Daily Current Affairs (DCA) 09 November, 2026

• Launched in November 2026 by Dr. Virendra Kumar, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, under the Atal Vayo Abhyuday Yojana (AVYAY).
• It aims to strengthen relationships between younger and older generations and promote the dignity, care and social inclusion of senior citizens.
• The campaign follows the 5C Model: Connect, Converse, Co-create, Contribute and Continue.
• It also launched Vayo SAATHI (Support, Awareness, Assistance, Training, Health and Inclusion), a volunteer initiative for citizens aged 18 years and above to support senior citizens.

• The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) recognised the National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management (MANAGE), Hyderabad, as a Centre of Excellence in Skills (CoE-Skills) for the agriculture sector.
• The certificate was presented on 2 November 2026 by Debashree Mukherjee, Secretary, MSDE, at Kaushal Bhawan, New Delhi.
• Established in 1987, MANAGE is an autonomous institution under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, headquartered in Hyderabad, Telangana.
• MANAGE works in training, consultancy, research and policy support related to agricultural extension. Agricultural extension means transferring scientific knowledge, new technologies and improved farming practices from researchers to farmers.

• The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), Hyderabad, issued an alert for marine heatwaves across the Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal and Indian Ocean.
• Sea surface temperatures were reported to be up to 1°C above normal.
• A marine heatwave is a period of unusually high sea surface temperatures that lasts for at least five consecutive days, exceeding the 90th percentile of the regional historical temperature range.
• Marine heatwaves can damage marine ecosystems, cause coral bleaching, affect fisheries and influence regional weather patterns.

• The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) revised the naming and display rules for National Pension System (NPS) schemes on Point of Presence (PoP) platforms.
• The revised rules will come into effect from 1 December 2026.
• The new scheme name will contain three elements: pension fund abbreviation, common identifier NPS, and a unique scheme name.
• Tier II schemes must carry the suffix Tier II, while t

Context of the News

On 4 November 2026, the Union Cabinet approved major changes to the Agnipath Scheme on the recommendations of the three Armed Forces.

Major Changes in the Agnipath Scheme (2026)

Important Background: Agnipath Scheme

• Launched: 14 June 2022.
• Objective: To recruit young personnel into the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force and maintain a younger age profile in the Armed Forces.
• Recruitment: Personnel below officer rank are recruited as Agniveers.
• Initial service period: Four years.
• Seva Nidhi: Agniveers completing four years receive a one-time package of approximately ₹11.71 lakh, including interest, under the original arrangement.
• Pension: Agniveers leaving after their initial service do not receive regular pension or gratuity benefits.

Context of the News

DRDO successfully flight-tested the Pralay missile from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island, off the Odisha coast. Pralay is a surface-to-surface quasi-ballistic missile made in India.

What Is Pralay?

• A short-range missile fired from the ground at ground targets
• It is canisterised, meaning it is stored and fired from a sealed tube
• It carries conventional warheads, not nuclear ones
• It is meant for battlefield targets

Who Made It?

• Developed by Research Centre Imarat (RCI), Hyderabad, with other DRDO labs
• It uses technology from the Prithvi Defence Vehicle and Prahaar programmes
• Manufactured by Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL)

Context of the News

A NASA-funded study in the journal Science confirmed that a meteorite named Teghaza 001 came from Mars. It is over 4.1 billion years old. It was found in the Sahara Desert in 2022.

What Is It?

• A rose-coloured rock weighing about 800 grams
• It is a piece of Mars’s earliest crust
• Only about 435 confirmed Martian meteorites exist on Earth
• Scientists call it a “Rosetta Stone” for early Mars

How Did It Get Here?

• It formed from cooling magma in the Martian crust, over 4.1 billion years ago
• This was during Mars’s Noachian era, its earliest geological period
• A huge asteroid or comet struck Mars and threw the rock into space
• It travelled through space and eventually crossed Earth’s orbit
• It fell in Teghaza, Mali, in the Sahara, and was found in 2022

Important Facts for Exams

• Mars is called the Red Planet, because of iron oxide in its soil
• India’s Mars mission was Mangalyaan, launched 2013. India became the first country to succeed on its first attempt

Context of the News

WIPO released the Global Innovation Index 2026. It ranks 139 economies by how well they innovate. India ranks 38th.

What Is the GII?

• A yearly ranking of countries on innovation
• First published in 2007. This is the 19th edition
• Published by WIPO, a UN agency, with the Portulans Institute
• It also maps the world’s top 100 science and technology clusters

How Is It Measured?

Seven pillars, in two groups:

Who Are the Top Five?

Leaders by Income Group

Top Five Science and Technology Clusters

Where Does India Stand?

• 38th overall
• First in the Central and Southern Asia region
• First among lower-middle-income economies

India’s strengths

• 15th in Knowledge and Technology Outputs
• 1st in ICT services exports
• 4th in late-stage venture capital deals

Context of the News

An anthrax outbreak at Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo has killed at least 30 hippos since September. Authorities have stepped up watch to stop the disease passing from animals to humans.

What Is Virunga National Park?

• Africa’s oldest national park
• A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979
• In the Albertine Rift Valley, eastern DR Congo
• It borders Uganda and Rwanda

What Is Anthrax?

• A serious disease caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis
• It is zoonotic, meaning it passes from animals to humans
• But it is not contagious between people

• The first Bharat Renewable Energy Summit and Expo 2026 was held from 2–5 November 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, under the theme “Invest. Innovate. Inspire.”
• It was organised by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) in partnership with the International Solar Alliance (ISA), with IREDA and SECI as organising partners.
• India secured investment commitments worth nearly USD 400 billion across the renewable energy sector.
• The summit witnessed 10 MoUs and framework agreements and the launch of the IEA report India RE Market Report 2026: Analysis and Forecast to 2030.

• NITI Aayog and Germany’s GIZ GmbH signed an Implementation Agreement on 3 November 2026 under the Nationally Determined Contribution–Transport Initiative for Asia Phase II (NDC-TIA II).
• The initiative aims to reduce carbon emissions from India’s transport sector, particularly road freight.
• Key focus areas include electric vehicle charging infrastructure, innovative financing and supportive regulations.
• It is supported by Germany’s International Climate Initiative (IKI), with partners including WRI India, ICCT India and Agora Energiewende.

• The Siddis are an Indian community whose ancestors came from Africa, mainly through migration and trade routes across the Indian Ocean.
• They are found mainly in Gujarat, Karnataka and parts of Maharashtra, with Gujarat having a significant Siddi population.
• Many Siddis trace their ancestry to East Africa and have preserved distinct cultural traditions, including African-influenced music, dance and customs.
• Khushbu Rajakbhai Darjada, a 15-year-old Siddi judoka from Gujarat, became the first Siddi athlete and only the second Indian to win a Youth Olympics medal in judo, securing silver in the girls’ 63-kg category at Dakar, Senegal.

• Abdul El-Sayed, an American physician and Democratic politician of Egyptian descent, reportedly won Michigan’s Senate race in the 2026 US midterm elections.
• He became the first Muslim elected to the United States Senate, according to the supplied report.
• He is known for his work in public health, healthcare reform and progressive politics.
• His victory attracted attention in India because his wife’s ancestors have a connection with Bhatkal, Karnataka.

• Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata, delivered Amini, the fifth of eight indigenously built Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Crafts (ASW SWCs), to the Indian Navy.
• The vessel is approximately 77.6 metres long, has a displacement of around 900 tonnes and can reach a maximum speed of 25 knots.
• It has a shallow draught of 2.7 metres, making it suitable for operations in coastal and shallow waters.
• It is designed to detect and neutralise enemy submarines and strengthen coastal security. It is named after Amini Island in Lakshadweep.

• India and Kazakhstan signed an Extradition Treaty in November 2026 to strengthen cooperation against international crime and terrorism.
• It provides a legal framework for transferring individuals wanted by law enforcement agencies between the two countries.
• The agreement complements existing bilateral arrangements on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters and the transfer of sentenced persons.
• The Union Cabinet had approved the signing and ratification of the treaty on 26 August 2026.

• The Ministry of Culture signed an MoU with Google Arts & Culture on 5 November 2026 to digitally preserve and showcase India’s cultural heritage.
• The partnership will cover historical monuments, archaeological sites, museum collections, manuscripts and traditional art forms.
• It will support the digitisation of collections associated with the Archaeological Survey of India, National Museum and National Gallery of Modern Art.
• The partnership will also support the Gyan Bharatam initiative and digital documentation of the upcoming Yuge Yugeen Bharat Museum.

• The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and DAKSHIN – Global South Centre of Excellence signed a Letter of Association on 3 November 2026.
• The partnership aims to promote joint research, technology transfer, skill development and knowledge-sharing among Global South countries.
• Cooperation will cover healthcare, infrastructure, agriculture, blue economy and digital economy.
• It will help share affordable and adaptable Indian technologies with developing countries.

• Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated the memorial in Ambala Cantonment, Haryana, built at a cost of ₹594 crore across 22 acres.
• It commemorates the heroes and revolutionaries of the Revolt of 1857.
• The memorial contains 22 interactive galleries, an open-air theatre with a capacity of 2,500 people and a light-and-sound show.
• It uses virtual reality, holography and projection mapping to present the history of the freedom struggle.

• Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman released a ₹250 commemorative coin on 3 November 2026 to mark the 250th birth anniversary of Carnatic music composer Muthuswami Dikshitar.
• The 35-gram coin has a diameter of 44 mm and contains 50% silver, 40% copper, 5% nickel and 5% zinc.
• Muthuswami Dikshitar was one of the Trinity of Carnatic Music, along with Tyagaraja and Syama Sastri.
• He composed approximately 450–500 Sanskrit compositions, mainly dedicated to Hindu deities and temples.

• India observed the 138th birth anniversary of Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman on 7 November 2026.
• He was born on 7 November 1888 in Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu.
• He received the 1930 Nobel Prize in Physics for discovering the Raman Effect, which explains the scattering of light by molecules.
• He became the first Indian Director of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, serving from 1933 to 1937.

• A Tokamak is a nuclear fusion device that uses powerful magnetic fields to confine and control superheated plasma inside a doughnut-shaped chamber.
• It aims to reproduce the nuclear fusion process that powers the Sun and other stars.
• The term Tokamak comes from a Russian expression meaning toroidal chamber with magnetic coils.
• It was developed in the Soviet Union in the early 1950s by physicists Igor Tamm and Andrei Sakharov. Commercial electricity generation through tokamak-based fusion has not yet been achieved.

• Asteroid 2026 QQ8, approximately one metre in diameter, was captured temporarily by Earth’s gravity in April 2026.
• It is expected to remain temporarily bound to Earth until December 2026, after which it will continue orbiting the Sun.
• It was first observed by Hungarian astronomer Krisztián Sárneczky on 20 August 2026.
• The asteroid poses no threat to Earth. Its temporary capture occurred after it entered Earth’s Hill Sphere, the region where Earth’s gravitational influence can dominate over the Sun’s gravitational pull.

• Researchers discovered a new flowering plant species named Disporum kamakhasiense in Assam and Meghalaya.
• It belongs to the Colchicaceae family and is a perennial herb.
• It was recorded in Garbhanga Reserve Forest and Laisong in Assam, and Barapani in Meghalaya.
• It grows in semi-evergreen forest habitats at elevations of 200–1,100 metres and was reported in the botanical journal Novon.

• India defeated Japan 4–1 in the final of the 9th Men’s Asian Champions Trophy 2026, held from 27 October to 5 November in Punjab.
• India secured its record-extending sixth title and completed a hat-trick of consecutive championships (2023, 2024 and 2026).
• Malaysia won the bronze medal.
• Harmanpreet Singh was named Player of the Tournament and top scorer with 10 goals, while Krishan Bahadur Pathak received the Goalkeeper of the Tournament award.

• India observes National Cancer Awareness Day every year on 7 November to promote cancer prevention, early detection and timely treatment.
• It was introduced in 2014 by former Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan.
• The date coincides with the birth anniversary of Marie Curie, born on 7 November 1867.
• Marie Curie received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903 and the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1911 for her pioneering work on radioactivity.