UPSC Current Affairs 21 October 2026

• Host Country & Dates: Hosted by Japan across Nagoya and the Aichi Prefecture from October 18–24, 2026.
• Official Mascot: Uzumin.
• Official Motto: "Imagine One Heart"—symbolising unity, passion, and the power of sport.
• Scale: Features around 3,000 athletes from 45 National Paralympic Committees.
• Sports & Events: A total of 492 gold-medal events spanning 18 sports (19 disciplines).

• India’s approved contingent is 281 members: 168 athletes, 98 team officials/support staff, and 15 contingent staff.
• India is fielding athletes across 11 disciplines, with para-athletics expected to be the largest medal contributor.
• Pramod Bhagat (para badminton) and Simran Sharma (para athletics) were India’s flag-bearers at the opening ceremony; Simran replaced para table-tennis player Bhavina Patel to allow her rest before her quarter-final.
• India’s target is to improve upon Hangzhou 2022, where it finished with 111 medals—29 gold, 31 silver and 51 bronze. Female athletes had contributed 40 of those medals, or 36% of the tally.

• Medal Tally: India has crossed 44 medals, consisting of 12 Gold, 14 Silver, and 18 Bronze, moving up to 5th place in the overall standings.
• Flag-Bearers: Para-badminton star Pramod Bhagat and para-athlete Simran Sharma led the Indian contingent during the Opening Ceremony.
• Key Gold Medallists:
  • Deepthi Jeevanji: Successfully defended her 400m T20 title with a new Asian Para Games record time of 56.36 seconds.
  • Nishad Kumar: Claimed two Gold medals at these games (Long Jump T47 and High Jump T47).
  • Sachin Khilari & Ayush Verma: Won Gold medals in Shot Put events on Wednesday morning, extending India's athletics dominance.
  • Mona Agarwal: Opened India's gold tally in the Women's 10m Air Rifle Standing SH1 event.
• Podium Dominance: Indian athletes swept all three podium spots in both the Men's Discus Throw F44/64 (led by Devender Kumar) and the Men's Shot Put F46 (led by Sachin Khilari).

• Anatomical Origin: The species name tridentata is derived from Latin, referring directly to its most striking anatomical feature—three distinct teeth on its facial plate.

• Size: The examined male specimen is extremely small, measuring approximately 3.9 millimetres in length.
• Coloration: It features a brilliant, metallic green head and thorax contrasted against copper-brown eyes and unique abdominal markings.
• The "Trident" Clypeus: The clypeus (a shield-like plate on the front of its face) features three distinct teeth, where the middle tooth is visibly longer than the two side teeth.
• Asymmetrical Jaws: It has heterodont (asymmetrical) mandibles, carrying four teeth on its right jaw and three teeth on its left jaw.
• Wing Structure: It possesses an unusually elongated marginal wing vein, separating it from closely related wasps like Homoporus subniger.

• Location: The defining specimens were swept and collected from grassland vegetation directly on the University of Kashmir campus in Srinagar.
• Methodology: Collected during field surveys, the micro-wasps were later meticulously analyzed under specialized microscopes using high-precision photographic and geometric measurements at SKUAST-K.

• Natural Pest Control: Wasps belonging to the Homoporus genus act as natural parasitoids. They safely control populations of agricultural and forestry pests by targeting and laying eggs inside pest larvae and pupae.
• Himalayan Biodiversity: This find emphasizes that the insect life across the high-altitude Himalayan region remains largely unexplored and holds massive potential for future ecological research.

• Meaning of ‘Chitta’: In Punjab, "Chitta" (literally translating to 'white') is the popular slang term for synthetic and highly addictive drugs, primarily adulterated heroin and similar chemical narcotics that have plagued the state for years.
• Symbolism of the Effigy: Treating "Chitta" as the modern-day Ravana signifies that drug addiction is currently the greatest evil destroying lives in the state. The burning of the effigy symbolizes a collective vow to eliminate this social demon.
• The 2029 Drug-Free Pledge: While burning the effigy, Home Minister Amit Shah pledged a definitive timeline, declaring that the central government aims to completely eradicate the drug trade and make Punjab drug-free by December 31, 2029.
• Support for Anti-Drug Activists: Ahead of the event, Shah met with the families of local anti-drug activists (including Parvinder Singh Jhota) who lost their lives fighting narcotics. He pressed the state government to hand over remaining drug-related murder investigations to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
• Political Context & History:
  • The concept of "Chitta Ravana" is not entirely new; it was first introduced as a political protest tool in 2016 by Congress leaders (including Ravneet Singh Bittu, who is now with the BJP) to target the then SAD-BJP government over the drug crisis.
  • Its revival in 2026 serves as a tool for the current opposition alliance (BJP) to attack the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government for its alleged failure to completely halt the narcotics trade.
• Public Helpline Drive: As part of this renewed anti-drug campaign, citizens are being actively urged to report drug trafficking and trade networks using the official Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) toll-free helpline.

• First-of-Its-Kind Data: The processed images provide unprecedented data on the propagation direction and velocity of Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) along the critical Sun-Earth line—information that was completely unavailable until now.
• Exclusive Capability: At present, the VELC is the only instrument globally capable of producing such visible-wavelength Doppler images from the strategic L1 Lagrange point.
• Development Team: The critical processing software that converted raw data into these velocity images was designed by Dr. V. Muthupriyal and her team at IIA, with the technical findings published in the peer-reviewed The Astrophysical Journal.

• The Sound Analogy: Much like how a train horn sounds high-pitched as it approaches a station platform and drops in pitch as it moves away, light waves shift frequency based on motion.
• Tracking Solar Plasma: The VELC acts as a highly sensitive spectrometer. It tracks the line-of-sight velocity of high-temperature plasma exploding from the Sun.
• Directional Mapping:
  • Blueshift (Negative Velocity): Indicates hot solar plasma moving towards the observer (Earth).
  • Redshift (Positive Velocity): Indicates plasma moving away from the observer.

• Predicting Direct Hits: Powerful solar eruptions like CMEs blast massive clouds of energetic plasma and magnetic fields into space. Knowing their exact trajectory helps determine if they will strike Earth or fly harmlessly past it.
• Critical Mitigation: By knowing a CME's speed and direction early on, scientists can better predict geomagnetic storms. This allows operators to protect near-Earth satellites, communications networks, global GPS systems, and power grids from catastrophic disruption.

• The L1 Advantage: Stationed around the Sun-Earth Lagrange Point 1 (L1), the satellite enjoys a continuous, unobstructed view of the Sun without Earth's shadow or occultation getting in the way.
• Data Sharing: These newly generated velocity maps will be systematically released to the global scientific community by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to accelerate global space weather forecasting models.

• Definition: A fatal plant disease characterized by the rotting of the terminal bud (the growing point) and its surrounding tissues in palm trees.
• Causal Organism: It is caused by the destructive fungus-like pathogen Phytophthora palmivora.
• Target Plants: It primarily targets coconut palms, arecanut palms, and occasionally other crops like cannabis (caused by different fungi like Botrytis).
• Vulnerability: While palms of all ages can be affected, young palms and seedlings are the most vulnerable.

• Weather Conditions: The disease is highly active during the monsoon season due to low atmospheric temperatures and high relative humidity.
• Dormancy: During dry weather, the fungus becomes less severe and lies dormant in the leaf base until the next wet spell.
• Geography: It is frequently observed in river banks and low-lying areas prone to flooding.
• Physical Triggers: Damage to the tree spindle caused by heavy monsoon winds or Rhinoceros beetle attacks creates open wounds, allowing the fungus to infect the plant easily.

• In Seedlings: The earliest sign is the yellowing of one or two younger leaves.
• In Adult Palms: The central "spear leaf" turns pale, loses its natural color, bends at the base, and hangs down.
• The "Slimy Mass": The internal tissue of the crown decomposes into a foul-smelling, slimy, decayed mass.
• Easy Pull-Out: The central spindle becomes so rotten that it can be easily pulled out of the crown with a gentle tug.
• Fatal Endpoint: The rotting slowly moves downward, destroying the meristem (growing tissue). Once the growing point is dead, the entire crown falls off and the tree dies.

• Sanitation: Clear out the rotted tissue using a sickle or knife and burn the infected debris to prevent the fungus from spreading to neighbouring trees.
• Chemical Treatment: Apply a thick Bordeaux paste or copper-based fungicide directly to the treated wound.
• Protection: Wrap the treated area with a polythene sheet to stop rain from washing away the fungicide until a new bud emerges.
• Prophylactic Spraying: Spray neighbouring, healthy palms with a 1% Bordeaux mixture or copper oxychloride as a preventative measure before and during the wet season.

• Objective: Provide structured purity assurance and official hallmarking for silver bullion and coins across India.
• Model: It is modelled on BIS’s existing Gold Refinery Scheme.
• Eligible entities: Silver refineries and mints that meet BIS requirements.
• Licensing: BIS will license qualified refineries/mints after assessing technical competence, refining processes and testing infrastructure.
• Hallmark authorization: Licensed facilities can apply the official BIS hallmark to conforming silver bullion and coins.

Silver product	Recognized fineness/purity
Fine silver bullion and coins	999.9 parts per thousand (ppt)
Fine silver bullion and coins	999.5 ppt
Fine silver bullion and coins	999.0 ppt

• The BIS Standard Mark
• The word “SILVER”
• The purity grade: 999.9, 999.5 or 999.0
• The manufacturer’s identification mark
• A unique serial number for batch-level traceability

• The standard prescribes rigorous sampling and testing protocols to determine silver content in bullion and coins.
• Approved analytical methods include:
  • Gravimetric testing — IS 2113
  • ICP-OES difference method — IS 16900 / ISO 15096
  • Spark-OES difference method — IS 19563 / ISO 18214

• NCAP Cities: The drive places a strategic focus on 130 cities listed under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) to tackle high pollution baselines.
• Community Engagement: Grassroots networks are being activated, targeting educational institutions (schools and colleges), Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs), and local communities.
• Pledge Drives: Schools and groups are actively hosting pledge drives through morning assemblies, classes, rallies, and local community meetings.

• Zero Firecrackers: Saying an absolute 'no' to fireworks to prevent dangerous spikes in Particulate Matter (PM2.5 and PM10), toxic gases, and heavy metals.
• Traditional Lighting: Replacing electricity-heavy setups or plastic candles with traditional clay diyas or energy-efficient LED and solar lights.
• Plastic Ban: Completely avoiding single-use plastics for decorations, distribution, and packaging.
• Natural Decors: Replaced synthetic decorations with biodegradable alternatives, like rangolis crafted from flower petals, rice flour, and turmeric.
• Waste Management: Strictly segregating household festive waste at the source.
• Vocal for Local: Prioritising locally produced goods and eco-friendly gifts to significantly reduce carbon footprints and support local artisans.

• Carbon Footprint Survey: WWF-India has integrated an online Carbon Footprint Survey to let citizens calculate how their festive consumption translates to environmental pressure.
• Global Goals Alignment: The campaign directly supports India's international commitments to United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, specifically SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) and SDG 13 (Climate Action).

• Peak Strength: The storm rapidly intensified over exceptionally warm sea surface temperatures, reaching major Category 3 status with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph (195 kph).
• Recent Weakening: After peaking and lashing the coast over the weekend, the storm began weakening rapidly. It is projected to downgrade further into a post-tropical depression.
• Current Trajectory: The center of the storm is tracking northwest, moving away from the Mexican mainland and traveling south of the Baja California Peninsula.

• Regions Impacted: Severe weather has affected the Mexican states of Michoacán, Colima, and Jalisco.
• Government Warnings: The U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) and the Mexican Navy issued Hurricane Warnings spanning from Manzanillo in Colima to Cabo Corrientes in Jalisco.
• Naval Alerts: The Mexican Navy urged coastal residents and mariners to exercise extreme caution due to rough seas, high waves, and rising river levels.

• Heavy Rainfall: The system was forecast to dump 4 to 8 inches of rain across coastal states, with isolated spikes of up to 12 inches.
• Saturated Ground Risk: Because successive storms had already saturated the soil along the Pacific coast, authorities warned that additional downpours could easily trigger severe, life-threatening mudslides and flash floods, especially in steep terrains.

• Unusual Activity: Hurricane Trudy is part of an unusually active Pacific hurricane season characterized by stronger storms that are intensifying much quicker than average due to record-high ocean temperatures.
• Concurrent Storms: Meteorologists are simultaneously tracking other global systems, such as Typhoon Champi, which recently brought severe weather warnings to Guam and the Philippine Sea.

Download Pdf