Daily Current Affairs 10 October 2026

The PM Skilling and Employability Transformation through Upgraded ITIs (PM-SETU), a flagship initiative of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), has successfully completed its first year of implementation.

The initiative was launched in 2025, with a total budgetary outlay of ₹60,000 crore. A total of 850 Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) have been identified under the scheme, which includes 172 Hub ITIs and 678 Spoke ITIs.

The Department of Commerce (DOC) under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoC&I) has extended the Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products (RoDTEP) scheme until December 31, 2026.

The Ministry of Textiles (MoT) has also extended the Rebate of State and Central Taxes and Levies (RoSCTL) scheme until December 31, 2026. These extensions are intended to mitigate the impact of geopolitical disruptions in West Asia.

The RBI has granted a Certificate of Registration (CoR) to Indiabulls Ltd to operate as a Core Investment Company (CIC), bringing the entity under the regulatory framework of the RBI. It is to be noted that a CIC is a Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) with an asset size of ₹100 crore or more.

To qualify as a CIC, an entity must hold at least 90% of its net assets in investments or loans of group companies, including equity shares, preference shares, bonds, or debentures. Furthermore, at least 60% of the net assets must be specifically maintained in the equity investments of group companies.

The Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT) has signed 5 MoUs with entities from the media, entertainment, technology, and esports sectors during the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) FRAMES 2026 held in Mumbai.

The collaborating organizations include the Motion Picture Association (MPA) India, Centre for Development of Imaging Technology (C-DIT), the E-Sports Games Federation (ESGF), RioWood, and Warm Up Ventures.

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has signed an MoU with the Korean Sport and Olympic Committee (KSOC) to bolster bilateral cooperation in the sports sector.

The MoU was finalized during the 20th Asian Games to create enhanced professional opportunities for athletes from both India and South Korea.

India has reaffirmed its commitment to the conservation of whales and other cetaceans at the 70th Meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC-70) held in Hobart, Australia.

The meeting coincided with the 80th anniversary of the signing of the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling, which is the international treaty for whale conservation. It is to be noted that Dr Urbain Brito of Benin was elected as the Chair of the IWC-70, and Anne-Marie Svoboda of Netherlands was appointed as the Vice-Chair.

The IWC-70 adopted the “Hobart Declaration” by consensus and passed resolutions to address fish-maw trade-related cetacean bycatch, vessel strikes, and cetacean strandings. India advocated for the implementation of science-based conservation strategies during the proceedings.

The 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 81) was held at the UN Headquarters in New York, USA, presided over by Khalilur Rahman, the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh.

The session was held under the theme “Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation: A United Nations That Delivers for All”, with the Indian delegation led by Union Minister S Jaishankar.

The assembly unanimously adopted its first-ever declaration on rising sea-levels to provide assurances to Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and low-lying coastal countries. During the session, the UN Women launched a new digital, innovation, and AI hub focused on gender equality.

Union Minister S Jaishankar signed the UN Convention against Cybercrime, which serves as the first comprehensive international treaty focused on cybercrime. It is to be noted that India has been officially placed on the “Strategic Partner Stream” in the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF).

Furthermore, India and Liberia jointly launched a new international initiative named “The Group of Friends on Safety & Security of Shipping & Seafarers (GoFonS4)” to focus on the safety and security of commercial shipping and maritime personnel.

The Uttar Pradesh government has renamed the Bhadohi district as ‘Sant Ravidas Nagar Bhadohi’ to honor the legacy of the saint and social reformer Sant Ravidas.

Henri Boris Kagan, a chemist from France, and Kenso Soai, a chemist from Japan, have been awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

The award is given recognising their discovery of nonlinear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis, which advanced the selective production of molecular mirror images (enantiomers). The two laureates will share the prize money of Swedish kronor (SEK) 12 million equally.

Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann, and Georg Nagel have been awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine by the Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden.

They are recognized for their discovery of light-gated ion channels and the development of optogenetics, a biological technique that uses light-sensitive proteins to control specific neurons. The three laureates will share the prize money of 12 million Swedish kronor (SEK) equally.

It is to be noted that Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel identified channelrhodopsin in green alga, while Karl Deisseroth integrated the gene into rat neurons in 2005, proving that blue light could trigger neural signals. The methodology was officially named optogenetics in 2006.

Francis Louis Halzen, an 82-year-old Belgian-American particle physicist, has been conferred the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

The award, carrying a prize value of 12 million Swedish kronor (SEK), recognizes his contributions to the IceCube Neutrino Observatory (IceCube) and the discovery of high-energy neutrinos from astrophysical sources. It is to be noted that the discovery is based on a concept proposed in 1988, which involved the utilization of Antarctic ice as a massive neutrino detector.

World Heart Day

Day - September 29

Theme 2026 - “Don’t Miss a Beat”

Observed by - World Heart Federation (WHF), based in Geneva, Switzerland

Observed since - 2000

Proposed by - Antoni Bayes de Luna in 1999

World Rivers Day

Day - 4th Sunday of September (September 27 in 2026)

Observed by - UN

Observed since - 2005

Proposed by - Mark Angelo, a renowned river advocate from Canada

World Tourism Day

Day - September 27

Theme 2026 - “Digital Agenda and Artificial Intelligence to Redesign Tourism”

Observed by - UN World Tourism Organisation

Observed since - 1980

Host - El Salvador