Daily UPSC Current Affairs – 20 April 2026 [NF STACK]

GM MOSQUITOES

• GM mosquitoes are mass-produced in a laboratory to carry two types of genes:
• A self-limiting gene that prevents female mosquito offspring from surviving to adulthood.
• A fluorescent marker gene that glows under a special red light. This allows researchers to identify GM mosquitoes in the wild.
• CRISPR-based gene drives can spread through small laboratory cages of mosquitoes

HINDUSTAN PETROLEUM CORPORATION LIMITED (HPCL)

• Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) is an Indian public sector undertaking in petroleum and natural gas industry, headquartered in Mumbai. It is a subsidiary of the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), which is owned by the Government of India and under the administration of Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
• Since 2018, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation has owned majority of its stake.

ARTICLE 293 IN CONSTITUTION OF INDIA

293. Borrowing by States

1.Subject to the provisions of this article, the executive power of a State extends to borrowing within the territory of India upon the security of the Consolidated Fund of the State within such limits, if any, as may from time to time be fixed by the Legislature of such State by law and to the giving of guarantees within such limits, 

2.The Government of India may, subject to such conditions as may be laid down by or under any law made by Parliament, make loans to any State or, so long as any limits fixed under article 292 are not exceeded, give guarantees in respect of loans raised by any State, and any sums required for the purpose of making such loans shall be charged on the Consolidated Fund of India.

3. A State may not without the consent of the Government of India raise any loan if there is still outstanding any part of a loan which has been made to the State by the Government of India or by its predecessor Government, or in respect of which a guarantee has been given by the Government of India or by its predecessor Government.

A BLACK PANTHER 

• A black panther is the melanistic colour variant of the leopard (Panthera pardus) and the jaguar (Panthera onca). Black panthers of both species have excess black pigments.
• Melanism is caused by a recessive allele in the leopard, and by a dominant allele in the jaguar.

THE ALAKNANDA BASIN

The Alaknanda Basin is a vital 11,000+ km² watershed in the eastern Garhwal Himalaya of Uttarakhand, India, forming one of the two main headstreams of the Ganga River. Originating from the Satopanth and Bhagirath Kharak glaciers, the Alaknanda River flows ~190 km to meet the Bhagirathi River at Devprayag.

• New Glenn is a family of launch vehicles developed and operated by the American company Blue Origin when
• The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
• FAA approval is in place. The rocket has two configurations, one previously operational and one under development, both using a two stage partially reusable design.

NEW GLENN 

·blue origin achieves first successful landing of reused new glenn booster

this mission marked the crucial step to demonstrate to reusable rocket capabilities

THE UNITED STATES AND THE PHILIPPINES

• The United States and the Philippines kicked off one of their largest combat exercises Monday in an annual display of allied military might aimed at deterring aggression in Asia, despite Washington’s preoccupation with the war in the Middle East.
• The large-scale drills will expand this year to include new full-time participants including Japan and Canada, which have signed visiting forces agreements with Manila

INDIGENOUS AI MODELS

• Amazon Web Services (AWS) on Monday (April 20, 2026) announced it would be collaborating with the AWS Partner Network (APN) Partner SHI India (formerly Locuz), in order to support the development of indigenous AI models.
• The initiative, which is taking place under the IndiaAI Mission, is designed to streamline access to AI capabilities by Indian government departments, startups, enterprises, academic institutions, and R&D organisations in the country.

UPGRADING INDIA-KOREA TRADE AGREEMENT WILL FOCUS ON BALANCED PARTNERSHIP:

SUPREME COURT TO SEEK A REPORT ON THE FUNCTIONING OF TRIBUNALS CONSTITUTED TO HEAR SIR APPEALS.

 Political parties’ claims of delivering development are ridden with confusion between welfare and development and the pace with which development manifests.