UPSC Current Affairs, 10 October 2026
21 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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World & IRPrelimsGS2
WHO uses International Health Regulations to verify Russian lab worker's death
The World Health Organization (WHO) said on 10 October 2026 that the pneumonia which killed an anti-plague institute worker in Irkutsk, Russia, on 2 October has no confirmed cause. Alerted by media reports, WHO sought verification under Articles 9 and 10 of the International Health Regulations (2005). Russia reported negative plague tests. WHO advised no travel or trade curbs.
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Sci-TechPrelimsGS3
IISc simulation: magnetic fields may push white dwarfs past Chandrasekhar limit
Simulations led by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, show that strong internal magnetic fields could let a white dwarf grow well beyond the Chandrasekhar limit of about 1.4 solar masses. One magnetised model reached about 2.4 solar masses. The study, published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, is a model result and not an observation.
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EconomyGS3Prelims
PM Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana: all 100 districts have action plans
All 100 districts under the Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana have prepared District Action Plans, official figures released on 10 October 2026 show, a day before the scheme's first anniversary. The six-year scheme pools 36 Central schemes of 11 Ministries and Departments. Districts are tracked on 121 indicators and ranked every month on a dashboard.
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EnvironmentPrelimsGS2
Sarus crane: BNHS holds all-India count to set national baseline
The Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), a non-government body, is holding an All-India Sarus Crane Survey on October 10 and 11, 2026 to set a standard national population baseline. The sarus crane is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, in Appendix II of CITES and in Schedule I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972. Results are awaited.
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PolityPrelimsGS3
NIA invokes Anti-Hijacking Act, 2016 over attack on Indian pilot abroad
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on October 9, 2026 registered a case under the Anti-Hijacking Act, 2016 and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 over the September 30 attack on the Indian captain of flydubai flight 1073. The Ministry of Home Affairs ordered the probe. Since 2019, the NIA can investigate scheduled offences committed abroad against Indian citizens.
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PolityPrelimsGS2
External Affairs Standing Committee seeks public technology strategy document
The Departmentally Related Standing Committee on External Affairs, in its 17th Report presented to the Lok Sabha Speaker on September 25, 2026, recommended that the Ministry of External Affairs prepare a public Technology Vision and Strategy Document. It also recommended an inter-ministerial coordination mechanism on technology diplomacy chaired by the Ministry. The report's 51 recommendations are advisory.
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NationalGS2
Draft Drugs Rules amendment extends prescription-drug ad curb to chemists
The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has proposed amending the Drugs Rules, 1945 so that chemists, wholesalers and distributors cannot advertise Schedule H, Schedule H1 and Schedule X drugs without the Central Government's previous sanction. The draft, dated September 28, 2026, is open for objections and suggestions for 30 days. Manufacturers already face this restriction.
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PolityPrelimsGS2
Form 7 for voter-roll deletions: Election Commission caps filings at 10
The Election Commission of India on October 9, 2026 capped Form 7 applications, which object to a name's inclusion in the electoral roll or seek its deletion, at 10 per elector in the claims and objections period and five a month during continuous updation, online or offline. False complaints attract Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950.
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EconomyGS3GS2
MoSPI proposes expenditure-side Gross State Domestic Product estimates for all States
The National Statistics Office under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation on October 9, 2026 released a draft guideline for compiling Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) by the expenditure approach, with base year 2022-23. No State or Union Territory currently estimates Private Final Consumption Expenditure. Stakeholders can send feedback until October 28, 2026.
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EconomyGS3Prelims
RBI raises daily CRR maintenance floor to 99%, plans OMO sale
The Reserve Bank of India on October 9, 2026 raised the minimum daily maintenance of the Cash Reserve Ratio from 90% to 99% of the requirement, effective from the fortnight beginning October 16. It will also sell government securities worth ₹25,000 crore through an open market operation on October 13 to absorb surplus liquidity.
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World & IRPrelimsGS2
Inter-Parliamentary Union elects new President as 153rd Assembly closes in Arusha
The 153rd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) closed in Arusha, Tanzania, on October 9, 2026, after its Governing Council elected Milton Dick, Speaker of Australia's House of Representatives, as IPU President for three years. The Assembly adopted the Arusha Communiqué on good governance. Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh led India's delegation, which cast India's three votes.
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EconomyGS3Prelims
SEBI notifies Settlement Regulations, 2026 with a fast-track route
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has notified the SEBI (Settlement of Administrative and Civil Proceedings) Regulations, 2026, replacing its 2018 rules. They take effect on the day after the 30th day from Gazette publication on October 7, 2026. Settlement amounts follow a new formula, and cases of up to Rs 10 lakh get a fast-track route.
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World & IRPrelimsGS2
Bab el-Mandeb Strait: Yemen's war reaches the Red Sea chokepoint
The UN Security Council met on October 9, 2026 on Yemen, where a Houthi offensive launched in September has revived the 12-year war. The Houthis seized parts of the Red Sea coast near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and have claimed attacks on Saudi airports. Yemeni Government forces, backed by Saudi Arabia, say they have recaptured the port city of Mocha.
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PolityGS2Prelims
50% reservation ceiling: MP High Court voids 27% OBC quota
The Madhya Pradesh High Court on October 9, 2026 struck down the State's 2019 law raising reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) from 14% to 27%. It held the State had not shown the exceptional circumstances needed to cross the 50% ceiling set by the Supreme Court. OBC reservation in public services and higher education stays at 14%.
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NationalPrelimsGS2
Tele-MANAS helpline logs 47.75 lakh calls in four years
Tele-MANAS, the free 24x7 mental health helpline on toll-free number 14416, has received 47,75,644 calls since its launch on 10 October 2022, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on 9 October 2026. It works through 53 cells across all 36 States and Union Territories. The District Mental Health Programme is sanctioned for 767 districts.
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EconomyGS3Prelims
RBI tightens rupee derivative rules, opens dollar window for oil companies
The Reserve Bank of India on October 10, 2026 tightened the rules for rupee foreign exchange derivatives. It cut the limit for hedging without proof of underlying exposure from USD 100 million to USD 5 million and barred rebooking of cancelled contracts. From October 12, it will sell dollars to three public sector oil marketing companies through designated banks.
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EconomyGS3Prelims
UNCTAD projects 7.3% India growth; greenfield investment share over twice China's
India is the fastest-growing major economy, with GDP projected to grow 7.3% in 2026 and 6.8% in 2027, says the Trade and Development Report 2026 of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), released on October 9, 2026. It puts India's share of global greenfield investment in 2020-25 at 5.7%, more than double China's 2.8%.
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PolityPrelimsGS2
Standing Committee seeks computer-based NEET-UG, NTA accountable to Parliament
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports presented its report on reforming the National Testing Agency (NTA) to the Rajya Sabha Chairman on October 9, 2026. It recommended a Computer-Based Test for NEET-UG, government-owned centres in every district and a framework making the NTA accountable to Parliament. Of the NTA's 39 sanctioned posts, 41% are vacant.
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PolityGS2Prelims
Backward Class quota in local bodies: Supreme Court rejects 34% plea
The Supreme Court on October 9, 2026 dismissed Andhra Pradesh's petition against a High Court ruling that struck down its orders giving Backward Classes 34% reservation in rural local bodies and 33.33% in urban ones. The High Court had held on October 1 that total reservation crossed the 50% ceiling and the State's survey was no empirical inquiry.
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World & IRPrelimsGS2
US sanctions International Criminal Court, the tribunal created by Rome Statute
The United States on October 9, 2026 imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) as an institution, blocking its property in the US and banning funds, goods or services to it. The ICC, based in The Hague, was created by the Rome Statute and has 125 member states. The US and Israel are not parties to it.
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World & IRPrelimsGS2
Nobel Peace Prize 2026 honours international law; Navi Pillay named laureate
The Norwegian Nobel Committee on October 9, 2026 awarded the Nobel Peace Prize to South African jurist Navanethem "Navi" Pillay for her efforts to promote peace and international law. She was a judge of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and later United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. The prize will be presented in Oslo on December 10.
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