UPSC Current Affairs, 9 October 2026
26 stories from the news of the day, each in short with why it matters for Prelims and Mains. Practise their UPSC-style questions and take the daily quiz in CAShorts.
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PolityGS2Prelims
Article 21 speedy trial: victims may move High Court, Supreme Court rules
The Supreme Court ruled on 24 September 2026 that a victim, like the accused, has a right to a speedy trial and may ask the High Court to expedite it under Section 528 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023. It set aside a Delhi High Court order imposing Rs 10,000 costs and set a one-year trial deadline.
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NationalPrelimsGS1
UNESCO GEM report puts rural India's upper-secondary gender parity at 0.59
A UNESCO Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report study released in October 2026 puts India's gender parity index for upper-secondary completion at 0.89. In rural India it is 0.59, about 59 girls finishing for every 100 boys, while urban girls have reached parity. India is in the 'fast progress' group, having closed over 65% of its gap since 2000.
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EnvironmentPrelimsGS3
London Convention and Protocol parties adopt marine geoengineering assessment frameworks
Parties to the London Convention (1972) and London Protocol (1996), meeting at the International Maritime Organization in London on 5–9 October 2026, adopted frameworks to assess research on three marine geoengineering methods: ocean fertilization, ocean alkalinity enhancement and ocean sinking of biomass. Every proposal must show a legitimate scientific purpose, assess environmental risks and report its monitoring openly.
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NationalGS2Prelims
Ravi Canal carries 400 cusecs; J&K seeks Rs 534 crore
The Ravi Canal in Jammu and Kashmir carries only 400 cusecs against its designed 1,150, officials have found, months after the Shahpur Kandi Dam on the Ravi river began supplying it on May 4, 2026. The J&K government has asked the Central Water Commission for Rs 534 crore to restore it, an official said. Repairs may take two years.
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EconomyPrelimsGS3
Indian Railways electrifies 99.7% of broad gauge; 191 route km remain
Indian Railways had electrified 70,311 of its 70,502 broad gauge route kilometres, or 99.7%, by September 30, 2026, the Ministry of Railways said. The remaining 191 route km lie in Karnataka (120), Assam (55) and Goa (16). Twenty-seven States and Union Territories have their entire broad gauge network electrified, and Southern Railway finished electrifying its 5,068 route km in September.
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EnvironmentPrelimsGS1
Coral bleaching in 2024 hit Lakshadweep's reefs hardest, study finds
A study in the journal Coral Reefs finds the fourth global coral bleaching event hit India's reefs unevenly in 2024. Surveys of five reef regions found up to 37% of coral cover bleached or dead in Lakshadweep, against 11.5% in the marine national park at Wandoor, Andaman Islands. In Palk Bay, normally hardy Porites corals showed 61.8% mortality.
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EconomyGS3Prelims
Gold imports by banks lose GST exemption, attract 3% IGST
Gold, silver and platinum imported by banks and nominated agencies have attracted 3% Integrated Goods and Services Tax (IGST) since April 1, 2026, Revenue Secretary Arvind Shrivastava said on October 8. The Government informed the GST Council that the exemption list was not extended beyond March 31. Import duty on gold and silver rose from 6% to 15% in May.
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EconomyGS2GS3
Coal stock at domestic-coal power plants falls 66% in six months
Coal stock at India's power plants that run on domestic coal fell 66% in six months, from 54.98 million tonnes on April 1, 2026 to 18.69 million tonnes on September 30, Central Electricity Authority (CEA) daily reports show. That is 34% of the normative stock. Plants with critical stock rose from 14 to 75.
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EconomyPrelimsGS2
Mines Ministry launches auction of two Andaman Sea offshore mineral blocks
The Ministry of Mines on October 1, 2026 launched the auction of two offshore mineral blocks in the Andaman Sea, Sewell Rise-01 and West Sewell Ridge-01, for composite licences. Together they cover over 1,632 sq km and hold polymetallic nodules and crusts bearing cobalt, nickel, manganese, copper and rare earth elements. Bids close on December 28, 2026.
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EconomyPrelimsGS3
Centre launches ₹23,731-crore GOBARdhan scheme for compressed biogas
Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri launched GOBARdhan, a Central Sector Scheme for compressed biogas (CBG), on October 1, 2026. With ₹23,731 crore for FY 2026-27 to FY 2035-36, it aims to raise CBG output nearly ten-fold. City Gas Distribution entities carry a CBG procurement obligation of 3% in FY 2026-27, rising to 5% from FY 2028-29.
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EnvironmentGS2Prelims
Andhra Pradesh declares early Kharif drought in 388 mandals, 21 districts
Andhra Pradesh on October 1, 2026 declared drought in 388 mandals of 21 districts for Kharif 2026, a month before the October 31 deadline in the Manual for Drought Management, 2016. It graded 283 mandals as severely and 105 as moderately affected. June–August rainfall was 197.6 mm against a normal 424.3 mm, a 53.4% deficit, amid El Niño conditions.
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PolityGS2Prelims
BNSS does not define detention; Article 22 safeguards apply on arrest
Delhi Police detained Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and other Opposition leaders during protests in New Delhi on October 6 and again on October 7, 2026. The Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 does not define detention. Article 22 requires an arrested person to be told the grounds and produced before a magistrate within 24 hours.
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PolityGS2Prelims
MeitY urges social media platforms to curb manipulated, out-of-context content
MeitY on October 8, 2026 urged social media platforms to curb false, manipulated or out-of-context content, such as old photos and videos shown as current events. It said such posts can disturb public order and asked platforms to prioritise complaints from authorised government agencies. IT Rules already require takedowns within three hours of a court order or government notice.
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PolityGS2Prelims
West Bengal voters seek Supreme Court inquiry into SIR deletions
Five West Bengal voters struck off the electoral roll during the special intensive revision (SIR) moved the Supreme Court on October 8, 2026, seeking a Special Investigation Team inquiry. They say they got no notice before deletion and no speaking order, and their appeals have been pending for months. Kolkata and Howrah municipal elections are tentatively due in late November.
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World & IRGS3GS2
At East Asia Summit meeting, India outlines 2,000 MW Singapore power link
Minister of State for Power Shripad Yesso Naik told the 20th East Asia Summit Energy Ministers' Meeting in Manila on October 8 that India and Singapore are exploring a proposed 2,000 MW cross-border power interconnection. One option is a land corridor of about 3,000 km from Imphal through Myanmar, Thailand and Malaysia. India also backed the ASEAN Power Grid.
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EnvironmentPrelimsGS3
NHAI details ₹19,700 crore wildlife safeguards against habitat fragmentation on highways
The National Highways Authority of India has released a document on wildlife mitigation along national highways, the Road Transport Ministry said on October 8. About ₹19,700 crore went into wildlife mitigation and related environmental protection over five years, including ₹4,600 crore on animal underpasses. More than 2,150 mitigation structures have been built or proposed.
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Sci-TechGS3GS2
Centre rejects Musk's Starlink 'blocked' charge; three satcom licensees under security review
The Ministry of Communications said on October 8, 2026 that security assessments are under way for all three satellite communication licensees, which can seek spectrum only after clearing them. A day after Elon Musk alleged that 'certain oligarchs' were blocking Starlink, it called claims of discrimination baseless, saying all three are at broadly the same regulatory stage.
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PolityGS2Prelims
Home Ministry brings CAPF Act into force amid Supreme Court challenge
The Home Ministry brought the Central Armed Police Forces (General Administration) Act, 2026 into force on October 8. Its rules must fill 50% of Inspector General and at least 67% of Additional Director General posts in five forces through IPS deputation. The Supreme Court has listed serving officers' challenges to the Act, with related contempt petitions, for October 15.
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Sci-TechGS3GS2
PM calls for global framework against cyber fraud and deepfakes
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, inaugurating the 10th India Mobile Congress in New Delhi on October 8, 2026, called for a global framework against cyber fraud and deepfakes involving governments, technology companies, telecom operators and financial institutions. He urged the GSMA and telecom operators worldwide to build a mechanism that stops fraud before it reaches people.
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NationalGS3GS2
Centre approves 30% trade-margin cap on non-scheduled cancer medicines
The Union government announced on October 8, 2026 a cap on trade margins for non-scheduled anti-cancer medicines at 30% of the maximum retail price. It expects prices to fall by up to 70%, saving patients ₹2,500 crore a year. A Directorate General of Health Services committee will list the medicines; the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority will then notify the cap.
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EconomyPrelimsGS3
US suspends TCS, Infosys, Wipro and others from Green Card labour certification
US Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling on 8 October 2026 suspended six IT outsourcing firms, Cognizant, Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro, HCL and Capgemini, from the Permanent Labor Certification Program (PERM), as the administration alleged visa fraud. Microsoft and Adobe were also suspended over active federal investigations. PERM is the step through which US employers sponsor foreign workers for Green Cards.
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NationalPrelimsGS2
Health Ministry launches JOSH youth teams for TB outreach in 55 districts
The Union Health Ministry launched JOSH (Joint Squad for Health) teams under the TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan on 8 October 2026. Each team of five NCC cadets and five MY Bharat volunteers, led by a Class-I officer, will urge people to get tested and help patients finish treatment. Phase one covers 55 districts in 11 States and Union Territories.
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NationalGS2Prelims
PRASHAST inclusion module reaches over 60,000 schools
The Education Ministry said on 8 October 2026 that over 60,000 schools joined a nationwide viewing of a 30-minute inclusive-education module on its PRASHAST portal, a tool for spotting children with probable disabilities under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016. More than 72 lakh teachers have been sensitised through the module, which runs in 12 Indian languages.
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EconomyGS3Prelims
India, UK agree to back GIFT IFSC, welcome wider rupee use
India and the UK held their fourth Financial Markets Dialogue in London on September 29, 2026. In a joint statement on October 7, they agreed to keep cooperating on developing GIFT IFSC and discussed cross-border equity and bond listings there. Both sides welcomed wider use of the rupee and recognised London as the leading offshore rupee trading hub.
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DefencePrelimsGS3
Coast Guard's SAREX-2026 rehearses mass air-sea rescue off Paradip, Odisha
The Indian Coast Guard held SAREX-2026, the 12th National Maritime Search and Rescue Exercise, off Paradip, Odisha, on October 8. It simulated a passenger aircraft carrying 228 people ditching at sea and striking a container ship, causing damage and fire. Fifteen Coast Guard ships, Indian Navy ships and Indian Air Force aircraft took part, with 32 observers from 30 countries.
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EnvironmentPrelimsGS2
NBA receives ₹9.68 crore under Access and Benefit Sharing; seed sector leads
The National Biodiversity Authority received ₹9.68 crore from users of India's biological resources in April–September 2026 under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, the Environment Ministry said on October 8. The agri-seed sector paid the most, ₹7.16 crore. Since 2008, Access and Benefit Sharing has brought the Authority about ₹278 crore, of which more than ₹200 crore has been disbursed.
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