New CAFE norms target 16.7% fuel efficiency improvement by 2032.
Dated: 05 October 2026
The Ministry of Power notified new Corporate Average Fuel Economy norms for passenger vehicles on September 30, 2026, targeting a 16.7% improvement in fuel efficiency over five years.
Key Highlights:
1. The norms will apply from April 1, 2027 to March 31, 2032.
2. Fuel-consumption limits tighten from 3.996 litres per 100 km in 2027-28 to 3.3273 litres in 2031-32.
3. Reference vehicle weight rises from 1,082 kg to 1,229 kg and eligible fuel-saving technologies increase from 4 to 12.
4. Credits are available for battery electric, plug-in hybrid and flex-fuel vehicles, and surplus credits may be carried forward or traded.
5. BEE will administer a buyout mechanism for compliance gaps.
Additional Information:
1. BEE is a statutory body under the Energy Conservation Act, 2001 and works under the Ministry of Power.
2. India first implemented CAFE Phase I in April 2017.
Lavanya R. Mundayur appointed CMD of New India Assurance.
Dated: 05 October 2026
The Ministry of Finance appointed Lavanya R. Mundayur Chairman-cum-Managing Director of New India Assurance Company Limited on September 30, 2026.
Key Highlights:
1. She succeeded S. Sivasankar, who held additional charge of the position.
2. Her tenure runs until her superannuation on May 31, 2029 or further orders.
3. She earlier served as CMD of Agriculture Insurance Company of India Limited.
4. She was also General Manager-Technical and Chief Underwriting Officer at New India Assurance.
5. She was the first female CEO to lead the company’s Gulf Cooperation Council operations.
Additional Information:
1. New India Assurance was founded in 1919 by Sir Dorabji Tata and is headquartered in Mumbai.
2. The company was nationalised in 1973 under the General Insurance Business Nationalisation Act.
BEML launches India’s first indigenous 60-ton electric dump truck.
Dated: 05 October 2026
BEML Limited launched BH60-EV, India’s first indigenously designed and developed 60-ton electric dump truck, at its Mysuru Complex on September 30, 2026.
Key Highlights:
1. The truck uses a 1,000 kWh high-voltage lithium-ion battery and a permanent magnet synchronous motor.
2. It has a payload capacity of 54,500 kg and a 36.4 cubic metre body.
3. Operating costs are expected to fall by 40-60% against conventional diesel equipment.
4. Each vehicle can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 130 tonnes annually.
5. Safety equipment includes a roll-over protective structure and sealed oil-cooled disc brakes.
Additional Information:
1. BEML operates in Defence and Aerospace, Mining and Construction, and Rail and Metro.
2. BEML was established in 1964 and has manufacturing units in Bengaluru, KGF, Mysuru and Palakkad.
Tamil Nadu expands Vetri Payanam free bus scheme.
Dated: 05 October 2026
Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay launched the expanded Vetri Payanam free bus scheme for women and transgender persons in Chennai on October 2, 2026.
Key Highlights:
1. The scheme covers 12,692 buses under 7 transport corporations.
2. It is estimated to benefit about 84.32 lakh passengers per day.
3. Free travel now includes Express, LSS and Deluxe buses in metropolitan areas and ordinary inter-district suburban buses.
4. Ordinary hill-area bus journeys longer than 40 km are also covered.
5. The expansion was announced under Rule 110 and initially launched at Koyambedu and Ambattur.
Additional Information:
1. Vetri Payanam aims to improve women’s mobility and workforce participation.
2. Tamil Nadu’s capital is Chennai and its transport system uses metropolitan and district-level corporations.
NSE receives SEBI approval for corporate bond index futures.
Dated: 05 October 2026
The National Stock Exchange received approval from SEBI on October 1, 2026 to introduce futures contracts on a Corporate Bond Index.
Key Highlights:
1. The contracts will provide an exchange-traded tool for hedging, risk management and price discovery.
2. Participants may take positions linked to the performance of a corporate bond index.
3. The contracts are intended to improve institutional participation and debt-market liquidity.
4. Final introduction remains subject to approval from the Reserve Bank of India.
5. The product aims to strengthen India’s corporate bond derivatives ecosystem.
Additional Information:
1. NSE was established in 1992, recognised as a stock exchange in 1993 and is headquartered in Mumbai.
2. SEBI became a statutory regulator on April 12, 1992 under the SEBI Act, 1992.
Army Aviation Corps conducts Exercise Jai Se Vijay on NH-911.
Dated: 05 October 2026
The Indian Army’s Sapta Shakti Command conducted Exercise Jai Se Vijay on September 29, 2026 by converting a stretch of NH-911 near Dantour in Rajasthan into a temporary military runway.
Key Highlights:
1. Rudra, Dhruv and Chetak helicopters participated in the exercise.
2. The official theme was Mission Ready, Future Ready.
3. The exercise tested landing and take-off from dual-use highway infrastructure instead of conventional airbases.
4. It focused on rapid response and coordination in western Rajasthan’s desert conditions.
5. The location lies near the India-Pakistan International Border in the Jaisalmer region.
Additional Information:
1. Sapta Shakti Command is the Indian Army’s South Western Command, headquartered in Jaipur.
2. The Army Aviation Corps became a separate entity on November 1, 1986.
SatLEO to launch India’s first commercial thermal payload TAPAS-1.
Dated: 05 October 2026
Space-tech startup SatLEO Labs announced the launch of TAPAS-1, India’s first commercial thermal-imaging payload, on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket.
Key Highlights:
1. TAPAS-1 means Thermal Access Platform for Analytics and Solutions.
2. It will fly on the Transporter-18 rideshare mission.
3. The payload will capture land-surface temperature data that conventional optical imagery cannot provide.
4. Applications include agriculture, urban heat mapping, climate monitoring, disaster management and infrastructure monitoring.
5. SatLEO Labs is supported by IN-SPACe.
Additional Information:
1. IN-SPACe is an autonomous nodal agency under the Department of Space, established in 2020 and headquartered in Ahmedabad.
2. SpaceX was founded in 2002 and developed the reusable Falcon 9 rocket.
Karnataka Textile and Apparel Policy 2026-31 targets Rs.20,000 crore.
Dated: 05 October 2026
The Karnataka government notified Textile and Apparel Policy 4.0 for 2026-31 on September 30, 2026, aiming to attract Rs.20,000 crore of investment.
Key Highlights:
1. The five-year policy targets creation of 5 lakh jobs and has an outlay of Rs.4,000 crore.
2. It prioritises Kalyana Karnataka, Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, with 34 taluks selected for extra incentives.
3. Units at the PM MITRA Park in Kalaburagi will receive special incentives.
4. Silk yarn reeling and spinning are included for the first time.
5. The policy promotes technical textiles, circularity, eco-friendly technology and support for 9 GI textile products.
Additional Information:
1. Karnataka is India’s largest silk producer.
2. PM MITRA means Pradhan Mantri Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel and is administered by the Textiles Ministry.
US launches FORTRESS America for military grid independence.
Dated: 05 October 2026
US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth launched the FORTRESS America initiative on October 1, 2026 to protect defence infrastructure from cyberattacks, sabotage and external shocks.
Key Highlights:
1. FORTRESS expands to Federal Operations for Resilience, Troop Resources, Energy, Supply, and Systems.
2. Every major military installation is to generate power independently of the civilian grid.
3. The initiative seeks domestic sourcing of rare earths, specialty metals, semiconductors and propellants.
4. It also protects satellites and communications spectrum and calls for deep strategic reserves.
5. An Office of Religious Affairs will report directly to the Secretary of War.
Additional Information:
1. The US Department of War is headquartered at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia.
2. The initiative is described as a national insurance policy for homeland defence.
Elon Musk to co-lead US Project Meridian on future warfare.
Dated: 05 October 2026
US Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Project Meridian and the Autonomous Warfare Command on October 1, 2026.
Key Highlights:
1. Project Meridian will be co-led by Elon Musk, Palmer Luckey and Newt Gingrich.
2. Department Chief Technology Officer Emil Michael will supervise the project.
3. The team has 120 days to map the direction of future warfare technologies.
4. Its scope extends from below the Earth to beyond the Moon.
5. AUTOWARCOM will be a four-star combatant command focused on autonomous and robotic capabilities.
Additional Information:
1. SpaceX was founded by Elon Musk in 2002 and is headquartered in Hawthorne, California.
2. Anduril Industries was founded by Palmer Luckey and develops AI, autonomous systems and drones.
Narendra Bhooshan appointed Environment Ministry Secretary.
Dated: 05 October 2026
Narendra Bhooshan assumed charge as Secretary of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on October 1, 2026.
Key Highlights:
1. He is a 1992-batch IAS officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre.
2. He previously served as Secretary of the Department of Land Resources under the Rural Development Ministry.
3. His central roles included Deputy Director General of UIDAI and Mission Director for National Food Security Management.
4. He also served as Joint Secretary in Agriculture and Cooperation and OSD at India Trade Promotion Organisation.
5. In Uttar Pradesh, he held roles including Additional Chief Secretary for Energy and Chief Executive Officer of Greater Noida Authority.
Additional Information:
1. The Environment Ministry is headquartered at Indira Paryavaran Bhawan in New Delhi.
2. UIDAI is a statutory authority under the Aadhaar Act, 2016 and issues the 12-digit Aadhaar number.
Oxford tops THE World University Rankings 2027; IISc leads India.
Dated: 05 October 2026
The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2027 placed the University of Oxford first globally and IISc Bengaluru as India’s highest-ranked institution.
Key Highlights:
1. Oxford ranked first for the 11th consecutive year.
2. MIT ranked second globally.
3. IISc Bengaluru was placed 254th worldwide.
4. Tsinghua University ranked 11th, Peking University 13th and National University of Singapore 15th.
5. The edition assessed 2,297 institutions from 118 countries and territories.
Additional Information:
1. Times Higher Education evaluates teaching, research quality and international outlook.
2. The 2027 edition marked the first time Asian universities surpassed continental Europe overall.
India presents forest restoration achievements at FAO COFO 28.
Dated: 05 October 2026
India presented its forest and landscape restoration achievements at the 28th FAO Committee on Forestry session in Rome, held from September 28 to October 2, 2026.
Key Highlights:
1. India ranked 9th globally in total forest area and 3rd in net annual forest-area gain.
2. Forest and tree cover is 82.74 million hectares, equal to 25.17% of India’s geographical area.
3. India had 101 Ramsar Sites and had created an additional carbon sink of 2.29 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2021.
4. Under the Bonn Challenge, 21.76 million hectares had been restored against a 26 million hectare target for 2030.
5. Other efforts include the Aravalli Green Wall, MISHTI and Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam.
Additional Information:
1. FAO was established on October 16, 1945 and is headquartered in Rome.
2. The Bonn Challenge was launched in 2011 and seeks restoration of 350 million hectares globally by 2030.
Delhi approves One Zone One Operator sewerage model.
Dated: 05 October 2026
The Delhi Government approved the One Zone, One Operator project worth Rs.17,969 crore on September 30, 2026 for integrated sewerage and water-infrastructure management.
Key Highlights:
1. Delhi will be divided into six zones with one operator managing sewer lines, manholes, pumping stations and complaints in each zone.
2. A separate Rs.6,044 crore South Delhi water project covers 247 square km and 12 assembly constituencies.
3. The target is to reduce Non-Revenue Water below 15%.
4. Funding will come 25% each from the Union and Delhi governments and 50% through loans.
5. The plan provides for 100% mechanical and robotic sewer cleaning with real-time monitoring.
Additional Information:
1. Delhi Jal Board manages 11,212 km of sewer lines, 6.68 lakh manholes and 145 pumping stations.
2. Non-Revenue Water is supplied water that earns no revenue because of losses, leakage or theft.
Government revises sugar stock holding norms.
Dated: 05 October 2026
The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution revised sugar stock limits and holding-duration rules for October 15 to November 30, 2026 to curb hoarding.
Key Highlights:
1. Dealers across India generally cannot hold more than 1,000 quintals of sugar.
2. Stock may not be held for more than 15 days from receipt.
3. Kolkata metropolitan areas and Assam have a higher limit of 2,000 quintals due to logistics and regional supply needs.
4. Average retail prices fell 15% from their August peak and ex-mill prices declined about 28%.
5. The new sugar season began on October 1, 2026.
Additional Information:
1. India is the world’s largest producer and consumer of sugar, with an October-September sugar season.
2. The Fair and Remunerative Price is recommended by CACP and approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs.
Serum Institute sponsors Earthshot Prize Mumbai Summit 2026.
Dated: 05 October 2026
The Earthshot Prize named the Serum Institute of India principal sponsor of its 2026 Summit in Mumbai on October 1, 2026.
Key Highlights:
1. This will be the first Earthshot Prize global environmental summit held in Mumbai.
2. The summit will bring together environmental innovators, leaders and investors.
3. Five winners will receive €1 million each to scale their environmental solutions.
4. A total of 15 finalists will be celebrated.
5. Jason Knauf is CEO of The Earthshot Prize and Adar C. Poonawalla is CEO of Serum Institute of India.
Additional Information:
1. The Earthshot Prize was launched in 2020 to scale solutions to major environmental challenges by 2030.
2. Serum Institute was established in 1966 by Cyrus Poonawalla and is headquartered in Pune.
IAF Golden Arrows squadron marks Platinum Jubilee.
Dated: 05 October 2026
Indian Air Force No. 17 Squadron, the Golden Arrows and first unit to operate Rafale jets, celebrated its 75th anniversary at Ambala airbase on October 1, 2026.
Key Highlights:
1. The squadron was raised at Ambala on October 1, 1951.
2. It fought in the Goa Liberation, the 1965 and 1971 wars and the 1999 Kargil conflict.
3. During Kargil it flew low-level night bombing missions with MiG-21 aircraft.
4. It entered the supersonic era with MiG-21 in 1975 and received Rafale jets in 2020.
5. The unit was revived at Ambala in 2019 after being retired at Bhisiana in 2016.
Additional Information:
1. No. 17 Squadron is known as Golden Arrows and was the first IAF Rafale unit.
2. No. 101 Squadron at Hasimara is the second IAF unit equipped with Rafale jets.
IICT signs five MoUs to strengthen India’s AVGC-XR ecosystem.
Dated: 05 October 2026
The Indian Institute of Creative Technologies signed five strategic MoUs at FICCI FRAMES 2026 in Mumbai on September 30, 2026 to strengthen India’s AVGC-XR ecosystem.
Key Highlights:
1. Partners were Motion Picture Association India, C-DIT Kerala, E-Sports Games Federation, RioWood and Warm Up Ventures.
2. C-DIT will establish a Kerala State Centre of Excellence for AVGC-XR in Thiruvananthapuram.
3. The agreements cover industry-academia links, esports standards, scholarships, AI-assisted production and startup investment support.
4. They align with Viksit Bharat, Create in India and WAVES initiatives.
5. AVGC-XR means Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics and Extended Reality.
Additional Information:
1. C-DIT is an autonomous Kerala government institution headquartered in Thiruvananthapuram.
2. IICT connects creative education, technology and industry-led learning.
Anup Kumar Saha appointed MD and CEO of Kotak Mahindra Bank.
Dated: 05 October 2026
Kotak Mahindra Bank appointed Anup Kumar Saha as its Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer on October 1, 2026.
Key Highlights:
1. The appointment will take effect on January 1, 2027.
2. He has been appointed for a fixed three-year term.
3. He has served as Executive Director of the bank since January 2026.
4. He has more than 32 years of professional experience, including 25 years in financial services.
5. Kotak Mahindra Bank is headquartered in Mumbai.
Additional Information:
1. It became India’s first NBFC converted into a commercial bank in February 2003.
2. The bank was founded by Uday Kotak and received an RBI banking licence in 2003.
UPSC centenary celebrations Manthan held at Bharat Mandapam.
Dated: 05 October 2026
The Union Public Service Commission began its two-day centenary celebrations titled Manthan at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi on October 1, 2026.
Key Highlights:
1. UPSC Chairman Ajay Kumar identified Trust, Transparency and Technology as three guiding principles.
2. New 2026 Civil Services preliminary centres were added in Bhubaneswar, Kanpur and Meerut.
3. NDA and NA II centres were added in Alwar, Hisar and Kinnaur.
4. UPSC introduced computers in 1978 and later launched the QPRep examination-management portal.
5. The sessions covered the role of civil services in Viksit Bharat and innovations in public service.
Additional Information:
1. The Public Service Commission was established on October 1, 1926 and gained constitutional status on January 26, 1950.
2. UPSC is governed by Articles 315-323 and is headquartered at Dholpur House, New Delhi.
Digital initiatives launched on 279th DAD Annual Day.
Dated: 05 October 2026
The Defence Minister launched digital and financial-management initiatives at the 279th Annual Day of the Defence Accounts Department in New Delhi on October 1, 2026.
Key Highlights:
1. SAKSHAM was integrated with the Indian Army Financial Information System for paperless bill audit and payment.
2. The Treasury Single Account was operationalised through PRISM and integrated with RBI eKUBER.
3. A revamped National Compilation System was launched as a single source for accounting all defence expenditure.
4. SAMAR-SETU centrally manages pay and allowances for more than 2.3 lakh Agniveers.
5. Publications included COSHE 2026 and Raksha Lekha Bharati.
Additional Information:
1. DAD functions under the Ministry of Defence and is headed by the Controller General of Defence Accounts.
2. SPARSH is the web-based System for Pension Administration Raksha.
Manu Francis and Prince Noble win Asian Games sailing silver.
Dated: 05 October 2026
Indian sailors Manu Francis and Prince Noble won silver in the men’s skiff 49er event at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan on October 1, 2026.
Key Highlights:
1. They finished second behind China with 23 points after nine races.
2. It was India’s first sailing medal of the edition.
3. India’s overall tally then stood at 62 medals: 10 gold, 22 silver and 30 bronze.
4. India has won 24 Asian Games sailing medals: 1 gold, 9 silver and 14 bronze.
5. Both sailors are from Kerala and trained through the Army Yachting Node.
Additional Information:
1. India’s first Asian Games sailing gold was won by Farokh Tarapore and Zarir Karanjia in 1982.
2. The 2026 event is the XX Asian Games, hosted by Aichi Prefecture and Nagoya in Japan.