All daily digests
Daily DigestArchive
Current Affairs — Wednesday, 4 November 2026
33 items
Tamil Nadu
- CM Vijay extends free bus travel for women to deluxe and mofussil buses
— Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay announced expansion of the free bus travel scheme (originally introduced under the previous DMK government) to cover deluxe and mofussil bus services, widening the benefit for women commuters across Tamil Nadu. - CM health insurance coverage hiked from ₹5 lakh to ₹25 lakh
— The Tamil Nadu government announced a fivefold increase in Chief Minister's health insurance coverage, and separately announced a new health insurance scheme specifically for the elderly. (Exam angle: Social welfare scheme, state health policy) - Tamil Nadu releases three-year BESS Policy
— The state government unveiled a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) policy targeting deployment of 2,500 MW/10,000 MWh capacity; TNPDC will procure BESS projects during this period. (Exam angle: Renewable energy storage, state energy policy) - Free Breakfast Scheme to be extended to middle school students
— The Tamil Nadu government announced extension of the existing free breakfast scheme (launched under previous government) to middle school students, expanding the age group covered. (Exam angle: Education/nutrition scheme) - KMUT beneficiaries above 60 to be moved to pension scheme; aid hiked to ₹1,500
— The state government announced restructuring of Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thittam (KMUT) benefits for senior women, transferring those above 60 to the pension scheme and raising assistance to ₹1,500. (Exam angle: Women welfare, state scheme) - Madras HC asks TN government about vacancy of VCs in 14 state universities
— Justice N. Anand Venkatesh suo motu impleaded the Higher Education Secretary as respondent in a batch of applications and sought an explanation by November 17 on why 14 state-run universities lack Vice-Chancellors and Syndicates. (Exam angle: Higher education governance, Madras HC jurisdiction)
India — National
- U.S. Midterm Elections 2026 underway
— All 435 House seats, 35 of 100 Senate seats, and 36 governorships are being contested, with approximately 210 million registered voters; results carry implications for India-US bilateral relations. (Exam angle: International affairs, US legislature structure) - Cyclone Murasu hits Andhra Pradesh, two dead
— The cyclone made landfall causing two fatalities, with educational institutions shut across affected districts. (Exam angle: Disaster management, Bay of Bengal cyclones) - Election Commission completes Form 6 U-turn, drops SIR para
— The EC reversed its earlier position on a paragraph relating to Special Intensive Revision (SIR) that one Commissioner had termed "illegal," amid ongoing political controversy over electoral rolls. (Exam angle: ECI functioning, Article 324, voter registration) - NMC proposes rank-based system replacing percentile for PG/SS medical admissions
— The National Medical Commission proposed replacing the percentile system with a rank-based system for admissions to postgraduate and super-specialty medical courses. (Exam angle: Medical education reform, NMC Act) - India at global climate talks: National circumstances must be respected
— India stated at international climate forums that global climate goals must respect national circumstances, reiterating its development-first position. (Exam angle: Climate diplomacy, UNFCCC, CBDR principle) - Biometrics and voter IDs for beneficiary payments, not Aadhaar: Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh
— The Union Minister stated that government welfare scheme beneficiary verification will use biometrics and voter IDs rather than Aadhaar, signalling a policy direction shift. (Exam angle: DBT reforms, Aadhaar Act, welfare delivery) - ICJ to rule November 19 on Rohingya genocide case
— The International Court of Justice will deliver its ruling in the case filed by The Gambia accusing Myanmar of breaching the 1948 UN Genocide Convention in its repression of the Rohingya. (Exam angle: International law, UN bodies, Rohingya crisis)
Economy & Finance
- GST collections surge 23% to ₹2.31 lakh crore in October — second-highest ever
— Domestic GST revenues rose 16% to ₹1.59 lakh crore and import-based revenues jumped 42% to ₹72,246 crore, driven by festive season demand. (Exam angle: Indirect taxation, GST Council, fiscal data) - Extreme poverty in India halved to 2.6% in 2023: World Bank
— World Bank data shows India's extreme poverty rate fell sharply from approximately 5% to 2.6% in 2023, reflecting significant socio-economic progress. (Exam angle: Poverty measurement, World Bank indices, GS-III) - RBI reopens Urban Cooperative Bank (UCB) licensing after 22 years
— The RBI has resumed issuing new UCB licences with new audit guardrails developed by MSCARO and ICAI for multi-state cooperatives aspiring to become banks. (Exam angle: Banking regulation, RBI functions, cooperative banking) - Coal India's production rises 19% as mining recovers post-monsoon
— Coal India registered a 19% output increase in October to augment coal stocks at thermal power plants amid rising power demand. (Exam angle: Energy security, PSU performance) - FM: Capex push to continue; fiscal prudence non-negotiable
— Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman reaffirmed the government's commitment to capital expenditure while emphasising fiscal discipline. (Exam angle: Union Budget, fiscal policy, GS-III)
Science & Technology
- New light-based technique detects deepfakes with 99.86% accuracy
— Researchers developed a system using light to identify manipulated videos with 99.86% accuracy for deepfakes and 95.72% for real videos, processing 15 videos simultaneously. (Exam angle: AI/cybersecurity, digital forensics) - AI models from OpenAI and Anthropic disprove exponential time hypothesis
— Both companies announced their AI models independently disproved the long-standing mathematical conjecture, marking a significant milestone in computational complexity theory. (Exam angle: AI advancement, technology policy) - Smoking found to create precancerous lung state via stem cell alteration
— Research explains that chronic smoke exposure alters lung stem cells, weakens safety mechanisms and immune defences, with KRAS and TP53 mutations then triggering tumours — establishing a mechanistic pathway for lung cancer. (Exam angle: Public health, cancer biology)
Environment
- Haryana bans firecrackers in NCR districts; restricts use to green crackers elsewhere
— Haryana government prohibited all firecrackers in National Capital Region districts and limited use to green crackers in other parts of the state ahead of Diwali season, citing air pollution concerns. (Exam angle: Air pollution, NGT orders, NCR pollution control) - World One Health Day: cattle virus and plague scare underscore integrated health approach
— On World One Health Day, experts highlighted that animal-human-environment health are epidemiologically inseparable, calling for integrated governance frameworks. (Exam angle: One Health concept, zoonotic diseases, public health policy)
Sports
- WTA Chennai Open: Maaya and Vaishnavi record maiden WTA Tour victories
— Two Indian wild card entries posted their first-ever wins on the WTA Tour at the Chennai Open, marking a significant milestone for Indian women's tennis. - NZ vs. India ODI series begins — a test for India's depleted pace attack
— India faces New Zealand in ODIs with limited pace-bowling resources, relying heavily on batting depth following the T20I series. - Ranji Trophy: Pradosh registers double century, Ajith Ram scores maiden first-class hundred
— Tamil Nadu's Pradosh and Ajith Ram put up a massive 571/7 declared against Chandigarh, reducing the hosts to 49/3 at stumps.
Appointments & Awards
- Justice Fathima Beevi, India's first female Supreme Court judge, passes away
— Justice M. Fathima Beevi, who made history as the first woman appointed to the Supreme Court of India (1989) and later served as Governor of Tamil Nadu, passed away. (Exam angle: Constitutional history, Supreme Court firsts, women in judiciary) - Padma Vibhushan awarded to Justice K.T. Thomas (posthumously/announced)
— Former Supreme Court judge K.T. Thomas, known for his independent judgments including on the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, was conferred the Padma Vibhushan. (Exam angle: Padma Awards, Supreme Court) - Padma Shri to J.S. Khehar noted for decisions contradicting government views
— Former Chief Justice of India J.S. Khehar (CJI 2017) was recognised with a Padma award; known for landmark judgments upholding judicial independence. (Exam angle: CJI history, Padma awards) - Prashanth Prakash awarded Padma Shri for contributions to India's startup ecosystem
— Venture capitalist Prashanth Prakash was recognised for his transformative role in building India's startup investment ecosystem. (Exam angle: Padma Shri, startup India)
International
- MEA monitors Bangladesh garment worker protests
— India's Ministry of External Affairs stated it is "following the situation" as garment workers in Bangladesh protest over wage demands, with paramilitary forces deployed amid reported violence; relevant given India-Bangladesh trade ties. - Spain Transport Minister offers resignation after deadly train crash
— Spain's Transport Minister offered to resign following a deadly rail accident, adding political pressure on PM Sanchez's government ahead of elections. - Top UN court (ICJ) to rule November 19 on Rohingya genocide case
— The ICJ will deliver its judgment in The Gambia vs. Myanmar case under the 1948 Genocide Convention; the ruling has implications for international humanitarian law.
- Quick Revision:
- 🔑 GST collections in October 2026 stood at ₹2.31 lakh crore — the second-highest ever, up 23% year-on-year, boosted by festive demand.
- 🔑 Justice Fathima Beevi — India's first female Supreme Court judge (appointed 1989), also former Governor of Tamil Nadu, passed away.
- 🔑 Tamil Nadu's BESS Policy targets 2,500 MW / 10,000 MWh of Battery Energy Storage System capacity to be procured by TNPDC over three years.