Daily Current Affairs Quiz 20th October, 2026 for Banking & Competitive Exams |

Daily Current Affairs: 20 October 2026

Q1. Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh represented India at the 25th Meeting of the Council of Heads of Government (CHG) of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. In which year did India officially become a full member state of the SCO?

(a) 2001

(b) 2015

(d) 2017

(e) 2023

Answer: d

Solution:

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visit Dushanbe, Tajikistan, to represent India at the 25th Meeting of the Council of Heads of Government (CHG) of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), scheduled for 19–20 October 2026.
The previous CHG meeting was held in Moscow, Russia, on 18 November 2025, where India was represented by External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is a permanent regional intergovernmental organisation officially established on 15 June 2001 in Shanghai, China.
The SCO was founded by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, evolving from the earlier Shanghai Five framework.
The SCO Charter was adopted in 2002 at a meeting of the Council of Heads of State in St. Petersburg, Russia, and came into force on 19 September 2003.
The organisation expanded with the admission of India and Pakistan in 2017, Iran in 2023 and Belarus in 2024, strengthening its presence across Eurasia.
The SCO follows the principle of the Shanghai Spirit, which emphasises mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, respect for cultural diversity and common development.
The official working languages of the SCO Secretariat are Russian and Chinese.
The permanent Secretariat of the SCO is located in Beijing, China, while the Executive Committee of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) is headquartered in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
The SCO’s principal decision-making body is the Council of Heads of State (CHS), which meets annually to determine the organisation’s priorities and address major issues.
According to the supplied source, as of August 2025, the SCO had 10 permanent member states and 17 SCO partners. At the 2025 SCO Summit, the earlier categories of observer states and dialogue partners were merged into a single category called SCO Partners, with Laos becoming the latest partner.

Q2. Ekta Vishnoi won three gold medals in the 57kg category at the World Masters Classic and Equipped Powerlifting Championships in Nevada, USA. Which civil service cadre does she belong to?

(a) Indian Administrative Service (IAS)

(b) Indian Foreign Service (IFS)

(d) Indian Police Service (IPS)

(e) Indian Audit and Accounts Service (IA&AS)

Answer: c

Solution:

Indian Revenue Service officer Ekta Vishnoi won three gold medals at the World Masters Classic and Equipped Powerlifting Championships held in Nevada, United States.
Competing in the 57 kg category, she recorded a combined lift of 362.5 kg, finishing ahead of competitors from Canada and Japan.
Vishnoi lifted 130 kg in the squat, 72.5 kg in the bench press and 160 kg in the deadlift.
She won gold medals in the squat, deadlift and overall total categories.
Vishnoi has previously led the Fit India Mission and served as Deputy Director General of the Sports Authority of India (SAI).

Q3. Indian para shooter Mona Agarwal won the gold medal in the women’s 10m Air Rifle Standing SH1 event at the 2026 Asian Para Games. What was her winning score, setting a new Asian Para Games record?

(a) 249.6 points

(b) 250.0 points

(c) 250.8 points

(d) 251.2 points

(e) 252.4 points

Answer: b

Solution:

Indian para-shooters Mona Agarwal and Avani Lekhara won gold and silver medals, respectively, in the women’s 10m Air Rifle Standing SH1 event at the 2026 Asian Para Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
Mona Agarwal won the gold medal with a score of 250 points, setting a new Asian Para Games record.
Agarwal surpassed the previous record of 249.6 points, established by Avani Lekhara at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Para Games.
Avani Lekhara secured the silver medal with 249.6 points, giving India a one-two finish in the event.

Q4. The Delhi Government approved the setting up of the ‘Go-Delhi Foundation’ to promote innovation, startups, and entrepreneurship in the capital. What is the initial budgetary outlay allocated for this foundation?

(a) ₹25 crore

(b) ₹50 crore

(d) ₹150 crore

(e) ₹200 crore

Answer: b

Solution:

The Delhi government has approved the establishment of the Go-Delhi Foundation to promote startups, innovation and entrepreneurship in the national capital.
The foundation aims to provide integrated support to young people, researchers and entrepreneurs to help transform their ideas into practical products and successful businesses.
The initiative will have an initial budgetary allocation of ₹50 crore.

Q5. Dr. Dhal Singh Bisen took the oath of office as the new Governor of which of the following State on 19 October 2026?

Uttar Pradesh
West Bengal
Uttarakhand
Odisha
Andhra Pradesh

Answer: c

Solution:

Dr. Dhal Singh Bisen took the oath of office and secrecy as the new Governor of Uttarakhand on 19 October 2026 at Lok Bhawan in Dehradun.
The oath was administered by the Chief Justice of the Uttarakhand High Court.

Q6. Maharashtra’s first automated ‘Annapurti Grain ATM’ was inaugurated to provide 24/7 subsidized food grain distribution under the Public Distribution System (PDS). In which district of Maharashtra was this first grain ATM launched?

(a) Pune

(b) Nagpur

(d) Nashik

(e) Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

Answer: d

Solution:

Maharashtra’s first advanced Annapurti Grain ATM was inaugurated in Nashik by State Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection Minister Chhagan Bhujbal.
The initiative aims to provide eligible beneficiaries with convenient access to food grains beyond the fixed operating hours of fair-price shops under the Public Distribution System (PDS).
The government aims to improve transparency in food-grain distribution, eliminate procedural errors and ensure that eligible beneficiaries receive their entitled rations.
The Grain ATM is particularly beneficial for people who cannot collect their rations during regular shop hours because of work commitments.
Of the three Grain ATMs planned across Maharashtra, the first has been launched in Nashik, while the other two are proposed for Nagpur and Thane.

Q7. Chief Justice of India Justice Surya Kant inaugurated the Ladakh Bench of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. In which city is this new permanent sitting bench located?

(a) Kargil

(b) Leh

(d) Diskit

(e) Nyoma

Answer: b

Solution:

Chief Justice of India Justice Surya Kant inaugurated the Ladakh Bench of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh in Leh.
The Central Government approved the establishment of the Ladakh Bench in August 2026.
Following this approval, the High Court selected Leh on 5 October 2026 as the location for holding court sittings in the Union Territory of Ladakh.
Before this development, the High Court had two benches, located in Srinagar and Jammu.

Q8. The BCCI’s Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) appointed former Indian cricketer Ramesh Powar to the Men’s Selection Committee. Who will chair this 5-member selection panel based on Test match seniority following Ajit Agarkar’s tenure?

(a) Shiv Sundar Das

(b) Jatin Paranjape

(d) Ajay Ratra

(e) Pragyan Ojha

Answer: e

Solution:

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has appointed former Indian cricketer Ramesh Powar to the Men’s Selection Committee following a unanimous recommendation by its Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC).
The CAC comprised Ashok Malhotra and Jatin Paranjape.
Pragyan Ojha is set to chair the Men’s Selection Committee based on seniority, determined by the number of Test matches played, as Ajit Agarkar’s tenure as chairman comes to an end.
The five-member selection committee comprises Pragyan Ojha, Shiv Sundar Das, R. P. Singh, Ajay Ratra and Ramesh Powar.
The committee is responsible for selecting India’s men’s cricket team.

Q9. Dushyant Kumar Gautam took the oath of office as the Governor of Sikkim at Lok Bhavan on 19 October 2026. Whom did he succeed as the 19th Governor of the state?

(a) Ganga Prasad

(b) Lakshman Prasad Acharya

(d) Gurmit Singh

(e) Banwarilal Purohit

Answer: c

Solution:

Dushyant Kumar Gautam took the oath of office as the Governor of Sikkim on 19 October 2026 at Lok Bhawan.
He succeeds Om Prakash Mathur as the 19th Governor of Sikkim.

Q10. India’s Paralympic medallist Nishad Kumar won the gold medal in the men’s long jump event at the 2026 Asian Para Games with a jump of 7.11m. In which classification category did he compete?

(a) T12

(b) T38

(d) T63

(e) F46

Answer: c

Solution:

India’s two-time Paralympic silver medallist Nishad Kumar won gold in the men’s T47 long jump event at the 2026 Asian Para Games.
He secured victory with a best jump of 7.11 metres, achieved on his first attempt.
The event marked his first international appearance in the long jump discipline, as he primarily competes in the high jump.
His victory secured India’s second gold medal at the 2026 Asian Para Games, according to the supplied report.