Wednesday, 28 October 2026 · IST · Bihar + National · 11 items · 2 MCQs
Bihar launched a month-long Nasha Mukt Bihar Abhiyan (Oct 27-Nov 26) while the biennial Legislative Council polls threw up a split verdict in the four Teachers' seats (BJP, RJD, Jan Suraaj, Independent). Nationally, very severe cyclonic storm Arnab made landfall near Yanam on Oct 28, the Supreme Court reserved its verdict on medicine overpricing, and India invited Pakistan to the first SCO Civilisational Dialogue Forum (Nov 20-22, New Delhi).
Today at a glance — things to remember
Nasha Mukt Bihar Abhiyan: Oct 27 - Nov 26, 2026; led by Prohibition, Excise & Registration Dept.
CM Samrat Choudhary launched a statewide anti-drug campaign at Adhiveshan Bhawan, Patna on Oct 27, 2026, extending Bihar's liquor prohibition drive to narcotics such as charas, heroin and opium.
Key facts
Runs Oct 27 - Nov 26, 2026; nodal: Prohibition, Excise & Registration Department.
Tools: WhatsApp chatbot, helpline, awareness vehicles, street plays, panchayat-level meetings.
Partners: about 1.81 crore JEEViKA women, students, SHGs; pledge against intoxicants.
Seizures: charas 282 kg (2024) -> 400 kg (2025); heroin 42 -> 65 kg; opium 77 kg (2025); ~1,700 cases.
Way forward
Pair enforcement with de-addiction centres, school counselling and fast-track special NDPS courts.
Concept
Bihar Prohibition & Excise Act, 2016 (total liquor ban since April 2016); NDPS Act, 1985; Art. 47 directs the State to prohibit intoxicating drinks and drugs; Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan (2020).
Grouped bar chart comparing narcotics seized in Bihar in 2024 and 2025: charas 282 kg to 400 kg, heroin 42 kg to 65 kg, opium 77 kg in 2025. — StudyForGS
2. Bihar Legislative Council polls: split verdict in Teachers' seats
POLITYBPSC: Prelims + Mains GS-II (Polity - State Legislature)
Syllabus linkage
GS-II: State legislature, Art. 169 & 171; Prelims: composition of Bihar Vidhan Parishad, electoral system.
Context
Biennial polls to 8 seats (4 Graduates' + 4 Teachers') were held on Oct 23; counting began Oct 27. Sitting members' terms end Nov 16, 2026.
Darbhanga - Dr Suresh Prasad Rai (Jan Suraaj), the party's first Council seat; Saran - Rahul Raj (Independent), margin 1,815.
150 candidates; electors: ~4.92 lakh (Graduates) and 40,253 (Teachers).
Graduates' seats (Patna, Tirhut, Darbhanga, Kosi) still counting on Oct 28 under preferential rounds.
Way forward
Councils add review and expertise; transparent counting (CCTV) and timely results build trust.
Concept
Art. 171: Council size max 1/3 of Assembly, min 40; 1/12 elected by graduates (3 yrs standing), 1/12 by teachers (3 yrs teaching), 1/3 by MLAs, 1/3 by local bodies, 1/6 nominated by Governor. Voting by single transferable vote (STV); 6-yr term, 1/3 retire every 2 yrs. Bihar Council strength: 75.
Map of Bihar districts shaded by the five Legislative Council constituency regions that went to polls - Patna, Tirhut, Darbhanga, Saran and Kosi - with Teachers' seat winners labelled and a side panel of key poll numbers. — StudyForGS
3. Paddy procurement (KMS 2026-27) at MSP from November 1
The state has fixed the schedule for buying kharif paddy through PACS and Vyapar Mandals, with registration on the e-Sahkari portal; buying starts in North Bihar first as harvest begins there earlier.
Key facts
MSP: Rs 2,441/qtl (Common), Rs 2,461/qtl (Grade A) - up Rs 72 over last year's Rs 2,369 (Common)*.
North Bihar: from Nov 1; South Bihar: from Nov 15.
Payment to farmers' accounts within 48 hours of sale.
Watch moisture norms after post-cyclone rain (Oct 29-30); more PACS-level dryers and quick milling contracts.
Concept
MSP is announced by CCEA on CACP recommendation; Kharif Marketing Season runs Oct-Sep. Bihar follows Decentralised Procurement (DCP) - the state buys, stores and distributes grain under NFSA. *Common-grade MSP for 2025-26 was Rs 2,369.
Flowchart of Bihar paddy procurement: farmer registers on e-Sahkari portal, sells at PACS or Vyapar Mandal at MSP of Rs 2,441 per quintal, payment within 48 hours, with North Bihar starting November 1 and South Bihar November 15. — StudyForGS
4. Patna HC: no extra weightage for guest teachers' experience
GS-II: High Courts, writ jurisdiction (Art. 226), equality in public employment (Art. 14 & 16).
Context
A single bench of Justice Harish Kumar dismissed a plea by guest teachers in government schools seeking additional marks for teaching experience in permanent teacher recruitment.
Key facts
Candidates must secure the minimum qualifying marks; no relaxation.
Court held recruitment rules cannot be relaxed by judicial direction.
Upholds merit-based selection under statutory rules.
Relevant to BPSC teacher recruitment (TRE) aspirants.
Way forward
Policy-level choices (e.g., experience weightage) belong to the executive via rules, not courts.
Concept
Patna High Court est. 1916; Art. 226 gives HCs wider writ power than SC (Art. 32); Art. 16 - equality of opportunity in public employment; reservation/relaxation only as per law (Art. 16(4)).
5. Unpaid e-challans: Bihar to blacklist vehicles, block services
Common offences: no helmet, wrong-side driving, over-speeding.
Way forward
Add SMS alerts, easy online payment and Lok Adalat settlement to improve compliance.
Concept
Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 (amended 2019 - higher fines; Sec. 136A electronic enforcement); VAHAN (vehicle registry) & SARATHI (licences) are national e-portals; road transport is a Concurrent List subject (mechanically propelled vehicles).
6. Very Severe Cyclonic Storm 'Arnab' crosses Andhra-Yanam coast
The Bay of Bengal system intensified into a VSCS and made landfall between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam, near Yanam, between 2 am and 8 am IST on Oct 28.
Key facts
Winds 125-135 km/h, gusting to 150 km/h; centre near 16.45 N, 81.90 E.
Name 'Arnab' (means 'ocean') contributed by Bangladesh.
Red alert for six south Odisha districts incl. Ganjam, Koraput, Malkangiri.
Bihar: IMD forecast heavy rain at isolated places Oct 29-30 - risk to ripe paddy.
Way forward
Bihar should issue crop advisories, speed harvest-drying support and keep SDRF on standby.
Concept
Names come from the WMO/ESCAP Panel on Tropical Cyclones (13 countries, list of 169 names adopted 2020). IMD scale: VSCS = 118-165 km/h. Yanam is an enclave of Puducherry UT in AP. Post-monsoon (Oct-Dec) is peak Bay cyclone season.
7. SC slams medicine overpricing, reserves verdict on drug price control
HEALTHBPSC: Prelims + Mains GS-II (Polity - Right to Health)
Syllabus linkage
GS-II: Fundamental Rights (Art. 21), DPSP (Art. 47), regulatory bodies; Prelims: NPPA, DPCO.
Context
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta on Oct 27 questioned the huge gap between MRP and price-to-retailer (PTR) and reserved its verdict on two petitions.
Key facts
Example: PTR Rs 15 vs MRP Rs 250 (~16x); injection costing Rs 11,000 billed at Rs 1.30 lakh.
Centre: trade margin on anti-cancer drugs capped at 30% of MRP - saving ~Rs 2,500 crore/yr.
Bench asked why a uniform 16% margin cannot apply to all medicines; called NPPA 'totally defunct'.
Pleas seek strict DPCO 2013 enforcement and action on doctors not prescribing generics.
Way forward
Trade-margin rationalisation, stronger NPPA, and wider Jan Aushadhi kendras in states like Bihar.
Concept
Right to health read into Art. 21 (*Paschim Banga Khet Mazdoor Samity*, 1996); Art. 47 - public health duty. NPPA (1997) fixes ceiling prices under DPCO 2013, issued under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955; scheduled drugs come from NLEM.
Bar chart contrasting cost and selling price in three examples cited by the Supreme Court: medicine PTR Rs 15 vs MRP Rs 250, saline drip Rs 11 vs Rs 270, and injection Rs 11,000 vs Rs 1.30 lakh, shown as price multiples. — StudyForGS
8. India invites Pakistan to first SCO Civilisational Dialogue Forum
New Delhi will host the forum on Nov 20-22, 2026, organised by the Ministry of Culture with MEA; it is the first such invitation to Pakistan since Operation Sindoor (May 2025).
Key facts
Invitee: Pakistan's Minister for National Heritage & Culture Aurangzeb Khan Khichi.
Possible venue: Purana Qila, Delhi; 25+ countries expected incl. observers & dialogue partners.
Idea proposed by PM Narendra Modi at the Tianjin SCO Summit (2025).
Theme: shared heritage, art, literature and people-to-people ties among 10 members.
Way forward
Cultural diplomacy can keep channels open while India holds a firm line on cross-border terrorism.
Concept
SCO founded 15 June 2001 (Shanghai); India & Pakistan full members 2017, Iran 2023, Belarus 2024. Secretariat Beijing; RATS in Tashkent; official languages Chinese & Russian. Nalanda-Bodh Gaya links make Bihar central to India's civilisational outreach.
World map highlighting the ten SCO member states - India, China, Russia, Pakistan, Iran, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan - with New Delhi marked as host of the forum and Beijing and Tashkent marked as SCO Secretariat and RATS seats. — StudyForGS
9. Japanese industry delegation pitches Rs 8-10 lakh crore investment
A 32-member delegation led by the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry met PMO and NITI Aayog officials, offering Rs 8-10 lakh crore over the next few years in infrastructure and manufacturing.
Key facts
Japan was India's top FDI source in Q1 FY27: $5.71 bn (~29% of $19.81 bn equity inflow).
Interest in Delhi-Varanasi and Varanasi-Siliguri high-speed rail corridors.
HR exchange plan: 5 lakh+ personnel two-way over 5 years.
Way forward
Single-window approvals and stable tax rules; Bihar can pitch logistics & food-processing parks.
Concept
FDI = lasting interest (10%+ equity); India-Japan Special Strategic & Global Partnership (2014); 10 trillion yen private investment target over a decade set at the 2025 summit; Mumbai-Ahmedabad HSR uses Shinkansen technology.
Two Act East exercises: the 11th India-Indonesia Special Forces exercise opened in Indonesia, while the 33rd Singapore-India maritime exercise ended off Visakhapatnam.
Key facts
Garuda Shakti: Banyuwangi (Indonesia), Oct 27 - Nov 6; Indian unit Parachute Regiment (SF); jungle ops.
SIMBEX: Oct 21-26; harbour + sea phase in Bay of Bengal; RSS Supreme with INS Nilgiri, INS Kamorta.
SIMBEX began in 1994 as 'Exercise Lion King'.
NGOPV 'Srishti' (Yard 1283) launched at Goa Shipyard on Oct 27.
Way forward
Deeper ASEAN interoperability supports a free, open Indo-Pacific and maritime security.
Concept
Act East Policy (2014, upgrade of Look East 1991); SAGAR / MAHASAGAR maritime vision; Bihar link: Officers Training Academy, Gaya trains Army officers.
Stat-tile panel summarising today's defence news: Garuda Shakti 11th edition at Banyuwangi from 27 October to 6 November, SIMBEX 33rd edition 21 to 26 October at Visakhapatnam, and NGOPV Srishti launched at Goa Shipyard. — StudyForGS
11. Great Indian Bustard rewilding: releases paused after fox kill
Project GIB says it will continue after one of the first captive-bred birds released into Desert National Park (Jaisalmer) was killed; the next batch is to be released soon.
Key facts
11 birds selected; 4 released - 2 on Oct 4, 2 males on Oct 14.
A six-month-old male was killed by a fox on Oct 18 at a pond in Sam area.
Wildlife Institute of India reviewing protocols before releasing the other 7.
Breeding centre at Sam, Jaisalmer; species is Critically Endangered.
Way forward
Predator-proof soft-release enclosures and power-line undergrounding/diverters in GIB habitat.
Concept
GIB (*Ardeotis nigriceps*): IUCN Critically Endangered, Schedule I of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972; state bird of Rajasthan; main threat - power-line collisions. Bihar parallel: Kaimur & Valmiki reserves for state's tiger/wildlife conservation.
Data point of the day
$5.71 bn (~29% of $19.81 bn equity inflow)
Japan - India's No. 1 FDI source, Q1 FY27 (Apr-Jun 2026) Record Japanese inflow, driven largely by a $4.4 bn banking-sector deal; context for the Rs 8-10 lakh crore investment pitch made on Oct 27-28. FDI equity data are released by DPIIT.
Prelims rapid-fire
Bihar EOU: Daroga recruitment paper leak - booklets taken out of a Purnia centre; FIR lodged.
Nalanda Medical College, Patna: 146 students of 2025 batch suspended for 3 months over ragging.
Bihar is one of 6 states with a Legislative Council (others: UP, Maharashtra, Karnataka, AP, Telangana); strength 75.
SC issued notice to Centre on news publishers' plea against DPDP Act, 2023 (no journalism exemption).
SC Collegium recommended four judges as High Court Chief Justices.
Q1. With reference to the Legislative Council of a State, consider: 1. One-twelfth members are elected by graduates of at least three years' standing. 2. One-sixth members are nominated by the Governor. 3. Members are elected by the system of proportional representation through single transferable vote. Which are correct?
1 and 2 only
2 and 3 only
1 and 3 only
1, 2 and 3
Show answer
Answer: D All three are correct under Art. 171: 1/12 graduates, 1/12 teachers, 1/3 MLAs, 1/3 local bodies, 1/6 nominated; election by STV. Bihar's Council has 75 members.
Q2. Cyclone 'Arnab', which made landfall near Yanam on 28 October 2026, was named by which country?
India
Bangladesh
Myanmar
Sri Lanka
Show answer
Answer: B Bangladesh contributed 'Arnab' (ocean) to the list of the WMO/ESCAP Panel (13 countries). Yanam is part of Puducherry UT.
Mains practice question
Q. Bihar has enforced liquor prohibition since 2016 and has now launched a campaign against narcotics. Critically examine the social, economic and administrative challenges in making Bihar drug-free. (BPSC Mains GS-II, 38 marks)
Hint / approach
Intro: 2016 Act + Oct 27 campaign. Body: rising seizures (charas 282->400 kg), border routes (Nepal), youth unemployment, enforcement load on courts; role of JEEViKA, de-addiction, NDPS courts. Conclude with Art. 47 and a health-first approach.
📌 One-line revision: Nasha Mukt Bihar: Oct 27-Nov 26 | MLC Teachers: BJP-RJD-JSP-Ind | Paddy MSP Rs 2,441 (N Bihar Nov 1) | VSCS Arnab (Bangladesh) - Yanam | SCO Forum Nov 20-22, Delhi
