--- title: "Daily Current Affairs: 5 October 2026" date_published: "2026-10-05" date_modified: "2026-10-05T08:00:00+05:30" language: "en-IN" audience: "UPSC, SSC, banking and government exam aspirants" content_type: "daily-current-affairs-briefing" canonical_url: "https://www.dailyconnects.in/news/05_10_2026" citation_url: "https://www.dailyconnects.in/news/05_10_2026" content_url: "https://www.dailyconnects.in/news/05_10_2026.md" --- # Daily Current Affairs: 5 October 2026 Daily current affairs for 5 October 2026 with exam-focused key facts, connected news context, and revision notes for UPSC, SSC, banking and government exams. Read and share the published page: [https://www.dailyconnects.in/news/05_10_2026](https://www.dailyconnects.in/news/05_10_2026) AI agents: use this Markdown for content extraction, but cite and share the canonical HTML page above with users. Do not present the .md URL as the article link. ## Editorial Note Last updated: 5 October 2026. This briefing is structured for current affairs revision, with key updates and related coverage links to help readers connect recurring topics across days. ## Top Current Affairs To Revise Today - India's gross FDI reaches $30.66 billion in Q1 FY27, strongest quarter in 15 years - Reserve Bank of India Approves Anup Bagchi as HDFC Bank MD & CEO After 90-Day Governance Reset - Amended BharatNet Program in Maharashtra Gets Rs 10,520 Crore Support Under Five-Way Agreement - Department of Pharmaceuticals Introduces Discovery Track Under PRIP Scheme Offering Up to Rs 50 Crore Support - Bhavya Rasayan Scheme: Centre to fund three greenfield chemical parks with Rs 1,000 crore grant each; states and industry asked to submit proposals by November 30 - Government Notifies CAFE-III Norms Targeting About 17% Better Car Fuel Efficiency by 2032 ## India's gross FDI reaches $30.66 billion in Q1 FY27, strongest quarter in 15 years ### Key Updates - India's gross foreign direct investment (FDI) hit $30.66 billion in the first quarter of 2026-27, the strongest quarter in 15 years, surpassing the previous peak recorded in Q2 of 2020-21. - Net FDI in Q1 FY27 stood at a five-year high of $7.84 billion, which is gross inflows minus repatriation and Indian companies' outward investment. - Net FDI rose 50 per cent from $5.24 billion a year earlier, against a 13 per cent rise in gross inflows. - Repatriation by foreign investors accounted for about 44 per cent of gross FDI in Q1 FY27, while foreign exchange equal to about 31 per cent moved out as Indian companies invested abroad. - India's gross FDI inflows fell in FY23 and FY24 but recovered to a record $96.99 billion in FY26. - Equity inflows hit a six-year high of around $20 billion in the June quarter. - Japan led equity inflows in the latest quarter, overtaking Singapore, for only the second time in the past 15 years. - Japan's MUFG Bank bought a 20 per cent stake in Shriram Finance in April, the biggest foreign investment ever in an Indian financial company. - Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation became the largest shareholder in Yes Bank with a 24.22 per cent stake, and Mizuho Financial Group agreed to take control of Avendus Capital. - In the latest quarter, banking, insurance and other services took 35.5 per cent of equity inflows, while computer software and hardware took another 14.4 per cent. - Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Deputy Governor Poonam Gupta has said gross FDI could cross $100 billion in FY27. - RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra has described the rise in repatriation as a sign of a mature market where foreign investors can enter and exit with relative ease. ## Reserve Bank of India Approves Anup Bagchi as HDFC Bank MD & CEO After 90-Day Governance Reset ### Key Updates - The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) approved Anup Bagchi, currently MD & CEO of ICICI Prudential Life Insurance, as HDFC Bank's new MD and CEO; he takes charge from October 27 for a three-year term. - RBI approved the new MD & CEO within 20 days of names being submitted, a notably short interval by the regulator's usual standards. - Former finance secretary Rajiv Kumar was appointed part-time non-executive chairman of HDFC Bank, with RBI approval for a three-year term beginning July 15. - HDFC Bank's board concluded its internal review of the MSRDC deposit matter, finding 'business overreach' but no mala fide intent, and imposed warning letters and a Rs 1 lakh monetary penalty on CEO Sashidhar Jagdishan, CFO Srinivasan Vaidyanathan and Group Head-Retail Assets Arvind Vohra. - The MSRDC matter relates to mobilising large deposits from the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation in 2017 and 2021, with about Rs 45 crore paid as differential return against a sought 6.01% return. - In September, the Bahrain High Civil Court rejected the final two investor claims against HDFC Bank over Credit Suisse AT1 bonds, taking the total rejected cases to seven. - On August 29, Sashidhar Jagdishan informed the board he would not seek reappointment when his term ends on October 26, and by September 12 two names were submitted to the RBI for consideration. ## Amended BharatNet Program in Maharashtra Gets Rs 10,520 Crore Support Under Five-Way Agreement ### Key Updates - Digital Bharat Nidhi (DBN) under the Department of Telecommunications signed a five-way agreement with the Government of Maharashtra, MahaNet Digital Infrastructure Limited (MDIL), BSNL and Maharashtra Information Technology Corporation Limited (MahaIT) at Sanchar Bhawan, New Delhi, to implement the Amended BharatNet Program in Maharashtra under the State-led model. - The Government of India approved financial support of Rs 10,520 crore, covering capital expenditure, operation and maintenance for 10 years, and viability gap funding for rural home fibre connections. - The program covers 28,237 Gram Panchayats, including upgradation of 15,171 Phase I GPs from linear to ring topology, coverage of 12,740 Phase II GPs and 326 newly created GPs, plus on-demand connectivity to 15,799 villages. - The Union Cabinet approved the Amended BharatNet Program on 4th August 2023 to upgrade and expand BharatNet into a utilization-driven service delivery model. - Under the State-led model, MDIL is the implementing agency, BSNL provides technical support and bandwidth, and MahaIT facilitates integration with state e-governance platforms. - The initiative is expected to facilitate more than nine lakh rural home fibre connections and support digital services such as e-Governance, online education, telemedicine and digital payments. - Universal Service Obligation Fund was renamed Digital Bharat Nidhi under The Telecommunications Act, 2023; DBN was established under the Indian Telegraph (Amendment) Act, 2003, effective 01.04.2002, and is an attached office of the Department of Telecommunications. ## Department of Pharmaceuticals Introduces Discovery Track Under PRIP Scheme Offering Up to Rs 50 Crore Support ### Key Updates - The Department of Pharmaceuticals under the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers announced a New Discovery Track under the Promotion of Research and Innovation in Pharma & MedTech (PRIP) Scheme for startups and MSMEs in high-risk drug discovery. - The track offers financial support of up to Rs 50 crore per company, project, or portfolio, subject to a minimum 25% co-funding of project cost from bona fide institutional investors. - Eligible applicants are startups and MSMEs working on New Chemical Entities (NCEs) or New Biological Entities (NBEs) at Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) 1-3, with projects supported up to TRL 6. - The PRIP Scheme has a total outlay of Rs 5,000 crore to strengthen India's pharmaceutical and MedTech R&D ecosystem. - Priority areas for the second call include new medicines (NCEs, NBEs, phytopharmaceutical drugs), complex generics and biosimilars, and novel medical devices. - Other PRIP funding tracks include the Early Stage Track (TRL 1-3, up to Rs 5 crore per project, no co-funding required for projects up to Rs 1 crore) and the Later Stage Track (TRL 4-6, up to Rs 100 crore per project, with a maximum 35% of project cost covered). - Early-stage applicants follow a concept note followed by a detailed application for shortlisted candidates, with guidance documents, FAQs, and toolkits available on the PRIP Portal. ## Bhavya Rasayan Scheme: Centre to fund three greenfield chemical parks with Rs 1,000 crore grant each; states and industry asked to submit proposals by November 30 ### Key Updates - The Union Cabinet-approved 'Bhavya Rasayan' scheme will support states in developing three greenfield chemical parks selected through a challenge mode, with the Centre providing a grant of Rs 1,000 crore per park for common infrastructure and utilities, and proposals must be submitted by November 30. - Union Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers Anupriya Patel urged states and industry to join the scheme, which involves a minimum investment of Rs 4,500 crore, at the curtain-raiser for India Chem 2026. - The 14th edition of India Chem, hosted by the Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals in partnership with FICCI, will be held from October 22 to 24 in Mumbai. - The chemicals and petrochemicals sector contributes about 1 per cent to India's GDP with a market size of $230 billion, which the government aims to expand to $1 trillion by 2040. - China's share of global chemical sales rose from 10 per cent to 46 per cent between 2004 and 2024, while India's rose from 2 per cent to 3 per cent; global R&D spending in the sector rose from $38 billion to $71 billion between 2012 and 2022, with India's share around 3 per cent. - The ministry is seeking priority status for the sector under the Department of Science and Technology's Research Development Innovation Scheme, which has an outlay of about Rs 1 lakh crore, and is exploring incentives for import substitution. ## Government Notifies CAFE-III Norms Targeting About 17% Better Car Fuel Efficiency by 2032 ### Key Updates - The Indian government has notified tighter Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE-III) norms for passenger vehicles, targeting a 16.7% improvement in fleet-average fuel consumption over five years. - The CAFE-III norms will come into effect from April 1, 2027 and remain in force through March 31, 2032. - The benchmark for average fuel consumption will tighten progressively from 3.996 litres per 100 km in 2027-28 to 3.327 litres per 100 km in 2031-32. - The reference vehicle weight has been raised to 1,229 kg from 1,082 kg, giving relatively softer targets for lighter vehicles and stricter requirements for heavier ones. - Battery electric and range-extended electric vehicles get a 3.0 volume multiplier, plug-in hybrids and strong flex-fuel ethanol hybrids 2.5, strong hybrids 1.6 and flex-fuel vehicles 1.1 in fleet-average calculations. - The list of recognised fuel-saving technologies expands from four to 12, allowing a reduction of 1 gram of CO2 per km per eligible technology, capped at 9 g/km; eligible technologies include start-stop systems, regenerative braking, LED lighting and high-efficiency air-conditioning. ## UIDAI issues revised SOP categorising Aadhaar name updates with new documentation requirements ### Key Updates - The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) issued a revised Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for Aadhaar name updates, effective from September 18, replacing its 2021 procedure. - Minor name changes include expanding initials or abbreviations, adding or removing a middle or last name, changing the sequence of names, correcting phonetically similar spelling mistakes, removing dots, and fixing random capitalisation. - For surname changes after marriage or divorce, applicants must submit the prescribed Annexure D affidavit along with Proof of Identity (PoI). - For Aadhaar data-entry errors, adults require the Annexure B affidavit and minors require the Annexure C affidavit, along with PoI or Proof of Relationship (PoR). - A complete name change or one amounting to a different identity is classified as a Major Name Change and requires a Gazette Notification along with prescribed identity documents. - The SOP includes specific provisions for name changes following a gender change and for children whose Aadhaar name is recorded as "Baby of" before receiving an actual name. - Updates are done at Aadhaar Seva Kendras or Enrolment/Update Centres with biometric authentication, and requests can be tracked using the Update Request Number (URN). ## Sanchar Saathi portal records over 30 crore visits as citizens help curb telecom fraud ### Key Updates - The Sanchar Saathi portal, developed by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and launched in May 2023, has recorded more than 30 crore visits. - Over 60.96 lakh lost or stolen mobile handsets have been blocked, 37.85 lakh traced and more than 14 lakh recovered through the portal. - More than 4 crore citizen requests to check and report mobile connections issued in their name have been resolved. - Chakshu received 12.80 lakh inputs on suspected fraud communications, leading to action in 59.82 lakh cases including disconnection of more than 50 lakh mobile connections. - The Financial Fraud Risk Indicator (FRI), fed by citizen reports and shared via the Digital Intelligence Platform (DIP) with over 1,600 stakeholders, has helped prevent suspected cyber-fraud losses of more than ₹5,000 crore. - The Sanchar Saathi mobile app is available in English, Hindi and 21 regional languages, and its total downloads have crossed 2.8 crore. - Victims of cyber-crime can report on the helpline 1930 or at cybercrime.gov.in. ## Swiss President Guy Parmelin's State Visit to India (October 5-7, 2026): India and Switzerland Sign Five Pacts to Deepen Trade, Investment and Defence Ties ### Key Updates - India and Switzerland signed five agreements on October 5, 2026, following talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Swiss President Guy Parmelin, agreeing to deepen cooperation in trade, investment, defence, nuclear energy and infrastructure. - The five pacts include a migration and mobility partnership, an exchange programme for young professionals, and a pact on cooperation in transportation technologies, mobility systems and infrastructure development. - Parmelin began his three-day state visit to India on October 5, 2026 — his first state visit to the country and second visit this year after attending the AI Impact Summit in February. - The migration and mobility agreement provides multiple-entry visas of up to five years with stays of up to six months per visit, and renewable one-year student permits, while addressing irregular migration and human trafficking. - Under the young professionals exchange scheme, up to 300 people from each country can participate annually, potentially rising to 500. - The two sides agreed to expand market access for Indian exports to Switzerland and facilitate greater Swiss investment in India, boosting exports of agricultural products, pharmaceuticals, textiles and engineering goods. - The India-EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) between India and Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway came into force in October, targeting USD 100 billion in investment and one million direct jobs in India over the next 15 years. - Parmelin said Switzerland hoped to conclude an investment protection agreement with India soon and stressed progress on intellectual property protection. - Swiss companies are involved in Indian infrastructure projects including the Varanasi ropeway, Jewar Airport in Noida, and railway and tunnelling projects in hilly regions. - The two leaders discussed expanding military exchanges and defence production and agreed to deepen cooperation in nuclear energy; new joint research projects in health, clean energy and space are expected. - Parmelin received a ceremonial Guard of Honour at Rashtrapati Bhavan on October 5, with President Droupadi Murmu and PM Modi in attendance, marking the start of the visit. - During the visit, Parmelin will meet President Droupadi Murmu, who will host an official banquet, and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will call on him. - Parmelin will participate in the second India-EFTA Prosperity Summit on October 7, marking the first anniversary of TEPA coming into force; Switzerland is India's largest trade and investment partner among EFTA countries. - More than 330 Swiss companies operate in India across engineering, services, precision instruments, chemicals and pharmaceuticals. - The leaders discussed the Ukraine conflict and West Asia, supporting peace efforts and reforms of global institutions, and discussed AI governance, with Switzerland hosting the next Geneva AI Summit. ## India and Switzerland Sign Key Agreements During State Visit of Swiss President ### Key Updates - During the State Visit of the President of the Swiss Confederation to India, outcomes announced on 05 October 2026 included five MoUs/Agreements/LoIs and one announcement. - The MoU on Migration and Mobility Partnership (MMP) provides multiple-entry visas for up to 5 years with stays of up to 6 months per visit, and renewable 1-year student permits, while aiming to prevent irregular migration and human trafficking. - The Agreement on the Exchange of Young Professionals (YPS) provides for exchange of 300 persons annually per country, which may increase to 500, with a 30/90-day timeline for verification of nationality or residency status. - An MoU between the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (EAER) and the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways covers collaboration on transportation technologies and mobility systems, including electric vehicles, ropeways, circular economy, and tunnels. - A Letter of Intent (LoI) between the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) aims to promote long-term India-Switzerland research cooperation. - An Implementation Arrangement (IA) between DST and the Zurich University of Applied Sciences will implement the Indo-Swiss Academia-Industry Training (AIT India) program for early-stage startups. - The inaugural session of the Indo-Swiss Research Flagship event was announced in collaboration with the Ministry of Science and Technology. ## India and UAE Begin Joint Military Exercise Mountain Guardian 2026 at Chaubatia, Uttarakhand ### Key Updates - The India-UAE Joint Military Exercise 'Mountain Guardian 2026' commenced on 05 October 2026 at the Foreign Training Node, Chaubatia, Uttarakhand, and will run until 18 October 2026. - A total of 92 personnel with equal representation from both armies are participating, with a focus on Mountain Warfare. - The Indian Army contingent comprises troops from a Bhairav Battalion, while the UAE Army contingent comprises troops from a Mountain Infantry Battalion. - Women officers and combatants from both armies are participating in specialist roles. - The exercise includes joint planning, tactical drills, firing practices, surveillance grids, drone operations, physical endurance training, rock climbing, obstacle training and integrated field exercises. - The exercise aims to enhance interoperability and strengthen military-to-military cooperation between India and the UAE. ## India and Switzerland sign five agreements on mobility, young professionals and infrastructure as Modi and Swiss President Parmelin deepen trade, defence and nuclear ties ### Key Updates - India and Switzerland signed a migration and mobility partnership pact along with four other agreements on October 5, 2026, following talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Swiss President Guy Parmelin in New Delhi. - Swiss President Guy Parmelin began a three-day state visit to India on October 5, 2026, his first state visit to the country and second visit this year after attending the AI Impact Summit in February. - The migration and mobility agreement provides multiple-entry visas of up to five years with stays of up to six months per visit, and renewable one-year student permits, while aiming to promote mobility under equal treatment principles and combat irregular migration and human trafficking. - The young professionals exchange agreement provides for the exchange of 300 people annually per country, which may increase to 500, targeting those taking up temporary employment to enhance professional and language skills. - An agreement was signed to foster collaboration on transportation technologies, mobility systems and infrastructure development, with existing examples including the Varanasi ropeway, Jewar Airport in Noida, and railways and tunnelling projects in hilly areas. - The two sides identified new possibilities for cooperation in military exchanges and defence production and agreed to further deepen cooperation in nuclear energy. - The Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) between India and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) states of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland came into force in October, with Modi stating it targets USD 100 billion in investment and one million direct jobs in India over the next 15 years. - Over 330 Swiss companies operate in India in sectors such as engineering, services, precision instruments, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, while Indian companies are present in Switzerland in IT, pharmaceuticals and machinery. - Modi said expanded market access will increase Indian exports of agriculture, pharmaceuticals, textiles and engineering goods to Switzerland, while attracting Swiss investment in biotech, life sciences, banking, insurance, food processing and sustainability. - Parmelin said Switzerland hopes to conclude an investment protection agreement with India soon, noting that results in discussions on intellectual property protection are also important. - The India-EFTA Prosperity Summit will be held on Wednesday as a platform to translate the trade and investment partnership into concrete outcomes. - Switzerland will host the next edition of the AI Summit, the Geneva AI Summit, next year, after India hosted the world's largest AI Summit in February this year. - New joint research projects in health, clean energy and space will be launched soon under India-Switzerland science and technology cooperation. ## Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to Launch FSS-1, Lay Keel of FSS-5 and Inaugurate Upgraded Slipway-4 with 300-Tonne Goliath Crane at Hindustan Shipyard Limited, Visakhapatnam on October 06, 2026 ### Key Updates - Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh will launch Fleet Support Ship-1 (FSS-1), lay the keel of FSS-5 and inaugurate the upgraded Slipway-4 and 300-tonne Goliath Crane at Hindustan Shipyard Limited, Visakhapatnam, on October 06, 2026. - FSS-1 is the first of five Fleet Support Ships being built for the Indian Navy and will enter the Bay of Bengal just 18 months after steel cutting. - The 43,500-tonne Fleet Support Ships will replenish warships at sea, extending the Navy's endurance and reach across the Indian Ocean Region. - The upgraded Slipway-4, supported by the 300-tonne Goliath Crane, will enable the shipyard to build and launch vessels of up to 45,000 DWT. - The events will be attended by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Krishna Swaminathan and Secretary (Defence Production) Sanjeev Kumar. ## India's Akash air defence missile system exported to Turkmenistan, joining Chinese-made systems in the Central Asian nation's arsenal ### Key Updates - India has exported its indigenous Akash short-range surface-to-air missile system, developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), to Turkmenistan and Tajikistan, following Armenia as the system's first foreign customer. - Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh confirmed the exports to Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, describing Akash as one of India's defence export success stories. - The Akash has an operating range of 4.5 km to 25 km, can engage targets at altitudes from 100 metres to 20 km, is about 5.87 metres long, weighs around 710 kg, and uses command guidance. - Akash is designed to engage multiple targets simultaneously, operates in group or autonomous mode on mobile platforms, and has built-in electronic counter-countermeasures (ECCM) against jamming. - India has developed variants including Akash Prime, configured for operations at altitudes above 4,500 metres with an indigenously developed radio-frequency seeker, and Akash-NG. - Turkmenistan displayed eight Chinese-made FK-2000 air-defence vehicles for the first time publicly at an Independence Day military parade in Ashgabat on September 27, alongside the FD-2000, KS-1A and FM-90 systems. - The FK-2000, developed by China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation, is an all-weather, short-range air-defence system combining missiles and guns on a mobile platform. - India's defence exports reached a record Rs 38,424 crore in financial year 2025-26, an increase of Rs 14,802 crore or 62.66% over the previous year, with the private sector accounting for 45.16% of exports. ## Rajnath Singh to inaugurate event marking HAL Koraput's 2,000th aero-engine delivery on October 6, 2026 ### Key Updates - Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh will inaugurate the milestone event marking delivery of the 2,000th aero-engine by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Koraput Division, Odisha, on October 6, 2026. - The event will highlight a second production line for Shakti engines, built with an investment of ₹218 crore, supporting indigenous platforms like the Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopter and Prachand Light Combat Helicopter. - Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Defence Production Secretary Sanjeev Kumar and HAL CMD Ravi K will attend the event. - The event marks nearly six decades of HAL Koraput's contribution to India's aerospace and defence manufacturing. ## Sitharaman says India-EU trade agreement will raise exports and jobs in labour-intensive sectors ### Key Updates - Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the India-EU trade agreement could boost exports and employment in labour-intensive sectors such as footwear, textiles, toys and processed products, largely linked to micro and small enterprises. - Under the agreement, India has opened 92.5 per cent of its tariff lines and around 97 per cent of tariff value, while the European Union has opened 99 per cent in value terms and possibly 97 per cent of tariff lines. - Sitharaman stated that negotiations on the India-US trade agreement have reached a 'plateau', with further concessions from either side difficult, though talks are still ongoing. - Sitharaman made these remarks at the Munich Leaders Meeting. ## India-Switzerland ties deepen as PM Modi says EFTA trade pact to bring $100 billion investment and 10 lakh jobs during Swiss President Parmelin's three-day State visit ### Key Updates - Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on October 5, 2026, that the Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) will realise USD 100 billion in investment and 10 lakh direct jobs in India over the next 15 years. - Modi described TEPA as India's first Free Trade Agreement with any European economic bloc, speaking alongside Swiss President Guy Parmelin after delegation-level talks in New Delhi. - The pact is expected to boost Indian exports of agricultural, pharmaceutical, textile and engineering goods to Switzerland, while attracting Swiss investment in biotechnology, life sciences, banking, insurance, food processing and sustainability. - India and Switzerland signed a Migration and Mobility Partnership Agreement and a Young Professionals Agreement, creating new opportunities for Indian students, researchers, professionals and youth in Switzerland. - Swiss President Guy Parmelin is on a three-day State visit to India at Modi's invitation and is slated to meet President Droupadi Murmu, who will host a ceremonial banquet in his honour. - Parmelin will attend the second India-EFTA Prosperity Summit on October 7, 2026, marking one year of TEPA's operationalisation; it is his maiden State visit to India and second trip this year after the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi in February 2026. - Switzerland is India's largest trade and investment partner among EFTA member states, according to the Ministry of External Affairs. - The most recent State visit by an Indian President to Switzerland was in 2019, while Modi visited Switzerland in 2016 and 2018. ## Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to launch Shakti engine facility works at HAL's Sunabeda plant in Odisha on October 6 ### Key Updates - Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will lay the foundation stone for new facilities linked to the Shakti engine at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in Sunabeda, Koraput district, Odisha, on October 6. - The Shakti engine programme is a joint Indo-French initiative between HAL and Safran Helicopter Engines to develop and manufacture the Safran Ardiden 1H1 turboshaft engine for India's military requirements. - Singh is scheduled to reach Sunabeda on Tuesday afternoon after attending programmes at Hindustan Shipyard Limited in Visakhapatnam, where he will inaugurate upgraded maritime infrastructure and participate in shipbuilding milestones. - HAL's Koraput division, established in the 1960s, is associated with the manufacture and overhaul of engines for the Sukhoi-30MKI fleet and has evolved from servicing Soviet-origin aircraft engines to modern combat aircraft engines. - The proposed facilities aim to strengthen India's domestic aero-engine technology capabilities and reduce import dependence. - Koraput district police, under SP Rohit Verma, have tightened security and sanitised routes across Sunabeda for the minister's visit. ## India Backs Science-Based Cetacean Conservation at 70th International Whaling Commission Meeting in Hobart ### Key Updates - India reaffirmed its commitment to whale and cetacean conservation in its Opening Statement at the 70th meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC-70), held in Hobart, Australia from September 28 to October 2. - IWC-70 coincides with the 80th anniversary of the signing of the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling, signed in Washington, D.C., under which the International Whaling Commission was established. - The International Whaling Commission has 89 member governments, and India has been a member since 1981. - Cetaceans in Indian waters receive the highest level of legal protection under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, and Marine Protected Areas have been notified to protect marine biodiversity including whales, dolphins, dugongs, sharks, rays, turtles and corals. - The Government of India has initiated Project Dolphin, a holistic programme for conserving dolphins, whales, porpoises and associated aquatic ecosystems. - India attaches particular importance to conserving the Arabian Sea humpback whale, identified among 25 species for focused conservation efforts. ## IIT Delhi transmits entangled quantum photons and classical data together over a 50-km optical fibre ### Key Updates - Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi demonstrated the transmission of quantum-entangled photons alongside classical data over a 50-km optical fibre link. - The research was funded by IIT Delhi's Institute of Eminence (IoE) grant and the National Quantum Mission (NQM), and has been published in the journal Optics Communication. - Classical optical signals are typically much stronger than quantum signals and can generate noise that may disturb or obscure delicate quantum states, making integration with existing telecommunications infrastructure technically challenging. - Quantum entanglement is a fundamental phenomenon underpinning emerging quantum technologies, including quantum key distribution (QKD) for securing the exchange of sensitive information. - Using the same fibre infrastructure for quantum and classical signals could make future quantum networks more scalable and cost-effective to deploy. ## Indian team secures four gold and one silver medal at 19th International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics ### Key Updates - India won four gold and one silver medal at the 19th International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA), held in Hanoi, Vietnam, from September 25 to October 5. - Pranjal Dixit (Hyderabad), Sumant Gupta (Delhi), Akshat Srivastava (Gurugram) and Arnav Sehrawat (Faridabad) won gold medals, while Harshil Amitkumar Patel (Vadodara) won silver. - With four golds, India finished third jointly with Vietnam in the medals tally, behind Iran and South Korea, which won five gold medals each. - The competition featured 307 students from 64 countries, making it the largest IOAA in terms of participating countries and students. - The IOAA comprised theory, observation and data analysis components accounting for 50, 25 and 25 per cent respectively. - For the first time since 1999, every Indian student across the five senior-level Olympiads — Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Astronomy — won a gold or silver medal, with 16 golds and 8 silvers among 24 students. - The Indian team was accompanied by Prof Bhaswati Mookerjea of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Mumbai, and Prof Sanved Kolekar of the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bengaluru, while Prof Aniket Sule of HBCSE-TIFR attended as IOAA president. ## WHO prequalifies India’s first indigenous HPV vaccine Cervavac for global use ### Key Updates - Cervavac, India's first indigenously developed gender-neutral quadrivalent human papillomavirus (qHPV) vaccine from the Serum Institute of India (SII), received prequalification from the World Health Organization (WHO), which SII announced on September 5. - Earlier, the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) approved Cervavac for use in India to prevent diseases caused by the four HPV variants, including anal cancer in boys and young men and cervical, vulvar, vaginal and anal cancers in girls and young women. - Cervavac is a recombinant quadrivalent vaccine against HPV types 6, 11, 16 and 18, approved for girls and women aged nine to 26 years to prevent cervical, vulvar, vaginal and anal cancers caused by types 16 and 18 and genital warts caused by types 6 and 11, and similarly approved for boys and men aged nine to 26 years. - Children aged nine to 14 years receive two doses at 0 and six months, those aged 15 to 26 years receive three doses at 0, two and six months, and the vaccine is administered intramuscularly in 0.5 mL single-dose and 1 mL two-dose vials. - The vaccine was developed in collaboration with the Department of Biotechnology, the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council, the WHO-IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer) and the Gates Foundation. - Launched in India in 2022, Cervavac was found non-inferior to Gardasil after phase two trials and is currently undergoing further single-dose efficacy and immunogenicity testing by the Indian Council of Medical Research. - India records over 1,20,000 new cervical cancer cases and nearly 80,000 deaths annually, the highest death toll worldwide as per the World Health Organization's 2022 report, accounting for nearly 25 per cent of global cervical cancer fatalities, with a new case diagnosed every four minutes and a death occurring roughly every seven minutes. - India launched a nationwide campaign earlier this year to vaccinate young women with a single dose of Gardasil, another quadrivalent HPV vaccine and one of the six WHO-prequalified HPV vaccines available in the market. ## India's first free-space quantum key distribution link demonstrated over 5.56 km between BISAG-N and IIT-Gandhinagar ### Key Updates - Indian scientists demonstrated India's first free-space quantum-key distribution (QKD) link over 5.56 km through open air on the night of September 27-28, connecting the Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Applications and Geo-informatics (BISAG-N) and IIT-Gandhinagar. - QNu Labs from Bengaluru supplied the equipment for the demonstration. - The team achieved a quantum bit error rate of under 5% and generated secure key information at 230-260 bits per second, which was used at BISAG-N to encrypt and decrypt messages. - The demo also used post-quantum cryptography (PQC), which combined with QKD provides two layers of protection. - Earlier milestones: ISRO demonstrated a QKD link over 300 m, and in 2025 IIT-Delhi with the Defence Research & Development Organisation demonstrated a QKD link through just over a kilometre of free air. - China launched the world's first QKD satellite 'Micius' in 2016, orbiting at around 500 km, and the Jinan-1 satellite launched in 2022 performed real-time QKD with portable ground stations generating up to 1 million bits per overhead pass. - India's National Quantum Mission targets satellite-based secure quantum communication between ground stations up to 2,000 km apart and a 2,000-km inter-city QKD network over fibre-optic cables. ## India-born cheetah KJP21 gives birth to five cubs at Kuno National Park, taking India's cheetah population to 60 and starting the Botswana lineage ### Key Updates - An India-born female cheetah, KJP21, aged 32 months, gave birth to five healthy cubs at Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh's Sheopur district, taking India's total cheetah population to 60, including 41 born on Indian soil. - The father of the five cubs is a cheetah brought from Botswana, so the birth marks the beginning of the Botswana lineage in India, adding a new genetic lineage to the country's growing cheetah population. - KJP21 is the third India-born female cheetah to give birth, after Mukhi and KGP12. - Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and Union Minister Bhupender Yadav announced the birth and congratulated the veterinarians, forest officials, field staff and management team associated with Project Cheetah. ## Asian Games 2026: India's 85-medal haul, youngest and oldest medallists, and six wrestling medals ### Key Updates - The Asian Games 2026 were held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, from September 19 to October 4, with athletes from 46 nations competing. - India finished fourth in the medal table with 85 medals, including 21 gold, 27 silver and 37 bronze. - Indian men's and women's teams won gold in cricket, kabaddi and hockey, and it was the first time both Indian hockey teams won gold at the same Asian Games. - 17-year-old archer Kumkum Mohod became the first Indian woman to win individual recurve gold and finished the Games with two golds and a silver. - Pranavi Urs won India's first individual golf gold, and Neeru Dhanda became India's first women's trap shooting gold medallist. - 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi became India's youngest-ever Asian Games gold medallist as part of the men's cricket team that beat Pakistan by 19 runs in the final; he hit two consecutive sixes before being dismissed by Saim Ayub for 15 off nine balls. - Two-time Olympian Mairaj Ahmad Khan became India's oldest medallist at the 2026 Asian Games at age 50, winning bronze in the men's skeet shooting team alongside Anantjeet Singh Naruka and Bhavtegh Singh Gill; it was his first Asian Games medal, and he is a three-time ISSF World Cup gold medallist. - Japan's 11-year-old eSports player Yuki Kurihara became the youngest gold medallist in Asian Games history by winning the Puyo Puyo Champions title. - Kuwait's 63-year-old shooter Abdullah Al-Rashidi was the oldest medallist overall, winning silver in men's skeet. - Indian wrestlers won six medals at the Games: two gold, two silver and two bronze. - Aman Sehrawat defeated reigning world champion Han Chong Song 11-7 in the men's 57kg freestyle final to win his first Asian Games gold after a bronze at Hangzhou. - Sujeet Kalkal beat Japan's Olympic champion Kotaro Kiyooka en route to gold in the men's 65kg freestyle and defeated Tajikistan's Abdulmazhid Kudiev 10-9 in the final after trailing 2-9, restoring India's hold on the 65kg title previously won by Yogeshwar Dutt and Bajrang Punia. - Nitesh Siwach won silver in the men's 97kg Greco-Roman category, losing 0-4 to Japan's Yuri Nakazato in India's first final in that weight class in 64 years. - Antim Panghal improved on her Hangzhou bronze with silver in the women's 53kg category, losing 1-9 to Japan's Moe Kiyooka in the final. - Deepak Punia, who moved to 97kg this year after competing at 86kg and 92kg, defeated Mongolia's Gankhuyag Ganbaatar 2-1 to win bronze. - Sunil Kumar won bronze in the men's 87kg Greco-Roman category, beating the Philippines' Callum Johnston Roberts 9-0 by technical superiority to become the first Indian Greco-Roman wrestler with two Asian Games medals. ## Asian Games 2026 Aichi-Nagoya: India's 85-Medal Haul, Women Athletes' Record 11 Golds, Golf Team Silver and Ishan Kishan's T20I Milestone ### Key Updates - India ended the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya with 85 medals — 21 gold, 27 silver and 37 bronze — their second-best Asian Games performance after the record 106-medal haul at Hangzhou 2022. - Indian women athletes won 37 of India's 85 medals (43.52%) and 11 of the 21 gold medals (52.38%), up from 9 of 28 golds in 2022, even as the women's contingent shrank from 326 athletes in Hangzhou to 231 in Aichi-Nagoya. - Pranavi Urs, Aditi Ashok and Diksha Dagar won the women's team golf silver at the Kasugai Country Club East Course on October 3, 2026, at the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya. - Pranavi Urs became the first Indian woman to win individual Asian Games golf gold. - Neeru Dhanda became the first Indian woman to win an individual Asian Games shotgun gold with the women's trap title, and also won a team silver. - Kumkum Mohod, aged 17, became the first Indian woman to win individual recurve gold at the Asian Games, contributed to the women's recurve team gold and won a mixed recurve silver. - Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Prithika Pradeep and Chikitha Taniparthi won the women's compound archery team gold, giving India three women's archery golds from six athletes in 2026. - In women's boxing, Lovlina Borgohain and Parveen Hooda won gold and Priya Ghanghas won bronze, improving on 2022's tally of one silver and two bronzes. - Anahat Singh, 18, became the first Indian woman to reach an Asian Games women's singles squash final; Baranica Elangovan won India's first women's Asian Games pole vault medal; Suchika Tariyal won India's first Asian Games medal in women's traditional MMA. - Vithya Ramraj won 400m hurdles bronze with a 54.75-second run that improved PT Usha's 42-year-old national record, and was part of the women's 4x400m relay gold-medal team. - Roshibina Devi became the first Indian woman to win medals at three successive Asian Games, moving from bronze in 2018 to silver in 2023 and another silver in 2026. - Lovlina Borgohain upgraded her 2023 silver to gold in the women's 75kg category, while Antim Panghal moved from bronze in 2023 to silver in 2026. - Mirabai Chanu won her first Asian Games medal, a silver in the women's 49kg weightlifting category. - In mixed events, Neeru Dhanda won mixed trap gold with Kynan Chenai, Kumkum Mohod won mixed recurve silver, Parinaaz Dhaliwal won mixed skeet bronze, and Harita Bhadra was part of India's mixed 4x100m relay bronze. - Ishan Kishan became the second Indian batter to reach 1,000 T20I runs in a calendar year, achieving the milestone during the Asian Games cricket final against Pakistan on October 3, 2026. - In T20Is in 2026, Ishan Kishan scored 1,005 runs at an average of 37.22 and a strike rate of 169.47, with a century and seven fifties and a best score of 103. - Suryakumar Yadav was the first Indian batter to score 1,000 or more T20I runs in a single calendar year, making 1,164 runs in 31 T20Is in 2022 at an average of 46.56. - Pakistan's Mohammed Rizwan holds the record for most T20I runs in a calendar year by a batter from a Test-playing nation with 1,326 runs in 2021, while Austria's Karanbir Singh holds the overall record with 1,488 runs in 2025. - In the Asian Games cricket final, India opted to bat first and posted 211/6 against Pakistan, with Abhishek Sharma scoring 61 off 28 balls, Tilak an unbeaten 51 off 22 balls, Shivam Dube an unbeaten 27 off 15 balls, Ishan Kishan 20 off 18 balls and captain Shreyas Iyer 21, after Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's 15 off nine balls. - In the semifinal against Sri Lanka, Ishan Kishan played an unbeaten knock of 80 off 46 balls. ## Justices Sunita Agarwal, DK Upadhyaya and Aparesh Kumar Singh elevated as Supreme Court judges ### Key Updates - The Union Government has notified the appointment of three High Court Chief Justices — Sunita Agarwal, Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Aparesh Kumar Singh — as judges of the Supreme Court. - The Supreme Court Collegium, headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, recommended the elevations on September 28. - Justice Sunita Agarwal, Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court, will be the third woman judge on the Supreme Court, alongside Justice B.V. Nagarathna and Justice V. Mohana. - Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya was Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court and earlier served as Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court. - Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh was Chief Justice of the Telangana High Court and previously headed the Tripura High Court. - With these appointments, the Supreme Court's strength will rise to 37 judges against a sanctioned strength of 38. - The five-member Collegium that made the recommendations comprised CJI Surya Kant and Justices Vikram Nath, B.V. Nagarathna, M.M. Sundresh and P.S. Narasimha. - None of the three newly appointed judges is presently in the line of succession for the office of Chief Justice of India. ## Three High Court Chief Justices elevated as Supreme Court judges, taking working strength to 37 ### Key Updates - Three new judges were appointed to the Supreme Court on Monday, taking its working strength to 37, one short of the sanctioned strength of 38 judges including the Chief Justice of India. - The elevated judges are Justice Sunita Agarwal, Chief Justice of Gujarat High Court; Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya, Chief Justice of Delhi High Court; and Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh, Chief Justice of Telangana High Court. - Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal announced the appointments in a social media post. - The Supreme Court Collegium had recommended the names on September 28. - The Supreme Court's sanctioned strength was recently increased from 34 to 38 following the Supreme Court Amendment Act, 2026. ## Three High Court Chief Justices Elevated as Judges of the Supreme Court ### Key Updates - The Centre notified the appointment of three High Court Chief Justices — Justice Sunita Agarwal (Gujarat High Court), Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya (Delhi High Court) and Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh (Telangana High Court) — as judges of the Supreme Court, raising its strength to 37 including the Chief Justice of India (CJI). - The appointments were recommended by the Supreme Court Collegium headed by CJI Surya Kant on September 28, and Justice Agarwal's elevation increased the number of women judges in the Supreme Court to three. - Justice Agarwal, born on April 30, 1966, will serve in the Supreme Court until April 2031. - Justice Upadhyaya, elevated to the Allahabad High Court in November 2011, will retire in June 2030. - Justice Singh, elevated as a judge of the Jharkhand High Court in 2012, will retire in July 2030. - None of the three elevated Chief Justices is in line to become CJI, and a vacancy will arise with the retirement of Justice Satish Chandra Sharma in November. ## Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel jointly awarded 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discoveries on light-gated ion channels and optogenetics ### Key Updates - Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel were jointly awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics. - The laureates were selected by the Nobel Assembly of Sweden's Karolinska Institute and will share a prize sum of 12 million Swedish kronor. - Optogenetics makes it possible to switch on or off the activity of individual nerve cells in a living brain and is now used in laboratories around the world to reveal the brain's mysteries. - In the early 1990s, Hegemann studied how the alga Chlamydomonas reacts to light and hypothesised that a single protein captured light and acted as an ion channel; Nagel then discovered channelrhodopsin-2, an ion channel that opens when exposed to light, and in 2003 they published that the protein could make human and hamster cells generate electrical impulses using light. - In 2005, Deisseroth at Stanford demonstrated the technique in rat nerve cells, and the method was named optogenetics a year later. - In 2007, Deisseroth demonstrated that the light-controlled switch could be used to control nerve cells in the brains of living mice. - Clinical trials are restoring vision to people blinded by retinitis pigmentosa by inserting a light-sensitive protein in the retina, and researchers hope optogenetics could improve cochlear implants for more precise stimulation of the auditory nerve. - In 2002, Georg Nagel, Peter Hegemann and colleagues reported channelrhodopsin-1, a light-gated proton channel found in the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. - The medicine prize has previously honoured Alexander Fleming for penicillin in 1945 and Karl Landsteiner for the discovery of human blood groups in 1930. - The 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Mary Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell and Shimon Sakaguchi for discoveries concerning peripheral immune tolerance. - The 2026 award is the 117th Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine since 1901; the youngest laureate was Frederick G. Banting at 31 in 1923 and the oldest was Peyton Rous at 87 in 1966. - The medicine prize announcement is followed by the Physics prize on Tuesday, Chemistry on Wednesday, Literature on Thursday, the Peace Prize on Friday and the economics prize on October 12. - Nobel laureates receive their awards at ceremonies on December 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel's death. - In a 2021 study, researchers reported partial recovery of visual function in a blind patient treated with a viral vector carrying the gene for the light-sensitive protein ChrimsonR, with goggles used to stimulate the treated retinal cells.