05th November, 2026

1. Bihar Becomes First Indian State to Introduce Comprehensive Silt Management Policy, 2026
2. QS World University Rankings Asia 2027: The University of Hong Kong Tops; IIT Delhi Slips to 66th
3. SEBI Signs MoU with Digital India BHASHINI Division to Expand Regional-Language Services
4. IZI Enterprise Secures DRDO Order for Indigenous VANA Multi-Mission UAV Platform
5. World Tsunami Awareness Day 2026 – November 5
6. Greenland Approves Trilateral Security Agreement with Denmark and US
7. Collins Dictionary Names ‘Mogging’ as Word of the Year 2026
8. Uttarakhand to Observe November 28 as Disaster Management Day Every Year
9. India Re-Elected as President of International Solar Alliance for Third Consecutive Term
10. IndiaAI Mission Releases Indigenous AI Foundation Models EKA-1 and Dhīr 2B & 5B
11. Australian F1 World Champion Alan Jones Dies Aged 80
12. Sports Department Launches ‘Khelo Bharat’ Quiz on MY Bharat Portal; Entries Open Till November 20
13. Virat Kohli Surpasses Sachin Tendulkar to Become Highest Run-Scorer in ODI Chases
14. NASA’s 22-Year-Old Swift Satellite Telescope Falls from Orbit in Fiery Finale
15. India Aims to Send First Human Deep-Sea Mission to 6,000 Metres by 2028: Jitendra Singh
16. TRAI Launches Network Anubhav Platform to Map Network Performance, Offer Online DND Services
17. Colombo: India’s Atal Innovation Mission Sparks Innovation in Sri Lanka
18. India, Canada Hold Inaugural Defence Dialogue, Identify Industry and Research Cooperation as Priorities
19. Bhupender Yadav Releases Guidelines to Recognise Conservation Areas Beyond Protected Zones
20. Piyush Goyal Inaugurates Unified Commerce Offices in Jaipur, Sets March 2027 Deadline for Digitisation

National News

IndiaAI Mission Releases EKA-1, Dhīr AI Models

• What: The IndiaAI Mission, under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), released two indigenous foundation models in New Delhi.
• Tell me more:
  • The two models:

• Selection under the mission: Both companies were selected under the IndiaAI Innovation Centre (Foundation Models) pillar to build indigenous foundation AI models and Large Language Models (LLMs). They used the mission’s subsidised national AI computing infrastructure to build them.
• Knowledge Nuggets:
  • IndiaAI Mission: The Union Cabinet approved it in March 2024, with the vision “Making AI in India and Making AI Work for India”. It has seven pillars:

• India Working Towards First Human Deep-Sea Mission

  • What: India is progressing towards sending its first human deep-sea mission to a depth of up to 6,000 metres by 2028. Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences Dr Jitendra Singh said this at the Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue (IPRD) 2026.
  • Tell me more:
    • Organised by: The National Maritime Foundation, under the Ministry of Defence, organised IPRD 2026.
    • Matsya submersible: Under the Samudrayaan Mission, the Matsya submersible is designed to carry three aquanauts to depths of 5,000–6,000 metres. The National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), Chennai, can run trials at these depths in the Central Indian Ocean Basin.
    • Principle for ocean cooperation: Singh proposed “One Ocean, Shared Knowledge and Equitable Prosperity” as the guiding principle for joint scientific missions, shared research facilities and data sharing.

  Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Launches Network Anubhav

  • What: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) launched Network Anubhav, a geospatial and analytical platform. On it, consumers can see network test results for their location and use Do Not Disturb (DND) services online.
  • Tell me more:
    • TRAI Chairman: Anil Kumar Lahoti
    • Data used: The platform combines user test data from TRAI’s MySpeed and MyCall apps with results of TRAI’s independent drive tests.
    • For consumers: Users can compare cellular and fixed broadband speeds by service provider and technology on maps. Through DND, they can set preferences for commercial messages and complain about unwanted ones.
    • For telecom service providers: Telecom companies can see consumers’ call quality, coverage and internet test data to find areas where the network needs improving.

  India Releases I-OECM Guidelines 2026 at CBD COP-17

  • What: Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav released the “Guidelines for the Designation of India’s Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (I-OECMs) 2026”. He did so at a side event of the 17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP-17) in Yerevan, Armenia.
  • Tell me more:
    • I-OECMs are areas outside legally protected areas that still protect nature, such as sacred groves, biodiversity parks and seagrass beds. Recognising one doesn’t change its ownership or legal status.
    • The guidelines support Target 3 (30×30) of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF) and India’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) 2024–2030.
    • To be recognised, an area must not already be protected, must be managed by the government or local bodies like Panchayats, must have clear boundaries, and must keep its existing activities.
    • A USD 60.79 million GEF-8 project, run by NBA and MoEFCC with UNDP support from 2026 to 2032, will put the guidelines into practice at six sites. It aims to add 3% of India’s area to the 27% already protected.
  • GEF-8 Project to put the guidelines into practice:
    • Project Name: “Enhancing the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity to meet India’s commitment to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework targets by 2030”
    • Executed by: National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) and MoEFCC, with UNDP support. It runs from 2026 to 2032.
    • Funding: The total is USD 60.79 million: a USD 6.65 million GEF Trust Fund grant plus USD 54.14 million in co-financing.
    • Target:
      • It aims to add 3% of India’s land and marine area to its conservation estate, on top of the existing 27% already protected.
      • It also aims to create 50,000 hectares of new land conservation areas, restore at least 5,000 hectares of degraded land and benefit at least 50,000 people, half of them women.
    • Six sites where the guidelines will first be implemented under the GEF-8 project:

State News

Jaipur Gets First Co-located Commerce Ministry Offices

• What: The Ministry of Commerce and Industry opened Vanijya Bhawan and Udyog Bhawan in Jaipur, making it the first city and first State capital where all the Ministry’s offices and associated organisations in the city work from one place.
• Tell me more:
  • All services, including licences, permits and SCOMET approvals, are to move fully online by 31 March 2027.

Bihar: First State with Comprehensive Silt Management Policy

• What: Bihar became the first state in India to bring in a comprehensive silt management policy, called the “Bihar Water Source Restoration and Silt Management Policy 2026”.
• Tell me more:
  • Nadi Sanjeevani: An MoU was signed under this initiative for removing silt from rivers (desilting) and using that silt to build National Highways. “Sanjeevani” means a life-giving cure.
  • Farmer relief: Under a new policy linked with disaster management, Bihar gives farmers ₹20,000 per two hectares to remove sand and silt deposited on their fields by floods.
  • Background: Seven major rivers enter Bihar from Nepal, so rain in Nepal floods Bihar. This policy will tackle recurring floods and to use river silt as earth and sand for highways, townships and other infrastructure.
• Knowledge Nuggets:
  • Major rivers of north Bihar: Seven major rivers join the Ganga from the north in Bihar: the Ghaghra, Gandak, Burhi Gandak, Kamla-Balan, Bagmati, Kosi and Mahananda. All except the Burhi Gandak start in the Himalayas and flow through Nepal.
  • Bihar Chief Minister: Samrat Choudhary

Uttarakhand Will Observe 28 November Every Year As Disaster Management Day

International News

Greenland Approves Security Deal with Denmark, US

• What: Greenland’s lawmakers approved a trilateral agreement with Denmark and the USA that aims to strengthen security in the Arctic and North Atlantic by increasing the US military presence in Greenland, while keeping the self-governing island under Danish control.
• Knowledge Nuggets:
  • Greenland is a self-governing, semi-autonomous Danish territory between Europe and North America. It is the world’s largest island, with about 57,000 people, and its capital is Nuuk.

NASA’s Swift Observatory Burns Up over Indonesia

• What: NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, a satellite telescope, fell out of orbit and burned up in Earth’s atmosphere over Indonesia’s North Sumatra province, nearly 22 years after its launch.
• Tell me more:
  • About Swift: The $500 million Swift, a first-of-its-kind multi-wavelength space observatory, was launched in 2004 to study gamma-ray bursts, the most powerful explosions in the universe. Built for a two-year mission, it worked for over 20 years.
  • Name: In 2018, NASA renamed it to honour Neil Gehrels, the mission’s first principal investigator, after his death.
  • Failed rescue: In July, NASA and Arizona-based startup Katalyst launched a rescue spacecraft called LINK to push Swift into a higher orbit. It was the first US mission of its kind. LINK began spinning out of control, and the effort was abandoned in mid-August.

Sri Lanka Gets First Atal Tinkering Lab

• What: Sri Lanka’s first Atal Tinkering Lab opened at Nalanda College, Colombo, with technical support from India’s Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) under NITI Aayog.
• Tell me more:
  • Inaugurated by: High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka, Santosh Jha
  • Developed by: Atlas Axillia, the education arm of Hemas Holdings, developed the lab. The High Commission of India in Sri Lanka helped set it up.
• Knowledge Nuggets:
  • Atal Tinkering Labs: They are school labs set up under the Atal Innovation Mission. India has more than 10,000 of them, in big cities and small villages.

Reports and Indices

QS World University Rankings: Asia 2027 Released

• What: QS Quacquarelli Symonds released the QS World University Rankings: Asia 2027. It covers 1,722 universities from 26 higher education systems, including 195 new entrants.
  • Parameters: QS uses 11 indicators. Academic Reputation carries the highest weight at 30%, followed by Employer Reputation at 20%.
• Tell me more:
  • Top 3 universities in Asia:

• First: For the first time, universities from Mainland China and Hong Kong SAR hold all top five positions.
• Most represented higher education systems:

• India’s top 6 institutions:
  

• India’s performance: No Indian institution is in the top 50 for the second year in a row. The University of Delhi fell out of the top 100, from 95th to 106th. India has 21 institutions in Asia’s top 200.
• Knowledge Nuggets:
  • India’s growth in the rankings: India has 325 ranked universities, including 34 new entrants. That is almost one in five universities ranked in Asia, up from just 24 Indian universities in 2016.
  • India’s research strengths: Five Indian universities are in Asia’s top 10 for Papers per Faculty, led by IISc Bengaluru at first.
  • India’s research and development spending: about 0.64% of GDP

Defence News

IZI Secures VANA Drone Order from DRDO

• What: IZI, a Bhopal-based deep tech drone company, got an order from the Defence Research and Development Organisation’s (DRDO’s) Proof & Experimental Establishment (PXE). The order is for supplying and deploying IZI VANA Surveillance Drones.
• Tell me more:
  • VANA is an Aerial Photogrammetry Platform (Drones) is made in India.
• Knowledge Nuggets:
  • IZI Founder: Ishan Haydn
  • Proof & Experimental Establishment (PXE): It is a specialised DRDO establishment that tests and evaluates defence systems and equipment.

First India–Canada Defence Dialogue Held Virtually

• What: The first edition of the India–Canada Defence Dialogue was held virtually.
• Tell me more:
  • Priority areas: The two sides named defence industrial cooperation, military-technical cooperation, and defence research and development as priority areas for working together.
• Knowledge Nuggets:
  • Prime Minister of Canada: Mark Carney

Important Days

World Tsunami Awareness Day 2026 – November 5

• Theme: Be tsunami ready: Resilience starts with you

Sports

Department of Sports Launches Khelo Bharat Quiz

• What: The Department of Sports, under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, launched the “Khelo Bharat: From Manufacturing to Podium Finish Quiz” on the MY Bharat portal.
• Tell me more:
  • The quiz covers the Khelo India Sports Goods Manufacturing Scheme. It has an outlay of ₹1,856.67 crore and two components: Incentives and Interventions.

Virat Kohli Tops ODI Run-Chase Scoring List

• What: Virat Kohli passed Sachin Tendulkar to become the highest run-scorer in One Day International (ODI) run chases. He did it in India’s first ODI against New Zealand at Eden Park, Auckland.
• Tell me more:
  • Most runs while chasing in ODIs:

• Other records: Kohli equalled former Australian captain Ricky Ponting’s record for the most ODI runs against New Zealand (1,971). He also became the first batter to score over 13,000 ODI runs batting at number three.
• Match result: India won by five wickets, chasing a target revised under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method, and took a 1–0 lead in the five-match series. Kohli scored 74.
• India’s captain: Shubman Gill

Memorandum of Understanding

SEBI Signed MoU with Digital India BHASHINI Division

• What: The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) signed an MoU with the Digital India BHASHINI Division (DIBD) to make SEBI’s services available in regional Indian languages.
• Tell me more:
  • DIBD CEO: Amitabh Nag
  • BHASHINI tools SEBI will use: SEBI will use BHASHINI’s language translation APIs, models and tools, including Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR), Text-to-Speech (TTS), Machine Translation and Optical Character Recognition (OCR).
  • Securities terms: BHASHINI’s language models will be improved with securities market terms.
  • Link to Project Jagrook: BHASHINI’s language technology is expected to help take SEBI’s investor awareness campaign, “Project Jagrook – Samajh Se Investing Simple”, to people in their own languages.
• Knowledge Nuggets:
  • Digital India BHASHINI Division (DIBD): It is an independent division under the Digital India Corporation (DIC), a Section 8 not-for-profit company set up by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). It is building India’s Language-First Digital Public Infrastructure.
  • BHASHINI’s reach: It supports 36 Indian text languages, 23 Indian voice languages and 35 international languages, and powers over 800 government websites.
  • BhashaDaan: It is BHASHINI’s crowdsourcing platform for collecting and human-checking language data.

Appointments

Collins Names “Mogging” Word of the Year 2026

• What: Collins Dictionary named “mogging”, which means to outshine or outperform someone or something, its Word of the Year 2026.
• Knowledge Nuggets:
  • Collins is one of the UK’s major dictionary publishers. Its lexicographers track a 27-billion-word database to pick the Word of the Year.
  • Word of the Year 2025: “Vibe coding”, which means making an app or website by describing it to an artificial intelligence (AI) tool instead of writing the code yourself.

Australian Formula 1 Champion Alan Jones Dies

• Alan Jones, the Australian racing driver who won the 1980 Formula 1 (F1) world title, died at the age of 80.

Miscellaneous

Collins Names “Mogging” Word of the Year 2026

• What: Collins Dictionary named “mogging”, which means to outshine or outperform someone or something, its Word of the Year 2026.
• Knowledge Nuggets:
  • Collins is one of the UK’s major dictionary publishers. Its lexicographers track a 27-billion-word database to pick the Word of the Year.
  • Word of the Year 2025: “Vibe coding”, which means making an app or website by describing it to an artificial intelligence (AI) tool instead of writing the code yourself.

Australian Formula 1 Champion Alan Jones Dies

• Alan Jones, the Australian racing driver who won the 1980 Formula 1 (F1) world title, died at the age of 80.

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