UPSC current affairs, 26 October–1 November 2026

The Ministry of Home Affairs (30 Oct) notified the schedule for Census 2027's population enumeration: house-to-house counting from 25 January to 28 February 2027 in most States, with 00:00 hours on 1 March 2027 as the reference date. Goa, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and parts of Uttarakhand count earlier, and snow-bound areas used 1 October 2026.

For Prelims (Ref date 1 Mar 2027):

The Census is Entry 69 of the Union List and is conducted under the Census Act, 1948 by the Registrar General and Census Commissioner (Ministry of Home Affairs). Census 2027 will be India's first fully digital census and will enumerate caste beyond SCs and STs for the first time since Independence.

For Mains:

Use in GS1/GS2 answers on population data and federalism: the count will feed delimitation (Articles 82 and 170), Finance Commission formulas and the targeting of welfare schemes.

Full story: Daily Brief, 1 Nov →

The Supreme Court allowed Maharashtra's remaining local body polls to go ahead under an interim arrangement, while the OBC quota and the 50% reservation ceiling await its final decision.

For Prelims (Art 243D · triple test):

Article 243D reserves panchayat seats for SCs and STs in proportion to their population, and clause (6) lets the State Legislature reserve seats for backward classes. The Supreme Court (K. Krishna Murthy, 2010; Vikas Kishanrao Gawali, 2021) requires a 'triple test' for OBC quotas and an overall cap of 50%.

For Mains:

Treat the 50% cap as a judicially evolved limit and link it to federalism, social justice and timely elections: long delays leave local bodies without elected heads.

Full story: Daily Brief, 31 Oct →

Recent elections to 28 Legislative Council seats in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra and Karnataka have put State second chambers back in focus: how a Council is created, composed and kept subordinate to the Assembly.

For Prelims (Art 169 · Art 171):

Under Article 169, Parliament creates or abolishes a Council by law after the State Assembly passes a resolution by special majority; such a law is not an amendment under Article 368. Article 171 caps a Council at one-third of the Assembly's strength, with at least 40 members. Six States have Councils: Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra and Karnataka.

For Mains:

Use in GS2 answers on State legislatures: weigh the Council's role in revision and in representing graduates, teachers and local bodies against the charge that it is costly and can be used to delay.

Full story: Daily Brief, 1 Nov →

Sukhna Wetland (Chandigarh) and Sauj Jheel (Uttar Pradesh) were designated Wetlands of International Importance earlier in October, taking India's Ramsar sites to 103; the Brief asked whether designation alone protects wetlands.

For Prelims (Sukhna · Sauj Jheel):

The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands was signed in 1971 at Ramsar, Iran; India became a party in 1982. The Montreux Record lists Ramsar sites whose ecological character is under threat; in India these are Keoladeo National Park and Loktak Lake.

For Mains:

Designation is not protection: use in GS3 answers on wetland conservation with the 'wise use' principle and the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017.

Full story: Daily Brief, 26 Oct →

ISRO's GSLV-F18 placed NVS-03, the third satellite of NavIC's second-generation NVS series, in geosynchronous transfer orbit from Sriharikota (30 October).

For Prelims (NavIC · GSLV-F18):

NavIC (earlier IRNSS) is India's regional navigation system, covering India and about 1,500 km around it. The second-generation NVS satellites carry an indigenous atomic clock (alongside procured ones) and add an L1 signal to the L5 and S bands. NVS-02 (January 2025) could not reach its intended orbit after a valve failure.

For Mains:

Use in GS3 answers on space technology and strategic autonomy: an independent positioning system matters for defence, disaster response and critical infrastructure.

Full story: Daily Brief, 1 Nov →

The World Bank's October 2026 Poverty and Equity Brief estimates that India's extreme poverty (US$3 a day, 2021 PPP) fell from 27.1% in 2011 to 2.6% in 2023, while noting that job growth has not come with matching wage growth.

For Prelims ($3/day · 2021 PPP):

Since June 2025 the World Bank's international (extreme) poverty line is US$3.00 a day at 2021 purchasing power parity, up from US$2.15 at 2017 PPP. India's national Multidimensional Poverty Index is published by NITI Aayog.

For Mains:

Use in GS3 answers on inclusive growth: falling extreme poverty sits alongside large numbers just above the line, so the next test is wages and jobs, not only transfers.

Full story: Daily Brief, 1 Nov →

Cyclone Arnab crossed the Andhra Pradesh–Yanam coast near Kakinada on 28 October 2026; its heavy rain then caused flooding and a landslide in southern Odisha (Ganjam, Gajapati).

For Prelims (Post-monsoon cyclones):

The Bay of Bengal has a second cyclone season after the monsoon (October–December). The name Arnab was suggested by Bangladesh for the WMO/ESCAP Panel's North Indian Ocean list.

For Mains:

Use to show how a post-monsoon cyclone's damage shifts after landfall from wind to rivers and landslides, and why early warning and shelters must reach inland and hill villages, not only the coast.

Full story: Daily Brief, 31 Oct →

The Labour Ministry constituted National Social Security Boards for unorganised workers and for gig and platform workers under the Code on Social Security, 2020, both chaired by the Union Labour Minister.

For Prelims (Code on Social Security):

The Code on Social Security, 2020 is the first Indian law to define gig workers and platform workers. It lets the Centre frame social security schemes for them, funded partly by aggregators at 1–2% of their annual turnover (capped at 5% of what they pay such workers).

For Mains:

Use in GS2/GS3 answers on labour reform and the gig economy: a board and a scheme framework exist; registration, portability and enforcement on aggregators are the tests.

Full story: Daily Brief, 1 Nov →

The Union Cabinet approved the PM Viksit Gram Swaraj Yojana, a Centrally Sponsored Scheme for 2026-27 to 2030-31 with an outlay of ₹7,395.55 crore to strengthen panchayat governance.

For Prelims (Panchayats · CSS):

Part IX of the Constitution (73rd Amendment, 1992) sets up the three-tier panchayat system; Article 243G and the Eleventh Schedule (29 subjects) guide devolution of functions. 'Panchayats' is a State List subject.

For Mains:

Use in GS2 answers on decentralisation: schemes can build panchayat capacity, but real autonomy needs funds, functions and functionaries devolved by States.

Full story: Daily Brief, 1 Nov →