1.Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his meeting with Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus Friday underlined India’s concerns over the safety of minorities, including Hindus, and conveyed the expectation that the Bangladeshi government would ensure their security, including by thoroughly investigating cases of atrocities against them.

2.Veteran actor-fi lmmaker Manoj Kumar, who came to be known as ‘Bharat Kumar’ for his series of patriotic fi lms such as ‘Shaheed’, ‘Upkar’ and ‘Purab Aur Paschim’, died in a Mumbai hospital early Friday. He was 87.

3.The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday approved two projects of the Ministry of Railways for Odisha involving a total cost of Rs 5,104 crore.

4.The Odisha government Friday warned businessmen and shop owners of legal action if they do not display Odia on their signboards.

5.The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture (ICAR-CIFA) conducted a fish harvest fair recently.

6.The community-led ecotourism initiatives at Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary (DWS) and Hirakud Wetland achieved remarkable success, generating revenue of Rs 5.11 crore during the 2024-25 financial years. The success has been driven by hard work and dedication of local communities, effectively managing ecotourism activities which catered to 85,000 tourists.

7.Amidst elaborate security arrangements, the famous Maa Budhi Thakurani Yatra, one of the biggest cultural carnivals of southern Odisha, commenced in the early hours of Friday and will continue till April 28.

8.A total of 190 people have died due to consumption of illicit liquor in Bihar since prohibition was imposed in the state in April 2016, a senior Excise offi cial said Friday.

9.While the Supreme Court’s recent ruling, deeming the 2021 demolitions in Prayagraj “inhuman and illegal,” The Supreme Court recently ordered the Prayagraj Development Authority (PDA) to pay Rs 10 lakh in compensation to each of the five petitioners in the matter.

10.Minister Narendra Modi has gifted a brass Sarnath Buddha in ‘dhyan mudra’ to Thailand King Maha Vajiralongkorn and a brocade silk shawl to the queen, officials said Friday.

11.Rajya Sabha was adjourned sine die on Friday, marking the end of the Budget Session that began January 31.

12.The United States has revised downwards the import duties to be imposed on India from 27 per cent to 26 per cent, according to a White House document. These duties will come into force from April 9.

13.The Supreme Court has dismissed a plea seeking the review of its decision rejecting the petitions for confi scating Rs 16,518 crore received by political parties under the 2018 electoral bond scheme.

14.Odisha, along with Uttar Pradesh (its eastern region), Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh, is likely to see 10 to 11 heatwave days during April and June this year, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said Friday.

15.Three Members of Parliament (MPs) from Odisha - Bhartruhari Mahtab, Aprajita Sarangi and Sasmit Patra – will be joining Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birl at the 150th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly in Tashkent, the capital city of Uzbekistan, from April 5 to 9.