Daily Current Affairs and GK Updates (7th October, 2026) |

National Affairs

Narendra Modi Completes 25 Years as Head of Government

Prime Minister Narendra Modi completed 25 years as head of government on 7 October 2026.
He first became Chief Minister of Gujarat on 7 October 2001.
He became Prime Minister of India in 2014.
Union Cabinet passed a resolution congratulating him on the milestone.
The milestone marks 25 continuous years in leadership as head of a government.

India Now Has 11 Classical Languages

India’s total number of Classical Languages stands at 11.
Five languages added in 2024 were:
- Marathi
- Pali
- Prakrit
- Assamese
- Bengali
Earlier recognised Classical Languages were Tamil, Sanskrit, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Odia.
Tamil was the first Indian language to receive Classical Language status in 2004.

State Affairs

Uttarakhand Declared India’s Sixth Fully Literate State

Uttarakhand declared India’s sixth fully literate state.
The state reported an adult literacy rate of 98.70%.
Under the national framework, a state must achieve at least 95% functional literacy.
The achievement was made under the ULLAS initiative.
ULLAS stands for Understanding of Lifelong Learning for All in Society.
Around 25,000 volunteers supported the literacy campaign.

International Affairs

India and Ghana Exchange Two MoUs

India and Ghana exchanged two Memoranda of Understanding.
First MoU between Zoological Survey of India and University of Ghana.
Second MoU between ICAR and Ghana’s CSIR-Crops Research Institute.
Cooperation covers scientific research, academics, agriculture and capacity building.
Agreements were exchanged during External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s visit to Ghana.

Third Sagarmanthan Dialogue Begins in New Delhi

Third edition of Sagarmanthan: The Great Oceans Dialogue is being held from 7–9 October 2026.
Venue: New Delhi.
Theme: “Blue Geographies, New Aspirations: Trade, Technology, and Trust at Sea.”
More than 1,200 participants from nearly 75 countries are expected.
Organised by Observer Research Foundation and Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.
Key themes include blue economy, ocean governance, maritime trade and sustainable shipping.

Appointments News

Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit Appointed Next Chief of Air Staff

Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit appointed as the next Chief of the Air Staff.
He will assume charge on 31 October 2026.
He will succeed Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh.
The Chief of Air Staff is the professional head of the Indian Air Force.

Banking & Economy

RBI Hikes Repo Rate by 25 Basis Points to 5.50%

RBI’s Monetary Policy Committee raised the repo rate by 25 bps to 5.50%.
Decision taken at the 63rd MPC meeting held from 5–7 October 2026.
Meeting chaired by RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra.
Revised SDF rate: 5.25%.
Revised MSF rate: 5.75%.
Revised Bank Rate: 5.75%.
Policy stance changed to “Calibrated Tightening.”
RBI projected FY27 GDP growth at 7.1%.
FY27 CPI inflation forecast stands at 5.2%.

World Bank Raises India’s FY27 GDP Growth Forecast to 7.1%

World Bank raised India’s FY 2026-27 growth forecast to 7.1%.
Earlier forecast in April 2026 was 6.6%.
India recorded 7.8% GDP growth in Q1 FY27.
Private consumption is expected to remain the main growth driver.
Public investment, exports and infrastructure activity are also expected to support growth.

Defence

12th National Maritime Search and Rescue Exercise SAREX-2026

SAREX-2026 is the 12th National Maritime Search and Rescue Exercise.
Inaugurated on 7 October 2026 by Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth.
Organised by the Indian Coast Guard.
Major search-and-rescue demonstration scheduled off the Paradip coast on 8 October.
32 observers from 30 countries are participating.
Exercise includes Coast Guard ships, Navy ships, Dornier aircraft, helicopters and IAF aircraft.
A major scenario simulates an aircraft ditching at sea with 228 persons on board.

Science & Technology

10th India Mobile Congress 2026 Begins in New Delhi

10th edition of India Mobile Congress begins on 7 October 2026.
Venue: Yashobhoomi, New Delhi.
Event continues until 10 October 2026.
Theme: “Scale Without Boundaries.”
Major focus areas:
- 6G
- Artificial Intelligence
- Satellite communication
- Cybersecurity
- Semiconductors
- Quantum technology
- Cloud and edge computing
- DeepTech
Four pillars are Srishti, Samvardhan, Sashakt and Suraksha.

World Bank Ranks India Among Top 10 Emerging-Market AI Performers

World Bank ranked India among the top 10 emerging-market performers in AI readiness.
Report titled “India and Artificial Intelligence: Seizing the Development Opportunity.”
Private AI investment in India increased from USD 1.2 billion in 2024 to USD 4.1 billion in 2025.
Around 23% of Indian firms reported using AI.
India’s major strengths include technical talent, digital public infrastructure and a strong IT ecosystem.

Delhi Doubles Monthly Incentive for ASHA Workers

Delhi government doubled monthly incentive for ASHA workers from ₹3,000 to ₹6,000.
Around 6,690 ASHA workers will benefit.
Announcement made during ASHA Sammelan-2026 and ASHA Samman Samaroh.
Government also launched the Nursing Home Management System portal.
Mission ANMOL was expanded.
New SOTTO building was inaugurated at GB Pant Hospital.

JOSH Teams to Be Launched for TB Elimination

Health Ministry will launch JOSH Teams on 8 October 2026.
JOSH stands for Joint Squad for Health.
Initiative will be launched by Union Health Minister J. P. Nadda.
First phase will cover 55 districts across 11 states.
Focus areas include TB awareness, early diagnosis, treatment adherence and stigma reduction.
MY Bharat volunteers and NCC cadets will participate.

Awards & Honours

Mahesh Kakde Wins 2026 Ramanujan Prize

Indian mathematician Mahesh Kakde won the 2026 Ramanujan Prize for Young Mathematicians from Developing Countries.
He is a professor at IISc Bengaluru.
Recognised for contributions to algebraic number theory.
Major areas of work include:
- Iwasawa theory
- Gross-Stark conjecture
- Brumer-Stark conjecture
Prize carries a cash award of USD 10,000.

Henri B. Kagan and Kenso Soai Win Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2026

Henri B. Kagan and Kenso Soai jointly won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Awarded for discoveries related to asymmetric organic synthesis.
Official citation: discovery of non-linear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis.
Both laureates received a one-half share of the prize.
Prize awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

Sports

Novak Djokovic Wins 2026 China Open

Novak Djokovic won the 2026 China Open men’s singles title.
It was his seventh China Open title.
It was the 102nd tour-level title of his career.
He defeated Alex de Minaur after the Australian retired due to injury.
Djokovic became the oldest ATP 500 champion at age 39.
His China Open record improved to 34-0.

Carlos Alcaraz Wins 2026 Japan Open

Carlos Alcaraz won the 2026 Japan Open men’s singles title.
He defeated Jiri Lehecka 7-6(4), 6-4 in the final.
It was his second consecutive Japan Open title.
The title was his third of the 2026 season.
His career title tally increased to 27.

Smriti Mandhana Appointed Captain of Indian Women’s Cricket Team

Smriti Mandhana appointed as the new captain of the Indian Women’s Cricket Team.
She succeeds Harmanpreet Kaur, who stepped down from captaincy across formats.
Mandhana previously served as the team’s vice-captain.
She has captained India in 18 T20Is and 4 ODIs.
Harmanpreet Kaur will continue playing international cricket as a player.

Important Days

World Space Week 2026

World Space Week is observed from 4–10 October 2026.
Theme: “Rocket Revolution.”
4 October marks the launch of Sputnik 1 in 1957.
10 October marks the date the Outer Space Treaty entered into force in 1967.
The week highlights developments in reusable rockets, commercial spaceflight and new launch technologies.