Current affairs for UPSC
Daily notes mapped to syllabus topics, with “Asked before” PYQs and original practice MCQs.
GS3 · Agriculture · BiofortificationA PIB backgrounder of 18 October 2026 puts the spotlight on Kufri Jamunia, a purple-fleshed potato bred by ICAR’s Central Potato Research Institute and released in 2024. It has nearly twice the Vitamin C of a common potato and several times more zinc and iron, along with antioxidants called anthocyanins. The idea is clever: instead of asking people to change what they eat, make the food they already eat more nutritious. That is biofortification.
UPSC angle: Prelims: Kufri Jamunia, CPRI, anthocyanins, biofortification vs fortification. · Mains GS-III: nutrition security; GS-II: hunger.
18 Oct 2026GS3 · Science and Technology · SpaceOn 17 October 2026, Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh said India’s space economy, worth about USD 9 billion today, should reach USD 40-45 billion in the next seven to eight years. He said the task now is to move from showing what India can do in space to building space companies that can compete and earn worldwide. For that, private firms need steady demand, quick approvals and patient capital. This is the story of space turning from a science mission into an industry.
UPSC angle: Prelims: IN-SPACe, NSIL, Space Policy 2023, FDI caps, Vikram-S. · Mains GS-III: private sector in space, strategic autonomy.
18 Oct 2026GS2 · Polity · JudiciaryOn 18 October 2026 Chief Justice of India Surya Kant inaugurated a permanent bench of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh in Leh. Until now, a person in Ladakh who wanted to file a writ petition had to travel to Srinagar or Jammu, across high passes and harsh winters. The bench was made possible by a regulation that the President promulgated on 27 August and that came into force on 5 September. It is a simple idea with a big effect: bring the court to the people.
UPSC angle: Prelims: Arts. 214, 231, 241, 226, 39A; common High Court. · Mains GS-II: access to justice, judicial infrastructure.
18 Oct 2026GS2 · International Relations · Regional groupingsDefence Minister Rajnath Singh will represent India at the 25th meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG) in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on 19–20 October 2026. This is the SCO’s second-highest body, and it looks after trade, economy, connectivity and the Organisation’s budget. The last CHG met in Moscow on 18 November 2025, where External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar spoke for India.
UPSC angle: Prelims: SCO members, bodies (CHS, CHG, RATS), founding year, CHG venue. · Mains GS-II: India and regional groupings, Central Asia.
18 Oct 2026GS2 · Health · Drug pricingOn 17 October 2026 the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) capped trade margins on 137 non-scheduled anti-cancer drugs at 30%, using its special public-interest power under Paragraph 19 of the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013. The Government expects the retail price of these medicines to fall by up to 70%, and the new prices apply from 9 November 2026. The list includes costly immunotherapy drugs such as pembrolizumab and durvalumab.
UPSC angle: Prelims: NPPA, DPCO 2013 Para 19, trade margin, scheduled vs non-scheduled drugs. · Mains GS-II: affordable medicines and health equity.
18 Oct 2026GS3 · Environment · BiodiversityOn 17 October 2026 the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) said it had shared ₹1.19 crore with 29 State Biodiversity Boards and one UT Biodiversity Council. The money came from seed companies that used Indian maize, rice, pearl millet and cotton for research and commercial hybrids. As the crops were bought from markets and the original holders could not be traced, the amount was split in proportion to each State’s cultivation area. The release comes two days before the CBD COP 17 opens in Yerevan.
UPSC angle: Prelims: NBA, BD Act 2002, Nagoya Protocol, BMCs, CBD COP 17. · Mains GS-III: benefit sharing and community-led conservation.
18 Oct 2026GS3 · Agriculture · ExtensionOn 17 October 2026 Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan reviewed preparations for the Khet Bachao Abhiyan with agriculture ministers of 11 States and UTs. The campaign runs from 22 October to 30 November 2026. About 4,150 teams of Krishi Vigyan Kendra and ATMA staff, with over 12,000 scientists and officials, plan around 1.5 lakh meetings with farmers on soil health, crop residue, balanced fertiliser use and key schemes.
UPSC angle: Prelims: Khet Bachao Abhiyan dates, KVK, ATMA, Soil Health Card. · Mains GS-III: agricultural extension and sustainable farming.
17 Oct 2026GS3 · Agriculture · Food safetyOn 17 October 2026 FSSAI explained draft limits for two insecticides in tea: 20 ppm for acetamiprid and 50 ppm for imidacloprid. The draft, published in the Gazette on 16 October, amends the rules on contaminants, toxins and residues. India’s proposed acetamiprid limit is lower than Japan’s 30 ppm and the USA’s 50 ppm.
UPSC angle: Prelims: MRL, neonicotinoids, Insecticides Act 1968, FSS Act 2006. · Mains GS-III: pesticide regulation and food safety.
17 Oct 2026GS2 · Health · NutritionOn 17 October 2026 FSSAI explained a draft rule that would stop companies from adding sucrose (table sugar) or fructose (fruit sugar) to any product meant for babies up to six months old. The draft amends the Foods for Infant Nutrition Regulations, 2020, was published in the Gazette on 16 October, and is open for public comments for 60 days. The idea is simple: in the first six months a baby needs the right nutrients, not an early taste for sugar.
UPSC angle: Prelims: FSSAI, FSS Act 2006, infant nutrition regulations, IMS Act 1992. · Mains GS-II: child nutrition, preventive health and food regulation.
17 Oct 2026GS2 · Governance · GS3 · Human resource developmentOn 16 October 2026 the National Steering Committee of PM-SETU, chaired by MSDE Secretary Debashree Mukherjee, approved five Strategic Investment Plans worth ₹1,194.92 crore for ITI clusters in Jammu & Kashmir, Maharashtra and Odisha. Cumulative sanctioned investment under the scheme has reached ₹3,687 crore.
UPSC angle: Prelims: PM-SETU full form, hub-and-spoke ITIs, MSDE. · Mains GS-II/III: skill development and industry–ITI partnerships.
16 Oct 2026 
