(27/26 – Oct – 26)
- Delhi-Meerut Namo Bharat Corridor Wins Best Passenger Service Award at UMI 2026-
- The National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) has been conferred with the award for Metro Rail with the Best Passenger Service and Satisfaction for the Delhi–Meerut Namo Bharat corridor at the 19th Urban Mobility India (UMI) Conference and Expo 2026 held at Bhubaneswar,
Odisha. The company also bagged the first prize for being the best exhibitor for the second successive year. This recognition is a testament to the passenger services offered in the corridor, along with the speed and integrated connectivity in the National Capital Region.
What Is the Urban Mobility India Conference?
- The Urban Mobility India (UMI) Conference and Exhibition is conducted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) in collaboration with the Institute of Urban Transport (India), with support from the host state government.
- The 19th conference was held at the Bhubaneswar, Odisha, on October 23–24, 2026, with the theme of “Urban Accessibility and Liveability in Digital
Age.”
2. Siang Upper Multipurpose Project: Why Arunachal Pradesh’s Proposed Mega-Dam Matters-
- The plan for an 11,200 MW multipurpose project called Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP) in Arunachal Pradesh has raised many controversies on issues related to national security, hydro power generation, and indigenous rights. The Central government sees the proposed project as one that can protect India from the huge hydro power plant that China is planning to construct on Yarlung Tsangpo which is the upper portion of the Brahmaputra. Members of the indigenous Adi group see the proposal as a threat to their lives and traditions.
What is the Siang Upper Multipurpose Project?
- The Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP) is a proposed large hydropower and water storage project located in Arunachal Pradesh. This particular project has been planned to be developed at different locations, such as Uggeng and Dite Dime, with capacities varying depending on the location.
- The National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC), a central public sector undertaking, has been mandated with conducting the pre-feasibility assessment of the project.
- Project: Siang Upper Multipurpose Project
- Abbreviation: SUMP
- Proposed capacity: Approximately 11,200 MW for the Dite Dime proposal
- State: Arunachal Pradesh
- Agency responsible for preparatory works: NHPC
- Objectives of the project: Hydropower production and water storage
- Current status: Conducting pre-feasibility assessment, as per state government
- Major opponents of the project: Members of the indigenous Adi community and other local organizations
3. Centre Permits E100 Ethanol Fuel in Flex-Fuel Vehicles Under Amended Motor Vehicle Rules-
- The MoRTH has made modifications in the Central Motor Vehicles Rules so as to permit E100 ethanol fuel to be used in vehicles specially designed and tested to run on E100 ethanol fuels. It aims at supporting India in its attempt to have a diverse source of transport fuel energy and reducing reliance on imported crude oil. Nonetheless, the modification is not an implication that E100 will work in any petrol engine.
What Is E100 Ethanol Fuel?
- E100 is a high ethanol content fuel that is meant for use in vehicles designed for the purpose. In fuel codes, the letter “E” means ethanol, while the figure represents the nominal percentage by volume.
- E100 is usually referred to as 100% ethanol, yet the actual chemical composition and permitted specifications may vary depending on the applicable standard. It is not the same as petrol and low-ethanol blends.
- Ethanol is an alcohol-based fuel that can be obtained from sugarcane, maize and many others. In India, it is closely related to agriculture and biofuel policies.
- Who Named Cyclone Arnab? Meaning and How Cyclones Are Named in India-
- The name Arnab, associated with the cyclone that originated over the Bay of Bengal in the October 2026, has highlighted the naming system given for the tropical cyclones in the North Indian Ocean. The name has been provided by the Bangladesh to the regional cyclone naming system operated by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP). It is the task of India’s Meteorological Department, based in New Delhi, to assign names to the qualifying cyclones in the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea.
4.Cyclone Arnab – Whose Name Is This?
- The name ‘Arnab’ for a tropical cyclone was suggested by Bangladesh. The list of names of tropical cyclones was prepared by WMO/ESCAP Panel on Tropical Cyclones in April 2020 for the region. The Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre in New Delhi of the IMD gives the name to a cyclone once it meets the required criteria.
- The name doesn’t refer to the country of origination, the direction of its course or the country where it is going to make a landfall. The name of a cyclone proposed by Bangladesh could be used for a storm affecting India or any other country in the region.
Meaning of the Name Arnab
- Arnab means sea or ocean in Bengali language. It is important to note that according to the official list of cyclone names, there is no formal definition of the name and only its pronunciation is listed. Hence, the meaning should be viewed from linguistic perspective.
- According to the IMD, the pronunciation of the cyclone’s name is “Ornab.”
- Ballon d’Or 2026: All You Need to Know About Football’s Most Prestigious Award –
- The 70th Ballon d’Or announced on 26th October 2026 at the London Palladium in London, United Kingdom for the best football player in the men’s and women’s categories for the 2025-2026 season. England and Bayern
Munich striker Harry Kane won the Men’s Ballon d’Or, and he finished ahead of Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal. Also, Spain’s Alexia Putellas won the Women’s Ballon d’Or for the third time. It is football’s most prestigious award, and players want to win this award to be recognised as the best football player in the world. It was created by the France Football in the year 1956 and it has been evolved from a European football award to one of the sport’s most prestigious individual honours. This ceremony is co-organised by the France Football and the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA).
5. What is the Ballon d’Or Award?
- It is an individual award created by the French magazine France Football in 1956, and it recognises the best men’s and Women’s football players based on their individual performance during the particular season.
- Over the nearly seven decades since its creation, the Ballon d’Or has been considered as the highest individual prize that a player can earn within the football world. The award was founded back in 1956 and it celebrates the talents who have shaped the beautiful game with their skills and successes.
MCQ Quiz
Q1. Operation Trident, the anti-narcotics crackdown recently in the news, was conducted across which three states?
a) Assam, Mizoram and Manipur
b) Nagaland, Manipur and Assam
c) Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya and Sikkim
d) Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim
Q2. Bangka Island, recently in news for the rediscovery of the Bangka slow loris, is located in which country?
a) Indonesia
b) China
c) Malaysia
d) Japan
Q3.What type of military system is ‘Nagastra-2’, recently inducted into the Indian armed forces?
a) Surface-to-air missile system
b) Indigenous loitering munition
c) Nuclear-powered submarine
d) Main battle tank
Q4. With reference to ‘Operation Trident’, which recently appeared in the news, consider the following statements:
- It was a multi-agency crackdown led by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) alongside state police forces and the Directorate of Enforcement (ED).
- The operation strictly focused on drug seizures at border checkpoints rather than targeting financial or hawala channels.
- The Government of India has set a target to eliminate all illegal drug networks in the country by December 31, 2029.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
a) 1 and 2 only
b) 1 and 3 only
c) 2 and 3 only
d) 1, 2, and 3
Explanation-
- Statement 1 is correct: Operation Trident was carried out on October 23, 2026, by 38 multi-agency teams executing simultaneous raids across 38 locations in Assam, Mizoram, and Manipur, led by the NCB in coordination with state police and the ED.
- Statement 2 is incorrect: A key paradigm shift of Operation Trident—aligned with the Vision Document on Narcotics Control (2026–2029)—is moving away from a purely seizure-centric approach toward a network-centric and financial disruption strategy. It uncovered ₹100 crore in hawala transactions, froze 1,424 bank accounts, and attached ₹17.82 crore in properties.
- Statement 3 is correct: The Union Home Ministry and government strategy explicitly reiterate the goal of eradicating every drug and narco-hawala network in India by December 31, 2029.
Q5. Consider the following statements regarding the Representation of the People Act (RPA), 1951:
- It was enacted by Parliament under Article 327 of the Indian Constitution.
- It regulates the actual conduct of elections, administrative machinery, and registration of political parties.
- An election petition to challenge an election can be filed directly before the Supreme Court of India within 45 days.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
a) 1 and 2 only
b) 2 only
c) 2 and 3 only
d) 1, 2, and 3
Explanation-
- Statement 1 is correct: The Representation of the People Act, 1951 was enacted by Parliament under Article 327 of the Indian Constitution to provide a detailed legal framework for elections to Parliament and State Legislatures.
- Statement 2 is correct: The 1951 Act primarily deals with the actual conduct of elections, setting up the administrative machinery, specifying qualifications and disqualifications of members, and providing for the registration of political parties under Section 29A (whereas the 1950 Act deals with electoral rolls and delimitation).
- Statement 3 is incorrect: Under Section 80-A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, the authority to resolve an election petition regarding elections to Parliament or State Legislatures is vested in the High Court of the respective state (exercising original jurisdiction), not the Supreme Court. The petition must be filed within 45 days from the date of the election results.