October 2026 Current Affairs Quiz PDF with Answers

Answer: B. 87%

The 2026 southwest monsoon ended at 87% of the LPA, with India receiving about 759.4 mm against the LPA of 868.6 mm. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the 13% deficit was the largest in more than a decade. A strong El Niño in the Pacific was one of the factors associated with the deficient monsoon.

Answer: D. ₹2.28 lakh

ASI 2024–25 reported 2.7 lakh factories and 1.67 crore workers, with the average wage per factory worker rising 5.3% to ₹2.28 lakh. ₹3.04 lakh was Jharkhand's average wage (despite a 5.2% fall), while ₹1.63 lakh was Bihar's average wage after a 16.7% increase.

Answer: A. 10%

SEBI allowed PMS providers to invest up to 10% of client AUM in investment-grade unlisted debt, subject to conditions and client consent. They will also be allowed to invest client funds in direct mutual fund schemes and Specialised Investment Funds (SIFs). SEBI also approved changes to settlement proceedings, including formula-based settlement amounts and a fast-track mechanism for certain violations.

Answer: E. US$7.35 billion

India's net FDI rose to US$7.35 billion in July 2026, the highest since May 2021, while gross FDI inflows stood at US$14.58 billion. During April–July 2026, net FDI reached US$13.4 billion compared with US$9.7 billion a year earlier. Communication, financial services and computer services were among the major sectors receiving equity inflows.

Answer: C. Sagarmala Finance Corporation Ltd. (SMFCL)

Sagarmala Finance Corporation Ltd. (SMFCL) launched India's first blue bond, aiming to raise ₹600 crore with a ₹500 crore green-shoe option. The 10-year bond will support maritime lending, greenfield ports and coastal road projects. Blue bonds are debt instruments used to finance projects linked to marine and water-related sustainability.

Answer: A. IndusInd Bank

IndusInd Bank launched a dedicated GCC Banking vertical combining digital banking, employee banking, commercial cards, FEMA/capital-account solutions and foreign-currency banking. Its International Banking Unit at GIFT City will support cross-border banking requirements. India's GCC ecosystem has grown significantly, with 2,117 GCCs reported.

Answer: D. Lokniti–CSDS and Common Cause

SPIR 2026 was published jointly by Lokniti–CSDS and Common Cause, based on a 16-state survey of 8,306 citizens. It noted that cybercrime cases rose 17.9%, from 86,420 in 2023 to 1,01,928 in 2024, while overall registered crime fell by about 6%. Only 49% of cybercrime victims surveyed filed a formal police complaint.

Answer: E. 2065

India entered the 'ageing' category around 2024, when its 65+ population crossed 7%. It may become 'aged' (14%) by 2049 and 'super-aged' (21%) by 2065. The report also noted that over 70% of the world's population lives in countries with fertility at or below replacement level.

Answer: B. Three

The CAFE-III norms notified by the government will apply from 1 April 2027 to 31 March 2032. They tighten fleet-level fuel-efficiency requirements and provide incentives for EVs, hybrids, flex-fuel vehicles and other cleaner technologies. Under the framework, a battery electric vehicle counts as three vehicles for the fleet-efficiency calculation.

Answer: C. 135 GW

Green Energy Corridor Phase III has an outlay of over ₹1.86 lakh crore and aims to integrate up to 135 GW of renewable energy by FY2032–33. Around ₹1.36 lakh crore is allocated for intra-state transmission systems. A dedicated ₹50,000 crore component will support 50 GWh of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS).

Answer: A. Manila

India participated in both meetings in Manila, where discussions covered trade, investment, energy security, industrial clusters and regional economic cooperation. India called for a balanced and trade-facilitative review of the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA). India-ASEAN trade reached US$128.38 billion in 2025–26.

Answer: D. 2028

TakeMe2Space plans to launch the mission in 2028, with two satellites of about 100 kg each on a SpaceX Falcon 9. Each satellite is planned to carry NVIDIA Thor GPUs, 100 TB storage and 1.5 kW power. The project aims to enable in-orbit computing and data processing across satellites.

Answer: E. Singapore Airlines

Singapore Airlines was named the World's Best Airline in the 2026 Skytrax awards, with Qatar Airways second and Cathay Pacific third. Air India was the highest-ranked Indian airline at 57th globally. IndiGo ranked 61st and was recognised as the Best Low-Cost Airline in India & South Asia.

Answer: B. 99th Grandmaster

V.S. Rathanvel became India's 99th Grandmaster after crossing the required 2,500 Elo rating. The achievement came during the 3rd Guwahati Smart City International Open 2026. In another chess milestone, Indian-origin British player Bodhana Sivanandan became the youngest Woman Grandmaster (WGM) at age 11.

Answer: C. International Federation of Environmental Health (IFEH)

World Environmental Health Day is observed on 26 September and is coordinated by the International Federation of Environmental Health (IFEH). The 2026 theme was 'Environmental Health: Standing with Science to Protect Communities'. The same date also marks World Contraception Day and the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons.

Answer: B. ₹767 crore

The Union Environment Minister launched implementation guidelines for NCM 2.0, a ₹767 crore Central Sector Scheme covering nine coastal States and four Union Territories. It subsumes NCM 1.0 (2021-22 to 2025-26) and aims to protect coastal and marine ecosystems and sustainably harness India's Blue Economy. Its five pillars are Blue Economy growth, coastal risk reduction, climate adaptation and mitigation, capacity building and effective project management.

Answer: C. Chennai

NCSCM, Chennai, serves as the technical arm for sustainable coastal management. Coastal regulation is governed by the CRZ Notification, 2019, with zones CRZ-I to IV. The Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) Project has been World Bank-supported since 2010.

Answer: A. Megamax Aviation

Air Ayodhya, operated by Megamax Aviation, aims to connect Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, pilgrimage centres and tourism hubs in Uttar Pradesh. Operations are planned with Cessna Grand Caravan EX aircraft, later expanding to larger aircraft. The airline plans to build a 50-aircraft fleet by 2036.

Answer: D. 50 million

The report, released under the JMP-WASH programme, found that around 50 million Indian children lacked school sanitation services in 2025. Globally, 244 million children lacked school sanitation services. About 20 million Indian children also lacked hygiene services at school.

Answer: E. Kolkata

UIDAI launched the initiatives at Aadhaar Samvaad in Kolkata on 29 September 2026. They include Face Authentication for ePDS, SWIK Portal 2.0, the Sub-AUA/Sub-KUA (LITE) Framework, a New Token Management System and a revamped UIDAI website. Aadhaar Day commemorates the issuance of the first Aadhaar number on 29 September 2010.

Answer: A. Udyam Registration data

MoMSME and MoSPI signed an MoU under which Udyam Registration data will be shared with MoSPI through APIs. The data will help improve the coverage, consistency and reliability of business statistics. The SBR is a regularly updated database of businesses and economic units used for statistical purposes.

Answer: D. CSIR-CGCRI

DRDO and CSIR-CGCRI are working on a ₹50-crore, four-year project using glass-ceramic technology and nanocrystals. The project aims for multi-shot protection against AK-47-class threats. Initial trials successfully stopped TAR rounds at around 695 m/s.

Answer: B. International Finance Corporation (IFC)

JNPA partnered with IFC for USD 70 million (about ₹672 crore) of blue financing through a 10-year ECB loan. Shore Power Supply (SPS) allows ships at berth to use electricity from the grid instead of diesel engines. The project will help reduce fuel consumption and port-related emissions.

Answer: C. Axis Bank

Apple Pay launched in India with Axis Bank-issued Visa and Mastercard credit cards. Transactions use tokenisation and can be authenticated through Face ID, Touch ID or a device passcode. The initial service supports cards but not UPI or RuPay cards.

Answer: E. Bank of India

Bank of India launched user-level programmable CBDC with auto-issuance, letting users schedule recurring e₹ payments with fixed amounts and frequencies. Users can also specify the purpose for which the recipient can use the funds. Applications include allowances, education expenses and other recurring purpose-bound payments.

Answer: D. 900 GW

GEC-III, with an outlay of ₹1,86,405 crore and central financial support of ₹54,082 crore, will support India's goal of 900 GW installed non-fossil capacity by 2035. It will enable evacuation of up to 135 GW of renewable energy and deploy 50 GWh of Battery Energy Storage Systems, with completion planned by FY 2032-33. The nodal ministry is the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE).

Answer: A. Subic Bay, Philippines

AIME-2026 commenced at Subic Bay, Zambales, in the Philippines, with INS Sahyadri and INS Kulish deployed alongside naval assets of ASEAN member states. It is a multilateral joint naval exercise between the Indian Navy and ASEAN maritime forces. The inaugural edition was hosted by Singapore in May 2023.

Answer: E. Thiruvaduthurai Adheenam

The Sengol was commissioned by the Thiruvaduthurai Adheenam, a centuries-old non-Brahmin Saivite mutt in Tamil Nadu, and crafted by Madras jewellers Vummidi Bangaru Chetty. It was preserved for decades at the Allahabad Museum and installed in the new Parliament building in May 2023. NCERT has now included it in its newly released Class 9 Social Science textbook.

Answer: B. 29 September

The day is observed on 29 September; the UN General Assembly established it in 2019 and the first observance was held on 29 September 2020. The 2026 theme was 'Transformative Potential of Reducing Food Loss and Waste'. 28 September is the International Day for Universal Access to Information.

Answer: C. 20

The 65th National Exhibition of Art, held at Rabindra Bhavan, New Delhi, showcased 6,175 artworks by 2,495 artists. The Lalit Kala Akademi announced 20 awards across visual art forms. Major categories included painting, sculpture, drawing, printmaking and mixed media.

Answer: C. ₹23,731 crore

The Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas launched the GOBARdhan scheme with an outlay of ₹23,731 crore; the nodal ministry is the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. It offers capital assistance of up to ₹2 crore per TPD of installed CBG capacity for eligible greenfield plants. Its credit guarantee covers up to 85% of outstanding defaults, with an exposure cap of ₹20 crore (₹25 crore for women-led enterprises).

Answer: A. Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS)

The conference was organised by the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh to recognise women's contributions to agriculture and rural livelihoods. It sought to establish women's formal identity as farmers and facilitate their access to land rights and credit. 2026 is the UN International Year of the Woman Farmer, proposed by India and adopted by the UNGA.

Answer: D. 15 October

Mahila Kisan Diwas is observed on 15 October, the same day as the International Day of Rural Women. Women constitute roughly one-third of the agricultural workforce but own only about 14% of operational holdings. Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana (MKSP) is implemented under DAY-NRLM.

Answer: B. Durgapur

PRAGATI-50 was launched under SBM-U 2.0 to develop 50 clean role-model cities across 24 States using KPI-based monitoring and technology-enabled governance. A Swachh Bharat Test Bed & Innovation Centre will be set up at Durgapur with CSIR-CMERI. A new cohort of sanitation and waste-management startups was also launched with IIT Kanpur.

Answer: E. 14

Small Savings Scheme rates for October–December 2026 (Q3 FY27) were kept unchanged, making it 14 consecutive quarters without a change. The last revision was made in Q4 FY24. SSS instruments are government-backed savings products administered mainly through Post Offices and designated banks.

Answer: D. ICICI Lombard

ICICI Lombard launched VIBE, combining hospitalisation, outpatient care, mental-health support, fitness benefits and wellness rewards. It offers six variants with coverage from ₹7 lakh to ₹1 crore. The product uses the company's IL TakeCare digital ecosystem.

Answer: A. Warburg Pincus

BNP Paribas Cardif is acquiring the 26% stake in IndiaFirst Life Insurance from Warburg Pincus. After the transaction, the shareholding is expected to be Bank of Baroda 65%, BNP Paribas Cardif 26% and Union Bank of India 9%. CCI is India's statutory competition regulator under the Competition Act, 2002.

Answer: C. 36

BHASHINI supports 36 Indian text languages, 23 Indian voice languages and 35 international languages. It was launched in 2022 under the National Language Translation Mission as an initiative of MeitY. CAG-BHASHINI Anuvaad is an AI-powered multilingual translation solution for official and audit-related documents.

Answer: E. 42

The Delhi ITMS project will cover 42 traffic corridors at an estimated cost of ₹1,789.52 crore. It will be implemented in three phases over 24 months, followed by five years of operation and maintenance. It aims to improve traffic management, urban mobility and transport infrastructure.

Answer: B. Kolkata

India Energy Week 2027 will be held in Kolkata from 28–31 January 2027. Its theme is 'Unlocking Innovation. Securing Energy. Shaping Tomorrow.' The event will focus on oil and gas, LNG, hydrogen, biofuels, petrochemicals, AI and digitalisation.

Answer: A. Singapore

Around 74% of Indian entrepreneurs surveyed planned to relocate or secure overseas residency, with Singapore the most preferred destination, followed by France, the UK and the US. Around 99% were adopting or planning to adopt AI in business. Major AI-related concerns included data privacy, employee resistance and integration with legacy systems.

Answer: D. Kotak Mahindra Bank

Anup Kumar Saha will take charge as MD & CEO of Kotak Mahindra Bank on 1 January 2027 for a three-year term, succeeding Ashok Vaswani. Separately, Mahesh Muralidhar Pai became MD & CEO of South Indian Bank from 1 October 2026, succeeding P. R. Seshadri.

Answer: E. Morocco

Morocco's King Mohammed VI appointed Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri as Prime Minister, making her the country's first woman PM. She belongs to the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM). Morocco follows a constitutional monarchy with a bicameral Parliament.

Answer: C. Louis Pasteur

World Rabies Day commemorates the death anniversary of Louis Pasteur, developer of the first successful rabies vaccine. The day was established in 2007 by the Global Alliance for Rabies Control. The 2026 theme was 'Stronger Together'.

Answer: B. Tamil Nadu Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Corporation (TNUAVC)

Zuppa and TNUAVC signed an MoU to set up indigenous drone training labs at Army Regimental Centres to train Agniveers and defence personnel in UAV operations. Zuppa plans to train and certify over 2,000 personnel in three years. Training will cover drone flying, simulation, maintenance, safety, mission planning and DGCA regulations.