Daily edition · Monday

UPSC Current Affairs, 19 October 2026

10 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.

World & IRPrelimsGS2

Pakistan NOTAM extends airspace ban on Indian aircraft to 24 November

Pakistan has extended its airspace ban on Indian aircraft to 24 November 2026, through a fresh Notice to Airmen (NOTAM), its airports authority announced on 17 October. The ban, first imposed in April 2025, spans both of Pakistan's flight information regions and covers military flights. India closed its own airspace to Pakistani airlines on 30 April 2025.
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Sci-TechPrelimsGS2

Supreme Court orders portal and rules protocol on autism stem-cell therapy

The Supreme Court on 13 October 2026 directed the Centre to set up, within six weeks, an online portal recording autism patients who began stem-cell therapy by 30 January 2026, and to issue a step-wise protocol on the rules for stem-cell research. Registered patients may continue temporarily; the therapy stays barred as a clinical service outside approved trials.
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NationalGS4GS2

Kolkata pandal stampede: NDMA's crowd management guide and what failed

A crush at the Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata on 17 October 2026 killed at least 19 people and injured 25. A preliminary police probe found that an organisers' announcement that the pandal would collapse set off the rush amid rain. Seven people were arrested; the State plans to set up a judge-led Special Investigation Team.
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PolityGS2Prelims

Police accountability: Supreme Court panel opens portal on Jantar Mantar violence

The Supreme Court's High Powered Enquiry Committee on the July 2026 violence at Jantar Mantar and places outside Delhi has opened a complaints portal, hpec.nic.in, the Ministry of Home Affairs said on 17 October 2026. Protesters and affected police personnel may both file. Complaints on pellet guns, targeted violence against women protesters and property destruction on either side get priority.
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NationalPrelimsGS4

Gwalior temple truck crash: CSP removed, eight police suspended, inquiry ordered

A paddy-laden truck stopped at a police barricade near Gwalior's Sheetla Mata Temple lost control on a slope at 1:30 am on 18 October 2026, hitting Saptami devotees, stalls and the temple gate. Reported tolls range from 13 to at least 15 dead. Madhya Pradesh's Chief Minister ordered the CSP removed, eight police personnel suspended and a detailed inquiry.
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EnvironmentPrelimsGS2

CAQM orders PTZ cameras with live feeds at polluting NCR industries

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on 16 October 2026 ordered all NCR industries under its Direction No. 98 to install PTZ cameras at fuel-feeding points, stacks and OCEMS ports by 30 November 2026, streaming live to CPCB and State board servers. Its Enforcement Task Force has proposed five closures and 12 sealings after 55 violations in 124 inspections.
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EconomyGS3Prelims

Section 44A: RBI sanctions Emirates NBD branches' merger with RBL Bank

The Reserve Bank of India announced on 16 October 2026 that it had sanctioned a scheme amalgamating all Indian branches of Emirates NBD Bank P.J.S.C. with RBL Bank Limited, under Section 44A(4) of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949. The amalgamation takes effect on 1 December 2026, from when the foreign bank's Indian branches will function as RBL Bank branches.
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NationalGS3GS2

FSSAI issues notices over misleading labels on coffee-flavoured milk drinks

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) said on 17 October 2026 it had issued notices over coffee-flavoured milk drinks labelled “Flavoured Milk” on the front but “Proprietary Food” on the back, and advertised differently online. Their makers must explain why action should not be initiated under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
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EconomyGS3Prelims

India–New Zealand FTA due in force on 20 October; origin rules notified

The India–New Zealand Free Trade Agreement, signed on 27 April 2026, is scheduled to enter into force on 20 October 2026. The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs notified its rules of origin on 12 October, and a customs notification of 16 October sets India's first tranche of tariff cuts. New Zealand will remove duties on all Indian exports.
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PolityPrelimsGS2

Section 125A: Supreme Court allows private complaints over false nomination affidavits

The Supreme Court on 16 October 2026 held that a private citizen's criminal complaint under Section 125A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, over false or concealed information in a candidate's nomination affidavit is maintainable. The bar in Section 195 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which needs a public servant's or court's complaint, does not apply.
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