Daily Current Affairs (DCA) 08 October, 2026

Context of the News

A recent field-based study by the Federation of Seed Industry of India (FSII) and National Seed Association of India (NSAI) estimates that 24–30% of India’s cotton area may be under unauthorised GM cotton hybrids containing traits not approved by the government.

Key Highlights

• Scale of cultivation: Of 114.8 lakh hectares under cotton in 2025–26, around 26.2–29 lakh hectares may involve unauthorised GM hybrids.
• Genes legally allowed: India currently permits GM cotton with two Bt genes — cry1Ac and cry2Ab. These provide protection against certain bollworm pests.
• Unauthorised genes found:
  • cp4-epsps: Provides tolerance to glyphosate herbicide, allowing farmers to spray glyphosate for weed control without killing the cotton plant.
  • Vip3A: A Bt-derived gene offering protection against a broader range of insect pests, including pink bollworm.
• Study coverage: Researchers tested 227 geo-tagged seed/leaf samples from fields of 984 farmers across 16 districts in Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan.
• HT gene prevalence: The cp4-epsps gene was detected in 72.69% of field samples.
  • Telangana: 88.64%
  • Maharashtra: 70.92%
  • Andhra Pradesh: 62.86%
  • Rajasthan: 57.14%
• Vip3A prevalence: 53.74% of samples tested positive for the Vip3A gene.
• Why farmers are adopting it: Labour shortages and high manual weeding costs are major drivers. Glyphosate-based weed control may cost around ₹750–850/acre, compared with ₹12,000–15,000/acre for manual weeding.
• Illegal seed market: Unauthorised HTBt cotton seed sales are estimated to have increased from 35 lakh packets in 2017–18 to 82–88 lakh packets in 2025–26, potentially worth ₹820–880 crore.
• Glyphosate imports: Imports increased by about 29%, from 27,721 kilolitres in 2024–25 to 35,642 kilolitres in 2025–26.

Key Terms

• GM Crop: A crop whose genetic material is modified using biotechnology to introduce a desired trait.
• Bt Cotton: Cotton genetically modified with genes from Bacillus thuringiensis to protect against insect pests.
• HT Cotton: Herbicide-Tolerant Cotton, designed to survive application of a particular herbicide.
• cp4-epsps: A gene that gives plants tolerance to glyphosate.
• Vip3A: A Bt-derived insect-resistance gene effective against several cotton pests.
• Biosafety Regulation: Government rules governing the development, testing, approval and release of genetically modified organisms.
• Pink Bollworm: A major cotton pest that damages cotton bolls and reduces yield and fibre quality.

Context of the News

The WWF’s biennial Living Planet Report 2026 found a 73 per cent average decline in the sizes of monitored vertebrate populations — mammals, fish, birds and amphibians — over the 52 years from 1970 to 2022.

Key Highlights

• 73% decline: Average monitored vertebrate population sizes declined by 73% between 1970 and 2022, based on data from 35,803 populations and 5,790 species.
• Freshwater ecosystems: Recorded the highest decline at 85%, followed by terrestrial ecosystems (69%) and marine ecosystems (59%).
• Regional decline: The largest declines occurred in Latin America & Caribbean (95%), Africa (80%), and Asia-Pacific (49%).
• Major drivers: Habitat loss and degradation, overexploitation, climate change, invasive species, pollution and disease.
• Food system: The way food is produced and consumed is identified as the single largest driver of biodiversity loss, contributing to habitat destruction, overharvesting and greenhouse-gas emissions.
• Recovery is possible: Green turtles, bluefin tuna, tigers and southern African elephants have shown recovery due to targeted conservation efforts. Global wild tiger numbers increased from around 3,200 in 2010 to 5,700 in 2025.

Living Planet Index (LPI)

LPI measures the average rate of change in population size of monitored vertebrate species across terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems. It tracks relative changes in population abundance, not the total number of animals lost.

Key Terms

• Biodiversity: Variety of living organisms, ecosystems and genetic resources.
• Living Planet Index: Indicator tracking changes in monitored vertebrate populations.
• Vertebrates: Animals with a backbone, such as mammals, birds, fish, reptiles and amphibians.
• CBD: Global agreement for biodiversity conservation, sustainable use and benefit sharing.
• Cartagena Protocol: International agreement dealing with biosafety and GMOs.
• Nagoya Protocol: Agreement governing access to genetic resources and fair sharing of benefits.

Important Facts for Exams

• WWF — founded 1961, headquartered at Gland, Switzerland; its symbol is the giant panda

• An RBI study found that India’s rural economy is becoming less dependent on rainfall because of non-farm activities, allied sectors and better irrigation.
• For small farm households owning up to one acre, wages contribute more than 55% of income, while crops and livestock together contribute about 36%.
• Even when rainfall is highly deficient, non-agricultural rural growth remains relatively strong, while agricultural growth falls sharply.
• The finding is important for understanding rural income diversification and climate resilience.

• The Ministry of Rural Development expanded permissible works under the Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) [VB–G RAM G] Act, 2025 from 266 to 375, a 41% increase.
• The works are grouped under Water Security, Core Rural Infrastructure, Livelihood Infrastructure and Disaster Preparedness.
• 181 works are agriculture-related, including water management, land development, plantations, livestock and productive assets.
• Works will be planned through Viksit Gram Panchayat Plans, approved by the Gram Sabha.

Context of the News

The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) raised the policy repo rate by 25 basis points to 5.5 per cent and shifted its stance from neutral to calibrated tightening — signalling that rate cuts are off the table in the near term.

Key Highlights

What Are the New Rates?

Why Did RBI Raise the Repo Rate?

The main reason is that the inflation outlook has become less comfortable, while economic growth remains strong.

• Crude oil prices: Oil prices have risen above $100 per barrel, creating inflationary pressure because India is heavily dependent on imported crude.
• Geopolitical tensions: The escalation of the West Asia conflict has increased uncertainty and oil-price volatility.
• Food inflation: Weak monsoon conditions and El Niño-related risks could put pressure on food prices.
• Rupee weakness: A weaker rupee makes imports, particularly crude oil, more expensive.
• Strong growth: India’s economy remains strong, giving the RBI greater room to raise borrowing costs.

What Does “Calibrated Tightening” Mean?

• Calibrated tightening means the RBI is gradually moving towards a tighter monetary policy to control inflation.
• Inflation risk ↑ → Repo Rate ↑ → Borrowing becomes costlier → Demand may moderate → Inflation pressure may reduce

Impact on Loans

The repo-rate hike is likely to make floating-rate loans more expensive.

• Home loans: EMIs may increase or loan tenure may rise.
• Auto loans: New borrowing may become costlier.
• MSME loans: Cost of credit may increase.
• Consumer demand: Higher EMIs can reduce demand for interest-sensitive goods and services.
• Deposits: Banks may gradually increase deposit rates to attract funds.

Key Terms

• Repo Rate: Rate at which RBI lends short-term money to commercial banks against eligible securities.
• Basis Point (bps): 1 bps = 0.01 percentage point; therefore, 25 bps = 0.25 percentage point.
• MPC: Six-member body responsible for deciding the policy repo rate.
• Monetary Policy Stance: RBI’s broad approach towards interest rates and liquidity.
• Calibrated Tightening: A gradual move towards higher interest rates to contain inflation.
• SDF: Facility through which banks deposit surplus funds with RBI without collateral.
• MSF: Overnight borrowing facility available to eligible banks from RBI against specified securities.
• CPI Inflation: Inflation measured using changes in the Consumer Price Index.

• SEBI launched the ‘Samajh Se Investing Simple’ campaign under Project Jagrook during World Investor Week 2026.
• The campaign aims to improve financial literacy, informed investment decisions and investor protection.
• The MUST programme trains university and college faculty, staff and senior students as investor-education trainers.
• The campaign is supported by market institutions including NISM, BSE, NSE, MCX, CDSL, NSDL and AMFI.

Context of the News

The 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Henri Kagan (France) and Kenso Soai (Japan) for showing how homochirality — nature’s preference for one mirror-image form of a molecule — can be created in the laboratory.

Key Highlights

What Is Chirality?

• Some molecules exist in two forms, each the mirror image of the other — like your left and right hands
• The two forms have the same atoms, connected in the same order
• The only difference is the three-dimensional arrangement
• One cannot be placed exactly on top of the other — they are non-superimposable
• The two forms are called enantiomers

Why Does It Matter in Biology?

• The amino acids in proteins and the sugars in DNA occur in only one form
• The mirror versions exist but life rarely uses them
• This preference is called homochirality

What Was the Laboratory Problem?

• Ordinary chemical reactions produce both enantiomers in roughly equal amounts
• So homochirality was long thought to be unique to living things

What Did Each Scientist Contribute?

Why Does This Matter for Medicines?

• Many drug molecules are chiral
• The body responds to only one enantiomer; the other may be useless or harmful
• Earlier: companies made both forms, then separated the useful one — expensive and wasteful
• Now: the desired form can be made directly, through asymmetric synthesis
• Also applies to flavours, fragrances and pesticides

Context of the News

The Union Cabinet approved setting up a dedicated Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) — the Integrated Transport and Logistics Authority (ITLA) — as the national apex body for transport and logistics planning.

What Is ITLA?

• A national apex institution, set up as a Special Purpose Vehicle
• To institutionalise integrated, multimodal transport planning, big-data analytics, project technical appraisal and policy support across all freight and transit areas
• Modelled on similar agencies in Japan, the United States, South Korea, China and Australia

Why Was It Needed?

• India’s transport infrastructure has historically suffered from fragmented planning
• Road, rail, aviation and shipping ministries worked in isolation from one another
• PM GatiShakti (2021) and the National Logistics Policy (2022) improved coordination
• But a dedicated mechanism was still missing for three things: technical appraisal, transport data management and multimodal project monitoring

Key Terms

• SPV (Special Purpose Vehicle): A separate legal entity created for one defined purpose — a company, not a body created by an Act of Parliament
• Multimodal transport: Moving goods using more than one mode, such as road to rail to port
• Rolling plan: A plan revised and extended regularly, so it always looks a fixed number of years ahead
• Technical appraisal: Checking whether a project is sound in design and engineering; financial appraisal checks whether it makes money sense
• Origin-destination analysis: Studying where goods begin and end their journeys, to locate where capacity is short
• Vahan and SARATHI: The national databases for vehicle registrations and driving licences
• Silo: A department working in isolation, without sharing information or coordinating with others

Context of the News

A survey by GSMA, a global body representing the mobile industry, found that 12 per cent of respondents in India reported being scammed in the last 12 months — against 8 per cent in the ASEAN-6 countries. The findings appear in the India Consumer Scam Report 2026.

Major Findings of the Survey

What Types of Scams Are Most Common?

Important Facts for Exams

• India Consumer Scam Report 2026, by GSMA; 12 per cent of Indians scammed in a year against 8 per cent in ASEAN-6
• Compare with SPIR 2026: cybercrime cases rose 17.9 per cent to 1,01,928 in 2024; 13 per cent of citizens were victims; only 49 per cent filed a police complaint
• Financial fraud complaints in India totalled ₹55,050 crore between 2021 and 2025

• India and Japan launched the Operational Manual for the Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM).
• It supports low-carbon technologies, climate finance and emission reduction projects.
• The mechanism operates under Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement.
• The manual covers the process from project proposal to carbon-credit issuance and authorisation.

• Kerala’s Women and Child Development Department launched WOMN – Women on the Move and Menstrual Needs.
• It aims to provide affordable sanitary products and safe disposal facilities at public transport locations.
• The initiative focuses on making travel more safe, convenient and menstrual-hygiene friendly.
• It addresses menstrual hygiene needs of women and girls during travel.

• Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve (VDTR) in Madhya Pradesh is being developed as another habitat for India’s cheetah reintroduction programme.
• Two cheetahs, Tholo and CCB-3, are being moved from Kuno National Park.
• The reserve covers about 2,339 sq km across Sagar, Damoh and Narsinghpur districts.
• It is Madhya Pradesh’s 7th tiger reserve and India’s 54th tiger reserve.

• SpaceX’s Starlink has received Global Mobile Personal Communications by Satellite (GMPCS) authorisation from the Department of Telecommunications.
• However, it is still awaiting required security approvals before starting operations.
• Elon Musk alleged that certain business interests were delaying Starlink’s India launch.
• A Starlink official indicated that the service could potentially become operational in India by 2027.

• DRDO successfully tested an indigenous High-Altitude Platform (HAPS) developed by ADRDE, Agra.
• The platform reached 21 km altitude and remained at around 20 km for more than 30 minutes.
• HAPS can support long-endurance surveillance and communication from the stratosphere.
• The trial supports India’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat objective in advanced defence technology.

• DRDO conducted the maiden live jump trial of the indigenous Advanced High-Altitude Parachute (AHAP) at Nyoma, Ladakh.
• The jump was conducted from 16,000 ft, with deployment at 15,500 ft.
• The system was tested for operations in extremely high-altitude terrain.
• It can strengthen India’s specialised airborne and military logistics capabilities.

• Bharat Forge Limited signed a long-term agreement with Pratt & Whitney Canada for aerospace engine components.
• The components will be manufactured at Bharat Forge’s Indian aerospace facility.
• The agreement supports advanced manufacturing and localisation in India’s aerospace sector.
• It can help India become a more important part of global aerospace supply chains.

• The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and Korean Sport and Olympic Committee (KSOC) signed an MoU during the Asian Games 2026.
• It provides for joint training, coaching exchanges and sports-science cooperation.
• Athletes will receive opportunities to access high-performance facilities and expertise.
• The agreement aims to strengthen cooperation between the two countries in the Olympic movement.

• Professor Palle Rama Rao, noted metallurgist and Padma Awardee, passed away at the age of 89.
• He served as Secretary, Department of Science and Technology, Chairman of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Hyderabad.
• He also served as Director of the Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory.
• His major contributions were in metallurgy, indigenous alloys and defence materials.

• Oscar-winning American actress Eva Marie Saint passed away at the age of 102.
• She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for On the Waterfront (1954).
• She was also famous for her role in Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest.
• She was one of the prominent surviving stars of Hollywood’s Golden Age.

• World Cotton Day is observed on 7 October to highlight cotton’s role in trade, economic growth and poverty reduction.
• The 2026 theme was “Cotton for Good: Building Prosperity Through Trade, Transformation and Partnership.”
• The Cotton Four (C-4) countries — Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad and Mali — proposed the observance.
• The United Nations officially recognised 7 October as World Cotton Day in 2021.

• Observed throughout October to promote early detection, treatment and access to quality care.
• The 2026 theme was “Every story is unique, every journey matters.”
• It is also known as Pink October.
• The pink ribbon is the globally recognised symbol of breast cancer awareness.

• World Space Week is observed from 4–10 October every year.
• The 2026 theme was “Rocket Revolution.”
• It highlights developments such as reusable rockets, private space companies, startups and new launch systems.
• The United Nations declared 4–10 October as World Space Week through UNGA Resolution 54/68 (1999).