UPSC Current Affairs, 1 November 2026
14 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
BIMSTEC's seven members hold inaugural maritime security exercise
All seven BIMSTEC members are taking part in the inaugural BIMSTEC Maritime Security Exercise, held from 30 October to 3 November 2026. The Ministry of Defence says it aims to improve interoperability and maritime domain awareness in the Bay of Bengal. The drill builds on the 6th BIMSTEC Summit, held in Bangkok in April 2025.
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NationalGS2GS1
Landslide in Odisha's Ganjam after Cyclone Arnab rain; NDRF joins search
A landslide struck Gidipabali, a hilltop hamlet in Odisha's Ganjam district on the Ganjam-Kandhamal border, on 30 October 2026, after torrential rain from Cyclone Arnab. Twelve people remain missing and one was rescued alive, Odisha's special relief commissioner said. More than 170 personnel of the NDRF, ODRAF, fire services and Odisha Police are searching.
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EnvironmentPrelimsGS3
CBD COP17 closes in Yerevan; Cali Fund design unresolved, Ecuador next host
Nearly 200 parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) closed COP17 in Yerevan, Armenia, in overtime on 30-31 October 2026, approving texts meant to speed up the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Questions on the Cali Fund's design were left unresolved. Ecuador won a vote against Panama to host the next COP in 2028.
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EnvironmentPrelimsGS3
Felling for Karjat pumped storage project paused after tribal villages protest
Maharashtra's forest department has temporarily stopped felling trees on Saidongar Hill in Karjat for a proposed 3,000-MW pumped storage project after five tribal villages protested. Over 1,000 of the 32,400 trees marked had been cut. Villagers, mostly Katkari, say they were never told and do not know whether the halt is official.
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EnvironmentPrelimsGS3
Bihar tender seeks cottages and helipad inside Bhimbandh Wildlife Sanctuary
Bihar's forest-run eco-tourism society has invited bids to build 104 cottages, 12 tree-houses, a helipad and a spa on 12.9 acres inside Bhimbandh Wildlife Sanctuary. The tender, dated 16 October 2026, offers a private developer a 60-year concession for about Rs 62.87 crore of investment. Commercial lodges in a sanctuary need the National Board for Wildlife's prior approval.
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NationalGS1Prelims
Chola-era bronzes of Nataraja and Sivakami found in Nagapattinam excavation
Chola-period bronze alloy idols of Nataraja and Goddess Sivakami have come to light in the ongoing excavation of the Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology (TNSDA) in Nagapattinam. The pair lay one metre down, each with its pedestal, and is estimated to date to the 12th century AD. The Nataraja stands 110 cm tall; the Sivakami, 82 cm.
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EnvironmentPrelimsGS2
CAQM orders curbs on construction and 50% office attendance in Delhi-NCR
The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on 30 October 2026 ordered curbs on dust-generating demolition and outdoor construction across the National Capital Region from 5 to 20 November. State Government and private offices in Delhi and five nearby districts must keep physical attendance at 50% or less. Railways, Metro, airports and hospitals are exempt.
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PolityPrelimsGS2
Supreme Court directs MeitY to curb misuse of live-streamed court hearings
On 30 October 2026 the Supreme Court told MeitY, the Union ministry for electronics and IT, to enforce its interim bar on unauthorised use of live-streamed court proceedings. The policy the Centre is drafting must provide for action against violators. Justice Joymalya Bagchi said in court that authorities under the intermediary rules must act at once on breaches.
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EconomyGS3Prelims
World Bank's India poverty brief applies 2021 PPP lines to surveys
The World Bank's Poverty & Equity Brief for India, released on 30 October 2026, estimates that the share of people below its $4.20-a-day line fell from 57.7% in 2011 to 16.1% in 2023. That lifted about 496 million people out of poverty. Extreme poverty, measured at $3.00 a day, fell from 27.1% to 2.6% over the same years.
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PolityGS4Prelims
Supreme Court: a soured consensual relationship cannot be recast as rape
The Supreme Court on 30 October 2026 freed a Kerala man of rape and cheating charges. It held that sex within a consensual relationship does not become rape because the relationship later broke down. The bench of Justices B.V. Nagarathna and R. Mahadevan found the basic ingredients of every charge missing.
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DefencePrelimsGS2
CCS clears eight next-generation corvettes for Navy at GRSE, Goa Shipyard
The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), headed by the Prime Minister, is learnt to have approved in late October 2026 an over-Rs 40,000 crore project for eight next-generation corvettes for the Indian Navy. Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata, and Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) will build them. A contract is expected soon.
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Sci-TechPrelimsGS3
ISRO's GSLV-F18 places NavIC satellite NVS-03 in its intended orbit
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched the 2,250-kg navigation satellite NVS-03 on GSLV-F18 from Sriharikota on 30 October 2026. ISRO said the mission was completed and the satellite reached its intended orbit. The satellite is meant to help revive NavIC, India's own regional navigation system.
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World & IRPrelimsGS2
UN Commission of Inquiry finds genocidal acts in Gaza continued after ceasefire
A UN Commission of Inquiry's fifth report, presented at the UN General Assembly, finds that Israeli forces kept committing genocidal acts in Gaza after the October 2025 ceasefire. It also finds crimes against humanity, including extermination and torture, in the West Bank. Its Chair addressed the UN on 26 October 2026, and Israel's envoy rejected the findings.
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PolityPrelimsGS2
Centre notifies Census 2027 population count under the Census Act, 1948
The Union government on 30 October 2026 notified the population count of Census 2027. Enumerators will visit homes from 25 January to 28 February 2027, followed by a short revisional round. The count stands as at 00:00 hours on 1 March 2027. It covers every State and Union territory except Manipur and the areas given earlier schedules.
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