Pratidin

UPSC Prelims facts, October 2026

Every exam-ready fact from October 2026's current affairs, grouped by subject: names, numbers, provisions, places and bodies.

Polity and governance

Does a valid visa guarantee entry into India? The Delhi High Court says no
  • The Delhi High Court (Justice Amit Mahajan) held that a valid visa does not give a foreigner an absolute, enforceable right to enter India.
  • Section 3(1) of the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025 lets the Centre bar entry on grounds of national security, sovereignty and integrity, foreign relations or public health, and makes the Immigration Officer's decision final and binding.
  • The Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025 came into force on 1 September 2025 and repealed four laws, including the Foreigners Act, 1946 and the Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920.
  • Louis De Raedt (1991): a foreigner's fundamental right is confined to Article 21; the right to reside and settle under Article 19(1)(e) is for citizens only.
  • Hans Muller of Nurenburg (1955): the executive has an unrestricted right to expel a foreigner.
Andhra Pradesh moves Supreme Court to restore 34% BC quota in local bodies
  • Andhra Pradesh filed an SLP in the Supreme Court on 3 October 2026 against the High Court's 1 October verdict quashing its BC quota orders for local bodies.
  • The High Court struck down G.O. Ms. No. 105 (34% BC reservation in rural local bodies) and G.O. Rt. No. 1065 (33.33% in urban local bodies).
  • Grounds: total SC, ST and BC reservation above the 50% ceiling, and data that did not satisfy the Vikas Kishanrao Gawali (2021) triple test.
  • Articles 243D(6) and 243T(6) enable, but do not oblige, States to reserve local body seats for backward classes (K. Krishna Murthy, 2010).
  • The High Court ordered the local body election process to begin within six weeks because terms expired in March and April 2026.
Centre issues rules creating a National Tribunals Commission to select tribunal members
  • Rules dated 30 September 2026 create a National Tribunals Commission, headquartered in Delhi, with a chairperson and four members (two judicial, two technical).
  • The NTC chairperson must be a retired Supreme Court judge or a retired High Court Chief Justice; pay is ₹2.5 lakh a month for the chairperson and ₹2.25 lakh for members.
  • The Commission covers selection for 16 tribunals and appellate bodies, and recruitment must begin at least six months before a vacancy arises.
  • On 19 November 2025 the Supreme Court struck down key provisions of the Tribunals Reforms Act, 2021 and directed an independent National Tribunals Commission.
  • Articles 323A (administrative tribunals) and 323B (tribunals for other matters) were added by the 42nd Amendment, 1976.
Op-ed: Split verdict on the Election Commissioners Act exposes how the Supreme Court sits
  • Justices Dipankar Datta and Satish Chandra Sharma split on whether a Constitution Bench must hear the challenge to the CEC and other Election Commissioners Act, 2023, and jointly referred the matter to the Chief Justice of India.
  • Article 145(3) requires at least five judges to decide a case involving a substantial question of law as to the interpretation of the Constitution.
  • In Anoop Baranwal v Union of India (March 2023), the Supreme Court set an interim selection committee of the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition and the Chief Justice of India.
  • The 2023 Act's selection committee is the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and a Union Cabinet Minister nominated by the Prime Minister.
  • The Law Commission's 229th Report (2009) proposed a permanent Constitution Bench in Delhi with regional benches for ordinary appeals.
Supreme Court orders curbs on vehicle services until unpaid e-challans are cleared
  • In S. Rajaseekaran v. Union of India, the Supreme Court noted e-challans worth ₹49,194.05 crore issued and only ₹26,175.05 crore recovered.
  • Vehicles with unpaid e-challans are to be denied RC renewal, ownership transfer, fitness and PUC certificates, and blacklisted on the Parivahan portal.
  • Section 136A of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 (added in 2019) mandates electronic monitoring and enforcement of road safety.
  • Rule 167A of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989 (August 2021) covers about 132 million-plus cities and requires a notice within 15 days.
  • MoRTH must run a public dashboard, updated monthly, on electronic enforcement by States and UTs.
EC orders drive to enrol left-out voters in 20 SIR States, drops added Form 6 question
  • The ECI has ordered a special drive in 20 States and UTs where the SIR is over to enrol left-out, young and first-time eligible electors.
  • Plain statutory Form 6 will be used, without the July addition on whether the applicant or parents were on the roll after the previous SIR.
  • CEOs must compare pre-SIR and post-SIR rolls to identify deleted electors and may seek help from parties' booth-level agents.
  • Section 21(3) of the Representation of the People Act, 1950 lets the Commission order a special revision of electoral rolls.
  • Article 326 provides for elections on the basis of adult suffrage; Form 6 is the application for inclusion of a new elector.
Supreme Court rules out a total firecracker ban, open to next-generation green crackers
  • On 30 September 2026 the Supreme Court (Justices M.M. Sundresh and P.B. Varale) ruled out both a total ban and unrestricted bursting of firecrackers.
  • The Bench is open to next-generation joined green crackers recommended by CSIR-NEERI, subject to conditions; the next hearing is on 15 October.
  • The case is Arjun Gopal v. Union of India, filed in 2015 on behalf of three children.
  • The 2018 judgment allowed only green and reduced-emission crackers, banned joined crackers, barium salts and online sales, and fixed 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. for Deepavali.
  • In September 2023 the Court refused to permit barium-based or joined crackers.

International relations

Op-ed: In a trade deal with the US, India should value terms that are hard to reverse
  • Mission 500 (February 2025) aims to take India-US bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030.
  • The India-US framework for an interim agreement (6 February 2026) set an 18% US reciprocal tariff on Indian goods; the extra 25% Russian oil penalty was removed from 7 February 2026.
  • In Learning Resources v. Trump (20 February 2026, 6 to 3), the US Supreme Court held that IEEPA does not authorise the President to impose tariffs.
  • US tariffs can still be imposed under Section 232 (national security), Section 301 (unfair trade practices) and Section 122 (balance of payments, up to 150 days).
  • The op-ed urges India to seek a binding tariff ceiling, non-discrimination, prior consultation, written sector carve-outs and snap-back clauses.
No timeline for Sheikh Hasina's extradition, says India's envoy in Dhaka
  • On 3 October 2026 India's High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi said no timeline can be given for Sheikh Hasina's extradition as the request is in a legal process involving courts.
  • Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal sentenced Sheikh Hasina to death in absentia on 17 November 2025 for crimes against humanity linked to the 2024 crackdown.
  • The India-Bangladesh Extradition Treaty was signed in 2013 and amended in 2016 to drop the need to furnish evidence of the offence.
  • Article 6 of the treaty allows refusal for political offences, but Article 6(2) excludes crimes such as murder; Article 8 allows refusal if the request is not made in good faith.
  • Sections 29 and 31 of India's Extradition Act, 1962 let the Centre refuse or bar surrender in political or bad-faith cases.
Explained: First official Indian visit to Pakistan since Operation Sindoor
  • Alok Dimri, Additional Secretary in the MEA, attended the SCO national coordinators' meeting in Islamabad, the first official Indian visit to Pakistan since Operation Sindoor.
  • Pakistan took over the SCO presidency after the Bishkek summit of 31 August and 1 September 2026 and is to host the 2027 summit.
  • Operation Sindoor began on 7 May 2025, after the Pahalgam terrorist attack of 22 April 2025 in which 26 people were killed.
  • The SCO was founded in 2001; India and Pakistan became full members in 2017; its Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure is in Tashkent.
  • Precedents for SCO visits: Pakistan's Foreign Minister in Goa (May 2023) and S. Jaishankar in Islamabad (October 2024).

Indian economy

One year of two-slab GST: Finance Minister cites a wider base and higher collections
  • The 56th GST Council meeting (3 September 2025) adopted a standard rate of 18%, a merit rate of 5% and a special de-merit rate of 40%, effective 22 September 2025 for most goods and services.
  • Gross GST collections for April to September 2026 were ₹12.46 lakh crore, up 11.6% year on year; September 2026 alone was ₹2,03,521 crore, up 14.7%.
  • The Finance Minister reports 25.8% growth in taxable supplies (October 2025 to July 2026) and about 1.71 crore GST registrations by August 2026.
  • Individual life and health insurance premiums were exempted from GST; small cars, ACs, TVs and cement moved from 28% to 18%.
  • Article 279A(5) keeps petroleum crude, diesel, petrol, natural gas and ATF outside GST until the GST Council recommends otherwise.
Op-ed: India's factories are growing, but not creating jobs at the scale needed
  • ASI 2024-25: persons engaged in registered factories rose 7.19%, from 1.96 crore to 2.10 crore, adding more than 14 lakh jobs.
  • ASI 2024-25: GVA grew 9.59%, output 7.81%, invested capital 11.10%, emoluments 12.08% and net profit 7.73%.
  • Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana account for about 56% of factory employment.
  • The op-ed cites PLFS 2025: 73.1% of non-farm workers are in informal-sector enterprises.
  • The ASI covers factories registered under Sections 2(m)(i) and 2(m)(ii) of the Factories Act, 1948.
Cabinet clears ₹1.86 lakh crore Green Energy Corridor Phase-III with 50 GWh of batteries
  • GEC-III, approved on 30 September 2026, has an outlay of ₹1,86,405 crore and central financial support of ₹54,082 crore.
  • It strengthens intra-State transmission to evacuate up to 135 GW of renewable energy and adds 50 GWh of battery storage by 2032-33.
  • Greenfield projects go through Tariff Based Competitive Bidding; brownfield work is on a cost-plus basis; State Transmission Utilities implement.
  • GEC-II (approved January 2022) was ₹12,031.33 crore for about 20 GW in seven States, with 33% central assistance.
  • The scheme is linked to the target of 900 GW of installed non-fossil capacity by 2035.

Environment and geography

Karnataka seeks ₹7,142.64 crore in Central drought aid for 177 taluks
  • Karnataka sought ₹7,142.64 crore from the NDRF on 3 October 2026 for drought in 177 taluks, against estimated losses of ₹46,324.50 crore.
  • Rainfall from 1 June to 16 September 2026 was 495 mm against a normal of 766 mm, a 35% deficit.
  • Drought is declared by State governments using the Manual for Drought Management (updated 2020): rainfall triggers, impact indicators and ground truthing.
  • NDRF aid needs an Inter-Ministerial Central Team assessment and approval by a High-Level Committee chaired by the Union Home Minister.
  • The NDRF is constituted under Section 46 and the SDRF under Section 48(1)(a) of the Disaster Management Act, 2005.
Captive-bred Great Indian Bustards to be released into the wild for the first time
  • For the first time, captive-bred Great Indian Bustards are being released into the wild: two radio-tagged male chicks, aged four to six months, in Desert National Park, Jaisalmer.
  • The release begins the 'rewilding phase' of Project GIB, a recovery effort under way since 2013.
  • The Wildlife Institute of India has bred 98 bustards in captivity at its Jaisalmer centres; the wild population is about 140, mostly in Rajasthan.
  • The GIB (Ardeotis nigriceps) is Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List (since 2011), in Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, and is the state bird of Rajasthan.
  • The Supreme Court has ordered renewable energy power lines outside Desert National Park to be laid underground by December 2027.
Centre resumes appraising pending post facto green clearances after Supreme Court ruling
  • MoEFCC has told central and State expert bodies to resume appraising post facto environmental clearance proposals that were pending, rejected or returned; no new proposals will be accepted.
  • In Vanashakti v Union of India (29 July 2026), the Supreme Court upheld the 2017 notification, quashed the 2021 Office Memorandum and allowed pending applications to be processed.
  • The 2017 notification was a one-time, six-month window under the EIA Notification, 2006 for projects already in violation.
  • The EIA Notification, 2006 was issued under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986; its stages are screening, scoping, public consultation and appraisal.
  • The Court held that prior environmental clearance remains mandatory unless the rules are formally amended.
Delhi's September AQI hits a five-year low even as PM2.5 and PM10 levels rose
  • Delhi's average AQI in September 2026 was 102, the lowest September average in five years (105 in 2025).
  • Despite this, PM10 rose from 104 to 106 µg/m³ and PM2.5 from 35 to 39 µg/m³ in September, according to CPCB data cited by The Indian Express.
  • The overall AQI equals the worst sub-index among the pollutants measured, not their average.
  • India's National AQI, launched on 17 October 2014, covers eight pollutants and six categories from good to severe.
  • Overall AQI is computed only when at least three pollutants are measured, one of which must be PM2.5 or PM10.
Monsoon 2026 ends 12.6% below normal, India's weakest season since 2015
  • The 2026 southwest monsoon gave 759.4 mm against an LPA of 868.6 mm: 87% of the LPA, a 12.6% deficit, the weakest since 2015.
  • IMD calls all-India seasonal rain below 90% of the LPA 'deficient'; 96% to 104% is 'normal'.
  • East and Northeast India got 74% of their LPA, the region's lowest since 1901; the South Peninsula got 76%.
  • Of 36 subdivisions, 18 were normal, 17 deficient and one (Odisha) in excess.
  • El Niño developed in June and strengthened through the season; the last sub-90% monsoon, 2015, was also an El Niño year.
Centre notifies CAFE-III fuel-efficiency norms for cars from April 2027
  • CAFE-III, notified by the Ministry of Power on 30 September 2026, applies from 1 April 2027 to 31 March 2032 to M1 passenger vehicles.
  • At the 1,229 kg reference weight, the fleet target tightens from 3.996 to 3.3273 litres per 100 km, about 16.7%.
  • Super credits: battery electric cars count as 3, plug-in hybrids 2.5, strong hybrids 1.6, flex-fuel vehicles 1.1.
  • The draft's extra relaxation for small petrol cars under 909 kg was dropped.
  • CAFE norms are framed under the Energy Conservation Act, 2001; Stage I (2017-18) targeted 130 g CO2/km and Stage II (2022-23) 113 g CO2/km.

Science and technology

India demonstrates a 5.56 km free-space quantum key distribution link in Gandhinagar
  • MeitY announced on 3 October 2026 a 5.56 km free-space QKD link between BISAG-N and IIT Gandhinagar, tested on the night of 27 to 28 September.
  • The link achieved a quantum bit error rate below 5% and secure key rates of 230 to 260 bits per second.
  • It combined QNu Labs' QKD device 'Armos' with BISAG-N's post-quantum cryptography platform 'Vedic Kavach'.
  • In QKD, eavesdropping disturbs the quantum states and shows up as a higher error rate.
  • The National Quantum Mission (2023-24 to 2030-31, ₹6,003.65 crore) targets satellite-based secure quantum communication over 2,000 km.

Society, social justice and ethics

Official rabies death count is under 1% of ICMR's estimate, clouding the 2030 goal
  • Government surveillance (NCDC) recorded 54 suspected human rabies deaths and 37,17,336 dog-bite cases in 2024 (Lok Sabha reply, 22 July 2025).
  • An ICMR-NIE survey in The Lancet Infectious Diseases (2025) estimated 5,726 human rabies deaths and about 9.1 million animal bites a year in India; dogs caused 76.8% of bites.
  • The survey covered 3,37,808 people in over 78,800 households across 60 districts of 15 States, between March 2022 and August 2023.
  • NAPRE, launched on 28 September 2021, aims to eliminate dog-mediated rabies by 2030 using a One Health approach and seeks to make rabies notifiable in all States and UTs.
  • WHO estimates about 59,000 rabies deaths worldwide each year; dogs cause up to 99% of human rabies cases.
Op-ed: Over-regulation is stifling India's universities; one regulator may not fix it
  • The Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025 was introduced in the Lok Sabha on 15 December 2025 and referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee on 16 December 2025.
  • The Bill would replace the UGC, AICTE and NCTE with a single Commission having Regulatory, Standards and Accreditation Councils; funding stays with the Education Ministry.
  • UGC's 2018 regulations set a teacher's workload at not less than 40 hours a week for 30 working weeks (180 teaching days), with at least 5 hours' daily availability on campus.
  • The op-ed argues that compliance-heavy regulation rewards documentation over teaching and that autonomous institutions like the IITs and IIMs outperform tightly regulated ones.
Education Ministry approves five Centres of Excellence for newer classical languages
  • The Ministry of Education has approved five Centres of Excellence for Classical Assamese, Bengali, Marathi, Pali and Prakrit (PIB, 3 October 2026).
  • Host institutions: Tezpur University (Assamese), Visva-Bharati (Bengali), Deccan College, Pune (Marathi), Central University of Odisha (Pali), Central University of Gujarat (Prakrit).
  • The five languages got classical status on 3 October 2024, taking India's classical languages to 11.
  • Tamil was the first classical language (12 October 2004); the criteria were last revised on 25 July 2024 by the Linguistic Experts Committee under the Sahitya Akademi.
  • Existing CoEs for Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam and Odia function under the Central Institute of Indian Languages, Mysuru.
Centre and Ladakh fix standard names for 28 places on the Survey of India map
  • On 2 October 2026 the Centre, with the UT of Ladakh, identified 28 places and features in Ladakh by standard names on the Survey of India map.
  • Peaks named include Atisha Giri, Rinchen Zangpo, Marpa Lotsava Ri, Milarepa Kangri, Kanishka Peak and Zorawar Peak; a lake is named Guru Rinpoche.
  • On 7 August 2026 a similar exercise named 27 places in Arunachal Pradesh on the Survey of India map.
  • China has issued lists of names for places in Arunachal Pradesh in 2017, 2021, 2023, 2024 and 2025, which India rejects.
  • The Survey of India, founded in 1767 and now under the Department of Science and Technology, is responsible for names and spellings of geographical features.
Editorial: Supreme Court flags ten-fold drug markups, exposing gaps in price control
  • The DPCO, 2013 is issued under Section 3 of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 and is administered by the NPPA.
  • Ceiling price of a scheduled medicine = simple average PTR of brands with at least 1% market share, plus a 16% retailer margin.
  • Makers of non-scheduled medicines may raise MRP by at most 10% in a year; there is no ceiling price.
  • On 29 September 2026 the Supreme Court (Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta) asked why the 16% margin cannot apply to all medicines; next hearing 12 October.
  • In February 2019, using paragraph 19 of the DPCO, the NPPA capped trade margins on 42 non-scheduled anti-cancer drugs at 30%.