Current affairs relevant to GS3.
The Regional Connectivity Scheme UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) completes ten years on 21 October 2026. A PIB backgrounder says it has operationalised 687 routes and 95 aerodromes and carried 1.72 crore passengers. Its next phase, launched on 4 July 2026, runs from 2026-27 to 2035-36 with Rs 28,840 crore for 100 airports, 200 helipads and airline support.
21 Oct 2026
The Index of Core Industries (ICI), base year 2022-23, grew 7.9% year-on-year in September 2026, up from a revised 5.9% in August, the Commerce Ministry said on 21 October 2026. Iron ore (18.4%), electricity (11.4%) and coal (10.7%) led, while fertilizers, natural gas and crude oil shrank. Growth for April–September 2026 was 5.1%, double the 2.5% of a year earlier.
21 Oct 2026
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) launched its Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission on an H3 rocket from the Tanegashima Space Center at about 1:11 am IST on 20 October 2026. It aims to collect at least 10 grams of material from Phobos, the larger moon of Mars, and return it to Earth in 2031. If it succeeds, Japan will be the first country to bring back samples from a Martian moon.
21 Oct 2026
In October 2026 alone, Reflection AI, Meta, NVIDIA and Mistral released or announced open-weight AI models. The Hindu explained on 20 October why firms spend heavily and then let anyone download the weights: to win developers, set standards and earn from cloud, chips and services. For India, open weights offer a base to build Indian-language AI, but they also bring safety risks.
21 Oct 2026
On Police Commemoration Day, 21 October 2026, Union Home Minister Amit Shah paid tribute at the National Police Memorial in New Delhi to police personnel who died on duty. He recalled that India was declared free of Naxalism on 31 March 2026, asked all forces to work for a ‘Nasha Mukt Bharat’ by 31 December 2029, and flagged off a nationwide ‘Fight Against Drugs’ motorcycle rally.
21 Oct 2026
Scientists at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bengaluru, have produced Doppler velocity images of the solar corona using the Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC) on Aditya-L1. The images show whether coronal plasma is moving towards or away from us, and can help track whether a coronal mass ejection (CME) is heading for Earth. The method has been published in the Astrophysical Journal.
20 Oct 2026
MNRE Secretary Santosh Kumar Sarangi said on 19 October 2026 that the Centre is planning a central sector scheme to help States adopt agrivoltaics, either standalone or within PM-KUSUM 2.0. He expects capacity to cross 5 GW in three to four years if States notify feed-in tariffs. India hosts the 7th Agrivoltaics World Conference in New Delhi from 21 to 23 October.
20 Oct 2026
The fifth edition of the India–Australia joint military exercise AUSTRAHIND began on 19 October 2026 at the Foreign Training Node, Thiruvananthapuram, and runs till 1 November. About 120 soldiers from each army will train for sub-conventional operations in island and coastal terrain under a UN Chapter VII mandate. For the first time, New Zealand has sent observers.
20 Oct 2026
The Department of Financial Services will run a nationwide campaign from 21 October to 31 December 2026 to saturate financial inclusion schemes in 2.70 lakh gram panchayats and urban local bodies. Bank camps will enrol people in PMJJBY, PMSBY and APY, open Jan Dhan accounts, finish re-KYC and nominations, and spread awareness on digital frauds and unclaimed deposits.
20 Oct 2026
India has begun a national Red List assessment of its 1,211 regularly occurring bird species using the IUCN framework. By 19 October 2026, a preliminary review of 107 species was complete, with the Great Indian Bustard proposed as Critically Endangered and the Indian Roller as Vulnerable. A final assessment is expected towards the end of 2027.
20 Oct 2026