UPSC current affairs · Tuesday

Current Affairs, 7 April 2026

5 issues picked from 43 PIB releases · about 2 minutes each · written by UPSC Grade, each fact checked against its PIB release or by a second model

How to readRead “Why in news” and “What it is” for every issue. Open For Prelims or For Mains for the exam you’re preparing for, then Test yourself at the foot of each card. Half the news questions in Prelims are answered from background, not the news itself.

In 60 seconds

Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) and Three-Stage Nuclear Programme. India's PFBR at Kalpakkam reaches first criticality, advancing stage two of the three-stage nuclear programme.
Designated Repositories under Biological Diversity Act, 2002. Two more institutions notified as designated repositories under Section 39 of the Biological Diversity Act.
Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Regulations, Delhi. Delhi's new TOD policy opens 207 sq km along metro corridors for dense affordable housing.
Regularisation of Unauthorised Colonies in Delhi (PM-UDAY). Delhi's 1,511 eligible unauthorised colonies to be regularised as-is, without approved layout plans.
Quantum Communication Channel Simulation. Study proves finite classical messaging cannot perfectly simulate a quantum channel in multi-sender networks.

Science and technology

Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) and Three-Stage Nuclear Programme

GS3 Science and Technology - Nuclear EnergyPrelims and Mains

Why in news: The 500 MWe Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor at Kalpakkam attained first criticality on 6 April 2026 at 08:25 PM, the Department of Atomic Energy announced on 7 April 2026.
What it is: The Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor is a 500 MW sodium-cooled fast reactor at Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu. It was designed by IGCAR and is built by BHAVINI. It uses Uranium-Plutonium MOX fuel and breeds Pu-239 from a U-238 blanket, which links India's PHWR stage to the thorium stage.

Criticality date and place: PFBR, built at Kalpakkam in Tamil Nadu, attained first criticality on 6 April 2026.
Fuel and breeding: PFBR uses MOX fuel and a U-238 blanket to breed Pu-239, producing more fuel than it consumes.
Stage one: Stage one uses natural uranium in PHWRs, followed by reprocessing of spent fuel to recover plutonium.
Stage three: Thorium-232 is converted into fissile U-233, which fuels the third stage. This follows only after adequate FBR capacity exists.
Uranium resources: AMD has established 4,42,800 tonne in situ U3O8, and uses AI/ML for mineral potential mapping.
Thorium role: Thorium-232 is fertile, not fissile. It must be converted to U-233 in a breeder reactor using plutonium before it can be used as fuel.
Hydrogen first: On 26 June 2026 IGCAR produced hydrogen using nuclear heat. It coupled a BARC-developed Cu-Cl thermochemical cycle to the sodium loop of FBTR.
Fuel and coolant: PFBR is a 500 MWe sodium-cooled reactor using U-Pu MOX fuel, at Kalpakkam. It is built by BHAVINI.
Heat source: The plant uses nuclear process heat from the Fast Breeder Test Reactor at IGCAR, Kalpakkam.
Technology developer: The Cu–Cl process was developed indigenously by BARC, Mumbai. BARC and IGCAR built the plant jointly.
Why Cu–Cl: It is considered promising for its relatively lower operating temperatures and higher thermodynamic efficiency.
IGCAR: IGCAR has led India's Fast Breeder Reactor programme since its establishment in 1971.
PFBR: The 500 MWe PFBR is the flagship of the second stage of the three-stage programme.
Three stages: Stage 1: PHWRs on natural uranium. Stage 2: fast breeder reactors using plutonium. Stage 3: thorium-based reactors using U-233.
What was commissioned: A 24 kA Prototype Sodium Cell at HWBF, Vadodara, a step towards industrial-scale indigenous nuclear-grade sodium production.
Link to the three stages: Nuclear-grade sodium is a critical material for the second stage of India's three-stage nuclear power programme.
Deuterated compounds plant: The Versatile Deuterated compounds Production Plant is meant for indigenous production of high-purity deuterated solvents.
Coolant in fast reactors: Fast breeder reactors such as PFBR use liquid sodium as coolant, since water would slow the neutrons.
Capacity and place: The PFBR is an indigenously designed 500 MWe reactor at Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu. It achieved first criticality on 6 April 2026.
Who built it: IGCAR developed the reactor and BHAVINI built it. It uses uranium-plutonium mixed oxide fuel to produce more fuel than it consumes.
Global position: Russia is the only country operating commercial fast breeder reactors now. India is in the advanced stage of commissioning its own.
Stage link: The PFBR marks the second stage and paves the way for use of India's thorium reserves in the third stage.
Coolant and breeding: The PFBR uses liquid sodium as coolant. It breeds plutonium-239 from a uranium-238 blanket.
Nuclear Mission and SMRs: The Nuclear Mission has an allocation of Rs 20,000 crore. Five SMRs are planned by 2033.
Criticality: First criticality means the start of a controlled fission chain reaction. PFBR reached it on 6 April 2026.
Who designed and built it: IGCAR, an R&D centre of DAE, did the design. BHAVINI, a DAE PSU, built and commissioned it.
Thorium link: The blanket is designed to later hold Thorium-232, which transmutes into Uranium-233 to fuel the third stage.
Regulator: AERB cleared the reactor after reviewing plant safety systems before criticality.
Milestone: The PFBR at Kalpakkam attained criticality, meaning a self-sustaining chain reaction was achieved.
Breeding capability: The reactor can generate more fuel than it consumes.
Link to thorium: The achievement paves the way for using India's thorium reserves in the third stage.
Who designs and builds: PFBR was designed by IGCAR and is built by BHAVINI.
Reactor type and fuel: It is a 500 MW sodium-cooled fast reactor using Uranium-Plutonium MOX fuel with a U-238 blanket that breeds Pu-239.

Don’t confuse with PFBR vs PHWR: PFBR is a fast breeder (stage two, sodium-cooled, MOX fuel). PHWRs are stage one, use natural uranium and heavy water.

Don’t confuse with Fertile vs fissile: U-238 and Th-232 are fertile and become fissile Pu-239 and U-233. These fissile isotopes sustain the chain reaction.

Don’t confuse with FBTR vs PFBR: FBTR is the small test fast reactor at Kalpakkam. PFBR is the 500 MWe prototype power reactor.

Don’t confuse with BARC vs IGCAR: BARC (Mumbai) developed the Cu–Cl process. IGCAR (Kalpakkam) runs FBTR and leads the fast reactor programme.

Don’t confuse with Heavy water vs deuterated compounds: Heavy water (D2O) is the moderator and coolant in PHWRs. Deuterated compounds, such as deuterated solvents, are used in research and specialised applications.

Don’t confuse with Moderator vs coolant: PHWRs use heavy water as moderator. Fast reactors use no moderator and use liquid sodium as coolant.

Don’t confuse with Criticality vs commercial operation: First criticality means the chain reaction is self-sustaining. Grid power and commercial operation come later.

Don’t confuse with First criticality vs grid connection: Criticality is the start of a self-sustaining chain reaction. Power generation and grid supply come later, after power-raising tests.

Don’t confuse with Fast breeder vs thermal reactor: A thermal reactor slows neutrons with a moderator. A fast reactor uses fast neutrons with no moderator and can breed fuel.

Don’t confuse with Criticality vs power generation: Criticality means a sustained chain reaction begins. Grid power supply comes later, after further tests and power raising.

Don’t confuse with Fast breeder vs PHWR: PHWRs are heavy water moderated and use natural uranium. Fast reactors use fast neutrons, no moderator, and a liquid metal coolant.

Science and technology: 57 Prelims questions since 2013; most test the concept behind the news, not the news itself. In Mains, 12 news-triggered questions.

Why it matters

Starts the second stage, moving India toward using its large thorium reserves for long-term energy security.
Builds indigenous capacity, with nearly 90% domestic manufacturing of PFBR equipment.
Reduces dependence on imported uranium and improves energy security.
Opens the route to using India's large thorium reserves.
Shows nuclear heat can serve non-electric uses such as clean hydrogen, supporting decarbonisation and energy security.
Links the fast reactor stage of the three-stage programme to the National Green Hydrogen Mission goals.
Domestic nuclear-grade sodium cuts import dependence for the second stage of the programme.
Supports strategic self-reliance in critical materials.
Starts stage two of the three-stage programme, a step to thorium use.
Helps the 100 GW nuclear target by 2047 and clean energy goals.
Closes the gap between the PHWR stage and thorium use, bringing India closer to using its large thorium reserves.
Gets more energy from limited uranium and gives low-carbon base-load power.
Builds indigenous capability in fuel cycle, materials and reactor engineering, supporting self-reliance.
Advances India's closed fuel cycle by reusing plutonium and breeding fuel.
Opens the route to using vast thorium reserves, aiding energy security.
Shows indigenous design and engineering capability in advanced nuclear technology.

Problems

The third stage depends on adequate FBR capacity being installed first, which is slow.
Sodium coolant handling and strict safety standards raise complexity.
Thorium use at scale needs enough plutonium as driver fuel, which takes time.
Sodium coolant needs careful handling, and FBRs need advanced materials and strict regulatory clearances.
It is only a technology demonstrator. Scale-up and cost competitiveness with electrolysis are unproven.
Handling sodium-cooled fast reactor heat and corrosive Cu–Cl chemistry needs advanced materials and safety systems.
Sodium reacts violently with water and air, so handling needs strict safety measures.
Scaling up from a prototype cell to industrial output must keep the purity nuclear use requires.
High capital cost and long construction delays of fast reactors.
Sodium coolant is hazardous because it reacts with water and air, so safety needs are high.
Sodium coolant reacts with air and water, so safety and leak control are demanding.
Fast reactors cost more and the project ran far beyond its original schedule.
Closed fuel cycle needs reprocessing, plutonium handling and waste management, with proliferation and public concerns.
High cost and long delays in building the prototype.
Sodium coolant is highly reactive, which raises safety and engineering concerns.
Reprocessing and fuel fabrication for closed cycle are complex.

Way forward

Scale up FBR capacity and reprocessing in step with the fleet-mode PHWR build-out.
Continue uranium exploration with AI/ML and advanced surveys to support early stages.
Complete low power physics experiments, obtain step-wise regulatory clearance, and raise power to grid synchronisation.
Continue R&D on molten salt reactors and thorium fuel cycles before large-scale deployment.
Use the plant's operating data to optimise the process, then build pilot-scale units coupled to larger reactors.
Expand fast reactor capacity, including PFBR, to supply high-temperature heat.
Scale the prototype to industrial production with quality assurance.
Build up fast reactor capacity so the second stage can lead to the thorium stage.
Move from the prototype to commercial fast reactors while keeping safety standards high.
Develop the thorium stage and the fuel cycle, with SMRs and private participation under the SHANTI Act.
Run power-raising tests and grid synchronisation under AERB oversight, with transparent safety reporting.
Scale to commercial fast breeder reactors only after cost, safety and performance are proven.
Build reprocessing and fuel fabrication capacity and move toward thorium use.
Move from prototype to commercial fast reactors after proven operation.
Strengthen reprocessing capacity and independent safety oversight.
Build thorium-stage research and fuel cycle step by step.

Put in your answer

Domestic content: IGCAR helped achieve nearly 90% domestic manufacturing of PFBR equipment and systems.

Capacity target: Installed nuclear capacity is to rise from 8780 MW to 22480 MW by 2031/32.

Domestic manufacturing: Nearly 90% of PFBR's equipment and systems were made domestically.

Nuclear hydrogen: Nuclear-heat hydrogen supports decarbonisation of fertilisers, refineries, transport and steel, and the National Green Hydrogen Mission.

FBTR experience: FBTR has served for more than four decades as a platform for fuels, materials and sodium technology, laying the base for PFBR.

Three-stage nuclear programme: Use it as an example of indigenous supply chain building for the second stage, from PHWRs through fast breeders to thorium.

Nuclear power target: India aims for 100 GW of nuclear capacity by 2047.

SMR plan: Five SMRs are planned by 2033 under the Nuclear Mission, with SHANTI Act enabling private participation.

Closed fuel cycle: The reactor uses a closed fuel cycle that recycles nuclear materials, improving sustainability and reducing waste.

Three-stage programme: Use the stage-wise link: PHWR, then fast breeders, then thorium reactors, to explain India's long-term energy strategy.

Institutions: IGCAR designed the PFBR and BHAVINI builds it, an example of indigenous capacity in a public-sector model.

Test yourselfMains

True or false?

1 of 42

Statements the way Prelims prints them. Say first, then see the fact.

1.The first stage of India's three-stage programme uses Fast Breeder Reactors with thorium as fuel.
2.In the third stage, Uranium-233 bred from Thorium-232 is the intended fuel.
3.The PFBR at Kalpakkam is a 500 MW reactor implemented by NPCIL.
4.The three-stage programme is based on a closed fuel cycle involving reprocessing of spent fuel.
5.Fast breeder reactors use a moderator such as heavy water to slow neutrons for breeding.
6.The Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research is a unit of the Department of Atomic Energy.
7.In India's three-stage nuclear programme, the second stage uses plutonium from reprocessed PHWR spent fuel in Fast Breeder Reactors.
8.Thorium-232 is a fissile material that can be used directly as reactor fuel.
9.The third stage of the programme relies on Uranium-233 bred from Thorium-232.
10.PFBR uses water as its primary coolant.
11.PFBR was designed by the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research.
12.Uranium-233 fabricated as fuel for the KAMINI reactor was obtained from irradiated thoria pins.
13.PFBR is being built by NPCIL.
14.The newly inaugurated hydrogen facility at Kalpakkam draws process heat from the Fast Breeder Test Reactor.
15.The Copper–Chlorine thermochemical process used in the facility was developed indigenously by BARC.
16.The Cu–Cl cycle is regarded as promising mainly because it needs extremely high operating temperatures compared with other cycles.
17.IGCAR was established in 1971 and has been at the forefront of India's Fast Breeder Reactor programme.
18.The 500 MWe Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor is the flagship of the first stage of India's three-stage nuclear power programme.
19.The third stage of India's nuclear programme is based on thorium, with U-233 as the fissile material.
20.In the Cu–Cl cycle, the hydrogen is produced by chemical reactions that split water, with heat supplied by the reactor.
21.The first stage of India's three-stage programme uses fast breeder reactors fuelled with plutonium.
22.The Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor at Kalpakkam is a 500 MWe reactor designed indigenously.
23.The PFBR is built by the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, which also designed it.
24.The PFBR uses uranium-plutonium mixed oxide fuel and produces more fissile fuel than it consumes.
25.The PFBR is the third stage of India's three-stage nuclear programme and runs mainly on thorium.
26.In the PFBR, fertile uranium-238 in a blanket is converted into fissile plutonium-239.
27.The PFBR uses heavy water as both moderator and coolant.
28.Russia is currently the only country operating commercial fast breeder reactors.
29.The PFBR uses Uranium-Plutonium Mixed Oxide (MOX) fuel in its core.
30.In the PFBR, fertile Uranium-238 in the blanket is converted into fissile Plutonium-239 by fast neutrons.
31.The PFBR was built and commissioned by the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research.
32.The blanket of the PFBR is designed to eventually use Thorium-232, which is transmuted into Uranium-233.
33.The PFBR uses heavy water as moderator and coolant.
34.In India's three-stage nuclear programme, the first stage uses pressurised heavy water reactors fuelled by natural uranium.
35.The third stage of India's nuclear programme is based on Plutonium-239 fuel.
36.The PFBR at Kalpakkam has attained criticality, which marks progress in the second stage of India's nuclear programme.
37.The PFBR is capable of producing more fissile fuel than it consumes.
38.The PFBR directly uses thorium as its main fuel, making it a third-stage reactor.
39.The PFBR uses sodium as coolant.
40.The PFBR is built by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL).
41.In the fast breeder reactor, a U-238 blanket is converted to Pu-239.
42.The first stage of India's nuclear programme uses fast breeder reactors with plutonium fuel.

Written by us from the release, not by UPSC; checked by a second model.

Source: PIB, Department of Atomic Energy, 7 Apr, 11:17 IST · Release 287544

Issue page →

Worth revising until Prelims 2028: most news questions come within two years of the event.

Law and statutory body

Designated Repositories under Biological Diversity Act, 2002

GS3 Environment and biodiversityPrelims and Mains

Why in news: On 7 April 2026, the Centre notified two more institutions as designated repositories under Section 39 of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002. They are the Referral Centre Bhavasagara at CMLRE, Kochi, and the MACS Collection of Microorganisms and National Fungal Culture Collection at Agharkar Research Institute, Pune.
What it is: Designated Repositories are institutions notified by the Central Government under Section 39 of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002. They keep authenticated specimens of biological material, including voucher and type specimens, that have been accessed or studied under the Act. The National Biodiversity Authority recommends which institutions should be notified.

Legal basis: The Central Government designates repositories under Section 39 of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002.
Who recommends: The National Biodiversity Authority recommended the proposal. The Centre then notified it.
Role of repositories: They preserve authenticated biological specimens accessed under the Act.
Mandate of this museum: It will hold voucher specimens of select flora and fauna. It will also be the depository for type specimens of newly discovered species from the region.
Host institution: The museum was set up in 2022 under Mizoram University, a Central University created by an Act of Parliament.
Duty on discoverers: A person who discovers a new taxon must notify the designated repository and deposit the voucher specimens.
Role of NBA: NBA issues guidelines on criteria for designation. Its governing body considers proposals and recommends them to the Ministry for notification.
Number of repositories: With 18 institutions designated so far, these two additions raise the network further.
Bhavasagara centre: The Referral Centre Bhavasagara at CMLRE, Kochi, is a national facility for deep-sea biodiversity with over 3,500 identified, geo-referenced voucher specimens.
National Biodiversity Authority: The NBA is a statutory body set up under the 2002 Act, headquartered at Chennai.
Who designated it: The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change designated the centre. It is run by CMLRE under the Ministry of Earth Sciences.
Collection size: It holds over 3,500 taxonomically identified, geo-referenced voucher specimens.
Type specimens: It is the official custodian for any new deep-sea species discovered in Indian waters.
Location: CMLRE is based at Kochi, Kerala.

Don’t confuse with Designated Repository vs Biodiversity Heritage Site: A Designated Repository (Section 39) stores specimens. A Biodiversity Heritage Site (Section 37) is an area of ecological value notified by the State Government.

Don’t confuse with Voucher vs type specimen: A voucher specimen is a preserved sample that documents a study or identification. A type specimen is the reference specimen on which a species' formal description is based.

Don’t confuse with Designated repository vs Biodiversity Management Committee: Repositories are scientific institutions notified by the Centre to hold specimens. BMCs are local-body committees that document local biodiversity.

Don’t confuse with Section 39 vs access and benefit sharing sections: Section 39 deals with repositories. Access and benefit sharing is governed by separate provisions of the Act.

Don’t confuse with Designated repository vs. Biodiversity Heritage Site: A repository stores authenticated specimens (Section 39). A Biodiversity Heritage Site is an area of ecological value notified by the State Government (Section 37).

Don’t confuse with CMLRE vs. NIOT: CMLRE explores and manages marine living resources. NIOT, Chennai, develops ocean technology. Both are under MoES.

Laws, judgments and statutory bodies: 30 Prelims questions since 2013 (what the law says, who chairs, legal basis). In Mains, 44 news-triggered questions, most in GS2, asking for provisions and challenges.

Why it matters

Keeping authenticated specimens near their source aids species identification, traceability and research.
The collections support restoration after habitat loss, disasters or species decline.
It fills a gap for lesser-studied groups such as pteridophytes, macrofungi, moths and beetles in the Indo-Burma hotspot.
Strengthens documentation and traceability of biological resources, supporting access and benefit sharing.
Supports research and India's commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity.
Gives India a national reference collection for deep-sea species, aiding taxonomy and Blue Economy research.

Problems

Specimen collections need steady funding, trained taxonomists and proper storage.
Compliance by researchers in depositing voucher specimens may be uneven.
Repositories need steady funding and trained taxonomists to maintain collections.
Deep-sea sampling is costly, and taxonomic expertise is scarce.

Way forward

Link repositories with State Biodiversity Boards and regional institutions, and keep strengthening taxonomic capacity.
Expand the repository network across taxa and regions, with regular audits.
Link repository records to digital databases for transparent tracking of use.
Expand deep-sea surveys and link specimen data with genetic databases and researchers.

Put in your answer

Policy alignment: The designation advances Target 4 of India's National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (2024-2030), in line with Target 4 of the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

Regional richness: Mizoram and the wider North-east have over 7,500 species of flowering plants and over 2,000 faunal species.

Bhavasagara collection: Over 3,500 identified, geo-referenced voucher specimens of marine organisms, including deep-sea fishes, are held at Kochi.

Network size: The network has 18 designated repositories before these two additions.

UN Ocean Decade: The repository's capacity building aligns with the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021–2030).

Test yourself

Source: PIB, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change., 7 Apr, 19:47 IST · Release 287583

Issue page →

Worth revising until Prelims 2028: most news questions come within two years of the event.

Scheme

Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Regulations, Delhi

GS1 Urbanisation: Urban planningGS2 Housing policyPrelims and Mains

Why in news: On 7 April 2026, Union Minister Manohar Lal and Delhi CM Rekha Gupta announced the Regulations for Transit Oriented Development (TOD) and Charges, 2026 for Delhi, opening 207 sq km along transit corridors for affordable housing.
What it is: Transit Oriented Development is planned, high-density, mixed-use building close to public transport so people can walk to stations and use less road transport. In Delhi, the idea was placed in the Master Plan of Delhi 2021. The 2026 regulations replace the earlier node-based TOD policy with a corridor-based one and a single charge.

Area covered: About 207 sq km: 500 m on either side of Metro corridors and a 500 m radius of RRTS/railway stations.
Newly included land: About 80 sq km of land under land pooling, low density residential areas and unauthorised colonies, excluded earlier, is now covered.
Approval system: A TOD Committee under the Vice Chairman of DDA gives single-window, time-bound approvals. This replaces Influence Zone Plans and sanction by local bodies.
Single TOD charge: One TOD charge replaces separate DJB water and sewerage, MCD sanction and land-use change, additional FAR and DDA leasehold-to-freehold conversion charges.

Don’t confuse with FAR vs ground coverage: Floor Area Ratio is total built-up floor area divided by plot area. Ground coverage is only the share of the plot the building footprint covers.

Don’t confuse with Node-based vs corridor-based TOD: The earlier policy needed a TOD node of at least 8 ha of developable land. The 2026 policy covers whole corridors, operational or proposed.

Schemes: 52 Prelims questions since 2013, 10 in Prelims 2026 alone. They test features, the period and who funds it. In Mains, 33 news-triggered questions, mostly GS3.

No practice question for this one; the card may still help an answer. Why: A lasting urban planning policy with facts such as the 500 m radius and 207 sq km. It is Delhi-specific, so a question is unlikely.

Source: PIB, Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, 7 Apr, 15:33 IST · Release 287559

Issue page →

Worth revising until Prelims 2027: most news questions come within two years of the event.

Scheme

Regularisation of Unauthorised Colonies in Delhi (PM-UDAY)

GS2 Governance: Housing policyGS1 UrbanisationPrelims and Mains

Why in news: On 7 April 2026, the Union Housing Minister and Delhi's Chief Minister announced that 1,511 of 1,731 unauthorised colonies in Delhi will be regularised 'as-is where-is', with no approved layout plan needed. Applications open on the SWAGAM portal from 24 April 2026.
What it is: PM-UDAY (Pradhan Mantri Unauthorised Colonies in Delhi Awas Adhikar Yojana) confers ownership, transfer and mortgage rights on residents of Delhi's unauthorised colonies. It rests on the 2019 Regulations notified by the Centre and uses documents like GPA, Agreement to Sell, and proof of payment and possession. It gave ownership only; it did not make residents eligible for building plan approval.

Documents and deeds: Conveyance Deeds go to built-up properties on government land. Authorisation Slips go to properties on private land.
Exclusions: No rights are conferred on colonies on prohibited land, such as forests, ASI-protected areas, Zone-O (Yamuna floodplain), the Ridge and road right of way. 69 affluent colonies are also excluded.
Who runs it: PM-UDAY applications are handled on an online portal managed by DDA. Revenue Department, GNCTD issues the deeds and slips; MCD issues Certificates of Regularisation.

Don’t confuse with Ownership rights vs regularisation: PM-UDAY gives property rights (ownership, transfer, mortgage) to residents. Regularisation of the colony makes the structures lawful and allows building plan approval. The first did not automatically bring the second.

Don’t confuse with Conveyance Deed vs Authorisation Slip: A Conveyance Deed is for built-up property on government land. An Authorisation Slip is for property on private land.

Schemes: 52 Prelims questions since 2013, 10 in Prelims 2026 alone. They test features, the period and who funds it. In Mains, 33 news-triggered questions, mostly GS3.

No practice question for this one; the card may still help an answer. Why: A real decision with a scheme, PM-UDAY, behind it. It is local to Delhi, so a Prelims or Mains question is unlikely.

Source: PIB, Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, 7 Apr, 15:48 IST · Release 287561

Issue page →

Worth revising until Prelims 2027: most news questions come within two years of the event.

Science and technology

Quantum Communication Channel Simulation

GS3 Science and Technology: Quantum technologyPrelims and Mains

Why in news: On 7 April 2026, the Ministry of Science & Technology reported a study by an international team, including S. N. Bose National Centre researchers. It shows that no finite amount of classical messaging can faithfully simulate a quantum communication channel.
What it is: Quantum channel simulation asks whether a quantum communication link can be reproduced using only classical messages. Earlier work showed this is possible in simple two-party settings. The new study shows it fails when several distant senders and a central receiver are involved, because entangled measurements are needed.

Who did the study: Researchers from S. N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences, an autonomous institute under DST, worked with colleagues from Barcelona and Geneva.
Where published: The study appeared in Proceedings of the Royal Society A (2026).
The no-go result: A perfect qubit channel cannot be simulated with any finite classical communication, even with multi-round, two-way protocols.
Why it fails: Entangled measurements are uniquely quantum and cannot be replicated by classical means alone.
Quantum advantage: The result supports quantum advantage in principle, not only in practice.

Don’t confuse with Quantum channel simulation vs quantum key distribution: Simulation asks if classical messages can mimic a quantum channel. QKD uses quantum states to share secret keys securely.

Don’t confuse with Qubit vs classical bit: A bit is 0 or 1. A qubit can be in a superposition of both until measured.

Science and technology: 57 Prelims questions since 2013; most test the concept behind the news, not the news itself. In Mains, 12 news-triggered questions.

No practice question for this one; the card may still help an answer. Why: A research finding on quantum communication. It is a concept-level topic, but the finding is too narrow for a Prelims statement.

Source: PIB, Ministry of Science & Technology, 7 Apr, 16:39 IST · Release 287567

Issue page →

Worth revising until Prelims 2027: most news questions come within two years of the event.

What we left out: 38 of 43 releases

Speeches without a decision (5)
Ceremonies and greetings (6)
Training and events (6)
Same issue already on file; nothing new (1)
Company product launches (1)
Ceremonies and campaigns (5)
Internal task forces and campaigns (1)
Same issue as another release (4)
Same issue already on file (3)
Same issue already on file; routine amendment (1)
General explainer, no new decision (1)
Routine briefing updates (1)
Routine progress report (1)
Draft regulation for comments, routine (1)
Routine administrative notice (1)

Practise the day’s news

In UPSC’s formats, inside each issue. The answer and why come after you choose.

1Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) and Three-Stage Nuclear ProgrammeMCQ · 42 true or false · Mains
2Designated Repositories under Biological Diversity Act, 2002MCQ · 9 true or false

Mains question of the day

15 marks · 250 words

India's Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor at Kalpakkam attained first criticality in April 2026. Discuss the role of fast breeder reactors in India's three-stage nuclear power programme. Examine the technological, economic and safety challenges in moving from the second stage to thorium-based power.

From: Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) and Three-Stage Nuclear Programme

Write and get it marked

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