Daily Current Affairs (DCA) 24 October, 2026

Context of the News

The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare notified 16 newly recognised indigenous breeds of livestock and dogs, across 13 states and one Union Territory, on the recommendation of the Breed Registration Committee.

What Does Recognition Mean?

• A statutory, scientific registration published in the Gazette of India
• It gives a native animal population a formal national identity and a unique accession number
• Based on its distinct physical, phenotypic and genetic characteristics

Who Does It?

Which Breeds Were Recognised?

Important Facts for Exams

• NBAGR maintains the National Animal Gene Bank and registers all indigenous breeds
• India has over 200 registered indigenous breeds of livestock and poultry
• India is the world’s largest milk producer, with about 24 per cent of global output

• Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan launched the campaign in Karnal, Haryana, for the period 22 October to 30 November 2026.
• The campaign promotes soil health, balanced fertiliser use, crop diversification and sustainable farming.
• The government aims to reach nearly 1 crore participants through the Agricultural Technology Management Agency (ATMA) and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).
• Around 4,150 teams and over 12,000 scientists and ATMA functionaries are expected to participate through training, farmers’ meetings and field demonstrations.

• Maharashtra launched Mission Murghas on 24 October 2026 to address fodder shortages during drought conditions.
• The initiative aims to improve the availability of fodder for livestock.
• The launch comes amid widespread drought, with 305 talukas reportedly declared drought-affected by 14 October 2026.
• Exam relevance: Fodder availability is important for livestock productivity, dairy farming and rural livelihoods.

• India’s net Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) remained positive for the third consecutive month in August 2026, with net inflows of $3.3 billion, according to the Reserve Bank of India’s monthly Bulletin.
• Gross FDI inflows stood at $11.1 billion, while total outflows were $7.7 billion.
• Gross inflows were 24% lower than July 2026, but around 68% higher than August 2025, as reported in the supplied news.
• Net FDI is the amount remaining after accounting for investment outflows from gross FDI inflows.

• BSE Limited partnered with MMTC-PAMP to expand India’s Electronic Gold Receipts (EGR) market.
• EGRs are securities regulated by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) that allow investors to hold gold electronically in demat accounts.
• BSE plans to offer EGR contracts in multiple denominations, while MMTC-PAMP will contribute its expertise in gold and silver refining.
• The partnership aims to improve transparency, liquidity and investor participation and encourage gold trading through regulated markets.

Context of the News

The ASI plans to restore the headless sandstone Vishnu idol at Khajuraho’s Javari Temple, by re-attaching the head recently found in an ASI repository.

What Are the Khajuraho Temples?

• A group of medieval Hindu and Jain temples
• They represent the peak of Nagara-style temple architecture
• Known for their soaring shikharas, mathematical proportions and intricate sculptural reliefs
• Chhatarpur district, Madhya Pradesh
• Against the backdrop of the Vindhya range

Who Built Them and When?

• The Chandela dynasty
• Built mainly between 950 and 1050 CE
• They reflected the rulers’ authority, religious devotion and artistic ambition

Important Facts for Exams

• Khajuraho — Chhatarpur district, Madhya Pradesh, near the Vindhya range
• Built 950-1050 CE by the Chandela dynasty
• About 85 temples originally over 13 sq km; 20-23 survive, in three groups
• Rediscovered by Captain T. S. Burt (1838); documented by Alexander Cunningham and F. C. Maisey
• UNESCO World Heritage Site, 1986
• The Kandariya Mahadeva Temple is the largest and most ornate, attributed to Vidyadhara
• Temples are built of sandstone, mostly without mortar, using interlocking stone
• The Eastern Group includes Jain temples such as Parshvanatha and Adinatha, alongside Hindu ones
• The Chandelas ruled Bundelkhand from the 9th to 13th centuries; their fort capital was Kalinjar

Context of the News

The WHO confirmed the first ever documented human infection and death from the Shamonda virus. The patient was immunocompromised, in Lyon, France.

What Is the Virus?

• A vector-borne animal virus
• Belongs to the Simbu serogroup, genus Orthobunyavirus, family Peribunyaviridae
• Closely related to the Schmallenberg virus
• It mainly infects ruminants

Important Facts for Exams

• Shamonda virus — first human infection and death confirmed by the WHO, in Lyon, France; patient was immunocompromised
• Simbu serogroup, genus Orthobunyavirus, family Peribunyaviridae; related to Schmallenberg virus
• First isolated in cattle in Nigeria, 1965
• Spread by Culicoides midges
• Causes fever, falling milk yield, foetal deformities and abortions in ruminants
• Has spread to over a dozen European countries, including France, Germany, Spain, Ireland
• Not listed by WOAH or under EU Animal Health Law, so reporting is not mandatory
• WOAH — World Organisation for Animal Health, founded 1924, headquartered at Paris
• The One Health approach links human, animal and environmental health. India has a National One Health Mission
• Other Culicoides-borne diseases: bluetongue and African horse sickness

Context of the News

The European Parliament announced the International Criminal Court (ICC) and its officials as the collective winners of the 2026 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, on 22 October 2026.

What Is the Sakharov Prize?

• The European Union’s highest honour for human rights
• Awarded annually to individuals, groups or organisations
• For exceptional contribution to human rights, freedom of thought, democracy and the international rule of law

Who Won in 2026?

• The International Criminal Court and its personnel — judges, prosecutors and investigators
• Under ICC President Tomoko Akane

Important Facts for Exams

• 2026 Sakharov Prize awarded collectively to the International Criminal Court and its officials
• ICC President: Tomoko Akane
• The prize was established in 1988, named after Andrei Sakharov
• First awarded jointly to Nelson Mandela and Anatoly Marchenko
• Carries €50,000; ceremony held each December at Strasbourg
• Awarded by the European Parliament
• Andrei Sakharov won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1975
• The ICC was created by the Rome Statute, adopted 1998, in force 2002; headquartered at The Hague
• India is not a party to the Rome Statute. Nor are the United States, China or Russia

• President Droupadi Murmu released a ₹200 commemorative coin in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, to mark the 200th birth anniversary of Mata Sahib Hasi Devi Ji.
• Mata Hasi Devi Ji was the fifth spiritual head of Shadani Darbar, a prominent Sindhi religious institution.
• One side of the coin features Mata Hasi Devi Ji, while the other displays the Lion Capital of Ashoka and the denomination.
• The coin was issued by the Ministry of Finance to commemorate the occasion.

• The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) approved the appointment of Sunil Kumar, an Executive Director at Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC), as its next Chairman for a three-year term.
• He is expected to assume charge on or after 7 December 2026, succeeding Arun Kumar Singh.
• Sunil Kumar joined ONGC in 1991 and has over three decades of experience in the oil and gas sector.
• He has contributed to the Vasistha and S1 deep-water project on India’s east coast and has served as Executive Director and Asset Manager of ONGC’s Mehsana Asset since January 2025.

• Anca-Maria Verma was appointed Ambassador-at-Large of the Inter-Governmental Institution for the Use of Micro-Algae Spirulina Against Malnutrition (IIMSAM) for India.
• Her five-year term runs from 20 October 2026 to 19 October 2031.
• She is expected to support humanitarian initiatives, nutrition programmes and stakeholder engagement.
• IIMSAM focuses on promoting the use of Spirulina, a nutrient-rich microalga, to help address malnutrition.

• Dr Loganathan Murugan resigned as Minister of State in the Ministries of Information and Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs, and as a Rajya Sabha member.
• The President accepted his resignation from the Union Council of Ministers under Article 75(2) of the Constitution.
• Murugan had served as Vice-Chairperson of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) from 2017 to 2020 and was a Rajya Sabha member from Madhya Pradesh.
• According to the supplied news, a by-election for the vacant Rajya Sabha seat was scheduled for 12 November 2026.

• Solar Defence and Aerospace Limited (SDAL) delivered its indigenous Nagastra 2 anti-tank loitering munition system to the Indian Army.
• It is a man-portable, suicide-type Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) designed to strike targets with precision.
• The system has a reported range of 25 km in recover-and-reuse mode and 50 km in fire-and-forget mode.
• Its 4 kg tandem shaped-charge warhead is designed to penetrate up to 650 mm of Rolled Homogeneous Armour (RHA). It also incorporates features to improve resistance to electronic warfare.

• American actor Tom Skerritt reportedly passed away in October 2026 at the age of 93.
• He made his film debut in War Hunt (1962) and appeared in films including M*A*S*H (1970), Alien (1979) and Top Gun (1986).
• He won the 1993 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his role in Picket Fences.
• He also co-founded TheFilmSchool in Seattle to support aspiring filmmakers.

• International Stuttering Awareness Day (ISAD) is observed every year on 22 October to promote understanding and inclusion of people who stutter.
• The 2026 theme was “Shades of Stuttering – What’s Yours?”
• The day was first observed on 22 October 1998, following international efforts to raise awareness of stuttering.
• The sea-green ribbon, adopted in 2009, represents awareness, support and solidarity.

• International Snow Leopard Day, also called World Snow Leopard Day, is observed on 23 October to promote snow leopard conservation and protection of mountain habitats.
• The day originated from the Global Snow Leopard Conservation Forum held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, in 2013.
• The Bishkek Declaration was adopted by 12 snow leopard range countries in 2013, supporting a coordinated conservation effort.
• The United Nations General Assembly formally proclaimed 23 October as International Snow Leopard Day through Resolution A/RES/79/143 in December 2024.

• The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) observes its Raising Day on 24 October every year.
• The force was established in 1962 to strengthen security along the India–Tibet border.
• The force operates under the Ministry of Home Affairs and is one of India’s Central Armed Police Forces.
• Its legal framework includes the ITBP Force Act, 1992, and the ITBP Rules, 1994.

• National Cybersecurity Awareness Month is observed every October to promote safe online behaviour and protect people and organisations from cyber threats.
• It was launched in 2004 by the United States Department of Homeland Security and the National Cybersecurity Alliance.
• The National Cybersecurity Alliance’s 2026 theme is “Don’t Make It Easy for Them”, focusing on everyday habits that protect personal information and digital accounts.
• The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s 2026 theme is “Securing the Next 250”, linked to strengthening cybersecurity as the United States approaches its 250th anniversary.

• The 14th International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week was observed from 18 to 24 October 2026.
• The 2026 campaign theme was “From Detection to Prevention”.
• The campaign promotes awareness of lead exposure, especially among children, and encourages the elimination of lead paint.
• The Global Alliance to Eliminate Lead Paint was established in 2011 by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Health Organization (WHO); the first awareness week was observed in 2012.

• Indian chess players Nihal Sarin and Koneru Humpy won individual gold medals at the European Chess Club Cup 2026.
• The tournament was held in Budva, Montenegro, from 17 to 23 October 2026.
• The results highlight India’s presence in international competitive chess.

• Indian cueist Pankaj Advani won his 29th career world title at the WBL World Billiards Championship on 23 October 2026.
• He defeated England’s Robert Hall by 1,906–1,206.
• Advani’s victory further strengthened his record as one of India’s most successful cue-sports players.