All daily digests
Daily DigestArchive
Current Affairs — Saturday, 7 November 2026
36 items
Tamil Nadu
- DVAC books former minister Duraimurugan in illegal sand mining case
— Duraimurugan cited as first accused in a multi-crore sand mining scam flagged by the ED; searches at 34 locations across Tamil Nadu uncovered 825 incriminating documents. (Anti-corruption, DVAC, ED jurisdiction) - CM Vijay reviews expanded free bus scheme for women
— Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay reviewed the expansion of the free bus travel scheme for women, signalling continuity and scaling-up of a flagship welfare measure. (State welfare schemes, gender policy) - TN government to launch health insurance for the elderly
— The state government announced a new health insurance scheme targeting senior citizens, to be introduced through the Tamil Nadu Assembly. (Social security, elderly welfare) - TN government to extend Free Breakfast Scheme to middle school students
— The scheme, originally launched for primary school students by the previous DMK government, will now cover middle school students under CM Vijay's administration. (Education welfare, government scheme expansion) - TN government enhances compensation for human-wildlife conflict victims
— Enhanced compensation now covers major injuries causing 20–60% incapacity, certified by District Medical Officer or a medical board. (Wildlife protection, compensation policy) - TN government disbands High-Level Committee on Union-State Relations
— Its mandate transferred to the State Law Commission via a Government Order dated November 6, 2026. (Centre-State relations, administrative restructuring) - TVK MLA's horse-trading complaint leads to arrest of former Madurai Deputy Mayor P.M. Mannan
— CCB registered a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and for criminal conspiracy; Mannan, now with AIADMK, was arrested and released on bail. (Anti-corruption law, Prevention of Corruption Act 1988)
India — National
- Supreme Court rules temporary and non-resident silk cotton cultivators ineligible under FRA Act (Agasthyamalai case)
— SC directed that such cultivators cannot claim protection under the Forest Rights Act in the Agasthyamalai conservation area. (Forest Rights Act 2006, environmental jurisprudence, SC judgment) - Centre mandates rice and paddy stock declaration amid price rise
— Union government allows five southern states to impose stock limits on rice and paddy to prevent hoarding. (Essential Commodities Act, food security, Centre-State powers) - Former CEC S.Y. Quraishi declares West Bengal election legally invalid
— He also reiterated that the Election Commission is mandated to take decisions by majority. (Election Commission of India, constitutional body, Art. 324) - Mirwaiz under house detention for sixth consecutive day, denied Friday prayers
— He had recently cited an International Crisis Group report on J&K, raising concerns about political prisoners and civil liberties. (J&K administration, civil liberties, Article 19) - Pakistan agrees to issue visa to Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann for World Punjabi Conference in Lahore
— Mann had announced his invitation on October 23; the conference is scheduled for November 27 in Lahore. (India-Pakistan relations, state-level diplomacy) - Supreme Court order on BBMB arrears settles Himachal Pradesh's 7.19% power share dispute
— CM Sukhu called the judgment a victory for Himachal Pradesh in a decades-old inter-state water/power dispute. (Beas-Sutlej inter-state water dispute, BBMB, SC jurisdiction) - EC re-opens window for electors left out of draft rolls in 7 States/UT
— Election Commission of India gives a fresh opportunity for voter registration to eligible citizens missed in the draft electoral rolls. (Electoral rolls, Art. 326, ECI)
Economy & Finance
- Extreme poverty in India halved to 2.6% in 2023, shows World Bank data
— India's extreme poverty rate fell sharply from approximately 5.2% the previous year, reflecting robust welfare delivery and economic growth. (Poverty measurement, SDG 1, World Bank report) - NPCI argues MDR charge necessary to sustain UPI ecosystem
— NPCI told the Supreme Court that zero MDR is no longer sustainable given growing security, resilience, and infrastructure demands of UPI. (UPI, digital payments, MDR policy, NPCI) - Mines Ministry launches ninth round of auctions for 20 critical mineral blocks
— Across eight previous tranches, 100 critical/strategic mineral blocks were offered; 64 have been successfully auctioned so far. (Critical minerals policy, mining auctions, mineral security) - ONGC Q2 net profit jumps 57% on higher crude and gas realisations
— ONGC declared an interim dividend of ₹8 per equity share alongside its Q2 results. (PSU performance, energy sector, dividend) - ADNOC signs 10-year LNG supply agreement with Gujarat Energy
— This is ADNOC's fifth long-term LNG supply deal with India, boosting energy security. (Energy diplomacy, LNG imports, India-UAE ties) - CBIC mandates immediate scrapping of GST arrests ahead of legal amendments
— CBIC issued eight circulars spelling out GST reform directives covering registration, notices, and arrest procedures. (GST reforms, CBIC, indirect taxation)
Science & Technology
- ISRO's NVS-03 navigation satellite declared fully healthy by Chairman V. Narayanan
— In-orbit payload testing to proceed as part of developing NavIC, India's indigenous GPS alternative; ISRO also recalled Indian scientists' role in the Axiom-4 mission. (NavIC, ISRO, satellite navigation) - India's VISTAR initiative shifts towards real-time, technology-driven statistical system
— Aimed at plugging statistical blind spots for a country targeting developed-nation status by 2047. (Statistical reforms, data governance, Viksit Bharat 2047) - Cellophane bees produce a natural biodegradable plastic-like material
— The nest lining of the ground-nesting bee is translucent, flexible, resilient and degrades within a year, offering insights for sustainable materials research. (Biodegradable materials, biomimicry) - University of Madras and Sutherland Global Services to collaborate on AI lab
— Partnership aims to establish an Artificial Intelligence laboratory, boosting academia-industry collaboration in Tamil Nadu. (AI education, academia-industry linkage)
Environment
- Budget 2026–27 sees 10% cut in air quality management outlay; pollution control also reduced
— Reduction in budget allocation for air quality and pollution control raises concerns about India's urban pollution commitments. (Environment budget, air pollution, climate policy) - Telangana draws up ₹20,000-crore project pipeline to climate-proof cities
— Plan includes bamboo shelters, cool roofs, waste reclamation, and policy measures to prepare cities for rising temperatures and erratic rainfall. (Climate adaptation, urban resilience, state climate policy) - Anthropocene noise pollution imposing fatal stress on 80% of wildlife species studied
— Analysis of 200+ experimental studies on 177 species across six continents found noise altered specific traits in 80% of animals studied. (Biodiversity, noise pollution, Anthropocene)
Sports
- Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja headline India-A's final red-ball game ahead of New Zealand tour
— Bumrah, returning after the Asian Games final on October 3, is being preserved for the red-ball leg of the New Zealand series. (Cricket, Test cricket preparation) - India beats Nepal comprehensively, wins by 10 wickets in U-19/junior tournament
— India coasted to 129/0 in 19.1 overs; Nepal had slipped to 51/4 at one stage; Jr Sehwag and Lakshya starred. (Junior cricket, India's campaign opener) - Indian skeet shooters fail to reach individual medal rounds or team podium
— India's skeet shooting contingent also missed out on securing an Olympic quota place for the 2028 Los Angeles Games. (Shooting, LA 2028 quota)
Appointments & Awards
- Justice Fathima Beevi, India's first woman Supreme Court judge, passes away
— Justice Fathima Beevi was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1989 and was later awarded the Padma Bhushan for her historic contributions to the Indian judiciary. (First woman SC judge, Padma Bhushan, judicial history) - K. Parasaran conferred Padma Vibhushan
— Noted senior advocate and former Attorney General of India K. Parasaran received India's second-highest civilian honour. (Padma awards, legal luminaries) - Former CJI J.S. Khehar noted for Padma award; known for decisions contradicting government views
— Khehar's tenure as Chief Justice was marked by landmark judgments that often went against the executive's position. (CJI, Padma award, judicial independence)
International
- Iran reviewing proposals on nuclear programme; bridge deal under discussion
— Mediators and Iran have discussed a potential bridge deal to pave the way for further talks on Tehran's nuclear programme, according to regional officials. (Iran nuclear deal, non-proliferation, India's energy security angle) - Trump replaces Susie Wiles with Stephen Miller as White House Chief of Staff after GOP midterm defeat
— Democrats' midterm victories also triggered a wave of resignations at the U.S. Justice Department and caused a $2.5 trillion wipeout on the Nasdaq 100. (US politics, global markets, AI sector impact) - Marshall Islands-flagged tanker attacked in Gulf; sailor killed as Iran-linked tensions escalate
— The Velos Sapphire was sailing to Bahrain empty of cargo when attacked on November 5; Iran cited tankers on fire. (Gulf security, maritime threat, India's energy import route)
- Quick Revision:
- 🔹 Justice Fathima Beevi — India's first woman Supreme Court judge (appointed 1989), passed away; posthumously honoured with Padma Bhushan
- 🔹 World Bank data: India's extreme poverty rate halved to 2.6% in 2023; ISRO's NVS-03 (NavIC satellite) declared fully healthy by Chairman V. Narayanan
- 🔹 DVAC booked former TN minister Duraimurugan as first accused in illegal sand mining scam; searches at 34 locations yielded 825 incriminating documents