Current Affairs 21 October 2026
20 updates from 21 October 2026, with sources. Everything from this day that matters for SSC, RRB, banking and AP Police general awareness.
- Health
World Health Organization officially certifies India for eliminating Trachoma as a public health problem
The World Health Organization (WHO) formally presented an official citation to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Tuesday certifying that India has successfully eliminated Trachoma as a public health problem nationwide.
- Polity
Ministry of Panchayati Raj releases Panchayat Devolution Index with Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu leading States
The Ministry of Panchayati Raj released the comprehensive 'Panchayat Devolution Index 2026' report compiled by the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA) on Tuesday, benchmarking the grassroots empowerment of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) across India.
- Science & Tech
Ministry of Earth Sciences commissions 21.3 Petaflop supercomputers Arka and Arunika for high-resolution weather forecasting
The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) commissioned two state-of-the-art High-Performance Computing (HPC) supercomputer systems named 'Arka' and 'Arunika' on Tuesday, expanding India’s meteorological computational capacity to 21.3 PetaFLOPS.
- Sports
Indian Men's Hockey Team defeats China 1-0 to clinch record fifth Asian Champions Trophy title
The Indian Men's Hockey Team, captained by ace drag-flicker Harmanpreet Singh, defended its continental crown in style on Tuesday, edging past host nation China 1–0 in the final of the Men's Asian Champions Trophy at Hulunbuir to secure a record-extending fifth championship title.
- Economy
SEBI notifies Mutual Fund Lite regulations for passive funds and launches new ₹10 Lakh investment asset class
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) notified a dual regulatory reform package on Tuesday, introducing the 'Mutual Fund Lite' (MF Lite) framework for passive index schemes alongside a new Specialized Investment Fund asset class.
- Defence
Tata-Airbus consortium rolls out first Make-in-India C-295 military transport aircraft at Vadodara facility
Marking a watershed moment in India’s domestic aerospace ecosystem, the Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) and Airbus Defence and Space consortium rolled out the first indigenously assembled C-295MW tactical military transport aircraft from the Final Assembly Line (FAL) in Vadodara, Gujarat on…
- Environment
NTCA accords final approval to notify Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary as Rajasthan's sixth Tiger Reserve
The Technical Committee of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, accorded final statutory approval on Tuesday to declare the Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary as Rajasthan’s sixth Tiger Reserve.
- Economy
NSSO Periodic Labour Force Survey reports unemployment rate at 3.2% as female labour participation surges to 41.7%
The National Sample Survey Office (NSSO), under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), released the Annual Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) report on Tuesday showing the national Unemployment Rate (UR) in Usual Status for persons aged 15 years and above at 3.2%.
- Governance
Ministry of Labour launches e-Shram One-Stop-Solution integrating 12 welfare schemes for 30 Crore workers
The Ministry of Labour and Employment launched the integrated 'e-Shram – One-Stop-Solution' digital platform on Tuesday, linking 12 major Central Government social security and welfare schemes onto a unified portal for over 300 million (30 Crore) registered unorganised sector workers.
- Space
ISRO finalises 19 scientific payloads for India's maiden Venus Orbiter Mission Shukrayaan-1
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) finalized the technical configuration of 19 scientific payloads on Tuesday for India's maiden interplanetary Venus Orbiter Mission (VOM / Shukrayaan-1), slated for launch aboard an LVM3 rocket in March 2028.
- Polity
Supreme Court Constitution Bench upholds constitutional validity of Section 6A of Citizenship Act under Assam Accord
A five-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court of India upheld the constitutional validity of Section 6A of the Citizenship Act 1955 by a 4:1 majority verdict on Tuesday, affirming the statutory framework of the historic 1985 Assam Accord.
- Railways
Ministry of Railways revises train ticket Advance Reservation Period from 120 days to 60 days
The Railway Board, under the Ministry of Railways, issued an official commercial circular on Tuesday reducing the Advance Reservation Period (ARP) for passenger train ticket bookings from the existing 120 days to 60 days, excluding the date of journey.
- Defence
Indian Navy and Republic of Singapore Navy commence 31st edition of SIMBEX-2026 at Visakhapatnam
The Indian Navy and the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) inaugurated the 31st edition of the Singapore-India Maritime Bilateral Exercise (SIMBEX-2026) under the aegis of the Eastern Naval Command in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday.
- Economy
Reserve Bank of India rolls out Unified Lending Interface to transform frictionless rural and MSME credit delivery
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) formally operationalized the nationwide rollout of the 'Unified Lending Interface' (ULI) on Tuesday, establishing a plug-and-play digital public infrastructure to deliver frictionless credit to smallholder farmers and MSMEs.
- Recruitment
UPSC notifies Personality Test interview schedule for Combined Medical Services Examination 2026
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) published the roll-number-wise Personality Test (Interview) schedule on Tuesday for candidates shortlisted in the Combined Medical Services Examination (CMSE) 2026.
- Defence
DRDO successfully validates Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet propulsion for ultra-long-range air-to-air missiles
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully conducted a high-altitude flight validation trial of the indigenous Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet (SFDR) propulsion technology from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur off the Odisha coast on Tuesday.
- Agriculture
Cabinet approves higher Minimum Support Prices for six Rabi crops for marketing season 2027-28
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by the Prime Minister, approved upward revisions in the Minimum Support Prices (MSP) for all six mandated Rabi crops for the Rabi Marketing Season (RMS) 2027–28 on Tuesday.
- Recruitment
IBPS declares Preliminary Examination results for CRP Customer Service Associates (CSA-XIV) across 11 PSBs
The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) officially declared the Preliminary Examination results for the Common Recruitment Process for Customer Service Associates (CRP CSA-XIV, formerly Clerical Cadre) on Tuesday.
- Governance
Nation observes Police Commemoration Day 2026 at National Police Memorial honouring martyred personnel
The Union Minister of Home Affairs led the nation in paying solemn tributes to fallen police and paramilitary personnel at the National Police Memorial in Chanakyapuri, New Delhi on Tuesday on the occasion of Police Commemoration Day 2026.
- Exam News
Andhra Pradesh School Education Department activates Online Application Portal for 16,347 Mega DSC 2026 Posts
The Department of School Education, Government of Andhra Pradesh, has officially activated the online registration and application submission portal for the 16,347 teacher vacancies under the Mega DSC 2026 recruitment notification across the state.