Today's 5 stories
EconomyThe Hindu, Page 1GS3GS2Must read
Retail inflation, measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), rose to 6.09% in October 2026 from 5.54% in September, according to data released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) on 12 November 2026. This is the first time in two years that inflation has crossed the 6% upper tolerance limit of the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI's) target band; the last breach was in October 2024, when the old series recorded 6.21%. Food inflation, measured by the Consumer Food Price Index, jumped to 8.94% from 7.74%. The broader food and beverages division rose 8.51%, the highest in the new series.
Prelims facts
- CPI inflation was 6.09% in October 2026, up from 5.54% in September, the first breach of the RBI's 6% upper limit since October 2024.
- Food inflation (CFPI) rose to 8.94% from 7.74%; onion prices were up 116.22% year on year.
- Restaurant and accommodation services inflation hit 10.06%, the first double-digit reading in the new CPI series (base year 2024).
- The RBI raised the repo rate by 25 basis points to 5.5% in October 2026, and economists expect another hike in December.
- Under the RBI Act, the inflation target is 4% CPI with a 2% to 6% band; failure means breaching the band for three consecutive quarters.
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Society, justice and ethicsThe Hindu, Page 12GS2GS3Must read
The World Health Organization (WHO) released its Global Tuberculosis Report 2026 on 12 November 2026, drawing on data from 187 countries and areas. It estimates that 10.6 million people fell ill with tuberculosis (TB) in 2025 and 1.13 million died, a 4% fall in deaths from 2024. Global TB deaths are now 35% below 2015, which means the first milestone of the WHO End TB Strategy has been met, about five years later than planned. Incidence has fallen much less: by about 14% since 2015, according to the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, against a target of 50% by 2025. International donor funding fell 14%, from $1.1 billion to $0.94 billion, after aid cuts.
Prelims facts
- The WHO Global Tuberculosis Report 2026, released on 12 November 2026, estimates 10.6 million TB cases and 1.13 million TB deaths worldwide in 2025.
- Global TB deaths are 35% below 2015, meeting the End TB Strategy's first milestone about five years late.
- Citing the report, the Health Ministry said India's TB mortality fell 38% since 2015, with the rate down from 28 to 18 per lakh people.
- India accounts for about a quarter of global TB cases; treatment success for drug-susceptible TB is 94%.
- WHO's estimate of India's TB incidence is under review after the ICMR-NIRT national prevalence survey of 2025.
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EconomyIndian Express, Page 17GS3
Six years after the first Production Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes began, a mid-course assessment prepared by NITI Aayog with the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA) has found that only ₹35,354 crore, or 18.51% of the total allocation of ₹1,91,049 crore across 14 schemes, had been disbursed by March 2026. The report was released on 12 November 2026; NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Ashok Kumar Lahiri called manufacturing an engine of employment, innovation and productivity-led growth. By March 2026, the schemes had drawn cumulative investment of ₹2.40 lakh crore (76% of the full-tenure target) and production of ₹22.66 lakh crore, with production and sales at 64% of target. They had created 8.49 lakh jobs, only 28% of the target of 30.18 lakh.
Prelims facts
- A NITI Aayog-IIM Ahmedabad assessment found 14 PLI schemes had disbursed ₹35,354 crore, 18.51% of their ₹1,91,049 crore outlay, by March 2026.
- PLI investment reached ₹2.40 lakh crore (76% of target), production ₹22.66 lakh crore, and jobs 8.49 lakh (28% of target).
- Large-scale electronics, telecom and pharmaceutical drugs did well; Advanced Chemistry Cell batteries remain at an early stage.
- Domestic value addition in white goods rose from about 20% in FY20 to 55% in FY25.
- The report recommends pairing supply-side incentives with demand-side support for domestically made products.
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Polity and governanceIndian Express, ExplainedGS2GS1Must read
In J. Rajesh (Minor) v. M. Kumaran (Dead) through LRs (2026 INSC 1208), a Bench of Justices Augustine George Masih and Sunita Agarwal held that a grandson does not acquire a right by birth in property that his father received on partition after the grandfather's estate passed to Class I heirs under Section 8 of the Hindu Succession Act, 1956. The Indian Express explained the ruling on 13 November 2026. The land had belonged to the appellant's grandfather. In 1993 the grandfather's daughter filed a partition suit, and a compromise decree in 1994 allotted the land to the appellant's father. The appellant was born in 1994, and his father sold the land in 1997.
Prelims facts
- In J. Rajesh v. M. Kumaran (2026 INSC 1208), the Supreme Court held a grandson has no birthright in property his father got on partition after succession under Section 8 of the Hindu Succession Act, 1956.
- Property inherited under Section 8 is held by heirs as tenants in common and, once partitioned, becomes each heir's separate property.
- The Court relied on CWT v. Chander Sen (1986): a son's son is not a Class I heir while his father is alive.
- Section 6 and Tamil Nadu's Section 29A (1989) did not apply because the appellant was not a surviving coparcener when succession opened.
- The 2005 amendment to Section 6 made daughters coparceners by birth, as affirmed in Vineeta Sharma v. Rakesh Sharma (2020).
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Environment and geographyIndian Express, ExplainedGS3GS2
The Global Carbon Budget 2026, the 21st annual assessment by the Global Carbon Project, released on 10 November 2026, projects that global fossil CO2 emissions will fall about 0.4% in 2026 to roughly 38.2 billion tonnes (Gt), within a range of a 1.5% fall to a 0.6% rise. The main driver is a 1.9% fall in oil emissions, linked to the Iran conflict and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Coal emissions still rose slightly. Total CO2 emissions, including land-use change, are set to reach a record 43.3 Gt because land-use emissions jumped to about 5.1 Gt from 4.4 Gt in 2025, mainly from El Niño-linked peat fires and forest degradation in south-east Asia.
Prelims facts
- The Global Carbon Budget 2026 projects global fossil CO2 emissions to fall about 0.4% in 2026 to about 38.2 Gt, led by a 1.9% fall in oil.
- India's fossil CO2 emissions are projected to rise 4.4%, with coal up 5.9%; China, the US and the EU are projected to fall.
- Total CO2 emissions including land use reach a record 43.3 Gt as land-use emissions rise to about 5.1 Gt.
- The remaining budget for a 50% chance of 1.5°C is about 150 Gt from the start of 2027, under four years of current emissions.
- India's updated NDC (2022) targets a 45% cut in emissions intensity of GDP from 2005 levels by 2030, with net zero by 2070.
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Every other article worth knowing
The Hindu
New infrastructure projects sanctioned along the China border in Arunachal Pradesh
The Hindu, Page 1GS3GS2Prelims
The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) has sanctioned 15 pedestrian suspension bridges and 18 log bridges in Upper Subansiri and Kurung Kumey districts of Arunachal Pradesh, after face-offs with the Chinese Army along the LAC since late July. In February, the Cabinet Committee on Security cleared the third phase of the Indo-China Border Roads project (ICBR-III), covering 26 roads along the LAC in the State.
Prelims facts
- ICBR-III, cleared by the Cabinet Committee on Security in February, covers 26 roads along the LAC in Arunachal Pradesh.
- The first ICBR phase began in 2005 with 27 priority roads of 608 km; ICBR-II, approved in September 2020, has 32 roads of 683 km.
- The ITBP is a Central Armed Police Force that mainly guards the India-Tibet border.
Source summary
IIT Madras study maps microbes and drug-resistance genes on the Chennai Metro
The Hindu, Page IIGS3GS2Prelims
IIT Madras researchers swabbed 96 samples from 12 stations and trains on the Chennai Metro's Blue and Green Lines and found a distinct 'transit biome'. Low-level antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes, mainly for sulfonamide and rifamycin resistance, were present in over 80% of samples from frequently touched surfaces. The authors call for routine microbial and AMR surveillance in Indian public transport.
Prelims facts
- Whole-genome metagenomic sequencing was done on 47 samples, and ticket-vending kiosks were the most microbially diverse surfaces.
- The MetaSUB International Consortium and New York's PathoMap project have mapped urban microbiomes since 2013.
- Metagenomics is the genetic analysis of material taken directly from the environment.
Mains angle
GS2/GS3 public health: environmental AMR surveillance in crowded transit systems supports a One Health approach to antimicrobial resistance.
Source summary
India and the U.K. on turning climate ambition into action
The Hindu, Page 8OpinionGS2GS3Prelims
Written as the Earthshot Prize holds its largest edition in Mumbai, the article argues that the U.K.-India Vision 2035 puts climate and clean energy at the centre of the partnership. It cites British International Investment's $1.1 billion in climate-focused investment in India since 2022, cooperation between India's CERC and the U.K.'s Ofgem on electricity market reform, and a joint offshore wind taskforce.
Prelims facts
- Since 2020, India has produced nine Earthshot Prize finalists and four winners, more than any other country.
- The Earthshot Prize, founded by the Prince of Wales, awards £1 million to each of five winners every year.
- COP31 will be held in Antalya, Türkiye.
Mains angle
GS2 bilateral relations and GS3 climate finance: the piece shows how climate finance, market reform and disaster risk cooperation are becoming pillars of India-U.K. ties.
Source summary
Opinion: the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls as a technology failure
The Hindu, Page 8OpinionGS2
The article argues that the 2025-26 Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, run through the Election Commission's ERONet platform, excluded voters through flawed software. It says 'logical discrepancy' flags based on age and family size misfired, name matching across scripts produced over 1.3 crore flagged entries in West Bengal, and rules changed without written SOPs, while timing followed the electoral calendar rather than system readiness.
Prelims facts
- ERONet is the Election Commission of India's centralised digital platform for electoral roll management.
Source summary
Why the Siang Upper Multipurpose Project in Arunachal Pradesh is contentious
The Hindu, Page 10ExplainedGS3GS1Prelims
The Adi community in Arunachal Pradesh is protesting the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP), to be built by NHPC with a capacity of about 11,000 MW, saying at least 40 villages would be submerged and that consent was obtained by deceit. The project is at the pre-feasibility stage. The government cites flood control, water security and a counter to China's planned 60,000 MW Medog dam upstream.
Prelims facts
- The Siang is the name of the Brahmaputra in Arunachal Pradesh.
- SUMP was declared a national project in 2008; the proposed dam would be 280 to 300 metres high with 9.2 billion cubic metres of live storage.
- China's planned Medog dam upstream on the river is put at 60,000 MW.
Mains angle
GS3 large dams and displacement, and GS2 transboundary rivers: SUMP pits strategic water security against China against tribal consent and submergence.
Source summary
Why Ladakh groups object to the schedule of local body and hill council polls
The Hindu, Page 10ExplainedGS2Prelims
Ladakh's administration has announced panchayat and municipal polls for November 21 and hill council polls for December 4. The Leh Apex Body and the Kargil Democratic Alliance object to the timing, citing winter migration and lack of consultation, and want the hill council polls moved to April or May. Ladakh is a Union Territory without a legislature.
Prelims facts
- Ladakh's local governance has expanded from two Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils to six new district councils.
- The polls cover 100 constituencies, up from 52, and for the first time 36 seats are reserved for women.
- The LAB and KDA seek statehood and inclusion in the Sixth Schedule and have rejected the Home Ministry's draft 'sui generis' model.
Mains angle
GS2 federalism and local governance: Ladakh shows the democratic deficit of a Union Territory without a legislature and the demand for Sixth Schedule safeguards.
Source summary
Kurumba language of Attappady faces language shift and Census invisibility
The Hindu, Page 11GS1GS2Prelims
The Kurumba, a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group in Attappady, Palakkad, Kerala, speak an oral language without a script that is losing ground as young people migrate for education and work. With a population of 2,719 as of 2024, the language is unlikely to be listed separately in the Census, which groups languages with fewer than 10,000 speakers as 'others'.
Prelims facts
- The Kurumbas are one of five PVTGs identified in Kerala.
- The People's Linguistic Survey of India identified about 800 languages, while the Census classifies 121.
- The Ministry of Education launched the Scheme for Protection and Preservation of Endangered Languages (SPPEL) in 2013.
Mains angle
GS1 diversity and tribal identity: language shift in small oral tribal languages shows how Census thresholds can make communities invisible to policy.
Source summary
Centre considers a special session of Parliament to pass the Delimitation Bill, 2026
The Hindu, Page 13GS2Prelims
The Centre is considering a special session of Parliament to pass the Delimitation Bill, 2026, linked to implementing the Women's Reservation Act, 2023. It proposes raising Lok Sabha seats from 543 to a maximum of 850 on the basis of the 2011 Census. A similar Constitution Amendment Bill failed in April for lack of the required votes; 361 votes are needed for a two-thirds majority.
Prelims facts
- The Women's Reservation Act, 2023 reserves one-third of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies, contingent on delimitation.
- The Monsoon Session has not been prorogued, allowing a special session to be called at short notice.
- An earlier proposal discussed with the Opposition was a 50% seat increase for all States, keeping ratios based on the 1971 Census.
Source summary
German Ambassador calls the India-EU free trade agreement a game changer
The Hindu, Page 14GS2GS3Prelims
Germany's Ambassador said the India-EU FTA, whose negotiations concluded on January 27, 2026, will boost trade, investment, defence ties and mobility. The EU would remove tariffs on 99.5% of Indian exports by value and India would offer concessions on 97.5% of EU imports. ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems and Mazagon Dock are in final talks on Project 75(I) for six submarines.
Prelims facts
- Project 75(I) covers six diesel-electric submarines fitted with Air-Independent Propulsion.
- The India-Germany Migration and Mobility Partnership Agreement was signed in December 2022 and offers 3,000 job seeker visas a year.
- Germany has pledged an additional €10 billion to India until 2030 under the Green and Sustainable Development Partnership launched in 2022.
Mains angle
GS2 India-EU and India-Germany relations: the FTA, defence co-production and mobility pact show trade, technology and talent converging in one partnership.
Source summary
Xi Jinping says Taiwan's reunification with China must happen
The Hindu, Page 16GS2Prelims
Chinese President Xi Jinping, speaking at an event marking the 160th birth anniversary of Sun Yat-sen, reaffirmed the goal of 'complete reunification' with Taiwan, stressing a peaceful approach and calling it a historical mission of the Communist Party. China proposes a 'one country, two systems' model, which Taiwan's major parties reject, and has never renounced the use of force.
Prelims facts
- The Republic of China was founded in 1912 after the fall of the Qing dynasty.
- The Kuomintang government retreated to Taiwan in 1949 at the end of the Chinese Civil War.
- Under the One-China Principle, the PRC holds that Taiwan is part of a single sovereign Chinese state.
Mains angle
GS2 effect of policies of other countries: cross-Strait tension shapes Indo-Pacific security and supply chains, relevant to India's China policy.
Source summary
The Indian Express
Explosions hit four oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz
Indian Express, Page 2GS2GS3Prelims
Explosions struck four oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, with two supertankers reportedly disabled. Iran's Revolutionary Guards Navy said the ships had ignored warnings and used 'unauthorised routes'. The incidents came even as traffic had rebounded and US-Iran tensions were expected to ease, renewing risks for global energy supplies.
Prelims facts
- The Strait of Hormuz links the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and carries about 20 to 25% of the world's seaborne oil trade.
- Ships have 'transit passage' rights through international straits under UNCLOS, which Iran has not ratified.
Source summary
Quad leaders' summit likely in Manila alongside ASEAN-India and East Asia summits
Indian Express, Page 3GS2Prelims
A Quad summit is likely in Manila next week, on the sidelines of Prime Minister Modi's visit on November 16 and 17 for the 22nd ASEAN-India Summit and the 21st East Asia Summit. It would be the first Quad summit since September 2024 in Wilmington. India's turn to host in 2025 and 2026 did not happen, reportedly due to scheduling conflicts and strained India-US ties over tariffs and visa curbs.
Prelims facts
- 2026 is the ASEAN-India Year of Maritime Cooperation.
- The ASEAN-India Summit will review the ASEAN-India Plan of Action 2026-2030.
- The Quad comprises India, the US, Japan and Australia.
Mains angle
GS2 regional groupings: the Manila meetings test whether the Quad can recover momentum after strained India-US ties, alongside India's Act East engagement with ASEAN.
Source summary
Editorial: regulate sand mining and treat rivers as ecosystems, not quarries
Indian Express, Page 12EditorialGS3Prelims
The editorial notes that the Supreme Court has repeatedly criticised States since 2023 for failing to curb illegal sand mining. The Central Empowered Committee has proposed a three-year roadmap to phase out extraction from active river channels and recommended desilting dams and reservoirs. The editorial argues desilting needs a cautious, science-based approach because rivers need sediment.
Prelims facts
- Sand is the second most exploited natural resource globally, after water.
- The Central Empowered Committee advises the Supreme Court on forest and environmental matters.
- A 2022 committee headed by B.K. Mittal found large-scale desilting technologically and economically unviable.
Source summary
Opinion: elections in the US and Israel may open a window for West Asia peace
Indian Express, Page 13OpinionGS2
The article argues that Democratic gains in the US midterms, a complex coalition after Israel's elections, and the costs of the Iran conflict may push the region toward diplomacy. It suggests understandings with Iran on its nuclear programme and freedom of navigation in Hormuz, but says lasting peace needs progress on the Palestinian question, which Saudi Arabia insists on before normalisation with Israel.
Prelims facts
- The Abraham Accords are normalisation agreements between Israel and several Arab states.
Mains angle
GS2 West Asia: the piece links regional stability to the Palestinian question and maritime security, both of which bear on India's energy and diaspora interests.
Source summary
Opinion: brain-tracking wearable debate shows wellness claims running ahead of science
Indian Express, Page 13OpinionGS2GS3Prelims
The article examines Temple, a ₹85,000 forehead wearable launched by Deepinder Goyal that claims to track brain blood flow. Doctors question it for lacking independent peer-reviewed evidence, while the company says it is a fitness product, not a medical device. The article notes that India's wellness economy largely operates outside the purview of regulated medical markets.
Prelims facts
- The Medical Device Rules, 2017 classify medical devices by risk from Class A to Class D under the CDSCO.
- Temple uses photoplethysmography (PPG), the same technique used in smartwatches.
Mains angle
GS2 health regulation: the article notes that the wellness economy largely operates outside regulated medical markets, while doctors question the device's claims for lack of peer-reviewed evidence.
Source summary
IIT Kharagpur becomes the first IIT to offer NMC-accredited postgraduate medical degrees
Indian Express, Page 15GS2Prelims
IIT Kharagpur will offer six MD programmes with 12 seats from 2026-27 at its Dr Shyama Prasad Mookerjee Super Speciality Hospital, the first IIT to run National Medical Commission accredited postgraduate medical courses. Admissions will be through NEET-PG 2026 counselling. The aim is to combine clinical training with engineering, AI and translational research.
Prelims facts
- The six MD programmes are General Medicine, Radiology, Physiology, Pathology, Community Medicine and Biochemistry, with two seats each.
- The National Medical Commission replaced the Medical Council of India in 2019.
Mains angle
GS2 health and education: merging medical training with technology institutes can build a pipeline of clinician-innovators for affordable, technology-enabled healthcare.
Source summary
Press Information Bureau
Nutrient-Based Subsidy rates for P&K fertilisers approved for Rabi 2026-27
PIBGovernment releaseGS3Prelims
The government approved Nutrient-Based Subsidy (NBS) rates for phosphatic and potassic (P&K) fertilisers for Rabi 2026-27, from October 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027, with an outlay of about ₹62,370 crore, over 64% more than for Rabi 2025-26. A special provision for DAP of ₹1,350 per bag and a freight subsidy for SSP continue.
Prelims facts
- The NBS scheme, in force since April 1, 2010, links subsidy to nutrient content: nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and sulphur.
- Subsidy rates for 28 grades of P&K fertilisers are fixed twice a year, for the Kharif and Rabi seasons.
- The P&K sector is decontrolled, so manufacturers set the MRP under government oversight.
Source summary
One Nation, One Ration Card now covers all States and UTs
PIBGovernment releaseGS2Prelims
One Nation, One Ration Card, launched in 2019, lets NFSA beneficiaries draw foodgrains from any Fair Price Shop in the country and now runs in all 36 States and UTs. It handles about 3.27 crore portability transactions a month, over 233 crore since launch. About 2.58 crore duplicate or ineligible entries have been removed under 'Rightful Targeting'.
Prelims facts
- 99.8% of the 5.51 lakh Fair Price Shops operate with ePoS devices.
- The Mera Ration app is available in 13 languages.
- SMART-PDS, NIRMAL and SAKSHAM come under the SARTHAK-PDS umbrella.
Mains angle
GS2 welfare delivery: ration portability strengthens food security for migrant workers and shows technology-led PDS reform.
Source summary
Andhra Pradesh pushes ports and shipbuilding to become a maritime hub
PIBGovernment releaseGS3Prelims
Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, at the 31st CII Partnership Summit in Visakhapatnam, outlined Andhra Pradesh's maritime push. Four greenfield ports are under construction at Mulapeta, Machilipatnam, Ramayapatnam and Kakinada SEZ, and a ₹30,000 crore shipbuilding cluster at Dugarajapatnam has in-principle approval under the National Shipbuilding Mission.
Prelims facts
- Andhra Pradesh has a coastline of 1,053 km.
- The Dugarajapatnam cluster will be developed by a Centre-State SPV of the Andhra Pradesh Maritime Board and Visakhapatnam Port Authority.
- Visakhapatnam Port handled a record 91.17 million tonnes of cargo.
Mains angle
GS3 infrastructure: port-led development under Sagarmala and Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047 aims to make India a top shipbuilding nation and an eastern gateway to ASEAN.
Source summary