A 170-member contingent of the Indian Defence Forces has left for Sri Lanka for MITRA SHAKTI 2026, the 12th edition of the joint military exercise between the two countries. The drill runs from 13 to 26 November 2026 at the Army Training School, Maduru Oya. Most Indian troops come from a battalion of the Rajputana Rifles, joined by personnel of the Indian Air Force. The focus is counter-terrorism operations in a semi-urban setting under a United Nations mandate. Training covers road blocks, urban patrolling, convoy protection, area ambush and crowd dispersal, ending in a joint validation exercise. MITRA SHAKTI is an annual bilateral exercise held in India and Sri Lanka by turns.
Edition:12thIndian contingent:170 membersDates:13–26 November 2026
Why it matters for exams: Exercise names and partner countries are a staple: MITRA SHAKTI is the India–Sri Lanka army exercise.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has extended its ban on the Islamic Research Foundation (IRF), keeping it listed as an unlawful association under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The IRF is headed by preacher Zakir Naik, whom the ministry describes as a fugitive. In its notice the ministry linked the group to communal hatred, separatism and support for terrorism, and to efforts to regroup absconding terrorists. Under the UAPA, the Union government can declare an association unlawful, and such a declaration must be placed before a tribunal for confirmation.
Organisation:Islamic Research Foundation (IRF)Law:Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act
Why it matters for exams: UAPA, its expansion and how a ban on an association works are standard polity and security questions.
The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has imposed a ₹10 lakh penalty on ANI Technologies Private Limited, the company behind the Ola ride-hailing app. Its pre-ride 'tip' or 'add-on' prompt pushed users to pay extra before a trip was complete, suggesting that a tip would speed up confirmation. The CCPA held this to be an unfair trade practice under Section 2(47) and concealment of material information under Section 2(28) of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019. It also treated the prompts as 'confirm shaming' under the Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns, 2023. Ola must stop all pre-ride payment prompts. The order was passed by a bench led by Chief Commissioner Nidhi Khare; Rapido was earlier fined the same amount.
The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has set out the working of SHATAYU (Senior Holistic Care Assistance and Training for Your Utility), a digital initiative of its Department of Social Justice and Empowerment. Launched on 22 May 2026 at a national workshop on building a care economy, it is a national Geriatric Caregiver Dashboard and Directory. The directory now lists 30,151 caregivers from States and Union Territories. Families can search caregivers by State and district, view profiles and send an OTP-verified care request for full-time or hourly care, free of charge. Trained caregivers can register, upload certificates and track approval. Training is backed by the National Institute of Social Defence and the National Skill Development Corporation.
Caregivers listed:30,151Launched:22 May 2026
Why it matters for exams: A new welfare platform with an acronym, a ministry and a headline figure is classic scheme material.
Quarterly data for Q2 of FY 2026-27 (July–September 2026) on unsolicited commercial communication (UCC) show 1.529 million complaints registered, of which 0.723 million were actionable. Under the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) framework, 1,10,325 telecom resources were barred for 15 days for a first violation and 13,777 were disconnected for a year for repeat violations. Most complaints came through the TRAI DND app. Promotional calls run on the 140 series and service calls on the 1600 series. TRAI introduced a new 1601 series on 10 August 2026 for service and transactional calls by utilities and by logistics and delivery firms. AI-based filters also flagged billions of calls and SMS as suspected spam.
UCC complaints:1.529 millionBarred for 15 days:1,10,325Disconnected for 1 year:13,777
Why it matters for exams: TRAI, the DND registry and the 140/1600/1601 number series are durable telecom-governance facts.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated, dedicated and laid the foundation of projects worth over ₹15,600 crore in Bengaluru, Karnataka. These include the dedication of the Bengaluru Metro's Pink Line, which links IIM Bengaluru and several business and technology hubs. Namma Metro has grown from 17 kilometres in 2014 to more than 100 kilometres, so Bengaluru now joins Delhi-NCR and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region as only the third Indian city with over 100 km of metro. Energy projects in the package include the Mangaluru LPG Project with 80,000 metric tonnes of storage, the Devangonthi Marketing Terminal and a Bengaluru CBG plant producing 13 tonnes of biogas a day. A new Vande Bharat train linking Karnataka with Goa was also flagged off.
Projects:over ₹15,600 croreNamma Metro length:17 km (2014) to over 100 kmMangaluru LPG storage:80,000 metric tonnes
Why it matters for exams: A new metro line and Bengaluru's place as the third city past 100 km of metro are durable infrastructure facts.
Vice-President C. P. Radhakrishnan spoke at the valedictory of the 31st CII Partnership Summit, held this year at Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh. The summit's theme this year was 'Navigating the New World Order – Trade, Technology and Trust'. He said Andhra Pradesh had drawn 714 investment projects worth over ₹22 lakh crore since June 2024, and linked the State's Swarna Andhra 2047 vision to the national goal of Viksit Bharat 2047. He described self-reliance as building domestic capability while integrating more deeply with global markets, and named artificial intelligence, semiconductors and quantum computing among the technologies that matter most.
Edition:31stInvestment projects in AP since June 2024:714, worth over ₹22 lakh crore
Why it matters for exams: Summit edition, host city, theme and the organiser CII are the exam hooks.
The Ministry of Culture held 'Creative India: Collective Possibilities', a conference on partnership models for India's creative economy, at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. It was opened by Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat. Culture Secretary Vivek Aggarwal said the ministry has created a Creative Economy Division to build partnerships with industry, philanthropy and States. Officials said that since 1996 the National Culture Fund has finished 66 projects with 39 partners, while the Adopt a Heritage programme engages partners at 66 monuments. A new MoU with Google Arts & Culture will take Indian heritage to audiences worldwide. The ministry counts 43 organisations, including more than 3,600 protected monuments, museums and Akademis, as public infrastructure for the creative economy.
National Culture Fund:66 projects, 39 partners since 1996Ministry organisations:43
Why it matters for exams: New Creative Economy Division, the National Culture Fund and Adopt a Heritage are durable culture-governance facts.
Sahitya Akademi, abbreviated SA, is the National Academy of Letters, and under the aegis of the Ministry of Culture it works as an autonomous organization. In 24 languages recognized by it the Akademi promotes and preserves Indian literature, and the oral and tribal literature of India belongs to that work too. The Akademi publishes around 500 literary books a year, organizes more than 500 literary programmes, and joins nearly 150-200 book fairs and exhibitions. Awards are conferred in all 24 languages, 96 of them a year. The Bhasha Samman was instituted for the unrecognized languages of India, and it goes to writers, scholars, editors, collectors, performers and translators. Classical and Medieval Literature is honoured by the same Samman, and more than a hundred Bhasha Sammans have been presented so far. Makers of Indian Literature is its series for Indian writers whose contribution to literature in the Indian Languages has been significant.
Status:autonomous organizationMinistry:Ministry of CultureLanguages recognized:24Honour for unrecognized languages:Bhasha SammanSeries on writers:Makers of Indian LiteratureAwards a year:96
Why it matters for exams: Sahitya Akademi is asked about through the 24 languages it recognizes, the ministry it works under, the Bhasha Samman for the unrecognized languages, and the Makers of Indian Literature series.