UPSC Current Affairs October 2026 — PIB & The Hindu
All UPSC-relevant current affairs for October 2026, rated and summarised from PIB and The Hindu, with practice MCQs.
PIB press releases
- India–New Zealand FTA to Come into Force on 20th October 2026 on Vijay Dashmi, Opening New Opportunities for Indian Exporters
- Pumped Storage Hydropower
- India’s Nutrient-Rich Purple Potato
- Connecting Kashmir: Building the Infrastructure for Growth
- Navigating India’s Waterways: Building a Safer, Smarter Network
- India’s Ramsar Site tally reaches 103 with addition of Sukhna Wetland (Chandigarh) and Sauj Jheel (UP)
- Government Approves Strategic Restructuring of IDBI Bank Ltd.
- Cabinet approves continuation of the National Social Assistance Programme for five years from 2026-27 to 2030-31
- Central Government approves India’s accession to Southern Indian Ocean Fisheries Agreement (SIOFA)
- Government Approves Strategic Restructuring of IDBI Bank Ltd.
- Cabinet approves continuation of the National Social Assistance Programme for five years from 2026-27 to 2030-31
- BHAVYA: Creating Investment-Ready Manufacturing Ecosystems
- First BIMSTEC Home Ministers’ Meeting concludes with adoption of Delhi Declaration
- PRESS RELEASE OF CONSUMER PRICE INDEX ON BASE 2024=100 FOR SEPTEMBER, 2026
- India’s Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses
- Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana (PMDDKY)
- Recommendations of the 57th Meeting of the GST Council
- Cabinet approves Commitment of Rs.10,000 Crore towards establishment of the SME Growth Fund for direct equity investments in Small and Medium Enterprises to create future champions
- Cabinet approves setting up of Integrated Transport & Logistics Authority
- Cabinet approves setting up of Integrated Transport & Logistics Authority
- Cabinet approves Commitment of Rs.10,000 Crore towards establishment of the SME Growth Fund for direct equity investments in Small and Medium Enterprises to create future champions
- Ministry of Rural Development Notifies 375 Permissible Works under VB–G RAM G
- Integrated Transport and Logistics Authority (ITLA)
- Small and Medium Enterprises Growth Fund
- National Household Travel Survey July, 2025 – June, 2026
- In culmination of 10 years of dedicated efforts, Union Environment Minister and CM (Rajasthan) initiate the process for release of captive-bred Great Indian Bustards into the Wild at Desert National Park, Jaislamer
- Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Shri Hardeep Singh Puri launches GOBARdhan Scheme to accelerate development of India’s Compressed Biogas sector
- Wings of Change
- India to Host 61st Meeting of International Committee of Legal Metrology for the First Time in New Delhi from 26–28 October 2026
- 5TH EDITION OF INDIA-AUSTRALIA JOINT MILITARY EXERCISE AUSTRAHIND COMMENCES AT THIRUVANANTHAPURAM
- Trade Margin Rationalisation on 137 Anti-Cancer Drugs
- Vice-President Shri C. P. Radhakrishnan Commissions Indian Navy’s First Indigenous Multi-Purpose Vessel INS Samarthak at Karwar
- INDIAN NAVY COMMISSIONS INS SAMARTHAK, THE FIRST INDIGENOUS MULTI-PURPOSE VESSEL
- Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports issues operational guidelines for revised Scheme of Assistance to National Sports Federations (NSFs)
- Union Commerce and Industry Minister Shri Piyush Goyal Launches National Strategic Trade Command Centre at Vanijya Bhawan
- The cumulative exports (merchandise & services) during April-September 2026-27 are estimated at US$ 476.20 Billion, as compared to US$ 418.31 Billion in April-September 2025-26, an estimated growth of 13.84%.
- MoD inks Rs 4,106 crore contracts for GSAT-7C communication satellite and Varunastra Heavy Weight Torpedoes
- Press Note on Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) Monthly Bulletin September 2026
- PM to Inaugurate and Dedicate Five Development Projects Worth Around ₹3,350 Crore in Ladakh on 15 October
- INDIAN NAVY COMPLETES MAIDEN COMMAND OF COMBINED TASK FORCE 154
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Strategic Restructuring of IDBI Bank Ltd.
- PM GatiShakti National Master Plan completes five years of transforming India’s infrastructure landscape
- INDIAN NAVY SET TO COMMISSION INDIGENOUS MULTI PURPOSE WARSHIP SAMARTHAK
- Under the chairmanship of Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah, India hosts first meeting of BIMSTEC Home Ministers in New Delhi
- 21st Meeting of Maritime State Development Council Concludes Successfully at Mumbai
- Towards a TB-Free India
- INDIAN NAVY COMMISSIONS INDIGENOUS ANTI-SUBMARINE WARFARE SHALLOW WATER CRAFT INS MANGROL
- INDIAN NAVAL SHIP TARKASH TO PARTICIPATE IN IBSAMAR IX 2026, REAFFIRMING INDIA’S COMMITMENT TO MARITIME COOPERATION
- EXERCISE TARANG SHAKTI 2026: POWER IN PARTNERSHIP, STRENGTH IN SELF-RELIANCE
- India is honored to host the First BIMSTEC Home Ministers’ Meeting in New Delhi, says Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah
- Research, Development and Innovation Fund Announces First Cohort of 19 Second Level Fund Managers
- Five Years of PM GatiShakti: Transforming India’s Infrastructure Planning
- INDIAN NAVAL SHIP SAHYADRI ARRIVES AT VLADIVOSTOK, RUSSIA, FOR BILATERAL EXERCISE INDRA-2026
- INS TRISHUL ARRIVES AT PLYMOUTH, UK FOR EXERCISE KONKAN 2026
- Raksha Mantri Addresses Participants of Exercise Tarang Shakti 2026 at Jodhpur, Emphasises Self-Reliance in Defence and International Cooperation
- NBA Disburses Rs 2.02 Crore of ABS Funds from Seed Sector to Support Biodiversity Conservation and Community Well-Being at Grassroots Level
- Dr. Jitendra Singh Urges Industry to Accelerate Commercialisation of Indian Innovation, Scale Up Capabilities for Strategic Sovereignty by 2047
- India’s WTO fisheries ratification: A pragmatic step, with more to negotiate
- Union Minister of Communications Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia Inaugurates 3rd International Bharat 6G Symposium 2026
- Union Minister Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw Launches World Bank Group’s ‘World Development Report 2026: The Promise of Artificial Intelligence’ in New Delhi
- NBA receives Rs 9.68 crore under Access and Benefit Sharing Framework during April–September 2026
- Union Health Minister Shri J.P. Nadda Launches JOSH Teams to Accelerate Youth-Led TB Elimination Efforts
- Union Minister Shri Pralhad Joshi inaugurates Windergy India 2026 in Chennai; Outlines Path to 100 GW Wind Capacity by 2030
- Government Expands Cancer Medicine Price Controls; Cancer Patients Expected to Save ₹2,500 Crore Annually
- COP31 should focus on Closing Gaps, Fulfilling Commitments and Accelerating Implementation of Paris Agreement, stresses India
- Sagarmanthan 2026 Opens as India Charts the Course for a Trusted, Rules-Based Global Maritime Order
- Document on “Strategy for Environmental Economic Accounts in India 2026-2030”
- DRDO Conducts Flight Trial of High-Altitude Platform
- E-Sanjeevani Crosses 50 Crore Teleconsultations, Strengthening Access to Healthcare Across the Country
- Asian Games 2026
- List of Outcomes: State Visit of President of the Swiss Confederation to India
- INDIA-UAE JOINT MILITARY EXERCISE MOUNTAIN GUARDIAN 2026 COMMENCES IN UTTARAKHAND
- India and Japan Launch Operational Manual for the Joint Crediting Mechanism
- Indian-born Cheetah gives birth to 5 Healthy Cubs at Kuno National Park; India’s Cheetah Population reaches 60
- Dibrugarh Sends First International Cargo from Bogibeel to Bangladesh Since Independence
- Union Environment Minister releases two male Great Indian Bustards into the wild at Desert National Park, Jaisalmer
- Shivraj Singh Chouhan Hands Over 3 Lakh Houses Worth ₹3,600 Crore to Andhra Pradesh, Lays Foundation for India’s First 3D Concrete-Printed Housing Project
- Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal to Flag Off First International Cargo Voyage from Dibrugarh
- India’s Rising Supercomputing Ecosystem
- Ministry of Education Approves Five Centres of Excellence for Studies in Classical Languages
- India’s First 5.56 km Free‑Space Quantum Key Distribution Link Demonstrated
- PM-SETU: One Year of Transforming India’s ITIs
- Union Environment Minister and CM (West Bengal) release 1st Tigress in Buxa Tiger Reserve under Tiger Reintroduction Programme
- Government of India, in consultation with UT of Ladakh, identify 28 places/features, located in the UT of Ladakh, by standard place and feature names on the official map of Survey of India (SoI)
- Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Shri Piyush Goyal Participates in Opening Day of G20 Trade Ministers’ Meeting in Milwauke, U.S
- INS TRISHUL PARTICIPATES IN 24TH EDITION OF INDIA–FRANCE BILATERAL MARITIME EXERCISE VARUNA
- Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare Organises National Workshop to Strengthen Implementation of PC&PNDT Act
- Secretary, Ministry of Mines Virtually Launched Auction of Two Offshore Mineral Blocks; Urges Active Industry Participation
- PM E-DRIVE Scheme
- 25th SCO Council of Heads of Government Meeting: Raksha Mantri calls for unified action to dismantle the entire ecosystem of terrorism
- Government to Stay Live on Mobile: Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan Launches New Portal for Farmers
- CCPA Acts against Online Listing online listing, hosting, advertising and facilitating the sale of Regulated and Hazardous Explosive Substances
- Saturation Campaign of Financial Inclusion (FI) Schemes to Run from 21st October 2026 to 31st December 2026
- Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah will pay homage to the martyrs on Police Commemoration Day at National Police Memorial in New Delhi on Wednesday, 21st October 2026
- India and Saudi Arabia Discuss the bilateral Electrical Interconnection Initiative
- Pumped Storage Hydropower
- Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh to represent India at SCO Council of Heads of Government Meeting in Tajikistan
- India’s Nutrient-Rich Purple Potato
- India’s Space Economy to Reach USD 40-45 Billion in 7–8 Years; Dr Jitendra Singh underlines increasing Private Investments following Space Unlocking by PM Modi
- EXERCISE KONKAN-26 CONCLUDES OFF PLYMOUTH, UK
- NBA disburses Rs 1.19 Crore to 29 State Biodiversity Boards and one UT Biodiversity Council under Access and Benefit Sharing Mechanism
- FSSAI Proposes Science-Based Pesticide Residue Limits for Tea, Reaffirming Commitment to Consumer Safety
- FSSAI Moves to Strengthen Infant Nutrition Standards by Restricting Addition of Sucrose and Fructose in Products for Infants Up to Six Months
- Connecting Kashmir: Building the Infrastructure for Growth
- Ayush Innovation Sees Eightfold Rise in Patent Filings
- BHASHINI and IISc Bangaluru : Text-to-Speech Model for Sourashtra Language
- CAQM expands PTZ Camera-based Remote Monitoring to all Industries covered under Direction No. 98 in NCR
- Secretary, Department of Urban Development, MoHUA chairs 10th meeting of CSMC under PMAY-U 2.0
- Indian scientists identify a few Martian analogue sites
- TDB-DST signs agreement with QNu Labs for ₹150 crore RDI support to strengthen India’s indigenous quantum-secure technology ecosystem
- National Steering Committee Approves ₹1,194.92 Crore Investment Under PM-SETU for Five ITI Clusters Across Maharashtra, Odisha and Jammu & Kashmir
- PM-AJAY Drives Inclusive Development Through Adarsh Grams, Socio-Economic Projects and Educational Infrastructure
- Quarterly release of Performance Monitoring Dashboard of Infrastructure Sector in India
- Navigating India’s Waterways: Building a Safer, Smarter Network
- Vice-President to Visit Karnataka and Keralam on October 16
- Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi inaugurates five development projects worth ₹3,350 crore in Ladakh
- Mahila Kisan Diwas 2026 celebrated today
- Ministry of Education organises Orientation-cum-Review Workshop on National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship Scheme (NMMSS) to Strengthen Scholarship Implementation and Verification Processes
- Ministry of Tribal Affairs holds the first meeting of the Working Group on Tribal Languages
- NITI Aayog’s Frontier Tech Hub Unveils Data Centre Evaluation Framework to Help States Plan for Sustainable Growth
The Hindu
- Revamp functioning of Parliament
- Dead elephants’ bodies are a boon for local ecosystems
- The debate over immunity to CEC, ECs
- A split verdict, faltering remedies and people’s power
- Nobel lesson: value of stabilisation models
- At sixes and sevens, the ECI’s growing credibility crisis
- Contextualising WWF’s report on wildlife population decline
- Barricades cannot silence the voice of democracy
- The need to preserve the shine of Indian elections
- BRICS in a fragmented world order, a test of relevance
- Flawed by design, exclusionary in impact
- Calibrating India’s inbound investment framework
- Adequate response
- India’s trade caught in the middle
- SC refuses to stay proceedings against Nicobar project
- The looming crisis of world unemployment
- Why are States divided over the mining amendment?
- The Nazi nuke: Werner Heisenberg was more off target than he believed
- The ECI’s constitutional mandate is under strain
- Colby’s mid-term report card, what it means for India
- Does a visa guarantee entry into India?
- A Court divided by its own architecture
- India’s Model BIT — a decade later, amid changes
- The India-EFTA partnership, one plus one equals three
- SpaceX Starship engine failure could hit NASA’s lunar mission
- SC bars mid-term fee hike in professional courses
- Telangana seeks 100% MSP procurement amid drought
- Separation of powers and CJI’s refusal
- After a decade of disruption, Pattanam needs a renewed vision
- SC to hear plea against preventive detention
- How does the U.S.-Russia diesel deal impact India?
- Manipur voter rolls after SSR likely to be out on January 4
- No urgent hearing on Central Park closure: SC
- Rules to curb volatile airfares to be published in two weeks
- SC notice to journalist, Sena (UBT) leader for remarks against CJI
- NGT takes note of The Hindu report on toxic water
- India’s crude imports rise 7% in September, bill surges 47%
- Can wildlife thrive in India without active human intervention?
- House panel questions Centre, States on issues in SC scholarship schemes
- MoD signs ₹4,106-cr. deals for IAF satellite, torpedoes
- Indian envoy rebukes U.S. lawmaker over electoral roll remarks
- Rajnath Singh to represent India at SCO PMs’ summit
- SC voids Yes Bank’s $883 mn AT-1 bond write-off
- SEBI to partly reverse derivative settlement rules
- Shifting global focus towards inclusive assessment of threats to health
- Satyagraha for Constitution-as-commons
- Centre seeks public input on demographic changes
- Will take care of those deleted in Delhi rolls: SC
- Denotifying Jantar Mantar pushes dissent ‘out of sight, out of mind’, says plea in SC
- Don’t stand in the way of students: Rahul to govt.
- SC to hear Opposition’s plea on SIR, CEC today
- SC mandates insurance on offline railway tickets too
- Cabinet okays IDBI Bank sale to Fairfax for ₹52,878 cr.
- Top court registers Rahul’s plea on SIR, CEC
- Muslims disproportionately flagged in Delhi SIR
- What is preventive detention?
- Karnataka HC strikes down law increasing SC/ST quota
- SC had flagged need for alternative protest sites
- MP moves SC alleging ‘illegal detention’, ‘torture’ of DYFI leaders
- ‘Democratic protest must take place, but don’t drag SC into it’
- Work out a plan for capping prices of all drugs: SC to govt.
- Need to balance faith, health in firecracker policy, says SC
- Make Data Protection Board active in 8 weeks: HC tells Centre
- Changing the guard, confronting the democratic crisis
- The gaps in the implementation of the RTI Act
- Appointment of new Deputy Election Commissioner puts ECI work hierarchy in focus
- Detention of leaders: SC to hear plea today
- India-U.S. pact to be based on changed circumstances: Goyal
- Scientists report world’s first working nuclear clocks
- Trump strikes deal with Putin to get diesel in sharp reversal of U.S. policy
- SC rejects A.P. plea to restore 34% BC quota in local bodies
- Delivery completed
- Live-streamed proceedings cannot be exploited: SC
- Amid bulk filing, ECI sets limit on Form 7 submissions
- SC set to expand scrutiny of DGP appointment laws across country
- Campaign against ECI ‘destabilising’, say former judges
- Govt. notifies CAPF Act amid challenge pending before SC
- Form panel to check pharma practices, SC directs govt.
- Karnataka signals intent to review Cauvery allocation citing Indus Waters Treaty
- A.P. clears decks for setting up foreign university campuses
- RBI raises repo rate to 5.5% amid ‘tightening’
- Can voters caught in tribunal cases be re-enrolled, Bengal CEO asks ECI
- SC to examine plea on CEC appointment law split verdict
- Bankers’ committees asked to report share of SC beneficiaries in jobs, loan subsidy schemes
- Two cheetahs released into M.P.’s third conservation site
- New FTAs can cushion tariff blow: RBI chief
- Heavy lifting on inflation will fall upon government
- Serum Institute’s HPV shot gets WHO pre-qualification
- Privilege vs free speech case in SC disposed of after two decades
- SC to hear Punjab’s plea against CBI probe linked to CM’s office
- Opposition MPs’ demand for meeting at Parliament Annexe ‘unusual’, says ECI
- World Bank raises India FY27 growth forecast by 50 bps
- SC distances itself from tweaks to Form 6
- More demands on U.S. deal ‘very difficult’: Sitharaman
- Set up 24-hour monitoring cells to curb sexual offences, SC tells police
- Free speech case: top court may not hear reference on merits
- Plea in SC asks whether States can redraw wards during Census
- Centre elevates three HC Chief Justices to top court
- SC seeks govt. response on Delhi library relocation
- ‘SEBI to partly reverse derivative settlement rules after pushback’
- How regulation stifles HEIs
- SC to hear suo motu case on Central Secretariat Library
- China says ‘divergent opinions’ led to lack of consensus at G20
- Protests persist as Rahul calls for joint ‘resistance’
- A.P. files plea in SC against court order on BC quota
- ‘G20 reviews impact of excess manufacturing capacities’
- Reserve regains its stripes with release of tigress
- Centre frames rules to standardise recruitment to various tribunal posts
- EC directs BLOs to enrol voters left out of SIR rolls within a month
- Re-enrolment drive will not include Bengal voters under adjudication
- Panel of ex-judges to inquire into SIR aftermath
- A.P. HC strikes down 34% BC quota in local body elections
- Bengal govt. obstructing her work as MP, says Mahua; SC seeks reply from Centre, State
- Committee on simultaneous elections Bill cancels SC visit
- HC says draft roll can’t be basis for deleting names without hearing
- Who ordered changes to Form 6, asks Rahul Gandhi
- Plea in SC questions judge’s failure to disclose his son’s role as EC’s counsel
- GST revenue rises to ₹2.03 lakh cr. in Sept.
- Anti-multilateral trade deals may hit growth, exports: govt. economists
- Goyal, Greer deliberate ‘early conclusion’ of trade treaty