Daily Current Affairs for WBPSC Miscellaneous

Awards and Honours

• Nobel Prize in Economics 2026: American economists Robert Hall and Michael Woodford received the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, worth 12 million Swedish kronor, for their work on the microeconomic foundations of macroeconomic stabilisation.
• Booker Prize 2026 Shortlist: Six novels—The End of Everything (M. John Harrison), The Disappearers (Marlon James), Black Bag (Luke Kennard), May We Feed the King (Rebecca Perry), The Things We Never Say (Elizabeth Strout) and John of John (Douglas Stuart)—were shortlisted.

Appointments and Persons in News

• First IUSF President: Professor Achyuta Samanta, founder of KIIT and KISS and former Member of Parliament, elected inaugural President of the Indian UniSport Federation at its Annual General Meeting in New Delhi.
• Deputy Election Commissioner: Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved the appointment of 2010-batch Rajasthan-cadre Indian Administrative Service officer Prakash Rajpurohit through 8 April 2030.

Government Schemes, Policies and Welfare Initiatives

• Bharat Rice Initiative: Indian Army launched the military logistics initiative through the Directorate General of Supplies and Transport, alongside the Food Corporation of India and National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India, to improve ration delivery and forward storage for troops in remote Ladakh and northeastern regions.
• 57th GST Council Meeting: Chaired by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in New Delhi, focusing on next-generation process reforms and decriminalisation under Goods and Services Tax laws.
• Chennai Infrastructure Projects: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated and laid foundation stones for projects worth over ₹13,000 crore, including a 14.64-km elevated metro stretch, the Karaikal–Peralam railway line and Coimbatore rail flyovers.
• DRISHTI Project: ₹65-crore project approved under PM-UDAY for geographic information system-based mapping and property ownership rights for residents of Delhi’s unauthorised colonies.

Sports and Games

• BRICS Theatre Festival 2026: Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat inaugurated the three-day festival in New Delhi, featuring 11 plays from member and partner countries, including India, Russia, Indonesia, Thailand and South Africa.
• Asian Para Games 2026 Flag Bearers: Pramod Bhagat (para-badminton) and Bhavina Patel (para-table tennis) named Indian contingent flag bearers for the opening ceremony in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
• Indian UniSport Federation: Established with Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports approval as a unified platform for university-level sports across India.

Science, Space and Technology

• Project Seabird Phase IIA: Chief of Defence Staff General NS Raja Subramani and Secretary, Department of Military Affairs, inaugurated key infrastructure at INS Kadamba naval base in Karwar, Karnataka, strengthening India’s largest naval base on the Arabian Sea coast.
• Global Innovation Index 2026: World Intellectual Property Organization ranked India 38th among 139 economies and first among lower-middle-income economies.
• India’s Space Economy: Valued at USD 9 billion, supported by approximately 440 registered space startups and USD 618.5 million in private investments.

Summits, Bills and International Affairs

• IMF World Economic Outlook: International Monetary Fund projected India as the fastest-growing major economy, with 7.0% gross domestic product growth in 2026 and 2027, compared with China at 4.5% and the United States at 2.3%.
• Swiss President’s State Visit and India–EFTA Summit: Swiss President Guy Parmelin completed a three-day state visit to India, marking TEPA’s first anniversary and its target of USD 100 billion in foreign direct investment over 15 years.
• External Affairs Minister’s Africa Tour: Dr. S. Jaishankar completed a five-day official tour of Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire and Ethiopia to strengthen bilateral trade, defence and pharmaceutical partnerships.

Books, Authors and Important Days

• International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction: 13 October; promotes disaster preparedness, risk reduction and community resilience.

• Breast Cancer Awareness Day: 13 October; promotes early detection, regular screenings and healthcare access.
• Sharad Navratri 2026—Third Day: 13 October; observed across India as part of the nine-day festival.
• Financial Inclusion and CCS Day: 13 October; observed during National Postal Week 2026, organised by the Department of Posts.

Miscellaneous

• RBI Forex Facility and Cash Reserve Ratio: Reserve Bank of India operationalised a dedicated dollar facility for public-sector oil refiners Indian Oil Corporation Limited, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, while raising the minimum daily cash reserve ratio maintenance threshold for scheduled banks from 90% to 99%.
• National Postal Week 2026: Observed nationwide from 9–15 October, featuring daily themes across postal, financial and digital services.

West Bengal Specific Current Affairs

• Madrasah Service Commission Merger: West Bengal Cabinet approved a proposal to repeal the Madrasah Service Commission Act, 2008, and transfer madrasa teacher recruitment to the West Bengal School Service Commission for a uniform recruitment framework.
• Mahalaya and Durga Puja Invocation: Observed across West Bengal, marking the end of Pitru Paksha and beginning of Devi Paksha, with Birendra Krishna Bhadra’s iconic Mahishasuramardini broadcast on Akashvani.
• INS Shreyas Launched: Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited launched INS Shreyas, the Indian Navy’s third Next Generation Offshore Patrol Vessel, in Kolkata.
• PMCSPY for Tea Garden Workers: Pradhan Mantri Cha Shramik Protsahan Yojana, with a ₹313.30-crore outlay managed by the North Bengal Development Department, supports tea-garden worker families.
• India Energy Week 2027: Kolkata’s New Town is preparing to host the fifth edition from 28–31 January 2027.