Current affairs — 15 October 2026

Prelims pointers

• Richard Henry Beddome first described the Jeypore ground gecko in 1878; it was rediscovered in Koraput district in 2010.
• Only four individuals were documented in the Balda hills over the past year: one in 2025 and three in 2026.
• The gecko is restricted to high-elevation forests at 900–1,400 metres in the northern Eastern Ghats.
• Scientists estimate that the Jeypore ground gecko diverged from its closest relatives more than 20 million years ago.
• The proposed opencast bauxite mine would cover 147 hectares within Odisha’s Nageswari reserve forest.

Prelims pointers

• RBI scheduled the Variable Rate Reverse Repo auction for Thursday, October 15, 2026.
• The overnight auction has a notified amount of ₹50,000 crore and a one-day tenor.
• The auction window is scheduled from 9:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
• The reversal date for the operation is Friday, October 16, 2026.
• RBI said the operational guidelines in Press Release 2019-2020/1947 dated February 13, 2020, would remain unchanged.

Prelims pointers

• The RMC forecast Northeast monsoon rainfall to commence over the southern peninsula on October 15, 2026.
• Officials treated the reversal of the wind pattern to easterlies as an indicator of monsoon arrival.
• Nagapattinam recorded 9 cm and Karaikal 8 cm of rainfall by 6 p.m. on October 14.
• Erode recorded Tamil Nadu’s highest maximum temperature on October 14 at 37.8°C.
• Heavy to very heavy rain was forecast at isolated coastal and Western Ghats locations on October 15.

Prelims pointers

• The switch auction covers Government of India securities with an aggregate face value of ₹20,000 crore.
• Electronic bids are to be submitted on e-Kuber on October 19, 2026 between 10:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.
• The auction is multiple-price based, and successful bids are accepted at their respective quoted prices.
• The minimum bid size is ₹10,000, with further bidding in multiples of ₹10,000.
• The auction result is to be announced on October 19, with settlement on October 21, 2026.

Prelims pointers

• SGB 2019-20 Series V had an issue date of October 15, 2019.
• Premature redemption may be permitted after the fifth year from the bond's issue date on an interest-payment date.
• The next premature-redemption date for this tranche is October 15, 2026.
• The premature-redemption price due on October 15, 2026 is ₹14,725 per unit.
• The price uses the simple average of 999-purity gold closing prices published by IBJA for October 12, 13 and 14, 2026.

Prelims pointers

• The MHA demography portal seeks observations on demographic changes, preferably covering the period after 2011.
• The High-Level Committee on Demographic Changes is chaired by retired Supreme Court judge Prakash Prabhakar Naolekar.
• The portal mandatorily asks respondents for a mobile number, address and email ID, plus consent to process their personal data.
• Individual citizens, public representatives and students are presented with eight questions on the portal.
• A 35-point questionnaire sent to States sought district-wise and religion-wise data on demographic changes over the past 15 years.

Prelims pointers

• Robert E. Hall and Michael Woodford received the 2026 Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel.
• Hall’s 1978 work linked current household consumption to expectations of future income and to unpredictable new information.
• Predictable consumption can identify hand-to-mouth households that cannot borrow, have no savings and spend what they earn.
• Woodford’s work from the 1990s treated firms as forward-looking price setters whose prices tend to be sticky.
• Woodford’s framework made expectations of future interest rates, central-bank credibility and policy transparency important for inflation management.

Prelims pointers

• Jonathan is an Aldabra giant tortoise living at the residence of the governor of St Helena.
• Researchers examined both Jonathan’s genome and epigenome, which regulates whether genes are switched on or off.
• The study reported 287 unique gene variants associated with DNA repair, inflammation, insulin regulation and cancer suppression.
• A separate study cited in the article recorded Jonathan’s resting heart rate at 21 beats per minute.
• Aldabra atoll is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Indian Ocean and is home to around 1,00,000 tortoises.

Prelims pointers

• Net direct tax collection rose 13.21% to about ₹13.38 lakh crore between April 1 and October 14 of FY27.
• Net corporate tax receipts increased 20.58% to more than ₹5.99 lakh crore during the period.
• Net non-corporate tax receipts rose 5.83% to about ₹6.92 lakh crore and included payments by individuals, firms and HUFs.
• Securities transaction tax collection grew 52% to ₹46,840 crore through October 14.
• Gross direct tax collection rose 15% to ₹16.03 lakh crore, while refunds increased 24.22% to ₹2.65 lakh crore.

Prelims pointers

• The test evaluates three behavioural traits: diel activity, habitat use and diet diversity.
• Each trait is scored from zero to two, giving a maximum adaptability score of six.
• Phyllotis vaccarum scored six, while Abrocoma schistacea scored zero.
• Around 30% of the world’s 2,700 rodent species have never received a formal IUCN risk assessment.
• The authors said the tool is a first guide and cannot replace assessments of a species’ exposure and sensitivity.

Prelims pointers

• Piyush Goyal said the first tranche of the India-U.S. bilateral trade agreement had been finalised.
• Final contours, legal drafting and clarity on India’s competitive advantage remained before operationalisation.
• The larger bilateral trade agreement had originally been expected by October-November 2025.
• An interim trade agreement announced in February 2026 had been expected to take effect by March-April 2026.
• The United States had imposed a 10% tariff on Indian imports under a Section 301 investigation described in the report.

Prelims pointers

• IMD said the southwest monsoon withdrew from the whole country on October 15, 2026.
• The northeast monsoon began over parts of southern India on the same day and is also called the retreating monsoon.
• The 2026 southwest-monsoon rainfall total was 759.4 mm, 12.6% below the normal 868.6 mm.
• The southwest monsoon directly affects the kharif crop cycle, while the northeast monsoon is significant for rabi crops.
• El Niño is an ENSO phase involving tropical Pacific sea-temperature changes and accompanying atmospheric fluctuations.

Prelims pointers

• The proposed All-India Institute of Ayurveda would operate under the Union Ayush Ministry, and Keralam has sent a draft proposal to the Centre.
• More than 200 acres each were identified in Vettilappara Grama Panchayat in Thrissur and Cheemeni Grama Panchayat in Kasaragod.
• The Thrissur site belongs to the Ex-Servicemen Cooperative Colony; the Kasaragod site belongs to the Plantation Corporation of India.
• The Centre plans three new institutes, and funds were allocated for the purpose in the 2026-27 Union Budget.
• The article reported that the only existing All-India Institute of Ayurveda is located in the national capital.

Prelims pointers

• The Election Commission directed the revision on October 15, 2026, with January 1, 2027 as the qualifying date.
• A Special Summary Revision is an annual process conducted under Election Commission instructions to update electoral rolls.
• The SSR aims to enrol eligible voters, especially young and first-time electors, correct entries and improve roll purity.
• The announced exercise covers 14 States and three Union Territories, including Assam, Manipur, Uttar Pradesh and Puducherry.
• The Uttar Pradesh Assembly has 403 members and its term was reported to end on May 22, 2027.

Prelims pointers

• Karnataka sought ₹7,142.64 crore from the NDRF after 177 taluks were declared drought-affected; 40 more were under ground verification.
• The first memorandum sought ₹3,705.30 crore for 101 taluks, while the supplementary memorandum sought ₹3,437.34 crore for 76 more taluks.
• Estimated drought losses across the 177 affected taluks totalled ₹46,324.50 crore.
• In the additional 76 taluks, crop damage covered 27.57 lakh hectares, including 26.08 lakh hectares of agricultural crops.
• Karnataka received 495 mm of rainfall from June 1 to September 16 against a normal 766 mm, amounting to a 35% deficit.

Prelims pointers

• KAUMARACON-2026 was the third international conference on Kaumarabhritya organised by AIIA, New Delhi.
• The conference theme connected child health with global perspectives, research innovation and clinical frontiers in Kaumarabhritya.
• The PIB release states that a separate Ministry of AYUSH was established in 2014.
• The Vice-President inaugurated the AYUSH Start-up Portal, AIIA–iCAINE website and AyuDIVA facility at the event.
• Maharishi International University, USA, and AIIA, New Delhi, exchanged an international MoU at KAUMARACON-2026.

Prelims pointers

• ESTIC 2026 is scheduled for 27–29 October 2026 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.
• The conclave is to cover 12 thematic areas, with 13 departmental stalls, 50 deep-tech startups and 10 departmental technologies.
• ICAR’s featured advances include the world’s first two genome-edited rice varieties.
• The exhibition includes India’s first telomere-to-telomere reference genome of pigeonpea.
• Green-ammonia demonstrations covering 10,000 acres across six States were highlighted at the interaction.

Prelims pointers

• NMMSS is a Central Sector Scheme for meritorious students belonging to economically weaker sections.
• The scheme seeks to reduce dropouts after Class VIII and encourage students to continue education up to Class XII.
• Eligible students receive an annual scholarship of ₹12,000 under the National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship Scheme.
• States and Union Territories conduct the selection examination, while the National Scholarship Portal handles registration, authentication and disbursement.
• For 2026–27, registration closes on 31 October 2026; institute and district verification close on 15 and 30 November respectively.

Prelims pointers

• The two Ministry of Defence contracts have a combined value of approximately ₹4,106 crore.
• The ₹2,563-crore GSAT-7C contract was signed with New Space India Limited, Bengaluru, for the Indian Air Force.
• The ₹1,543-crore Varunastra contract was signed with Bharat Dynamics Limited, Hyderabad, for the Indian Navy.
• Varunastra is an indigenous ship-launched anti-submarine torpedo developed by the Naval Science and Technological Laboratory.
• GSAT-7C is intended to provide secure, resilient and seamless communications for Indian Air Force assets.

Prelims pointers

• The 14th Indian Coast Guard–Korea Coast Guard High Level Meeting was held in Incheon on 14 October 2026.
• The agencies discussed Maritime Search and Rescue, Marine Pollution Response and Maritime Law Enforcement.
• Both Coast Guards reaffirmed their commitment to an existing Memorandum of Understanding.
• The agreed cooperation included professional exchanges, joint training, bilateral ship visits and real-time information sharing.
• Inspector General T. Sashi Kumar led the Indian delegation, while Im Myeong Gil led the Korean delegation.

Prelims pointers

• Combined merchandise and services exports in April–September 2026-27 were estimated at US$476.20 billion, up 13.84%.
• Merchandise exports in April–September 2026-27 rose 18.51% to US$259.89 billion.
• The April–September merchandise trade deficit was US$177.64 billion, against US$156.88 billion a year earlier.
• Non-petroleum exports for April–September were US$218.70 billion, an increase of 15.56%.
• Electronic-goods exports in September 2026 rose 70.44%, from US$3.11 billion to US$5.31 billion.

Prelims pointers

• The Department of Commerce developed the National Strategic Trade Command Centre, launched at Vanijya Bhawan in New Delhi.
• NSTCC integrates trade analytics with monitoring of schemes, applications, approvals, processing timelines and operational indicators.
• Its initial dashboards cover IEC, Advance Authorisation, EPCG, Certificate of Origin, SCOMET and restricted trade processes.
• NSTCC’s three stated governance dimensions are integrated monitoring, performance assessment and evidence-based policy inputs.
• The centre leverages existing DGFT systems and the Trade Connect ePlatform, with more datasets planned in phases.

Prelims pointers

• The new ₹650-crore Leh airport terminal raises annual passenger capacity from 10 lakh to 35 lakh.
• PIB describes the Leh terminal as India’s first airport terminal with geothermal heating alongside solar-energy use.
• The ₹2,500-crore Nimmu–Padum–Darcha road is stated to reduce travel time from 12 hours to three hours.
• Project Amrit Him Sarovar supplied Ladakh with 40 newly constructed reservoirs intended to support irrigation.
• India’s first Petroglyph Conservation Park was inaugurated in Leh to conserve the region’s historic rock art.

Prelims pointers

• The Digital India BHASHINI Division operates under Digital India Corporation in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
• The Manipur workshop included a live demonstration of real-time English-to-Manipuri translation.
• BHASHINI’s Language-First Digital Public Infrastructure brings together datasets, AI models, APIs and applications.
• BHASHINI supports 36 Indian languages for text, 23 Indian languages for voice and 35 international languages.
• The platform powers more than 800 government websites and processes more than 24 million AI inferences daily.

Prelims pointers

• India’s Ramsar-site tally reached 103 with the designation of two new wetlands announced on 15 October 2026.
• Sukhna Wetland in Chandigarh was one of the two latest additions to India’s Ramsar list.
• Sauj Jheel in Uttar Pradesh was the other latest addition to India’s Ramsar list.
• The announcement was made by Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav.
• The release links wetland conservation with biodiversity, water and climate security, and local livelihoods.

Prelims pointers

• For user transactions, FERR applies to INR-involving derivatives above USD two million equivalent when foreign currency is bought to hedge an eligible current-account transaction not arising from an underlying capital-account transaction.
• FERR equals 20% of the INR-equivalent notional amount of each applicable foreign-exchange derivative contract.
• Authorised Dealers maintain FERR daily in their current account with RBI, from the next working day until one day after contract termination.
• FERR does not earn interest and cannot be included in High Quality Liquid Assets under the Liquidity Coverage Ratio framework.
• Authorised Dealers report FERR through CIMS each day by 5 p.m. on the following working day on a T+1 basis.

Prelims pointers

• India’s current account recorded a net deficit of $5.2 billion in August 2026, against $6.1 billion in August 2025.
• The August 2026 merchandise deficit was $26.6 billion, with exports of $44.7 billion and imports of $71.3 billion.
• Net services receipts in August 2026 were $16.5 billion; services exports were $35.5 billion and imports $18.9 billion.
• The capital account recorded a net inflow of $50.6 billion in August 2026, including banking capital of $64.7 billion.
• The overall balance for August 2026 was a surplus of $45.4 billion, matched by monetary movements of negative $45.4 billion.

Prelims pointers

• The PLFS estimated the all-India unemployment rate at 5% in September 2026, unchanged from August.
• Rural unemployment was 4.2%, while urban unemployment was 6.9% in September 2026.
• The monthly all-India estimates were based on information collected from 3,70,513 surveyed persons.
• For persons aged 15 years and above, the overall Labour Force Participation Rate was 55.5%.
• The overall Worker Population Ratio was 52.7% in September 2026, against 52.8% in August.

Prelims pointers

• The notified State Government Securities auction has an aggregate face value of ₹24,400 crore.
• The auction is scheduled for 19 October 2026 on the Reserve Bank of India’s E-Kuber system.
• Up to ten per cent of each notified stock may be allotted under the non-competitive bidding facility.
• The minimum nominal investment is ₹10,000, with further amounts accepted in multiples of ₹10,000.
• Banks may reckon State Government Stocks for SLR under Section 24 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.

Prelims pointers

• KCNA said Kim Jong Un oversaw an intermediate-range missile test launched from eastern North Korea on October 3, 2026.
• KCNA reported that the missile hit a target 1,000 km away in the sea off North Korea’s east coast.
• The drill was intended to train hypersonic strategic-weapon units and assess the deterrent’s reliability, efficiency and mobility.
• South Korea’s military detected a ballistic-missile launch and assessed that it travelled more than 700 km toward the eastern sea.
• The test followed a Demilitarized Zone landmine blast that wounded South Korean soldiers; Seoul blamed Pyongyang, which denied the accusation.