Sarkari Prayaas logoSarkari Prayaas

Current Affairs 15 October 2026 — Morning & Evening Edition

Morning & evening briefs with exam-ready takeaways.

Morning Edition

Morning: Published 08:15 AM
🏛️ Polity & Governance

Cabinet Decisions on Railway Bonus, NSAP Continuation, and IDBI Bank Disinvestment

  • Cabinet approved productivity-linked bonus for 11.40 lakh railway employees for 78 days, max ₹17,951, budget ₹2,009 crore.
  • National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) extended for five years (2026-27 to 2030-31) with ₹53,428 crore budget, renamed as Pradhan Mantri Social Assistance Scheme.
  • Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved strategic disinvestment of IDBI Bank.

High-Yield Exam Takeaway

  • NSAP originally launched in 1995; now renamed PM Social Assistance Scheme.
  • Railway bonus is productivity-linked, not dearness allowance.
  • CCEA headed by PM; strategic disinvestment implies transfer of management control.
💰 Economy & Finance

Committee Formed to Address Sugarcane Farmers' Grievances

  • Committee chaired by Prof. Ramesh Chand (former NITI Aayog member) includes Agriculture Commissioner, Joint Secretary (Sugar), and Joint Secretary (Legal Metrology).
  • Terms of reference: examine remunerative returns for farmers, revision of ex-mill Minimum Selling Price (MSP) of sugar, sugar recovery testing mechanisms, cane weighment practices, and deductions for mechanically harvested cane.
  • Sugarcane farmers from Karnataka and Maharashtra had met Union Ministers demanding higher returns.

High-Yield Exam Takeaway

  • Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) for sugarcane is fixed by Centre; State Advised Price (SAP) by states.
  • Sugar MSP introduced in 2018 to protect mill viability; currently ₹31/kg.
  • Legal Metrology Act, 2009 governs weighment standards.
📌 Infrastructure & Development

Ladakh Development Projects and Maharashtra Rail Overbridges

  • PM to inaugurate 5 projects in Ladakh: new terminal at Leh airport (₹640 cr), 298-km Nimmu-Padum-Darcha road, 9 MW Hanu hydro project, 66 kV Dah-Hanu-Khaltsi transmission line, and India's first rock art conservation park at Sindhu Ghat.
  • Maharashtra Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation (Marail) proposed six railway overbridges in Panvel municipal area at Kharghar, Kalamboli, Khand Colony, Kalundre, Adavali, and Rohinjan.
  • Telangana Southern Power Distribution Company received four quality certifications: ISO 9001, ISO 27001, Japanese 5S, and Quality Mark.

High-Yield Exam Takeaway

  • Nimmu-Padum-Darcha road provides all-weather connectivity to Zanskar valley.
  • ISO 9001:2015 specifies quality management systems; ISO 27001 for information security.
  • 5S methodology (Sort, Set in order, Shine, Standardize, Sustain) originated in Japan for workplace organization.
🏅 Sports

West Indies Level T20I Series Against India; Asian Games 2026 Recap

  • West Indies defeated India by 24 runs in 4th T20I at Hyderabad; Shai Hope scored unbeaten 102 off 50 balls, Keemo Paul took 5 wickets; series tied 2-2.
  • Final match scheduled for October 17 at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru.
  • Indian contingent won 85 medals (21 gold, 27 silver, 37 bronze) at Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, finishing fourth.

High-Yield Exam Takeaway

  • Shai Hope's century is his first T20I hundred; he is West Indies captain.
  • Asian Games 2026 were held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan; next Asian Games in 2030 in Doha.
  • India's medal tally at 2022 Asian Games (Hangzhou) was 107 medals (28 gold).
📌 Culture & Heritage

Puducherry French School Bicentenary; Kolkata Book Fair 50th Edition; Durga Puja Scale

  • Lycée français international de Pondichéry, founded in 1826 as Collège royal de Pondichéry, celebrates 200 years; part of AEFE network (640 schools in 140 countries).
  • International Kolkata Book Fair's 50th edition theme is "Bharat"; special focus on 100 years of Tagore's "Raktakarabi" and birth centenary of actor Uttam Kumar.
  • West Bengal organizing ~57,500 Durga Pujas, including 3,300+ in Kolkata; Panchami today.

High-Yield Exam Takeaway

  • AEFE (Agency for French Education Abroad) operates under French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs.
  • Rabindranath Tagore's "Raktakarabi" (Red Oleander) written in 1924; first performed in 1926.
  • Uttam Kumar (1926-1980) known as "Mahanayak" of Bengali cinema.
📜 Static GK & Important Days

Historical Events of October 15; World Students Day; Global Handwashing Day; Notable Personalities

  • Key historical events: 1676 East India Company permitted to mint Rupee/Paisa at Bombay; 1888 Gopal Ganesh Agarkar started 'Sudharak'; 1932 Tata Airlines began first Indian commercial air service; 1949 Tripura merged with India; 1990 Gorbachev awarded Nobel Peace Prize; 2008 first International Day of Rural Women.
  • October 15 observed as World Students Day (Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam's birth anniversary) and Global Handwashing Day.
  • Revolutionary Durga Bhabhi (Durga Devi) assisted Bhagat Singh's escape after Saunders murder and helped draft "Philosophy of Bomb".
  • Poet Suryakant Tripathi 'Nirala' (Chhayavad era) born; works include "Ram Ki Shakti Puja", "Saroj Smriti", "Wah Todti Patthar".
  • Music composer Shankar (of Shankar-Jaikishan) born 1922; duo gave music for Barsaat, Awaara, Shree 420, Sangam; Padma Shri 1968.

High-Yield Exam Takeaway

  • Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam born 15 October 1931; World Students Day declared by UN in 2010.
  • Global Handwashing Day initiated by Global Handwashing Partnership in 2008.
  • Durga Bhabhi's real name Durga Devi; married to Bhagwati Charan Vohra.
  • Nirala's "Ram Ki Shakti Puja" is a long poem on Rama's invocation of Durga.
  • Shankar-Jaikishan won Filmfare Best Music Director 9 times; first for "Chori Chori" (1956).

🎮 ⚡ Morning Quiz (Quiz #1 · 5 Questions)

🔥 Solve to start your streak
Question 1 of 5🏷️ pol

What is the maximum bonus amount approved for eligible railway employees for 78 days?

Evening Edition

Evening: Published 07:00 PM
🏛️ Polity & Governance

Supreme Court Bars Backward-Class Reservation for Converts; BJP-Congress Spar Over Court Premises

  • The Supreme Court ruled that Hindus who convert to Islam or other religions cannot claim backward-class reservation, upholding a Madras High Court order.
  • The BJP accused the Congress of attempting to turn the Supreme Court premises into a protest site, alleging "mob pressure to intimidate the judiciary".
  • Home Minister Amit Shah said the government is committed to the upliftment of tribal communities affected by Naxalism and distributed assistive devices to divyangjan.

High-Yield Exam Takeaway

  • The Supreme Court upheld the Madras High Court order on backward-class reservation for religious converts.
  • The BJP named Rahul Gandhi and his allies in its accusation over protests at the Supreme Court premises.
🛡️ Defence & Security

India's Defence Exports Surge From ₹686 Crore to ₹38 Thousand Crore in 13 Years

  • Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said India's defence exports surged to ₹38 thousand crore from ₹686 crore in the last 13 years.
  • The export growth underscores a major push in domestic defence manufacturing and overseas sales of Indian-made equipment.

High-Yield Exam Takeaway

  • Defence Minister Rajnath Singh stated India's defence exports grew from ₹686 crore to about ₹38,000 crore over 13 years.
💰 Economy & Finance

Sensex Jumps 1,534 Points to 74,316; Mid- and Small-Cap Indices Fall

  • The Sensex surged 1,534 points, or 2.11 per cent, to close at 74,316, while the Nifty rose 375 points, or 1.66 per cent, to settle at 22,997.
  • The broader market underperformed the frontline indices: the NSE Midcap 100 dropped nearly 0.4 per cent and the Smallcap 100 shed 1.3 per cent.

High-Yield Exam Takeaway

  • On 15 October 2026, the Sensex closed at 74,316 (+2.11%) and the Nifty at 22,997 (+1.66%), even as the Midcap 100 and Smallcap 100 declined.
🔬 Environment & Geography

First Snowfall in Upper Himalayas; Wild Buffalo Returns to Kanha After a Century

  • The season's first snowfall was reported in the upper reaches of the Himalayan region, with heavy rain forecast for Haryana, Chandigarh, Punjab and Delhi.
  • Eight wild buffaloes translocated from Assam's Kaziranga National Park were released from a small enclosure into a 17-hectare enclosure at Madhya Pradesh's Kanha Tiger Reserve.
  • The eight buffaloes — six female and two male — travelled about 2,200 km from Kaziranga; wild buffaloes had vanished from Madhya Pradesh's forests nearly 100 years ago.
  • The state forest department aims to establish 50 wild buffaloes in Madhya Pradesh over the next three years to strengthen biodiversity and conservation.

High-Yield Exam Takeaway

  • Kanha Tiger Reserve is in Madhya Pradesh; Kaziranga National Park, the translocation source, is in Assam.
🏅 Sports

Vishvajit More Scripts History with Greco-Roman Silver at U-23 World Championships

  • Indian wrestler Vishvajit Ramchandra More clinched silver in the Greco-Roman final at the Under-23 World Wrestling Championships in Las Vegas.
  • More lost a thrilling 55 kg final 12-13 to Georgia's Koba Karumidze, becoming the first Indian wrestler to reach a Greco-Roman final and win a medal at the U-23 World Championships.

High-Yield Exam Takeaway

  • Vishvajit More won his medal in the 55 kg Greco-Roman category at the U-23 World Wrestling Championships in Las Vegas.
📜 Static GK

World Students' Day: Nation Remembers Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam on His Birth Anniversary

  • India celebrates World Students' Day on 15 October, the birth anniversary of Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, born on 15 October 1931 in Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu; he served as President from 2002 to 2007 and is known as the 'Missile Man of India'.
  • Independence activist and poet Baba Kanshi Ram, born in Himachal Pradesh, vowed to wear black until India achieved independence; Jawaharlal Nehru honoured him with the title 'Pahari Gandhi' in 1937.
  • Music composer Shankar of the Shankar-Jaikishan duo, born on 15 October 1922, gave memorable scores for Barsaat, Awara, Shri 420 and Sangam; the duo won multiple Filmfare awards and the Padma Shri in 1968.

High-Yield Exam Takeaway

  • Dr. Kalam authored the autobiography 'Wings of Fire' and 'Ignited Minds'; 15 October is widely celebrated as World Students' Day in India but is not an officially UN-declared international day.
  • Baba Kanshi Ram (1882-1943) was popularly known as the 'Siyahposh Jarnail' (the Black General) for his vow to wear black until independence.

🎮 🌙 Evening Quiz (Quiz #2 · 5 Questions)

🔥 Solve to start your streak
Question 1 of 5🏷️ pol

The Supreme Court recently ruled that Hindus converting to Islam or other religions cannot claim which benefit, upholding the Madras High Court order?

📱 WhatsApp