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Daily DigestArchive
Current Affairs — Sunday, 4 October 2026
36 items
Tamil Nadu
- TVK Formally Joins INDIA Bloc
— Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam officially joined the INDIA opposition alliance; 'Save Democracy' protests scheduled at district headquarters across Tamil Nadu on October 13–14. (Polity: coalition politics, opposition alliances) - CM Vijay Expands Maternity Leave to 365 Days for Third Child
— The TVK government announced extension of maternity leave from 12 weeks to 365 days for government employees having a third child, a significant welfare measure. (Social welfare, labour rights) - Free Breakfast Scheme Extended to Middle School Students
— The CM Vijay government announced expansion of the free breakfast scheme beyond primary classes to cover middle school students. (Education welfare scheme, GS Paper II) - Madurantakam By-Election: AIADMK Bastion vs TVK Surge
— Former AIADMK MLA Maragatham Kumaravel now contests as TVK candidate, making the by-election a key test of TVK's electoral momentum against AIADMK in its stronghold. (State polity) - Probe into TVK MLA Driving Government Bus Without Valid Licence
— A viral video showed MLA Kumar driving a public bus with 30 commuters during a scheme launch; an inquiry has been initiated. (Governance accountability) - Nine Fishermen from Rameswaram Detained by Sri Lanka Navy
— Nine Tamil fishermen from Rameswaram were held on poaching charges, continuing the long-standing bilateral fishermen's issue. (India-Sri Lanka relations, TN fisheries)
India — National
- Russia to Accept ~70,000 Indian Skilled Workers This Year
— External Affairs Minister Jaishankar informed a parliamentary panel that Russia has agreed to absorb around 70,000 Indian skilled workers in 2026, alongside briefing members on India's Ukraine peace diplomatic efforts. (India-Russia bilateral, labour mobility) - Centre Considering New Hydropower Projects Including Sawalkot in J&K
— Union Power Secretary Pankaj Agarwal confirmed plans for new hydropower projects in J&K's Sawalkot, significant amid Pakistan's repeated objections to the Sawalkote dam. (Energy policy, India-Pakistan, water treaties) - NHRC Seeks Probe into Use of Minors at CJP's Mumbai Protest
— National Human Rights Commission directed Mumbai Police to submit an action-taken report within a week and asked X Corp. to preserve digital evidence. (NHRC functions, child rights) - J&K Statehood: BJP Says No Need for Assembly Resolution
— BJP MP Tarun Chugh stated PM is committed to granting statehood to J&K, calling the recent J&K Assembly resolution a distraction by the National Conference. (Constitutional status of J&K, Art. 3) - Rajasthan Panchayat Elections in Four Phases from October 23
— Elections announced for 41 Zila Parishads, 457 Panchayat Samitis, and 14,403 village panchayats following delimitation. (Panchayati Raj Institutions, Art. 243) - Government Approves 5 Centres of Excellence for Classical Languages
— Centre approved five Centres of Excellence to support India's classical languages, bolstering preservation and research. (Cultural policy, classical language status) - Karnataka Drought: Kharge Writes to PM and Home Minister
— Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge warned of what could be Karnataka's worst drought in 150 years and sought urgent central assistance. (Disaster management, Centre-State relations)
Economy & Finance
- Nayara Energy Hikes Petrol by ₹5, Diesel by ₹3
— Nayara Energy, operating 7,108 petrol pumps nationwide, raised fuel prices effective October 3; government warned all private fuel retailers against arbitrary sales caps. (Fuel pricing, petroleum sector) - National PNG Drive 3.0 Launched
— PNGRB's third phase targets 50 lakh new piped gas connections, conversion of 40 lakh unbilled connections, and 50 lakh new registrations by end of FY2027. (Energy access, PNGRB, gas infrastructure) - India's August Industrial Output Grows 8%
— Manufacturing sector drove IIP growth of 8% in August, with festive demand expected to sustain momentum. (IIP, economic indicators) - Inflation Rises in August; Focus on RBI's October Meeting
— Rising inflation figures have sharpened market attention on the Reserve Bank of India's upcoming October monetary policy meeting. (RBI MPC, inflation targeting) - Coal India Production Up 9.2% in September
— Coal India reported a 9.2% jump in coal production in September, with output expected to rise further post-monsoon. (PSU performance, energy sector)
Science & Technology
- CSIR-CCMB Develops India-Specific Sickle Cell Severity Prediction Tool
— The Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology created a tool calibrated to the clinical profile of Indian patients with Sickle Cell Anaemia, addressing gaps in existing international scoring systems. (Health technology, CSIR, tribal health policy) - Multiple Indian Payloads Launched via SpaceX Falcon 9
— Dhruva Space's LEAP-2 mission, carrying India's TAPAS-1 (Satleo Labs) and a French star tracker, was successfully launched aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9. (Space startups, In-Orbit Demonstration) - G.P. Talwar Turns 100: Pioneer of Leprosy Vaccine and Contraceptive Vaccine
— Scientist G.P. Talwar, AIIMS founding faculty member, developed the world's first leprosy vaccine and a hormonal birth control vaccine; continues active research at 100. (Science heritage, biomedical research)
Environment
- State of India's Environment 2026 Report Released
— The CSE-DTE report highlights rising climate risks, increasing human-wildlife conflicts, and critical gaps in pollution monitoring across India. (Environment report, CSE, biodiversity, GS Paper III) - Scientists Can Now Measure Coal Mine Damage via Carbon Impacts Tracer
— A new tool establishes causal links between coal mining projects and environmental/human harm, enabling legal accountability for climate damage. (Climate litigation, fossil fuel accountability) - African Elephants Found to Self-Medicate
— Scientists discovered that African elephants self-medicate using plants also used in human indigenous medicine, a trait previously observed only in great apes. (Wildlife, biodiversity)
Sports
- Kumkum Mohod Wins Historic Recurve Archery Gold at Asian Games 2026
— Kumkum Mohod became the first Indian woman to win an Asian Games gold medal in the individual recurve archery event, also earning an Olympic quota. (Asian Games 2026, archery, first) - Deepak Punia Wins Wrestling Bronze at Asian Games 2026
— The wrestler added an Asian Games bronze to his record, which includes a silver at the 2019 World Championships and five Asian Championships medals. (Wrestling, Asian Games) - West Indies Prevents India Clean Sweep in ODI Series
— Skipper Shai Hope scored his second consecutive century as West Indies chased down 352 in the third ODI with 10 balls to spare. (Cricket, ODI series) - Brazil Beats India in Football: Estevao Stars
— Chelsea winger Estevao scored and assisted as Brazil defeated India in their tour finale; Carlo Ancelotti's side won both matches on their Australia-India tour. (International football)
Appointments & Awards
- Justice M. Fathima Beevi, First Woman SC Judge, Passes Away
— Justice M. Fathima Beevi, who made history as the first woman judge of the Supreme Court of India, has passed away. (Constitutional history, judiciary, landmark first) - Padma Vibhushan for Justice K.T. Thomas
— Retired Supreme Court judge K.T. Thomas, known for his landmark judgments, has been conferred the Padma Vibhushan. (Padma Awards, judiciary) - Padma Award for Justice J.S. Khehar
— Former Chief Justice of India J.S. Khehar, noted for judgments that often contradicted government positions, has been conferred a Padma Award. (CJI, Padma Awards) - Justice Manikumar Appointed SHRC Chairman
— Justice Manikumar has been appointed as the new Chairman of the State Human Rights Commission. (SHRC, appointments) - Vinai Kumar Saxena Takes Oath as Delhi Lieutenant Governor
— Vinai Kumar Saxena was sworn in as Delhi's Lieutenant Governor, stating he will act as a "local guardian" for the capital. (Constitutional post, Delhi governance, Art. 239AA)
International
- India and Pakistan Summon Top Envoys in Tit-for-Tat Move
— India and Pakistan each summoned the other's top diplomatic representative, signalling heightened bilateral tensions. (India-Pakistan relations, diplomacy) - Houthis Attack Aramco Facility in Riyadh with Missiles and Drones
— Yemen's Houthi forces claimed a missile and drone strike on Saudi Aramco's Riyadh facility amid escalating Saudi-Houthi hostilities. (West Asia conflict, energy security) - Commerce Minister Goyal Defends India at US Over Forced Labour Tariff
— Piyush Goyal contested US Trade Representative's 10% 'forced labour' tariff on Indian imports and a parallel structural excess-capacity investigation. (India-US trade, USTR, tariff policy)
- Quick Revision:
- 🏹 Kumkum Mohod — First Indian woman to win an Asian Games gold in individual recurve archery (Asian Games 2026); also earned Olympic quota
- ⚖️ Justice M. Fathima Beevi — First woman judge of the Supreme Court of India, passed away October 2026
- 🔬 CSIR-CCMB (Hyderabad) developed India's first Sickle Cell Anaemia severity prediction tool calibrated for Indian patients