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26 October 2026

22 developments → 7 GS areas → 20 minutes · all editions · Read in: English · हिन्दी · ಕನ್ನಡ · தமிழ் · മലയാളം · मराठी · বাংলা · ગુજરાતી · ଓଡ଼ିଆ · ਪੰਜਾਬੀ

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Today's 20-minute UPSC session

26 October 2026 · read the priority topics, take the test, revise what you missed

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Today's UPSC priority

5 topics you cannot afford to miss — and why

  1. Feral dogs a major threat to vultures in the Thar desert, study findsEnvironment · asked in UPSC 2012; factual, Prelims-type
  2. Dakshin Gangotri: how India set up its first Antarctic baseScience & Tech · asked in UPSC 2015; factual, Prelims-type
  3. Form-7 row: first inquiry under the Representation of the People Act in ChittapurPolity · factual, Prelims-type
  4. PM inaugurates RBI Data Centre and Cybersecurity Training Institute in BhubaneswarEconomy · factual, Prelims-type
  5. India-US interim trade deal stuck over tariffsEconomy · factual, Prelims-type
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Personalise: exam · Prelims / Mains · subject
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Read

Must read 5 · Important 8 · Quick scan 9

High Prelims + Mains value · PYQ-linked · read fully

EnvironmentGAPrelims ★★★★★ Mains ★★☆☆☆

Vultures vanished after one painkiller; now feral dogs threaten Thar's survivors: the diclofenac conservation case for GS3

Feral dogs a major threat to vultures in the Thar desert, study finds

వార్తల్లో ఎందుకు? Study names feral dogs as a threat to Thar vultures.

ప్రిలిమ్స్ Statement: Veterinary use of diclofenac was the main cause of the collapse of Gyps vulture populations in India.

మెయిన్స్ GS3 (Environment): species conservation. Diclofenac nearly wiped out India's vultures, and a ban on its veterinary use addressed one threat; the Thar …

🔁 PYQ · UPSC 2012Read · 2 min →Test
Science & TechGAPrelims ★★★★★ Mains ★★☆☆☆

Three Antarctic stations, one came first: the Dakshin Gangotri, Maitri, Bharati order Prelims tests

Dakshin Gangotri: how India set up its first Antarctic base

వార్తల్లో ఎందుకు? A film revisits the setting up of India's first Antarctic station, Dakshin Gangotri.

ప్రిలిమ్స్ Dakshin Gangotri was India's first scientific base in Antarctica, established in the early 1980s.

మెయిన్స్ GS3 Science and Technology: India's polar research. Issue: sustaining a scientific presence in Antarctica since the early 1980s; policy: the progressi…

🔁 PYQ · UPSC 2015Read · 2 min →Test
PolityGAPrelims ★★★★☆ Mains ★★★☆☆

Form 6, 7 or 8? The electoral roll forms every Polity aspirant must tell apart

Form-7 row: first inquiry under the Representation of the People Act in Chittapur

వార్తల్లో ఎందుకు? First inquiry begins in the Form-7 bulk objections row at Chittapur.

ప్రిలిమ్స్ Article 324 vests the superintendence, direction and control of the preparation of electoral rolls in the Election Commission of India.

మెయిన్స్ GS2 (Polity – elections): Bulk Form-7 objections raise the issue of misuse of the deletion process, which threatens the integrity of electoral rolls a…

EconomyGAPrelims ★★★★☆ Mains ★★★☆☆

Which city now hosts RBI's new data centre? The Bhubaneswar cyber-security facts GS3 banking questions test

PM inaugurates RBI Data Centre and Cybersecurity Training Institute in Bhubaneswar

వార్తల్లో ఎందుకు? RBI's new data centre and cybersecurity training institute opened in Bhubaneswar.

ప్రిలిమ్స్ The Reserve Bank of India was established in 1935 under the RBI Act, 1934, and is headquartered in Mumbai.

మెయిన్స్ GS3 (Economy, Internal Security): Rising digital payments and cyber threats make banking infrastructure a critical asset. RBI's regulatory directions …

EconomyGAPrelims ★★★★☆ Mains ★★★☆☆

Why an 18 per cent tariff is stalling the India-US interim deal: the GS2 and GS3 trade angle

India-US interim trade deal stuck over tariffs

వార్తల్లో ఎందుకు? India-US interim trade deal stalls over the 18 per cent tariff rate.

ప్రిలిమ్స్ An interim trade agreement covers limited areas such as tariff cuts on select goods, as a step towards a comprehensive Bilateral Trade Agreement.

మెయిన్స్ GS2 (Bilateral relations) and GS3 (External trade): the stalled interim deal shows how tariff rates and domestic politics in both countries shape nego…

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Know the fact and the angle · 1 minute each

EconomyGAPrelims ★★★★☆ Mains ★★★☆☆

RBI lends Rs 1.5 lakh crore for just four days: repo versus reverse repo, explained for GS3

RBI conducts 4-day Variable Rate Repo auction

వార్తల్లో ఎందుకు? RBI injects liquidity through a Rs 1.5 lakh crore four-day VRR auction.

ప్రిలిమ్స్ Under the Liquidity Adjustment Facility, a repo operation injects liquidity into the banking system while a reverse repo operation absorbs it.

మెయిన్స్ GS3 (Economy): Liquidity management is central to monetary policy transmission. The RBI uses LAF instruments such as VRR auctions to keep short-term r…

EnvironmentGAPrelims ★★★★☆ Mains ★★☆☆☆

Which cyclone grade is 'very severe'? The IMD wind-speed ladder every Geography and disaster-management answer needs

Bay of Bengal depression set to intensify into a very severe cyclonic storm

వార్తల్లో ఎందుకు? IMD warns of a very severe cyclone crossing the Andhra coast around 28 October.

ప్రిలిమ్స్ Statement: A 'very severe cyclonic storm' under IMD classification has sustained winds of 64-89 knots, higher than a 'severe cyclonic storm' and lower than an 'extremely severe cyclonic storm'.

మెయిన్స్ GS1 (physical geography) and GS3 (disaster management): the Bay of Bengal's warm waters make the east coast highly cyclone-prone, so early warning, cl…

EnvironmentGAPrelims ★★★★☆ Mains ★★☆☆☆

Who runs the Global Forest Resources Assessment? FAO's stocktake plus the Aravalli Green Wall, for GS3

Global Forest Resources Assessment and the Aravalli Green Wall

వార్తల్లో ఎందుకు? Quick scan: FAO publishes the FRA; the Aravalli Green Wall is an afforestation project.

ప్రిలిమ్స్ The Global Forest Resources Assessment is published periodically by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.

మెయిన్స్ GS3 (Environment): land degradation and desertification are driven by deforestation, mining and urban pressure on fragile ranges like the Aravallis. A…

International RelationsGAPrelims ★★★★☆ Mains ★★★☆☆

Which strait ends the Arctic shortcut India and Russia will test in 2027? A GS2 geography-plus-IR pairing

India and Russia plan pilot voyages on the Northern Sea Route in 2027

వార్తల్లో ఎందుకు? India and Russia to run pilot voyages on the Arctic Northern Sea Route in 2027.

ప్రిలిమ్స్ The Northern Sea Route runs along Russia's Arctic coast from the Kara Strait to the Bering Strait.

మెయిన్స్ GS2 (International Relations) and GS1 (Geography): the Arctic route offers a shorter link between Asia and Europe, which makes it relevant to India's …

International RelationsGAPrelims ★★★★☆ Mains ★★★☆☆

A Nobel Peace laureate returns from exile to a contested democracy: the Latin America question GS2 keeps asking

Nobel laureate Maria Corina Machado returns to Venezuela after exile

వార్తల్లో ఎందుకు? Venezuela's opposition leader Machado returns home after months abroad.

ప్రిలిమ్స్ The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded by the Norwegian Nobel Committee, and the ceremony is held in Oslo.

మెయిన్స్ GS2 (International Relations – Latin America): Venezuela's contested democracy and the opposition's return from exile raise questions of electoral leg…

Science & Tech
Science & TechGAPrelims ★★★★☆ Mains ★★☆☆☆

Who tells states how to plan data centres? NITI Aayog's Frontier Tech Hub framework for GS3

NITI Aayog's Frontier Tech Hub releases Data Centre Evaluation Framework

వార్తల్లో ఎందుకు? NITI Aayog framework helps states evaluate and plan data centres sustainably.

ప్రిలిమ్స్ The Frontier Tech Hub is part of NITI Aayog, not of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

మెయిన్స్ GS3 (Science & Technology, Infrastructure): data centres are the backbone of digital services and AI, yet states compete for them without a common yar…

Science & Tech
Science & TechGAPrelims ★★★★☆ Mains ★★☆☆☆

A string theorist wins a medal from Stockholm, not Oslo: the Oskar Klein Medal facts for Science awards

String theory pioneer Ashoke Sen wins Oskar Klein Medal

వార్తల్లో ఎందుకు? Ashoke Sen receives the Oskar Klein Medal for physics.

ప్రిలిమ్స్ The Oskar Klein Medal is awarded by Stockholm University in association with the Nobel Committee for Physics of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

మెయిన్స్ GS3 (Science and Technology): recognition of Indian theoretical physicists reflects the strength of India's fundamental research. Issue: basic science…

Science & TechGAPrelims ★★★★☆ Mains ★★☆☆☆

One in 11 high-risk patients had it: melioidosis, the Burkholderia pseudomallei disease for GS2 Health

Melioidosis may be going undetected in India, study finds

వార్తల్లో ఎందుకు? A study flags under-detection of the deadly bacterial infection melioidosis.

ప్రిలిమ్స్ Melioidosis is a bacterial infection caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei, found in soil and water.

మెయిన్స్ GS2 (Health) and GS3 (Biotechnology): an under-recognised environmental bacterial disease is probably going undetected because of weak diagnostics and…

Next: Quick scan →

⚡ Quick facts 20

One line each · the facts exams ask

  1. ReportThe RBI Bulletin for October 2026 says data point to a broad-based increase in food prices.
  2. ReportForeign portfolio investors withdrew Rs 48,056 crore from Indian equities in October so far.
  3. SchemeThe RBI's four-day Variable Rate Repo auction of 26 October 2026 had a notified amount of Rs 1,50,000 crore.
  4. SchemeNHAI guidelines require at least one universally accessible toilet at each covered toll plaza, with QR code-based citizen feedback.
  5. WorldIndia and Russia are marking the 80th anniversary of their bilateral ties.
  6. WorldCuba is seeking support for its UN General Assembly resolution against the US economic blockade.
  7. ReportThe 5th Kautilya Economic Conclave heard a call for light-touch, risk-proportionate regulation from Rajiv Gauba.
  8. ReportNITI Aayog and the Indian Statistical Institute, Delhi Centre, published a study on national parameters for appraising public investment projects in October 2026.
  9. SchemeNITI Aayog held a National Workshop on SDG Budgeting in Kolkata with the West Bengal government and UNDP.
  10. SchemeThe National Urban Conference 2026 concluded with practical suggestions on urban governance for Viksit Bharat 2047.
  11. ReportThe RBI issued directions on minimum capital requirements for operational risk for commercial banks.
  12. SportsShadab and Rauf added a record 89-run last-wicket stand as Pakistan beat England.
  13. SportsAround 2,000 runners took part in the Kashmir marathon, and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah called it a boost to sports tourism.
  14. ReportThe FAO publishes the Global Forest Resources Assessment, the periodic worldwide stocktake of forests.
  15. AppointedVice-President C.P. Radhakrishnan is to visit Andhra Pradesh on 26-27 October.
  16. KarnatakaThe Karnataka Cabinet will discuss a proposal to set up a Buddhist university.
  17. KarnatakaThe Channavrushabhendra Irrigation Project for the Kittur region is estimated to cost Rs 520 crore.
  18. KarnatakaB-SMILE has floated tenders for three toll-free flyovers in Bengaluru costing Rs 1,320 crore.
  19. KarnatakaThe KEA will hold Kalyana Karnataka cadre recruitment exams in November 2026.
  20. KarnatakaBengaluru's e-khata open houses are set to resume from 31 October.

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🧠 పరీక్ష · 5 MCQ

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PYQ connections · weekly & monthly tests · past editions

🔁 Today's PYQ connections (2)

Feral dogs a major threat to vultures in the Thar desert, study finds
🔁 PYQ CONNECTION · UPSC 2012

Vultures which used to be very common in Indian countryside some years ago are rarely seen nowadays. This is attributed to

Dakshin Gangotri: how India set up its first Antarctic base
🔁 PYQ CONNECTION · UPSC 2015

The term 'IndARC', sometimes seen in the news, is the name of

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