10 October 2026
Odisha held a three-day special campaign from October 7 to 9 to enrol eligible voters, on the directions of the Election Commission of India.
The office of the Chief Electoral Officer said on Saturday, 10 October, that 33,515 Form-6 applications were received.
A total of 26,446 special camps were organised across the State.
Of the applications, 1,448 came from eligible voters left out during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the rolls; the remaining 32,067 were from new and young voters.
Citizens who turned 18 on or before October 1, 2026 were eligible to apply; Form 6 is the application for inclusion of a name in the electoral roll.
Booth Level Officers will continue a door-to-door drive until the end of October.
Form-6 applications:
33,515
Special camps:
26,446
Applications from left-out voters:
1,448
Campaign period:
October 7–9, 2026
Why it matters for exams: Electoral roll revision, Form 6 and the qualifying date for voter registration are standard polity questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Form 6 Form 6 (Election Commission of India) — The application form for including a person's name in the electoral roll.
SIR Special Intensive Revision — An intensive revision of electoral rolls carried out on the Election Commission's directions.
11 October 2026
The Odisha Rural Development and Marketing Society (ORMAS) showcased the State's indigenous handloom and handicrafts at Bhubaneswar Times Fashion Week 2026.
ORMAS was the co-powering partner of the two-day event, which aims to widen markets for rural weavers and artisans.
Forty models, including Ollywood actress Sangeeta Shibani, presented collections of Sambalpuri silk, Kataka Khandua, Maniabandha and Pattachitra silk sarees.
GI-tagged Kotpad textiles, Dhalapathar weaving, Dhokra craft and fabric jewellery, including One District One Product (ODOP) items, were also featured.
Fourteen women weavers from Khordha and Cuttack districts walked the ramp in their own creations.
Event:
Bhubaneswar Times Fashion Week 2026
ORMAS role:
Co-powering partner
Models:
40
Women weavers on the ramp:
14 (Khordha and Cuttack)
Why it matters for exams: GI-tagged textiles and traditional crafts of Odisha such as Kotpad, Sambalpuri and Dhokra are frequent art and culture questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
ORMAS Odisha Rural Development and Marketing Society — An Odisha government society that markets products made by rural producers and self-help groups.
ODOP One District One Product — An initiative that promotes one distinctive product from each district.
10 October 2026
The Mechanised Coal Handling Plant (MCHP) of Paradip Port Authority loaded 1,40,022 metric tonnes of coal on 10 October 2026, its highest ever in a single day.
The coal was loaded on two vessels, M.V. APJ Indrani and M.V. Ripley Pinnacle.
The previous record was 1,37,500 MT, set on 29 May 2022 with M.V. Arethousa and M.V. ISL Star.
The new mark is 2,522 MT higher than the earlier best.
Chairperson Susanta Kumar Purohit congratulated the workers and officers of the plant.
Coal loaded in a single day:
1,40,022 MT
Previous record:
1,37,500 MT (29 May 2022)
Increase:
2,522 MT
Date of record:
10 October 2026
Why it matters for exams: Cargo records at major ports such as Paradip are asked in economy and infrastructure questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
MCHP Mechanised Coal Handling Plant — A facility at Paradip Port that loads coal onto ships mechanically.
11 October 2026
East Coast Railway (ECoR) plans to double its drone fleet from 11 to 22 by March 2027 to strengthen railway security.
The Railway Protection Force (RPF) uses the drones under its 'DROAWK EYE – Observation, Detection, Prevention' initiative.
The present fleet comprises four drones in Khurda Road division, six in Sambalpur and one in Rayagada.
They are backed by 160 DGCA-certified drone pilots.
The drones help prevent sabotage and stone pelting and detect theft and intrusion on vulnerable stretches; they were also used for crowd management during the Puri Rath Yatra.
Drones now:
11
Target fleet:
22 by March 2027
By division:
Khurda Road 4, Sambalpur 6, Rayagada 1
DGCA-certified drone pilots:
160
Why it matters for exams: Use of drones and technology by the RPF for railway security is a science-and-security current affairs theme.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
RPF Railway Protection Force — The armed force of the Union responsible for the security of railway property and passengers.
DGCA Directorate General of Civil Aviation — India's civil aviation regulator, which certifies drone pilots.
Background
In the news: the Archaeological Survey of India ordered private guards out of the protected Udayagiri Buddhist site, as reported on 10 October 2026.
Udayagiri, Ratnagiri and Lalitgiri form Odisha's Buddhist 'Diamond Triangle'; Odisha Tourism calls Udayagiri the largest Buddhist site in the triangle.
Udayagiri, in Jajpur district, stands on a crescent-shaped hill on the right bank of the Birupa; Ratnagiri, also in Jajpur, lies on the left bank of the Kelua, a distributary of the Brahmani.
Lalitgiri, in Cuttack district on the Nandapahad hillock, is the oldest site of the three.
The sites lie in the Assia hill range, and Buddhist activity there spans the 2nd–3rd century BCE to the 13th century CE.
India placed the 'Buddhist Triangle Sites of Odisha' on UNESCO's World Heritage Tentative List on 22 December 2025.
Sites of the triangle:
Udayagiri, Ratnagiri, Lalitgiri
Udayagiri district:
Jajpur
Lalitgiri district:
Cuttack
UNESCO Tentative List submission:
22 December 2025
UNESCO criteria cited:
(ii) and (iv)
Why it matters for exams: Buddhist heritage sites of Odisha and India's UNESCO tentative list entries are common art and culture questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Tentative List UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List — An inventory of sites a country intends to nominate for World Heritage inscription.
Background
In the news: Odisha Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati visited Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary on 10 October 2026 and urged people to explore domestic destinations.
Debrigarh lies along the Hirakud Reservoir in western Odisha, in Bargarh district.
The sanctuary covers an area of nearly 347 sq km of rolling hills, dry deciduous forests and open grasslands.
Its wildlife includes leopards, elephants, gaurs, deer, wild boars and sloth bears, along with a rich variety of birds.
Visitors can take jungle safaris, birding and trekking trails, kayaking and boat rides on the reservoir.
The sanctuary is managed by the Hirakud Wildlife Division.
Area:
Nearly 347 sq km
District:
Bargarh
Adjoining water body:
Hirakud Reservoir
Managing division:
Hirakud Wildlife Division
Why it matters for exams: Protected areas of Odisha and their location next to reservoirs such as Hirakud are standard geography and environment questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
Background
In the news: Paradip Port's coal handling plant set a single-day loading record on 10 October 2026.
Paradip is the only major port in Odisha, located near the confluence of the Mahanadi and the Bay of Bengal.
The port was envisioned by Biju Patnaik, then Chief Minister of Odisha, regarded as its founding father.
Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru laid the foundation stone on 3 January 1962; the Government of India took over its management from Odisha on 1 June 1965.
INS Investigator made the maiden berthing on 12 March 1966, when Yugoslav Prime Minister Peter Stambolic declared the port open.
On 18 April 1966 Paradip was declared the Eighth Major Port of India, the first major port on the east coast commissioned after Independence.
It now functions under the Major Port Authority Act, 2021, under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.
Foundation stone:
3 January 1962 (Jawaharlal Nehru)
Management taken over by Centre:
1 June 1965
Declared Major Port:
18 April 1966 (Eighth Major Port)
Location:
Near the Mahanadi–Bay of Bengal confluence
Why it matters for exams: Major ports, their founding dates and their sequence are standard Indian geography and economy questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
Background
In the news: Odisha's campuses head into student union elections on 15 October, across 13 universities and 347 colleges; Utkal University is one of the prominent centres of student politics.
Until 1936, when Odisha became a separate province, its colleges came under Patna University or Andhra University.
The Odisha Legislative Assembly passed the Utkal University Bill on 30 June 1943, and the Utkal University Act, 1943 came into force after the Governor's assent on 2 August 1943.
The University was founded on 27 November 1943 and began functioning in room no. 15 of Ravenshaw College, Cuttack.
Dr. Pranakrushna Parija, then Principal of Ravenshaw College, was its first Vice-Chancellor.
Its first constituent college, now Madhusudan Law College, Cuttack, was established in 1949.
Universities at Sambalpur and Berhampur came into existence from 1 January 1967. The University describes itself as the oldest university in the state of Odisha and the seventeenth oldest university in India.
Founded:
27 November 1943
First Vice-Chancellor:
Dr. Pranakrushna Parija
Began in:
Ravenshaw College, Cuttack
Student union polls:
15 October 2026
Why it matters for exams: Firsts and founding dates of a state's institutions, and the 1936 formation of Odisha province, are staple state-level questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Constituent college Constituent college — A college run directly by the university itself, as opposed to an affiliated college.
Background
In the news: GI-tagged Kotpad textiles were among the handlooms ORMAS showcased at Bhubaneswar Times Fashion Week 2026.
The Kotpad handloom takes its name from Kotpad, a small weaving village in Odisha's Koraput district.
It is Odisha's first Geographical Indication (GI) tagged product, and is listed under the One District One Product (ODOP) initiative.
It is handwoven in the tribal regions of southern Odisha and Chhattisgarh by the Mirgan community.
The red, maroon and brown natural dyes are extracted from the root of the Aul tree; the yarn is treated with dung, wood ash and castor oil in a process lasting nearly a month.
The men of the community weave, while the women take care of the dyeing.
District:
Koraput
Weaving community:
Mirgan
Dye source:
Root of the Aul tree
Distinction:
Odisha's first GI-tagged product
Why it matters for exams: GI tags, the 'first GI of a state' and the districts and communities behind crafts are frequent PSC and UPSC culture questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
GI Geographical Indication — A sign showing that a product comes from a particular place and owes its qualities to that origin.
ODOP One District One Product — A Union initiative that picks and promotes one distinctive product from each district.
ORMAS Odisha Rural Development and Marketing Society — The Odisha government society that markets rural products.