Current Affairs 05 November 2026

‘Suvikalp’ Digital Tool for Repurposing Closed and Abandoned Mines

The Coal Controller’s Organisation (CCO) under the Ministry of Coal has developed ‘Suvikalp – Mine Repurposing Tool’, a digital decision-support platform designed to transform closed and abandoned coal and lignite mines into productive and sustainable assets.

What is Suvikalp?

• Suvikalp is a digital platform that helps government agencies, mine owners, and project developers identify suitable alternative uses for land after mining operations end.
• The platform evaluates several factors, including geological characteristics, environmental conditions, infrastructure availability, financial feasibility, and socio-economic requirements.
• It uses a Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) methodology based on TOPSIS (Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution) to objectively compare and rank potential mine repurposing projects.

PRISM – Implementation Framework

Suvikalp incorporates PRISM (Post-Mining Repurposing Implementation Strategic Model) to help stakeholders move from identifying suitable projects to their actual implementation. PRISM supports project planning, investment assessment, preparation of Detailed Project Reports (DPRs), institutional coordination, and monitoring.

Andhra Pradesh Makes 360-Hour Internships Mandatory for Undergraduate Students

The Andhra Pradesh State Council of Higher Education (APSCHE) introduced a mandatory 360-hour, semester-long internship carrying 12 academic credits for undergraduate students across all State universities and affiliated colleges, effective from 16 November 2026.

Key Features of the Internship Programme

The programme was designed in accordance with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines, Curriculum and Credit Framework for Undergraduate Programmes (CCFUP) and National Credit Framework (NCrF).

Institute-Industry Connect (IIC) Portal

• APSCHE launched the Institute-Industry Connect (IIC) portal to facilitate internship registration, industry partnerships and student placements.
• The portal was integrated with DigiLocker to retrieve students’ Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry (APAAR) IDs.
• Students were required to register on the portal, while universities and colleges were directed to appoint nodal officers, internship coordinators and mentors to monitor progress and evaluation.

Urbanisation in India

Our country’s upcoming Census 2027 will continue using the urban classification criteria adopted in Census 2011, raising concerns about the underestimation of the country’s rapidly growing urban population.

According to a recent analysis by World Resources Institute (WRI) India, a comprehensive National Urbanisation Policy is needed to address the rural-urban transition, strengthen urban governance and improve infrastructure planning.

How Does Census 2027 Define an Urban Area?

A settlement is classified as urban if it is either a statutory town notified by the State government or qualifies as a census town by satisfying all three conditions:

1. Minimum population: 5,000.
2. Population density: At least 400 persons per sq. km.
3. Non-agricultural employment: At least 75% of the male main working population engaged in non-agricultural activities.

Recent Government Initiatives

The article highlighted several measures reflecting India’s changing approach to urbanisation:

• Union Budget 2026: Allocated ₹5,000 crore each to City Economic Regions to promote integrated regional economic development.
• 16th Finance Commission: Increased the share of local grants earmarked for Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) to 45%.
• Urbanisation Premium: A ₹10,000-crore incentive proposed by the 16th Finance Commission to encourage States to integrate peri-urban villages into municipal areas and develop rural-to-urban transition policies.
• Economic Survey 2026: Highlighted the gap between administrative urban classification and functional urbanisation, citing satellite-based estimates of 63% urbanisation in 2015.

Seven Reforms Proposed by WRI India

WRI India’s report, Equitable, Productive, Low-carbon and Resilient System of Cities in India – Recommendations for a National Urbanisation Policy, proposed seven major reforms:

1. Standardise urban classification criteria.
2. Modernise spatial and regional planning.
3. Strengthen urban financing mechanisms.
4. Establish a National Urbanisation Council for institutional coordination.
5. Design sectoral reforms around functional regions rather than administrative boundaries.
6. Align urban governance with reform incentives.
7. Promote knowledge exchange and local innovation.

The proposed policy would strengthen coordination among the Centre, States and local governments while improving infrastructure, municipal services and climate-resilient planning.

Constitutional Provisions Related to Urban Governance

IndiaAI Mission Unveils Indigenous AI Foundation Models EKA-1 and Dheer

The IndiaAI Mission, under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), unveiled two indigenous Artificial Intelligence (AI) foundation model families, EKA-1 and Dheer (Dheer 2B and Dheer 5B), in New Delhi on 3 November 2026.

• EKA-1: AI Model Supporting All 22 Scheduled Indian Languages (Socket Labs Technology)
• Dheer 2B and Dheer 5B: Multilingual AI Models (GentiQ AITech Innovations)

NITI Aayog and TEXMiN Sign Agreement to Strengthen India’s Critical Minerals Sector

NITI Aayog and TEXMiN (Technology Translation Research Park) at IIT (ISM) Dhanbad signed a joint Letter of Intent (LoI) to strengthen research, innovation and indigenous technological capabilities in India’s critical and strategic minerals sector. TEXMiN is an initiative of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, established at IIT (ISM) Dhanbad to promote technology development and its practical application.

Green Firecrackers

The Supreme Court of India recently permitted the use of green firecrackers in New Delhi for two days during Deepavali, bringing attention to their role in reducing air pollution.

Green firecrackers were developed by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research–National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI) as less-polluting alternatives to conventional firecrackers.

According to CSIR-NEERI, green firecrackers are designed to produce either 30% less particulate matter (PM) or 20% less particulate matter and 10% less gaseous emissions, compared with conventional firecrackers of the same category.

Three Types of Green Firecrackers

These technologies can be incorporated into different fireworks, including sparklers and flowerpots.

India-US Tri-Service Exercise ‘Tiger Triumph 2026’

The 5th edition of the India-US bilateral tri-service exercise ‘Tiger Triumph 2026’ commenced at the Maritime Warfare Centre (MWC), Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, on 2 November 2026. The exercise focused on strengthening cooperation between the armed forces of India and the United States in Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations.

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

• India celebrated Rashtriya Ekta Diwas (National Unity Day) on 31 October 2026, commemorating the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, India’s first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister.
• National Unity Day was introduced by the Government of India in 2014 to honour Patel’s contribution to national integration and promote unity, integrity and security among citizens.
• Popularly known as the Iron Man of India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel played a crucial role in integrating more than 560 princely States into the Indian Union after Independence. He served as India’s first Home Minister from 1947 to 1950 (approximately three years).
• Patel’s 150th birth anniversary was celebrated on 31 October 2025. Major National Unity Day activities include the Run for Unity, unity pledges and commemorative programmes.
• The Statue of Unity, located near the Sardar Sarovar Dam on the Narmada River in Gujarat, stands 182 metres tall. It was inaugurated on 31 October 2018 and is the world’s tallest statue.

Q1. The ‘Suvikalp – Mining Tool’, developed by the Coal Controller’s Organisation in November 2026, is primarily intended for which of the following purposes?
A. Monitoring real-time coal production and transportation across India
B. Identifying suitable alternative uses for closed and abandoned coal and lignite mines
C. Promoting the exploration of new coal reserves through satellite technology
D. Regulating coal imports and exports through a digital monitoring system

Q2. The 5th edition of the India-US bilateral tri-service exercise ‘Tiger Triumph 2026’ was conducted in which of the following cities?
A. Kochi
B. Chennai
C. Visakhapatnam
D. Mumbai

Q3. With reference to the indigenous AI foundation models unveiled under the IndiaAI Mission in November 2026, consider the following statements:
1. EKA-1 was developed by Socket Labs Technology & Research and supports all 22 Scheduled Indian languages.
2. Dheer 2B and Dheer 5B were developed by GentiQ AITech Innovations and are designed to support secure, offline AI applications.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
A. 1 only
B. 2 only
C. Both 1 and 2
D. Neither 1 nor 2

Q4. NITI Aayog signed a joint Letter of Intent with TEXMiN in October 2026 to strengthen India’s critical and strategic minerals sector. TEXMiN is located at which of the following institutions?
A. IIT Hyderabad
B. IIT (ISM) Dhanbad
C. IIT Kharagpur
D. IIT Bhubaneswar

Q5. With reference to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, consider the following statements:
1. His 150th birth anniversary was celebrated on 31 October 2025.
2. He served as India’s first Home Minister from 1947 to 1950, for approximately three years.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
A. 1 only
B. 2 only
C. Both 1 and 2
D. Neither 1 nor 2

Q6. With reference to green firecrackers developed by CSIR-NEERI, consider the following statements:
1. SWAS (Safe Water Releaser) firecrackers release water during combustion to suppress particulate matter emissions.
2. SAFAL firecrackers use a reduced magnesium content to improve combustion efficiency and reduce pollution.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
A. 1 only
B. 2 only
C. Both 1 and 2
D. Neither 1 nor 2

Q7. With reference to the criteria for classifying a settlement as a Census Town in India, consider the following statements:
1. The settlement must have a minimum population of 5,000.
2. The population density must be at least 400 persons per square kilometre.
3. At least 75% of the male main working population must be engaged in non-agricultural activities.

Which of the statements given above are correct?
A. 1 and 2 only
B. 2 and 3 only
C. 1 and 3 only
D. 1, 2 and 3

Q8. The Andhra Pradesh State Council of Higher Education (APSCHE) introduced mandatory internships for undergraduate students from November 2026. What are the prescribed internship duration and academic credits?
A. 240 hours and 8 credits
B. 300 hours and 10 credits
C. 360 hours and 12 credits
D. 480 hours and 16 credits