Daily Current Affairs for Uttar Pradesh PSC (UPPCS)
UPPSC Current Affairs — 5 November 2026
Ayodhya's 10th Deepotsav opens with a 33-lakh-diya target; ₹1,500 crore Ujjwala refill aid for 1.89 crore families; four link expressways and a ₹1,725 crore skill-zone scheme reshape UP's growth map
Thursday, 5 November 2026 · IST · Uttar Pradesh + National · 11 items · 2 MCQs
Today's UP edition opens with Ayodhya's 10th Deepotsav, the CM's appointment letters to forensic scientific officers and ₹1,500 crore Ujjwala refill support. The core section covers four link expressways (~322 km), the ₹1,725 crore Sardar Patel skill-zone scheme, the UP AI Mission, the SAF policy and the latest Cabinet decisions. Nationally, the Union Cabinet's energy-storage and VISTAR approvals, the Agnipath extension and the Supreme Court's two-child-norm reference round off the digest.
Today at a glance — things to remember
Ayodhya's 10th Deepotsav (5–7 Nov) targets 33 lakh diyas on the Saryu.
CM gives appointment letters to UPPSC-selected scientific officers for state forensic labs.
₹1,500 crore Ujjwala refill support for 1.89 crore families — 2 free refills in 2026-27.
Four link expressways: ~322 km, ₹17,542.06 crore, by UPEIDA in EPC mode.
GS-I: Indian culture, fairs & festivals | GS-V: Cultural heritage & tourism of UP | GS-VI: Tourism economy of UP
Context
The state government's flagship festival of lights opens today in Ayodhya and runs till 7 November, on the eve of Diwali (8 November).
Key facts
10th edition of Deepotsav: 5–7 November 2026; started in 2017 with 1.71 lakh diyas.
Target: 33 lakh earthen diyas along a ~2 km stretch of Ram Ki Paidi and the Saryu ghats; about 34,000 volunteers.
Previous edition (2025) set two Guinness World Records: 26.17 lakh diyas and 2,128 people performing the Saryu aarti together.
Cultural programmes on a special stage at Ram Ki Paidi; temples illuminated, with a focus on crowd, traffic and cleanliness management.
Way forward
Deepotsav is a textbook case of 'festival-led tourism' — expect questions on its records, the Saryu ghats and UP's religious-tourism circuit (Ayodhya–Prayagraj–Varanasi).
Concept
Ayodhya lies on the right bank of the Saryu (Ghaghara); Ram Ki Paidi is a series of ghats on the river.
Bar chart of diyas lit at Ayodhya Deepotsav from 1.71 lakh in 2017 to 26.17 lakh in 2025, with a 2026 target of 33 lakh. — StudyForGS
2. CM hands appointment letters to UPPSC-selected scientific officers for state forensic labs
GS-II: Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections, DBT | GS-VI: Social sector & women empowerment in UP
Context
At Lok Bhavan, Lucknow (4 November), the CM released refill support under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana.
Key facts
₹1,500 crore released for more than 1.89 crore eligible families.
Two free refills in 2026-27 (approved by the state Cabinet on 9 October) — one around Diwali, one around Holi.
Money credited by DBT to the registered woman beneficiary after she books and buys a cylinder; e-KYC required.
PMUY was launched on 1 May 2016 from Ballia, UP.
Way forward
Refill affordability, not connections, is now the real test of clean-cooking adoption; DBT to women also strengthens household financial agency.
Four stat tiles: ₹1,500 crore released on 4 Nov 2026, 1.89 crore eligible families, 2 free refills in 2026-27, paid by DBT to the woman beneficiary. — StudyForGS
4. Four link expressways (~322 km, ₹17,542 crore) to tie Bundelkhand and Jewar into UP's e-way grid
The UP Cabinet cleared developers for four greenfield link expressways, announced by the Finance & Parliamentary Affairs Minister.
Key facts
Jhansi Link (~106 km), Farrukhabad Link (~90.9 km), Jewar Link (~74 km) and Agra-Lucknow–Purvanchal Link (50.94 km).
Total ~322 km at ₹17,542.06 crore, fully state-funded; executed by UPEIDA.
EPC mode; contractors maintain each road for 5 years; completion target 3 years.
Jewar Link serves the Noida International Airport area; Jhansi Link boosts Bundelkhand connectivity.
Way forward
Link roads convert stand-alone expressways into a network — the precondition for nodes, logistics parks and industrial corridors in lagging regions.
Concept
EPC (Engineering, Procurement & Construction): the government finances the project; the contractor designs and builds it — no toll or traffic risk for the contractor.
Horizontal bar chart of the four link expressways: Jhansi ~106 km, Farrukhabad ~90.9 km, Jewar ~74 km, Agra-Lucknow to Purvanchal 50.94 km. — StudyForGS
5. ₹1,725 crore Sardar Patel Skill Training & Employment Zone scheme — 9 zones for all 75 districts
Courses in AI, robotics, data science and Indian/foreign languages; campuses of 10–25 acres planned at 18 divisional HQs.
Delivery via DBFOT or government institutions; viability gap funding for private partners.
Way forward
UP has India's largest youth population; linking skilling to placement cells and industry clusters is key to converting the demographic dividend into jobs.
Concept
DBFOT = Design-Build-Finance-Operate-Transfer, a PPP model where the private partner finances and runs the asset before handing it back.
Map of Uttar Pradesh districts highlighting the five phase-1 skill-zone centres: Lucknow, Kanpur, Gorakhpur, Gautam Buddha Nagar and Jhansi, with implementing agencies. — StudyForGS
6. UP Artificial Intelligence Mission (UP-AIM) and a Startup E-Marketplace for government buying
GS-III: IT, AI & emerging technologies, startups | GS-VI: IT policy & innovation ecosystem of UP
Context
A recent Cabinet package (39 proposals) set up UP-AIM and the Uttar Pradesh Startup Procurement Scheme-2026.
Key facts
UP-AIM is an independent society under the IT & Electronics Department.
Targets: 100+ AI use cases (25–30 scaled), support to 100 AI startups, 5 lakh youth trained, 50,000 forward-deployed AI professionals.
AI centres in all 75 districts, a GPU-backed UP AI Stack and an AI Trust & Assurance Framework.
Startup Procurement Scheme-2026: a UP Startup E-Marketplace, run by the UP Startup Mission, lets departments buy from state-registered startups.
Way forward
Government as 'first buyer' solves the startups' market-access problem, while district AI centres try to spread digital gains beyond NCR and Lucknow.
Mind-map with UP-AIM at the centre and six targets: 100+ AI use cases, 100 AI startups, 5 lakh youth trained, 50,000 forward-deployed AI professionals, AI centres in all 75 districts, UP AI Stack and trust framework. — StudyForGS
7. Sustainable Aviation Fuel Policy-2026, tax Interest Waiver Scheme and Model Building Regulations
GS-III: Renewable energy, investment models | GS-VI: Industrial & fiscal policy of UP
Context
The same Cabinet package added green-fuel, tax-arrears and ease-of-building reforms.
Key facts
UP SAF Manufacturing Promotion Policy-2026: stamp-duty and net SGST reimbursement, interest subsidy, 100% electricity-duty exemption for up to 10 years.
Nodal agency UPNEDA; policy valid for 5 years (or until replaced).
Interest Waiver Scheme-2026: a 3-month window waiving interest/penalty on dues up to 31 December 2025 under legacy laws (Sales Tax Act, 1948 to VAT Act, 2008).
Model Building Regulations, 2026 simplify map and plot approvals in industrial development authority areas.
Way forward
With a large agri-residue base, UP can turn crop waste into jet fuel — cutting stubble burning while tapping a new green-manufacturing market.
Concept
SAF is jet fuel made from biomass, waste oils or captured carbon; India's indicative blending targets are 1% (2027) and 2% (2028) for international flights.
8. Cabinet clears 22 proposals: PM MITRA park developer, IIT-K cyber SOC, Mainpuri Sainik School land
GS-II: State executive decisions | GS-III: Textiles, cyber security | GS-VI: Industry & infrastructure in UP districts
Context
The 27 October Cabinet spread projects across districts — the map shows where today's UP stories are located.
Key facts
Master developer to be chosen for the PM MITRA Mega Textile Park on 1,000 acres across Lucknow and Hardoi.
A cyber security operations centre through IIT Kanpur's C3iHub; a PRAGATI Robotics Park approved.
9.524 ha of land free for a Sainik School in Mainpuri; cashless treatment for non-teaching staff of secondary, Sanskrit and basic schools.
845 residences for High Court officers in Prayagraj; free land for warehouses in Jhansi and Lalitpur; UP Inland Waterways Vessel Rules-2026.
Way forward
PM MITRA's 'farm-to-fibre-to-fashion' cluster can revive UP's handloom-textile belt; the cyber SOC answers rising digital-fraud cases.
Concept
PM MITRA: 7 mega textile parks announced in 2023 — in Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh (Lucknow–Hardoi).
Locator map of Uttar Pradesh districts marking today's news sites: Ayodhya, Lucknow, Hardoi, Mainpuri, Farrukhabad, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Kanpur, Jhansi, Lalitpur, Prayagraj, Sant Ravidas Nagar Bhadohi and Gorakhpur. — StudyForGS
9. Union Cabinet: ₹14,500 crore for 92 GWh energy storage, ₹4,371 crore VISTAR statistics plan
GS-III: Energy security, critical minerals, statistical system | GS-II: Justice delivery
Context
On 4 November the Union Cabinet approved a cluster of schemes for FY 2026-27 to FY 2030-31.
Key facts
Viability gap funding of ₹14,500 crore for 92 GWh of grid-scale energy storage.
VISTAR (₹4,371.10 crore): 59 surveys in the 16th Finance Commission cycle (vs 43), new services and unincorporated-sector indices, and the 8th Economic Census down to gram panchayat/ward level.
₹2,814 crore capex support for lithium and nickel processing.
850 fast-track special courts for rape and child-abuse cases continued till 2031.
Way forward
Storage makes solar power usable after sunset; district-level data under VISTAR will help states like UP plan by district rather than by guesswork.
Bar chart of Union Cabinet outlays approved on 4 Nov 2026: energy storage VGF ₹14,500 crore, VISTAR ₹4,371 crore, critical mineral processing ₹2,814 crore. — StudyForGS
10. Agnipath revamp: 2-year extension option for the 75% Agniveers not regularised
NATIONALUPPSC: Prelims + Mains GS-III (Security)
Syllabus linkage
GS-III: Security forces & their mandate | GS-II: Government policies
Context
The Union Cabinet (4 November) approved a second engagement period for Agniveers; the UP CM welcomed the decision.
Key facts
Initial 4-year engagement continues; 25% selected on merit for regular service.
Remaining 75% may opt for 2 additional years of voluntary service.
Second engagement brings higher pay, an enhanced Seva Nidhi package and cumulative seniority; after 6 years, Agniveers can apply for regular enrolment.
Way forward
UP sends one of the largest contingents of recruits; longer tenure improves training return and post-service employability.
11. Supreme Court: two-child norm for local polls outdated; 2003 ruling referred to larger bench
POLITYUPPSC: Prelims + Mains GS-II (Polity, local government)
Syllabus linkage
GS-II: Panchayati Raj, fundamental rights | GS-I: Population | GS-V: UP population policy
Context
In a case on local-body elections, the Court said falling fertility has made penal two-child laws outdated.
Key facts
The 2003 verdict (Javed v. State of Haryana) that upheld the norm is referred to a larger bench.
Several states bar people with more than two children from panchayat/municipal polls.
India's TFR is 2.0 (NFHS-5) — below replacement level of 2.1; UP's TFR is 2.4, among the highest.
UP's Population Policy 2021–30 relies on incentives rather than electoral bars.
Way forward
The case tests whether population goals can justify limits on the right to contest — a live debate for UP's coming panchayat polls.
Data point of the day
₹1,500 crore
Ujjwala refill support released (UP) For 1.89 crore families; two free refills in 2026-27 (Diwali and Holi).
Prelims rapid-fire
Renaming: Bhadohi district renamed Sant Ravidas Nagar Bhadohi (UP Cabinet, October 2026).
Sports: Suhas L.Y. (IAS; Secretary, UP Sports Dept) won bronze in men's singles SL4 para-badminton at the Asian Para Games 2026.
Elections: Booth rationalisation approved for all 403 assembly seats — voting at 1,73,730 polling booths.
Rules: UP Inland Waterways Vessel Rules-2026 promulgated to regulate river vessels.
Tradition: Varanasi's 326-year-old Dhanteras tradition at Dhanvantari Niwas to be observed this week.
Policy: Interest Waiver Scheme-2026: 3-month window for legacy tax dues up to 31 December 2025.
Practice MCQs — UPPSC Prelims pattern
Q1. Which one of the following link expressways recently approved by the Uttar Pradesh Cabinet is the longest?
Farrukhabad Link Expressway
Jhansi Link Expressway
Jewar Link Expressway
Agra-Lucknow–Purvanchal Link Expressway
Show answer
Answer: B Jhansi Link is ~106 km, followed by Farrukhabad (~90.9 km), Jewar (~74 km) and the Agra-Lucknow–Purvanchal link (50.94 km); total ~322 km at ₹17,542.06 crore.
Q2. With reference to the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Skill Training and Employment Zone scheme of Uttar Pradesh, consider: 1. Its outlay is ₹1,725 crore over three years. 2. It covers all 75 districts through nine zones. 3. Jhansi is among the first-phase centres. 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: ₹1,725 crore for 3 years, 9 hub-and-spoke zones for 75 districts, and phase-1 centres at Lucknow, Kanpur, Gorakhpur, Gautam Buddha Nagar and Jhansi.
Mains practice question
Q. "Expressways and skill zones can make Uttar Pradesh a trillion-dollar economy only if growth reaches Bundelkhand and Purvanchal." Discuss with reference to recent state initiatives. (200 words, GS-VI)
Hint / approach
Intro: regional disparity in UP. Body: link expressways (Jhansi, Agra-Lucknow–Purvanchal), skill zones at Jhansi and Gorakhpur, PM MITRA park, warehouses in Bundelkhand; gaps — land, water, skilled labour, last-mile industry. Conclude: corridor + cluster + skilling approach.
📌 One-line revision: Deepotsav 10th edition: 33 lakh diyas target | 4 link e-ways ~322 km, ₹17,542 cr | Skill zones ₹1,725 cr, 9 zones | UP-AIM: 5 lakh AI-trained | Ujjwala ₹1,500 cr → 1.89 cr families
