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Daily edition · Friday

UPSC Current Affairs, 30 October 2026

9 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.

  1. World & IRPrelimsGS2

    US Freedom of Navigation report: three operations against India's maritime claims

    A US report lists three Freedom of Navigation Operations (FONOPs) against Indian maritime claims in fiscal year 2025. That is India's highest yearly count in public records since 1991. They contested Lakshadweep's straight baselines, India's consent rule for foreign military drills in its exclusive economic zone, and hazardous-cargo notice.

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  2. PolityGS2GS3

    Narmada Control Authority's Review Committee adopts Sardar Sarovar dues settlement

    Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan will settle their pending Sardar Sarovar dues in one go. The Review Committee for Narmada Control Authority (RCNCA) adopted their 7 July 2026 agreement as a one-time settlement at its 15th meeting on 27 October 2026. It also adopted the Attorney General's opinion and approved the modalities for paying the outstanding dues within 2026-27.

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  3. PolityGS3GS2

    Supreme Court asks NCLT, NCLAT heads for four-week infrastructure and staff plan

    The Supreme Court on 29 October 2026 directed the heads of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) and the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) to submit proposals within four weeks. These are to cover infrastructure, land, buildings and staff. The Court also asked the Centre to hold a meeting with stakeholders.

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  4. World & IRPrelimsGS3

    UNODC survey: Afghan opium cultivation quadruples in 2026 despite Taliban ban

    The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reported on 29 October 2026 that opium poppy in Afghanistan covered more than 43,000 hectares in 2026, up from about 10,000 hectares in 2025. Estimated opium output rose from about 300 tonnes to just under 1,500 tonnes. The rise came despite the Taliban's 2022 ban on the crop.

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  5. EnvironmentGS3Prelims

    Madhya Pradesh translocates over 1,200 protected blackbucks and nilgai from Shajapur farmland

    Madhya Pradesh has moved more than 1,236 crop-raiding blackbucks and nilgai out of Shajapur district, its Chief Minister said on 28 October 2026. Helicopters herd them into boma enclosures; trucks take them to forests of Sheopur, Gandhi Sagar and Rani Durgavati. The Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 lists the blackbuck in Schedule I and the nilgai in Schedule II.

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  6. EnvironmentPrelimsGS3

    DRI seizes 45 live reptiles smuggled from Bangkok at Trichy airport

    The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seized 45 live reptiles from two Indian passengers at Trichy International Airport on 26 October 2026. Working with the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU), Trichy, officers stopped the pair after their arrival from Bangkok via Colombo. The sedated animals lay hidden in 27 food packets. AIU, Trichy, arrested both under the Customs Act, 1962.

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  7. EconomyGS3Prelims

    PLI scheme for textiles reopens Round 4 with lower turnover bar

    The Ministry of Textiles announced on 28 October 2026 that the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for Textiles will take Round 4 applications. Part 2 applicants now qualify with half the earlier turnover: ₹100 crore instead of ₹200 crore. Round 4 approvals get a tenure up to Financial Year 2033-34. The portal opens on 1 November.

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  8. World & IRGS3GS2

    Japan and Bangladesh make Matarbari port the hub of upgraded BIG-B

    Japan and Bangladesh met for a summit in Tokyo on 27 October 2026. They upgraded their Bay of Bengal Industrial Growth Belt (BIG-B) into "BIG-B for Shared Prosperity". They agreed to jointly develop a Matarbari-Maheshkhali hub for logistics, energy and industry, with the Matarbari Deep Sea Port at its centre. Japanese sources envisage linking the port with India's northeast.

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  9. Sci-TechPrelimsGS2

    Indian Patent Office rejects BPaL TB regimen patent under Patents Act

    The Indian Patent Office has rejected the TB Alliance's patent application for BPaL, a drug-resistant tuberculosis regimen. BPaL joins bedaquiline, pretomanid and linezolid in a six-month course taken by mouth. Patients' groups had opposed the claim before grant. The office accepted every ground they raised, including the Patents Act, 1970 bar on new uses of known substances.

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