Daily Current Affairs (DCA) 10 October, 2026

Context of the News

Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan inaugurated new facilities at the ICAR-Indian Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology (ICAR-IIAB) at Garhkhatanga, Ranchi — and called for scientific farming and improved seeds to boost agriculture in Jharkhand.

What Was Inaugurated?

• Admin-cum-School Building
• Birsa Munda Multipurpose Hall
• Jaipal Singh Munda Sports Complex
• NEXTGEN Breeding Facility
• Foundation laid for a new Guest House — the project is worth ₹119 crore

What Did the Minister Emphasise?

• Scientific agriculture and improved seeds
• Integrated farming — combining vegetables, cereals and livestock
• Balanced nutrient management and proper use of fertilisers
• Location-specific agricultural technologies suited to local resources and agro-climatic conditions
• Timely availability of improved seeds
• Transfer of technology from research institutions to farmers’ fields

What Was the Kisan Goshti?

• A Pre-Rabi Kisan Goshti-cum-Agricultural Input Distribution Programme
• Held under the Scheduled Caste Sub-Plan (SCSP) and Tribal Sub-Plan (TSP)
• Brought together about 1,500 farmers from Ranchi, Khunti, Gumla and Ramgarh districts
• To enable direct interaction between farmers, scientists and policymakers

Key Terms

• Integrated farming: Combining crops, livestock, fisheries and horticulture on the same farm, so the waste of one becomes input for another
• Balanced nutrient management: Applying nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in correct proportion, rather than over-using urea
• Agro-climatic conditions: The combination of soil, rainfall and temperature that determines what can be grown in a place
• SCSP and TSP: Sub-plans requiring a share of scheme funds to be earmarked for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe beneficiaries
• Kisan Goshti: A farmers’ meeting where scientists and officials interact directly with farmers

Important Facts for Exams

• Birsa Munda — the tribal freedom fighter and leader of the Ulgulan rebellion; 15 November, his birth anniversary, is Janjatiya Gaurav Divas
• Jaipal Singh Munda — hockey captain of India’s 1928 Olympic gold team and a member of the Constituent Assembly, who argued for tribal rights
• Jharkhand is largely rain-fed, with low irrigation coverage — which is why location-specific technology and short-duration varieties matter there
• ICAR was established in 1929 as the Imperial Council of Agricultural Research; headquartered at New Delhi

• The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) is rolling out NSAM 2.0, building on the first strategy launched in 2022.
• Additive manufacturing is a process of creating objects layer by layer using 3D model data. Unlike subtractive manufacturing, which removes material, it adds material to build the object.
• Key Steps: The process involves 3D design using Computer-Aided Design (CAD), converting the design into a digital file, slicing it into layers, depositing or fusing materials, and post-processing.
• Applications: It can be used in aerospace, defence, healthcare, automobiles and advanced manufacturing, enabling complex designs and reducing material waste.

Context of the News

The RBI said banks must maintain 99 per cent of the required Cash Reserve Ratio daily from 16 October, up from 90 per cent at present — to reduce surplus liquidity in the banking system.

Key Highlights

• CRR rate remains unchanged at 3%: Banks must continue to maintain 3% of their Net Demand and Time Liabilities (NDTL) as cash reserves with the RBI.
• Daily maintenance rises from 90% to 99%: Banks must now maintain at least 99% of their prescribed CRR on every day of the reporting fortnight, compared with 90% earlier.
• Purpose: The RBI is trying to absorb excess liquidity and bring short-term market interest rates closer to the policy repo rate.
• Banking system liquidity surplus: It was around ₹3.88 lakh crore on 8 October 2026.

Understanding the CRR Change with an Example

Suppose a bank has an NDTL of ₹1,000 crore.

CRR vs SLR

Key Terms for Exams

• CRR (Cash Reserve Ratio): The percentage of a bank’s NDTL that must be maintained as cash reserves with the RBI. Banks do not earn interest on these reserves.
• SLR (Statutory Liquidity Ratio): The percentage of NDTL banks must maintain in specified liquid assets, such as cash, gold and eligible government securities.
• NDTL (Net Demand and Time Liabilities): A bank’s net demand and time liabilities, broadly representing deposits and certain other liabilities used to calculate reserve requirements.
• Repo Rate: The rate at which the RBI lends money to banks against eligible securities.
• Liquidity: The availability of money and funds in the banking system.
• OMO (Open Market Operations): The RBI’s purchase or sale of government securities to manage liquidity. Selling securities generally absorbs liquidity.
• WACR (Weighted Average Call Rate): The weighted average interest rate on overnight unsecured funds borrowed and lent in the interbank call money market.

Context of the News

UNCTAD’s Trade and Development Report 2026 found that India’s share of global greenfield investments during 2020-25 was 5.7 per cent — more than double China’s share in the same period.

What Is a Greenfield Investment?

• An investment by a company in a new venture in another country
• Building a new facility from scratch, as against buying an existing one

Which Countries Attracted the Most?

What Did the Report Say About India’s Economy?

• India remains the fastest-growing major economy
• But domestic consumption is showing signs of strain due to higher prices

Important Facts for Exams

• UNCTAD Trade and Development Report 2026
• India 5.7 per cent of global greenfield investment (2020-25); Malaysia 4.0, Indonesia 3.8, China 2.8
• Strategic sectors rose from 16 to 44 per cent of global greenfield investment; total $845.7 billion
• Regional shares: Europe 28.4, North America 28.0, developing Asia 26.5 per cent
• UNCTAD — established 1964, headquartered at Geneva; also publishes the World Investment Report, the Technology and Innovation Report and the Digital Economy Report

Context of the News

The Ministry of Ayush released findings from the Ayush Services Sector Report 2026 on Ayurveda Day 2026 — showing that women form 43 per cent of India’s Ayush services workforce.

Who Prepared It?

• The Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS)
• It examines the sector’s economic contribution, employment, women’s participation and growth potential

What Is Women’s Share in the Workforce?

Key Terms

• AYUSH: Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy; Sowa-Rigpa was later added
• CAGR: Compound Annual Growth Rate — the steady annual rate at which something grows over several years
• Medical value travel: Travelling to another country for treatment — commonly called medical tourism
• Standalone clinic: A single independent clinic, not part of a hospital or chain
• RIS: Research and Information System for Developing Countries, a policy think tank under the Ministry of External Affairs

Important Facts for Exams

• Ayush Services Sector Report 2026 — by RIS, released on Ayurveda Day 2026
• Sector size: US$36.92 billion (FY2024-25); CAGR 16.91 per cent; projected US$216-318 billion by 2047
• 1.76 million livelihoods; over 1 million in standalone and local clinics
• Women: 43 per cent overall; over 60 per cent in spas and wellness resorts
• Revenue: standalone clinics US$16.21 bn (43.9 per cent); day-care US$10.13 bn; Ayurveda ~48 per cent of the total
• Wellness CAGR 21.29 per cent; medical value travel US$1.77 billion
• Ayurveda Day is observed on Dhanvantari Jayanti (Dhanteras); from 2025 it is fixed on 23 September
• The Ministry of Ayush was created in 2014, upgraded from the Department of AYUSH (2003)
• Key institutions: AIIA (All India Institute of Ayurveda, New Delhi), NCISM (National Commission for Indian System of Medicine), NCH (National Commission for Homoeopathy), CCRAS, NMPB
• The WHO Global Traditional Medicine Centre is at Jamnagar, Gujarat — the first of its kind anywhere

Context of the News

The World Bank Group’s World Development Report 2026: The Promise of Artificial Intelligence was launched in New Delhi by the Union Minister for Electronics and IT, jointly hosted by MeitY’s IndiaAI Mission.

About the World Development Report (WDR) 2026

• Published by: World Bank Group.
• Nature: The World Bank Group’s annual flagship report on important development policy issues.
• Focus: Examines how Artificial Intelligence (AI) can support economic development, affect jobs and improve public services, especially in low- and middle-income countries.

Key Highlights of the Report

• Adopt and Adapt Strategy: Developing countries should customise existing AI models for local needs instead of building costly models from scratch.
• Job Displacement: Just over 4% of Indian jobs face immediate automation risks, versus over one-third in advanced economies. Entry-level BPO job postings in South Asia fell by around 20%.
• Fiscal Risks: Tax incentives, including a reported 20-year tax holiday for foreign data centres, may strain public finances and raise electricity costs.
• AI Sovereignty: Domestic data centres cannot ensure technological independence due to dependence on imported semiconductors, cloud infrastructure and global supply chains.
• AI Talent Drain: India lost a net 200 elite AI researchers and inventors (2011–2024) despite having around 50,460 AI professionals in 2025.
• AI Preparedness: Only 1 of 25 low-income economies had an active national AI strategy.
• Public Perception: 18.8% of Indians, compared with 50.5% of Americans, expressed concern about AI.

Context of the News

The 2026 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Navi Pillay, a judge and human rights lawyer, at a time the committee said international law faces “tremendous pressure” and its institutions are “under attack.”

Who Is She?

• Aged 85
• Born into an Indian Tamil family in Durban, South Africa
• Founded her own law firm in 1967
• Earned a doctorate from Harvard University in 1988
• Defended Nelson Mandela and others opposing apartheid

Important Facts for Exams

• 2026 Nobel Peace Prize: Navi Pillay, aged 85; born in Durban, South Africa, to an Indian Tamil family
• UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, 2008-2014
• Judge at the ICTR and currently at the ICJ, hearing the genocide case against Myanmar
• Chaired the UN Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory
• Her work shaped the recognition of rape and sexual violence as acts of genocide
• The Nobel Peace Prize is the only Nobel awarded in Oslo, Norway, by a committee appointed by the Norwegian Parliament; the others are awarded in Stockholm
• The Myanmar genocide case was brought by The Gambia over the Rohingya
• 2026 Nobels: Medicine — optogenetics; Physics — neutrino detection at IceCube; Chemistry — asymmetric catalysis; Literature — Anne Carson
• Indian Peace Nobel laureates: Mother Teresa (1979) and Kailash Satyarthi (2014)

Context of the News

The Union Health Minister launched JOSH (Joint Squad for Health) teams under the TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi on 8 October 2026 — deployed across 55 districts in 11 States and UTs in Phase 1.

What Is It?

• A youth-led community health outreach mechanism
• Deploying volunteer squads to mobilise Jan Bhagidari in the fight against tuberculosis
• Door-to-door awareness campaigns
• Working across blocks, wards and villages
• Lead ministry: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

What Digital Tools Are Used?

• TB Mukt Bharat App for monitoring
• Khushi Avatar (e-Sangini) — a multilingual AI assistant answering queries and giving medication reminders in 12 Indian languages

Important Facts for Exams

• JOSH — Joint Squad for Health; launched 8 October 2026; 55 districts, 11 States/UTs in Phase 1, to scale to 804 districts
• TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan — India aims to end TB by 2025, five years ahead of the SDG 3.3 target of 2030
• NTEP — National TB Elimination Programme, renamed from RNTCP in 2020
• Ni-kshay Poshan Yojana gives ₹1,000 per month (raised from ₹500) for nutrition during treatment; Ni-kshay Mitra allows citizens to adopt TB patients
• India has the world’s highest TB burden, with about 26 per cent of global cases
• MY Bharat — Mera Yuva Bharat, the youth volunteer platform launched in 2023
• World TB Day: 24 March

• Achievement: Indian player Putul Sonowal, aged 43 and from Assam, secured a place in the men’s singles semi-finals at the World Bowls Champion of Champions in Barham, Australia.
• Significance: Her achievement assured India’s first-ever medal at the tournament, according to the report.

• Vessel: Mangrol is the third Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW-SWC) built by Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), Kochi.
• Commissioning: It is scheduled to be commissioned into the Indian Navy on 12 October 2026 at the Naval Dockyard, Mumbai.
• Purpose: ASW shallow water craft are designed to help detect and counter enemy submarines in coastal and shallow waters.

• Documentary: Pandharpur Wari – In the Footsteps of the Saints was named India’s national winner in the Best Branded Programme category.
• Award: The recognition is part of the Asian Academy Creative Awards 2026.
• Cultural Significance: The documentary focuses on Pandharpur Wari, a major devotional pilgrimage tradition in Maharashtra associated with Lord Vitthal.

• Organiser: The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) established a dedicated pavilion at India Mobile Congress 2026 in Yashobhoomi, New Delhi.
• Focus: The pavilion showcases Digital India initiatives, Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and emerging technologies.
• Importance: The exhibition highlights the use of digital technologies to improve public services, connectivity and digital innovation.

• Observed on: 9 October, to recognise the role of the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) in representing India abroad.
• Ministry: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) reaffirmed its commitment to serving the nation and advancing the vision of Viksit Bharat.
• Importance: The IFS manages India’s diplomatic relations, consular services and engagement with other countries.

• Occasion: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated members, veterans and families of the Territorial Army on its Raising Day.
• Motto: “Naagrik Bhi, Sainik Bhi”, meaning “Citizens as well as Soldiers.”
• Role: The Territorial Army supports the regular armed forces and assists during emergencies and other national requirements.

• Dates: The fourth World Hindu Congress is scheduled for 18–20 December 2026 in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
• Venue: Jio World Convention Centre, Bandra Kurla Complex.
• Inaugural Address: Organisers announced that RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat would deliver the inaugural address.
• Purpose: The event brings together participants from different countries to discuss issues related to Hindu communities, culture and global engagement.

• Location: Thelunganur, near the Mettur Dam in Salem district, Tamil Nadu, where excavations were conducted by the Tamil Nadu Department of Archaeology.
• Discovery: A black-and-red ware bowl carries five graffiti signs arranged from left to right. A second bowl contains the same signs in a different order.
• Historical Significance: Thelunganur and Mangadu have been dated to 1600–1200 BCE. The discovery may provide clues about early writing and communication, but the signs have not been conclusively identified as a writing system.
• Important Facts: Around 16,000 graffiti-inscribed potsherds have been found across Tamil Nadu. Studies have reported similarities between some Tamil Nadu graffiti signs and Indus script signs, which remain undeciphered.