10 October 2026
The Reserve Bank of India announced on 10 October 2026 that it will open a special window for public sector oil marketing companies.
The decision is based on its assessment of current market conditions.
The window covers the entire daily dollar requirements of Indian Oil Corporation Limited, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited.
The RBI will sell US dollars to these companies through designated bank(s).
The facility starts on Monday, 12 October 2026 and stays in place until further notice.
Companies covered:
IOCL, HPCL, BPCL
Scope:
Entire daily dollar requirements
Effective from:
12 October 2026
Duration:
Until further notice
Why it matters for exams: RBI's foreign exchange operations and its role as manager of the external sector are frequent topics in economy papers.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSCBank
In plain words
OMC Oil Marketing Company — A company that refines and sells petroleum products to consumers, such as IOCL, HPCL and BPCL.
10 October 2026
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Chennai on 11 October 2026, the Prime Minister's Office announced on 10 October.
He will lay foundation stones for, inaugurate and dedicate projects worth over ₹13,000 crore, including the Poonamallee-Vadapalani stretch of Chennai Metro Rail Phase II (about ₹4,900 crore).
Highway works worth about ₹3,700 crore and railway works worth over ₹750 crore are included; five redeveloped Amrit Bharat stations will be inaugurated.
A Lube Oil Base Stocks project at the CPCL Manali refinery (about ₹1,620 crore, 270 thousand metric tonnes a year) will get its foundation stone.
At IIT Madras he will dedicate the Sudha Gopalakrishnan Brain Centre and release the C-STROKE ischaemic stroke atlas with over 1,000 annotated microscopic sections.
Total project value:
over ₹13,000 crore
Chennai Metro Phase II stretch:
Poonamallee-Vadapalani, about ₹4,900 crore
CPCL Manali LOBS project:
about ₹1,620 crore
Amrit Bharat stations:
5
Why it matters for exams: Prime Ministerial visits, infrastructure outlays and institutions such as the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme are common current-affairs questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
LOBS Lube Oil Base Stocks — Refined base oils that are blended to make lubricants.
CPCL Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited — The company that runs the Manali refinery near Chennai.
10 October 2026
Defence Secretary Shri Rajesh Kumar Singh will make an official visit to Cyprus and Greece from 12 to 15 October 2026, the Ministry of Defence said on 10 October.
In Cyprus he will meet counterparts at the Ministry of Defence and the political leadership.
In Greece he will hold talks with senior defence and military leadership.
Maritime security and defence industrial cooperation will remain prominent themes.
The release notes that the Cypriot President visited India in May 2026 and the Greek Minister of National Defence visited in February 2026, and that the visit assumes added significance as India seeks to strengthen defence cooperation with European Union partners following the signing of the India-EU Security and Defence Partnership.
Visit dates:
12 to 15 October 2026
Countries:
Cyprus and Greece
Led by:
Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh
Key themes:
Maritime security, defence industrial cooperation
Why it matters for exams: India's bilateral defence engagements and its security partnerships with the European Union are regular international-relations questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Defence Secretary Secretary, Department of Defence — The senior civil servant who heads the Department of Defence in the Ministry of Defence.
10 October 2026
Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh addressed participants of Exercise Tarang Shakti 2026 at Air Force Station Jodhpur on 10 October 2026.
The Indian Air Force is hosting the second edition of the multinational exercise from 26 September to 12 October 2026; the inaugural edition was in 2024.
Seven Friendly Foreign Countries are taking part: Australia, Bangladesh, France, Germany, Sri Lanka, the United Arab Emirates and the United States, with 32 nations as observers.
He said defence Atmanirbharta is a national policy and called for cooperation on research, co-development, co-production, maintenance, training and innovation.
He said future military power will depend on how quickly forces sense, understand, decide and act.
Edition:
Second (first in 2024)
Exercise period:
26 September to 12 October 2026
Friendly Foreign Countries:
7
Observer nations:
32
Why it matters for exams: Multinational exercises, participating countries and defence self-reliance policy are standard defence and IR questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Atmanirbharta Self-reliance — India's policy of building domestic capability in defence production and technology.
10 October 2026
The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, with the Government of Gujarat, will hold the BRICS Traditional and Indigenous Sports Demonstration Games 2026 on 12 October 2026 at the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex, Ahmedabad.
It is part of India's BRICS Chairship and is a non-competitive platform for demonstrating, documenting and exchanging traditional sporting practices.
Union Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya will declare it open.
Belarus, Bolivia, Brazil, China, Ethiopia, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, South Africa and the UAE will showcase their sports.
India's showcase includes Mallakhamb, Yogasana and Kalaripayattu.
Date:
12 October 2026
Venue:
Veer Savarkar Sports Complex, Ahmedabad
Format:
Non-competitive demonstration
India's sports:
Mallakhamb, Yogasana, Kalaripayattu
Why it matters for exams: India's BRICS chairship and the promotion of traditional sports such as Kalaripayattu link international groupings with sports and culture.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Kalaripayattu Kalaripayattu — A martial art from Kerala, among the sports India will showcase at the event.
BRICS Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa — A grouping of major economies whose chairship in 2026 rests with India.
10 October 2026
The Ministry of Tribal Affairs held the Second Regional Review Conference on implementation of the Forest Rights Act, 2006 in Kolkata on 9 October 2026; the first, for southern states, was held in Bengaluru on 10 September 2026.
Officials from eight states took part: West Bengal, Assam, Tripura, Jharkhand, Odisha, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
As of 31 August 2026, over 54 lakh claims had been received nationally and about 25 lakh titles distributed.
About 11 lakh claims were pending and over 18 lakh had been rejected.
The ministry stressed disposal of pending claims, review of rejected claims, digitisation, and recognition of Community Forest Resource Rights and PVTG Habitat Rights.
Claims received (to 31 Aug 2026):
over 54 lakh
Titles distributed:
about 25 lakh
Claims pending:
about 11 lakh
Claims rejected:
over 18 lakh
Why it matters for exams: The Forest Rights Act, 2006 and tribal-rights administration are core polity and governance topics.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
CFRR Community Forest Resource Rights — Rights of a community to protect, manage and use forest resources within its traditional boundary.
PVTG Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group — Tribal groups identified as the most vulnerable, who hold Habitat Rights under the Forest Rights Act.
10 October 2026
Dr Jitendra Singh, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology, addressed the 121st Annual Session of the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry in New Delhi on 10 October 2026.
He said India set an eight-year target of 2,000 km of quantum-secure communication under the National Quantum Mission and has reached the 1,000 km milestone in three years.
He said the bioeconomy target is US$300 billion by 2030.
He urged industry to join research projects early and to help turn scientific research into commercial enterprises.
He referred to the government's Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) initiative, which seeks greater private-sector participation in R&D.
Quantum-secure communication target:
2,000 km in eight years
Milestone reached:
1,000 km in three years
Bioeconomy target:
US$300 billion by 2030
Why it matters for exams: The National Quantum Mission and the push for private R&D are frequent science-and-technology policy questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
RDI Research, Development and Innovation — A government initiative seeking greater private-sector participation in research and development.
PHDCCI PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry — An industry body whose 121st Annual Session was addressed by the minister.
Background
The Supreme Court of India has original, appellate and advisory jurisdiction.
Its exclusive original jurisdiction covers disputes between the Government of India and one or more States, and between two or more States, where the dispute involves a question on which the existence or extent of a legal right depends.
Article 32 gives the Court a wide original jurisdiction to enforce Fundamental Rights, and it may issue directions, orders or writs in the nature of habeas corpus, mandamus, prohibition, quo warranto and certiorari.
Appeals come by a certificate of the High Court under Article 132(1), 133(1) or 134, and under Article 136 the Court may in its discretion grant special leave to appeal from any judgment or order of any court or tribunal in India.
Advisory jurisdiction is exercised on a reference made by the President under Article 143.
Articles 129 and 142 vest the Court with the power to punish for contempt, including contempt of itself.
International Commercial Arbitration may also be initiated in the Supreme Court under the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996.
Writs under Article 32:
habeas corpus, mandamus, prohibition, quo warranto, certiorari
Special leave to appeal:
Article 136
Advisory reference by the President:
Article 143
Contempt power:
Articles 129 and 142
Why it matters for exams: The three jurisdictions and the article numbers behind writs, special leave and advisory references are a standing favourite in both prelims and polity answers.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Original jurisdiction Original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court — The power to hear a dispute first, rather than on appeal from a lower court.
SLP Special Leave Petition — A petition seeking the Court's discretionary permission to appeal under Article 136.
Background
In India a writ petition may be moved not only by an aggrieved individual but also by a public-spirited individual or group of persons where the interest of the public at large is involved.
The Supreme Court can be moved either by filing a writ petition or by addressing a letter to the Chief Justice of India highlighting a question of public importance.
On several occasions the Court has treated letters, telegrams, postcards and news reports as writ petitions.
The Supreme Court describes this judicial innovation, popularly known as Public Interest Litigation, as unique to the Supreme Court of India.
The same relaxation of standing works alongside the Court's writ power, which covers habeas corpus, mandamus, prohibition, quo warranto and certiorari.
Free legal aid from the Supreme Court Legal Aid Committee is available to a person with annual income below Rs. 5,00,000 and to applicants from several listed categories.
Who may move a PIL:
A public-spirited individual or group, not only the aggrieved person
Forms treated as writ petitions:
Letters, telegrams, postcards and news reports
Legal aid income ceiling:
Annual income less than Rs. 5,00,000
Why it matters for exams: Examiners ask who may move a PIL and how the Court relaxed the rule of standing, and the Court's own page is the cleanest authority for it.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
PIL Public Interest Litigation — A proceeding in which a person not personally injured moves the court for a matter of public interest.
Locus standi Standing to sue — The requirement that a petitioner show a personal stake in the dispute, relaxed in PIL.
Background
The High Court stands at the head of a State's judicial administration, and there are 25 High Courts in the country, three of them having jurisdiction over more than one State.
Among the Union Territories, Delhi and the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh have a High Court of their own, while the other five Union Territories come under the jurisdiction of different High Courts.
Each High Court comprises a Chief Justice and such other Judges as the President may appoint; the Chief Justice of a High Court is appointed by the President in consultation with the Chief Justice of India and the Governor of the State.
Judges of a High Court hold office until the age of 62 years and are removable in the same manner as a Judge of the Supreme Court.
To be eligible for appointment a person must be a citizen of India and have held judicial office in India for ten years, or have practised as an advocate of a High Court, or of two or more such courts in succession, for a similar period.
Every High Court can issue writs including habeas corpus, mandamus, prohibition, quo warranto and certiorari for the enforcement of Fundamental Rights and for any other purpose, and has powers of superintendence over all courts within its jurisdiction.
Each State also has an Advocate General appointed by the Governor, who may speak and take part in the proceedings of the State Legislature without the right to vote.
High Courts in the country:
25
High Courts covering more than one State:
3
Retirement age of a High Court Judge:
62 years
Advocate General:
Appointed by the Governor for each State
Why it matters for exams: The count of High Courts, the retirement age of 62 and the Advocate General's right to speak without voting are recurring one-mark questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Superintendence Power of superintendence of a High Court — The High Court's control over all courts within its jurisdiction, including rules and returns.
Advocate General Advocate General of a State — The State's chief legal adviser, appointed by the Governor and holding office during the Governor's pleasure.
Background
The Constitution (One Hundred and First Amendment) Act, 2016 inserted Article 279A, and the GST Council had to be constituted by the President within 60 days of the commencement of that article.
Article 279A was brought into force with effect from 12th September, 2016, and the Union Cabinet approved the setting up of the Council and its Secretariat on the same date.
The Council is a joint forum of the Centre and the States: the Union Finance Minister is the Chairperson, the Union Minister of State in charge of Revenue or Finance is a Member, and the Minister in charge of finance or taxation, or any other Minister nominated by each State Government, are Members.
Every decision of the Council is taken by a majority of not less than three-fourths of the weighted votes of the members present and voting, with a weightage of one-third of the total votes cast to the Centre and two-thirds to the States.
The Secretary (Revenue) is the ex-officio Secretary to the Council, and the Chairperson of the Central Board of Excise and Customs is a permanent invitee without a vote.
The GST Council Secretariat has its office at New Delhi, and its entire cost is borne by the Central Government.
Under Article 279A(4) the Council recommends on goods and services to be taxed or exempted, model GST laws, place of supply principles, threshold limits, and GST rates including floor rates with bands.
Constitutional provision:
Article 279A
Amendment that inserted it:
The Constitution (One Hundred and First Amendment) Act, 2016
Majority needed for a decision:
Not less than three-fourths of weighted votes of members present and voting
Vote weightage:
Centre one-third, States two-thirds
Ex-officio Secretary:
Secretary (Revenue)
Why it matters for exams: The weighted voting formula and the exact composition of a constitutional body created by amendment are standard polity and economy questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCBank
In plain words
GST Goods and Services Tax — The single indirect tax on the supply of goods and services that replaced several central and state levies.
Weighted vote Weighted voting in the GST Council — A vote counted with a fixed share for the Centre and for the States rather than one member one vote.
Background
The Securities and Exchange Board of India was constituted as a non-statutory body on April 12, 1988 through a resolution of the Government of India.
It was established as a statutory body in the year 1992, when the provisions of the Securities and Exchange Board of India Act, 1992 (15 of 1992) came into force on January 30, 1992.
The Preamble of the Board describes its basic functions as to protect the interests of investors in securities, to promote the development of the securities market and to regulate the securities market, and for matters connected with or incidental to that.
Appeals against the Board's orders lie to the Securities Appellate Tribunal.
The regulator's own site lists its Board, organisation structure, powers and functions, and its committees.
Constituted as a non-statutory body:
April 12, 1988, by a resolution of the Government of India
Governing Act:
Securities and Exchange Board of India Act, 1992 (15 of 1992)
Act came into force:
January 30, 1992
Appellate forum:
Securities Appellate Tribunal
Why it matters for exams: The gap between the non-statutory resolution and the statutory Act, and the Act's number, are the details examiners test on SEBI.
Kerala PSCUPSCBank
In plain words
SEBI Securities and Exchange Board of India — The statutory regulator of India's securities market.
SAT Securities Appellate Tribunal — The tribunal that hears appeals against orders of the securities regulator.