24 October 2026
The Government of India has achieved its target of creating 11 crore Farmer IDs, five months ahead of the March 31, 2027 deadline.
Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare and Rural Development Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the creation of 11 crore Farmer IDs was completed by the night of October 23.
The milestone was achieved under the Digital Agriculture Mission implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare.
A Farmer ID gives a farmer a unique digital identity for transparent and timely access to government schemes, bank credit, crop insurance and disaster relief, while cutting paperwork and repeated verification.
The Ministry said the verified farmer database will improve transparency, curb duplication and ensure benefits reach eligible farmers directly.
Farmer IDs created:
11 crore
Original deadline:
March 31, 2027
Completed by:
Night of October 23
Why it matters for exams: A dated, figure-bearing scheme milestone of the kind asked in agriculture and government-schemes questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSCBank
In plain words
Farmer ID Farmer Identity — A unique digital identity given to a farmer under the Digital Agriculture Mission for access to schemes and credit.
24 October 2026
Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, Dr. Jitendra Singh, inaugurated the world's first-of-its-kind 'Air Pollution Analysis' facility for Delhi NCR.
The facility is called the Integrated Atmospheric Chemistry and Aerosol Toxicity Analysis Laboratory (AATAL) and is also equipped to identify real-time sources of air pollution.
The inauguration took place at the Delhi Branch of the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), and the facility has been established under 'Mission Mausam'.
Dr. Jitendra Singh said the laboratory goes beyond AQI numbers to reveal what is polluting Delhi's air, where it is coming from and its potential health implications.
It is integrated with AIRWISE to strengthen real-time source apportionment, air-quality forecasting and scientific decision-making, and is to support the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) and pollution-control agencies in targeting interventions.
Facility:
Integrated Atmospheric Chemistry and Aerosol Toxicity Analysis Laboratory (AATAL)
Host institute:
IITM Delhi Branch
Established under:
Mission Mausam
Why it matters for exams: A named new national facility with its parent institute and mission - standard science and technology question material.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
IITM Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology — A Ministry of Earth Sciences institute at Pune that works on monsoon and atmospheric research.
CAQM Commission for Air Quality Management — The statutory body for air quality management in the National Capital Region and adjoining areas.
24 October 2026
The ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) has supplied an additional five lakh hatchery-produced green mussel seeds to fisherfolk and tribal communities in Maharashtra.
The fresh supply brings the cumulative supply to one million seeds within the past six months.
The green mussel seeds, measuring 2-4 millimetres, were produced at the bivalve hatchery of CMFRI's Vizhinjam Regional Centre in Thiruvananthapuram under a Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) project.
An additional one lakh oyster seeds produced at the Madras Regional Station were also supplied to Maharashtra.
CMFRI Director Dr Grinson George said the initiative aimed at translating marine fisheries research into livelihood opportunities by promoting sustainable bivalve farming along the Maharashtra coast.
Fresh supply:
5 lakh green mussel seeds
Cumulative in six months:
One million seeds
Seed size:
2-4 millimetres
Why it matters for exams: A Kochi-based ICAR institute, a Kerala hatchery and a central scheme in one item - useful for Kerala PSC and UPSC alike.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
CMFRI Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute — An ICAR institute headquartered at Kochi that researches marine fisheries.
PMMSY Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana — The central scheme for development of the fisheries sector in India.
24 October 2026
The Bharat Centre of Olympic Research and Education (BCORE), under the International Olympic Committee Olympic Studies Centre at Rashtriya Raksha University (RRU), inaugurated the Foundation Programme on Safe Sport and Athlete Safeguarding at RRU's Gandhinagar campus.
The opening ceremony was held on 21 October 2026 and the residential programme ran from 21 to 23 October 2026.
Participants were athletes, coaches and sports administrators nominated by National Sports Federations, Central Armed Police Forces, a SAI Centre and high-performance academies.
The ceremony also marked the signing of an MoU with the Olympic Studies and Research Center (CEROUEN) of the University of Rouen Normandy, France.
The book 'Olympic Intersections: The Games at the Crossroads of Global Research', published by Routledge, was released at the ceremony.
Host:
Rashtriya Raksha University, Gandhinagar
Programme dates:
21 to 23 October 2026
MoU partner:
CEROUEN, University of Rouen Normandy, France
Why it matters for exams: Links an Indian university of national importance to the IOC's Olympic Studies network - a fresh sports-governance fact.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
BCORE Bharat Centre of Olympic Research and Education — The Olympic research centre at Rashtriya Raksha University working under the IOC Olympic Studies Centre.
RRU Rashtriya Raksha University — An institution of national importance at Gandhinagar for national security and police studies.
24 October 2026
The three-day event 'India Chem-2026', inaugurated on 22nd October, concluded in Mumbai.
This was the 14th edition of India Chem and was held under the theme 'Advantage Bharat: An Emerging Global Chemicals Hub'.
The event is a biennial international expo and conference for the chemicals and petrochemicals sector.
Brainstorming sessions, business parleys and roundtables were held at a CEO Forum and at the India-Japan, India-USA and India-EU Forums.
Japan was the partner country for the event.
Edition:
14th
Theme:
Advantage Bharat: An Emerging Global Chemicals Hub
Partner country:
Japan
Why it matters for exams: Editions, themes and partner countries of national expos are regularly asked in economy sections.
Kerala PSCUPSCBank
In plain words
India Chem India Chem — A biennial international expo and conference on the chemicals and petrochemicals sector held in India.
24 October 2026
A team from the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), Bhopal Branch Office conducted a search and seizure operation at the outlet and godown of M/s Dainik Enterprises at Anjani Nagar, 60 Feet Airport Road, Indore, on 23 October 2026.
The operation followed a complaint received at the Bhopal Branch Office.
The team comprised Shri Mohammad Tausif, Scientist E/Director, and Shri Sanjay Kumar Vishwakarma, Scientist C/Deputy Director.
Irregularities were detected in products covered under IS 303 (General Purpose Plywood) and IS 710 (Marine Plywood).
The irregularities included misuse of the ISI Mark, use of an expired BIS licence, and the sale or availability of products without the ISI Mark.
Date of operation:
23 October 2026
Standards involved:
IS 303 and IS 710
Place:
Indore, Madhya Pradesh
Why it matters for exams: BIS enforcement and Indian Standard numbers are standard questions in consumer affairs and governance.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
BIS Bureau of Indian Standards — India's national standards body, which runs the ISI Mark certification scheme.
IS 710 Indian Standard 710 — The Indian Standard for marine plywood.
24 October 2026
The Digital India BHASHINI Division (DIBD), under Digital India Corporation of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, organised a technical introduction and use-case demonstration workshop on BHASHINI Udyat.
It was held in collaboration with the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER), Puducherry, at the Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Auditorium on 23 October 2026.
The workshop was themed 'Building Health BHASHINI: Scaling Multilingual AI for Inclusive Healthcare'.
It brought together healthcare professionals, faculty, resident doctors, nursing and pharmacy staff, students and technical teams.
The aim was to apply AI-powered multilingual technologies to language barriers in access to healthcare services.
Date:
23 October 2026
Venue:
Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Auditorium, JIPMER Puducherry
Theme:
Building Health BHASHINI: Scaling Multilingual AI for Inclusive Healthcare
Why it matters for exams: Connects a flagship digital mission to a central medical institute - a two-in-one fact for science and governance.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
BHASHINI Bhasha Interface for India — The national language translation mission that provides AI-based translation across Indian languages.
JIPMER Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research — A central medical institute at Puducherry under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
24 October 2026
The Ministry of Labour and Employment, with the Government of Uttar Pradesh, will hold a two-day state-level capacity-building and awareness programme on Labour Codes, Labour Welfare and Social Protection on 26th and 27th October 2026 at Lucknow.
It is part of the nationwide 'Shram Samvad' initiative on district-level capacity building and awareness on labour reforms.
The Shram Samvad campaign was launched nationwide on September 28, 2026 as a 90-day outreach initiative.
Under it the Ministry is undertaking district-level engagement across 316 districts in all 36 States and Union Territories, with a special focus on industrial clusters.
Day 1 will centre on 'Labour Reforms', with the keynote address by the Secretary (Labour and Employment).
Launched:
September 28, 2026
Districts covered:
316
States and UTs:
36
Why it matters for exams: The Shram Samvad numbers - 90 days, 316 districts, 36 States and UTs - are exactly the figures asked in labour questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSCBank
In plain words
Shram Samvad Shram Samvad — A 90-day district-level outreach initiative of the Ministry of Labour and Employment on the Labour Codes.
24 October 2026
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will visit Uttar Pradesh and Odisha on 25 October 2026.
At around 11 AM he will inaugurate Arvind Limited's new garment manufacturing facility in Varanasi.
At around 1 PM he will witness the Air Force Day Aerial Display-2026 at Namo Ghat in Varanasi as the Chief Guest.
The programme commemorates the 94th anniversary of the Indian Air Force and is being held under the theme 'Wings over Ganges'.
At around 4:45 PM he will inaugurate the Reserve Bank of India's newly established Data Centre and Cybersecurity Training Institute in Bhubaneswar.
Date of visit:
25 October 2026
IAF anniversary:
94th
Aerial display theme:
Wings over Ganges
Why it matters for exams: The Air Force anniversary number and the new RBI institution are both likely one-mark questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSCBank
In plain words
RBI Reserve Bank of India — India's central bank, which is setting up the new Data Centre and Cybersecurity Training Institute at Bhubaneswar.
24 October 2026
Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Raksha Khadse addressed the All-Women Coaches Course held under the All India Tennis Association's ACE 2032 initiative.
The course was held at the Delhi Lawn Tennis Association (DLTA) Tennis Stadium in New Delhi on Saturday.
She called for expanding opportunities for women across sports, from grassroots participation and coaching to high-performance competition and leadership.
DLTA President Shri Rohit Rajpal, AITA Director of Coaching Shri Kawaljeet Singh and AITA Honorary Secretary Shri Sunder Iyer were among those present.
Coaches and sporting professionals discussed strengthening coach education, grassroots tennis and athlete development.
Initiative:
AITA ACE 2032
Venue:
DLTA Tennis Stadium, New Delhi
Minister:
Raksha Khadse, MoS Youth Affairs and Sports
Why it matters for exams: Names the sports federation initiative and the minister - both commonly asked in sports current affairs.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
AITA All India Tennis Association — The national governing body for tennis in India.
24 October 2026
The National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRDPR) organised a training programme on export marketing for self help group women.
The programme was held at the National SARAS Mela in Vijayawada.
SARAS melas are organised to give rural self help group producers direct access to urban markets.
NIRDPR, based at Hyderabad, is the training and research institute of the Ministry of Rural Development.
Organiser:
NIRDPR
Venue:
National SARAS Mela, Vijayawada
Participants:
Self help group women
Why it matters for exams: NIRDPR and the SARAS mela are recurring names in rural development questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
NIRDPR National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj — The Hyderabad-based apex training and research institute of the Ministry of Rural Development.
24 October 2026
Chief Minister of Gujarat Shri Bhupendra Patel inaugurated CHHAAP@Sabarmati 2026, the third edition of the event, organised by the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Gandhinagar.
The eight-day celebration of India's craft heritage, traditional skills and contemporary design runs from 23 to 30 October 2026 at Event Centre A, Sabarmati Riverfront, Ahmedabad.
It is held on the theme 'Swarnim Bharat - Heritage and Growth'.
It brings together master artisans, NIFT alumni, designers, students and craft enthusiasts around India's handloom and handicraft traditions.
The Chief Minister visited the exhibition stalls and took the CHHAAP Craft Passport, an initiative encouraging visitors to explore crafts and engage with artisans.
Event:
CHHAAP@Sabarmati 2026 (third edition)
Organiser:
NIFT Gandhinagar
Dates:
23 to 30 October 2026
Theme:
Swarnim Bharat - Heritage and Growth
Inaugurated by:
Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel
Why it matters for exams: Craft festivals and the states that host them are regular art and culture questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
CHHAAP CHHAAP — A craft and design event held at Sabarmati celebrating India's craft heritage and contemporary design.