Daily Current Affairs 24 October 2026

Union Minister Pralhad Joshi has launched the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) Silver Refinery Scheme during the World Standards Day 2026 celebrations in New Delhi on October 14.

The scheme establishes a national framework for silver purity, extending structured purity assurance and hallmarking to silver bullion and coins. Hallmarked silver bullion and coins will feature a standardized BIS mark, the word “SILVER”, purity grades (999.9, 999.5, or 999.0), the manufacturer identification mark, and a unique batch serial number.

During the event, He also unveiled the BIS Digital Standard Reader, a web-based platform to convert XML (eXtensible Markup Language)-formatted Indian Standards into interactive SMART (Standards Machine Applicable, Readable and Transferable) standards. Additionally, 7 new Indian Standards were released across sectors such as textiles, clean mobility, therapeutic healthcare, robotics, and building materials.

Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has launched the upgraded ‘Agri Welfare Portal’ to provide farmers with single-window access to government schemes, financial assistance, and reliable agricultural information via a mobile-friendly digital platform.

The portal integrates key initiatives like PM Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN), PM Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), and AgriStack, enabling farmers to easily access scheme details, eligibility criteria, and application services.

Union Minister JP Nadda has laid the foundation stone for the first High Altitude Medicine and Public Health Research Centre of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) at Keylong in Himachal Pradesh.

The research centre aims to promote studies on high-altitude health challenges and improve healthcare services for populations residing in mountainous regions.

The Union Cabinet has approved the continuation of the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) for 5 years from FY27 to FY31, with an outlay of ₹53,428 crore. The programme has been renamed as ‘PM Samajik Sahayata Yojana (PMSSY)’.

Additionally, various sub-schemes under the NSAP have been renamed: the Old-Age Pension sub-scheme (formerly Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme)) is now ‘PM Vridhavastha Pension Yojana’, the Widow Pension sub-scheme (formerly Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme) is now ‘PM Vidhawa Pension Yojana’, the Disability Pension sub-scheme (formerly Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension Scheme) is now ‘PM Divyangjan Pension Yojana’, and the National Family Benefit scheme is now ‘PM Parivar Labh Yojana’.

The Permanent Delegation of India to the UNESCO has added 3 new Indian sites to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List.

The newly included locations are the Karst-mud-volcano Complex of Baratang and the Andaman Subduction Volcanoes (situated in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands), along with the Sirpur Cultural and Archaeological Landscape (Chhattisgarh). With these additions, the total number of Indian entries on the tentative list has increased to 81, comprising 59 Cultural, 3 Mixed, and 19 Natural sites.

RBI has approved the scheme of amalgamation to merge the Indian branches of Dubai-based Emirates NBD Bank (National Bank of Dubai) with RBL Bank Ltd, effective December 1, 2026.

Canara HSBC Life Insurance Company Ltd has launched the “Global Wealth Plan” through Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City), Gujarat.

The $-denominated, unit-linked, non-participating life insurance-cum-savings plan offers Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) market-linked global investment opportunities and life insurance protection.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved the sale of a 60.72% stake in IDBI Bank Ltd to 10955230 Canada Inc, a subsidiary of Fairfax Financial Holding. Valued at ₹52,878 crore, this proposed transaction marks the largest Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the financial sector of India.

The RBI has revised the leverage ratio framework for banks, modifying requirements for calculating exposure measures and disclosures. The amended directions will come into effect from April 1, 2027.

Under the revised norms, the minimum leverage ratio is set at 4% for domestic systemically important banks (D-SIBs) and 3.5% for other banks. Indian branches of global systemically important banks (G-SIBs) must maintain a leverage ratio of 3.5% plus the applicable leverage ratio buffer, including any additional buffer prescribed by their home regulator.

These amendments aim to align the framework with the leverage ratio standard issued by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision in 2017. It is to be noted that a 100% credit conversion factor will apply to certain specified items under the revised framework.

The Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT) has signed an MoU with the IIT (BHU) in Varanasi to establish the sixth Centre of Excellence (CoE) of C-DOT at the premier institution of national importance.

The Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) has signed an MoU with the Bank of India (BOI) to collaborate on quantum financial innovation and drive the adoption of emerging technologies in the banking sector.

Brazil-based Embraer SA has signed an agreement with Mahindra Defence Systems Ltd (MDSL), the defence arm of Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd (M&M), to acquire a 51% controlling stake in the Indian aerospace company Novavayu Aerospace Ltd (NAL).

The ICAR-Central Institute for Research on Cotton Technology (ICAR-CIRCOT) has signed an MoU with Trust ARS Rubber Pvt Ltd for the technology transfer of “Protective Gloves for Cotton Picking Workers”.

India and Myanmar have signed 5 MoUs for the Quick Impact Projects (QIPs) programme in Naypyitaw, Myanmar.

The projects are valued at $247,502 for the FY27 under the Mekong-Ganga Cooperation (MGC) framework.

The India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (IN-NZ FTA) will officially come into force on October 20, 2026.

Under the agreement, India will gain 100% duty-free access on all 8,284 tariff lines to New Zealand. Additionally, India will liberalise 70.03% of tariff lines, covering 95% of bilateral trade value with key exclusions.

Skyroot Aerospace Pvt Ltd has signed a contract with the US-based Reflect Orbital for two dedicated satellite launches. The launches will use the Vikram family of rockets to support the development of on-demand sunlight at night.

According to the “Global Trade Outlook and Statistics Update: October 2026” report released by the World Trade Organization (WTO), the global merchandise trade growth forecast has been raised to 3.9% for Calendar Year 2026 (CY26), from its previous estimate of 1.9%.

The report projects global trade growth at 4.1% for CY27. Additionally, the global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth is projected at 2.6% in CY26 and 2.9% in CY27.

The Ministry of External Affairs has operationalised the resident diplomatic mission of India in San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica, effective from October 10, 2026. The mission was established to expand the diplomatic presence of India in Central America.

Union Minister Rajnath Singh has launched the ‘Greater Than Us’ fundraising campaign of the IIT Kanpur, targeting $1 billion by March 2029 to strengthen research, innovation, and technological infrastructure.

The IIT Kanpur has also announced plans to establish a defence drone hub in partnership with the Ministry of Defence to indigenise critical components and reduce dependence on imports.

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Central Potato Research Institute (ICAR-CPRI) has developed a nutrient-rich purple potato variety named “Kufri Jamunia”. It is enriched with Vitamin C, anthocyanins, carotenoids, zinc, and iron to improve nutritional security and combat hidden hunger.

It is to be noted that the institute has also developed “Kufri Neelkanth”, the first purple-skinned specialty potato variety known for high antioxidant content, and “Kufri Manik”, a deep red-skinned potato variety with yellow flesh rich in anthocyanins, zinc, and iron.

Samsung Semiconductor India Research has inaugurated a Quantum Research Lab on the IISc campus in Bengaluru to strengthen industry-academia collaboration in quantum technology research.

The lab is established with Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) support from SSIR at the Department of Electronic Systems Engineering (DESE) of IISc to advance research in quantum technologies and semiconductor devices under Prof Mayank Shrivastava.

CJI Surya Kant has inaugurated the newly established Ladakh Bench of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh in Leh.

During the event, 4 major initiatives (including the Green Wall) were launched to promote environmental conservation, enhance digital judicial services, and ensure transparency in recruitment.