Thursday, 8 October 2026 · IST · Bihar + National · 11 items · 2 MCQs
A record Gandak surge from Nepal has left nearly 10 lakh people in 6 north-Bihar districts hit by floods, while the new ₹2,400-crore Mokama double-line rail bridge now gives the Ganga 3 rail lines at Mokama. Nationally, the RBI raised the repo rate to 5.50%, the Union Cabinet cleared a ₹10,000-crore SME Growth Fund and the ITLA, and India joined a 15-economy call against global excess capacity.
Today at a glance — things to remember
Bihar floods: ~10 lakh hit in 6 districts; Gandak, Kosi, Ganga above danger mark.
New Mokama double-line Ganga rail bridge opens (₹2,400 cr).
A late-September surge from Nepal pushed the Gandak to a record level at Bagaha and breached embankments in Saran, Gopalganj, Muzaffarpur and West Champaran. As of 6 Oct, several river gauges were still above the danger mark.
Key facts
~10 lakh people in 169 gram panchayats of 6 districts: West & East Champaran, Gopalganj, Saran, Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur.
Valmikinagar barrage discharge hit 5.435 lakh cusecs; Gandak at Bagaha (91.25 m) beat the 2024 high (90.90 m).
Above danger on 6 Oct: Gandak @ Dumariaghat, Kosi @ Birpur (75.07 m vs 74.70 m), Ganga @ Sultanganj (35.98 m vs 34.50 m).
CM Samrat Choudhary did an aerial survey on 30 Sept; NDRF/SDRF stay deployed; community kitchens to run till people return home.
7 engineers suspended for negligence in flood response.
Way forward
Audit embankments before every monsoon, get real-time Indo-Nepal flood data, and speed up the Kosi–Mechi link and floodplain zoning.
Concept
Gandak (Narayani in Nepal) enters Bihar at Valmikinagar; Gandak Agreement 1959 with Nepal. Kosi = 'Sorrow of Bihar'; its barrage is at Bhimnagar (Nepal). Drainage & embankments = State List (Entry 17); relief under DM Act, 2005.
Map of Bihar's districts with the six flood-hit districts (West and East Champaran, Gopalganj, Saran, Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur) shaded blue, the Gandak, Kosi, Ganga and Son rivers drawn, and today's news places marked: Valmikinagar barrage, Bagaha, Birpur, Mokama bridge, Sultanganj, Bhagalpur (Ghatora wetland), Sasaram and Patna, with a side panel of key flood numbers. — StudyForGS
2. New Mokama Ganga rail bridge opens: 3 rail lines now link North & South Bihar
Mains GS-II: Bihar economy — infrastructure & connectivity | Prelims: Ganga bridges of Bihar
Context
The Mahananda Express became the first train on the new double-line bridge beside the old Rajendra Setu at Mokama on 6 Oct 2026, after the Commissioner of Railway Safety cleared it on 3–4 Oct.
Key facts
Cost about ₹2,400 crore; bridge ~1.86 km, whole project ~14 km with linking tracks.
Section Rajendra Pul–Hathidah–Rampur Dumra; links Mokama–Barauni with the Howrah–Delhi main line.
Design speed 140 km/h vs 40–50 km/h on single-line Rajendra Setu.
Sanctioned in Rail Budget 2015–16; work began March 2016; built by IRCON with Afcons as EPC contractor.
Way forward
Use the extra capacity for more freight and passenger trains between north Bihar and Patna/Howrah; keep Rajendra Setu for slower local trains.
Concept
Rajendra Setu (1959) = first rail-cum-road bridge on the Ganga in Bihar. Other Ganga bridges: Mahatma Gandhi Setu (Patna–Hajipur), Digha–Sonepur rail-road bridge, Vikramshila Setu (Bhagalpur). Railways = Union List.
Fact-sheet schematic comparing the old single-line Rajendra Setu with the new double-line Mokama rail bridge: rail lines across the Ganga go from 1 to 3, and design speed rises from 40-50 km/h to 140 km/h, with cost Rs 2,400 crore and length about 1.86 km. — StudyForGS
3. Gangetic dolphins near Bhagalpur double in 27 years; fishing nets still the top threat
Prelims: biodiversity, protected areas of Bihar | Mains GS-II: Bihar geography — rivers & ecology
Context
A forest-department assessment shows the dolphin count in the Bhagalpur stretch of the Ganga rose from about 95 to nearly 200 over 27 years. A fresh survey done in Jan–Feb 2026 is awaited.
Plan: interpretation centre, watchtower and boating at Sultanganj; Dolphin Mitras help in rescue.
Way forward
Ban harmful nets in the sanctuary stretch, keep enough river flow, and link dolphin tourism to local fishing families' income.
Concept
National Aquatic Animal (2009); IUCN: Endangered; Schedule I, WPA 1972; nearly blind, uses echolocation. Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary (1991) = India's only dolphin sanctuary. National Dolphin Day: 5 Oct.
Donut chart of India's 6,324 Gangetic dolphins (2025 estimate) by state: Uttar Pradesh 2,397, Bihar 2,220 and other states 1,707, with an inset showing the Bhagalpur stretch count rising from about 95 to 188 (2018) and 207 (2021). — StudyForGS
The Bhagalpur district administration has told officials to quickly prepare a proposal to list Ghatora wetland in Bihpur block as a Ramsar site, and to notify at least one wetland under the Wetlands Rules, 2017.
Key facts
Ghatora lies in Bihpur block, on the north bank of the Ganga in Bhagalpur district.
A Ramsar listing needs a state proposal routed through the Union Environment Ministry.
Notification under the 2017 Rules bars encroachment and waste dumping in the wetland.
Way forward
Map the wetland boundary, settle land claims and involve fishing and farming communities before the proposal goes to the Centre.
Concept
Ramsar Convention: signed 1971 at Ramsar (Iran), in force 1975; India joined in 1982 (first sites Chilika & Keoladeo). Montreux Record: Keoladeo (1990) & Loktak (1993). World Wetlands Day: 2 Feb.
5. CM in Rohtas: ₹400-crore projects; Sone water for Sasaram & Aurangabad by March 2027
Mains GS-II: Bihar economy — urban water supply, development | Prelims: Bihar rivers & districts
Context
CM Samrat Choudhary opened and laid stones for projects worth over ₹400 crore in Rohtas on 6 Oct, and said Sasaram and Aurangabad will get Sone river water before March 2027.
Key facts
Event at Karup panchayat, Shiv Sagar block, Rohtas.
A new township, named after the district, is planned in Rohtas.
Opened an astronomy lab at the new PM SHRI Kendriya Vidyalaya.
Sasaram = Rohtas HQ (west of the Sone); Aurangabad lies on the east bank.
Way forward
Finish pipelines on schedule and set aside funds for water-quality testing and upkeep so the supply lasts.
Concept
Sone rises at Amarkantak (MP) and joins the Ganga near Patna; Indrapuri barrage at Dehri-on-Sone. Sasaram has the tomb of Sher Shah Suri. Link: Har Ghar Nal Ka Jal under Saat Nishchay.
6. Opposition marches to Lok Bhavan, Patna, over voter-roll revision (SIR)
INDIA bloc parties led by LoP Tejashwi Yadav marched to Lok Bhavan (Governor's house) in Patna on 8 Oct with a memorandum against the CEC over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls; leaders were detained. Block-level marches were held on 7 Oct.
Key facts
Demand: removal of CEC Gyanesh Kumar; opposition alleges lakhs of names were deleted in the SIR.
SIR = door-to-door re-check of voter rolls by the ECI; first done in Bihar in 2025.
Bihar Governor: Syed Ata Hasnain; Raj Bhavans were renamed Lok Bhavan in 2025.
CEC can be removed only like an SC judge — Art. 324(5).
Appointment: CEC & ECs Act, 2023 — panel of PM, LoP & a Union Minister.
Way forward
Publishing deletion lists, giving enough time for claims and objections, and open hearings can build trust in the rolls.
Concept
Art. 324 = ECI's superintendence of elections; Art. 326 = adult suffrage (18 yrs via 61st Amendment, 1988). Rolls prepared under the RP Act, 1950. Key cases: T.N. Seshan (1995), Anoop Baranwal (2023).
7. RBI raises repo rate by 25 bps to 5.50%; stance turns 'calibrated tightening'
On 7 Oct 2026, the MPC under Governor Sanjay Malhotra raised the repo rate to 5.50% — the first hike since Feb 2023 — as crude prices jumped after the West Asia flare-up.
Key facts
SDF 5.25% (floor); MSF & Bank Rate 5.75% (ceiling).
Rate vote 6–0; stance change passed 4–2.
FY27 projections: CPI 5.2% (from 5.0%), GDP 7.1%; Q1 FY27 growth was 7.8%.
August CPI 4.82% — above the 4% target for a third month; Indian crude basket $114–116/bbl in Sept.
Floating loans linked to EBLR will see higher EMIs.
Way forward
Fiscal steps such as fuel-tax relief can share the burden; RBI must balance price stability with growth and keep liquidity steady.
Concept
MPC: 6 members under Sec 45ZB, RBI Act (Finance Act 2016); Governor has a casting vote. Flexible inflation targeting: 4% ± 2% CPI. Repo = rate at which RBI lends to banks against govt securities.
Step chart of the RBI repo rate from February 2023 to October 2026: 6.50% from Feb 2023, cuts to 6.25% (Feb 2025), 6.00% (Apr 2025), 5.50% (Jun 2025) and 5.25% (Dec 2025), then a hike back to 5.50% on 7 October 2026. — StudyForGS
8. Union Cabinet clears ₹10,000-cr SME Growth Fund and Integrated Transport & Logistics Authority
The Union Cabinet approved a ₹10,000 crore commitment to an SME Growth Fund (SGF), announced in Budget 2026-27, and set up the ITLA as an apex planning body for all transport modes.
Key facts
SGF gives patient equity capital through an Alternative Investment Fund; focus on small & medium manufacturers, incl. Tier-II/III clusters.
Limits: small = investment ≤ ₹25 cr, turnover ≤ ₹100 cr; medium = ≤ ₹125 cr / ≤ ₹500 cr.
ITLA (an SPV) will draft a National Transport Master Plan (10+ years) and appraise central projects of ₹500 cr+.
It will build a National Transport Data Repository (e-way bill, FASTag, Vahan, GPS).
Logistics cost 7.8–8.9% of GDP (2021-22); India 38th of 139 in LPI 2023.
Way forward
A clear role split between ITLA and the GatiShakti Network Planning Group will avoid overlap; states like Bihar should align their logistics plans.
Concept
PM GatiShakti (Oct 2021) = multimodal national master plan; National Logistics Policy (Sept 2022) targets a top-25 LPI rank by 2030. MSMEs defined under the MSMED Act, 2006.
Two-pillar diagram of the Union Cabinet's decisions: the SME Growth Fund (Rs 10,000 crore government commitment flowing through an Alternative Investment Fund as patient equity to small and medium manufacturers) and the Integrated Transport and Logistics Authority (national transport master plan of 10+ years, appraisal of projects of Rs 500 crore and above, and a national transport data repository). — StudyForGS
9. India joins 15-economy call against global 'structural excess capacity'
IRBPSC: Prelims + Mains GS-II (International Relations & Economy)
Syllabus linkage
Mains GS-II: India & world economy, trade | Prelims: G20, OECD, international groupings
Context
After the G20 Trade Ministers' meeting at Milwaukee (USA) on 30 Sept–1 Oct, India signed a joint statement with 14 other economies urging an end to non-market policies that create structural excess capacity.
Key facts
Signatories (15): Argentina, Australia, Canada, EU, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Poland, Türkiye, UK, USA.
Warns of dependence on one country and risk of economic coercion such as export curbs.
New sectoral platforms; technical meetings before Dec 2026 alongside the OECD Trade Committee.
Way forward
India can use this platform to shield its PLI-backed solar and battery makers while keeping supply chains open.
Concept
Dumping = export below normal value; countered by anti-dumping duty (Art. VI, GATT). India's trade-remedy body: DGTR. G20 formed in 1999; India hosted the 2023 New Delhi summit.
World map highlighting the 15 signatories of the joint statement on structural excess capacity — Argentina, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Poland, Turkiye, the United Kingdom and the United States, plus the European Union — with India in saffron and Milwaukee (USA), venue of the G20 trade ministers' meeting, marked. — StudyForGS
10. Three new Supreme Court judges take oath; working strength now 37 of 38
POLITYBPSC: Prelims + Mains GS-II (Indian Polity)
Syllabus linkage
Mains GS-II: Indian polity — judiciary | Prelims: Art. 124, collegium system
Context
CJI Surya Kant gave the oath to Justices Sunita Agarwal, Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Aparesh Kumar Singh on 6 Oct 2026; the Collegium had recommended them on 28 Sept.
Key facts
They were Chief Justices of the Gujarat, Delhi and Telangana High Courts respectively.
Working strength up from 34 to 37; sanctioned strength 38 (incl. CJI) after a 2026 increase.
The SC now has 3 women judges.
Eligibility: HC judge for 5 yrs, or HC advocate for 10 yrs, or a distinguished jurist.
Way forward
Quick filling of vacancies and a finalised Memorandum of Procedure will help cut case pendency.
Concept
Art. 124 = SC and appointment of judges; Art. 127 ad hoc judges; Art. 128 retired judges. Parliament fixes strength by the SC (Number of Judges) Act, 1956. Collegium from the Second Judges Case (1993).
11. 'Surya', India's first indigenous Fleet Support Ship, launched at Visakhapatnam
Mains GS-II: role of S&T — defence indigenisation | Prelims: Navy ships, shipyards
Context
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched FSS-1 'Surya' at Hindustan Shipyard Ltd (HSL), Visakhapatnam, and laid the keel of FSS-5.
Key facts
FSS = at-sea replenishment (fuel, water, stores); extends Navy reach in the Indian Ocean Region.
Designed & built indigenously by HSL (Miniratna Category-I, 2025).
Also opened upgraded Slipway-4 and a 300-tonne Goliath crane (Make in India).
Free India's first ship, 'Jala Usha', was launched at Visakhapatnam in 1948.
Way forward
Timely delivery of all five ships and a deeper local supplier base will strengthen Aatmanirbhar Bharat in shipbuilding.
Concept
A blue-water navy needs logistic support ships to stay at sea. Related: Maritime India Vision 2030, Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047, Shipbuilding Financial Assistance Policy.
Data point of the day
1 lakh tonnes / year
Bihar Green Hydrogen Policy 2026 — production target by 2031 Draft policy cleared by the state Cabinet (reported 1 Oct): expected ₹16,000 crore investment, ~12,000 jobs, 1 GW electrolyser manufacturing and 2.5 GW linked renewable capacity; nodal agency BREDA; aligned with the National Green Hydrogen Mission (2023).
Prelims rapid-fire
Chemistry Nobel 2026: Henri Kagan (France) & Kenso Soai (Japan) — non-linear effects & asymmetric autocatalysis.
IMC 2026 (10th edition) opened by PM on 8 Oct at Yashobhoomi, New Delhi; theme 'Scale Without Boundaries'.
Mountain Guardian 2026: India–UAE army exercise, 5–18 Oct, Chaubatia (Uttarakhand).
Asian Games 2026 (Aichi-Nagoya): India 4th with 85 medals (21 gold); Doha hosts 2030.
57th GST Council met on 8 Oct; agenda: faster refunds, arrest powers (Sec 69, CGST Act); Council under Art. 279A.
Bihar: Gandak peak 5.435 lakh cusecs at Valmikinagar; all-time record 5.625 lakh cusecs (28 Sept 2024).
Practice MCQs — BPSC Prelims pattern
Q1. Consider the following statements about the RBI monetary policy of 7 October 2026: 1. The repo rate was raised to 5.50%. 2. The Standing Deposit Facility rate forms the ceiling of the policy corridor. 3. The Monetary Policy Committee is constituted under Section 45ZB of the RBI Act, 1934. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
1 only
1 and 3 only
2 and 3 only
1, 2 and 3
Show answer
Answer: B Repo is 5.50% and the MPC is under Sec 45ZB. The SDF (5.25%) is the floor; the MSF (5.75%) is the ceiling, so statement 2 is wrong.
Q2. Which one of the following pairs (barrage/gauge site — river) is correctly matched?
Valmikinagar — Kosi
Birpur — Gandak
Indrapuri — Sone
Sultanganj — Bagmati
Show answer
Answer: C Indrapuri barrage is on the Sone (Rohtas). Valmikinagar = Gandak; Birpur = Kosi; Sultanganj = Ganga.
Mains practice question
Q. Recurring Gandak and Kosi floods show the limits of an embankment-centred approach in north Bihar. Discuss with reference to the 2026 floods and suggest an integrated flood-management strategy for the state. (BPSC Mains GS-II, 38 marks)
Hint / approach
Intro with 2026 data (6 districts, ~10 lakh hit, 5.435 lakh cusecs at Valmikinagar, record at Bagaha). Body: causes (Nepal catchment rain, siltation, embankment breaches), effects (waterlogging, erosion, displacement); solutions — Indo-Nepal data sharing, Kosi–Mechi link, floodplain zoning, early warning, SDRF and community kitchens. Conclude with 'living with floods'.
📌 One-line revision: Gandak record surge floods 6 north-Bihar districts, Mokama gets a 3-line Ganga rail crossing, RBI lifts repo to 5.50%, and India joins a 15-economy push against excess capacity.
