MoSPI Releases Volume I and Summary Results of Factory Sector of Annual Survey of Industries 2024-25
Key Updates:
- Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) released the detailed publications of Annual Survey of Industries (ASI) 2024-25, namely Volume I and Summary Results of Factory Sector, along with unit level data and metadata, on 4 November 2026.
- MoSPI had earlier released the ASI 2024-25 factsheet for the reference period April 2024 to March 2025 on 30 September 2026.
- The Manufacturing Corporate sector, with more than 89% share in total GVA, registered GVA growth of 9.28% over the previous year, with factories in operation growing 3.45% and total persons engaged growing 7.57%.
- Net Value Added per Factory in Operation increased by 6.59% and GVA per Person Engaged grew by 2.25% over the previous year.
- Registered manufacturing sector recorded growth of 7.25% in Gross Value of Plant & Machinery in 2024-25 over the previous year.
- The top five industries—Food Products, Textiles, Basic Metals, Motor Vehicles and Wearing Apparel—together contributed more than 41% of total manufacturing employment in 2024-25.
- Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh are the top five states in GVA, together accounting for more than 54% of total manufacturing GVA in 2024-25.
- Factories with investment in plant and machinery up to ₹5 crore accounted for 78.69% of factories in operation, 10.55% of fixed capital, 34.32% of persons engaged, 19.24% of output and 17.61% of net value added.
- Factories with gross investment in plant and machinery of ₹10 crore and above constituted 15.84% of factories in operation but accounted for 87.42% of fixed capital, 59.66% of persons engaged, 76.82% of gross output and 78.07% of net value added.
- Factories producing gross output above ₹10 crore, comprising 47.63% of operating factories, contributed 95.55% of fixed capital, 88.78% of employment, 94.57% of emoluments, 98.10% of total output and 97.87% of net value added.
- ASI covers factories registered under Sections 2m(i) and 2m(ii) of the Factories Act 1948, bidi and cigar establishments under the Bidi & Cigar Workers Act 1966, electricity undertakings not registered with the Central Electricity Authority, and units with 100 or more employees in State-maintained Business Register of Establishments.
- ASI data are collected under the Collection of Statistics Act 2008 (amended in 2017) entirely through a dedicated web-portal without paper schedules, using an establishment approach.
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Railways Sets October Freight Record with 145.07 Million Tonnes
Key Updates:
- Indian Railways carried a record 145.07 million tonnes of freight in October.
- Freight loading grew by 8.32 per cent over October 2025.
- Foodgrains loading increased by 26.3 per cent, while domestic coal loading rose by 16.0 per cent.
- Average daily coal supply to power houses rose to 469.8 rakes from 393.2 rakes, an increase of 19.5 per cent.
- Freight loading during April–October reached 978.78 million tonnes, compared with 935.10 million tonnes a year earlier.
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IRDAI Orders Four-Layer Motor Insurance Structure for Private Cars and Two-Wheelers from December 15
Key Updates:
- The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has mandated a four-tier structure for motor insurance covering private cars and two-wheelers from December 15.
- The four layers comprise mandatory third-party liability cover, optional legal liability towards occupants and pillion riders, personal accident cover, and optional own-damage protection.
- In a circular issued on Tuesday, IRDAI said all general insurers, except standalone health insurers and specialised insurers, must adopt uniform policy wordings and issue a mandatory customer option form and Customer Information Sheet (CIS) at the point of sale.
- The changes operationalise a Supreme Court directive in the case of National Insurance Company vs Thungala Dhana Laxmi, which sought a four-layer structure to help vehicle owners make informed choices.
- Personal accident cover for the owner-insured is mandatory, while additional cover for occupants, pillion riders and drivers other than the owner-insured is optional.
- Legal liability towards occupants, including pillion riders and employees of the insured, is optional; it excludes the owner-insured and their immediate family members, and the number of occupants covered is restricted to the vehicle's registered seating capacity.
- Existing third-party policyholders can add occupant liability cover during the policy period by paying an additional premium, with the insurer that issued the policy, without cancelling the existing policy.
- The customer option form must record the covers selected by the customer and form part of the policy, and the policy schedule must separately disclose the actual coverage and premium charged under each section.
- IRDAI has allowed insurers to determine own-damage cover pricing in line with market conditions and to add or remove general exclusions, provided the basic coverage of the four-layer structure is not restricted.
- Insurers must integrate the new structure with Bima Sugam by December 15, making policies available on the digital insurance marketplace from the date of implementation.
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Sebi allows digital KYC onboarding for NRIs, OCIs and foreign nationals from FATF-compliant countries from December 3
Key Updates:
- The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) relaxed know-your-customer (KYC) requirements for persons resident outside India, allowing digital onboarding without physical presence in India, effective December 3.
- The revised framework covers non-resident Indians (NRIs), overseas citizens of India (OCIs), and foreign nationals residing in Financial Action Task Force (FATF)-compliant countries, while clients in FATF non-compliant countries continue under existing KYC rules.
- Intermediaries can accept digital submission of KYC information and documents, and KYC records will be portable and shareable across intermediaries via KYC Registration Agencies (KRAs) or the Central KYC Records Registry.
- Intermediaries must collect passport copies and OCI cards where applicable, accept overseas addresses as proof of address, and permit electronic submission of specimen signatures verified during video-based in-person verification.
- Sebi mandated an authorised official's presence during video verification, subjected the process to concurrent audit, and required intermediaries to provide completed KYC information to KRAs within three working days.
- Intermediaries remain ultimately responsible for client KYC, including enhanced due diligence based on risk profiles, and the revised provisions also apply to re-KYC of clients in FATF-compliant countries.
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PFRDA Issues Revised Naming And Display Rules For NPS Schemes Effective December 1, 2026
Key Updates:
- The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA), in a circular dated November 2, 2026, revised the naming and display rules for National Pension System (NPS) schemes, with the changes effective from December 1, 2026.
- Under the new naming convention for Multiple Scheme Framework (MSF) schemes, names will comprise the pension fund abbreviation, the identifier 'NPS' and a unique scheme name, with 'Tier II' added at the end for Tier II schemes, while category codes A to E must not form part of the name.
- Pension funds must display the full scheme category or growth category and risk classification immediately below or alongside the scheme name in public-facing material, in a smaller font than the scheme name.
- Pension funds holding a Point of Presence (PoP) licence may display only their own schemes when a subscriber specifically chooses their platform, while other PoPs, NPS Central and Central Recordkeeping Agency (CRA) platforms must display schemes of all pension funds within the subscriber-selected category.
- By December 1, 2026, pension funds, CRAs and PoPs must update scheme names, Scheme Essentials Documents, brochures, advertisements, websites, mobile applications and onboarding journeys.
- The circular makes no changes to NPS contribution limits, withdrawal rules, tax benefits or pension benefits, and does not require subscribers to switch existing investments.
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NPPA Revises MRPs of 1,085 Anti-Cancer Drugs Under Trade Margin Rationalisation
Key Updates:
- The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) updated the revised maximum retail price (MRP) list for 1,085 anti-cancer medicines of different brands, effective November 9.
- On October 28, the NPPA revised downward the MRP of 543 anti-cancer medicines, taking the total number of such drugs in the list to 1,085.
- The revision follows the NPPA's October 17 announcement enforcing trade margin rationalisation on 137 non-scheduled anti-cancer drugs.
- The revised list reflects information submitted by pharmaceutical companies up to November 3 and will be updated as manufacturers submit revised prices.
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Competition Commission of India Approves Kotak Mahindra Bank's Acquisition of Deutsche Bank's Indian Retail, Private Banking and Wealth Management Business
Key Updates:
- On 4 November 2026, Competition Commission of India (CCI) approved the acquisition of Deutsche Bank's Retail Banking, Private Banking and Wealth Management business in India by Kotak Mahindra Bank Limited on a slump sale basis.
- The proposed combination includes referral arrangements for customers of investment advisory and portfolio management services of Deutsche Investments India Private Limited to wholly owned subsidiaries of Kotak Mahindra Bank.
- Kotak Mahindra Bank is a scheduled commercial bank licensed by the Reserve Bank of India and listed on Bombay Stock Exchange and National Stock Exchange of India.
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RBI Constitutes Technical Consultative Committee for Financial Markets Chaired by Deputy Governor
Key Updates:
- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) constituted the Technical Consultative Committee for Financial Markets (TCCFM), announced on November 4, 2026, pursuant to the Statement on Developmental and Regulatory Policies dated October 7, 2026.
- The TCCFM will be chaired by the Deputy Governor in charge of RBI's Financial Markets Regulation Department.
- The Committee will engage with market participants and stakeholders on policy and operational matters related to money, government securities, foreign exchange and derivative markets and their infrastructure.
- External members include Ananth Narayan (former Whole Time Member, SEBI; Professor of Practice, IIT Bombay), Shamsher Singh (Chairman, FIMMDA; Deputy Managing Director, State Bank of India), Neeraj Gambhir (Executive Director, Axis Bank), Shailendra Jhingan (Head, Treasury and Economic Research, ICICI Bank), Aditya Bagree (Managing Director, Head of Markets, Citibank India), Nand Kishore (Managing Director, Clearing Corporation of India Limited) and Ridham Desai (Managing Director, Morgan Stanley India).
- The Committee's Terms of Reference cover functioning, efficiency, liquidity and resilience of money, government securities, foreign exchange and derivative markets; trading, clearing, settlement and reporting infrastructure; implementation of RBI measures and identification of unintended market frictions; emerging risks and international developments; and issues referred by the RBI.
- Meetings of the Committee will be convened at least once a quarter.
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Supreme Court Affirms State Authority to Impose Additional Sales Tax
Key Updates:
- The Supreme Court upheld states’ legislative competence to impose additional sales tax or surcharge calculated on dealers’ sales tax liabilities.
- A seven-judge Constitution Bench treated the levy as an enhancement of sales tax under Entry 54 of the State List.
- The court said the reference had little practical significance after GST replaced the relevant taxation framework.
- The dispute arose from Arjun Flour Mills vs State of Odisha and Section 5A of the Odisha Sales Tax Act, 1947.
- Questions about the Punjab surcharge and direct credit of cess proceeds to the Punjab Social Security Fund were left open.
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Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) Phase-II extended till March 2028, around Rs 7,000 crore earmarked in Budget 2027-28
Key Updates:
- The Centre has extended the Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) Phase-II until March 2028, enabling allocation of around Rs 7,000 crore for the scheme in the Union Budget 2027-28.
- The Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS) under the Ministry of Jal Shakti sought the extension from the Finance Ministry, which directed that all remaining villages obtain ODF Plus certification by March 31, 2028, with no further extension to be considered.
- An 'ODF Plus' village is defined by DDWS as one that sustains its Open Defecation Free status, ensures solid and liquid waste management, and is visually clean.
- The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved Phase-II on February 19, 2020, with an overall outlay of Rs 1,40,881 crore, of which Rs 52,497 crore is to come from the DDWS budget.
- So far, 5.70 lakh of 5.86 lakh villages have been declared 'ODF Plus' as per the scheme dashboard.
- Rs 28,726 crore from the DDWS budget was spent on the programme between 2020-21 and 2025-26, and Rs 7,192 crore has been allocated for 2026-27.
- Under SBM (Grameen)-II, the Centre-state cost-sharing ratio is 90:10 for northeastern and Himalayan states including Jammu and Kashmir, 60:40 for other states, and 100:0 for Union Territories.
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Health Ministry Proposes Schedule M Amendment to Bring Grade A Microbial Limits in Line with WHO Standards
Key Updates:
- The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has proposed amendments to Schedule M of the Drugs Rules, 1945, vide G.S.R. No. 953(E) dated 28 October 2026, to revise prescribed limits for microbial contamination in Grade A clean areas.
- The revision aligns with the World Health Organization (WHO) Technical Report Series (TRS) No. 1044, Annexure 2, on Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) for Sterile Pharmaceutical Products.
- Grade A areas are critical zones in sterile pharmaceutical manufacturing where exposed products, containers and sterilised components are handled.
- The amendment provides for treating any microbial growth detected in Grade A areas as a trigger for investigation, in accordance with WHO guidance.
- Stakeholders and the public may submit objections and suggestions to the Under Secretary (Drugs Regulation), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, New Delhi, or via email at drugsdiv-mohfw[at]gov[dot]in.
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NITI Aayog and GIZ Sign Implementation Agreement Under NDC-TIA Phase II for Road Freight Decarbonisation
Key Updates:
- NITI Aayog and GIZ GmbH signed an Implementation Agreement under the Nationally Determined Contribution–Transport Initiative for Asia Phase II (NDC-TIA II) on 3 November 2026 to accelerate the decarbonisation of India's road freight sector.
- NDC-TIA II is a regional initiative supported by the German Government's International Climate Initiative (IKI), with World Resources Institute (WRI) India, International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) India and Agora Energiewende among its implementing partners.
- The electrification of medium- and heavy-duty freight vehicles in India remains at an early stage, requiring adequate charging infrastructure, innovative financing mechanisms and an enabling regulatory framework.
- The initiative will contribute to India's efforts to achieve its Nationally Determined Contribution targets and long-term climate goals.
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Key Updates:
- The Election Commission of India has removed the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) declaration from the online Form 6 on its ECINet portal in states where SIR is still under way, and it is now available as a separate form.
- The ER Division decided on October 21, 2026 that the online application shall be in two parts: Form 6 as prescribed under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, and the SIR Declaration.
- Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had objected to the change: Joshi wrote on May 16 that no such change could be made without a legal amendment, and Sandhu called it unauthorised and illegal on August 13.
- In a counter-affidavit filed in the Supreme Court on October 26, the Commission maintained that Form 6 was never amended and can only be amended by the Central Government.
- On October 12, the Supreme Court said it had neither approved nor disapproved the modified Form 6.
- The Commission directed on September 29 a special drive to enrol voters left out of rolls in states where SIR is complete, and ordered a Special Summary Revision in 17 states and Union Territories this month.
- An audit committee for ECINet, headed by a Senior Deputy Election Commissioner and including experts from IIT Bombay and IISc Bengaluru, was constituted by circular on October 14.
- Of Goa's 97 voters deleted despite being cleared for inclusion, 88 have filled Form 6 with applications accepted, six are out of the country, and three hold Portuguese passports.
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India and Kazakhstan Sign Extradition Treaty to Combat International Crime and Terrorism
Key Updates:
- India and Kazakhstan signed an extradition treaty to strengthen cooperation in combating cross-border international crime and terrorism.
- The treaty was signed by Kazakhstan's Prosecutor General Berik Assilov and India's Ambassador to Kazakhstan Y.K. Sailas Thangal.
- The treaty establishes a legal framework for the extradition of persons wanted by either country's law enforcement authorities for criminal prosecution or enforcement of court sentences.
- The treaty completes the criminal justice treaty framework between the two countries, which already have agreements on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters and transfer of sentenced persons.
- More than 600 Indian companies operate in Kazakhstan in the pharmaceutical, mining, medical and food industries.
- India ranks first among non-CIS countries in the number of foreign students in Kazakhstan, with nearly 10,000 Indian students enrolled in the 2025-2026 academic year.
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Wanted drug trafficker Virender Singh Basoya was brought back from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and arrested at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport on August 14, 2026. Basoya was arrested in the UAE in June…
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Iran grants free passage through Strait of Hormuz to vessels from India, China, Iraq and Qatar
Key Updates:
- Iran has exempted merchant vessels from India, China, Iraq and Qatar from restrictions on using the Strait of Hormuz, according to Amir Hayat-Moghaddam, deputy chairman of the Iranian parliament's national security and foreign policy committee.
- The exemption for Indian ships is aimed at facilitating the import of medicines from India, while the exemption for Chinese shipping is aimed at securing China's political support.
- Iran collects transit fees from Indian and Chinese vessels, while Qatari vessels are allowed to pass without charges; it was not specified whether Iraqi vessels pay transit fees.
- India imports almost 90% of its crude oil needs, with about 30% of these imports currently passing through the Strait of Hormuz, down from 70% earlier due to diversification towards Russia, the United States, West Africa and Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates.
- About 90% of India's LPG imports and more than 50% of its LNG imports from Qatar and the United Arab Emirates transit the Strait of Hormuz, which is also crucial for India's fertiliser imports.
- The Strait of Hormuz, located between Iran and Oman, accounts for almost 25% of global sea-borne oil supplies originating in West Asian countries.
- According to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), there were at least 70 attacks on merchant ships between the start of the West Asia conflict in February and August, killing 19 seafarers.
- Fifteen seafarers are among the 24 Indians killed so far in the West Asia conflict.
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Iran and Oman have agreed on a specific route for ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz. The two countries are finalising joint management arrangements for the waterway.
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Greenland Lawmakers Vote to Approve Trilateral Arctic Security Agreement with Denmark and United States
Key Updates:
- Greenlandic lawmakers voted 16-0, with seven abstentions, in Nuuk to approve a trilateral security agreement between Greenland, Denmark and the United States to strengthen security in the Arctic and North Atlantic.
- The agreement was signed in September 2026 by US President Donald Trump, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.
- The deal paves the way for more US bases in Greenland while keeping the self-governing island under Danish control, and would still apply if Greenland chooses independence.
- The agreement requires Washington to award contracts for setting up, maintaining or dismantling bases to Greenlandic sources to the maximum extent possible.
- The deal will enter into force once the necessary parliamentary processes of the Kingdom of Denmark, in conjunction with Greenland, are completed; Danish lawmakers are set to debate it later in November 2026.
- The US State Department said the vote marks another major victory for American national security and secures America's strategic interests in the Arctic.
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IUCN Study Declares All 13 South Asian Coral Reef Ecoregions Critically Endangered
Key Updates:
- A study titled 'Red List of Ecosystems Assessment of South Asian Coral Reefs', published on October 22, 2026 under the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems, classified all 13 South Asian coral reef ecoregions as Critically Endangered.
- The assessment was co-authored by scientists from the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), including Dr. C Raghunathan, Dr. Tamal Mondal, Dr. J S Yogesh Kumar and Dr. Chandran Rethinaraj.
- The 13 ecoregions cover about 8,282.6 sq km across India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the Maldives and the Chagos Archipelago, roughly 4% of the world's coral reef area.
- India has four ecoregions: Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep Islands, the south coast (Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay) and the west coast (Gulf of Kutch).
- Based on the past 50 years of data alone, the reefs were classified as seven Vulnerable, four Endangered and two Critically Endangered; including projected marine heat stress elevated all 13 to Critically Endangered.
- Globally, 96% of assessed coral reef units, representing 99.8% of assessed reef area, received the same classification under future ocean-warming scenarios.
- The assessment was unveiled at the United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP17) in Yerevan, Armenia.
- Under criterion E, Critically Endangered formally represents a 50% probability of ecosystem collapse within 50 years, and ecosystem collapse is theoretically reversible unlike species extinction.
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A study published in the journal Coral Reefs by Springer Nature examined the effects of the fourth global coral bleaching event on India's coral reefs in 2024. Rapid bleaching assessments were conducted across five reef…
The first global coral reef assessment under the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems, released on October 22, 2026 at CBD COP17 in Yerevan, Armenia, classified 96% of assessed shallow-water coral reef ecosystems as Critically…
In 2025, coral cover in the Great Barrier Reef's northern region fell to 30% after its largest annual decline on record. The Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) surveys conducted between August 2025 and June…
IndiaAI Mission unveils homegrown AI foundation models EKA-1 and Dhīr (2B, 5B)
Key Updates:
- The IndiaAI Mission under the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) released indigenous foundation models EKA-1, developed by Soket Labs Technology and Research, and Dhīr 2B and Dhīr 5B, developed by ZenteiQ AiTech Innovations.
- The models were unveiled at an event attended by IT Secretary S Krishnan, senior officials from the ministry and IndiaAI, and leadership of both companies.
- Both firms were selected under the IndiaAI Innovation Centre (Foundation Models) pillar, which aims to build indigenous AI capabilities and large language models.
- The government said subsidised access to national AI compute infrastructure and support for ancillary research expenses enabled development of the models.
- EKA-1, built for Indian languages, banking and cybersecurity, has 26.3 billion parameters and was trained on about 7.5 trillion tokens, covering all 22 scheduled Indian languages plus English.
- Soket describes EKA-1 as an open, sparse hybrid language model designed for math, code, reasoning and agentic use, capable of certain on-device inferencing even without mobile data or WiFi.
- Soket CEO Abhishek Upperwal said EKA-1 has been tailored to India's banking, financial services and cybersecurity landscape.
- ZenteiQ's Dhīr 2B and Dhīr 5B are open-source models supporting English and 10 Indian languages, deployable as secure on-premise multilingual assistants.
- The Dhīr models enable offline-capable, document-grounded automation, knowledge retrieval and citizen or enterprise services across defence, government, industrial and educational sectors, especially in low-connectivity or sensitive environments.
- ZenteiQ CEO Prof. Sashikumar said the Dhīr models can run on GPUs, TPUs and mobile phones without cloud connectivity, allowing on-device AI access that improves privacy, security and accessibility.
- IT Secretary S Krishnan said indigenous models strengthen India's technological and strategic autonomy in AI, and platforms like AIKosh can make them accessible to researchers, students, innovators and the public.
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ISRO Chairman V Narayanan said India will have four functional launch pads by 2029, supported by private industry partnerships for commercial operations. ISRO is developing a 2,000-acre Small Satellite Launch Vehicle…
The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet approved four link expressway projects with a combined cost of Rs 17,542.06 crore and a total length of approximately 322 km. The four projects include the Farrukhabad Link Expressway (90.90…
The Defence Research and Development Organisation's (DRDO) Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) has shortlisted domestic firms SSS Defence and Kalyani Group to develop an indigenous 20mm aviation gun…
India's first indigenous long-range one-way attack drone, KAL, was successfully flight-tested at the Pokhran range in Rajasthan from a vehicle-mounted launch platform. KAL was designed and developed by…
Curiosity's 2020 Martian rock sample yields seven organic molecules never before found on Mars
Key Updates:
- Nasa's Curiosity rover drilled a Martian rock sample nicknamed Mary Anning 3 from Mount Sharp in October 2020, and years of analysis identified 21 carbon-containing molecules, the most varied collection ever found on Mars, including seven organic molecules never detected on the planet before.
- The findings were published in Nature Communications by lead author Amy Williams of the University of Florida.
- One new discovery is a nitrogen heterocycle, a carbon ring containing nitrogen, never before found on the Martian surface or confirmed in Martian meteorites, and considered a chemical precursor to ribonucleic acid (RNA) and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA).
- Another standout molecule is benzothiophene, which contains carbon and sulphur and has appeared in many meteorites thought to have seeded prebiotic chemistry across the early solar system.
- The sample came from a clay-rich part of Mount Sharp that lakes and streams covered billions of years ago; clay minerals are especially good at preserving organic compounds.
- Curiosity's onboard laboratory, Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM), built by Nasa's Goddard Space Flight Centre, used wet chemistry with tetramethylammonium hydroxide for the first time on Mary Anning 3, which was the highest-value reserved solvent.
- Scientists validated the technique on the Murchison meteorite, which is more than four billion years old, showing the Martian molecules could have formed from the breakdown of even more complex compounds.
- Nasa Goddard supplied components, including the mass spectrometer, for the Mars Organic Molecular Analyser on the European Space Agency's Rosalind Franklin Mars rover, and a similar Dragonfly Mass Spectrometer will explore Saturn's moon Titan aboard Nasa's Dragonfly rotorcraft.
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The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is launching the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission on October 19, 2026 (3:41 p.m. EDT / 4:41 a.m. Oct. 20 local time) aboard an H3 rocket from Tanegashima Space Center…
NASA's Perseverance Mars rover set a new off-world driving record on October 11, 2026, when its odometer reached 28.10 miles (45.22 kilometers), surpassing the 28.06-mile (45.16-kilometer) record of the Opportunity…
Hyderabad's Jeet Jhabakh Crowned 2026 FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Champion in Debut Season
Key Updates:
- Hyderabad racer Jeet Jhabakh won the 2026 FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) in his debut international season, finishing with 73 championship points, 35 points clear of the second-placed competitor, without a single retirement.
- Partnering co-driver Musa Sherif, Jhabakh became the first driver in the championship's 38-year history to win the overall title in a two-wheel-drive car, and the duo became the first all-Indian driver-co-driver pairing to win the continental championship.
- Musa Sherif also secured the 2026 APRC co-drivers' championship.
- Jhabakh's season included a category second place at the Otago Rally in New Zealand, second place overall at the South India Rally in Chennai, and first place overall at the Rally of Indonesia (Danau Toba).
- Jhabakh also won the 2026 FIA APRC4 Championship, competing in a Ford Fiesta Rally4 during overseas rounds and a Hyundai i20 N Line during the Indian round.
- Before rallying, Jhabakh was a two-time Indian national circuit racing champion, winning the Volkswagen Vento Cup in 2016 and the Volkswagen Ameo Cup in 2019, and transitioned to rallying in 2024 with a runner-up finish in INRC3.
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Pankaj Advani won the WBL World Billiards Championship in Birmingham to claim his 29th career world title, defeating England's Rob Hall in the final. The 41-year-old, the only Indian in the last-four stage, beat…
India's public broadcaster Prasar Bharati won two honours at the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) Prizes 2026 held in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Prasar Bharati-Akashvani, Bengaluru, received the Audio Public Service…
Max Verstappen of Red Bull won the 2026 Singapore Grand Prix at the Marina Bay Circuit, his maiden win at the circuit in his 250th Formula 1 Grand Prix appearance. Starting from his 50th career pole position, Verstappen…
Apoorv Kamble won the FIDE-rated rapid tournament with 8.5 points from nine rounds. Sammed Jaykumar Shete finished second and Vaidyanathan Kannan finished third.
Rajkumari Lanchenbi Chanu Earns Historic Youth Olympics Wushu Bronze
Key Updates:
- Rajkumari Lanchenbi Chanu became India’s first Youth Olympic Games medallist in wushu, winning bronze in the women’s Changquan combined event at Dakar, Senegal.
- The Manipur athlete scored 18.039 points, finishing behind Egypt’s Sondos Sonbol and Venezuela’s Valeria Frannerys Dudamel.
- Chanu scored 9.316 points in Changquan and 8.723 points in Gunshu.
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India will host the Asian Senior Wushu Championships for the first time in 2028, with around 500 athletes from 42 countries expected to participate. The decision was approved at the Wushu Federation of Asia Congress held…
Asian silver medallist Aditya won the men's 55kg gold medal at the World Boxing U-19 Championships in Budva, Montenegro, defeating Russia's Islam Magomedov 4:1 after trailing 3-2 in the opening round. Aditya had beaten…
Manisha Bhanwala became the first Indian woman wrestler to win a World Championships gold medal, defeating American Abigail Nette 8-6 in the final at Astana. The 29-year-old wrestler from Jind, Haryana, achieved the…
Indian sailor Nethra Kumanan won her first Asian Games medal, a bronze in the women's dinghy event at the Aichi-Nagoya Games. Before this medal, Nethra had finished fourth at the Hangzhou Asian Games, fifth in 2018 and…
National Medical Commission proposes rank-based NEET-PG and SS counselling to replace percentile system
Key Updates:
- The National Medical Commission (NMC) has received in-principle approval to issue new regulations adopting only a rank-based system for NEET-PG and super-speciality counselling, with no percentile marks declared in results, as per a report by a 12-member expert committee submitted to the Supreme Court.
- The rank-based system will remove the need for permission from a competent authority to reduce qualifying percentiles in later counselling rounds, helping complete counselling within the prescribed time frame.
- The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) is digitalising the counselling process with minimum human intervention; this year candidates upgrading seats no longer needed to travel to institutes with documents and fees, and a complete online database of UG and PG medical seats has been prepared.
- The MCC will create an audit mechanism from 2027 onwards to identify issues in the counselling process, and the NMC will update seat details well before counselling begins.
- Doctors, including the Indian Medical Association-Junior Doctors' Network, argue the change will not prevent low-scoring or meritless candidates from becoming eligible for seats, and urge the NMC to cancel seats that remain consistently vacant.
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The NIRF 2026 Rankings are expected to be released soon by the Ministry of Education. The Sustainable Development Goals category was introduced in NIRF 2025 as a new addition, shifting the total national ranking…
The National Medical Commission (NMC) proposed a draft amendment to the 2023 regulations for registration and licensing of doctors. Under the proposal, a doctor registered with a State Medical Council and allotted a…
Uttar Pradesh secured the top national position in implementing Mission Karmayogi and capacity building for government officials. Rajasthan and Jammu & Kashmir were ranked second and third, respectively, in the…
Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar announced the 'Vidyarthi Sahayahasta' scheme for rural students. The scheme provides 7.5% reservation within the existing 15% rural reservation for admission to professional…
Supreme Court directs Madhya Pradesh Speaker to decide anti-defection plea against Congress MLA within two months
Key Updates:
- The Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant with justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, ruled that remaining tenure of an assembly is no ground to delay anti-defection petitions, and directed the Madhya Pradesh Speaker to decide the disqualification petition against Congress MLA Nirmala Sapre within two months.
- The petition was filed by Madhya Pradesh Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar, alleging that Sapre, elected from Bina on a Congress ticket in the 2023 assembly elections, voluntarily gave up her party membership and aligned with the BJP; an application was pending before the Speaker since June 30, 2024.
- The court relied on its precedents Padi Kaushik Reddy vs State of Telangana (2025) and Keisham Meghachandra Singh vs Speaker, Manipur Legislative Assembly (2021), which set three months as the ordinary outer limit for deciding Tenth Schedule disqualification petitions.
- The Madhya Pradesh High Court had in June 2026 declined to direct the Speaker to expedite proceedings, citing the assembly's remaining two-year tenure and absence of demonstrated urgency.
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The Supreme Court asked the Centre to provide a summary of the laws, rules and executive orders followed by every state in selecting and appointing Directors General of Police (DGPs). A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant…
The Supreme Court, hearing a suo motu case on NCLT administration, observed that the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) had 'hijacked' the tribunal, undermining its autonomy. The Bench comprised Chief Justice of India…
In a case involving a Hindu marriage, the Supreme Court declined to recognise a UK divorce decree based on irretrievable breakdown and refused to quash bigamy and criminal conspiracy proceedings against the husband. A…
The Supreme Court ruled that once the prosecution establishes a public servant's assets are disproportionate to known sources of income, the burden shifts to the accused to explain the excess wealth with credible and…
Supreme Court Orders Central Monitoring Cell for Child Labour Law Enforcement
Key Updates:
- The Supreme Court directed the Centre to establish a special cell to monitor implementation of the Child Labour Amendment Act, 2016.
- The bench comprised Justices SVN Bhatti and NV Anjaria, who directed the Ministry of Women and Child Development to communicate with enforcing agencies through state chief secretaries.
- The amendment took effect on September 1, 2016, and prohibited employment of children below 14 years in all occupations and processes.
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The Supreme Court, in an order passed on October 13, 2026 by a bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan, directed the Centre to create a dedicated online portal within six weeks for patients undergoing stem cell…
The Union Home Ministry notified the Central Armed Police Forces (General Administration) Act, 2026, bringing it into force from October 8, 2026; the Act governs the functioning and administration of all Central Armed…
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) notified the Passports (Amendment) Rules, 2026, which amends the Passports Rules, 1980. Ordinary passports issued to children under 15 years of age are now valid for five years or…
Gujarat government announced the Gujarat State Child Protection Policy-2026, effective from its publication in the Gazette, adopting a zero-tolerance approach towards violence, exploitation, abuse, neglect and…
QS Asia University Rankings 2027: Majority of Indian Institutions Slip Despite Higher Representation
Key Updates:
- In the QS Asia University Rankings 2027, around 71% of Indian universities included in the list fell in rank compared to the previous year.
- A total of 325 Indian institutions featured in the 2027 rankings, making India the second-most represented country in Asia.
- IIT Delhi remains India's highest-ranked institution but slipped from 59th to 66th, followed by IISc Bengaluru at 79th (from 64th) and IIT Bombay at 83rd (from 71st).
- IIT Madras dropped from 70th to 85th, IIT Kharagpur fell from 77th to 90th, IIT Kanpur slipped from 77th to 97th, and the University of Delhi dropped out of the top 100, moving from 95th to 106th.
- QS Senior Vice President Ben Sowter clarified that the 71% figure represents the proportion of Indian institutions whose positions fell, not a 71% decline in India's overall performance.
- Nearly two-thirds of the Indian institutions that slipped improved their overall scores, while IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi and IISc maintained their overall scores.
- The QS Asia University Rankings 2027 include 1,722 institutions with 195 new entrants, and rising competition among Asian universities affected the relative positions of Indian institutions.
- A total of 21 Indian institutions secured places among Asia's top 200 universities in the 2027 rankings.
- Chandigarh University rose from 109th to 104th, Lovely Professional University moved from 187th to 154th, Symbiosis International University improved from 200th to 175th, Jamia Millia Islamia climbed from 197th to 183rd, and Jawaharlal Nehru University moved from 130th to 128th.
- IIT Hyderabad improved from 270th to 251st, IIT BHU Varanasi rose from 237th to 219th, IIT ISM Dhanbad gained 51 places to reach 373rd, and Delhi Technological University improved by 116 places to 584th.
- Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, fell from 495th to 697th, Osmania University moved from 470th to 650th, and Madurai Kamaraj University slipped from 458th to 631st.
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The Centre has announced Centres of Excellence for five classical languages: Classical Assamese, Classical Bengali, Classical Marathi, Classical Pali and Classical Prakrit, to be hosted at five institutions across five…
The University of Colorado Denver (CU Denver) received a Letter of Intent from the University Grants Commission (UGC) on October 7 to establish a degree-granting campus in Hyderabad, becoming the first US public…
In the QS Global Full-Time MBA Rankings 2027, IIM Bangalore fell to 64th from 52nd, IIM Ahmedabad to 70th from 58th, and IIM Calcutta to 95th from 64th, with all three remaining in the global top 100. IIM Bangalore is…
The first India-Israel Hackathon was organised on the theme 'Restorative Healthcare', focusing on practical and accessible solutions for rehabilitation and improved quality of life. A winning Israeli solution was a…
Key Updates:
- The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has established a new wholly owned subsidiary named NPCI Tech Solutions Limited (NTSL) to focus on artificial intelligence, blockchain, digital financial infrastructure, and global capability centre services.
- Vishal Kanvaty, who served as the chief technology officer of the NPCI, has been appointed as the managing director and chief executive officer of NTSL.
- The establishment of NTSL received approval from the NPCI board and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
- NTSL is the fourth wholly owned subsidiary of the NPCI, joining NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL), NPCI Bharat BillPay Limited (NBBL), and NPCI BHIM Services Limited (NBSL).
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The Goa AI Hackathon was launched at the Goa AI Tech Conclave 2026 in Panaji to encourage technology-based solutions for governance and public service delivery through a phased implementation strategy. Granthika is…
The India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2026 launched the 'Viksit Tech 47' platform to support Indian technology firms and leaders in building global brands, aligned with the Viksit Bharat vision for 2047. The initiative will be…
National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI)'s international arm, NPCI International Payments Ltd (NIPL), partnered with the UAE on July 29 and Singapore on September 9 to enable UPI-based online ticket bookings. In the…
