries the potential to become a question in your next exam!
A special mention to N. Alim Yusuf from Kerala ЁЯМ┐ тАФ a young innovator using AI to protect our environment. This is exactly the kind of India we are building тАФ innovative, green, and forward-looking!
At TheExamHub.in, we are committed to bringing you the most comprehensive and exam-focused current affairs every single day тАФ completely FREE. Bookmark this page, attempt the quiz, and share with every aspirant you know!
