Daily Current Affairs 16 October 2026

The 10th edition of the India Mobile Congress (IMC), the largest digital technology forum in Asia, has been held at the Yashobhoomi India Convention & Expo Centre (IICC) in Dwarka, New Delhi.

The event was organised by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) under the theme “Scale Without Boundaries”. During the conference, PM Narendra Modi stated that the cost of one gigabyte (GB) of mobile data has declined from ₹268 in 2014 to ₹8 in 2026.

The event was structured around 4 key pillars: Srishti (Building the Future), Samvardhan (Fueling Growth), Sashakt (Expanding Opportunities), and Suraksha (Strengthening Trust), covering 9 major technology sectors.

The IMC announced the launch of the 1st edition of “Viksit Tech 47 (VT47)”, a special platform for technology brands to compete in the global market. The conference also featured the release of the inaugural edition of the VT47 flagship report titled “Building India’s Global Brands in Gadgets, Devices, Appliances and Connected Cards”.

Vice President CP Radhakrishnan has inaugurated the third international conference on Kaumarabhritya (Ayurvedic paediatrics) named KAUMARACON-2026 at the All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) in New Delhi. The AIIA is an autonomous institution operating under the Ministry of Ayush.

The conference, coinciding with the institute foundation day, was held under the theme “Shaping the Future of Child Health: Global Perspectives, Research Innovations, and Clinical Frontiers in Kaumarabhritya”.

During the event, the Vice President inaugurated the AYUSH Start-up Portal, the AIIA-iCAINE website, and the Ayurveda Digital Innovation and Venture Acceleration Facility (AyuDIVA), alongside launching the Vamana App and the Panchakarma Assessment App. An international MoU between Maharishi International University (MIU) in the USA and AIIA was also exchanged during the conference.

PM Narendra Modi has virtually inaugurated infrastructure projects worth ₹3,350 crore in Ladakh across roads, aviation, and renewable energy sectors. It includes the ₹650-crore Kushok Bakula Rinpoche Airport terminal in Leh.

The new terminal expands the annual passenger-handling capacity from 1 million to 3.5 million. It is the first airport terminal in India to feature geothermal heating alongside solar energy use to suit the harsh climate. He also dedicated 40 newly constructed reservoirs developed under Project Amrit Him Sarovar.

Union Minister of State Dr Jitendra Singh has launched the redeveloped websites of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoS&T) to enhance the accessibility of scientific information and research opportunities for citizens.

The updated portals support 22 languages through the BHASHINI (BHASHa INterface for India) integration. Additionally, these websites comply with the Digital Brand Identity Manual (DBIM) 3.0 and the Guidelines for Indian Government Websites and Apps (GIGW) 3.0.

The RBI conducted the 4th Bi-monthly Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting of FY27 under the chairmanship of Governor Sanjay Malhotra.

The MPC voted unanimously to increase the policy repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) by 25 basis points (bps) to 5.50%, marking the first rate hike since February 2023.

Consequently, the standing deposit facility (SDF) rate was adjusted to 5.25%, while the marginal standing facility (MSF) rate and the Bank Rate stand at 5.75%. The panel shifted its policy stance from neutral to “calibrated tightening.” The RBI raised the GDP growth forecast of India for FY27 by 40 bps to 7.1%.

Additionally, the central bank set a threshold of ₹25,000 crore under the Standardised Approach for Counterparty Credit Risk (SA-CCR), effective from April 1, 2027, and announced the creation of a Technical Consultative Committee for Financial Markets.

The Digital India BHASHINI (BHASHINI) Division has signed an MoU with the Manipur government to advance multilingual AI and language technology.

The agreement was signed during the BHASHINI Rajyam Workshop held in Imphal, Manipur. The collaboration aims to improve language resources and explore solutions for multilingual digital services across the state.

The National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) has signed an MoU with the New Delhi-based Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) to promote Indian art, culture, and heritage through cultural initiatives at Namo Bharat stations.

ReNew Wind Energy Pvt Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of ReNew Energy Global PLC (ReNew), has signed an MoU with the Maharashtra government to establish an integrated green data centre park in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) with an investment of ₹70,000 crore.

According to the “2026 Living Planet Report (LPR): The Science of Hope” released by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) in partnership with the Zoological Society of London, an average of 73% of monitored wildlife populations globally declined over the 50-year period between 1970 and 2022.

The report states that freshwater wildlife populations witnessed the sharpest average decline at 85%, while habitat loss and degradation emerged as the most frequently reported threats. Region-wise, Latin America and the Caribbean reported the steepest decline in monitored wildlife populations at 95%.

The Ministry of Defence has signed contracts worth ₹4,106 crore to procure a dedicated communication satellite (GSAT-7C) for the Indian Air Force (IAF) and Varunastra Heavy Weight Torpedoes for the Indian Navy.

The ₹2,563 crore contract for the GSAT-7C satellite was signed with New Space India Ltd, while the ₹1,543 crore contract for the Varunastra torpedoes was inked with Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL).

Prof. Achyuta Samanta, the founder of the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) and Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS), has been elected as the first President of the Indian UniSport Federation (IUSF). He was elected during the first Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the federation held in New Delhi.

Putul Sonowal, an Indian lawn bowls player from Assam, has become the first Indian to win a bronze medal in the Men’s Singles Category at the World Bowls Champion of Champions held in Barham, Australia.

Sunil Gavaskar, former Indian cricket captain, has released a book titled “Sanjay Jagdale: Rag-Rag Mein Cricket” in Indore, Madhya Pradesh.

Authored by Kiran Waikar and Sunil Dudhale, the book chronicles the life and cricketing journey of former cricketer, selector, and administrator Sanjay Jagdale.

World Habitat Day

Day - 1st Monday of October (October 05 in 2026)

Theme 2026 - “Adequate Housing for All”

Observed by - UN

Observed since - 1986

Host - Muscat, Oman

World Teachers’ Day

Day - October 05

Theme 2026 - “Standing with teachers: 60 years of protecting the profession, advancing its status and shaping our futures”

Observed by - UNESCO

Observed since - 1994