Current Affairs — Monday, 2 November 2026
35 items
Tamil Nadu
- Cyclone Murasu: Schools and colleges closed in Chennai and Tiruvallur — The cyclonic storm, centred ~350 km east of Chennai, intensified into a Severe Cyclonic Storm expected to cross south Andhra Pradesh coast; orange alerts issued across north Tamil Nadu districts including Chennai, Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram, Ranipet, and Nilgiris. (Disaster Management; IMD alert system)
- CM Vijay reviews expanded free bus scheme for women — Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay reviewed the implementation and expansion of the free bus travel scheme for women across Tamil Nadu, signalling continuity and scaling of the welfare initiative. (State welfare scheme; TN Transport policy)
- Health insurance coverage hiked from ₹5 lakh to ₹25 lakh — The Tamil Nadu government announced a fivefold increase in CM health insurance coverage and a new health insurance scheme for the elderly under the state assembly session. (Chief Minister's Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme; Social sector)
- Free Breakfast Scheme extended to Middle School students — The Vijay government announced the extension of the free breakfast scheme — originally launched under the previous DMK government for primary school students — to middle school students across Tamil Nadu. (Education & nutrition policy)
- KMUT beneficiaries above 60 to be moved to pension scheme; aid hiked to ₹1,500 — The state government announced that Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thogai (KMUT) beneficiaries aged above 60 will be transitioned to the pension scheme, with monthly assistance increased to ₹1,500. (Women welfare; social security scheme)
- Aadhav Arjuna calls for separate Tamil Nadu state flag — Actor-politician Aadhav Arjuna demanded a separate flag for Tamil Nadu, urging CM Vijay to hoist it on November 1 and July 18, calling for legislation to formalise it. (State identity politics; constitutional relevance — Article 371 debate context)
India — National
- Cyclone Murasu intensifies into Severe Cyclonic Storm; Andhra Pradesh braces for landfall on November 3 — The system is expected to cross south Andhra Pradesh coast, making it the second cyclone to hit the region in less than a week after Cyclone Arnab; NDRF teams deployed, evacuations underway. (Disaster management; NDRF; IMD)
- INDIA bloc holds massive rally at Ramlila Maidan on 'vote chori' charge — Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and thousands of citizens, youth groups, and farmers gathered at Ramlila Maidan demanding removal of PM Modi and alleging Special Intensive Revision (SIR) irregularities in electoral rolls. (Electoral process; Election Commission; democratic institutions)
- Madras High Court rules litigants not entitled to court fee refund after trial commencement — Justice P.B. Balaji declined to follow the Supreme Court's 2017 verdict in M.C. Subramaniam's case and instead applied the 2010 judgment in Afcons Infrastructure case regarding court fee refunds in out-of-court settlements. (Judiciary; civil procedure; court fees)
- 3 days on, no trace of missing 8-member trekking group in Uttarakhand — Rescue operations are in progress in Uttarakhand to locate a missing trekking party, highlighting recurring challenges of unregulated high-altitude trekking. (Disaster management; NDRF operations)
- AMUSU denies voting rights to ~4,000 women students — Women students of AMU's Women's College were barred from voting in the Aligarh Muslim University Students' Union elections, sparking concerns over gender discrimination in educational institutions. (Gender rights; education institutions)
- Helicopter operators threaten to suspend Char Dham services over co-pilot rule — Operators are protesting a DGCA directive mandating co-pilots on Char Dham helicopter routes, threatening suspension of services during the tail end of the pilgrimage season. (DGCA; civil aviation policy; religious tourism)
- J&K L-G orders fresh postings for six IAS officers ahead of new Chief Secretary's charge — The Lieutenant Governor of Jammu & Kashmir issued orders for new postings of six IAS officers a day before the new Chief Secretary was to take charge. (J&K administration; Article 239AA; L-G powers)
Economy & Finance
- GST collections surge 23% to ₹2.31 lakh crore in October — second highest ever — Gross GST mop-up reached ₹2.31 lakh crore driven by festive demand; domestic sales revenues rose 16% to ₹1.59 lakh crore while import revenues jumped 42% to ₹72,246 crore. (Indirect taxation; GST Council; fiscal data)
- Extreme poverty in India halved to 2.6% in 2023, says World Bank — World Bank data shows extreme poverty (below $2.15/day PPP) fell sharply from ~5% to 2.6% in 2023, reflecting improvement in living standards and welfare delivery. (Poverty indices; World Bank; SDG tracking)
- Coal India production rises 19% post-monsoon; coal imports fall 5.83% in August — Coal India's output recovery is critical to augment thermal power plant stocks amid rising power demand; coal imports declined led by a 6.4% drop in power sector imports. (Energy security; Coal India; Ministry of Coal)
- Export duty on petrol cut to nil; diesel levy raised ₹3/litre to ₹11.5/litre — The government's fortnightly review also raised aviation turbine fuel export levy to ₹11/litre; India's diesel exports had touched 700 kilolitres. (Petroleum taxation; export policy; Ministry of Petroleum)
- CBIC mandates immediate halt to GST arrests ahead of legal amendments — The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs issued directives to field officers to stop arrests in GST cases pending legislative amendments, part of eight circulars spelling out GST reforms. (GST reform; CBIC; indirect tax administration)
Science & Technology
- ISRO's GSLV-F18 mission highlights need for greater resources — The Hindu editorial notes that ISRO requires enhanced human and material resources to sustain its launch cadence and fulfil its expanding mandate including Gaganyaan and commercial missions. (ISRO; space policy; GSLV)
- India's first private fusion energy company Pranos Fusion to firm up tokamak design by 2027 — Bengaluru-based startup Pranos Fusion is developing the first privately built tokamak in India; reactor designs are expected to be finalised in 2027, marking a milestone for India's clean energy ambitions. (Nuclear fusion; startup ecosystem; clean energy)
- ESA's Gaia mission reveals 'starquakes' — tsunami-like movements on stellar surfaces — New data from the European Space Agency's Gaia spacecraft has identified massive seismic-like events on star surfaces, expanding understanding of stellar physics and the Milky Way's structure. (Space science; ESA; stellar astronomy)
- Experimental gene therapy CRMA-1001 silences Hepatitis B viral DNA — Unlike current antiviral treatments, CRMA-1001 targets and mutes the integrated viral DNA rather than the virus directly, offering a potential functional cure for Hepatitis B. (Biotechnology; gene therapy; public health)
Environment
- Cyclone Arnab followed by Cyclone Murasu — Andhra Pradesh faces second cyclone in a week — The back-to-back cyclones highlight India's growing vulnerability to extreme weather events along the Bay of Bengal coast, raising questions about climate adaptation and disaster preparedness costs. (Climate change; disaster risk; NDMA)
- Haryana bans firecrackers in NCR districts ahead of Deepavali; restricts others to green crackers — The Haryana government prohibited conventional firecrackers in National Capital Region districts and limited use elsewhere to certified green crackers to curb air pollution during the festive season. (Air quality; CPCB norms; NCR pollution control)
Sports
- PV Sindhu wins Hylo Open; Lakshya Sen ends title drought — double delight for India — Former world champion PV Sindhu claimed the Hylo Open title, boosting her BWF World Tour Finals qualification prospects, while Lakshya Sen won his title in the same tournament to end a prolonged dry spell. (Badminton; BWF circuit; Indian athletes)
- Marc Marquez on brink of MotoGP world title after Malaysia GP win — Marquez extended his championship lead to 44 points over Jorge Martin with seven race victories this season, putting him on the verge of a historic title. (MotoGP; motorsport)
- Carlos Alcaraz wins Vienna Open without dropping a set; fourth title of 2026 — Alcaraz defeated Alex de Minaur in the final, cementing his status as the dominant force in men's tennis with wins across all surfaces this year. (Tennis; ATP Tour)
- Weightlifter Usha tops 61kg group at World Championships; Nirupama finishes 5th overall — Indian lifter Usha was placed third overall after Group C and D completion at the World Weightlifting Championships; Nirupama's 4th-place finish in Group C was below expectations. (Weightlifting; international championships; Indian sports)
Appointments & Awards
- Justice Fathima Beevi, India's first woman Supreme Court judge, passes away — Justice Fathima Beevi, who was appointed to the Supreme Court of India in 1989 and also served as Governor of Tamil Nadu (1997–2001), passed away — a landmark figure in Indian judicial history. (Supreme Court; women in judiciary; constitutional history)
- Padma Vibhushan awarded to Justice K.T. Thomas (posthumous recognition context) — Retired Supreme Court Justice K.T. Thomas, known for landmark judgments including the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case verdict, has been awarded the Padma Vibhushan. (Padma Awards; Supreme Court; national honours)
- Padma awardee J.S. Khehar — former CJI whose decisions often contradicted government positions — Retrospective profile of former Chief Justice of India J.S. Khehar (CJI 2017), a Padma recipient, noted for independent judgments including the NJAC verdict striking down the 99th Constitutional Amendment. (CJI; judiciary; Padma Awards; 99th Amendment)
- Prashanth Prakash awarded Padma Shri for contributions to India's startup ecosystem — Venture capitalist and Accel India partner Prashanth Prakash received the Padma Shri in recognition of his foundational role in building India's technology startup investment ecosystem. (Padma Shri; startup India; innovation)
International
- Canada PM Carney holds talks with Trump amid ongoing bilateral tariff war — Canadian PM Mark Carney said he had a "good conversation" with US President Trump on trade, even as both nations have imposed billions of dollars in retaliatory tariffs on each other. (India's trade environment; US-Canada relations; protectionism)
- Trump holds "tough/direct" call with Netanyahu over state of Iran war — US President Trump and Israeli PM Netanyahu held a tense phone call over Israel's ongoing military operations against Iran, signalling strain in US-Israel alignment on the conflict's management. (West Asia crisis; India's energy security; geopolitics)
- Bulgarian President wins runoff election amid Black Sea security concerns — Bulgaria's presidential runoff occurred against a backdrop of drone attacks on commercial vessels in the Black Sea, raising security concerns for the EU and NATO member state. (European security; NATO; Black Sea geopolitics)
- Quick Revision:
- 🔑 GST October 2026 collections = ₹2.31 lakh crore (23% rise YoY; second highest ever; imports revenue up 42%)
- 🔑 Justice Fathima Beevi — India's first woman Supreme Court judge (appointed 1989); also served as Governor of Tamil Nadu (1997–2001); passed away November 2026
- 🔑 Tamil Nadu CM health insurance coverage hiked from ₹5 lakh to ₹25 lakh under CM Vijay's government; World Bank reports India's extreme poverty fell to 2.6% in 2023 (from ~5%)