Daily Current Affairs 20 October 2026

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has notified the Central Armed Police Forces (General Administration) Act, 2026, which came into force on October 08, 2026. The validity of the legislation has been challenged in the Supreme Court (SC).

The CAPF Act regulates service conditions such as recruitment, promotion, and deputation. Under the Act, 50% of Inspector General posts and at least 67% of Additional Director General posts are reserved for Indian Police Service (IPS) deputation. It is to be noted that prior recruitment rules stipulated that 20% of Deputy Inspector General (DIG) posts and 50% of IG posts were to be filled through deputation.

Union Minister Jyotiraditya M Scindia has inaugurated the 3rd International Bharat 6G Symposium 2026 at Yashobhoomi in Dwarka, New Delhi, held alongside the India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2026.

The symposium, organised by the Bharat 6G Alliance (B6GA), aimed to advance next-generation communication technologies and ambitions of India in sixth generation (6G). During the event, the B6GA MoUs with five organisations: GSMA, one6G Association, GTI Alliance Ltd., 6G Industry Forum (6GIF) of Taiwan, and Voice of Indian Communication Technology Enterprises (VoICE).

The National e-Governance Division under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has awarded a contract worth ₹3.63 crore to the Indian AI startup CoRover.ai through a Quality-and-Cost-Based Selection (QCBS) process.

The contract aims to develop a Unified Agentic AI assistant and bot platform for government services, with DigiLocker serving as its first implementation.

The National Highways Authority of India has introduced a ‘Toll Plaza Feedback’ feature on the ‘Rajmargyatra’ mobile application, enabling National Highway users to share their experiences regarding toll plazas.

Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has launched two specialised credit risk insurance products named the Shipbuilding Project Credit Risk Insurance Policy (SbPCP) and the Business Credit Shield Policy - Shipbuilders (BCSPS) during the 21st Maritime State Development Council (MSDC) meeting held in Mumbai.

The products were introduced under the Shipbuilding Development Scheme (SbDS). The SbPCP was developed by the Export Credit Guarantee Corporation of India Ltd to cover export shipbuilding projects and safeguard shipyards. The BCSPS was formulated by The New India Assurance Company Ltd to shield domestic shipbuilding projects from specified payment risks.

According to a report by Business Monitor International (BMI), a unit of Fitch Solutions Company, the GDP growth forecast of India for FY27 has been raised to 7.5% from 6.8%.

However, the forecast for FY28 is lowered to 6.3% from 6.5% due to concerns over household consumption and external economic risks.

According to the “Trade and Development Report 2026: The Geoeconomics of Development” released by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the economy of India is projected to grow by 7.3%.

The report projected global economic growth at 2.6% (down from 2.9% in 2025) and growth in developing economies at 4% (down from 4.7% in 2025). Additionally, Asia is expected to contribute 59% of global growth in 2026.

The RBI has opened a designated foreign exchange window to fulfill the complete daily dollar requirements of three public sector oil marketing companies: Indian Oil Corporation Ltd, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd, and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. The facility is scheduled to begin operations on October 12, 2026.

Additionally, the RBI has tightened regulations governing foreign exchange derivatives involving the Indian rupee (INR) and reduced the threshold from $100 million to $5 million across all Authorized Dealers (ADs).

In another update, the RBI has increased the minimum daily maintenance requirement of the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) for scheduled banks from 90% to 99% of the prescribed requirement, effective from the reporting fortnight beginning October 16, 2026.

The SEBI has notified a Common Advertisement Code (CAC) for market intermediaries, enabling them to engage celebrities for brand or entity-level promotion while restricting endorsements of specific financial products or services.

Introduced through amendments to the SEBI (Intermediaries) Regulations, 2008, the new code will come into force on April 8, 2027. Additionally, SEBI has extended the timeline for the revision of Initial Public Offering (IPO) issue size until March 31, 2027.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Generali Central Insurance Company Limited (formerly Future Generali India Insurance Company Ltd) have jointly launched an insurance innovation challenge to strengthen the resilience of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector in India.

Under the initiative, a maximum of 3 winners will receive grants of up to $40,000 each.

The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has signed a Shareholders’ Agreement (SA) with Arcelor Mittal Nippon Steel India and the state governments of Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat to upgrade 9 Government Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) under the PM Skilling and Employability Transformation through Upgraded ITIs (PM-SETU) scheme with an investment of ₹440 crore.

Under the agreement, 5 Government ITIs in the Surat cluster of Gujarat will be upgraded with ₹240 crore, and 4 Government ITIs in the Visakhapatnam cluster of Andhra Pradesh will be upgraded with ₹200 crore.

Union Minister Shripad Yesso Naik has attended the 20th East Asia Summit Energy Ministers’ Meeting (EAS EMM) held in Manila, Philippines.

During the summit, India welcomed the ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation (APAEC) 2026-2030. India also emphasized cooperation under the ASEAN-India Plan of Action 2026-2030, focusing on the ASEAN Power Grid, regional transmission, multilateral power trade, clean energy, and energy security.

Swiss President Guy Parmelin has visited India at the invitation of PM Narendra Modi to strengthen bilateral cooperation in trade, investment, and technology under the India - European Free Trade Association (EFTA) Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA).

Both leaders attended the 2nd India-EFTA Prosperity Summit at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, marking the anniversary of the India-EFTA TEPA which came into force on October 01, 2025. They signed 5 key agreements to boost cooperation in mobility, science, and technology.

The 5th edition of the India-Australia joint military exercise “AUSTRAHIND 2026” has commenced at the Foreign Training Node in Thiruvananthapuram.

120 personnel each from the Indian Army and the Australian Army participated in the exercise. The Indian contingent comprises troops from the Garhwal Rifles, while the Australian Army contingent comprises troops from the 13 Brigade.

DRDO has successfully configured and tested its Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) platform on the live network of the Proof & Experimental Establishment (PXE) in Chandipur, Odisha.

The QKD platform aims to secure real-time observations and telemetry associated with artillery and armoured weapon trials, strengthening the quantum-secured communication capabilities of India.

The West Bengal Cabinet has approved the ‘Bhagini Nivedita Scheme’ to provide financial assistance of ₹50,000 to unmarried women pursuing higher education. The scheme is set to be implemented in the state from January 2027.

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