Daily Current Affairs and GK | 4 February 2026

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

1. More than 1.18 lakh birds have been rescued across Gujarat during the last ten years under the state’s Karuna Abhiyan.

• These birds were injured largely during the Uttarayan kite-flying season.
• Karuna Abhiyan was launched in 2017. Since its launch, more than 1.29 lakh injured birds have received medical treatment.
• The overall recovery rate of more than 92 per cent has been achieved.
• Forest and Environment Minister Arjun Modhwadia said better coordination has improved rescue operations.
• He also highlighted improved medical facilities for injured birds.
• This year’s Karuna Abhiyan ran from January 10 to January 20.
• During this year’s Karuna Abhiyan, 16,380 birds injured by kite strings were treated. Out of these, 14,690 birds survived.
• This led to a recovery rate of about 90 per cent.
• Rescue and treatment work were carried out in all 33 districts of Gujarat. Ahmedabad recorded the highest number of cases.
• A total of 7,040 birds were treated in Ahmedabad and out of these, 6,532 birds were rescued.
• Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot and Gandhinagar followed Ahmedabad.
• Pigeons formed the largest group of injured birds. Pigeons were followed by black kites, crows, sparrow hawks and others.
• Birds from 41 different species were treated during the 2026 campaign.

Topic: Corporates/Companies

2. The grant of ‘Miniratna’ Category-I status to Yantra India Limited has been approved by Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh.

• He congratulated Yantra India Limited for transforming from a government organisation into a profit-making entity in about four years.
• Its sales grew from Rs 956.32 crore in 2021-22 (H2) to Rs 3,108.79 crore in FY 2024-25.
• Exports increased from zero in 2021-22 (H2) to Rs 321.77 crore in FY 2024-25.
• Yantra India Limited produces carbon fibre composites and ammunition assembly products.
• The company also makes assembly products for armoured vehicle, Artillery Guns and Main Battle Tanks.
• The Miniratna Category-I status allows the board to spend up to Rs 500 crore on new projects without government approval.
• The government corporatised the former Ordnance Factory Board into seven new DPSUs on October 1, 2021.
• Yantra India Limited is one of the newly formed Schedule ‘A’ Defence Public Sector Undertaking (DPSU).
• It functions under the administrative control of the Department of Defence Production.
• In May 2025, three other DPSUs also received Miniratna-I status.
• These were Munitions India Limited, Armoured Vehicles Nigam Limited, and India Optel Limited.

Topic: Infrastructure and Energy

3. The successful breakthrough of second mountain tunnel of MAHSR project announced.

• The successful breakthrough of the second mountain tunnel of the Mumbai–Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail project was announced by Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in Palghar district of Maharashtra.
• This development was marked as a major milestone in India’s first high-speed bullet train corridor connecting Mumbai and Ahmedabad.
• The tunnel has been constructed with a length of 454 metres and a width of 14.4 metres to accommodate both up and down rail tracks.
• It was reported that the breakthrough for the second tunnel was achieved within a month of the first tunnel's breakthrough, which occurred on January 2nd of this year.
• The Railways Minister appreciated the project team for maintaining a strong pace of work on this technologically advanced infrastructure project.
• It was stated that several advanced construction technologies and heavy machinery used in the project are being manufactured within India.
• The Gujarat section of the bullet train corridor is expected to begin commercial operations next year.
• High-speed rail services are planned to be extended up to Thane by the year 2028.
• The entire MAHSR corridor is expected to reach Mumbai by the year 2029, as per the projected timeline.

Topic: National Appointments

4. First Woman Officer inducted into Airports Authority of India Board.

• History was created in the Indian aviation sector as Nivedita Dubey assumed charge as Member (Human Resources) of the Airports Authority of India.
• With this appointment, she became the first woman officer to be inducted into the AAI Board, marking a significant milestone.
• The position of Member (HR) is regarded as the second-highest role within the organisational structure of AAI.
• Nivedita Dubey hails from Prayagraj and completed her early schooling at St. Mary’s Convent School.
• She pursued science studies at Allahabad University and later earned a postgraduate management degree from MONIRBA.
• Her professional journey with AAI began in 1995 when she joined as a management trainee.
• The Airports Authority of India was established by an Act of Parliament on April 1, 1995.
• It was formed through the merger of the National Airports Authority and the International Airports Authority of India.

Topic: Biotechnology and Diseases

5. India’s first evidence-based guidelines on lung cancer treatment and palliation released.

• On 3 February, the “Lung Cancer Treatment and Palliation: Evidence-Based Guidelines” were released by Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda ahead of World Cancer Day.
• The guidelines were formally unveiled at Kartavya Bhavan as a step towards standardised and patient-centric cancer care in the country.
• A uniform national framework for diagnosis, treatment and palliative care of lung cancer patients has been provided through the document.
• The guidelines were developed by leading oncology experts using systematic evidence synthesis adapted to Indian healthcare conditions.
• The initiative was described as a milestone by the Health Minister for strengthening clinical decision-making across public and private sectors.
• Emphasis was laid on developing indigenous healthcare frameworks instead of solely relying on Western clinical models.
• Early diagnosis was identified as a major challenge, with renewed focus stressed on prevention and screening of high-risk populations.
• The guidelines include 15 evidence-based recommendations covering both treatment protocols and palliative care.
• It was underlined that such guidelines enhance consistency, credibility and uniform standards of cancer care nationwide.
• The complete document has been made available on the Department of Health Research website, with a simplified summary planned for patients and caregivers.

Topic: Sports

6. Pro Wrestling League 2026 championship title won by Haryana Thunders.

• The championship title of Pro Wrestling League 2026 was clinched by Haryana Thunders after a thrilling final at the Noida Indoor Stadium.
• The final against Delhi Dangal Warriors ended in a dramatic contest with scores tied at 4–4 after eight bouts.
• The decisive bout came in the women’s 62 kg category, where Iryna Koliadenko delivered a dominant performance.
• Her technical superiority secured a 5–4 victory and sealed the championship for Haryana Thunders.
• The final was regarded as one of the most intense and closely fought matches in the history of the league.
• Turan Bayramov of Delhi Dangal Warriors was awarded Player of the Tournament for winning all seven of his bouts in the 57 kg men’s category.
• Chandermohan from Punjab Royals emerged as the highest point scorer of the tournament.
• Neha Sangwan of Haryana Thunders was named Player of the Match for keeping the contest alive till the final bout.
• Ronak from Delhi Dangal Warriors won Fighter of the Match for his performance in the men’s 125 kg category.
• The Impact Player of the Match award went to Akshay Dhere of Haryana Thunder for his outstanding performance in the 57 kg men's category.

Topic: Defence

7. DRDO successfully conducted a flight test of Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet technology.

• The test was carried out at the Integrated Test Range in Chandipur, Odisha.
• The test places India among a small group of countries with this advanced propulsion capability.
• Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet technology is crucial for long-range air-to-air missiles. It significantly improves missile range.
• It also enhances speed and manoeuvrability in combat conditions.
• All key subsystems of the Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet system performed as expected during the flight.
• These included the nozzle-less booster, solid fuel ramjet motor and the fuel flow controller.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

8. Veerabhadran Ramanathan has won the 2026 Crafoord Prize in Geosciences.

• He is an Indian-origin climate scientist, who has been awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
• This prize is often called the Nobel of Geosciences and recognises exceptional lifetime contributions to Earth sciences.
• The prize recognises his long-term research on climate change.
• Super-pollutants are the focus of his work, which also examined atmospheric brown clouds.
• In 1975, Ramanathan, working at NASA, found that chlorofluorocarbons trap heat extremely efficiently.
• Chlorofluorocarbons, commonly used in aerosols and refrigeration, warm the atmosphere far more than carbon dioxide.
• His finding revealed the strong influence of human technology on climate.
• Born in Madurai and raised in Chennai, he began his career as an engineer in a refrigerator factory in Secunderabad and first came into contact with CFCs there.
• He later studied at Annamalai University and the Indian Institute of Science.
• He played a key role in the Indian Ocean Experiment.
• Indian Ocean Experiment identified atmospheric brown clouds over South Asia.
• The study connected air pollution to a weaker Indian monsoon and pollution to faster melting of Himalayan glaciers.
• Ramanathan is now a Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego.

Topic: Indian Polity

9. Supreme Court has asked the Central government to establish a tribunal to resolve Pennaiyar river water dispute.

• The dispute is between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka over sharing the waters of the Pennaiyar River.
• A bench of the Supreme Court directed the Centre to issue an official notification and form the water disputes tribunal within one month.
• The bench included Justice Vikram Nath and Justice N V Anjaria.
• The court said there was no reason for further delay and noted that the dispute has remained unresolved for a long time.
• Tamil Nadu filed the case in the Supreme Court in 2018 and challenged construction of check dams diversion-related works by Karnataka on the river.
• Tamil Nadu argued that inter-state rivers are national assets and said such rivers cannot be owned by any one state.
• It maintained that no state has exclusive rights over shared river waters.
• Pennaiyar river is a major river in southern India. It flows through Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
• It is also called the South Pennar River, Dakshina Pinakini in Kannada.
• Its origin is in Nandi Hills in the Chikkaballapura district, Karnataka. It is the second longest river in Tamil Nadu.
• Chinnar, Markanda, Vaniar, and Pamban are its tributaries.

Topic: Indian Economy

10. The National Statistics Office will carry out a Survey on Migration across the country during July 2026 to June 2027.

• The survey will be aimed at generating updated and detailed data on migration patterns in India.
• The survey will document the scale of migration in the country, characteristics of migrants, reasons for migration return and seasonal migration, and the employment profiles of migrants.
• Rural-to-urban migration and Inter-state migration will be covered.
• The National Statistics Office (NSO) operates under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI).
• MoSPI has conducted migration surveys regularly in the past.
• The most recent data came from Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2020-21 and the Multiple Indicator Survey 2020–21.
• The PLFS 2020–21 showed India’s overall migration rate at 28.9 per cent.
• The survey highlighted a large gender gap in migration patterns.
• Male migration was 10.7 per cent nationally and female migration was much higher at 47.9 per cent.
• Marriage was the main reason for female migration. It accounted for about 86.8 per cent of all female migrants.
• Employment was the main reason for male migration. About 22.8 per cent of men migrated for work or better jobs.