# UPSC current affairs, 1 November 2026 URL: https://upsc.help/current-affairs/2026-11-01/ Publisher: upsc.help (Pratidin), free and open-source UPSC Civil Services current affairs. Not affiliated with UPSC. Every fact was checked against the source reports by a separate review before publishing. ## Stories ### Quad foreign ministers meet in Atlanta, pledge over $85 million for trusted AI access URL: https://upsc.help/current-affairs/2026-11-01/quad-fmm-atlanta-ai-minerals/ (Markdown: https://upsc.help/current-affairs/2026-11-01/quad-fmm-atlanta-ai-minerals.md) Source: The Hindu, Page 9. UPSC papers: GS2, GS3 **In one line:** On 31 October 2026 the Quad foreign ministers met in Atlanta and put AI, chip supply chains, critical minerals and economic coercion at the top of the agenda. Prelims facts: - The Quad foreign ministers met in Atlanta on 31 October 2026, on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting; it was their third meeting of 2026, after New Delhi (May) and Manila (July). - The Quad intends to provide over USD 85 million of technical and financial assistance to widen access to trusted AI in the Indo-Pacific. - The US committed USD 10 million for facilities in India and ASEAN countries to recover critical minerals from e-waste and scrap. - The ministers voiced grave concern over economic coercion, including arbitrary export restrictions, without naming any country. - They reaffirmed navigational rights in the Strait of Hormuz, the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, and announced the first Quad Business Leaders' Forum. ### Why social media takedowns are in focus: MeitY advisories and a three-hour removal window URL: https://upsc.help/current-affairs/2026-11-01/social-media-takedowns-meity-advisories/ (Markdown: https://upsc.help/current-affairs/2026-11-01/social-media-takedowns-meity-advisories.md) Source: The Hindu, Text & Context. UPSC papers: GS2, GS3 **In one line:** MeitY's October 2026 advisories and a 3-hour takedown rule have pushed platforms to remove content fast, often under their own policies, which narrows the user's route to court. Prelims facts: - MeitY issued an advisory to all intermediaries on 8 October 2026 and a Meta-specific advisory on recommendation systems on 10 October 2026. - The IT Amendment Rules, 2026, in force from 20 February 2026, cut the takedown window after a court order or government intimation from 36 hours to 3 hours. - Section 69A of the IT Act lets the Centre block online content on grounds such as sovereignty, security of the State and public order; Section 79 gives intermediaries conditional safe harbour. - In Shreya Singhal v. Union of India (2015) the Supreme Court struck down Section 66A, upheld Section 69A and read down Section 79(3)(b) to court orders and government notifications. - Content removed under a platform's own community standards goes first to the grievance officer and then to the Grievance Appellate Committee, not straight to a court. ### Delhi's winter curbs kick in as CAQM orders pre-emptive NCR curbs for 5 to 20 November URL: https://upsc.help/current-affairs/2026-11-01/delhi-winter-plan-caqm-anticipatory-curbs/ (Markdown: https://upsc.help/current-affairs/2026-11-01/delhi-winter-plan-caqm-anticipatory-curbs.md) Source: Indian Express, Page 8. UPSC papers: GS3, GS2 **In one line:** Delhi's winter pollution plan began on 1 November 2026, and the CAQM has, for 5 to 20 November, ordered work-from-home and construction curbs in advance rather than waiting for the AQI to turn 'Severe'. Prelims facts: - Delhi's Winter Action Plan 2026-27 began on 1 November 2026, barring non-BS-VI vehicles registered outside Delhi until 31 January 2027. - CAQM issued directions on 30 October 2026 under Section 12 of the CAQM Act, 2021 for 5 to 20 November 2026. - The CAQM order mandates up to 50% physical attendance in state government and private offices in Delhi and five NCR districts, and restricts dust-generating construction across the NCR. - CAQM based the pre-emptive order on November AQI data from 2018 to 2025, which showed recurring 'Severe' and 'Severe+' days in early to mid-November. - GRAP is a four-stage plan whose curbs tighten as AQI moves from 'Poor' to 'Very Poor', 'Severe' and 'Severe+'. ### IBBI lets creditors keep completed housing projects out of a builder's insolvency process URL: https://upsc.help/current-affairs/2026-11-01/ibbi-real-estate-project-wise-cirp/ (Markdown: https://upsc.help/current-affairs/2026-11-01/ibbi-real-estate-project-wise-cirp.md) Source: Indian Express, Page 17. UPSC papers: GS3, GS2 **In one line:** IBBI's regulations of 30 October 2026 let creditors recommend excluding viable or completed projects from a developer's insolvency, and ring-fence each project's money and information. Prelims facts: - IBBI notified the CIRP (Fifth Amendment) Regulations, 2026 on 30 October 2026 for real estate insolvency. - The committee of creditors can recommend excluding an individual real estate project from CIRP with at least 66% of the voting share; the NCLT decides. - The resolution professional must keep a separate bank account for each project and follow RERA fund-use rules. - A project-wise technical and cost-to-complete assessment must be done before resolution applicants are invited and included in the information memorandum. - Monitoring committees for real estate debtors must include an allottee representative and, with consent, a RERA representative. ### NIPGR scientists find a calcium channel that spreads a plant's alarm against insect attack URL: https://upsc.help/current-affairs/2026-11-01/cngc13-plant-calcium-alarm-nipgr/ (Markdown: https://upsc.help/current-affairs/2026-11-01/cngc13-plant-calcium-alarm-nipgr.md) Source: The Hindu, Page 13. UPSC papers: GS3 **In one line:** NIPGR researchers showed that the calcium channel CNGC13 carries a plant's alarm from an insect-damaged leaf to its other leaves, switching on their defences. Prelims facts: - NIPGR, New Delhi, identified CNGC13, a calcium channel that relays the alarm from an insect-damaged leaf to undamaged leaves; the work appeared in PNAS in 2026. - CNGC13 is induced by wounding and insect feeding and is located in the plant's vascular tissue. - Without CNGC13, Arabidopsis plants showed weaker systemic calcium and jasmonic acid signals, and Spodoptera litura larvae feeding on them gained more weight. - The finding adds a second route alongside glutamate receptor-like channels (GLRs) for long-distance defence signalling in plants. - Such signalling proteins are potential targets for breeding or engineering crops with stronger natural pest resistance. ## Other articles in brief ### Meitei and Naga groups rally in Manipur to demand an end to the SoO pact The Hindu, Page 9 (News). Meitei groups under COCOMI and Naga civil bodies held rallies in Manipur seeking protection of indigenous people and an end to the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with Kuki-Zo militant groups, after an ambush killed three Meitei men. The 2008 pact expired on 4 September 2026 and has not been renewed. At one camp only one of 159 registered cadres was present; authorities plan to audit all 14 camps. Prelims facts: - The SoO is a tripartite ceasefire between the Centre, the Manipur government and Kuki-Zo groups, mainly the KNO and the UPF, signed in 2008. - Manipur's ethnic violence between Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities began on 3 May 2023, after a High Court order on ST status for Meiteis. Mains angle: Illustrates the difficulty of ceasefire-based peace processes in the North-East when camp rules are not enforced and communities distrust each other. ### Bhutan to build 108 stupas in Gelephu, many with relics from India The Hindu, Page 11 (News). Bhutan is building 108 jangchub chortens (enlightenment stupas) along the Mau Chhu river in Gelephu, many holding relics that came from India. Project 108 is tied to the spiritual launch of the Gelephu Mindfulness City, planned as a spirituality-driven economic hub. Work begins on 1 November, Lord Buddha's Descending Day. The Central Monastic Body of Bhutan oversees the spiritual side. Prelims facts: - The 108 stupas are being built along the Mau Chhu river in Gelephu, Bhutan. - The Central Monastic Body of Bhutan represents the Drukpa Kagyu lineage. Mains angle: An example of Buddhist heritage as a link in India-Bhutan ties and of cultural diplomacy in the neighbourhood. ### India's first private fusion company plans reactor blueprint by 2027 The Hindu, Page 11 (News). Pranos Fusion, a Bengaluru startup described as India's first private fusion company, aims to finish the blueprint for PRANIK, a larger tokamak, by 2027. It has already built PRAGYA, a smaller tokamak to test plasma control and superconducting magnets, and raised $7.2 million. Unlike fission, fusion does not need radioactive materials such as uranium and carries no risk of a runaway chain reaction, though fusion power remains a future prospect. Prelims facts: - A tokamak is a doughnut-shaped device that uses strong magnetic fields to confine plasma at extremely high temperatures for fusion. - Fusion typically combines deuterium and tritium; compact designs with high-temperature superconducting magnets are expected to cut reactor costs. Mains angle: Relevant to private participation in nuclear and frontier energy research and to India's long-term clean energy options. ### Gene therapy aims to cure hepatitis B by silencing viral DNA The Hindu, Page 13 (News). A therapy called CRMA-1001, reported in Nature Biomedical Engineering, seeks a functional cure for hepatitis B by silencing viral DNA through epigenetic control rather than attacking the virus. A CRISPR-Cas9 based locator finds the viral sequence and an effector adds methyl groups to it; it is delivered on an mRNA platform. In mice it cut viral markers, with up to 90% suppression after multiple doses. Prelims facts: - CRMA-1001 uses a CRISPR-Cas9 based locator and an effector that adds methyl groups to hepatitis B viral DNA. - Current hepatitis B treatments often leave viral DNA intact, allowing the virus to rebound. Mains angle: An example of epigenetic editing and mRNA delivery as new tools in biotechnology for chronic infections. ### Loss of urban green and blue spaces linked to child health risks The Hindu, Page 13 (News). The piece links the loss of urban green and blue spaces to poorer health, especially for children. It cites NFHS data linking lower greenness with higher infant mortality and a PNAS study of 4.2 million children in 57 low and middle income countries that ties fragmented urban tree canopy to higher child mortality. India's urban population has reached 36%. Prelims facts: - A PNAS study of 4.2 million children in 57 low and middle income countries linked fragmented urban tree canopy to higher child mortality. - AMRUT includes green infrastructure and urban sustainability as a component. Mains angle: Supports arguments on urbanisation's health costs and the case for green infrastructure in urban planning. ### What the new E100 vehicle rules mean The Hindu, Page 14 (Text & Context). The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways amended the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989 to allow up to 100% ethanol (E100), adding it alongside E85 in Rule 115 on emission standards. E85 and E100 are only for flex-fuel vehicles designed by manufacturers. Concerns include lower fuel economy, land and water use and competition with food crops; some experts say the focus diverts from electrification. Prelims facts: - Rule 115 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989 now covers E100 alongside E85. - India reached 20% ethanol blending in 2025, ahead of the 2030 target set in the National Policy on Biofuels, 2018. Mains angle: Feeds the energy security and decarbonisation debate: ethanol cuts oil imports but raises food, water and land trade-offs. ### ISRO launches NVS-03 to restore NavIC navigation services The Hindu, Page 14 (Text & Context). ISRO launched NVS-03 on a GSLV from Sriharikota on 30 October to restore base-level functioning of NavIC. First-generation satellites failed after their atomic clocks stopped; the last clock on IRNSS-1F stopped in March, leaving three working satellites when at least four are needed. NVS-03 carries indigenous rubidium atomic clocks from ISRO's Space Applications Centre. Prelims facts: - NavIC, earlier called IRNSS, covers India and about 1,500 km beyond its borders. - NVS-02, launched in January 2025, failed to reach its intended orbit because its thrusters failed. Mains angle: Shows why indigenous critical components matter for strategic autonomy in satellite navigation. ### UK Prime Minister says Britain is open to apologising for slavery The Hindu, Page 16 (News). UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Britain is open to formally apologising for its role in the slave trade but ruled out financial reparations, ahead of the CHOGM in Antigua and Barbuda from 1 to 4 November 2026. Shashi Tharoor welcomed the move but criticised the absence of a wider apology for colonialism. About 2 million Indians were taken as indentured labourers across the empire between 1838 and 1917. Prelims facts: - The British Empire abolished the slave trade in 1807 and slavery in 1833. - The 2026 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting is in Antigua and Barbuda. Mains angle: Useful for the colonial economy and indentured labour in modern history and the debate on historical justice and reparations. ### Ebola deaths in Congo cross 5,000 in second deadliest outbreak Indian Express, Page 4 (News). An Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, caused by the Bundibugyo virus and declared in mid-May, has killed over 5,000 of 10,351 people infected, a lethality of nearly 50%. It is the second deadliest Ebola outbreak after the 2014-2016 West Africa outbreak. Experts fear it may spread to other African countries; control is hampered by mistrust and armed groups. Prelims facts: - Bundibugyo virus was first identified in Uganda in 2007. - Ebola spreads through direct contact with blood, bodily fluids or contaminated objects of an infected person or animal. Mains angle: Relevant to global health security, WHO's role and outbreak control in conflict zones. ### Iran holds talks with Qatari mediators amid threat of US strikes Indian Express, Page 4 (News). Iranian negotiators are holding talks with Qatari mediators in Doha to ease Gulf tensions amid fears of US strikes after the US midterm elections. Iran found a Qatari seven-day trust-building plan unsatisfactory. Iran's Supreme Leader ordered the armed forces to prepare an immediate response to any attack, and Iran is raising readiness along the Gulf coast and the Strait of Hormuz. Prelims facts: - The Strait of Hormuz links the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. - Qatar proposed a seven-day trust-building plan, with daily confidence-building steps, before wider peace talks. Mains angle: Relevant to India's energy security and diaspora interests in the Gulf, which depend on stability around the Strait of Hormuz. ### Relocated tigress strays into Assam as states seek NTCA nod to capture her Indian Express, Page 14 (News). Tigress T-138, part of West Bengal's first tiger relocation programme and released on 2 October after being brought from Bihar, has strayed about 100 km into Assam's Kokrajhar district and killed livestock. West Bengal and Assam are seeking NTCA permission to capture her, citing human-wildlife conflict. Valmiki Tiger Reserve was the source as it shares features with Buxa; both lie in the Terai Arc Landscape. Prelims facts: - Raimona National Park in Assam, declared in 2021, forms a transboundary corridor with Bhutan's Royal Manas National Park. - Valmiki Tiger Reserve's tiger population rose from 31 in 2018 to 54 in 2022. Mains angle: Shows the challenges of tiger reintroduction: soft release, prey base, landscape connectivity and human-wildlife conflict. ### Rupee slide: piece argues proposed remittance curbs are a panic response Indian Express, Page 16 (Opinion). The rupee fell about 7% against the dollar in 12 months, from about 88.84 to 94.95. The RBI has proposed cutting the annual limit for current account transactions under the LRS from $250,000 to $50,000 and barring residents from buying foreign property and shares, after selling an estimated $75 to 80 billion of reserves and raising rates. The piece argues the curbs are panic-driven and lack a coherent strategy. Prelims facts: - The RBI proposed cutting the annual current account transaction limit under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme from $250,000 to $50,000. - India's forex reserves stand at $720 billion despite the RBI's dollar sales, according to the piece. Mains angle: Useful for exchange rate management: the trade-off between capital controls, reserve sales and rate hikes in defending a currency. ### Rhine's revival after the 1986 Sandoz fire and lessons for the Ganga and Yamuna Indian Express, Page 16 (Opinion). A warehouse fire at Sandoz in Basel on 1 November 1986 killed aquatic life for over 180 km of the Rhine and led to the Rhine Action Programme. Between 1985 and 2000, point-source inputs of priority pollutants were cut by 70 to 100% and over 70 fish species are now found in the river. The piece contrasts this with Indian river clean-up from the Ganga Action Plan to Namami Gange, with over Rs 24,000 crore spent on the Ganga and Yamuna. Prelims facts: - The International Commission for the Protection of the Rhine was set up in 1950. - India's polluted river stretches rose to 296 on 271 rivers by 2025. Mains angle: Gives an international example of basin-level, multi-country river governance to contrast with India's river clean-up programmes. ### Nepal increased power exports to India despite August floods Indian Express, Page 17 (News). Nepal exported about 1,262 million units of electricity to India between 27 August and 27 October, despite flash floods on 26 August that hit 13 hydropower plants and one solar plant and disrupted about 430 MW of capacity. Nepal's export earnings rose from NPR 17.47 billion in 2024-25 to NPR 29.3 billion in 2025-26. Nepal usually exports surplus monsoon power and imports in dry winter months. Prelims facts: - Nepal exported about 1,262 million units of electricity to India between 27 August and 27 October. - Flash floods on 26 August disrupted about 430 MW of Nepal's generation capacity and damaged the 14 MW Devighat hydropower plant. Mains angle: An example of cross-border electricity trade deepening India-Nepal interdependence and regional energy cooperation. ### India's poverty challenge enters a new phase, World Bank figures show Indian Express, Page 17 (News). World Bank figures put India's poverty at 2.6% at the $3 a day line and 16.1% at the $4.2 a day line in 2023, projected to fall to 14.2% by 2026 and 12.1% by 2028 if productive jobs grow in poorer states. About 57% of India's poor live in a belt from Uttar Pradesh to West Bengal. Youth unemployment has risen to 15.9% and real earnings have barely moved. Prelims facts: - The Rangarajan committee's 2014 poverty line was Rs 1,407 a month per capita in urban areas and Rs 972 in rural areas. - The World Bank's $4.2 a day line is the lower-middle-income poverty benchmark. Mains angle: Shows poverty shifting from extreme deprivation to vulnerability, regional concentration and weak job and wage growth. ### PM speaks at Rashtriya Ekta Diwas in Kevadia on Sardar Patel's 151st birth anniversary PIB (Government release). At Rashtriya Ekta Diwas at the Statue of Unity in Kevadia, Gujarat, marking Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's 151st birth anniversary, the Prime Minister credited Patel with integrating over 550 princely states. He said no Left-Wing Extremism affected districts remained by March 2026 and that social security coverage had grown from 25 crore to nearly 100 crore people. The National Unity Parade showcased police and security forces. Prelims facts: - Rashtriya Ekta Diwas marks the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel; 2026 was his 151st. - The Statue of Unity is at Kevadia in Gujarat. Mains angle: Useful for Patel's role in integrating princely states and for the government's stated claims on ending Left-Wing Extremism. ### Government says social security coverage rose to 68.4% in 2026 PIB (Government release). The government says social security coverage rose from 19% in 2015 to 68.4% in 2026, over one billion people. The EPFO wage ceiling for mandatory coverage rose from Rs 15,000 to Rs 25,000 a month, adding over 51 lakh employees. The Code on Social Security, 2020 merges nine central labour laws and extends benefits to gig and platform workers. Pradhan Mantri Samajik Sahayata Yojana replaces the NSAP. Prelims facts: - The Code on Social Security, 2020 consolidates nine central labour laws. - PM-SYM is a voluntary, contributory pension scheme paying Rs 3,000 a month to unorganised workers after age 60. Mains angle: Gives data and examples for extending social security to unorganised, gig and platform workers under the labour codes. ### Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh urges self-reliant panchayats at People's Plan Campaign workshop PIB (Government release). Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh urged efforts to build Atmanirbhar Panchayats at a workshop on the People's Plan Campaign 2026-27, launched on 2 October 2026 to prepare Gram Panchayat Development Plans. GPDPs must include an Own Source Revenue component to get performance grants. The ministry signed an MoU with CESL for EV charging and battery swapping on panchayat land. Prelims facts: - The People's Plan Campaign has run since 2018 under the theme "Sabki Yojana, Sabka Vikas". - The Sixteenth Finance Commission recommended grants of Rs 4,35,236 crore for Panchayati Raj Institutions for 2026-31. Mains angle: Shows how panchayats can raise own revenue beyond grants, through local taxes and assets such as EV charging on panchayat land.