Tuesday, 13 October 2026 · IST · Madhya Pradesh + National · 10 items · 2 MCQs
Madhya Pradesh expanded Project Cheetah to a third habitat as CM Mohan Yadav released cheetahs Vyom and Neera at Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve, Sagar, taking India's cheetah count to 60. Nationally, the RBI's 63rd MPC raised the repo rate by 25 bps to 5.50% as retail inflation climbed to 5.54%, the 57th GST Council cleared major compliance reforms, and Navi Pillay won the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize.
On 7 October 2026, during the concluding event of Wildlife Conservation Week, CM Dr Mohan Yadav released cheetahs Vyom and Neera (brought from Kuno) at Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve, Sagar district.
Key facts
This is MP's third cheetah habitat after Kuno and Gandhi Sagar.
India's cheetah population reached 60 after 5 cubs were born at Kuno.
2 more cheetahs are to be shifted to the new habitat next month.
Wildlife tourism earned about ₹80 crore this year; around ₹20 crore reached nearby villagers.
Project Cheetah began in 2022 at Kuno – the world's first inter-continental carnivore translocation.
Way forward
Expanding habitats spreads translocation risk and boosts eco-tourism; MP must balance cheetah metapopulation goals with prey base and human-wildlife conflict.
Concept
MP = 'Tiger State' (most tigers) & 'Cheetah State'; largest forest cover by area. Reserves: Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Pench, Panna, Satpura, Kuno, Gandhi Sagar, Veerangana Durgavati.
The 7th MP Travel Mart (MPTM 2026) was held at the Kushabhau Thakre International Convention Centre, Bhopal, attracting roughly ₹3,729 crore in proposed private tourism investment.
Key facts
A record 10,263 B2B meetings were held – up 14% over 2025.
100+ international tour operators from 34 countries participated.
Largest proposal: ARM Foods – ₹848.40 crore (Sehore), ~920 direct jobs.
Rajsan Hotels signed a ₹520 crore deal for resorts near Bandhavgarh, Kanha, Satpura.
Over 10 years MP drew ₹3,963 crore tourism investment & 38,432 jobs.
Way forward
Linking heritage (Khajuraho, Mandu, Orchha) and wildlife circuits with homestays and air connectivity can make tourism a major employment multiplier.
Concept
Tourism is a 'smokeless industry'. MP leverages Khajuraho, Sanchi, Bhimbetka, Mandu, Ujjain-Mahakal and six tiger reserves; 'Year of Adventure' proposed for 2027.
Under Mukhyamantri Ladli Behna Yojana, the 40th instalment was credited directly to beneficiaries' bank accounts via DBT, continuing MP's flagship women's income-support scheme.
Key facts
₹1,500 per month to each eligible woman (up from ₹1,000 at 2023 launch).
Over 1.25 crore women are beneficiaries across the state.
More than ₹1,835 crore disbursed in a single instalment.
Total of over ₹65,000 crore paid since launch in June 2023.
Delivered through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), cutting leakages.
Way forward
Sustaining large DBT schemes requires fiscal prudence; convergence with skilling and self-help groups can turn income support into livelihoods.
Concept
DBT uses the JAM trinity (Jan Dhan, Aadhaar, Mobile). Women-centric cash transfers aim at financial inclusion and nutrition outcomes.
Stat-tile row: Ladli Behna 40th instalment - ₹1,500/month, 1.25 crore+ women, ₹1,835 crore+ transferred, ₹65,000 crore+ total since June 2023. — StudyForGS
4. MP clears ₹491 crore projects to fast-track Simhastha 2028
The MP government approved a fresh set of projects worth about ₹491 crore to accelerate infrastructure in the Ujjain region ahead of the Simhastha 2028 Kumbh.
Key facts
Simhastha is held at Ujjain on the banks of the Shipra (Kshipra) river.
It is one of four Kumbh Melas, occurring roughly every 12 years.
Projects cover roads, sanitation, ghats and civic amenities for crores of pilgrims.
Ujjain is home to Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga and the Mahakal Lok corridor.
Way forward
Early, phased infrastructure build-up avoids last-minute cost overruns and supports crowd safety and sustainable pilgrimage tourism.
Concept
Simhastha/Kumbh sites: Ujjain (Shipra), Haridwar (Ganga), Prayagraj (Sangam), Nashik (Godavari). Ujjain lies on the Tropic of Cancer; historic Greenwich of India (Mahakal/Vedh Shala).
5. RBI's 63rd MPC raises repo rate by 25 bps to 5.50%
The Reserve Bank's 63rd Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting (chaired by Governor Sanjay Malhotra) raised the repo rate by 25 bps to 5.50% and shifted the stance to 'calibrated tightening'.
Key facts
Repo 5.50%, SDF 5.25%, MSF & Bank Rate 5.75%.
FY2026-27 GDP growth projected at 7.1%.
Rate hike aimed at anchoring rising inflation and food-price pressures.
The MPC is a 6-member body under the RBI Act, 1934; CPI target 4% ± 2%.
Next MPC meeting scheduled for 2–4 December 2026.
Way forward
Calibrated tightening signals data-dependence; RBI must balance growth momentum against sticky food inflation and global oil/geopolitical risks.
Concept
Repo = rate RBI lends to banks; SDF/MSF form the liquidity corridor. Higher repo raises borrowing costs, cooling demand and inflation.
Bar chart: RBI policy corridor - SDF 5.25%, Repo 5.50%, MSF/Bank 5.75%; repo raised by 25 bps; FY27 GDP growth projected 7.1%. — StudyForGS
6. Retail inflation jumps to 5.54% in September 2026
Grouped bar chart: CPI headline inflation 4.83% (Aug) to 5.54% (Sep) and food inflation 5.97% to 7.74% in the 2024=100 series. — StudyForGS
7. Navi Pillay awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize
IRMPPSC: Prelims + Mains GS-II (International Relations)
Syllabus linkage
MPPSC GS-II (international bodies, human rights); Prelims – Nobel Prizes, UN human rights system.
Context
Navi Pillay, a South African jurist of Indian origin (born in Durban) and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, won the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize.
Key facts
She was the first woman of colour on South Africa's High Court (1995).
Served as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (2008–2014).
Has been an ad hoc ICJ judge since 2019 (Gambia v. Myanmar).
The Peace Prize is awarded by the Norwegian Nobel Committee in Oslo.
Strong India connection adds diaspora significance.
Way forward
Recognition of human-rights jurisprudence reinforces global accountability norms that India engages with at the UN and ICJ.
Concept
Nobel Prizes (since 1901) cover Physics, Chemistry, Medicine, Literature, Peace & Economics. Peace Prize alone is decided in Norway, not Sweden.
8. 57th GST Council clears major compliance reforms
The WWF Living Planet Index (LPI) 2026 found monitored wildlife populations fell by an average of 73% between 1970 and 2022.
Key facts
Based on 35,803 populations of vertebrate species.
Steepest decline: Latin America & Caribbean (-95%); Africa -80%.
Asia-Pacific -49%, Europe -23%.
The index is compiled by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL).
Signals accelerating biodiversity and ecosystem-service loss.
Way forward
India's response runs through protected areas, species programmes (Tiger, Cheetah, Elephant) and restoring wetlands and grasslands.
Concept
LPI tracks relative abundance of vertebrate populations. Complements IPBES and IUCN Red List in measuring biodiversity health.
Horizontal bar chart: WWF Living Planet Index 2026 regional wildlife decline 1970-2022 - Latin America & Caribbean -95%, Africa -80%, Asia-Pacific -49%, Europe -23%, global average -73%. — StudyForGS
10. DRDO test-flies HAPS pseudo-satellite to ~21 km altitude
Retail inflation (CPI), September 2026 Highest in the new 2024=100 series. Food inflation (CFPI) at 7.74%, with onion up about 108% – a reminder that food prices drive India's headline CPI.
Prelims rapid-fire
Tiger State of India (most tigers): Madhya Pradesh.
Project Cheetah base: Kuno National Park, Sheopur (MP).
MP's new (3rd) cheetah habitat: Veerangana Durgavati, Sagar.
2026 Nobel Peace Prize: Navi Pillay (Indian-origin).
GST Council constitutional provision: Article 279A.
Simhastha Kumbh is held at Ujjain on the Shipra river.
Ladli Behna monthly support: ₹1,500 per woman.
WWF Living Planet Index 2026 global decline: 73%.
Practice MCQs — MPPSC Prelims pattern
Q1. With reference to Project Cheetah in Madhya Pradesh, consider the following:
1. Kuno National Park was the first site of cheetah reintroduction in India.
2. Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve is the state's third cheetah habitat.
3. Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary is located in the Chambal region of MP.
Which of the statements given above 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. Kuno (Sheopur) hosted the 2022 reintroduction; Veerangana Durgavati (Sagar) is the 3rd habitat after Kuno and Gandhi Sagar; Gandhi Sagar lies in the Chambal belt (Mandsaur-Neemuch).
Q2. Consider the following about India's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC):
1. It is a statutory body under the RBI Act, 1934.
2. It has six members, with the RBI Governor having a casting vote.
3. Its flexible inflation target is 4% within a band of +/- 2%.
Which of the statements are correct?
1 and 2 only
2 and 3 only
1 and 3 only
1, 2 and 3
Show answer
Answer: D All correct. The MPC is statutory (RBI Act, 1934), has six members (3 RBI + 3 government-nominated), the Governor has a second/casting vote on a tie, and the CPI target is 4% +/- 2%.
Mains practice question
Q. "Madhya Pradesh's conservation leadership – as the Tiger State and now a multi-site cheetah habitat – can be leveraged into inclusive eco-tourism." Examine, with reference to Project Cheetah and the state's protected-area network. (GS-III, 250 words)
📌 One-line revision: TODAY'S ONE-LINER: MP opened its 3rd cheetah habitat (Veerangana Durgavati, Sagar) taking India's cheetahs to 60; RBI raised repo to 5.50% as CPI hit 5.54%; and Navi Pillay won the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize.
