Minds of Aspirantspowered by Cortex Desk
Minds of Aspirantspowered by Cortex Desk

26 October to 1 November 2026

GS1 · History, geography and society

  1. Tuesday 27 October · Environment and Disaster Management

    Cyclone Arnab intensifies into a very severe cyclonic storm; Andhra Pradesh landfall forecast for October 28

    IMD expects Cyclone Arnab to cross the Andhra Pradesh–Yanam coast near Yanam with winds of 115–125 kmph, gusting up to 140 kmph.

    • India’s very severe cyclonic storm category generally covers maximum sustained winds of 118–167 kmph under India Meteorological Department criteria.
    • Cyclone Arnab was forecast to cross near Yanam between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam by the forenoon of October 28, 2026.
    • The India Meteorological Department bulletin forecast a storm surge of 1.0–1.5 metres above astronomical tide near Kakinada and Yanam.

    GS-IGS-III

  2. Sunday 1 November · Polity and Society

    Government announces Census 2027 population enumeration from January 25 to February 28, 2027

    India has scheduled the nationwide population-enumeration phase of Census 2027, with separate timelines for poll-bound and snow-bound regions.

    • The Census Act, 1948 provides the statutory framework for conducting population censuses and defining census officers’ duties.
    • The Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India functions under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
    • Census 2027 has two phases: house-listing and housing census, followed by population enumeration.

    GS-IGS-IIGS-III

GS2 · Polity, governance and international relations

  1. Monday 26 October · International Relations / Polity

    India hosts the 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum in New Delhi on October 26–27 under its 2026 chairship

    Parliamentary delegations from BRICS member and partner countries are meeting in Samvidhan Sadan to discuss institutional resilience, ethical AI, global-governance reform and sustainable development.

    • BRICS began as BRIC in 2006 with Brazil, Russia, India and China; South Africa joined in 2011.
    • The first BRICS leaders’ summit was held at Yekaterinburg, Russia, in 2009 amid the global financial crisis.
    • BRICS is an informal coordination forum without a constitutive treaty, permanent secretariat or independent budget.

    GS-II

  2. Monday 26 October · Economy / Science & Technology

    PM Modi inaugurates RBI data centre and cybersecurity training institute in Bhubaneswar

    The new facilities are intended to strengthen the resilience, continuity and cybersecurity of India's critical financial and digital-payment infrastructure.

    • The Reserve Bank of India inaugurated its Data Centre and Cybersecurity Training Institute in Bhubaneswar on October 25, 2026.
    • The Bhubaneswar data centre will house mission-critical systems including Real Time Gross Settlement and National Electronic Funds Transfer.
    • The RBI’s three existing data centres are in Maharashtra; Bhubaneswar adds geographical and seismic diversification.

    GS-IIGS-III

  3. Tuesday 27 October · Internal Security, Environment and Infrastructure

    Security deployment rises to over 2,500 personnel as protests against Arunachal Pradesh’s Siang mega-dam turn violent

    The Centre and Arunachal Pradesh have deployed CAPF, ITBP, SSB and RAF units across the Siang belt after arson and clashes over the proposed 11,200-MW project.

    • The Siang Upper Multipurpose Project is proposed in Arunachal Pradesh and remains at the preliminary feasibility or investigation stage.
    • NHPC received the Ministry of Jal Shakti’s assignment to prepare the project’s Preliminary Feasibility Report in April 2022.
    • NHPC documents examined Uggeng, Ditte Dimme and Parong alternatives, with capacities around 11,200–11,600 megawatts.

    GS-IIGS-III

  4. Wednesday 28 October · Polity

    ECI tells Supreme Court that West Bengal SIR decisions were unanimous and defends 16.10 lakh appeals

    In its October 26 affidavit, the Election Commission defended the legality and collective approval of decisions taken during the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.

    • Article 324 places superintendence, direction and control of elections and electoral rolls in the Election Commission of India.
    • Article 326 provides elections to the House of the People and State Legislative Assemblies on the basis of adult suffrage.
    • Section 18 of the 2023 Chief Election Commissioners Act prefers unanimity and resolves differences between Commissioners by majority.

    GS-IIGS-IV

  5. Thursday 29 October · International Relations and Economy

    India and Mexico formally launch negotiations for a Preferential Trade Agreement

    The two countries signed Terms of Reference covering goods, rules of origin, customs, trade facilitation and other market-access issues.

    • India and Mexico signed Terms of Reference for Preferential Trade Agreement negotiations on October 28, 2026.
    • The proposed negotiations cover goods market access, rules of origin, customs procedures, trade facilitation and dispute settlement.
    • Potential cooperation sectors include automobiles, chemicals, electronics, pharmaceuticals, agri-food, energy and critical minerals.

    GS-IIGS-III

  6. Friday 30 October · Polity and Governance

    Cabinet approves ₹7,395.55-crore Pradhan Mantri Viksit Gram Swaraj Yojana for grassroots governance

    The new centrally sponsored scheme will strengthen Panchayati Raj institutions through integrated planning, digital governance, capacity building and social accountability from 2026-27 to 2030-31.

    • The Pradhan Mantri Viksit Gram Swaraj Yojana is approved as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme for 2026-27 to 2030-31. Source: Cabinet release, 2026.
    • The scheme outlay is ₹7,395.55 crore, comprising Central share of ₹4,869.48 crore and State share of ₹2,526.07 crore. Source: Cabinet, 2026.
    • Coverage extends to over 2.55 lakh Panchayats and Traditional Local Bodies across all States and Union Territories. Source: Cabinet, 2026.

    GS-IIGS-III

  7. Friday 30 October · Economy and Infrastructure

    Cabinet clears ₹10,000-crore Container Manufacturing Promotion Scheme to build domestic maritime supply-chain capacity

    The scheme will support container factories, production costs and testing infrastructure, targeting a ten-fold increase in annual capacity to 7.5 lakh TEUs by FY2039-40.

    • Cabinet approved the Container Manufacturing Promotion Scheme on 28 October 2026 with an outlay of ₹10,000 crore. ([pib.gov.in](https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2329476&lang=2&reg=48))
    • The scheme runs from financial year 2027-28 to 2039-40, including facility creation and production-support phases. ([pib.gov.in](https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=2329666&lang=1&reg=3))
    • Annual domestic capacity is targeted to rise about ten-fold from 70,000 to 7.5 lakh TEUs. ([pib.gov.in](https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=2329666&lang=1&reg=3))

    GS-IIGS-III

  8. Saturday 31 October · Polity and Governance

    Supreme Court proposes bank compensation and prosecution for lapses enabling digital-arrest frauds

    The Court indicated that banks may be held liable when inadequate due diligence contributes to digital-arrest scams, while criticising the RBI’s response.

    • Digital-arrest fraud uses impersonation, prolonged video calls and coercive demands for money; it is not a legally recognised arrest procedure.
    • The Supreme Court bench comprised Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V. Mohana in the October 2026 hearing.
    • The status report cited 123,672 cases in 2024, 58,239 in 2025 and 21,928 up to September 1, 2026.

    GS-IIGS-IIIGS-IV

  9. Sunday 1 November · Economy and Financial Sector

    Centre constitutes High-Level Committee on Banking for Viksit Bharat to recommend structural and regulatory reforms

    The six-month committee will review banking regulation, capital needs, financial inclusion, private investment and digital innovation, including AI and cyber-risk safeguards.

    • The High-Level Committee on Banking for Viksit Bharat was announced in Union Budget 2026-27 and has a six-month tenure. ([pib.gov.in](https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=2330598&lang=2&reg=48))
    • Suresh N. Patel, former Central Vigilance Commissioner, chairs the committee; the Joint Secretary, Banking, is Member Secretary. ([pib.gov.in](https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=2330598&lang=2&reg=48))
    • The committee includes Shirish Chandra Murmu, Padmaja Chunduru and N S Vishwanathan as members. ([pib.gov.in](https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=2330598&lang=2&reg=48))

    GS-IIGS-III

GS3 · Economy, environment, science and security

  1. Wednesday 28 October · Environment

    WMO reports record atmospheric greenhouse-gas concentrations in 2025, with CO2 reaching 426.8 ppm

    The World Meteorological Organization’s latest Greenhouse Gas Bulletin warns that record concentrations of CO2, methane and nitrous oxide are locking in further long-term warming.

    • WMO Greenhouse Gas Bulletin No. 22, published in 2026, reports globally averaged surface concentrations for 2025.
    • Carbon dioxide reached 426.8 parts per million in 2025, 53% above the 1750 pre-industrial level.
    • Methane reached 1,948 parts per billion in 2025, equal to 267% of its 1750 level.

    GS-III

  2. Thursday 29 October · Economy

    India’s industrial output grows 6.7% in September 2026, led by manufacturing and electricity

    Official quick estimates show continued industrial expansion, though growth moderated from August and mining remained weak.

    • IIP September 2026 growth was 6.7%, against August 2026 quick estimate growth of 8.0% (PIB, 2026).
    • The current IIP series uses 2022-23 as its base year and assigns manufacturing a weight of 76.062%.
    • September 2026 sectoral growth: mining minus 6.2%, manufacturing 7.6%, electricity and gas 11.2%.

    GS-III

  3. Saturday 31 October · Science & Technology

    ISRO successfully launches NVS-03, strengthening India’s NavIC navigation constellation

    The GSLV-F18 mission placed the NVS-03 second-generation navigation satellite into its intended orbit on October 30, 2026.

    • NVS-03 is the third satellite in India’s second-generation navigation satellite series, according to ISRO’s mission page.
    • GSLV-F18 was the twentieth flight of India’s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle, according to ISRO.
    • NVS-03 was placed into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit before orbital manoeuvres toward its operational position.

    GS-III

Free to start

Polity

Guided lessons, step by step

Minds of Aspirantspowered by Cortex Desk