31st October, 2026

1. CCS Approves Project Worth Over Rs 40,000 Crore to Build 8 NGCs for IN
2. YES BANK Launches ‘YES vibez’ Savings Account for Generation Z Customers
3. Sumitomo Mitsui Bank Partners to Invest in One Planet Partner’s First P-E Fund
4. IG Defence Signs MoU with MSA Global to Boost India–Oman Defence Cooperation
5. Oscar-Nominated Actress Barbara Barrie Passed Away at 95
6. World Savings Day 2026 – October 31
7. World Cities Day 2026 – October 31
8. Saina Nehwal and Rahul Dravid Nominated to 2030 Commonwealth Games Organising Board
9. Jatin Kumar Nayak Takes Charge as IREDA Chairman and Managing Director
10. Kendriya Grihmantri Dakshata Padak 2026: 490 Police Personnel Awarded
11. Air Marshal Inderpal Singh Walia Appointed as Vice Chief of the Air Staff
12. Air Marshal Mehtab Singh Deswal Assumes Charge as Eastern Air Command Chief
13. Air Chief Marshal Ashutosh Dixit Takes Charge as 29th COAS, Pays Homage at National War Memorial
14. India to Conduct Population Census from January 25 to February 28, 2027; March 1 Set as Reference Date
15. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Jayanti 2026: 151st Birth Anniversary, Rashtriya Ekta Diwas, History and Contributions
16. EAM Jaishankar Unveils Bust of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel at Consulate General of India in Atlanta
17. Ministry of Ayush Promotes ‘Yoga for Unity’ on National Unity Day
18. Sardar Patel’s 151st Birth Anniversary Observed at Indian High Commission in Dhaka
19. Life-Size Statue of Mahatma Gandhi Unveiled in North Dakota, US

National News

Home Ministry Notifies Census 2027 Population Enumeration Schedule

• What: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) notified the schedule for the final phase of Census 2027, the population count, which will run across most of India from 25 January to 28 February 2027.
• Tell me more:
  • Registrar General of India (RGI) and Census Commissioner: Mritunjay Kumar Narayan
  • Firsts: It is India’s first digital Census and the first to count castes beyond Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs).
  • Census number: 8th since Independence. It was due in 2021 but was postponed due to Covid-19.
  • Outlay: ₹11,718 crore, approved by the Union Cabinet
  • Phases: Phase 1 is House Listing Operations (HLO) and the housing census. Phase 2 is the population count.
  • Questionnaire: 40 questions, including 13 new ones on caste, religion, nationality, digital literacy, banking details and identity documents
  • Reference date: Census figures show India’s population at midnight of 1 March 2027, so babies born after it are left out from the population count, while people who die after it are still counted.
• Knowledge Nuggets:
  • Census Act, 1948: The Census is conducted under this Act.
  • Census 2011: India’s population was 1.21 billion, living in 24.95 crore households.

International News

First Gandhi Statue Unveiled in North Dakota, USA

• What: The first life-size statue of Mahatma Gandhi in North Dakota, US, was unveiled at Peace Park in Bismarck, the state’s capital, in October, the month of Gandhi’s 157th birth anniversary.
• Tell me more:
  • Gandhi monuments under the Seattle Consulate: This is the fifth.
  • International Day of Non-Violence: It is observed on 2 October, Gandhi’s birth anniversary.
  • Consulate General of India in Seattle: It was set up in November 2023.

Banking and Economy

YES BANK Launched YES vibez Savings Account

• What: YES BANK launched YES vibez, a savings account for Generation Z customers.
• Tell me more:
  • Youth savings accounts of other banks

One Planet Partners, SMTB Launched Private Equity Fund

• What: One Planet Partners (OPP), an India-focused private equity firm founded in 2024, launched its first private equity fund with Japan’s Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank (SMTB), targeting investments of over Rs 3,000 crore.
• Tell me more:
  • SMTB took a minority strategic equity stake in OPP and anchored the fund, which will invest in Indian businesses in energy transition, mobility and manufacturing.
  • OPP Founder and Chairperson: Mukund Rajan

Defence News

CCS Approved Eight Next-Generation Corvettes for Navy

• What: The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), chaired by PM Narendra Modi, approved a project worth over Rs 40,000 crore to build eight Next-Generation Corvettes (NGCs) for the Indian Navy.
• Tell me more:
  • Shipbuilders: State-owned Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata, and Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL), Goa
  • Indigenous content: Over 70%
  • Target: first delivery by 2030
  • Acceptance of Necessity (AoN): The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) had granted it in June 2022 at about Rs 36,000 crore.
• Knowledge Nuggets:
  • Corvette: It is a small, fast, heavily armed warship, smaller than frigates and destroyers, used mainly for coastal defence, surveillance and patrol.

Awards

Home Ministry Confers Kendriya Grihmantri Dakshata Padak 2026

• What: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) awarded the Kendriya Grihmantri Dakshata Padak 2026 to 490 personnel of States, Union Territories (UTs), Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and Central Police Organisations (CPOs).
• Tell me more:
  • Instituted: 2024
  • Announced: Every year on 31 October, the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
  • Who gets it: Police, security and intelligence personnel, the National Security Guard (NSG), Assam Rifles and forensic scientists, for excellence in operations, investigation, intelligence service, exceptional performance and forensic science work.

Important Days

Rashtriya Ekta Diwas 2026 – October 31

• What: Rashtriya Ekta Diwas (National Unity Day) was observed on 31 October 2026, the 151st birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (31 October 1875).
• Tell me more:
  • Theme 2026: “Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat”
  • Main celebration: Ekta Nagar, Gujarat, near the Statue of Unity
  • First observed: 2014
  • National Celebrations:
    • Yoga for Unity: The Ministry of Ayush promoted “Yoga for Unity”, linked to its Yoga 365 initiative, which encourages people to practise Yoga every day of the year.
    • Run for Unity: Nationwide Run for Unity was flagged off at Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, New Delhi.
    • Sardar Katha: A narration on Patel’s life was held at Uprashtrapati Bhavan.
    • Bharat Parv 2026: This festival of the culture, food, crafts and heritage of all States and UTs was opened at Ekta Nagar. It runs till 15 November.
  • International Celebrations:
    • Atlanta, US: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar unveiled a 327-kg brass bust of Patel at Sardar Patel Bhawan, the Consulate General of India. The bust was set up by the Consulate and the Federation of Gujarati Associations.
      • Indian Ambassador to the US: Vinay Mohan Kwatra
    • Dhaka, Bangladesh: Indian High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi administered the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas pledge at the Indian High Commission.
• Knowledge Nuggets:
  • Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel: Known as the Iron Man of India, he was India’s first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister. After Independence, he worked with V. P. Menon to bring more than 560 princely states into the Indian Union.

World Savings Day 2026 – October 31

• Focus: AI Advices. Human Decides

World Cities Day 2026 – October 31

• 2026 Theme—Regenerating the City: Adequate Housing for All
• The Global Observance is jointly organized by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of the People’s Republic of China, the Fujian Provincial People’s Government and UN-Habitat, and is hosted by the Fuzhou Municipal People’s Government, China.

Sports

Dravid, Saina Named to 2030 CWG Organising Committee

• What: The Sports Ministry has nominated former India cricket captain Rahul Dravid and 2012 London Olympics bronze medallist Saina Nehwal as athlete representatives in the Organising Committee (OC) for the 2030 Commonwealth Games (CWG) in Ahmedabad.
• Tell me more:
  • The OC will be a not-for-profit company with 12–15 members. This is the model used for the 2006 Melbourne CWG and recommended by the CAG after the 2010 Delhi CWG, whose OC was a society.
  • The Games are expected to cost ₹3,000–5,000 crore to run, and the Sports Ministry has promised a grant of ₹2,00 crore.
  • India plans 15–17 disciplines, while the 2026 Glasgow CWG had only 10.

Memorandum of Understanding

IG Defence Signs MoU with Oman’s MSA Global

• What: Noida-based defence start-up IG Defence signed an MoU with Oman-based MSA Global at the India–Oman Defence Industry Seminar in Muscat.
• Why: To jointly develop IG Defence’s defence platforms and make them in Oman, for use in Oman and other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.
• Tell me more:
  • Platforms to be co-developed and localised:

• IG Defence Founder and CEO: Bodhisattwa Sanghapriya
• India’s Ambassador to Oman: Prashant Pise
• Knowledge Nuggets:
  • Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC):
    • Established: 1981
    • Members: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and UAE
    • HQ: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
    • Purpose: To build coordination among members in all fields and make similar economic and trade rules.

Appointments

Jatin Kumar Nayak Takes Charge as IREDA CMD

• What: Jatin Kumar Nayak has taken charge as Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Limited (IREDA).
• Knowledge Nuggets:
  • IREDA is a Navratna Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) under the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) that promotes and finances renewable energy projects in India.

Ashutosh Dixit Becomes 29th IAF Chief

• What: Air Chief Marshal Ashutosh Dixit took charge as the 29th Chief of the Air Staff of the Indian Air Force (IAF).
• Tell me more:
  • VAYU: He set “VAYU” as the guiding theme for the IAF’s future, with four pillars:

• Knowledge Nuggets:
  • Other IAF appointments:

Miscellaneous

Barbara Barrie: An Oscar-Nominated Hollywood Actress, Died at 95.

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