Daily Current Affairs for WBPSC CLERKSHIP

Awards & Honours

• Wellness Visionary Award: Padma Gurmet, Director of the National Institute of Sowa-Rigpa (Leh), received the Wellness Visionary Award for Holistic Healing at a conference held October 30–November 1.

Appointments & Persons in News

• India’s Nepal Envoy: Sudhakar Dalela (IFS, 1993 batch) assumed charge as India’s Ambassador to Nepal on November 3, succeeding Naveen Srivastava.

• Jesús de Miguel Dies: Spanish striker Jesús de Miguel Alameda passed away at age 30 following cardiac arrest caused by an on-pitch collision with Andorra goalkeeper Jesús Owono.

Government Schemes, Policies & Welfare Initiatives

• SUVIKALP Tool Launched: The Ministry of Coal launched “SUVIKALP,” a digital decision-support platform developed by the Coal Controller Organisation to identify productive repurposing uses for closed and abandoned coal and lignite mines.

• New Aviation Rules: The government notified the Bharatiya Vayuyan Niyam, 2026, replacing the colonial-era Aircraft Rules, 1937, with effect from January 1, 2027.
• TRAI Interconnection Regulations: On November 3, TRAI released the Telecommunication Interconnection (Third Amendment) Regulations, 2026 (effective January 1, 2027), shifting telecom interconnection to the Licensed Service Area (LSA) level and mandating migration to IP-based systems within three years.

Sports & Games

ISSF World Championships, Doha:

• India won gold in men’s 50m pistol team event – Ravinder Singh, Saurabh Chaudhary and Amanpreet Singh. Ravinder Singh also won individual silver.
• India won silver in women’s 10m air rifle team event – Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Uttam Maskar and Shambhavi Shravan Kshirsagar.

• Glenn Maxwell Retires: Nicknamed “The Big Show,” Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell announced his retirement from international cricket on November 3, concluding a career that spanned 7 Tests, 149 ODIs, and 130 T20Is.

Science, Space & Technology

• S&T Scoreboard Launched: On November 3 in New Delhi, NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Ashok Kumar Lahiri launched the “India S&T Scoreboard,” an interactive platform designed to compare the science and technology performance of States and Union Territories.

Summits, Bills & International Affairs

• IPRD 2026 Begins: Organized by the Indian Navy and National Maritime Foundation, the Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue (IPRD) 2026 began in New Delhi on November 3 (running November 3–5) on the theme “Science, Technology and Academic Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific“.
• Public Accounts Committees (PAC) Conference: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla inaugurated the conference in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
• Dates: 3–4 November.
• Theme: Audit, Accountability and Good Governance – The Evolving Role of the PAC.
• India–Sri Lanka Maritime Talks: The Indian Coast Guard, led by Paramesh Sivamani, held the 9th High-Level Meeting with Sri Lanka in Mirissa to discuss maritime search and rescue, marine pollution response, and maritime law enforcement.

Books, Authors & Important Things about the Day

• Biosphere Reserves Day: Observed on November 3, the UNESCO-proclaimed International Day for Biosphere Reserves focuses on biodiversity conservation and promoting sustainable development worldwide.
• National Stress Awareness Day: Observed on the first Wednesday of November; in 2026, it falls on 4 November. Focus: stress management and mental well-being.
• Monograph released: Sea Blindness and Maritime Heritage in India – released during the first day of IPRD 2026.

Banking Affairs

• RBI Inflation Survey: The Reserve Bank of India launched its November 2026 Inflation Expectations Survey across 19 cities to gauge household inflation projections for the next 3 months and 1 year.
• RBI Confidence Surveys: The Reserve Bank of India launched the November round of its Consumer Confidence Surveys, covering urban households across 19 cities and rural/semi-urban households across 31 States and Union Territories.
• RBI VRRR Auction: Announced a ₹50,000-crore overnight Variable Rate Reverse Repo auction for 3 November; reversal scheduled for 4 November.

Defence Update

• Delhi Defence Dialogue 2026: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh addressed its 3rd edition in New Delhi.
• Theme: Defence Reforms, Aatmanirbharta, Collaborations and Exports.
• Target by 2029: ₹3 lakh crore defence production and ₹50,000 crore defence exports.
• Defence production reached approximately ₹1.78 lakh crore in FY 2025–26.
• Cognitive Warfare Seminar: A two-day seminar organized by CENJOWS and HQ Integrated Defence Staff focusing on cyber warfare, AI, information manipulation, and psychological influence concluded in New Delhi on November 3.

Miscellaneous

• PM Inaugurates Pune Metro Projects: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated and laid foundation stones for Pune Metro projects worth, including Phase-II and the 23-km Line 3 (Hinjewadi to Shivajinagar), operated entirely by women and powered 30% by solar energy.
• Arunachal Kiwi Exported: APEDA facilitated a trial export of 1.5 metric tonnes of kiwis from Ziro, Arunachal Pradesh to Dubai, UAE, under the branding initiative “Kiwi: USP of Arunachal Pradesh.

West Bengal Specific Current Affairs

• Tea Workers’ Relief: West Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari announced direct bank transfers of ₹5,000 to 19,524 tea garden workers before Diwali (total outlay: ₹9.76 crore), alongside a proposal to raise their monthly rice allocation from 35 kg to 50 kg starting January.

Practice Questions

1. Who received the Wellness Visionary Award for Holistic Healing at the conference held from October 30 to November 1?

(A) Dr. Ashok Kumar Lahiri
(B) Dr. Padma Gurmet
(C) Dr. Sudhakar Dalela
(D) Dr. Paramesh Sivamani

Answer: (B) Dr. Padma Gurmet

2. Who assumed charge as India’s Ambassador to Nepal on November 3, 2026?

(A) Naveen Srivastava
(B) Vikram Misri
(C) Sudhakar Dalela
(D) Harsh Vardhan Shringla

Answer: (C) Sudhakar Dalela

3. What is the primary objective of the SUVIKALP digital platform launched by the Ministry of Coal?

(A) To promote coal exports
(B) To monitor coal transportation
(C) To identify productive uses for closed and abandoned coal mines
(D) To provide financial assistance to coal workers

Answer: (C) To identify productive uses for closed and abandoned coal mines

4. Which Indian shooters won gold in the men’s 50m pistol team event at the ISSF World Championships in Doha?

(A) Ravinder Singh, Saurabh Chaudhary and Amanpreet Singh
(B) Manu Bhaker, Saurabh Chaudhary and Elavenil Valarivan
(C) Ravinder Singh, Anish Bhanwala and Vijayveer Sidhu
(D) Saurabh Chaudhary, Abhishek Verma and Anish Bhanwala

Answer: (A) Ravinder Singh, Saurabh Chaudhary and Amanpreet Singh

5. What was the theme of the Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue (IPRD) 2026?

(A) Maritime Security and Regional Stability
(B) Science, Technology and Academic Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific
(C) Indo-Pacific: Trade and Economic Cooperation
(D) Sustainable Development and Blue Economy

Answer: (B) Science, Technology and Academic Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific

6. On which date is the International Day for Biosphere Reserves observed?

(A) November 1
(B) November 2
(C) November 3
(D) November 5

Answer: (C) November 3

7. What are the targets set by the Ministry of Defence for 2029 regarding defence production and exports?

(A) ₹2 lakh crore production and ₹40,000 crore exports
(B) ₹3 lakh crore production and ₹50,000 crore exports
(C) ₹4 lakh crore production and ₹60,000 crore exports
(D) ₹5 lakh crore production and ₹1 lakh crore exports

Answer: (B) ₹3 lakh crore production and ₹50,000 crore exports

8. Under the tea workers’ relief announcement in West Bengal, how much direct financial assistance was announced for each tea garden worker?

(A) ₹3,000
(B) ₹4,000
(C) ₹5,000
(D) ₹6,000

Answer: (C) ₹5,000