Daily Current Affairs (DCA) 31 October, 2026

Context of the News

PI Industries Ltd, based in Gurugram, has developed Pioxaniliprole — recognised by the CIB&RC as India’s first indigenously discovered insecticide active ingredient. It will be sold under the brand name Pioxazon from the Rabi 2026-27 season.

What Makes It a First?

• It is the first insecticide active ingredient discovered in India
• Developed over more than a decade of research

Which Crops and Pests Is It Approved For?

Important Facts for Exams

• Pioxaniliprole is the molecule; Pioxazon is the brand name
• Developed by PI Industries Ltd, Gurugram; about ₹2,000 crore and over a decade of research
• India’s first indigenously discovered insecticide active ingredient
• Approved for rice, chilli, tomato and Bengal gram
• Class: anthranilic diamide; formulation 20 per cent w/v SC
• Mode of action: targets ryanodine receptors, causing uncontrolled calcium release and paralysis
• Registered by the CIB&RC under the Insecticides Act, 1968
• Other anthranilic diamides already used in India include chlorantraniliprole and cyantraniliprole. Since all act the same way, cross-resistance is a risk
• India is among the world’s largest producers and exporters of generic pesticides
• India’s pesticide use is about 0.5 kg per hectare, against a global average of 2.38 kg
• Related: the ban on Paraquat Dichloride, the proposed Carbosulfan ban, and the Pesticides Management Bill meant to replace the 1968 Act

Context of the News

The UNEP report “Nature’s Comeback – Scaling Ecosystem Restoration for People and Planet” recognised India’s Ganges River dolphin recovery programme as one of 35 UN World Restoration Flagships.

What Is the Ganges River Dolphin?

• An obligate freshwater cetacean — it lives only in fresh water
• Popularly called Susu, after the sound it makes while breathing
• India’s National Aquatic Animal
• State aquatic animal of Assam

Status

• IUCN: Endangered
• Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972
• CITES Appendix I

Where Does It Live?

• Deep-water pools, river bends and confluence zones
• In the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna and Karnaphuli-Sangu river systems
• Across India, Nepal and Bangladesh

Context of the News

The Union Minister of Jal Shakti launched the Punah Bharan Mobile Application and a companion web portal, to improve groundwater recharge planning.

What Is It?

• A geospatial decision-support app and web portal
• For evidence-based, village-level planning of artificial groundwater recharge structures

Who Built It?

• Developed by BISAG-N — Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Applications and Geo-informatics
• With the National Water Mission, under the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti

What Is the Aim?

• Move groundwater recharge planning from ad-hoc decisions to a data-driven, scientific framework
• Maximise rainwater harvesting
• Improve long-term aquifer sustainability

• In October 2026, the Union Cabinet approved the Pradhan Mantri Viksit Gram Swaraj Yojana (PM-VGSY), a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with a total outlay of ₹7,395.55 crore for five years, from FY 2026–27 to FY 2030–31.
• The scheme aims to strengthen grassroots governance through Gram Panchayat Development Plans (GPDPs), capacity building, digital support and better financial accountability.
• The total outlay includes a Central share of ₹4,869.48 crore and a State share of ₹2,526.07 crore. The scheme is implemented by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj through State Governments and Union Territory Administrations.
• It will cover all States and Union Territories, including over 2.55 lakh Panchayats and Traditional Local Bodies, including areas where Panchayats do not exist under Part IX.

Six Components of PM-VGSY:

1. Gram Panchayats as Hubs of Local Governance.
2. Holistic Gram Panchayat Development Planning.
3. Common Digital Platform for Panchayat Governance.
4. Connecting National Priorities with Local Needs.
5. Capacity Building and Digital Handholding.
6. Transparent and Efficient Utilisation of Resources.

Context of the News

IN-SPACe selected six private space tech entities for seed-fund grants of up to ₹1 crore each, under its AI INSPIRED initiative.

What Is IN-SPACe?

• Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre
• An autonomous single-window agency under the Department of Space
• Headquartered at Bopal, Ahmedabad
• It acts as both regulator and promoter for Non-Government Entities in space

What Is Its Aim?

• Promote private sector and startup participation in India’s space economy
• By supporting innovation, giving access to infrastructure, and easing regulatory compliance

What Is the AI INSPIRED Programme?

• A seed-fund scheme for private space technology companies
• Grants of up to ₹1 crore each
• Six entities selected in this round

Context of the News

MeitY highlighted the growth of India’s domestic cloud ecosystem. Two things are driving it — data sovereignty concerns and rising data consumption.

What Is Cloud Computing?

• Computing resources delivered over the internet, on demand
• This includes data storage, servers, databases, networking and software
• Charged on a pay-as-you-go basis
• Instead of buying and running physical servers, an organisation rents capacity as it needs it

What Are the Service Models?

Context of the News

ISRO’s GSLV-F18 successfully launched the NVS-03 satellite from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. The satellite is expected to help restore India’s NavIC navigation system.

What Is NVS-03?

• The third satellite in the next-generation navigation satellite series
• It provides continuity of navigation services for the IRNSS series, known as NavIC

What Is NavIC?

• India’s independent regional navigation satellite system
• It provides Position, Navigation and Timing (PNT) service
• Coverage: the Indian landmass, plus a region extending about 1,500 km beyond India’s boundary

Context of the News

The Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology unearthed bronze alloy idols of Lord Nataraja and Goddess Sivagami, with their pedestals, during excavations in Nagapattinam.

What Was Found?

• Found at a depth of one metre
• Both came with their pedestals
• They are estimated to date to the 12th century AD, in the Chola period.

What Is Ananda Tandava?

The dance of bliss — the most famous depiction of Shiva as Nataraja, the Lord of Dance.

The standard iconography carries specific meanings:

• Upper right hand holds the damaru, the drum of creation
• Upper left hand holds agni, fire, representing destruction
• Lower right hand is in abhaya mudra, the gesture of protection
• Lower left hand points to the raised foot, signifying liberation
• He dances on Apasmara, the dwarf of ignorance
• The surrounding arch of flames (prabhavali) represents the cosmos

Who Is Sivagami?

Sivakami is Parvati, shown standing beside Nataraja, watching the dance. Tribhanga means the body bends at three points — neck, waist and knee — a graceful posture common in Indian sculpture.

Important Facts for Exams

• Chola bronzes are made by the lost-wax (cire perdue) method, usually in panchaloha
• The Chola period, especially under Rajaraja I and Rajendra I, is considered the peak of Indian bronze sculpture
• Great Living Chola Temples are a UNESCO World Heritage Site (1987, extended 2004) — the Brihadisvara Temple at Thanjavur, the temple at Gangaikonda Cholapuram, and the Airavatesvara Temple at Darasuram
• Nagapattinam was a major Chola port, linked to trade with Southeast Asia. It also had a Buddhist presence, and the Chudamani Vihara was built there with Srivijaya support

• Ayushman Vay Vandana (AVV) completed two years of implementation in October 2026. It provides healthcare coverage to all senior citizens aged 70 years and above, irrespective of their socio-economic status.
• The initiative is implemented by the National Health Authority (NHA) under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
• Eligible senior citizens receive health coverage of up to ₹5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation.
• Senior citizens aged 70 years and above who belong to families already covered under Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) receive an additional top-up cover of up to ₹5 lakh per year, exclusively for themselves.

• The 2026 UN Secretary-General’s Report on Women, Peace and Security (WPS) revealed that at least 25 women and girls were killed daily in armed conflicts worldwide during 2025.
• More than 37,000 civilians were killed in armed conflicts in 2025, with women and girls accounting for 25% of the deaths.
• The United Nations verified 9,788 cases of conflict-related sexual violence in 2025. Around 750 million women and girls lived within 50 km of active conflicts.
• Around 170 million women and girls faced conflict and extreme poverty, surviving on less than USD 3 per day. Women also spent five times as many hours on unpaid care work as men in conflict-affected countries.

Background:

• On 31 October 2000, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 1325, establishing the Women, Peace and Security Agenda.
• The agenda promotes women’s participation in conflict prevention, peace negotiations and post-conflict reconstruction.
• The UN Secretary-General publishes an annual report to review progress under this agenda.

• World Stroke Day is observed annually on 29 October to raise awareness about stroke prevention, treatment and its impact.
• 2026 Theme: “Every M1nute Counts.”
• The day was established in 2004, and the first global observance took place on 29 October 2006.
• The World Stroke Organization (WSO) was formed in October 2006.

• World Savings Day (WSD), also known as World Thrift Day, is observed annually on 31 October to promote saving habits and financial security.
• 2026 Theme: “AI Advises, Human Decides.”
• It was introduced by Italian Professor Filippo Ravizza.
• The first World Savings Day was observed on 31 October 1924 during the first International Thrift Congress in Milan, Italy.

• World Cities Day (WCD) is observed annually on 31 October to promote international cooperation on urbanisation and sustainable urban development.
• 2026 Theme: “Regenerating the City: Adequate Housing for All.”
• The United Nations General Assembly designated the day through Resolution 68/239 (2013). The first global observance took place in 2014.
• Fuzhou, China, is hosting the 2026 global observance, focusing on neighbourhood renewal and sustainable urban development.

• In October 2026, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) appointed Vijay Sankar as its President-Elect for 2026–27.
• He is currently the Senior Vice-President of FICCI and Chairman of The Sanmar Group, which has interests in chemicals, engineering, steel foundries and shipping.
• He will succeed Anant Goenka as FICCI President after the Annual General Meeting and Annual Convention scheduled for 18–19 November 2026 in New Delhi.
• He also serves as Chairman and Non-Executive Director of Chemplast Sanmar Limited and as an Independent Director on the boards of TVS Motor Company and Larsen & Toubro.

• Researchers from the Thackeray Wildlife Foundation discovered a new microscopic land snail species named Dicharax tilariensis in the Tilari region of Kolhapur district, Maharashtra.
• The species is currently known only from the Tilari region, making it endemic to the area.
• It inhabits moist soil, forest litter and decaying organic matter in the semi-evergreen forests of Tilari.
• Specimens were collected near Swapnavel Point, close to Tilarinagar, at an elevation of 700–800 metres above sea level.

• Microbiologists discovered a new fungal species named Mollisia sokpayensia in the Sikkim Himalaya in October 2026.
• The research team was led by Manipur scientist Dr Laishram Shantikumar Singh and included Subecha Rai and Gajanan V.
• The discovery adds a new species to the known fungal diversity of the Himalayan region.

• Volcanic ash consists of fine fragments of rocks, minerals and volcanic glass released during volcanic eruptions.
• It can travel long distances from the eruption site and remain suspended in the atmosphere.
• Volcanic ash can damage aircraft engines and other aircraft components because of its abrasive nature.
• It can also affect public health, particularly by causing respiratory problems when inhaled.

• On 30 October 2026, Digital Bharat Nidhi (DBN), the Tamil Nadu Government and Tamil Nadu FibreNet Corporation (TANFINET) signed an agreement to expand digital connectivity in Tamil Nadu.
• The agreement was signed at Sanchar Bhawan, New Delhi.
• The initiative aims to strengthen broadband infrastructure and expand connectivity through the BharatNet programme.

• India will host the ICAR–CGIAR Science and Partnership Week in New Delhi from 12 to 17 April 2027.
• The event will be held at Yashobhoomi.
• It will be hosted by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR).

• On 31 October 2026, India and Brazil highlighted expanding cooperation in defence, aerospace and space.
• The update was shared by Ministry of External Affairs Secretary (East) Rudrendra Tandon.
• Brazilian Ambassador Kenneth Felix was also associated with the engagement.

• The sacred Piprahwa relics of Lord Buddha will be displayed for public veneration in Arunachal Pradesh from 31 October to 21 November 2026.
• The relics are preserved at the National Museum.
• The exhibition will provide an opportunity for people to view and pay respect to the sacred Buddhist relics.

• Former Indian cricket captain Rahul Dravid and Olympic medallist Saina Nehwal were nominated to the Organising Company Board for the 2030 Commonwealth Games.
• The nominations were announced on 30 October 2026.
• Both sportspersons will be associated with the board responsible for the organisation of the 2030 Games.

• American actress Barbara Barrie passed away at the age of 95 in Manhattan, New York City, in October 2026.
• She won the Best Actress award at the 1964 Cannes Film Festival for One Potato, Two Potato.
• She received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Evelyn Stohler in Breaking Away (1979).
• She also received three Emmy nominations and a Tony Award nomination for her performance in Company (1970).