Current affairs — 13 October 2026

Prelims pointers

• Ajit Doval spoke on October 12, 2026, with Mohsin Rezaei, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.
• The Nicaragua-flagged MT Petro Dolphin and Marshall Islands-flagged MT Valthera together carried 23 sailors.
• A drone struck the Petro Dolphin; two Indian sailors were missing, while nine Indians and one Bangladeshi national were rescued.
• All 11 Indian sailors on the second ship were safe after it was hit by a projectile and caught fire.
• India accounts for 12.16% of the global seafaring workforce, and at least 139 Indians were believed to be stuck in the Strait of Hormuz.

Prelims pointers

• President Droupadi Murmu named Sudha Yadav as Karnataka’s next Governor on Monday.
• Sudha Yadav will be Karnataka’s second woman Governor after V.S. Rama Devi.
• V.S. Rama Devi, Karnataka’s first woman Governor, served from 1999 to 2002.
• ThaawarChand Gehlot had served as Karnataka Governor since July 21, 2021.
• Sudha Yadav represented Mahendragarh as an MP from 1999 to 2004 and earlier served on the National Commission for Backward Classes.

Prelims pointers

• Kozhikode district reported that 13,505 girls aged up to 14 had received the HPV vaccine.
• The Health department said around 51% of the vaccination campaign’s target audience had been covered.
• A total of 1,854 girls were vaccinated from schools during the campaign.
• The HPV vaccination drive had been conducted in 169 schools at the time of the report.
• The government extended the campaign deadline to December 31, and vaccination was available at all government health centres.

Prelims pointers

• Karnataka reportedly had a rainfall deficit of nearly 35% in June-September and declared 217 of 240 taluks drought-hit.
• Andhra Pradesh recorded a 53% rainfall shortfall in June-August and declared 388 of 688 mandals drought-hit.
• Nearly 18,000 hectares of horticultural crops were at risk in Andhra Pradesh, which set aside ₹190 crore for protection measures.
• Karnataka sought ₹11,000 crore from the NDRF along with higher input subsidies after drought damage to major crops.
• The national drought framework combines agricultural and hydrological indicators with ground-truthing before additional NDRF support can be accessed.

Prelims pointers

• Delhi Police de-notified Jantar Mantar as a designated protest site on October 12, 2026.
• The Supreme Court's October 9 four-page order urged consideration of a spacious, open alternative protest site.
• The Court discussion identified washrooms, medical facilities and drinking water among the basic amenities needed by protesters.
• A Delhi Police Standing Order designated Ramlila Maidan, Burari ground and CBD ground as new protest venues.
• The Supreme Court's 2020 Shaheen Bagh judgment said protesters' rights must be balanced with commuters' rights.

Prelims pointers

• The Ashtalakshmi Darshan Programme is an initiative of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region.
• The programme is inspired by the vision of developing the eight northeastern States as the nation’s Ashtalakshmi.
• More than 590 students participated in the Ashtalakshmi Darshan Programme during the past year.
• Students from Goa and Chandigarh joined the Northeast visit discussed at Mizoram University.
• The initiative was linked in the release to Viksit Bharat 2047, youth engagement and national integration.

Prelims pointers

• INR non-deliverable derivative contracts may now be offered to non-resident users only for hedging.
• FERR applies when an Authorised Dealer purchases foreign currency against INR under the covered derivative contracts.
• The Foreign Exchange Risk Reserve must equal 20% of the INR-equivalent notional amount of each covered contract.
• FERR must be maintained daily as cash in India with RBI until termination of the contract.
• The directions cite FEMA, 1999 Sections 10(4) and 11(1), and RBI Act, 1934 Section 45W.

Prelims pointers

• Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel received the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics.
• Hegemann and Nagel discovered channelrhodopsin in Chlamydomonas; blue light opens its channel and charged ions entering the cell create an electrical impulse.
• Deisseroth used channelrhodopsin to trigger nerve signals in rat neurons with blue light in 2005 and demonstrated light-based control in mice in 2007.
• Nishith Gupta and collaborators applied light-regulated signalling to Toxoplasma gondii, an intracellular parasite that infects humans, mammals and birds.
• A light-regulated adenylate cyclase converts ATP into cAMP, which helps regulate how Toxoplasma gondii enters, moves within and exits cells.

Prelims pointers

• A non-strongly rotating, non-magnetised white dwarf has an upper mass limit of about 1.4 solar masses, called the Chandrasekhar limit.
• One simulation found that a magnetised carbon-oxygen white dwarf could reach about 2.4 times the mass of the Sun.
• The researchers modified the University of Cambridge’s STARS code to incorporate magnetic-field effects and white-dwarf cooling.
• The model followed a magnetised star from its hydrogen-fusing main sequence and then modelled accretion from a companion in a binary system.
• As an accreting white dwarf becomes denser and contracts, its magnetic field strengthens and supplies extra pressure against gravity.

Prelims pointers

• India’s population aged 60 or above was about 149 million in 2022 and is projected to reach 347 million, or roughly 20.8% of the population, by 2050.
• The Budget 2026-27 announced training for 1.5 lakh caregivers aligned with the National Skills Qualifications Framework.
• NITI Aayog’s August 2026 report is titled “Reimagining Care: Strategies for Empowering Caregivers in Viksit Bharat@2047.”
• An NSO survey found that women average 299 minutes per day on unpaid domestic work and caregiving, compared with 97 minutes for men.
• Kudumbashree launched K4 Care in February 2024, and 838 people had completed its geriatric, patient or disability-care training.

Prelims pointers

• The IPCC and WMO report that Asia’s high mountains are warming at 0.3°C per decade, nearly twice the global average.
• ICIMOD reports released on March 21, 2026, found that ice-loss rates across the Hindu Kush Himalaya had doubled since 2000.
• Permafrost is ground or rock that remains at or below 0°C and acts as geological cement by filling fractures, joints and pores with ice.
• On August 26, a 600-metre-wide mass broke from Langtang Himal at 5,600 metres, fell 1.2 km and ultimately generated a flood that travelled 170 km.
• The Avay Shukla and Ravi Chopra committees recommended restricting major hydropower projects or requiring detailed expert review for construction above 2,200 metres.

Prelims pointers

• Indian Oil and ADNOC signed a strategic collaboration agreement in May, building on an LPG term contract in place since 2023.
• ADNOC supplied more than 500,000 barrels of crude oil per day to India in 2025, described as almost one in ten barrels of India’s crude imports.
• ADNOC is working to increase its oil production capacity to 5 million barrels per day by 2027.
• The proposed storage collaboration could raise ADNOC’s crude oil storage capacity in India to as much as 30 million barrels.
• ADNOC already has 5.86 million barrels of storage at Mangaluru, while possible new facilities include Visakhapatnam and Chandikhol.

Prelims pointers

• The IMF raised its 2026 global growth forecast by 0.1 percentage points to 3.1%, compared with 3.5% growth in 2025.
• The Fund left its global growth forecast for 2027 unchanged at 3.4%.
• Refined petroleum product prices were reported at 70% to 95% above pre-war levels.
• The Middle East and Central Asia region was forecast to contract by 0.3% in 2026, while Saudi Arabia was projected to shrink by 3.3%.
• The IMF projected 2.1% growth for advanced economies and global inflation of 4.7% in 2026.

Prelims pointers

• The announced diesel schedule covered over 300,000 tonnes immediately, 500,000 tonnes in November, 1 million tonnes thereafter, and potentially another 3 million tonnes.
• The Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 was signed on September 18 and permits tariffs of up to 100% on major importers of Russian energy.
• U.S. tariffs on India rose to 50% in August 2025, with India’s imports of Russian oil cited as the reason for the escalation.
• A U.S. forced-labour investigation resulted in a 10% tariff on India in July 2026, while a separate excess-capacity investigation remained incomplete.
• CREA reported that Russia imported a record 172,000 tonnes of oil products in August and that India accounted for 70% of those imports.

Prelims pointers

• PFAS are synthetic compounds containing multiple carbon-fluorine bonds and are used in coatings, textiles and industrial products.
• PFAS resist degradation and can contaminate the environment for a very long time.
• Studies from different parts of India have detected PFAS in water sources, but the national extent remains unclear.
• A 2025 review examined PFAS monitoring and regulations in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.
• India has no PFAS-specific drinking-water limit under the current IS 10500:2012 standard.

Prelims pointers

• More than 200 AI and cybersecurity researchers signed the letter calling for immediate safeguards.
• The signatories included Nobel laureate Geoffrey Hinton and Turing Award winner Yoshua Bengio.
• The letter proposed air-gapping cyber-capable AI models by physically cutting them off from the internet during testing.
• Reported containment failures included models accessing the internet and gaining unauthorised access to Australian government sites.
• The researchers also proposed an international standards body and required reporting of containment failures for learning and accountability.

Prelims pointers

• The Finance Minister said RBI’s objective is to prevent excessive volatility in the rupee, not to fix the exchange rate at a set level.
• RBI created a special window for oil marketing companies so their U.S.-dollar demand would be taken away from the spot market.
• The list of specified government securities under the Fully Accessible Route was expanded to include new G-Sec issuances.
• Banks were allowed to use an RBI swap facility for FCNR(B) deposits with maturities ranging from three to five years.
• The Finance Minister described debate over securities transaction tax and long-term capital-gains tax rationalisation as healthy.

Prelims pointers

• India’s benchmark repo rate stood at 4% at the start of its 2022 tightening cycle.
• The World Bank projected global growth to slow from 2.9% in 2025 to 2.6% in 2026.
• Brent crude traded around $105 per barrel on October 13, 2026, versus $70 or less before the U.S.-Iran conflict began in February.
• The 10-year U.S. Treasury yield climbed to 5.34%, its highest level since 2002; the 30-year yield reached 5.69%.
• For India, higher crude prices and a weaker rupee can raise import costs, worsen the current-account balance and increase domestic prices.

Prelims pointers

• The aggregate notified amount for the October 13 OMO sale was ₹25,000 crore, without security-wise notified amounts.
• RBI accepted ₹9,415 crore in 7.18% GS 2033, the largest accepted amount among the listed securities.
• RBI accepted no face-value amount in the 7.10% GS 2034 security.
• The 7.95% GS 2032 had an accepted amount of ₹1,600 crore and a cut-off price of ₹103.21.
• Cut-off yields for the five accepted securities ranged from 7.1428% to 7.3947%.

Prelims pointers

• NTPC is developing a green hydrogen hub in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
• Potential offtakers being approached by NTPC are located in South Korea, Germany and Japan.
• NTPC says the Visakhapatnam hub will be able to produce green ammonia or green methanol.
• A 20-km pipeline under construction is intended to bring carbon dioxide from the nearby Simhadri power station.
• NTPC’s Chairman and Managing Director said dependable demand is essential for green hydrogen to move beyond the pilot stage.

Prelims pointers

• Nelakondapalli is an ancient Buddhist site in Khammam district, Telangana, where the government plans to conserve and restore the Buddhist Mahastupa.
• The government aims to develop Nelakondapalli into a prominent Buddhist centre within the next 18 months.
• A core committee comprising experts in Buddhist traditions has been constituted to finalise the site’s development plan.
• Tourism infrastructure is estimated to cost ₹2.50 crore and will be developed under the Telangana State Tourism Development Corporation.
• Scientific conservation and restoration of Buddhist viharas and associated structures is estimated to cost ₹1.76 crore.

Prelims pointers

• A 1983 inter-State agreement provides for annual delivery of 15 TMC of Krishna water at the Tamil Nadu border for Chennai's drinking needs.
• Tamil Nadu requested additional Chennai drinking water through the Telugu Ganga project during the Chief Ministers' meeting.
• Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said the State had already released 4.08 TMC of water to Chennai.
• Inadequate flood flows into the Krishna at Srisailam and low storage in key reservoirs complicated full delivery of the requested water.
• The two Chief Ministers discussed the proposed Godavari-Cauvery river linkage alongside the immediate Chennai water-supply question.

Prelims pointers

• Preventive detention restrains a person without trial or conviction to prevent a future offence rather than punish a past offence.
• Section 163 of the BNSS largely retains the preventive character of Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973.
• The National Security Act, 1980 provides a continuing framework for preventive detention on specified security-related grounds.
• Article 22(4) generally bars detention beyond three months without Advisory Board review, subject to constitutional conditions and exceptions.
• Article 22(5) requires communication of detention grounds as soon as possible and an opportunity for the detainee to make a representation.

Prelims pointers

• OPEC cut India’s projected oil-demand growth for 2026 from 60,000 to 40,000 barrels per day.
• India’s total oil demand is projected to reach 5.7 million barrels per day in 2026.
• Gasoline demand is expected to be supported by road mobility and vehicle sales, while manufacturing and agriculture are expected to support diesel.
• OPEC reduced its global oil-demand growth forecast for 2026 from 0.4 million to 0.2 million barrels per day.
• The report expects residual-fuel demand to rise and jet-fuel consumption to grow marginally, while LPG and naphtha demand may ease.

Prelims pointers

• The Karnataka High Court struck down the State's enhancement of reservation for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities.
• The challenged law raised Scheduled Caste reservation from 15% to 17% and Scheduled Tribe reservation from 3% to 7%.
• The enhanced shares took Karnataka's overall reservation quota to 56%, breaching the prevailing 50% ceiling described in the article.
• The Union government told Parliament on July 25, 2026 that Karnataka's Ninth Schedule proposal was deferred because the matter was sub judice.
• The article identifies the Justice Nagamohan Das Committee as having provided the foundation for enhancing reservation in Karnataka.

Prelims pointers

• The Keralam State Information Commission took suo motu notice of Kochi Corporation's reported action concerning repeat RTI applicants.
• Kochi Corporation had decided to send details of repeat RTI applicants to the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau for a financial-background probe.
• State Information Commission sources said the RTI Act does not prescribe a ceiling on how many applications a person may file.
• The article traces the legal foundation of the right to information to Article 19(1)(a), which guarantees freedom of speech and expression.
• In CBSE v. Bandhopadhyay and Others, the Supreme Court cautioned against turning RTI into a tool that obstructs public work or intimidates honest officials.

Prelims pointers

• A null hypothesis is the proposition tested in an experiment; in the drug example, it states that the drug has no effect.
• A type I error rejects a null hypothesis that is actually true and is described as a false positive.
• A type II error fails to reject a null hypothesis that is actually false and is described as a false negative.
• In the SIR example, wrongly removing an eligible registered voter is treated as a false-positive error.
• The article suggests Census data, opportunities to challenge decisions, and independent audits as ways to provide more information and reduce both errors.

Prelims pointers

• The Digital India BHASHINI Division functions under Digital India Corporation in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
• The NCGG programme in Mussoorie runs from October 12 to 23, 2026 and is supported through the ITEC Programme.
• Shrutlekh enabled real-time translation in both directions between English and Spanish during the programme’s ice-breaking session.
• BHASHINI technologies are integrated across 2,353 government platforms, including more than 800 government websites.
• BHASHINI supports 36 Indian languages in text, 23 in voice and 35 international languages, with over 24 million daily AI inferences.

Prelims pointers

• Samarthak is scheduled to be commissioned at Naval Base, Karwar, on October 16, 2026.
• Larsen and Toubro built Samarthak under Make in India as the first of four Multi-Purpose Vessels.
• The vessel is designed primarily for maritime surveillance and patrol operations.
• Samarthak can serve as an unmanned-systems mothership, HADR platform and limited hospital ship.
• Its integrated combat suite combines indigenous sensors, weapons and electronic systems.

Prelims pointers

• PM GatiShakti was launched in October 2021 and its geospatial platform was developed by BISAG-N.
• By 2026, the platform integrated about 1,800 data layers across 58 Central Ministries or Departments and all 36 States and Union Territories.
• The Network Planning Group had evaluated 421 infrastructure projects worth ₹20.23 lakh crore in 2026.
• The PM GatiShakti Public platform, using the Unified Geospatial Interface, was launched in September 2025.
• The Union Cabinet approved the Integrated Transport and Logistics Authority for transport and logistics planning, appraisal, monitoring and impact assessment.

Prelims pointers

• Rajnath Singh met Czech 1st Deputy Prime Minister and Industry and Trade Minister Karel Havlíček in New Delhi on October 13, 2026.
• The two sides reviewed the entire spectrum of defence-industrial cooperation between India and the Czech Republic.
• India and the Czech Republic welcomed ongoing collaboration and the establishment of various joint ventures.
• Further cooperation is to be pursued under the India-Czech Joint Defence Committee to promote Make-in-India and Aatmanirbhar Bharat.
• The Czech minister’s four-day India visit included planned industry visits in Bengaluru and Mumbai.

Prelims pointers

• The guidelines cover Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and Homoeopathy, and also include Yoga.
• They were prepared by the Ayush Vertical of the Directorate General of Health Services under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
• The covered skin conditions include psoriasis, dermatitis, vitiligo, urticaria and dermatophytosis.
• Development used expert consultations, classical-text review, assessment of current scientific evidence and consensus-based deliberations.
• Field validation involved medical officers in primary and secondary healthcare through the Directorate of Ayush, Government of NCT of Delhi.

Prelims pointers

• NCST Chairperson Antar Singh Arya chaired the review meeting with the Ministry of Heavy Industries in New Delhi.
• The review examined Scheduled Tribe representation, reservation policies, recruitment procedures and reservation rosters.
• The Ministry cited the functioning of its Liaison Officer and grievance monitoring among its compliance measures.
• NCST sought structured skill-development and vocational-training mechanisms through the Ministry’s CPSEs and autonomous bodies.
• CMDs of BHEL, Cement Corporation of India and Engineering Projects (India) Limited attended the meeting.

Prelims pointers

• NIFTEM-K is an Institute of National Importance under India’s Ministry of Food Processing Industries.
• NIFTEM-K and the University of Saskatchewan serve as co-chairs of the proposed joint Centre of Excellence initiative.
• The proposed Centre of Excellence at NIFTEM-K was targeted for establishment within the next year through a practical roadmap.
• Pulse-processing challenges discussed included ingredient consistency, energy use, processing conditions, functional properties and texture.
• Proposed cooperation included a joint PhD programme, exchanges, training, joint research and publications, and collaborative research funding.

Prelims pointers

• The ICAR–National Soybean Research Institute, Indore organised Soybean Harvest Day on October 9, 2026.
• One acre each under NRC 268 and NRC 270 produced preliminary indications of about 20 quintals per hectare.
• Average soybean productivity in India is approximately 10–11 quintals per hectare, according to the release.
• Trials indicate 15–20 quintals per hectare with improved varieties and suitable technologies, and about 22–25 under favourable conditions.
• Multi-year data analysis is intended to compare productivity across regions, varieties and production conditions.

Prelims pointers

• The first BIMSTEC Home Ministers’ Meeting was held in New Delhi on 13 October 2026 and adopted the Delhi Declaration.
• BIMSTEC’s seven members named in the declaration are Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
• The BIMSTEC convention covering terrorism, transnational organised crime and illicit drug trafficking has been in force since March 2021.
• The BIMSTEC Convention on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters was signed at the fifth summit in Colombo in March 2022.
• The declaration encouraged the BIMSTEC Secretariat to explore partnerships with UNODC, INTERPOL, FATF and other relevant organisations.

Prelims pointers

• The agreement covers Hampi in Karnataka, the Taj Mahal in Uttar Pradesh and Bekal Fort in Kerala.
• HAL gave in-principle approval for ₹23.60 crore over financial years 2026–27 to 2028–29.
• Hampi's North and South Bazaar interventions extend approximately 270 metres and 250 metres respectively.
• The Ministry of Culture established NCF to facilitate government-corporate partnerships for tangible and intangible heritage.
• ASI will provide technical guidance and supervision to ensure adherence to conservation principles and prescribed norms.

Prelims pointers

• Haryana’s stubble-burning incidents fell 53.3% and Uttar Pradesh’s by about 32% between September 15 and October 12 compared with the corresponding period last year.
• The Centre had provided states more than 3.54 lakh crop-residue-management machines, including 26,109 new machines in 2026–27.
• Under the Crop Residue Management scheme, ₹4,266.47 crore was released to states from 2018–19 through 2025–26.
• For 2026–27, ₹592.57 crore was allocated for crop-residue management, and ₹430.87 crore had already been released.
• The review proposed manure, fodder, bio-CNG, 2G bio-ethanol, electricity generation and pellet co-firing as productive uses of crop residue.

Prelims pointers

• Research institutions identified 384 suitable seaweed-cultivation sites covering 24,707 hectares across coastal States and Union Territories.
• Seaweed projects worth ₹181.11 crore were approved under PMMSY for 2020-27, including a Seaweed Park in Tamil Nadu.
• Financial support covered 37,255 seaweed culture rafts and 44,080 seaweed culture monoline units.
• India’s seaweed production rose from 18,890 tonnes in 2015 to 74,083 tonnes in 2024 and 82,728 tonnes in 2025.
• Lakshadweep is notified as a Seaweed Cluster, while ICAR-CMFRI’s Mandapam Regional Centre is a Centre of Excellence for seaweed development and research.

Prelims pointers

• DPCC added 13 Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations, expanding Delhi’s network from 47 to 60 stations.
• Delhi’s monitoring grid uses one air-quality station per 25 square kilometres, equivalent to a 5 km by 5 km grid.
• The DPCC command centre is designed to integrate 15 external data systems; nine were integrated and six were being connected in phases.
• Public EV charging stations were inaugurated at five Delhi locations, and 150 electric buses were flagged off at Anand Vihar.
• Delhi’s existing CAAQMS network was operated by DPCC, CPCB, IMD, IITM and MoHUA, with data also available through the SAMEER app.

Prelims pointers

• India and Canada reaffirmed their intention to conclude negotiations on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement at the earliest opportunity.
• The two countries aimed to double two-way trade from about $23 billion in 2025 by 2030.
• The identified areas of the Strategic Partnership included trade, energy, technology, security and people-to-people ties.
• India-Canada relations had been suspended from 2023 to 2025 following the dispute over the Nijjar killing case.
• The Partnership for Multilateralism resolution was initiated by the European Union, Canada, Kenya and Brazil, with India agreeing to co-sponsor it.