Daily Current Affairs 4 November 2026

The Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) has extended the timeline for the New Amnesty Scheme 2025 by 3 months until December 31, 2026, retaining its existing terms and conditions.

The scheme permits the withdrawal of pending legal cases and disputes filed up to March 31, 2025, where employers have cleared their dues, subject to 10% of disputed damages.

The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) has signed an MoU with the Bihar government for the scientific desilting of water bodies and the utilization of silt in National Highway (NH) projects under the ‘Nadi Sanjivani’ initiative.

The initiative integrates river restoration, flood management, and agricultural conservation with highway infrastructure development. Under the project, 243 lakh cubic metres of silt will be utilized in 16 ongoing NH projects, while 835 lakh cubic metres are proposed for 27 future projects.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has amended the Central Motor Vehicles Rules (CMVR), 1989, to permit the use of ethanol-based fuels containing up to 100% ethanol (E100) and E85.

These alternative fuels can only be used in vehicles specifically designed as Flex-fuel Vehicles (FFVs) by Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). The revised rules also expand the application of B100 diesel and Hydrogen-enriched Compressed Natural Gas (HCNG) combinations for heavy-duty vehicles.

It is to be noted that existing vehicle owners are not mandated to switch to these new fuels. Additionally, the revised rules have raised the Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) threshold for light petrol and diesel vehicles from 3,000 kg to 3,500 kg.

SBI has launched ‘CyRIS’ (Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence (CoE)) in Mumbai to strengthen cybersecurity capabilities, enhance threat intelligence, and improve cyber resilience across the financial sector of India.

CyRIS integrates cybersecurity policy, training, research, innovation, and threat intelligence under three core pillars: THINK, INNOVATE, and DEFEND.

YES BANK has launched a new savings account named “YES vibez” specifically designed for Generation Z (Gen Z) customers aged 18-30 years.

The account offers cashback of up to ₹12,000 on debit card spends and rewards up to ₹3,000 on UPI merchant transactions, alongside various lifestyle benefits.

IG Defence has signed an MoU with Oman-based MSA Global LLC to co-develop and localise advanced defence systems for Oman and the wider Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region.

The collaboration covers 3 indigenous platforms developed by IG Defence: KAL, BAJ and JWALA. Additionally, the company showcased GRID, AI-powered Battle Management System, targeting regional defence requirements.

India and Mexico have signed the Terms of Reference (ToR) to launch negotiations for a Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA).

The initiative aims to expand bilateral trade, create business opportunities, strengthen investment flows, enhance cooperation across key economic sectors, and promote resilient and diversified supply chains.

The NITI Aayog has signed a Joint Statement of Intent (SoI) with the Technology Translation Research Park (TEXMiN) to strengthen collaboration in the critical and strategic minerals sector.

It is to be noted that TEXMiN is an initiative of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) of the Government of India, hosted at the IIT (Indian School of Mines (ISM)) Dhanbad. The partnership aims to advance indigenous technological capabilities, promote research and innovation, and develop resilient and sustainable critical mineral value chains in India.

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has signed an MoU with the Bank of England to improve cooperation and information sharing regarding SEBI-recognised Clearing Corporations (CCs).

The agreement aims to strengthen cross-border regulatory cooperation, facilitate safe international clearing operations, and safeguard the financial stability of the UK.

The 9th High-Level Meeting (HLM) between the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and the Sri Lanka Coast Guard (SLCG) was held in Mirissa, Sri Lanka.

The Indian delegation to the meeting was led by Director General Paramesh Sivamani. The meeting focused on enhancing bilateral cooperation in key areas of mutual interest.

The Indian Naval Ship (INS) Sahyadri has successfully concluded its participation in the ‘Indian Navy–Republic of Korea Navy (IN–RoKN) Bilateral Exercise’ off the coast of Busan, South Korea.

The indigenously built Shivalik-class guided-missile stealth frigate operated alongside the South Korean destroyer ROKS Munmu the Great.

The 5th edition of the India–US bilateral tri-service Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) exercise named “Tiger Triumph 2026” has commenced at the Maritime Warfare Centre (MWC) in Visakhapatnam.

The exercise is conducted as a Tabletop Exercise (TTX) to enhance coordination between the armed forces of both countries during large-scale HADR operations. It is to be noted that a team from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is participating for the first time in this edition.

Binance, a Cryptocurrency exchange, has suffered a major cyberattack resulting in losses of $6.3 billion. This incident has been recorded as the largest cryptocurrency hack in history.

PM Narendra Modi has inaugurated the 2nd edition of the Emerging Science, Technology and Innovation Conclave (ESTIC 2026) at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. He urged the scientific community and deep-tech startups to deliver measurable and scalable technological outcomes within a 3-year window.

The event was organized under the theme “Creative Minds, Catalyzing Science, Empowering Technologies” by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) under the Ministry of Science and Technology in partnership with the CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (CSIR-NIIST). The conclave centered around 12 key thematic areas.

ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) has successfully launched the next-generation navigation satellite (NVS-03) onboard the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-F18) from the Second Launch Pad (SLP) at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.

NVS-03 is the 3rd satellite in the second-generation navigation series of ISRO. Weighing 2.25 thousand kg, the satellite separated from the launch vehicle to reach its intended elliptical Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) in 18 minutes.

This mission marks the 20th flight of GSLV, successfully restoring the indigenous Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC) system to its minimum operational configuration of 4 satellites. It is to be noted that Thomas Kurian served as the GSLV Project Director and Mission Director for the mission.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a loan of $139.55 million for the Puducherry Integrated Urban Livability Improvement Project (PIULIP). It marks the first-ever engagement of ADB in the Union Territory of Puducherry.

The Maharashtra government has approved proposals to designate the Kolamarka Conservation Reserve and the Expanded Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary as Wildlife Sanctuaries (WLS) under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972. The state government also approved the establishment of 14 conservation reserves across 7 districts.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, an Italian national racing for Mercedes, has won the Formula One (F1) United States Grand Prix 2026.

Max Verstappen, a Belgian-Dutch national racing for Red Bull, has won the Formula One (F1) Mexico City Grand Prix 2026.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, an Italian national racing for Mercedes, became the youngest-ever World Drivers Champion in the history of the sport at the age of 20 years and 68 days old. He secured the title by finishing third at the Mexico City Grand Prix, breaking the previous record held by Sebastian Vettel.