24 October 2026
A ten-day Gandhi Shilp Bazaar has opened at the Mopin Solung Ground in Itanagar and runs to 2 November. The fair has 56 stalls and is meant to give artisans of the north-eastern States a direct market for their work. It is organised by the North Eastern Handicrafts and Handlooms Development Corporation, a public sector undertaking of the Union Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region, together with the Office of the Development Commissioner (Handicrafts) under the Union Ministry of Textiles. The Gandhi Shilp Bazaar is a marketing scheme that the Ministry of Textiles runs for craftspersons across India through that office. Mara Kocho, Managing Director of the corporation, and Hara Kanta Baro, Regional Director for the North Eastern Region in the Development Commissioner's office, were present at the opening. Itanagar is the capital of Arunachal Pradesh and lies in Papum Pare district. Mopin and Solung, after which the ground is named, are harvest festivals of the Galo and Adi peoples.
Stalls:
56
Venue:
Mopin Solung Ground, Itanagar
Closing date:
2 November
Why it matters for exams: The Gandhi Shilp Bazaar is a Ministry of Textiles marketing fair for artisans; the Itanagar edition has 56 stalls and is run by NEHHDC with the Development Commissioner (Handicrafts).
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
NEHHDC North Eastern Handicrafts and Handlooms Development Corporation — A central corporation that markets handicrafts and handlooms of the north-eastern States.
24 October 2026
Arunachal Pradesh has said that only technical and environmental surveys are under way for the Siang Upper Multipurpose Project, which is proposed at 11,200 MW. Those surveys are meant to produce a pre-feasibility report that will judge whether the scheme is viable at all. Resistance has spread through East Siang, Siang and Upper Siang districts, and a twelve-hour shutdown was observed in the Siang districts. An NHPC office and a political party office were set on fire at Pasighat, and several police personnel including the Pasighat Deputy Superintendent of Police were hurt. The State Government has issued an advisory asking people to go by official notifications rather than unverified claims circulating online. The project was first proposed by NITI Aayog in 2017 and would stand on the Siang, the stream that becomes the Brahmaputra in Assam. A December home department letter had earlier sanctioned nine companies of central armed police forces so that survey work could go ahead.
Capacity proposed:
11,200 MW
First proposed by:
NITI Aayog, in 2017
Districts affected:
East Siang, Siang and Upper Siang
Stage:
Pre-feasibility report surveys
Why it matters for exams: The Siang Upper Multipurpose Project, proposed at 11,200 MW on the Siang river, was first put forward by NITI Aayog in 2017 and is still only at the pre-feasibility report stage.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
SUMP Siang Upper Multipurpose Project — A proposed hydropower and flood-moderation project on the Siang river in Arunachal Pradesh.
PFR Pre-Feasibility Report — The first study that checks whether a project site is worth investigating further.
CAPF Central Armed Police Forces — The central police organisations under the Ministry of Home Affairs, such as the CRPF and the ITBP.
26 October 2026
Arunachal Pradesh has sent its first kiwi consignment abroad. A trial lot of 1.5 tonnes was flagged off from the Civil Secretariat in Itanagar on Monday, bound for Dubai in the UAE. The fruit will be put on display at LuLu Hypermarket outlets there to test overseas demand. Agriculture Minister Gabriel D Wangsu led the flag-off. The export is facilitated by APEDA, the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority, and forms part of the State's kiwi project. Only Grade A fruit, usually 100 grams or heavier, qualifies for export. Ziro Valley is the main growing area, and farmers there want a Geographical Indication (GI) tag for better branding.
Trial consignment:
1.5 tonnes
Destination:
Dubai, UAE
Facilitated by:
APEDA
Flagged off by:
Gabriel D Wangsu, Agriculture Minister
Why it matters for exams: APEDA, its parent ministry, Ziro Valley and GI tags are standard agriculture and North-East questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
25 October 2026
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju inaugurated the Tagi Raja War Memorial Park at Gohaintan in the Burgaon circle of West Kameng district on Sunday. The park honours Tagi Raja and Medhi Raja, who resisted the spread of British colonial rule into the area. State Health Minister Biyuram Wahge, local MLAs and members of the Aka community attended. Rijiju asked the district administration and the Aka community to mark Janjatiya Gaurav Divas at the memorial every 15 November. He also promised help with road links and said a Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya for the area would be explored, subject to land. A souvenir was released and Aka cultural performances were staged.
Memorial:
Tagi Raja War Memorial Park
Place:
Gohaintan, Burgaon circle, West Kameng
Honours:
Tagi Raja and Medhi Raja
Inaugurated by:
Kiren Rijiju
Why it matters for exams: Tribal resistance to British rule and Janjatiya Gaurav Divas are frequent history and GK questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
26 October 2026
Arunachal Pradesh will hold a public exposition of sacred relics of Lord Buddha at three places. Chief Minister Pema Khandu launched the event's official website on 26 October. The relics are linked to Piprahwa in Uttar Pradesh, a site widely identified with ancient Kapilavastu, and are kept at the National Museum, New Delhi. They will be shown at Tawang Monastery from 31 October to 7 November, at Bomdila in West Kameng district from 8 to 13 November, and at the Golden Pagoda in Namsai district from 14 to 20 November. The Union Ministry of Culture, the State government, the International Buddhist Confederation and the National Museum are organising it together.
Relics linked to:
Piprahwa, Uttar Pradesh
Kept at:
National Museum, New Delhi
Tawang Monastery:
31 October – 7 November
Bomdila (West Kameng):
8 – 13 November
Golden Pagoda, Namsai:
14 – 20 November
Why it matters for exams: Buddhist heritage sites (Piprahwa, Kapilavastu, Tawang Monastery) and the bodies that hold the relics are standard culture questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
Background
This standing fact is behind the Siang project dispute, in which villages are asking what a State government may decide about their land. Until 1972 the territory was administered as the North-East Frontier Agency. On 20 January 1972 it was made a Union Territory and given the name Arunachal Pradesh. An elected Legislative Assembly and the first Council of Ministers took office on 15 August 1975, and the first general election to the Assembly was held in February 1978. It became a full-fledged State of the Indian Union on 20 February 1987. Its capital is Itanagar, which lies in Papum Pare district and takes its name from the Ita fort built there in the fourteenth century. The State shares international borders with China to the north, Myanmar to the east and Bhutan to the west, and domestic borders with Assam and Nagaland. Arunachal Pradesh is the largest State of the north-east by area.
Former name:
North-East Frontier Agency
Union Territory from:
20 January 1972
Statehood:
20 February 1987
Capital:
Itanagar, in Papum Pare district
Why it matters for exams: Arunachal Pradesh was the North-East Frontier Agency until it became a Union Territory on 20 January 1972 and a full State on 20 February 1987, with its capital at Itanagar.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
NEFA North-East Frontier Agency — The name under which the present Arunachal Pradesh was administered until 1972.
Background
This standing fact lies behind the Siang Upper Multipurpose Project and the Subansiri Upper project now being contested in Arunachal Pradesh. The same river carries three names along its course: it is the Tsangpo in Tibet, the Dihang or Siang in Arunachal Pradesh, and the Brahmaputra in Assam. The river rises near Mansarovar, flows east along the northern side of the Himalaya, then turns south and cuts a deep gorge across Arunachal Pradesh. It reaches the plains of Assam near Pasighat, where the Dibang and the Lohit join it; from that confluence the stream is called the Brahmaputra. The State's other large rivers are the Subansiri, the Kameng, the Dibang, the Lohit and the Tirap, all tributaries of the same system. The Subansiri is the largest of these tributaries. Because the fall of water across the gorge is steep, almost every large hydropower proposal in the State sits on this river or one of its tributaries.
Name in Tibet:
Tsangpo
Name in Arunachal Pradesh:
Dihang or Siang
Largest tributary:
Subansiri
Area of the State:
83,743 sq km
Why it matters for exams: The Brahmaputra is the Tsangpo in Tibet and the Dihang or Siang in Arunachal Pradesh, and its tributaries there include the Subansiri, Kameng, Dibang, Lohit and Tirap.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
Background
This standing fact sits behind the dispute over big hydropower projects on Arunachal Pradesh's rivers. A glacial lake outburst flood happens when the loose wall of rock debris or ice holding back a glacier-fed lake gives way and the water runs down the valley in a surge. Such a surge can reach a dam or a settlement far downstream within hours, which is why these lakes are mapped and ranked by risk. The National Disaster Management Authority has sent expert teams to six high-risk glacial lakes in Arunachal Pradesh to assess the danger they pose. Tawang district, in the north-west of the State, holds several of the lakes placed in the highest risk class. Risk work on such lakes runs through the National Disaster Management Authority at the centre and the State Disaster Management Authority in the State, both created by the Disaster Management Act, 2005. Measures used elsewhere in the Himalaya include lowering a lake's water level and building early warning systems downstream.
High-risk lakes assessed:
Six
District most affected:
Tawang
Governing Act:
Disaster Management Act, 2005
Why it matters for exams: The National Disaster Management Authority has sent expert teams to six high-risk glacial lakes in Arunachal Pradesh; NDMA and the State authorities both come from the Disaster Management Act, 2005.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
GLOF Glacial Lake Outburst Flood — A sudden flood caused when the natural wall holding a glacial lake fails.
Background
The trial kiwi shipment to Dubai grows out of the Mission on "Arunachal Kiwi: The USP of Arunachal Pradesh", launched in May 2026 by Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, Union Minister for Development of North Eastern Region. The mission has an outlay of about ₹167 crore and follows a cluster-based approach to develop the fruit's value chain. It plans six Post-Harvest Management Hubs spread across Ziro Valley, Dirang, Kalaktang, Shi Yomi and Dibang Valley, and a brand called "Arunachal Organic Kiwi" to be placed in export markets by FY 2028. Arunachal contributes over 50 percent of India's kiwi, more than 7,050 MT a year, from over 3,582 hectares in 13 districts. Its November–January harvest falls in the New Zealand off-season. Each North-Eastern State has a similar signature product; Meghalaya's is Lakadong Turmeric.
Outlay:
approximately ₹167 crore
Share of India's kiwi:
over 50 percent (more than 7,050 MT)
Area under kiwi:
more than 3,582 hectares, 13 districts
Brand:
Arunachal Organic Kiwi
Why it matters for exams: Central missions for the North-East, their ministry and each State's signature product are common exam questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC