Wednesday, 28 October 2026 · IST · Madhya Pradesh + National · 11 items · 2 MCQs
Madhya Pradesh's Cabinet approved over ₹8,225 crore on 27 October 2026 for irrigation, forests (CAMPA ₹2,050 cr) and welfare, while a Kuno cheetah died of firearm pellet injuries, prompting a central probe and leaving India with 58 cheetahs. Nationally, the RBI's repo rate stands at 5.50% under a calibrated-tightening stance, and India invited a Pakistan minister to the SCO Civilisational Dialogue.
The Mohan Yadav Cabinet on 27 Oct 2026 approved outlays exceeding ₹8,225 crore spanning irrigation, forest conservation, welfare and administration for the new Finance Commission cycle.
Key facts
Total outlay over ₹8,225 crore cleared on 27 October 2026.
In the same Cabinet meeting, MP approved its CAMPA Annual Plan of Operations worth ₹2,050.03 crore for 2026-27.
Key facts
CAMPA outlay ₹2,050.03 crore for FY 2026-27.
Funds compensatory & catchment plantation and degraded-forest restoration.
Supports voluntary village relocation from protected areas, habitat work and urban forests.
MP has India's largest forest cover and is the 'Tiger State'.
Way forward
Tying CAMPA relocation to cheetah and tiger habitats can ease man-animal conflict across Kuno, Kanha and Bandhavgarh.
Concept
CAMPA operates under the CAF Act 2016; afforestation offsets forest land diverted for non-forest use (Van Adhiniyam / FC Act 1980).
Five-pillar diagram of how MP will spend the ₹2,050 crore CAMPA fund: plantation, forest restoration, village relocation, habitat infrastructure and urban forests. — StudyForGS
3. Kuno cheetah KNG22 dies of pellet injuries; Centre orders probe
A 19-month-old male cheetah KNG22 — a cub of Nirva — found injured near Kuno on 25 Oct died on 27 Oct 2026; the Union MoEFCC deputed a central team to probe.
Key facts
KNG22 died 27 Oct 2026; five firearm pellets were removed in surgery at Jabalpur.
Found in the Sheopur/Morena territorial forest, outside Kuno National Park.
India now has 58 cheetahs: Kuno 52, Gandhi Sagar 4, Veerangana Durgavati 2.
Probe team: NTCA IG and Wildlife Crime Control Bureau officers; MP set up a Special Task Force.
Way forward
Tighter buffer-zone patrolling and community outreach are vital as cheetahs disperse beyond Kuno into human-dominated landscapes.
Concept
Project Cheetah (2022) was the world's first inter-continental large-carnivore translocation; the cheetah is IUCN Vulnerable and CITES Appendix I.
Fact schematic showing India's 58 cheetahs distributed as Kuno 52, Gandhi Sagar 4 and Veerangana Durgavati 2, with a note on KNG22's death. — StudyForGS
4. Ladli Behna: 41st instalment of ₹1,834 crore to 1.25 crore women
MADHYA PRADESHMPPSC: Prelims + Mains GS-II (Governance & Social Justice)
CM Mohan Yadav performed bhoomi-pujan for ₹539 crore of works in Ujjain, part of a larger Simhastha 2028 preparation drive reported at around ₹13,851 crore.
Key facts
₹539 crore of projects launched; total prep reported near ₹13,851 crore.
Simhastha 2028 is the Ujjain Kumbh on the Kshipra (Shipra) river.
Held every 12 years; one of four Kumbh sites with Prayagraj, Haridwar, Nashik.
Ujjain hosts the Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga and the Mahakal Lok corridor.
Way forward
Durable civic infrastructure, not just event-time works, is the stated aim so the city benefits well beyond 2028.
Concept
Simhastha occurs when Jupiter enters Leo (Simha rashi); it anchors MP's religious-tourism economy.
6. SCO Civilisational Dialogue: India invites a Pakistan minister
IRMPPSC: Prelims + Mains GS-II (International Relations)
Syllabus linkage
MPPSC Prelims (SCO, India's groupings) + Mains GS-II (India and its neighbourhood, multilateralism).
Context
India has invited a Pakistan minister to the SCO Civilisational Dialogue in New Delhi in November — the first such invitation since 2023.
Key facts
First Indian invite to a Pakistan minister since 2023 for an SCO event.
SCO = Shanghai Cooperation Organisation; India has been a full member since 2017.
The event is the SCO Civilisational Dialogue, New Delhi, November 2026.
A joint BRICS declaration separately condemned the Pahalgam attack and sought UNSC reform.
Way forward
Multilateral platforms let India keep channels open without committing to bilateral normalisation.
Concept
SCO HQ is in Beijing; its RATS (Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure) is based in Tashkent.
7. RBI holds the line: repo rate 5.50%, 'calibrated tightening'
Project GIB lost one bird even as conservators prepare to release the next batch of captive-bred Great Indian Bustards.
Key facts
The Great Indian Bustard (GIB) is Critically Endangered (IUCN).
It is the state bird of Rajasthan, found in Thar and Kutch grasslands.
It is threatened by power lines and habitat loss; conservation-breeding is ongoing.
A separate note covered CCUS (Carbon Capture, Utilisation & Storage).
Way forward
Underground cabling of power lines and predator-free breeding enclosures are key to GIB recovery.
Concept
The GIB is in Schedule I of the WLPA 1972; grasslands are often mis-classified as 'wastelands'.
Data point of the day
1,90,500 hectares
New irrigation command area cleared by the MP Cabinet Chhindwara Complex alone (₹2,611 crore); part of ₹3,378.69 crore and about 3.57 lakh hectares of irrigation cleared on 27 Oct 2026.
Prelims rapid-fire
MP's largest irrigation project cleared on 27 Oct: Chhindwara Complex (₹2,611 cr, 1,90,500 ha).
Simhastha 2028 will be held at Ujjain on the Kshipra river, held every 12 years.
SIMBEX-2026 was the 33rd India-Singapore naval exercise (since 1994).
Ladli Behna 41st instalment: ₹1,834 crore to about 1.25 crore women at ₹1,500/month.
Practice MCQs — MPPSC Prelims pattern
Q1. With reference to Project Cheetah, consider the following statements: (1) All of India's wild cheetahs are currently in Madhya Pradesh. (2) Cheetahs have been settled at both Kuno and Gandhi Sagar. (3) The cheetah is listed as 'Endangered' on the IUCN Red List. 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: A The African cheetah is IUCN Vulnerable, not Endangered, so (3) is wrong. All reintroduced cheetahs are in MP — Kuno, Gandhi Sagar and Veerangana Durgavati — so (1) and (2) are correct.
Q2. Regarding the RBI's October 2026 monetary policy, consider: (1) The repo rate was raised to 5.50%. (2) The policy stance was changed to 'calibrated tightening'. (3) The Monetary Policy Committee is a four-member body. Which are correct?
1 only
1 and 2 only
2 and 3 only
1, 2 and 3
Show answer
Answer: B The repo rate of 5.50% and the shift to calibrated tightening are correct. The MPC has six members, so (3) is wrong.
Mains practice question
Q. 'Welfare direct-benefit transfers and capital investment compete for the same fiscal space.' In the light of Madhya Pradesh's recent Cabinet decisions, examine how the state can balance social-sector transfers with infrastructure creation. (GS-III, 250 words)
Hint / approach
Use the ₹8,225 crore Cabinet mix (irrigation vs welfare) and the Ladli Behna fiscal-burden debate; discuss FRBM limits, the capex multiplier, better targeting and own revenue mobilisation.
