Daily Current Affairs- 2nd April 2026

Daily Current Affairs- 2nd April 2026

Delhi Government Launches the Lakhpati Bitiya Yojana

In the News: The Delhi Government announced the launch of the Lakhpati Bitiya Yojana, a new social welfare scheme aimed at strengthening girls' education and financial empowerment. The scheme was announced by Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and came into effect from April 1, 2026.

Key Points:

• About the Scheme: Lakhpati Bitiya Yojana is a structured financial support scheme for girl children in Delhi, providing phased financial assistance starting from birth and continuing through graduation or diploma courses, designed to combine social security with education-linked incentives.
• Replacing Ladli Scheme: The scheme replaces and upgrades the older Ladli Scheme launched in 2008, which had faced implementation challenges. Existing beneficiaries under the Ladli Scheme will continue to receive their entitlements, while new beneficiaries will be enrolled under the revamped Lakhpati Bitiya Yojana.
• Objective: The scheme aims to prevent girls from dropping out of school, promote educational continuity, financial security, and empowerment, particularly for girls from economically weaker households across key educational milestones.
• Financial Structure: Financial assistance of ₹61,000 in total will be deposited in phased instalments linked to major educational milestones — from birth through graduation. The cumulative amount, along with accrued interest, is designed to grow to over ₹1.20 lakh at maturity in the beneficiary's bank account.
• Eligibility Criteria: The girl child must be born in Delhi, her family must have resided in Delhi for at least three years, and the family's annual income must not exceed ₹1.20 lakh. Up to two girl children per family are eligible to be covered under the scheme.
• Direct Benefit Transfer: Payments will be credited directly to the beneficiary's Aadhaar-linked bank account through a fully digital application and disbursement process, ensuring transparency and eliminating the need for beneficiaries to visit government offices.
• Digital Infrastructure: The entire process — from application to payment — will be fully online, with data for each beneficiary updated periodically, ensuring accountability and ease of access.

Lok Sabha Passed Resolution For Amravati The New Capital of Andhra Pradesh

In the News: Parliament passed the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2026, with the Rajya Sabha approving it through a voice vote, following its earlier passage in the Lok Sabha. The Bill amends the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014, and accords statutory status to Amaravati as the sole and permanent capital of Andhra Pradesh.

Key Points:

• About the Bill: The Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2026 amends the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014, to provide legal and statutory recognition to Amaravati as the sole capital of Andhra Pradesh, ending over a decade of uncertainty over the state's capital following its bifurcation.
• Background: Under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014, a new capital was to be established for Andhra Pradesh after its bifurcation from Telangana. The Andhra Pradesh government had issued a notification on April 23, 2016, designating Amaravati as the capital location, but it lacked formal statutory backing until now.
• State Assembly Resolution: The Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly passed a resolution on March 28, 2026, requesting the Union Government to amend Section 5(2) of the AP Reorganisation Act to grant constitutional recognition to Amaravati as the capital, with retrospective effect from June 2, 2024.
• Parliamentary Support: All major political parties supported the Bill except the YSRCP, which opposed it in its present form, citing unresolved issues of compensation for farmers who gave up their land for the capital's development.
• Congress's Stand: Congress MP Renuka Chowdhury backed Amaravati as the capital but sharply criticised the 12-year delay, calling it a national shame and crediting the farmers of Amaravati for sustaining protests over the years to keep the issue alive.
• YSRCP Opposition: YSRCP MP YV Subba Reddy opposed the Bill, raising concerns over the definition of capital under the Constitution, lack of compensation for farmers who surrendered land, and the financial burden on the state.

Jan Vishwas Amendment Bill 2026 Passed: 784 Legal Provisions Changed to Boost Ease of Doing Business

In the News: Both Houses of Parliament passed the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2026, with the Lok Sabha passing it on April 2 and the Rajya Sabha approving it shortly after. Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed its passage as a major boost to Ease of Living and Ease of Doing Business in the country.

Key Points:

• About the Bill: The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2026 seeks to decriminalise minor offences and rationalise existing legal provisions to reduce the compliance burden on individuals and businesses, fostering a trust-based governance framework.
• Scale of Amendments: The Bill amends 784 provisions across 79 Central Acts administered by 23 Ministries. Of these, 717 provisions have been decriminalised to promote Ease of Doing Business, while 67 provisions have been amended to facilitate Ease of Living. Overall, the Bill rationalises more than 1,000 offences by removing minor offences.
• Key Measures: The Bill decriminalises minor offences and revises fines and penalties to make them proportionate to the nature of the offence, replacing criminal liability with civil penalties wherever appropriate.
• PM Modi's Statement: PM Modi described the Bill as a strengthening of a trust-based framework that empowers citizens, marks the removal of outdated rules and regulations, ensures speedy disposal of cases, and reduces litigation burden through decriminalisation.
• Legislative Journey: The Bill was initially introduced in Lok Sabha on August 18, 2025 as the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2025, proposing amendments to 355 provisions across 16 Central Acts administered by 10 Ministries. It was referred to a Select Committee of the Lok Sabha chaired by Shri Tejasvi Surya.
• Select Committee: The Select Committee held 49 sittings and submitted its report on March 13, 2026. Through extensive stakeholder consultations, it expanded the scope of the Bill, recommending decriminalisation across 62 additional Central Acts beyond those originally considered.

India Hosts 1st BRICS Youth Coordination Meeting 2026

In the News: India organised the first BRICS Youth Coordination Meeting in virtual format under its BRICS Chairship for 2026. The meeting was held by the Department of Youth Affairs, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, formally initiating youth engagements under the theme "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.

Key Points:

• Organiser: The meeting was organised by the Department of Youth Affairs under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India, and was held virtually from 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM (IST).
• Participation: Representatives from all BRICS member countries attended the meeting, which served as a platform to align member nations on key thematic areas of youth cooperation.
• Theme: The meeting was held under the theme "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability," setting the overall direction for youth cooperation during India's BRICS Chairship year.
• Objective: To strengthen youth cooperation, promote collaboration among BRICS nations, and lay the foundation for upcoming engagements under the BRICS Youth Track 2026.
• Key Initiatives: India presented an overview of the BRICS Youth Track 2026 roadmap, outlining key upcoming activities including Working Group Meetings, Thematic Engagements, Serve BRICS Volunteering Activities, Youth Development Forum, Youth Council Meeting, Youth Summit, and the Youth Ministerial Meeting.
• Priority Areas: Discussions highlighted focus areas for collaboration including education and skills, youth entrepreneurship, science and innovation, social participation, inclusion, health and sports, environment and sustainability, interfaith dialogue, and youth exchange.
• India's BRICS Chairship: The meeting marked the formal beginning of the BRICS Youth Track 2026 under India's leadership, setting the foundation for all upcoming youth-related engagements during the Chairship year.

US calls India's online censorship mechanism 'politically motivated', cites 'increasing' takedown requests

In the News: The US Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) released its 2026 National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barriers, flagging India's online content takedown mechanism as politically motivated and citing an increasing number of censorship-related requests directed at American tech companies since 2021.

Key Points:

• USTR Report: The 2026 National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barriers outlines significant foreign trade barriers facing US exports globally. For India, it flagged digital laws like IT Rules 2021, data protection law, UPI, and agriculture among key concerns.
• Politically Motivated Takedowns: Since 2021, US firms — including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and X — have faced an increasing number of takedown requests for content and user accounts related to issues that appear politically motivated, according to the report.
• IT Rules, 2021: In February 2021, India published the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, governing social media platforms, messaging services, and news/entertainment content providers. These apply to significant social media intermediaries — platforms with 5 million or more registered users.
• Expanding Censorship Regime: India is planning to decentralise its content takedown framework, empowering multiple ministries and regulators to directly issue blocking orders to social media companies, raising concerns over a broadening censorship regime.
• News Creators Under Radar: Draft amendments propose that the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) can recommend direct blocking orders against independent news creators and citizen journalists, and require them to apologise or edit content if found guilty by an inter-departmental committee.
• Sahyog Portal: Over 2,300 blocking orders were sent to 19 online platforms — including WhatsApp, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram — between October 2024 and October 2025 through the Union Home Ministry's Sahyog portal, as revealed by an RTI request.