Daily Current Affairs 12 October 2026

The Department of Commerce (DoC), under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI), has established a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) Utilisation Cell to assist Indian entrepreneurs and businesses in understanding and leveraging the benefits provided by trade agreements of India.

India has finalized FTAs with several partners, including the European Free Trade Association, UAE, Australia, Mauritius, Oman, New Zealand, UK, and European Union. These agreements provide domestic businesses with access to 32 countries, facilitating largely zero-tariff trade opportunities across global markets.

PM Narendra Modi has inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for several development projects worth over ₹13,000 crore in Chennai. The official ceremony was held at the Kendriya Vidyalaya Ground on the IIT Madras campus.

During the event, he inaugurated the Poonamallee-Vadapalani elevated stretch as part of the Chennai Metro Phase II Expansion. He also inaugurated 5 redeveloped railway stations across the state under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme to enhance rail connectivity and passenger amenities.

India and Japan have launched the Operational Manual for the India-Japan Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM) to promote advanced low-carbon technologies and mobilize climate finance to facilitate technology cooperation and support high-integrity emission reductions and removals in India.

Pondicherry University (PU) has signed an MoU with the NIT Nagaland under the Anusandhan National Research Foundation-Partnerships for Accelerated Innovation and Research (ANRF-PAIR) program to bolster academic and research cooperation.

It is to be noted that NIT Nagaland is the first institution from the North-East region to participate in the PAIR project. Under the PAIR Network Scheme, the IISc Bengaluru will act as the hub institution, while PU and NIT Nagaland will serve as the spoke institutions.

According to the results of the Annual Survey of Industries (ASI) 2024-25 released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, the manufacturing Gross Value Added (GVA) increased by 9.59% in FY25. Total employment in the sector grew by 7.19% to reach 2.1 crore.

The report states that the total emoluments paid to the workforce grew by 12.08% compared to FY24. Tamil Nadu ranks top in terms of industrial establishments with 41,221 units. The top five states account for 53.3% of the total industrial establishments in India.

The annual bilateral maritime exercise between the Indian Navy (IN) and the British Royal Navy (BRN) named “KONKAN 2026” is held off the coast of Plymouth, UK.

INS Trishul, a frontline Talwar-class guided-missile stealth frigate of the IN, and HMS Richmond, a Type 23 anti-submarine warfare frigate of the BRN, participated in the exercise.

Kochi-based EyeROV (IROV Technologies Pvt Ltd) has delivered two “EyeROV TROUT” military-grade underwater Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) systems to the Indian Navy (IN). This marks the first-ever delivery of an indigenously manufactured military-grade ROV in India.

The system is designed and developed within the country to meet the technical requirements of naval operations. It is to be noted that the current supply is part of a larger contract for five TROUT systems commissioned by the IN.

Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd (GRSE) has launched the first Next-Generation Offshore Patrol Vessel (NGOPV) named “Yard 3040 (Shreyas)” in Kolkata.

The vessel, measuring 113 metres in length and 14.6 metres in width, has a displacement of 3,000 tonnes. It is capable of reaching a maximum speed of 23 knots and offers an endurance range of 8,500 nautical miles at a cruising speed of 14 knots.

Union Minister of State Sanjay Seth has inaugurated the 12th National Maritime Search & Rescue Exercise (SAREX-2026) organised by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) off the Paradip coast in Odisha.

The exercise witnessed the participation of 32 observers from 30 countries to bolster international cooperation and operational synergy in maritime safety.

QNu Labs, in collaboration with the Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Applications and Geo-informatics (BISAG-N) and the IIT Gandhinagar, has successfully demonstrated the first free-space Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) link of India. The link is established over a distance of 5.56 km.

The demonstration utilized a Pointing, Acquisition and Tracking (PAT) system to maintain stable communication, achieving a Quantum Bit Error Rate (QBER) of less than 5%. It is to be noted that secure encryption keys were generated at a rate of 230 to 260 bits per second (bps) and were integrated with the Vedic Kavach platform.

The Kerala Police has signed an MoU with I Hub Robotics for the trial-based deployment of ‘Daksha’ in Kochi.

It is recognized as the first humanoid traffic assistant robot in India integrated with AI technology.

The Delhi government has launched the ‘Seva Sankalp Abhiyan’ campaign, a comprehensive package of healthcare and social welfare initiatives.

As part of the campaign, the monthly incentive for Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) is increased from ₹3,000 to ₹6,000 (a 100% hike). The initiative also includes the expansion of ‘Mission ANMOL’ (Auxiliary Nurse Midwife Online) for maternal and child healthcare.

Rajeshwari Kumari, a former Indian trap shooter, has been elected as a member of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) Athletes Commission to represent the South Asia region for the 2026-2030 term.

She is the second Indian to serve on the commission after Shiva Keshavan, who is currently the Vice-Chairman.

Om Birla, the Speaker of the Lok Sabha (LS), and CP Radhakrishnan, the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha (RS), have reconstituted 24 Departmentally-Related Standing Committees (DRSCs) for the 2026-27 term.

Bhartruhari Mahtab, a BJP MP, has been appointed as the Chairperson of the Committee on Finance, while Shashi Tharoor, a Congress MP, will head the Committee on External Affairs. Both these committees consist of 31 members, including 21 from the LS and 10 from the RS. Additionally, Radha Mohan Singh of the BJP is designated as the head of the Committee on Defence.