Daily Current Affairs (DCA) 20&21 October, 2026

Context of the News

India hosts the 7th AgriVoltaics World Conference at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, from 21 to 23 October. The theme is “Powering the Global South”. The two Union Ministers write about how agrivoltaics can give farmers a second income from the same land.

What Is Agrivoltaics?

• Growing crops and generating solar power on the same land
• Using structures and panel spacing designed to allow farming underneath
• Also called AgriPV

What Is the Microclimate Benefit?

The panels create shade, which protects crops against:

• Heat stress
• Drought
• Excessive solar radiation
• Hail

Important Facts for Exams

• 7th AgriVoltaics World Conference, Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, 21-23 October 2026; theme “Powering the Global South”
• Design standard: panels should let 70 per cent or more of natural radiation reach the crop canopy
• Crop criteria: shade tolerance, morphological plasticity, stable productivity under intermittent radiation
• Centre of Excellence on Agri-Photovoltaics at ICAR-IARI, New Delhi, set up 2025, 100 kW; run by ICAR and NISE under MNRE
• PM-KUSUM solarises irrigation; PM-KUSUM 2.0 will include a dedicated agrivoltaics component
• PM-KUSUM has three components: Component A (decentralised solar plants on barren land), Component B (standalone solar pumps), Component C (solarising existing grid-connected pumps)
• ISA — International Solar Alliance, launched by India and France at COP21, Paris, 2015; headquartered at Gurugram
• Authors: Pralhad Joshi, Union Minister of New and Renewable Energy, and Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare

Context of the News

ICAR-Central Potato Research Institute has highlighted Kufri Jamunia, a biofortified purple potato developed in India, as a step against hidden hunger.

What Is It?

• A nutrient-dense potato variety
• Dark purple skin and purple flesh
• Bred to deliver higher levels of antioxidants, vitamins and micronutrients through everyday food

Who Developed It and When?

• ICAR-Central Potato Research Institute (CPRI), Shimla
• Released in 2024

What Came Before It?

Important Facts for Exams

• Kufri Jamunia — biofortified purple potato from ICAR-CPRI, Shimla; released 2024
• Biofortification: Breeding a crop to contain more nutrients, rather than adding nutrients afterwards
• Anthocyanins 42.05 mg, Vitamin C 42.75 mg, iron 3.22 mg, zinc 2.28 mg per 100 g
• ICAR-CPRI is at Shimla, Himachal Pradesh; all its varieties carry the Kufri prefix
• India is the world’s second-largest potato producer after China; Uttar Pradesh leads, followed by West Bengal and Bihar
• Other biofortified releases in India: iron-rich pearl millet, zinc-rich wheat and rice, protein-rich maize and Kufri Lima
• Biofortification is promoted under the Poshan Abhiyaan and Krishonnati Yojana

Context of the News

The NBA disbursed about ₹1.19 crore to 29 State Biodiversity Boards and one UT Biodiversity Council, under the Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) mechanism.

What Is the NBA?

• A statutory, autonomous regulatory and advisory body
• Under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
• Set up in 2003, headquartered at Chennai
• Created under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002

Context of the News

A study in PLOS One found that Asiatic lions have permanently reclaimed Barda Wildlife Sanctuary in Gujarat, after nearly 144 years.

What Is Barda?

• A hilly forest sanctuary of about 192.31 sq km
• In the Saurashtra region of Gujarat
• Across Porbandar and Devbhumi Dwarka districts
• Barely 15 km from the coastal town of Porbandar
• Designated as the second home for the Asiatic lion

Important Facts for Exams

• Barda Wildlife Sanctuary — 192.31 sq km, in Porbandar and Devbhumi Dwarka, Gujarat; notified February 1979
• Lions have returned after nearly 144 years; study published in PLOS One
• Asiatic lion (Panthera leo persica) — IUCN Endangered, CITES Appendix I, Schedule I
• The Asiatic lion is found only in Gujarat — the last wild population in the world
• Gir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary is the primary habitat; the 2025 census put the population at 891
• Project Lion was launched in 2020

• Launched by: Prof. Maneesha Kothekar, Chairperson of the National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCISM), in October 2026.
• CCRAS SPARK 5.0: Offers 300 studentships of ₹50,000 each to eligible third- and fourth-year Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS) students for short-term research projects in 2026–27.
• CCRAS Ayurshodh 2026: Promotes quality research publications, research communication and innovation in Ayurveda through CCRAS-Prabodh 3MT, CCRAS-Prakash and CCRAS-Navonmesha.
• Ministry: Ministry of AYUSH; the initiatives are implemented by the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS).

• Released by: Central Water Commission (CWC), based on its Reservoir Storage Bulletin dated 15 October 2026.
• National storage: India’s 178 major reservoirs held 126.717 billion cubic metres (BCM), equal to 68.58% of their total usable capacity.
• Year-on-year decline: Storage was 24.53% lower than the corresponding period a year earlier and 16.44% below normal.
• Regional differences: The Pennar basin recorded a 72.32% deficit and the Cauvery basin a 60.50% deficit, while the Swarnarekha, Narmada and Mahanadi basins had above-normal storage.

• Released by: National Statistical Office (NSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), through its 18th monthly bulletin.
• Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR): India’s overall LFPR rose to 55.5%, compared with 55.3% in September 2025.
• Unemployment Rate (UR): The overall rate declined to 5.0%, from 5.2% a year earlier; the rural rate was 4.2% and the urban rate was 6.9%.
• Female participation and employment: Female LFPR stood at 34.6%, while the overall Worker Population Ratio (WPR) increased to 52.7% from 52.4% in September 2025.

• Held in: Berlin, Germany, from 11 to 13 October 2026, under the theme “From Crisis to Resilience: Innovating for Health”.
• Participation: More than 4,000 people from over 130 countries and territories attended in person, with over 50,000 participating virtually.
• Major outcome: The World Health Organization (WHO) launched the Hub 2030 Strategy to help countries detect and assess emerging health threats within 24 hours.
• Key announcements: The Government of Bangladesh and the European Investment Bank announced a €250 million women’s health programme; the Gates Foundation and Wellcome Leap committed $100 million for stillbirth prevention.

• Amount: The Government of India approved the rollover of a ₹3,000 crore currency swap facility to the Maldives in October 2026.
• Framework: The facility operates under the SAARC Currency Swap Arrangement Framework and the bilateral framework for 2024–2027.
• Background: The arrangement was signed between the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Maldives Monetary Authority in October 2024; the first drawdown was extended on 23 April 2026.
• Significance: It supports the Maldives’ short-term liquidity needs and financial stability and reflects India’s Neighbourhood First Policy and MAHASAGAR vision.

• Agreement: India and Myanmar signed five Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) for Quick Impact Projects worth US$247,502.47 for financial year 2026–27.
• Areas covered: Water, sanitation and hygiene; road improvement; boiler-operation training; sports facilities; and digital support for public-sector auditing.
• Key projects: These include water and sanitation support for earthquake-affected schools and a futsal stadium at Patheingyi Boys’ Training School in Mandalay.
• Significance: The projects support local development and strengthen cooperation under the Mekong-Ganga Cooperation (MGC) framework.

• Meeting: The 8th India–UK Science and Innovation Council Meeting was held in New Delhi in October 2026.
• Genomics: The BRIC-CDFD–Oxford Nanopore Technologies India Genomics Centre of Excellence was inaugurated to advance genomics and biotechnology research.
• New initiatives: The UK–India Technology Translation Partnership and InnoXchange Programme aim to support technology commercialisation and connections among start-ups and incubators.
• Research cooperation: The two countries have jointly invested over £450 million since 2008, supporting more than 290 projects and 1,665 scientific publications, according to the supplied report.

• Organisation: The Technology Development Board (TDB), under the Department of Science and Technology, signed agreements with ideaForge and QNu Labs in October 2026.
• Financial support: The report gives a combined research, development and innovation (RDI) support figure of ₹301 crore for drone logistics and quantum-secure technologies.
• ideaForge project: The YETI autonomous aerial logistics vehicle is designed to carry a 200-kilogram payload, cover 200 kilometres and operate at altitudes up to 6,500 metres.
• QNu Labs project: The India Quantum Secure and Sensing Networks project focuses on quantum-secure identity, location integrity, network security and time synchronisation.

• Regulator: Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) revised the Closing Auction Session (CAS) framework for the equity cash market in October 2026.
• Effective date: The revised framework is scheduled to take effect from 7 December 2026.
• New timing: The Closing Auction Session will run from 3:30 p.m. to 3:40 p.m., with three phases for reference-price calculation, order entry and final limit-order entry.
• Order rules: During the final phase, only limit orders will be allowed; market orders cannot be modified or cancelled. The order-entry session will close randomly between 3:38 p.m. and 3:40 p.m.

• Company: 1 Finance Private Limited received in-principle approval from SEBI to establish an Asset Management Company (AMC) under the Mutual Funds Lite (MF Lite) framework.
• Investment products: The proposed AMC will focus on passive investment products, mainly index funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs).
• Regulatory framework: The MF Lite framework was introduced by SEBI on 31 December 2024 to facilitate passive mutual fund businesses.
• Financial requirements: The supplied report states a minimum net worth of ₹35 crore, potentially reducible to ₹25 crore after five consecutive profitable years, subject to applicable regulatory conditions.

• Award: State Bank of India (SBI) won the World’s Best Consumer Bank 2026 award for the second consecutive year and the Best Bank in India 2026 award.
• Award ceremony: The awards were presented alongside the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) Annual Meeting 2026 in Bangkok, Thailand.
• Digital banking: SBI’s YONO platform crossed 10 crore registered users, and the bank introduced artificial intelligence-powered customer services.
• Significance: The awards recognise SBI’s customer service, digital innovation and financial inclusion efforts.

• Product: Canara HSBC Life Insurance launched the USD-denominated Global Wealth Plan through Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City).
• Target customers: The plan is designed for Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) seeking life insurance protection alongside market-linked global investment opportunities.
• Investment options: It offers exposure to global equities, precious metals such as gold and silver, and debt funds.
• Important feature: The plan has three variants—Wealth, Wealth Plus and Wealth Forever. Returns are market-linked and are not guaranteed.

• Transaction: CARE Ratings signed agreements to sell a 19.8% stake in its subsidiary, CareEdge Global International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) Limited.
• Buyers: State Bank of India and NSE IFSC (NSEIX) will each acquire a 9.9% stake.
• Ownership change: After completion, CARE Ratings will retain an 80.2% majority stake, and the subsidiary will no longer be wholly owned.
• Significance: The transaction brings two financial-market institutions into the ownership structure of CareEdge Global IFSC.

Context of the News

Scientists have produced Doppler velocity images of the solar corona, using data from the Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC) on India’s solar mission Aditya-L1. These images can show which direction a solar eruption is travelling — something not available until now.

Important Facts for Exams

• Aditya-L1 — India’s first solar mission, launched 2 September 2023 by PSLV-C57
• It was placed in a halo orbit around Lagrange Point 1 (L1) in January 2024
• L1 lies about 1.5 million km from Earth, towards the Sun. A satellite there can watch the Sun continuously, without eclipses
• VELC — Visible Emission Line Coronagraph; the primary payload, developed by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bengaluru
• Aditya-L1 carries seven payloads — four observe the Sun directly, three study particles and fields at L1
• Principal Investigator, VELC: R. Ramesh, IIA
• Other solar missions: NASA’s Parker Solar Probe, the ESA-NASA Solar Orbiter and SOHO

Context of the News

The World Bank’s October 2026 Poverty and Equity Brief shows poverty has fallen sharply in India. But the editorial argues the next stage depends on creating better jobs, not just more jobs.

What Does the Poverty Data Show?

• 496 million people moved above the $4.20 line
• Projected to fall further — 14.2 per cent (2026) to 12.1 per cent (2028)

Key Terms

• PPP: Purchasing Power Parity — adjusts incomes for what money actually buys in each country
• Real earnings: Wages adjusted for inflation
• Low-productivity work: Jobs that create little value, so wages stay low even when employment rises
• Labour-intensive manufacturing: Industries that need many workers relative to machinery
• FLFPR: Female Labour Force Participation Rate
• Median earnings: The middle value — half earn more, half earn less

Important Facts for Exams

• Below $4.20 a day: 57.7 per cent (2011) → 16.1 per cent (2023); 496 million lifted out
• Extreme poverty ($3 a day): 2.6 per cent
• 80 per cent still below the $8.30 a day line
• 134 million jobs added (2017-2023) — twice the working-age population growth — but real earnings flat
• Top 10 per cent earn 13 times the bottom 10 per cent
• Youth unemployment: 14.6 → 15.9 per cent
• Agriculture 43 per cent of employment; manufacturing 12.1 per cent (PLFS 2025)
• FLFPR: 40 per cent overall (2025), up from 33.9 per cent (2022); urban only 27.7 per cent
• ILO: every $1 on childcare could yield $3.76 in global GDP by 2035
• UP, Bihar and West Bengal: 57 per cent of India’s poor; rural poverty 19.3, urban 8.6 per cent
• The World Bank revised its poverty lines in 2025 to $3.00, $4.20 and $8.30 in 2021 PPP
• India’s own poverty line committees: Lakdawala (1993), Tendulkar (2009), Rangarajan (2014). No official poverty line has been published since

Context of the News

The IMF’s October 2026 Regional Economic Outlook: Asia and Pacific found that demand for workers in AI-exposed occupations across Asia has fallen by nearly 10 per cent since November 2022.

Important Facts for Exams

• IMF Regional Economic Outlook: Asia and Pacific, October 2026
• Labour demand in AI-exposed occupations fell nearly 10 per cent since November 2022, but has stabilised
• Only about 6 per cent of Asian firms seek AI skills in job postings
• Firms adopting AI show stronger labour demand growth
• India’s agriculture-heavy workforce has lower immediate exposure, but faces a harder transition into manufacturing and services
• The World Bank WDR 2026 found just over 4 per cent of Indian jobs face immediate automation risk, against over one-third in advanced economies
• India’s employment structure (PLFS 2025): agriculture 43 per cent, manufacturing 12.1 per cent
• India added 134 million jobs (2017-2023), but real earnings stayed flat
• Youth unemployment rose from 14.6 per cent (Q1 FY26) to 15.9 per cent (Q1 FY27)
• The IMF was founded at Bretton Woods, 1944; headquartered at Washington DC

Context of the News

The Global Hunger Index 2026 was released on 14 October 2026, ahead of World Food Day (16 October), at a hybrid event in Berlin. India ranked 100th out of 122 countries, with a score of 24.1 — in the “serious” hunger category.

Who Publishes It?

• Welthungerhilfe (WHH), a German humanitarian organisation
• With the Institute for International Law of Peace and Armed Conflict (IFHV)
• And Helvetas
• Title of the 2026 report: “No Security Without Food Security”

How Is the Score Calculated?

Four indicators, with different weights:

How Is the Score Read?

• The scale runs from 0 to 100
• 0 is the best score — no hunger
• 100 is the worst

What Is the Global Trend?

• The global score rose from 17.6 in 2018 to 18.1 in 2026
• That is a moderate level of hunger globally — but it has worsened
• Hunger levels got worse in 32 countries
• 57 countries are not on track to reach low hunger by 2030

Which Countries Did Best?

• 24 countries scored below 5.0, including Armenia, Belarus, Bulgaria, Chile, Costa Rica and Croatia
• Moldova 25th (5.0)
• Mongolia 26th (5.3)
• Argentina, Brazil and Azerbaijan shared 27th (5.5)

Which Countries Did Worst?

Important Facts for Exams

• GHI 2026 — India 100th of 122, score 24.1, in the “serious” category
• Released 14 October 2026 in Berlin, ahead of World Food Day, 16 October
• Published by Welthungerhilfe, with IFHV and Helvetas; title “No Security Without Food Security”
• Four indicators: undernourishment (1/3), child stunting (1/6), child wasting (1/6), child mortality (1/3)
• Global score: 17.6 (2018) → 18.1 (2026); worse in 32 countries; 57 countries off track for 2030
• Worst: Somalia 47.0, DR Congo 39.5, Chad 38.0, Madagascar 36.5, Haiti 34.4
• GHI severity bands: low (under 9.9), moderate (10-19.9), serious (20-34.9), alarming (35-49.9), extremely alarming (50 and above)
• India has consistently rejected the GHI methodology. The government’s objections are that three of four indicators cover only children under five, the undernourishment figure rests on a small opinion poll sample, and the index does not capture India’s food security programmes
• India’s own nutrition data comes from the NFHS; NFHS-5 recorded stunting 35.5 per cent, wasting 19.3 per cent and underweight 32.1 per cent among children under five
• India’s programmes: NFSA, 2013 covering about 80 crore people, PMGKAY, Poshan Abhiyaan, PM POSHAN (mid-day meal) and Saksham Anganwadi
• SDG 2 is Zero Hunger by 2030

• Notification: The Central Government notified amendments to the India–Mauritius Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) on 13 October 2026.
• Principal Purpose Test (PPT): The test helps prevent misuse of tax treaty benefits when obtaining those benefits is one of the principal purposes of a transaction.
• Objective: The amendment aims to reduce tax avoidance and strengthen compliance while preserving legitimate treaty benefits.
• Exemption: According to the supplied report, investments made before 1 April 2017 are exempt from the PPT.

• Agreement: NTPC Limited signed a cooperation agreement with Africa50 to identify and develop commercially viable power projects across African countries.
• NTPC’s role: It will contribute technical expertise in project assessment, engineering, construction and operations.
• Africa50’s role: It will support project identification, government coordination and investment structuring.
• Objective: The partnership also explores cross-border electricity trading to improve regional power connectivity and electricity availability.

• Indigenous innovation: The Technology Development Board’s agreements with ideaForge and QNu Labs support domestic technology development in aerial logistics and quantum security.
• Drone logistics: The YETI vehicle is designed for remote and high-altitude deliveries, with a reported payload capacity of 200 kilograms.
• Quantum security: The QNu Labs project targets secure identity, location integrity, communications networks and time synchronisation.
• Economic significance: Such technologies can support domestic manufacturing, strategic infrastructure and reduced dependence on foreign technology.

• Supreme Court ruling: The Supreme Court of India affirmed that Internet access is protected as a fundamental right, including for children, irrespective of age.
• Constitutional provisions: The ruling relates to Article 19(1)(a), which protects freedom of speech and expression, and Article 21, which protects life and personal liberty.
• Child safety: The Court emphasised that children should not be excluded from Internet access simply because harmful content exists online.
• Key principle: Efforts to improve digital safety should address the sources of harmful material and those responsible for it, rather than treating children themselves as the problem.

• Recipient: Reema Nanavaty, Director of the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) of India, received the Hillary Rodham Clinton Award in October 2026.
• Awarding institution: The award was presented through the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security in Washington, D.C.
• Recognition: The award recognises her work in women’s economic empowerment, livelihoods, peace and security.
• Previous honour: She received the Padma Shri in 2013 for social work.

• Date: World Students’ Day is observed on 15 October, marking the birth anniversary of Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam.
• 2026 milestone: The year marked his 95th birth anniversary.
• Scientific contributions: Dr. Kalam contributed to India’s space and defence programmes through the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
• Key initiatives: His contributions included the Satellite Launch Vehicle-III, Agni and Prithvi missile programmes, and Technology Vision 2020.

• Date: Observed on 17 October; 2026 marked its third observance.
• UNESCO decision: The day was proclaimed in November 2023 through Resolution 42 C/34, with the first observance held in 2024.
• Purpose: It promotes awareness about protecting living cultural traditions, including music, dance, rituals, crafts and oral traditions.
• Convention: It commemorates the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, which entered into force in 2006.

• Date: Observed on 17 October to raise awareness about trauma, injury prevention, emergency response and rehabilitation.
• Origin: The day was first observed in New Delhi in 2011, according to the supplied report.
• Objective: It promotes timely medical care and preventive measures to reduce injury-related deaths and long-term disabilities.
• Related observances: It falls within Bone and Joint Action Week, observed from 12 to 20 October.

• Date: Observed annually on 18 October.
• 2026 theme: “Chronic Pain At Midlife”.
• Purpose: The day raises awareness about menopause, women’s health and available support and treatment options.
• Significance: It encourages better understanding of midlife health concerns and appropriate healthcare support.

• Date: Observed on 20 October.
• 2026 theme: “Build, Protect, Strengthen Your Bones for Life”.
• Origin: The day was launched in 1996 by the United Kingdom’s National Osteoporosis Society, with support from the European Commission.
• Coordinating organisation: The International Osteoporosis Foundation leads the global campaign to promote prevention, early diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis.

• Event: Vice-President C. P. Radhakrishnan inaugurated KAUMARACON 2026, the third international conference on Kaumarabhritya (Ayurvedic paediatrics), held from 15 to 17 October at the All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), New Delhi.
• Theme: “Shaping the Future of Child Health: Global Perspectives, Research Innovations, and Clinical Frontiers in Kaumarabhritya.”
• Digital initiatives: Five initiatives were launched: the AYUSH Start-up Portal, AIIA–iCAINE website, AyuDIVA, Vamana App and Panchakarma Assessment App.
• Foundation Day: AIIA celebrated its 10th Foundation Day on 17 October 2026, signed MoUs with Rashtriya Ayurved Vidyapeeth and Arogya Bharati, and released academic publications and educational resources.