Daily Current Affairs Quiz: April 8, 2026

Notes:
Government e Marketplace (GeM) is India’s national public procurement portal, launched in 2016 by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. GeM has achieved a cumulative Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) of ₹18.4 lakh crore, including crossing ₹5 lakh crore GMV in FY 2025–26. It facilitates procurement of goods and services for Central Government, State Government Ministries, Departments, Public Sector Units (PSUs), and affiliated organizations. GeM is fully digital, cashless, and system-driven, offering end-to-end solutions with AI-powered tools and a multilingual Learning Management System (LMS).

Notes:
Researchers from the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) have discovered two new species of free-living marine nematodes off the coast of Tamil Nadu named Corononema dhriti and Epacanthion indica. Corononema dhriti is the fourth known species of its genus, previously recorded only in Australia, Thailand, and Vietnam. Epacanthion indica is a microscopic predator with specialized mandibles and teeth, feeding within the benthic food web. Marine nematodes play a key role in nutrient cycling, sediment health, and act as bio-indicators for environmental and climate change.

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India’s first indigenous Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) at Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu, has successfully attained criticality. A Fast Breeder Reactor (FBR) produces more fissile fuel than it consumes using fast neutrons. Criticality is the stage where a self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction is achieved. The 500 Megawatt Electric (MWe) PFBR is developed by Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Limited (BHAVINI). It uses Uranium-Plutonium Mixed Oxide fuel and liquid sodium as coolant. It supports India’s three-stage nuclear programme, enabling Thorium-232 to Uranium-233 conversion for long-term energy security.

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The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has released draft rules to manage tar balls and protect India’s coastline and marine environment from oil spills. Tar balls are small, dark, sticky blobs of weathered oil formed in marine environments due to oil spills or natural seeps. It is formed when crude oil undergoes physical, chemical, and biological weathering, forming semi-solid or solid lumps transported by currents and waves to shores. It contains toxic contaminants, including heavy metals, trace elements, and persistent organic pollutants.

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The complete mitochondrial genome of the Madras Hedgehog (Paraechinus nudiventris) has been analysed for the first time, revealing insights into its evolutionary history. Locally called Mulleli, it is also known as the bare-bellied hedgehog, discovered in 1851. They are found in dry scrublands, thorn forests, grasslands, and farmland edges in peninsular India—mainly Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and parts of Karnataka. It is listed as Least Concern in International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) list.