Monthly current affairs for November 2026

The 12th BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) Parliamentary Forum was held in New Delhi under the theme “Fostering Parliaments For People-Centric Development”.

The forum was inaugurated by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. It concluded with the adoption of a ‘Joint Declaration’ focusing on parliamentary cooperation, global governance reforms, counter-terrorism, and sustainable development.

The BRICS Theatre Festival, organised by the Ministry of Culture, was also held in New Delhi under the theme “Shared Stories, Shared Futures”. Furthermore, India hosted the BRICS Business Forum in New Delhi under its 2026 BRICS presidency theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”.

President Droupadi Murmu has given assent to the Frontier Nagaland Territorial Authority (FNTA) Bill 2026.

The bill was unanimously passed by the Nagaland legislative assembly to promote decentralized governance, inclusive growth, and self-governance in Eastern Nagaland. The FNTA will comprise 62 members, including 40 directly elected members, who will serve a normal term of 5 years.

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry has launched the 6th edition of the National Startup Awards (NSA 6.0) under the Startup India initiative.

The awards will recognise startups across 20 sectoral categories and 3 special categories, including 12 newly introduced sectors. Winners in each eligible startup category will receive a cash prize of ₹25 lakh.

PM Narendra Modi has visited Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) and Bhubaneswar (Odisha). During his visit to Varanasi, he inaugurated the garment manufacturing facility of Arvind Ltd, aiming to strengthen the regional textile and apparel manufacturing ecosystem.

He also served as Chief Guest for the Indian Air Force (IAF) Day Aerial Display-2026 at Namo Ghat in Varanasi. The aerial display commemorated the 94th anniversary of the IAF under the theme “Wings over Ganges.”

In Bhubaneswar, PM Narendra Modi inaugurated the Data Centre and Cybersecurity Training Institute of the RBI. The institute aims to strengthen digital financial services, technological resilience, and cybersecurity while mitigating disaster and geopolitical risks.

According to the first global coral reef assessment under its Red List of Ecosystems (RLE) released by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) at the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in Yerevan, Armenia, 96% of the total shallow-water coral reef ecosystems assessed are classified as “Critically Endangered (CR)” and are projected to collapse by 2075.

Major global coral reef ecosystems, including the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, the Coral Triangle, the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System, and the Red Sea coral reefs, are classified under the highest level of threat as Critically Endangered.

The 153rd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) was hosted at the Arusha International Conference Centre (AICC) in Arusha, Tanzania.

The general debate at the assembly was held under the theme “Enhancing good governance and empowering communities through inclusivity, trust and opportunities for all”. An Indian parliamentary delegation, led by Harivansh Narayan Singh, the Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha, attended the assembly.

The event witnessed the election of Milton Dick, the Speaker of the House of Representatives of Australia, as the 32nd President of the IPU for a 3-year tenure. It is to be noted that the 154th IPU Assembly is scheduled to be held in Geneva, Switzerland.

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, belonging to the Workers Party, has been re-elected as the President of Brazil for the fourth non-consecutive term. He has become the oldest President to assume office in the country.

India is hosting the inaugural ‘Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Maritime Security Exercise’ in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands under the theme “Translating Vision to Action – Shared Seas, Shared Security and Shared Prosperity.”

All 7 BIMSTEC member states: India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, are represented in the exercise. Participating international warships were welcomed at Port Blair by the Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC), India’s first integrated tri-service command.

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved the acquisition of equity share capital in IntelliSmart Infrastructure Pvt Ltd by Adani Energy Solutions Ltd.

The CCI has also cleared the acquisition of a 16.2% stake in Vodafone Group PLC by France-based Vega SAS, alongside 100% of the issued share capital of Solenergi Power Pvt Ltd by Aditya Birla Renewables Ltd.

Odisha-based Quanshium AI Core Pvt Ltd has successfully developed and tested a quantum-secure communication link between a ground control station and a 4G/5G-enabled drone over a distance of 10 km.

The technology integrates a quantum random number generator (QRNG) with post-quantum cryptography (PQC) to safeguard communications against cyberattacks.

Air Marshal Mehtab Singh Deswal has assumed charge as the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-Chief) of the Eastern Air Command (EAC) of the Indian Air Force. He succeeds Air Marshal Inderpal Singh Walia.

Dinesh Vitthalrao Ganvir has assumed charge as the 55th Director General (DG) of the Geological Survey of India (GSI). He succeeds Varsha Ashok Aglawe.

Air Chief Marshal Ashutosh Dixit has assumed charge as the 29th Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) of the Indian Air Force (IAF). He succeeds Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, who superannuated after 42 years of distinguished service.

It is to be noted that the Chief of the Air Staff has coined the guiding theme ‘VAYU’ to shape the future trajectory of the IAF. The theme articulates 4 pillars: Vigilance, Victory and Readiness (V), Aatmanirbharta (A), Yukti (Y), and Unity of Effort (U).

The Ministry of Home Affairs has assigned Sanjay Singhal, the Director General of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), an additional charge as the DG of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP). He succeeds Shatrujeet Singh Kapoor, with the appointment effective from October 31, 2026.

Additionally, Air Marshal Vikram Gaur has been appointed as the Additional Secretary in the Department of Military Affairs (DMA), becoming the first Indian Air Force (IAF) officer to hold this position.

Indian GMs Nihal Sarin (Novy Bor Chess Club) and Koneru Humpy (Cercle d’Échecs de Monte-Carlo) have won individual gold medals at the 41st European Chess Club Cup and the 30th European Women’s Chess Club Cup, respectively, held in Budva, Montenegro.

Additionally, the Bayegan Pendik Chess Sports Club of Turkey won gold in the Open Section, while Cercle d’Échecs de Monte-Carlo of Monaco claimed gold in the Women’s Section.

Neeraj Yadav, an Indian Paralympian, javelin thrower and three-time Asian Para Games gold medallist in para-athletics, passed away at age 42.