Daily Current Affairs for UPSC IAS: 16th April 2026

Byzantine Empire:

Researchers have identified a fortified hilltop complex in southeastern Spain as a rare Byzantine stronghold established by soldiers and clergy in the late sixth century.

• It traces its beginnings to the year 330 CE, when Emperor Constantine split the Roman Empire into a western and eastern
• It was the eastern half of the Roman Empire that survived for nearly 1,000 years after the western half of the empire collapsed.
• It is often called the Eastern Roman Empire or simply Byzantium.
• It was based at Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul), and at its peak it controlled territory stretching from southern Spain to Syria.
• Strategically located on the Bosphorus Strait, Constantinople quickly rose to become Europe’s most significant urban hub.
• Throughout their history, the Byzantines rarely controlled Rome and spoke mainly Greek. Despite this, the people of Byzantium continued to refer to themselves as “Romans,” .
• Their broader empire was considered to be a “Roman” empire even though it rarely controlled Rome.
• The Byzantine Empire flourished and experienced a “golden age” during the reign of Justinian (A.D. 527 to 565), during which the empire’s territories extended into Western Europe, and the emperor’s builders constructed the Hagia Sophia, a great cathedral that still stands and is now used as a mosque.
• The governance of the Byzantine Empire was marked by the absolute authority of emperors, who were seen as divinely appointed rulers.
• The Byzantines developed their own political systems, religious practices, art, and architecture.
• However, the empire faced numerous challenges, including territorial losses to emerging Muslim powers and internal religious schisms that eventually led to the split between the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches.
• After Justinian’s death, the Byzantine Empire weakened and lost territory.
• In 1204, during the Crusades, the Byzantines were betrayed when crusaders from the west sacked Constantinople in an attempt to gain money.
• The Byzantine Empire eventually fell when Constantinople was conquered by the Ottoman Empire in 1453 CE following a siege.
• The Byzantine Empire was the longest-lasting medieval power, and its influence continues today, especially in the religion, art, architecture, and laws of many Western states, Eastern and Central Europe, and Russia.

Painted Leopard Gecko:

A rare nocturnal reptile – a Painted Leopard Gecko – was recently spotted at Dilmili railway station in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar district, drawing the attention of the forest department.

• Painted Leopard Gecko is a colourful terrestrial gecko species.
• Scientific Name: Eublepharis pictus
• Eublepharis is a small genus in the lizard family Eublepharidae, which contains 44 species in six genera distributed in parts of North and Central America, West and East Africa, Middle East, South Asia, and the Malayan Archipelago.
• First described in 1827, the genus is currently represented by seven species, of which five are known from India.
• It was scientifically described in 2022 from the Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.
• The Brahmani River, which runs through the Eastern Ghats, separates it geographically from the East Indian Leopard Gecko, with which it shares a lot of similar traits.
• It prefers dry evergreen forests mixed with scrub and meadows.
• It is strictly nocturnal, actively foraging along trails in forest after dusk.

MyLIC and Super Sales Saathi Mobile Applications:

Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) recently launched two advanced mobile applications—MyLIC and Super Sales Saathi.

• These are two advanced mobile applications launched by Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC); MyLIC for customers and Super Sales Saathi for its vast network of MyLIC App
• It offers a comprehensive, 360-degree digital experience, integrating multiple services into a single platform.
• Designed to reduce paperwork and improve convenience, it empowers policyholders to manage their insurance needs
• Key features include:
  • View and manage entire insurance portfolio in one place
  • Instant premium payments
  • Real-time tracking of policy benefits
  • Paperless policy loans
  • Online policy updates and revival of lapsed policies
  • Digital purchase of new insurance plans
  • Fast and secure e-KYC
• The app aims to put customers in control of their financial protection journey while ensuring faster and more transparent services.
• Super Sales Saathi App is tailored for LIC’s intermediaries and agents, enabling them to enhance productivity and customer service through advanced digital tools.
• Key capabilities include:
  • Digital sales and marketing tools
  • Real-time policy status tracking
  • Automated reminders for follow-ups
  • Integrated communication with customers
  • AI-driven insights to improve customer value
  • Digital sales kits and product explainers
  • Performance dashboards for tracking targets and achievements
• This platform is expected to significantly improve efficiency across LIC’s vast distribution network.
• Both applications are built on LIC’s DIVE (Digital Innovation & Value Enhancement) platform, which provides a secure, integrated, and scalable digital infrastructure.
• The platform is designed to deliver a seamless experience across customers, intermediaries, and employees—ensuring faster processing, enhanced security, and improved service delivery.

National Backward Classes Finance and Development Corporation (NBCFDC):

The National Backward Classes Finance and Development Corporation achieved a record disbursement of Rs 613.75 crore in FY 2025-26, benefiting over 61,000 people.

• It is a Government of India undertaking under the aegis of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
• NBCFDC was incorporated on 13th January, 1992, under the Companies Act, 1956 (currently a company under Section 8 of the Companies Act, 2013), as a non-profit entity.
• The objective of the corporation is to promote economic and developmental activities for the benefit of the backward classes and to assist the poorer section of these classes in skill development and self-employment ventures.
• The mission of NBCFDC is to provide concessional financial assistance to eligible members of the Backward Classes for self-employment ventures and skill development
• NBCFDC provides financial assistance through State Channelizing Agencies (SCAs) nominated by the State Governments/UTs and Banks (PSBs & RRBs).
• The schemes introduced under NBCFDC are listed below:
  • General Loan Scheme
  • Micro Finance Scheme
  • Skill Development Training Programme
  • Vocational Education and Training Loan Scheme (VETLS)
  • Technology Upgradation of Clusters

Scarborough Shoal:

China is employing ships and a barrier to tighten control of the entrance to the Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea amid roiling tension with the Philippines over the disputed feature.

• It is a disputed atoll in the South China Sea, claimed by both China and the Philippines as part of their territory.
• It is called Huangyan Island by China and Panatag Shoal, or Bajo de Masinloc by the Philippines.
• It was named for the HMS Scarborough, an English ship chartered by the East India Company that struck the atoll in the 18th century.
• It is the largest atoll in the South China Sea.
• Most of the atoll is submerged at high tide, but several rocks, the most prominent of which is called South Rock, remain above water.
• China makes a historical claim to the area, stating that they can trace their ownership of the area back to the Yuan Dynasty of the 1200s.
• The Philippines claim the area on the basis of geography, as it is much closer to the Philippines’ main island of Luzon, which contains the capital, Manila, but lies over 500 miles from China.
• It is considered within the Philippines’ 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone, based on the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
• There are no structures built on Scarborough Shoal, but the feature is effectively controlled by China, which has maintained a constant coast guard presence at the feature since 2012.
• The surrounding waters have rich fishing grounds, and the seabed is believed to hold substantial mineral resources, including petroleum and natural gas.

Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) Vaccine:

India announced that it has supplied 13 tonnes of Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccines to Afghanistan.

• Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) Vaccine is the live attenuated vaccine form of Mycobacterium bovis.
• It is used to prevent tuberculosis and other mycobacterial infections.
• It was developed by Calmette and Guérin and was first administered to human beings in 1921.
• It is the only vaccine against tuberculosis.
• It is the most widely administered vaccine and usually a part of the routine newborn immunization schedule.
• It also offers protection against non-tuberculous mycobacterial infections like leprosy and Buruli ulcer.
• It is also used in the treatment of superficial carcinoma of the bladder.
• The vaccine is administered intradermally.
• It has two components, a freeze-dried vaccine and a diluent to be used to reconstitute the vaccine, presented in amber glass ampoules and colourless ampoules respectively.
• Tuberculosis (TB) is caused by bacteria (Mycobacterium tuberculosis) that most often affect the lungs.
• It is curable and preventable disease

Tibetan Antelope:

A New Delhi court has convicted an art gallery owner for attempting to illegally export Shahtoosh shawls – made Tibetan Antelope.

• The Tibetan antelope or chiru (Pantholops hodgsonii) is a medium-sized antelope.
• Male Tibetan antelopes are significantly larger than females, and can also be readily distinguished by the presence of horns and by black stripes on the legs, both of which the females lack.
• The fur of Tibetan antelopes is distinctive, and consists of long guard hair and a silky undercoat of shorter fibers
• They inhabit in open alpine, montane valleys, and cold steppe environments with sparse vegetation cover.
• They are found almost entirely in China, where they inhabit Tibet, southern Xinjiang, and western Qinghai; a few are also found across the border in Chang Thang, Ladakh, India.
• They are a migratory species, often travelling as much as 400 kilometres between their summer and winter grounds.
• They are herbivores (folivores, graminivores) and feed on forbs, grasses, herbs, shrubland, and sedges.
• Conservation Status:
  • IUCN Red List: Near Threatened
  • CITES: Appendix I
  • Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I
• Shahtoosh shawls are made from the hair of the Tibetan Antelope.
• It offers high levels of smoothness and warmth, Shahtoosh shawls became a highly expensive commodity.
• The Shahtoosh shawl trade has been banned globally since 1975 under CITES.

The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026:

The Union Government has proposed The Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026, which seeks to increase the Lok Sabha’s strength from 543 to 850 members.

• It is a landmark legislative proposal designed to overhaul the composition of the Indian Parliament and the process of redrawing electoral boundaries.
• It specifically targets Articles 81, 82, and 334A of the Constitution to address long-standing demographic shifts and gender representation gaps.
• Aim:
  • To expand the Lok Sabha to reflect India’s significant population growth since the 1971 Census.
  • To enable immediate implementation of 1/3rd reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies by decoupling it from the requirement of a post-2026 Census.
  • To provide a modern legal framework for the Delimitation Commission to readjust seats based on the latest available demographic data.
• Proposed Key Features:
  • Increase in House Strength: Proposes that the Lok Sabha consist of not more than 815 members from States and 35 members from Union Territories, totaling 850 members.
  • Amendment to Article 82: Seeks to delete the third proviso that mandates delimitation only after the first Census conducted after 2026. This allows the government to use pre-2026 Census data to redraw constituencies immediately.
  • Expedited Women’s Reservation: Amends Article 334A to allow the 1/3rd reservation for women to take effect immediately after delimitation, bypassing the delay originally stipulated in the 106th Amendment Act of 2023.

Andaman Sea:

The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) reported that a boat carrying approximately 250 individuals, primarily Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi nationals, is feared to have capsized in the Andaman Sea.

• The Andaman Sea has become one of the deadliest maritime migration routes in the world. Thousands of Rohingya refugees (a stateless Muslim minority from Myanmar’s Rakhine State) regularly undertake dangerous journeys across the Andaman Sea from Bangladesh or Myanmar.
• They typically embark on unseaworthy vessels between November and April (when the seas are relatively calm) in an attempt to reach Muslim-majority countries like Indonesia and Malaysia for asylum and better economic opportunities.
• The Andaman Sea is a marginal sea of the northeastern Indian Ocean, bordered by Myanmar and Thailand to the north and east, the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra to the south, and separated from the Bay of Bengal by India’s Andaman and Nicobar Islands to the west.
• Its southern end narrows into the Strait of Malacca, a vital global trade corridor linking the Indian Ocean with the Pacific.
• Geographically, it includes the Gulf of Martaban in the north and receives major rivers like the Irrawaddy, Salween, and Sittang, while its seafloor remains tectonically active along the Burma–Sunda plate boundary.
• Strategically and economically, the sea is crucial for global shipping, provides India with significant maritime leverage through the Andaman and Nicobar Command, and supports rich marine biodiversity and fisheries, though these resources face increasing environmental pressures.

Sudan War and Sexual Violence Against Women:

As Sudan’s civil war enters its fourth year, a new UN Women report has warned that sexual violence against women and girls has quadrupled since the conflict began.The Sudan war began in April 2023 as an armed conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a powerful paramilitary group.The conflict has evolved into one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, marked by mass displacement, famine, ethnic violence, and systematic sexual violence used as a weapon of war.