Weekly Current Affairs (October 2026 – Week 1) – Exam Revision Notes

SCO Council of National Coordinators Meeting

An Indian delegation participated in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of National Coordinators meeting in Islamabad, Pakistan, under Pakistan’s SCO Chairmanship for 2026–27. Pakistan assumed the chairmanship following the 2026 Bishkek Summit. Its theme is “Turning Vision into Action: Connectivity, Innovation and Shared Prosperity.”

Morocco’s First Woman Prime Minister

The King of Morocco appointed Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri as the country’s first woman Prime Minister on 29 September 2026, a major milestone in Morocco’s political history.

APEDA Exports GI-Tagged Gulbarga Tur Dal

The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) facilitated the export of a 1 metric tonne (MT) consignment of GI-tagged Gulbarga Tur Dal from Karnataka to the Maldives. It is a GI-tagged product from the Kalaburagi (formerly Gulbarga) region. Tur dal, also known as pigeon pea or red gram, is an important pulse crop in India.

India’s First Port-Based e-Methanol Plant

India laid the foundation stone for its first port-based e-methanol production facility at the Deendayal Port Authority (DPA), Kandla, Gujarat, on 26 September 2026. It was laid by Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal, Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel and Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma. The project involves ₹2,300 crore and a capacity of 150 tonnes per day.

India’s First LNG-Powered Train

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah flagged off India’s first Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)-powered train from Sabarmati Railway Station, Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The technology is intended to reduce dependence on conventional diesel and support cleaner railway operations.

‘Spandan One’ Tele-ECG Network

The Haryana government has introduced a tele-ECG network called ‘Spandan One’ to improve early diagnosis and treatment of cardiac emergencies, particularly in rural areas. It was launched through a public-private partnership (PPP) with Sunfox Technologies on 29 May 2026.

Portable tele-ECG devices connected to smartphones have been deployed at nearly 600 government health facilities, including PHCs, CHCs, sub-divisional and district hospitals. Frontline workers can operate them, with clinician-reviewed results in under three minutes. Patients can receive initial treatment, including the prescribed loading dose, locally before referral for angiography and angioplasty.

Centre Notifies Four ‘Mega Ports’

The Central Government has notified Deendayal (Kandla), Jawaharlal Nehru (Nhava Sheva), Paradip and Mundra as Mega Ports under Section 73 of the Indian Ports Act, 2025. The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways issued the notification on 25 September 2026; it came into force on publication in the Official Gazette.

Sengol Included in New NCERT Textbook

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has included the Sengol in its new Class 9 Social Science textbook, Understanding Society: India and Beyond – Part Two. The chapter “Governance and Public Policy” describes the Sengol as a cultural marker associated with rulership, righteous governance and the Chola dynasty.

AP SSAAT Wins SKOCH Gold Award

The Society for Social Audit Accountability and Transparency of Andhra Pradesh (SSAAT) has become the first State Social Audit Organisation in India to receive the SKOCH Gold Award. The award recognises AP’s efforts to strengthen transparency, accountability and public participation in implementing government programmes.

Palle Panduga 3.0

The Andhra Pradesh government launched the third phase of its rural development programme, Palle Panduga 3.0, on 29 September 2026. Works worth an estimated ₹11,085 crore will be undertaken across villages, focusing on rural roads, livestock infrastructure, horticulture, drainage and public facilities.

India’s First PRAMAAN Certificate to Andhra Pradesh

Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav handed over India’s first PRAMAAN certificates under the Indian Forest and Wood Certification Scheme (IFWCS). They were awarded to the Andhra Pradesh Forest Development Corporation (APFDC) for plantations covering about 33,000 hectares, and to Govind Mohapatra, a bamboo farmer associated with the Odisha Bamboo Development Agency (OBDA), after field and management audits.

PRAMAAN provides a nationally accepted framework linking certified forest and agroforestry products with domestic and international markets, as global markets increasingly require verifiable deforestation-free sourcing of timber and forest products.

AP Athletes at Asian Games 2026

Three athletes from Andhra Pradesh have won gold medals at the Asian Games 2026 in Japan.

Dissent Within Election Commission

Two Election Commissioners, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, have reportedly raised objections over electoral roll management and decision-making within the Election Commission of India (ECI). Their concerns included centralised control of electoral rolls, access to the ERONet system and changes to voter-registration procedures.

AFSPA Extended – Manipur, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has extended the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (AFSPA) in notified “disturbed areas” of Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh for another six months with effect from 1 October 2026.

UPSC Completes 100 Years

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) completed 100 years on 1 October 2026, a century since India’s first Public Service Commission was established on 1 October 1926. The centenary celebrations were held at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. UPSC is an independent constitutional body.

MSP for Rabi Crops 2027-28

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved an increase in the Minimum Support Prices (MSP) for all mandated Rabi crops for the Rabi Marketing Season (RMS) 2027-28, to ensure remunerative returns to farmers.

Definition of a Second

India will make Indian Standard Time (IST) the legally recognised time reference for legal, administrative, commercial and official purposes under the Legal Metrology (Indian Standard Time) Rules, 2026. Notified on 27 August 2026, the Rules come into force in the last week of February 2027. Banks, telecom networks, data centres and other entities must ensure their systems are traceable to an authorised Indian time source.

TRISHNA Mission

TRISHNA (Thermal Infra-Red Imaging Satellite for High-resolution Natural Resource Assessment) is a joint Earth observation satellite mission between India’s ISRO and France’s CNES (National Centre for Space Studies), scheduled to launch in 2027. It is the third joint satellite after Megha-Tropiques and SARAL. India-France space cooperation dates back to the sounding rocket experiments of the 1960s.

Sulphur

Sulphur (S) is a non-metallic element widely used in the fertiliser, chemical and metals-processing industries. Its importance is rising because sulphuric acid is used in processing critical minerals such as nickel, required for several types of EV batteries.

Around 92% of global sulphur is recovered as a by-product of petroleum refining and natural gas processing; only about 8% comes directly from natural deposits or sulphur-rich minerals such as pyrites. China was the world’s largest producer with an estimated 19 million metric tonnes (MMT), followed by the United States, Russia, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

CHIME Telescope Detects Ancient Hydrogen Glow

The Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME) telescope has made its first standalone detection of the faint radio glow of hydrogen from a period when the universe was about five billion years old. The collaboration includes scientists from India’s Raman Research Institute (RRI), Bengaluru, an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST).

New Begonia Species ‘Begonia rajvikramanii’ – JNTBGRI; Western Ghats; Kollam, Kerala

Researchers from the Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute (JNTBGRI), Thiruvananthapuram, have discovered a new plant species, Begonia rajvikramanii, from the Western Ghats in Kollam district, Kerala.

UN Adopts Declaration on Sea-Level Rise

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted the Political Declaration on Sea-Level Rise on 24 September 2026 at a high-level meeting at UN Headquarters, New York. It aims to strengthen international cooperation against sea-level rise, particularly for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and low-lying coastal regions.

Southwest Monsoon 2026

India’s Southwest Monsoon 2026 recorded 759.4 mm of rainfall, 12.6% below the normal of 868.6 mm, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). At 87% of the Long Period Average (LPA), it was the country’s lowest southwest monsoon rainfall since 2015, when 758.2 mm was recorded.

Exercise Tarang Shakti 2026

The Indian Air Force (IAF) is conducting Exercise Tarang Shakti 2026, a multinational air exercise, at Air Force Station Jodhpur, Rajasthan, from 26 September to 12 October 2026. The theme is “Power in Partnership”.

Exercise KAZIND-2026

The 9th edition of Exercise KAZIND, a joint military exercise between India and Kazakhstan, was held at Oskemen, Kazakhstan. It focuses mainly on counter-terrorism operations and interoperability. Kazakhstan is a Central Asian country and the world’s largest landlocked country.

ASEAN-India Maritime Exercise AIME-2026

The second edition of the ASEAN-India Maritime Exercise (AIME-2026) commenced at Subic Bay, Philippines, on 28 September 2026. It brings together the Indian Navy and maritime forces of ASEAN Member States to strengthen maritime cooperation and interoperability, under the theme “Anchored in Trust, United at Sea”.

PM-AJAY Scheme

The Pradhan Mantri Anusuchit Jaati Abhyuday Yojana (PM-AJAY) is a 100% Centrally Sponsored Scheme launched in FY 2021–22 for the socio-economic and educational empowerment of Scheduled Caste (SC) communities. It is implemented by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.

PRAGATI-50 Initiative

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has identified 50 cities across 24 States under the PRAGATI-50 initiative to develop them as model cities for urban cleanliness. It follows directions given by the Prime Minister during the 51st PRAGATI meeting. It will be implemented under the Swachh Bharat Mission–Urban 2.0 (SBM-U 2.0) framework through KPI-based actions on visible cleanliness, solid waste management, used-water management, sanitation and citizen participation.

Green Energy Corridor Phase-III

The Union Cabinet has approved the Green Energy Corridor Phase-III (GEC-III) Scheme to strengthen India’s Intra-State Transmission System (InSTS) and facilitate the integration and evacuation of up to 135 GW of renewable energy across States and UTs.

GOBARdhan Scheme

Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri launched the GOBARdhan Central Sector Scheme on 1 October 2026 to accelerate India’s Compressed Biogas (CBG) sector. The Union Cabinet approved it on 6 August 2026 with an outlay of ₹23,731 crore. CBG is produced from crop residue, cattle dung and other biodegradable waste, also yielding organic manure.

PM E-DRIVE Scheme

The PM Electric Drive Revolution in Innovative Vehicle Enhancement (PM E-DRIVE) Scheme is a Central Government initiative to accelerate Electric Vehicle (EV) adoption, expand charging infrastructure and strengthen domestic EV manufacturing. Implemented from October 2024, it has a total outlay of ₹11,900 crore and has been extended until 31 March 2028.

It provides demand incentives and infrastructure support for e-2Ws, e-3Ws, e-ambulances, e-trucks and e-buses, besides supporting EV public charging infrastructure and modernisation of vehicle testing agencies.

Periodic Labour Force Survey 2025

India’s overall literacy rate has reached 81.1%, according to the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2025 — up from 18.32% in 1951 and 74.04% in Census 2011. The Department of School Education and Literacy considers a State/UT achieving 95% literacy as equivalent to full literacy.

Annual Survey of Industries 2024-25

The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has released the Annual Survey of Industries (ASI) 2024-25, showing broad-based growth in the registered manufacturing sector. Establishments rose from 2.60 lakh (2023-24) to 2.67 lakh (2024-25), a growth of 2.64%. Gross Value Added (GVA) increased by 9.59%, from ₹2,458.3 thousand crore to ₹2,694.2 thousand crore.

9th India International Water Week 2026

The 9th India International Water Week (IIWW) 2026 was organised by the Ministry of Jal Shakti from 22 to 26 September 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. Vice-President C. P. Radhakrishnan inaugurated it on 22 September 2026. Its theme was “Climate Resilient Water Management.”

The Netherlands and Germany participated as partner countries. The event included ministerial discussions, water leaders’ forums, technical sessions and an exhibition on sustainable water management.

COFO 28 – FAO Committee on Forestry

India highlighted its achievements in forest and landscape restoration at the 28th Session of the FAO Committee on Forestry (COFO 28), being held in Rome, Italy.

India’s Green Highways Programme

India is expanding its Green Highways programme by integrating large-scale plantations, recycled construction materials, bio-bitumen and satellite-based monitoring into National Highway development. Over the last five years, more than 3.61 crore saplings have been planted along about 1.32 lakh km of National Highways.

CSIR-Central Road Research Institute (CSIR-CRRI) and CSIR-Indian Institute of Petroleum (CSIR-IIP) jointly developed indigenous bio-bitumen technology using post-harvest rice straw. A 100-metre trial stretch has been laid on the Jorabat–Shillong Expressway (NH-40) in Meghalaya.

Mandeep K. Bhandari – New CBSE Chairperson

Mandeep K. Bhandari was appointed the new Chairperson of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on 25 September 2026. His appointment was approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC).

World Tourism Day – 27 September

World Tourism Day 2026 was observed on 27 September under the theme “Digital Agenda and Artificial Intelligence to Redesign Tourism”, with international celebrations in El Salvador. The day highlights the role of digital technologies and AI in promoting sustainable, inclusive and accessible tourism.

National Voluntary Blood Donation Day

India observed National Voluntary Blood Donation Day (NVBDD) 2026 on 1 October to promote regular, voluntary and non-remunerated blood donation and ensure an adequate, safe supply of blood and blood components. The 2026 theme was “One Drop of Humanity. Give Blood. Save Lives.”

Kamaljeet and Suruchi Inder Singh Win Gold

Indian shooters Kamaljeet and Suruchi Inder Singh won gold in the 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team event at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, on 25 September 2026, setting a new Asian record with a combined score of 484.6 points in the final.

Sawan Barwal Wins Silver in Men’s Marathon

Sawan Barwal won a historic silver medal in the Men’s Marathon at the 2026 Asian Games on 26 September 2026. He completed the 42.195-km race in 2 hours, 11 minutes and 37 seconds, a new Indian national record.

India Wins Double Gold in Kabaddi – Men and Women

India’s men’s and women’s kabaddi teams won gold at the 2026 Asian Games, successfully defending their titles. Both teams defeated Iran in their finals on 26 September 2026.

Sarvesh Kushare Wins Silver in Men’s High Jump

Sarvesh Kushare won a historic silver medal in the Men’s High Jump at the 2026 Asian Games on 27 September 2026 with a jump of 2.25 metres, ending India’s 56-year wait for a medal in this event.

India 10th at WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 – 48th Edition; Six Silver; Smriti Nambiar Best of the Nation

India secured 10th position at the 48th WorldSkills Competition, held in Shanghai, China, from 22 to 27 September 2026, winning six silver medals and 20 Medals for Excellence. Smriti Nambiar (silver in the bakery skill category) was recognised as India’s Best of the Nation.

First Indian Woman to Win Individual Trap Gold at Asian Games

Shooter Neeru Dhanda became the first Indian woman to win an individual gold medal in the Trap event at the Asian Games, at Aichi-Nagoya 2026. Earlier in 2026, she won gold in women’s Trap at the ISSF Shotgun World Cup in Lonato, Italy, becoming the first Indian woman to win a World Cup gold in Trap.