Current affairs — 28 October 2026

Prelims pointers

• Cyclone Arnab was forecast to intensify into a very severe cyclonic storm before landfall on the Andhra Pradesh coast on October 28, 2026.
• The forecast wind speed at landfall was 125–135 km/h, according to the report cited by the ministry.
• Flights to and from coastal Andhra Pradesh and southern Odisha, including Bhubaneswar, were expected to be most affected.
• The coordination group included DGCA, BCAS, AAI, IMD, airlines, airport operators, NDRF and three States’ disaster authorities.
• Visakhapatnam airport was shut from October 27 afternoon; Vijayawada and Rajahmundry suspended all flights after 7 p.m.

Prelims pointers

• A GWDI below -0.6 denotes extreme groundwater drought, while -0.46 to -0.6 denotes severe drought.
• Bachupally had Telangana’s worst reported GWDI at -2.7; Ameerpet was next at -1.7.
• Ameerpet’s September 2026 groundwater depth was 32.07 metres below ground, against a 10-year September maximum of 13.36 metres.
• Thirty-three Telangana mandals recorded a GWDI below -0.6 and therefore fell in the extreme-drought category.
• The department’s monthly network comprised 1,771 piezometers across 621 mandals in 33 districts.

Prelims pointers

• During an acute heart attack caused by sudden coronary blockage, prompt angioplasty and stenting can restore blood flow and improve survival.
• An angiogram shows coronary anatomy but does not by itself establish that an arterial narrowing requires intervention.
• The 2020 ISCHEMIA trial enrolled 5,179 patients at 320 sites in 37 countries with stable coronary disease and moderate-to-severe ischemia.
• After median follow-up of 3.2 years, the ISCHEMIA trial found no significant difference in composite outcomes between initial invasive and conservative strategies.
• Optimal medical therapy includes LDL-cholesterol lowering, anti-platelet treatment, blood-pressure control, diabetes management and lifestyle changes.

Prelims pointers

• The Jojari, Luni and Bandi are seasonal rivers flowing through Rajasthan’s arid western districts of Jodhpur, Balotra and Pali.
• Untreated or insufficiently treated effluents from textile-dyeing and steelworking units threaten around 20 lakh local residents.
• The Supreme Court formed a High-level Ecosystem Oversight Committee chaired by Justice Sangeet Lodha to audit treatment plants and draft a restoration plan.
• The Court banned construction within 100 metres of river edges and hazardous industries within 500 metres of the river path or available flood lines.
• Rajasthan’s 2025 submissions said sewage-treatment plants could accommodate only around half the sewage generated in the three urban centres.

Prelims pointers

• NITI Aayog estimates that 86% of the building stock India will have in 2070 is yet to be built.
• India's total floor space is projected to increase from about 18 billion square metres in 2020 to 42 billion square metres by 2070.
• Crude-steel capacity is targeted to rise from about 200 million tonnes in 2024-25 to 300 million tonnes by 2030-31.
• ECBC 2017 has been notified by 27 States but legally incorporated in only 21, according to BEE's State Energy Efficiency Index.
• The IEA estimates transmission bottlenecks have held back about 60 GW of renewable capacity in India.

Prelims pointers

• The Houthis claimed that a ballistic missile targeted the Ras Tanura refinery in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province on October 27, 2026.
• The Saudi-led coalition said it shot down three missiles aimed at the Eastern Province and two ballistic missiles fired at Riyadh.
• Ras Tanura is on Saudi Arabia’s Gulf coast, is among West Asia’s largest refineries, and has capacity of 550,000 barrels per day.
• Egypt’s Parliament authorised defensive military support for Saudi Arabia on October 26, 2026, after a request from President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
• The Saudi-led coalition’s war with the Houthis began in 2015, after the group ousted Yemen’s internationally recognised government from Sanaa in September 2014.

Prelims pointers

• The IMD expected Cyclone Arnab to make landfall near the Yanam–Kakinada region between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. on October 28, 2026.
• At 5.30 p.m. on October 27, the cyclone was about 90 km southeast of Kakinada and 170 km south of Visakhapatnam.
• Andhra Pradesh set up 290 cyclone shelters, evacuated 84,396 people and brought more than 30,000 fishing boats ashore.
• Odisha began evacuating more than 48,000 people and closed several ghat roads because of the prospect of landslips.
• Odisha deployed 48 disaster-response-force units, eight NDRF teams and 225 fire-services teams for the cyclone.

Prelims pointers

• Cyclone Arnab began landfall near Narsapur in West Godavari district at around 1:30 a.m. on October 28, 2026.
• IMD estimated winds near the cyclone's centre at 125-135 kmph, with gusts reaching 150 kmph.
• A storm surge of 1.5-2.5 metres was expected over Kakinada and Yanam, creating an inundation threat for low-lying areas.
• Kannuripalem in Anakapalli district received 231.5 mm of rain between 8:30 a.m. on October 27 and 1 a.m. on October 28.
• Twelve stations in Visakhapatnam and Anakapalli recorded more than 200 mm, while 188 stations across seven districts recorded more than 100 mm.

Prelims pointers

• The University of Agricultural Sciences Bangalore identified the small hive beetle as an invasive scavenger that attacks bee colonies, bees, honey and pollen.
• A researcher said the insect was originally found in America and was first recorded in Asia in China, followed by Bangladesh.
• The beetle was reported in Karnataka's plains, including Bengaluru Urban, Bengaluru Rural, Mysuru, Mandya and Chamarajanagar, but not yet in the hills.
• Five beekeepers who shifted boxes from the hills to the plains during the rains reported losing about 800 colonies within 25 days.
• A Horticulture Department official said the department and UAS-B were creating awareness about traps, but the adapted beetle could not currently be controlled.

Prelims pointers

• The tenth Lancet Countdown indicator report placed India, China, the United States and Russia among countries with the highest heatwave exposure for infants and older adults.
• In 2025, older adults experienced 10.8 billion person-days of heatwaves globally, while infants experienced 1.1 billion person-days.
• Population-normalised exposure in 2025 averaged 12.8 heatwave days per older adult and 8.7 days per infant.
• The report linked heat to an estimated 710,000 deaths in 2023 and said 71.5% of those deaths were driven by climate change.
• The authors estimated that climate change caused almost three million heat deaths between 2016 and 2023.

Prelims pointers

• Methane is the main component of natural gas and is described as the second-largest cause of global warming after carbon dioxide.
• Methane accounts for about one-third, or 0.5°C, of planetary heating since the pre-industrial era, according to the article.
• Methane persists in the atmosphere for seven to 12 years, while carbon dioxide can remain for hundreds of years.
• The Super Emitter Program allows EPA-approved observers to report major methane leaks exceeding 100 kilograms per hour.
• The proposed rollback would also weaken rules for marginal wells producing 15 barrels or less of oil equivalent daily and relax routine-flaring rules.

Prelims pointers

• Rice and wheat together occupy more than half of India’s farmland and provide most of the calories Indians consume.
• The article identifies apomixis as a new genetic tool becoming more widely available for crop-related use.
• Private companies are described as increasing their investment in Indian seeds.
• Today’s rice and wheat varieties were designed before the soil effects of excess fertiliser were sufficiently anticipated.
• The research areas named include plant genetics, physiology, development and host-pathogen interactions.

Prelims pointers

• Hepatitis B virus mainly infects liver cells, and its DNA acts as the template for producing new viral particles.
• CRMA-1001 is an experimental therapy that silences hepatitis B viral DNA rather than directly targeting the virus.
• Current treatments rarely eliminate the viral DNA, which allows hepatitis B virus to rebound.
• Henry Wheeler and Treat Johnson synthesised 5-methylcytosine in the laboratory in 1904.
• 5-methylcytosine is a cytosine variant carrying a methyl group, represented as -CH3.

Prelims pointers

• Humans continue to evolve through new mutations, natural selection, migration and random chance.
• Evolution can be discerned through generational changes in the frequencies of inherited genetic variants.
• Genetic variants have allowed adult lactose digestion to persist longer in some human populations over recent millennia.
• Many Tibetans carry EPAS1 variants that help them cope with low oxygen without high haemoglobin concentrations.
• In malaria-endemic regions, one copy of the sickle-cell variant provides some protection against severe malaria.

Prelims pointers

• Israel uses nationwide proportional representation, with the whole country treated as one constituency for elections to the 120-member Knesset.
• Israeli voters choose a closed party list rather than an individual candidate, and seats are allocated by national vote share.
• A political list must cross 3.25% of Israel's national vote, equivalent to roughly four seats, to enter the Knesset.
• A governing coalition needs at least 61 seats, and the report says no single Israeli party has ever won that outright majority.
• The first nominee to form a government gets 28 days, while the President may grant an extension of up to 14 additional days.

Prelims pointers

• KIIFB was established in 1999 and underwent a major restructuring in 2016 to mobilise extra-budgetary resources for infrastructure.
• The expert panel recommended winding up KIIFB after its borrowing function was clubbed with the State budget.
• The FRBM Act, 2003 imposed a hard budget constraint with the State fiscal deficit capped at 3% of GSDP.
• The RBI monitors State debt, while the CAG tracks off-budget borrowings and says actual liabilities are higher than its count.
• Under the Domar rule described in the article, borrowing is productive when output growth exceeds the interest rate on the loans.

Prelims pointers

• India and Mexico signed Terms of Reference to start negotiations on a Preferential Trade Agreement on October 28, 2026.
• The ToR followed an understanding reached by Narendra Modi and Claudia Sheinbaum at the G7 Summit in Canada in June 2025.
• The ToR covers goods market access, rules of origin, customs and trade facilitation, dispute settlement, SPS measures, technical barriers and trade remedies.
• Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal represented India, while Undersecretary Luis Rosendo Gutiérrez Romano represented the Mexican side.
• The two sides discussed a possible Mexican business mission to India during the first quarter of 2027.

Prelims pointers

• NPPA released revised MRPs for 543 anti-cancer medicine brands, with the new prices effective from November 9.
• On October 17, NPPA announced Trade Margin Rationalisation for 137 non-scheduled anti-cancer drugs.
• The covered medicines included immunotherapies for more than 20 cancer types, Denosumab, Pegfilgrastim and Bevacizumab.
• JSA India cited a palbociclib brand falling from about ₹40,421 to ₹2,720 per pack and thiotepa from about ₹80,072 to ₹7,150 per vial.
• The group criticised a 42.8% markup over Price to Stockist and contrasted it with the 16% DPCO margin for scheduled formulations.

Prelims pointers

• Ashwini Vaishnaw said the DPDP Act protected personal data without infringing constitutionally guaranteed journalistic freedom.
• News publishers said the absence of a specific journalism exemption could hinder public-interest investigations using personal information.
• Publishers also raised concerns about retaining investigative material and protecting confidential sources.
• The report said the government was open to a parliamentary amendment explicitly safeguarding journalistic activities if necessary.
• The Minister said the law followed a Supreme Court judgment recognising privacy as a fundamental right and more than a year of stakeholder consultations.

Prelims pointers

• BIS seized 13,021 Ninja kitchen appliances valued at approximately ₹8 crore from a company premises in Bengaluru.
• The seized stock comprised 8,713 air fryers and 4,308 portable blenders that allegedly lacked the mandatory ISI mark.
• The action was taken under Section 28 of the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 2016.
• BIS cited non-compliance with the Electrical Appliances for Kitchen (Quality Control) Order, 2023.
• Consumers were advised to verify BIS licence details through the BIS Care app and report suspected violations on the BIS website.

Prelims pointers

• The population-enumeration questionnaire for Census 2027 contains 40 questions, many requiring answers for every household member.
• Principle 6 of the UN Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics requires individual data to be confidential and used only for statistical purposes.
• Indian Census databases have not computerised names; names have historically served as placeholders for identification during enumeration.
• The nationality question was used in the 1951 and 1961 Censuses and was discarded from 1971 onward, according to the article.
• Under Section 4(2) of the Census Act, 1948, Census enumerators are appointed by State governments.

Prelims pointers

• Khet Bachao Abhiyan–Rabi 2026 is being organised nationwide from October 22 to November 30, 2026 by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare.
• The campaign applies the “Lab to Land” concept by bringing agricultural scientists and research-based guidance directly to farmers’ fields.
• KVK Ujwa selected 25 programme locations across the South-West, North-West and North districts of the National Capital Territory of Delhi.
• Each campaign team includes four to five subject-matter experts, scientists, departmental officials and innovative farmers.
• The Qazipur programme covered soil health, balanced fertiliser use, natural farming, high-yielding wheat varieties and monitoring of mustard pests and diseases.

Prelims pointers

• The Container Manufacturing Promotion Scheme has an outlay of ₹10,000 crore up to FY 2039-40 and was announced in the Union Budget 2026-27.
• Interest Subvention Assistance has ₹859 crore and offers 3% annual subvention on eligible term loans for greenfield facilities and brownfield expansion.
• Operational Expenditure Assistance has an outlay of ₹8,891 crore for containers made to global shipping standards and sold by eligible manufacturers.
• Testing and certification assistance has ₹150 crore for common facilities such as dynamic longitudinal impact testing.
• The scheme envisages raising annual domestic container capacity roughly ten-fold to 7.5 lakh TEUs and generating about 3,000 direct and over 50,000 indirect jobs.

Prelims pointers

• Viksit Bharat Buildathon 2025 received Guinness certification as the largest innovation solution competition, with 2,87,967 submissions.
• The Buildathon was organised by DoSEL with Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog, and AICTE across Idea and Prototype tracks.
• A three-tier assessment at district, state and national levels selected 1,000 district, 100 state and 10 national awardees.
• Five Prototype-track winners received ₹2,50,000 each, while five Idea-track winners received ₹1,00,000 each.
• Under the ULLAS guidelines, each student teacher must support the literacy and certification of five to eight non-literate learners.

Prelims pointers

• PM Viksit Gram Swaraj Yojana is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme for 2026-27 to 2030-31, co-terminus with the Sixteenth Finance Commission period.
• Its ₹7,395.55 crore outlay comprises a Central share of ₹4,869.48 crore and a State share of ₹2,526.07 crore.
• The scheme will support 2.55 lakh holistic Gram Panchayat Development Plans annually on the eGramSwaraj Portal.
• At least 2.55 lakh online audit plans will be prepared annually, with corresponding audits to be completed through AuditOnline.
• PANCHAM is an AI-enabled, multilingual, two-way communication platform in 17 Indian languages that the scheme will use for accessible outreach.

Prelims pointers

• PRAGATI is an ICT-enabled, multi-modal platform intended to foster Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation.
• The 54th PRAGATI meeting reviewed Railways, Ekta Mall and Drug Park projects covering 31 States and Union Territories and costing more than ₹16,000 crore.
• Bulk Drug Parks in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh were reviewed with emphasis on domestic production of active pharmaceutical ingredients and essential inputs.
• Chief Secretaries were asked to review schemes with District Magistrates every month to address implementation gaps and improve timely benefit delivery.
• Redeveloped major railway stations were envisaged as multimodal transport hubs with seamless connectivity to metro and other transport networks.

Prelims pointers

• The CBD COP-17 side event in Yerevan was organised by the Environment Ministry with the National Biodiversity Authority and UNDP.
• India’s 2026 I-OECM guidelines support recognition of conservation outcomes beyond conventional protected areas, subject to criteria and governance.
• The fifth national report on the Cartagena Protocol reflects India’s emphasis on transparent reporting and responsible biosafety governance.
• The Nagoya Protocol provides a basis for fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilisation of genetic resources.
• The four releases also included a CBD reference handbook with an Indian perspective and a publication presenting India’s ABS experience.

Prelims pointers

• KNG22 was a 19-month-old male cheetah of Kuno National Park and an offspring of cheetah Nirva.
• The injured cheetah was found on 25 October 2026 in Morena’s territorial forests, outside Kuno National Park’s protected area.
• Five firearm pellets were recovered during emergency surgery in Jabalpur, and the cheetah died on 27 October 2026.
• The Central team includes an NTCA Inspector General of Forests and an Additional Director and Regional Deputy Director from WCCB.
• Madhya Pradesh formed a Special Task Force of Forest and Police officers, while the Central team will review security, monitoring and protection measures.

Prelims pointers

• The Khelo India Sports Goods Manufacturing Scheme has an outlay of ₹1,856.67 crore for the period 2026 to 2033-34.
• Sports Goods Manufacturing Zones will co-locate manufacturers, suppliers, testing facilities, design and prototyping centres, and ancillary enterprises.
• Anchor Investment Support and Turnover Linked Support together carry an outlay of ₹1,130 crore.
• ₹105 crore is allocated to help manufacturers obtain and renew certifications from International Sports Federations.
• Research and development will converge with the Anusandhan National Research Foundation, while start-up support will align with Startup India.

Prelims pointers

• Rajnath Singh met U.S. Secretary Pete Hegseth during ADMM-Plus in Cebu on October 28, 2026.
• The two sides reviewed progress under the India–U.S. Major Defence Partnership and their foundational security agreements.
• The meeting reviewed the 10-year India–U.S. Defence Framework and discussed military-to-military exchanges.
• Operational readiness, technology sharing and defence-industrial integration were identified as areas for deeper cooperation.
• The talks covered maritime-security cooperation, defence supply chains and the two countries’ stated resolve against terrorism.

Prelims pointers

• The GeM–Laghu Udyog Bharati partnership was formalised by a 2024 memorandum of understanding and has facilitated 108 virtual conferences.
• GeM reduced transaction charges from 0.50% to 0.30% of order value and raised the exemption threshold from ₹5 lakh to ₹10 lakh.
• For orders above ₹10 crore, GeM capped transaction charges at ₹3 lakh, replacing an earlier maximum of ₹72.50 lakh.
• Nearly 97% of GeM orders attract no transaction charge, and the onboarding Caution Money deposit was removed in July 2025.
• GeM has integrated with all five TReDS exchanges, while GeM SAHAY provides collateral-free lending against purchase orders on the platform.

Prelims pointers

• India and Mexico signed Terms of Reference that set the framework, scope, modalities and roadmap for Preferential Trade Agreement negotiations.
• The initiative follows an understanding reached by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Claudia Sheinbaum at the G7 Summit in Canada in June 2025.
• The mandate covers goods market access, rules of origin, customs and trade facilitation, dispute settlement, SPS measures, technical barriers and trade remedies.
• Potential cooperation sectors include automotive, chemicals, electronics, pharmaceuticals, agri-food, energy, critical minerals, medical devices and advanced manufacturing.
• The two sides discussed a possible Mexican business mission to India during the first quarter of 2027 for business-to-business engagement.

Prelims pointers

• DoT led the Intelligent Networks and Quantum Communication session at ESTIC 2026 in Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi on October 28, 2026.
• The Telecommunications Technology Development Fund has supported more than 130 indigenous R&D projects worth about ₹500 crore.
• The Technology Development and Investment Promotion Scheme has an outlay above ₹200 crore and was renewed for five years through 2031.
• The vision priorities include indigenous 6G, AI-native networks, AI-driven cyber defence, a national quantum-secure backbone and zero-trust cyber-resilience.
• C-DOT and BSNL showcased quantum communication and Mission Critical Services, while DoT displayed Sanchar Saathi and Samridhh Gram.

Prelims pointers

• Rajnath Singh and South Korean Defence Minister Kang Shin-chul met in Cebu on October 28, 2026, during the 13th ADMM-Plus.
• India and South Korea discussed co-developing military technologies and enhancing joint defence-industry collaboration.
• The two ministers identified maritime security as one pathway for strengthening security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.
• The Philippines chaired the 13th ADMM-Plus meeting held from October 28 to 29, 2026.
• ADMM-Plus brings together ASEAN member states and eight dialogue partners, including India and South Korea.

Prelims pointers

• Rajnath Singh and Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi met in Cebu on October 28, 2026, on the margins of ADMM-Plus.
• Maritime discussions covered mine-countermeasure capabilities and possible joint development in naval shipbuilding and design.
• Veer Guardian 26 included the first visit to India by fighter aircraft of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force.
• Approximately 40 companies from India and Japan participated in the India–Japan Defence Industry Forum in Tokyo.
• The ministers sought faster discussions on the fourth Japan–India 2+2 meeting and a Defence Ministers’ Meeting in Tokyo.

Prelims pointers

• INS Sahyadri arrived at Busan Naval Harbour on October 26, 2026, for an India–Republic of Korea Navy bilateral exercise.
• INS Sahyadri is an indigenously designed and built guided-missile stealth frigate of the Indian Navy.
• The harbour phase includes professional interactions, cross-deck visits, cross-training activities and sporting events.
• The commanding officer of INS Sahyadri is scheduled to call on senior Republic of Korea Navy officials.
• Coordinated maritime activities at sea will involve INS Sahyadri and ROKS Munmu the Great.

Prelims pointers

• The Central Rules were notified on May 8, 2026 under the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020.
• Electronic registration uses the Shram Suvidha Portal, with a certificate due within seven days or deemed approval thereafter.
• Every establishment employing 500 or more workers must constitute a Safety Committee representing employers and workers.
• The Rules set a maximum 48-hour work week and require overtime to be paid at twice the ordinary rate of wages.
• Dock and construction workers aged 40 years or above must receive an annual medical examination free of cost.

Prelims pointers

• The Social Security (Central) Rules, 2026 were notified on May 8, 2026 and supersede twelve earlier sets of rules.
• Unorganised, gig and platform workers aged 16 or above must self-register on the central government’s designated portal.
• Aggregators must share existing-worker details within 45 days and report new engagements in real time or daily.
• Gig or platform workers need 90 days with one aggregator or 120 days across multiple aggregators in the previous financial year for scheme eligibility.
• A construction worker moving to another State must have registration updated on the destination State’s portal within 30 days.

Prelims pointers

• S. Jaishankar held talks with Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger in New Delhi on October 28, 2026.
• The ministers discussed trade, investment, infrastructure, technology, education and cultural cooperation.
• Jaishankar identified startups, space, skilling and mobility as potential new avenues in the partnership.
• The two sides exchanged views on global developments, their impacts and multilateral cooperation.
• Bilateral trade totalled $2.93 billion, with Indian exports at $1.52 billion and imports at $1.41 billion.

Prelims pointers

• Abbas Araghchi said renewed military action in the Persian Gulf could damage international markets and affect gas suppliers and consumers.
• His warning referred to recent discussions at the Gas Exporting Countries Forum summit held in Moscow.
• Around one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas used to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, according to the article.
• Iran restricted passage through the strait, while the United States maintained a naval blockade of Iranian ports.
• A report said Gulf Arab countries were told to prepare for a possible campaign after November 3, but no final U.S. decision had been made.