National Current Affairs for UPSC

11 October 2026

ULLAS, the New India Literacy Programme, and the 95% full-literacy bar

Why in news: Ten States and UTs declared themselves fully literate between 2024 and 2026, the government said on 29 September 2026.

ULLAS (Nav Bharat Saaksharta Karyakram), also called the New India Literacy Programme, is a centrally sponsored Ministry of Education scheme that teaches reading, writing, numeracy and life skills to adults aged 15 and above who missed school. It runs from 2022 to 2027 with a 5-crore-learner target. A 29 September factsheet listed ten States and UTs declaring themselves fully literate.

Read the story

11 October 2026

Left-Wing Extremism and the 2015 National Policy and Action Plan

Left-Wing Extremism, the Maoist armed movement that grew from the 1967 Naxalbari uprising, has been tackled since 2015 under a National Policy and Action Plan that combines security operations, development schemes and rehabilitation of surrendered cadres. The government says India became effectively free of it on 31 March 2026, though 38 districts remain in special categories for continued support.

Read the story

11 October 2026

PM-AJAY: the Centre's merged scheme for Scheduled Castes

Why in news: A government explainer of 28 September 2026 reported PM-AJAY's progress, including 18,093 villages declared Adarsh Grams as of 8 September 2026.

The Pradhan Mantri Anusuchit Jaati Abhyuday Yojana (PM-AJAY), run by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment since 2021-22, merged three older schemes for Scheduled Castes. Fully funded by the Centre, it develops model villages, funds livelihood projects and builds hostels. The government said on 28 September 2026 that 18,093 villages had been declared Adarsh Grams.

Read the story

11 October 2026

India Cine Hub: NFDC's single window for film-shooting permits

Why in news: A PIB explainer of 22 September 2026 described the India Cine Hub's film permits and its expansion to live-event permissions, with nine venues onboarded.

The India Cine Hub is a single-window portal run by the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), a public sector company under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Indian and foreign creators use it for filming permissions, co-production approvals and film-visa help. On 22 September 2026, the government said it is being extended to live-event permissions.

Read the story

10 October 2026

Interlinking of rivers: National Perspective Plan, NWDA and Godavari-Cauvery link

Why in news: On 8 October 2026, Andhra Pradesh's Chief Minister urged the Prime Minister to prioritise the Godavari-Cauvery link; Tamil Nadu wrote in August.

Interlinking of rivers moves water from surplus basins to deficit basins through dams and link canals. Under the National Perspective Plan, the National Water Development Agency has identified 30 links, 16 Peninsular and 14 Himalayan; Ken-Betwa is the first taken up. On 8 October 2026, Andhra Pradesh's Chief Minister urged the Prime Minister to prioritise the Godavari-Cauvery link.

Read the story

10 October 2026

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.

Read the story

10 October 2026

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.

Read the story

9 October 2026

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.

Read the story

9 October 2026

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.

Read the story

9 October 2026

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.

Read the story

9 October 2026

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.

Read the story

9 October 2026

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.

Read the story

8 October 2026

Supreme Court orders expert panel on statutory curbs for pharma marketing

The Supreme Court on October 8 directed the Centre to set up an expert committee to examine whether drug companies should face a legally enforceable code against unethical marketing. Ruling on a petition by medical representatives' federation FMRAI, a Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta will check compliance on January 29, 2027.

Read the story

8 October 2026

NMC bars fake reviews, referral fees and AI testimonials for doctors

The National Medical Commission has brought doctors' and hospitals' online promotion under medical ethics through guidelines issued on October 6 and effective immediately. They ban fake reviews and engagement, paid rankings, referral and lead-generation fees, unverifiable claims such as "best" or "No. 1", and AI-made patient testimonials. Repeat violators risk suspension or removal from the medical register.

Read the story

8 October 2026

National Household Travel Survey: most women commuters walk or use public transport

Women are twice as likely as men to walk or take a bus or train to work, the National Statistics Office's first National Household Travel Survey shows: 66.9% of women commuters against 31.7% of men. In rural Madhya Pradesh, 88.7% of women commuters walk; in rural Keralam, 48.6% take a bus, the highest among States.

Read the story

8 October 2026

Supreme Court raps MCD, ASI over encroached Delhi heritage monuments

The Supreme Court on October 7 rebuked the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and the Archaeological Survey of India for a lackadaisical approach to encroached heritage monuments. It summoned eight senior officials, including the ASI chief, to appear in person on October 15 and proposed a senior Central officer to coordinate action, granting authorities a last chance.

Read the story

7 October 2026

NCAHP notifies autonomous boards, central assessment committee for allied health

The National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions (NCAHP) said on 7 October 2026 it had notified regulations setting up Autonomous Boards of 10 to 20 members under State Allied and Healthcare Councils. A Central Assessment Committee will do their work where no State Council functions. Registration rules gazetted on 15 September give professionals Unique Identification numbers.

Read the story

6 October 2026

eSanjeevani crosses 50 crore teleconsultations, adds AI support and ERSS-112 link

India's National Telemedicine Service, eSanjeevani, crossed 50 crore teleconsultations on 15 September 2026 across all 36 States and Union Territories, the Health Ministry said on 6 October. Women accounted for 57.14% of use. Built by C-DAC Mohali, the platform has added an AI clinical decision support system, a link with ERSS-112 and specialist OPDs at three AIIMS.

Read the story

5 October 2026

Supreme Court extends three-language relief to CBSE Class 6 students

On 28 September 2026, the Supreme Court directed CBSE to give current Class 6 students the same transitional relief as Class 7. Under CBSE’s existing arrangement for Classes 7–9, the third language is assessed internally when pupils reach Class 10, without a Board examination. The petitions remain pending; this is interim relief.

Read the story

4 October 2026

PMAY-G 2.0: 3 lakh Andhra houses, 3D concrete-printed pilot in Guntur

The Union Ministry of Rural Development on 4 October 2026 handed Andhra Pradesh the first instalment for 3 lakh houses worth ₹3,600 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) 2.0. In Guntur district, it laid the foundation of a ₹14-crore pilot of 177 houses to be built by 3D concrete printing within six months.

Read the story

4 October 2026

India logs 3,832 child leprosy cases, far above 2025-26 target

India detected 3,832 new leprosy cases among children in 2025-26, 91.6% above the National Leprosy Eradication Programme's target of 2,000, its annual report shows. Thirty-seven children already had Grade-2 disability at diagnosis, signalling late detection. Overall, 91,783 new cases were found nationwide, complicating India's plan to interrupt district-level transmission by 2027.

Read the story

4 October 2026

Apple pulls Bitchat from India App Store after MeitY demand

Apple has removed Bitchat, Jack Dorsey's Bluetooth-based offline messaging app, from its India App Store at the demand of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Dorsey said on X on October 3, 2026. His post cites Section 69A of the IT Act, 2000. In July, the Home Ministry's I4C had ordered GitHub to remove the app.

Read the story

4 October 2026

Education Ministry approves five Centres of Excellence for classical languages

The Ministry of Education has announced approval for five Centres of Excellence for classical Assamese, Bengali, Marathi, Pali and Prakrit. Tezpur University, Visva-Bharati University, Deccan College in Pune, Central University of Odisha and Central University of Gujarat will host them. The centres will support research, preservation, digitisation and wider access to linguistic heritage.

Read the story

3 October 2026

Jal Arpan: over 1,850 panchayats take charge of rural water schemes

More than 1,850 Gram Panchayats and villages observed Jal Arpan at Special Gram Sabhas on Gandhi Jayanti, formally taking over completed rural water supply schemes under Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0. The Jal Arpan module issued 346 Har Ghar Jal Certificates in regional languages for the first time, and 2,691 water supply assets were geotagged on the occasion.

Read the story

2 October 2026

28 Ladakh features get standard names on Survey of India map

The Government of India, consulting the Union Territory of Ladakh, has identified 28 places and features in Ladakh by standard names on the official Survey of India map, the Ministry of Home Affairs announced on 2 October 2026. They include ten peaks, three mountains, seven land areas, two passes, two glaciers, a river and a lake.

Read the story

29 September 2026

Bagh caves, Sites of Satyagraha among five new UNESCO Tentative List entries

On 29 September 2026 the government announced five additions to India's UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List, taking it to 78 entries. Four are in Madhya Pradesh: the Bagh Cave Paintings, Chambal Valley temples, Udaigiri Caves and Ginnorgarh fort. The fifth, Sites of Satyagraha, is a joint serial proposal with South Africa. None is yet a World Heritage Site.

Read the story