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UPPSC Monthly Current Affairs October 2026

21 daily editions · 216 topics · 43 MCQs · Uttar Pradesh + National

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Monthly at a glance

All topics — key facts for revision

1 October 2026

Full notes with diagrams →
UP-AGRI Paddy procurement opens in western UP at new MSP
  • MSP for KMS 2026-27: ₹2,441/quintal (common) and ₹2,461/quintal (Grade A) — up ₹72 over last season's ₹2,369/₹2,389.
  • Procurement starts 1 October in western UP; eastern UP traditionally from 1 November.
  • Farmers must register on the state Food & Civil Supplies portal or the UP Kisan Mitra app.
  • Purchases via e-POP (Electronic Point of Purchase) devices with biometric verification; payment directly to Aadhaar-linked bank accounts.
UP-CULTURE CM unveils statue of freedom fighter Masuriya Din in Prayagraj
  • Born 2 October 1911 at Jondhwal, Prayagraj; leader of the Pasi community (a major Scheduled Caste group of UP).
  • Campaigned against the colonial Criminal Tribes Act; jailed several times between 1932 and 1944.
  • Member of the UP Legislative Assembly (1946-52), the Constituent Assembly and the Provisional Parliament.
  • Elected to the first four Lok Sabhas from Phulpur and later Chail.
UP-POLITY UP's 10 Rajya Sabha and 11 MLC seats head to biennial polls
  • Rajya Sabha: last date of nomination 6 Oct, scrutiny 7 Oct, withdrawal 9 Oct, poll and counting 16 Oct.
  • Nine members retire on 25 November 2026; one vacancy arose after Dinesh Sharma became Lt Governor of Andaman & Nicobar.
  • With effective Assembly strength of 397, a candidate needs 37 first-preference votes (single transferable vote, open ballot).
  • MLC: 5 Graduates' + 6 Teachers' constituencies; poll 23 Oct, counting 27 Oct; current terms end 6 December.
UP-GOVERNANCE CM sets November target: 70% budget approvals, 60% spending
  • Budget 2026-27 size: ₹9,99,056.48 crore, of which development outlay ₹5,01,957.09 crore.
  • Approvals issued: ₹5,15,918.44 crore (51.6%); actual spending ₹2,83,870.11 crore (~28.4%).
  • Target: 70% approvals and at least 60% expenditure by November.
  • Also ordered: mapping eligible farmers for Kisan Credit Card, a Rural Credit Conclave, and marketing of GI-tagged products.
UP-ECONOMY UP International Trade Show 4.0 closes with record global reach
  • Inaugurated by Union Home & Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on 25 Sept, with the CM present.
  • 2,400+ exhibitors; 600+ international buyers from 90 countries (vs 550 from 72 last year).
  • Partner countries: Austria, Japan, Russia, Singapore, Belarus and Vietnam.
  • Showcased ODOP (One District One Product) and the newer ODOC (One District One Cuisine).
UP-SCHEME Yogi cabinet's 23 decisions: farm credit, smart schools, Agniveer quota
  • Mukhyamantri Krishak Samriddhi Yojana: long-term loans up to ₹6 lakh at 6% for small and marginal farmers.
  • 20% horizontal reservation for former Agniveers in Jail Warder and Transport Enforcement Constable posts, with age relaxation.
  • 14,429 primary schools to become smart schools (₹300 crore); Chitrakoot Link Expressway — 15.172 km, six-lane, ₹1,008.67 crore.
  • Toy Manufacturing Policy-2025; 120 KLPD ethanol plant at Chhata (Mathura); PRD duty allowance ₹500 → ₹600/day; NSG regional hub in Ayodhya.
UP-CULTURE UP tops India's GI register; CM pushes marketing of GI products
  • UP has 79 entries in the official GI register (May 2026), ahead of Tamil Nadu (74) and West Bengal (58).
  • The register lists 822 GI entries nationally.
  • Iconic UP GIs: Banarasi Sari, Lucknow Chikan, Agra Petha, Moradabad Brass, Khurja Pottery.
  • GIs are registered under the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration & Protection) Act, 1999; registry at Chennai.
NATIONAL Bankers' Books Evidence Act, 2026 comes into force
  • Replaces the Bankers' Books Evidence Act, 1891.
  • Creates a technology-neutral framework — physical, electronic and digital bank records admissible as evidence.
  • Permits digital/electronic signatures for certification; bank officers compelled to testify only on a court order showing special cause.
ECONOMY Net FDI inflows touch a five-year high in July 2026
  • Net FDI of about $7.3 billion in July 2026 — highest since May 2021.
  • Communication and financial services drew the bulk (~60%) of equity inflows.
  • Net FDI = gross inflows minus repatriation/disinvestment and outward FDI by Indian firms.
POLITY AFSPA extended for six months in parts of the North-East
  • Extended for 6 months in notified areas of Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh.
  • Section 3 of AFSPA, 1958 lets the Centre or Governor declare an area 'disturbed'.
  • Prosecution of armed forces personnel requires prior sanction of the Centre.

2 October 2026

Full notes with diagrams →
UP-CULTURE Gandhi (157th) & Shastri (122nd) Jayanti: UP announces 25% Khadi rebate till 30 Jan 2027
  • UP government offers a 25% discount on Khadi products from 2 October 2026 to 30 January 2027 (Gandhi's death anniversary / Martyrs' Day).
  • CM linked Gandhi's Swadeshi and self-reliance to the goal of a developed India; Tricolour hoisted on all government buildings on Chief Secretary's orders.
  • Lal Bahadur Shastri was born on 2 Oct 1904 at Mughalsarai (now Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Nagar, Chandauli); earned the 'Shastri' degree from Kashi Vidyapith (1925).
  • UP links to Gandhi: BHU speech (Feb 1916), founding of Kashi Vidyapith (1921), and Chauri Chaura, Gorakhpur (4 Feb 1922) which led to withdrawal of the Non-Cooperation Movement.
UP-GOVERNANCE Special Gram Sabhas across UP's villages launch People's Plan Campaign for GPDP 2027-28
  • Gram Sabhas begin the People's Plan Campaign 2026-27 to prepare the Gram Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP) for 2027-28.
  • Agenda: VB-G RAM G (125 days of guaranteed wage employment per rural household), Jal Jeevan Mission, Swachh Bharat (Grameen), SVAMITVA and the Panchayat Advancement Index.
  • Also on the agenda: e-GramSwaraj & AuditOnline, One Nation One Ration Card, new criminal laws (BNS, BNSS, BSA) and ending child marriage.
  • The day doubles as Swachh Bharat Diwas; the Swachhata Hi Seva 2026 fortnight (17 Sept – 17 Oct) has the theme 'Swachhata Mein Sahbhag, Swachh Bharat, Viksit Bharat'.
UP-SPORTS Meerut's Parul Chaudhary returns home with two Asian Games 2026 bronze medals
  • Won bronze in the women's 5000 m and bronze in the 3000 m steeplechase at the 2026 Asian Games (Aichi-Nagoya, Japan).
  • She is a back-to-back Asian Games medallist: at the 2022 Games (Hangzhou) she won 5000 m gold.
  • India's tally as of 2 October: 70 medals — 12 gold, 24 silver, 34 bronze.
  • Meerut is UP's leading athletics nursery; it also hosts the Major Dhyan Chand Sports University project.
UP-ECONOMY UPITS 4.0 ends with record 4,400 MoUs worth ₹6,500 crore
  • 4,400 MoUs worth about ₹6,500 crore (up 142.5% in value over 2025) and potential business of ₹15,500 crore.
  • 41,500 B2B meetings (+31%) and nearly 6 lakh visitors, including about 1.75 lakh business buyers.
  • 6 partner countries: Russia, Austria, Japan, Singapore, Belarus and Vietnam (just 1 in 2025); 2,400 exhibitors. Theme: 'Ultimate Sourcing Begins Here'.
  • Showcased ODOP products from all 75 districts along with the new 'One District, One Cuisine (ODOC)' initiative.
UP-SCHEME Yogi Cabinet: free lifetime bus travel for women 60+ and 25 lakh tablets for youth
  • Lokmata Ahilyabai Matrushakti Yojana: free lifetime travel in state buses for women aged 60+, which could benefit about 1 crore women.
  • Swami Vivekananda Yuva Sashaktikaran Yojana: 25 lakh tablets over five years, with ₹2,374.60 crore set aside for 2026-27.
  • Ganga Expressway to be extended towards Haridwar (Uttarakhand), adding to the 594 km Meerut–Prayagraj corridor opened in April 2026.
  • ₹200 crore ethanol plant at Chhata (Mathura) with 3.96 crore litres/year capacity, reviving a sugar mill shut for 19 years; a new Toy Manufacturing Incentive Policy also cleared.
UP-GOVERNANCE Police modernisation: 87 interceptor vehicles, gallantry medals and the book 'Sangharsh'
  • 87 tech-equipped interceptor vehicles (four- and two-wheelers) inducted to strengthen highway and city patrolling.
  • Gallantry medals for 26 personnel (16 announced on Republic Day 2025, 10 on Republic Day 2026), from constables to IPS officers.
  • Widow of STF Inspector Sunil Kumar (posthumous Kirti Chakra, 2026; killed in the Jhinjhana, Shamli encounter) honoured.
  • CM released 'Sangharsh', a book on police reform by former UP DGP Prakash Singh, the petitioner in the landmark 2006 Supreme Court case.
UP-INFRA Ayodhya begins preparations for Deepotsav 2026; Ram ki Paidi works to be finished first
  • Priorities: finishing works at the ghats and Ram ki Paidi, city-wide cleanliness, crowd and traffic management.
  • Preparations for the 14-Kosi and 5-Kosi Parikrama are being reviewed along with Deepotsav.
  • Ayodhya Deepotsav (started in 2017) has set successive world records for the largest display of oil lamps.
ECONOMY Rabi MSP 2027-28: wheat ₹2,610/quintal; safflower gets highest hike (₹675)
  • Wheat ₹2,610 (+₹25), mustard ₹6,613 (+₹413), lentil ₹7,390 (+₹390), gram ₹5,958 (+₹83), barley ₹2,286 (+₹136), safflower ₹7,215 (+₹675).
  • Expected margin over all-India weighted cost: wheat 106% (highest), mustard 96%, lentil 92%.
  • MSP is fixed at at least 1.5× the cost of production, based on CACP recommendations and approved by the CCEA.
ECONOMY September GST collections up 14.7% to ₹2.04 lakh crore; UP's growth fastest among big states
  • Gross GST: ₹2.04 lakh crore (+14.7%); net after refunds ₹1.77 lakh crore (+18.1%).
  • Import GST up 25.9% (₹65,525 crore) vs domestic GST up 10.1% (₹1.38 lakh crore).
  • Uttar Pradesh: ₹8,882 crore (+18%), the highest growth among the top four states (Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat, UP).
  • Apr–Sept FY27 gross GST: ₹12.46 lakh crore (+11.6%).
ECONOMY Cabinet clears Green Energy Corridor Phase-III with battery storage
  • Outlay of ₹1,86,405 crore to strengthen intra-state transmission and deploy Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS).
  • Will help evacuate up to 135 GW of renewable energy capacity.
  • Also cleared: a ₹1,789.52 crore Intelligent Traffic Management System for Delhi (42 corridors).

5 October 2026

Full notes with diagrams →
UP-ECONOMY 50th India Carpet Expo opens at Bhadohi; UP now India's 5th-largest exporter
  • 50th India Carpet Expo (4 days) is organised by the Carpet Export Promotion Council (CEPC); expected business about ₹500 crore.
  • About 430 foreign buyers from 65 countries and 223 Indian exporters; the USA sends the most buyers (~40) and 106 buyers come from BRICS nations.
  • CM: UP's exports have grown 2.27 times in a decade to over ₹2 lakh crore, making UP the 5th-largest exporting state.
  • Bhadohi's handmade carpets — a GI-tagged craft and the district's ODOP — are a leading contributor; Bhadohi–Mirzapur form India's 'Carpet City' belt.
UP-INFRA 112 projects worth ₹1,340 crore for Sant Ravidas Nagar Bhadohi
  • 65 projects (₹440.84 crore) inaugurated; foundation stones for 47 projects (₹899.27 crore).
  • Largest work: a Ganga bridge at Gyanpur (₹320.51 crore); also a new 574-capacity district jail and 35 PWD works.
  • The district is being renamed 'Sant Ravidas Nagar Bhadohi' — announced on Guru Purnima (29 Jul 2026) in the 650th birth-anniversary year of Sant Ravidas.
  • Bhadohi was carved out of Varanasi on 30 June 1994; named 'Sant Ravidas Nagar' under the Mayawati government, it reverted to Bhadohi in Dec 2014.
UP-AGRICULTURE Paddy procurement 2026-27: new MSP ₹2,441/quintal, 48-hour payment promise
  • MSP: ₹2,441/quintal (Common) and ₹2,461 (Grade-A) — ₹72 more than 2025-26.
  • Windows: western UP 1 Oct–31 Jan; eastern UP 1 Nov–28 Feb.
  • Online registration is mandatory; sale is verified by e-POP biometric at the centre; moisture limit 17%.
  • Payment via PFMS directly to Aadhaar-linked accounts within 48 hours; reports say rain-delayed harvests pushed some farmers to sell below MSP.
UP-JUDICIARY Allahabad HC: no hookah service even in designated smoking areas; electricity part of Article 21
  • Lucknow Bench (29 Sep): restaurants in UP cannot serve hookah even in Designated Smoking Areas — under COTPA, 2003 rules, the 2017 amendment to Rule 4(3) bars 'any service' there.
  • Court held the right to clean air (Art. 21) prevails over the right to trade (Art. 19(1)(g)); also cited the State's duty under Art. 47.
  • Separate ruling: electricity is an indispensable need and part of the right to life under Article 21.
  • Another bench: reserved-category candidates scoring above the general cut-off must be adjusted at the screening stage itself.
UP-SCHEME 25% discount on Khadi in UP from Gandhi Jayanti till 30 January 2027
  • 25% rebate on khadi valid 2 Oct 2026 – 30 Jan 2027 (Gandhi Jayanti to Martyrs' Day).
  • Marked Gandhi's 157th and Lal Bahadur Shastri's 122nd birth anniversaries.
  • CM called the charkha the base of 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' and urged people to adopt swadeshi.
UP-SPORTS Aligarh's Gulveer Singh wins three medals at Asian Games 2026
  • Silver – 10,000 m (28:29.38), Silver – 1,500 m (3:36.72, personal best), Bronze – 5,000 m (13:32.75, on 29 Sep).
  • First Indian in 40 years to win 3 medals at one Asian Games — since P.T. Usha (Seoul 1986).
  • Earlier won India's first-ever men's 10,000 m silver at the Commonwealth Games 2026.
NATIONAL · ECONOMY Rabi MSP 2027-28: wheat ₹2,610/quintal; safflower gets the biggest hike
  • Wheat ₹2,610 (+₹25) — smallest hike; barley ₹2,286 (+₹136); gram ₹5,958 (+₹83).
  • Masur ₹7,390 (+₹390); rapeseed-mustard ₹6,613 (+₹413); safflower ₹7,215 (+₹675, highest).
  • Estimated procurement 324 lakh tonnes; MSP outgo about ₹90,962 crore.
NATIONAL · ENERGY Cabinet clears ₹1.86 lakh crore Green Energy Corridor Phase-III
  • Total outlay ₹1,86,405 crore; central support ₹54,082 crore; completion by FY 2032-33.
  • ₹1,36,378 crore for intra-state lines + ₹50,000 crore for 50 GWh BESS.
  • Will evacuate up to 135 GW of renewable energy; greenfield via tariff-based competitive bidding.
NATIONAL · SPORTS Asian Games 2026 close: India 4th with 85 medals (21 gold)
  • India: 21 gold, 27 silver, 37 bronze = 85 medals, rank 4th — India's second-best haul after Hangzhou (107).
  • Firsts: Kumkum Mohod — first Indian individual recurve archery gold; golf gold by Pranavi Urs.

6 October 2026

Full notes with diagrams →
UP-ECONOMY CM Yogi: UP moving 'from Assembly to AI' — chips, data centres and AI skilling
  • UP makes about 60% of India's mobile phones and 55% of its electronics components.
  • HCL-Foxconn OSAT (chip assembly & testing) unit near Jewar — ₹3,706 crore; foundation stone Feb 2026; to make display-driver chips.
  • Planned capacity: 20,000 wafers per month; data-centre proposals of 644 MW received under the earlier policy.
  • 24,000+ startups and 8 unicorns; AI Pragya aims to skill 10 lakh youth in emerging technologies.
UP-GOVERNANCE Gomti flood in Lucknow: CM orders embankment from Faizullaganj to Naimish
  • Heavy rain in 50+ districts over 10 days; upstream inflow from Pilibhit, Lakhimpur Kheri, Sitapur and Nepal raised the Gomti after 5–6 days.
  • Irrigation Department to survey the Gomti bank from Faizullaganj to Naimish and prepare an embankment proposal; pumping sets to drain water.
  • Relief kit per family: 10 kg rice, flour and potato, 2 kg arhar dal, oil, raincoat, bucket.
  • ₹4 lakh ex gratia to families of those killed by drowning or lightning.
UP-CULTURE Ayodhya gears up for the 10th Deepotsav: 33 lakh diyas on 5–7 November
  • 33 lakh clay diyas across about 2 km of ghats including Ram ki Paidi on the Saryu.
  • 55,000 litres of oil and about 65 lakh wicks being arranged.
  • 34,000 volunteers, largely students, to manage lighting and logistics.
  • Deepotsav began in 2017 and has repeatedly set world records for the most diyas lit.
UP-ECONOMY UP's hotel investment pipeline tops ₹44,250 crore as tourism booms
  • Hotel approvals: 205 (FY24) → 299 (FY25) → 421 (FY26) — nearly 1,000 in three years.
  • Tourist inflow rose from 64 crore (2024) to 156 crore (2025), the Maha Kumbh year.
  • UP ranks 1st in domestic and 4th in foreign tourist arrivals.
  • Goal: raise tourism's share of state GVA from 9.2% to 16% by 2047; 14 tourism circuits; AI cameras at hotspots.
UP-INFRA Record power demand met: 24,779 MW on 3 October
  • Peak demand met: 23,445 MW (1 Oct) → 23,939 MW (2 Oct) → 24,779 MW (3 Oct).
  • Late-September storms hit 100+ substations and 500+ feeders in eastern and central UP; supply restored round the clock.
  • Service steps: instant fault reporting to call centres, restoration alerts to consumers, tree-trimming near lines.
UP-GOVERNANCE UPESSC drive for 12,405 primary assistant teachers — fee deadline 15 October
  • Conducted by the UP Education Service Selection Commission (UPESSC).
  • 11,508 Assistant Teacher (Urban, Basic Education) + 897 attached-primary posts in aided schools.
  • Applications opened 16 Sep; fee deadline 15 Oct; corrections till 19 Oct; written exam 3–4 Dec 2026.
  • Eligibility: graduate + BTC/D.El.Ed + TET; age 21–40 years; One-Time Registration (OTR) mandatory.
UP-SCHEME Background: UP Data Centre Policy 2026 — the engine behind 'AI-ready UP'
  • Targets ₹2 lakh crore investment and 2 GW of additional data-centre capacity.
  • Incentives for Tier-3/4 data centres, an AI Compute Booster for GPU infrastructure, and green operations.
  • Extra incentives for Bundelkhand and Purvanchal for regional balance.
  • Jobs: 7,500 direct + 50,000 construction-phase; replaces the 2021 policy (7 projects, ₹21,343 crore operational).
ECONOMY RBI's MPC meets 5–7 Oct; decision due 7 Oct amid rate-hike talk
  • Repo rate currently 5.25%; decision due 7 Oct 2026, 10 AM.
  • CPI inflation at 4.82% (Aug 2026), up from 4.45% in July; target 4% ± 2%.
  • Several economists expect a 25 bps hike; West Asia tensions are lifting energy prices.
SCI-TECH Nobel Prize in Medicine 2026 honours pioneers of optogenetics
  • Laureates: Karl Deisseroth (USA), Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel (Germany).
  • Cited for discoveries on light-gated ion channels and optogenetics.
  • Technique switches chosen neurons on/off with light at millisecond precision; prize: 12 million Swedish kronor.

7 October 2026

Full notes with diagrams →
UP-POLITY Rajya Sabha polls: scrutiny of nominations for UP's 10 seats today
  • 10 seats from UP: 9 fall vacant as terms end on 25 November 2026; 1 vacancy arose after a sitting member became Lt Governor of Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
  • Ruling party fielded 8 candidates (filed on 6 Oct with the CM present); main opposition named 2 - polling and counting both on 16 October.
  • Members are elected by elected MLAs through proportional representation by single transferable vote (Art. 80(4)), using an open ballot.
  • Biennial polls to UP Legislative Council graduates' and teachers' constituencies follow on 23 October (counting 27 October).
UP-EDUCATION ₹460.23 crore released for 1.28 lakh Shiksha Mitras at the new ₹18,000 honorarium
  • Honorarium raised from ₹10,000 to ₹18,000 per month - a rise of ₹8,000 (80%).
  • 1,27,841 Shiksha Mitras in council (basic) schools benefit; total release ₹460.23 crore.
  • ₹230.11 crore each for September and October, routed through Samagra Shiksha.
  • Shiksha Mitras are contractual para-teachers in UP's basic schools, first engaged in 1999-2000.
UP-ECONOMY 'Mobile phones to microchips': CM maps UP's electronics and AI leap
  • UP makes about 60% of India's mobile phones and 55% of electronic components.
  • ₹3,706 crore semiconductor unit at Jewar (Gautam Buddh Nagar) - approved under the India Semiconductor Mission.
  • 644 MW of data-centre proposals; 24,000+ start-ups and 8 unicorns in the state.
  • AI Pragya aims to skill 10 lakh youth, farmers and officials in AI and new-age tech.
UP-ECONOMY 50th India Carpet Expo opens at Bhadohi; 112 projects worth ₹1,340 crore
  • Organised by the Carpet Export Promotion Council; 223 exporters and about 430 foreign buyers from 65 countries.
  • 112 projects worth ₹1,340+ crore inaugurated / foundation laid across Bhadohi, Aurai and Gyanpur.
  • UP's exports rose about 2.27 times in a decade to over ₹2 lakh crore - 5th largest exporting state.
  • Investment pipeline cited: ₹50 lakh crore proposals, ₹15 lakh crore grounded; new idea of 'One District, One Cuisine'.
UP-GOVERNANCE Bhadohi is Sant Ravidas Nagar again: a district renamed for the fourth time
  • District carved out in 1994 as Bhadohi (from Varanasi); renamed Sant Ravidas Nagar in 1997.
  • Became Sant Ravidas Nagar (Bhadohi) in 1999, reverted to Bhadohi in 2014, restored in 2026.
  • Renaming a district is a state government power: proposal -> Revenue Department notification -> records updated; station/university names do not change automatically.
  • Sant Ravidas - 15th-century Bhakti poet-saint born near Varanasi; about 40 of his verses are in the Guru Granth Sahib.
UP-INFRA Jhansi's 140-year-old Parichha Dam named a World Heritage Irrigation Structure
  • Built 1881-1886 on the Betwa river, Jhansi; about 1,174 m long with 318 steel gates.
  • Storage raised from 1,700 to about 2,400 million cubic feet.
  • Feeds the Betwa Canal System irrigating drought-prone Bundelkhand in UP and MP.
  • Supplies water to the 920 MW Parichha Thermal Power Station.
NATIONAL India-EFTA TEPA turns one; Swiss President on first state visit
  • TEPA came into force in October 2025 - India's first FTA with a European bloc.
  • EFTA = Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein; Switzerland is the largest partner among them.
  • Commitment of USD 100 billion investment and 1 million direct jobs in India over 15 years.
ECONOMY ASI 2024-25: factory-sector GVA grows 9.59%, jobs cross 2.10 crore
  • GVA +9.59% to ₹26.94 lakh crore; output +7.81% to ₹165.24 lakh crore.
  • Employment 2.10 crore (+14.08 lakh); factories 2.67 lakh (+2.64%).
  • Five states incl. UP produce about 55% of manufacturing GVA; UP is among the top-5 employers too.
ECONOMY India's first WASH-focused social bond listed: ₹180 crore at 8.10%
  • Size ₹180 crore, coupon 8.10%, tenure 5 years, rated AAA.
  • Proceeds for WASH (water, sanitation, hygiene) lending via rural institutions.
  • Social bonds fund projects with social outcomes, unlike green bonds (environmental).

8 October 2026

Full notes with diagrams →
UP-GOVERNANCE 470 sportspersons get UP Police appointment letters under sports quota
  • Total 470 recruits: 43 Sub-Inspectors (Civil Police), 295 Constables (Civil Police) and 132 Constables (PAC).
  • More than 534 sportspersons have already been recruited directly in various departments; 866 more are in the pipeline.
  • State links sporting merit with secure jobs — the CM called it a merit-first 'new sporting culture' since 2017.
  • PAC = Provincial Armed Constabulary, UP's armed reserve police force.
UP-POLITY Rajya Sabha polls: all 10 UP seats set to be filled unopposed
  • BJP fielded 8 candidates (incl. state minister Dharampal Singh); SP fielded 2 incl. veteran Ram Gopal Yadav.
  • SP dropped plans for a third candidate, ending talk of cross-voting; withdrawal deadline is 9 October.
  • UP has 31 Rajya Sabha seats — the highest of any state; members are elected by MLAs (403-member Assembly).
  • Voting uses proportional representation by single transferable vote (STV) — Art. 80(4).
UP-POLITY MLC biennial polls: 11 graduates' & teachers' seats vote on 23 October
  • Graduates' seats: Lucknow, Varanasi, Agra, Meerut and Allahabad-Jhansi divisions.
  • Teachers' seats: Lucknow, Varanasi, Agra, Meerut, Bareilly-Moradabad and Gorakhpur-Faizabad divisions.
  • 188 nominations filed, 29 rejected; withdrawal by 9 Oct, polling 23 Oct, counting 27 Oct.
  • Sitting members' terms end on 6 December 2026.
UP-ECONOMY Budget push: 70% sanctions in two months; cabinet meets 9 Oct, supplementary budget likely
  • Sanctions issued so far: 51.6% of provisions; target 70% within two months and at least 60% expenditure.
  • Development-scheme provision: about ₹5.02 lakh crore.
  • Cabinet meets on 9 October with 24+ proposals (youth, women, food, industry & investment).
  • A supplementary budget of about ₹50,000 crore is being prepared (monsoon-session supplementary: ₹59,019 crore).
UP-ENERGY FPPCA relief: power bills may fall over 5% in October for 3.73 crore consumers
  • About 3.73 crore consumers of all categories stand to gain in October bills (September consumption).
  • June bills carried a 10% surcharge to recover about ₹1,610 crore; July +4.43%, August +2.92%.
  • September bills saw a record cut of 7.93%; October cut expected to exceed 5%.
  • The state regulator wants surcharges tied to actual power-purchase cost, not old dues.
UP-EDUCATION UP Special TET on 3 November for in-service teachers
  • Exam date: 3 November 2026 (Advt. No. 03/2026).
  • For serving teachers of government, local-body and aided primary/upper-primary schools.
  • A separate Special TET covers about 2,500 CWSN special educators with RCI registration.
  • Uttarakhand is studying UP's model for its own 20,000 affected teachers.
UP-CULTURE Ayodhya readies a Ramayana-themed 10th Deepotsav
  • The city will be decorated on a Ramayana theme with a Ram Rath and Pushpak Viman.
  • About 20 selfie points are planned for visitors.
  • 2025 (9th edition) set Guinness records: 26.17 lakh diyas and 2,128 people performing aarti together.
  • Diyas are lit on the ghats of the Saryu river.
UP-JUDICIARY Two former Allahabad HC judges elevated to the Supreme Court
  • Justice Sunita Agarwal (ex-CJ, Gujarat HC) and Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya (ex-CJ, Delhi HC) were Allahabad HC judges earlier.
  • Third judge: Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh (ex-CJ, Telangana HC).
  • SC working strength rises to 37 against a sanctioned 38 (incl. CJI); women judges now 3.
  • Allahabad HC (est. 1866) has its principal seat at Prayagraj and a bench at Lucknow.
NATIONAL Cabinet approves Integrated Transport & Logistics Authority (ITLA)
  • Will prepare a long-term National Transport Master Plan (10+ years) across road, rail, ports, aviation, waterways and urban mobility.
  • Technical appraisal and monitoring of projects of ₹500 crore and above; financial appraisal stays with existing bodies.
  • Unified data repository from GSTN e-way bills, FASTag, Vahan and GPS systems.
  • Advises on updating the National Logistics Policy (2022).
ECONOMY UPI: 0.4% merchant discount rate on payments above ₹2,000 from 15 October
  • 0.4% MDR on person-to-merchant payments above ₹2,000, capped at ₹300.
  • P2P transfers and P2M payments up to ₹2,000 stay free; small merchants (≤ ₹1 lakh/month) exempt.
  • Essential sectors (railways, fuel, utilities, agri-inputs) pay a flat ₹5 per transaction above ₹2,000.
POLITY Gujarat becomes second state to get UCC law assented
  • Common framework for marriage, divorce, succession and live-in relationships.
  • Uttarakhand was first to implement UCC (Feb 2024); Goa retains its Portuguese-era civil code.
  • UCC is a Directive Principle under Article 44.

9 October 2026

Full notes with diagrams →
UP-GOVERNANCE UP Cabinet meets today: 30+ proposals on welfare, AI, aviation fuel and farm procurement
  • Welfare: 2 free LPG refills for PM Ujjwala beneficiaries on Diwali; an extra saree for about 3 lakh Anganwadi workers & helpers.
  • Economy: state-tax interest waiver scheme for traders, a Startup procurement scheme, UP Industrial Relations Rules and flexibility for industrial land allottees.
  • Tech & green: setting up the UP AI Mission; UP Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Manufacturing Promotion Policy (bio-jet fuel from bagasse & rice husk).
  • Farm & water: paddy and coarse-grain procurement policy for Kharif Marketing Season 2026-27; O&M policy for rural piped drinking-water schemes.
  • Administration: renaming Bhadohi as 'Sant Ravidas Nagar Bhadohi', Revenue Code Rules amendments, model building bye-laws for industrial authorities.
UP-CULTURE Bhadohi to be 'Sant Ravidas Nagar Bhadohi' — the district's fourth renaming
  • Carved out of Varanasi district on 30 June 1994 as UP's 65th district.
  • Name trail: Sant Ravidas Nagar (1997) → Sant Ravidas Nagar-Bhadohi (1999) → Bhadohi (2014) → Sant Ravidas Nagar Bhadohi (2026).
  • Legal route: Section 6(2), UP Revenue Code, 2006 — the state renames revenue areas by notification; railway stations, universities follow separate procedures.
  • Same visit: 112 projects worth over ₹1,340 crore inaugurated/foundation laid; link to the Ganga Expressway network promised.
  • Bhadohi is India's 'Carpet City' — the Bhadohi hand-made carpet carries a GI tag.
UP-SCHEME UP AI Mission: ~₹2,000 crore plan to make the state an AI test-bed
  • Proposed outlay of about ₹2,000 crore; a state-led AI ecosystem aligned with the national IndiaAI Mission.
  • Healthcare is the core use-case: early diagnosis, critical-care decision support, public-health data management.
  • 62 AI & Data Labs planned across UP under an IndiaAI–state MoU for research and skilling.
  • Lucknow is being developed as an AI City; the CM called 2026 a decisive year for UP's tech transformation.
UP-SCHEME Diwali relief: free LPG refills for Ujjwala homes, sarees for Anganwadi workers
  • Earlier festival rounds (Holi & Diwali) covered about 1.86 crore Ujjwala families in UP; refill money is credited via DBT.
  • PMUY was launched on 1 May 2016 from Ballia (UP); Ujjwala 2.0 was launched in Aug 2021 from Mahoba (UP).
  • Extra saree proposed for about 3 lakh Anganwadi workers & helpers.
  • Clean cooking fuel cuts indoor air pollution — linked to SDG-7 (affordable, clean energy).
UP-POLITY UP Legislative Council: 11 graduate & teacher seats go to polls on 23 Oct
  • Polling on 23 Oct, counting on 27 Oct 2026; of 188 nominations, 29 were rejected, leaving 159 candidates.
  • Seats include Varanasi, Meerut, Allahabad-Jhansi (graduates) and Varanasi, Agra, Gorakhpur-Faizabad (teachers).
  • UP Vidhan Parishad has 100 members: 38 elected by MLAs, 36 by local bodies, 8 by graduates, 8 by teachers, 10 nominated by the Governor.
  • Members serve 6-year terms; one-third retire every two years (Art. 172(2)). Only 6 states have a Council.
UP-GOVERNANCE Post-SIR special drive to re-enrol left-out voters ahead of 2027 polls
  • UP's final roll after SIR (10 Apr 2026): 13.40 crore voters vs 15.44 crore before — about 2.04 crore names (~13%) deleted.
  • ECI drive covers 20 states/UTs where SIR is complete; new names via the plain statutory Form 6.
  • Officers will compare pre- and post-SIR rolls and visit homes of deleted voters, prioritising first-time electors.
  • CEO Navdeep Rinwa directed that sector officers and sector police officers be appointed within a week.
UP-ECONOMY UP-TEX 2026 roadmap: textile parks in 10 districts, PM MITRA hub and export push
  • MoUs worth ₹5,196 crore signed; Letters of Comfort worth ₹163 crore issued.
  • Land reserved for parks in Varanasi, Amroha, Bareilly, Sant Kabir Nagar, Bijnor; being identified in Sitapur, Mau, Kanpur, Jhansi, Rae Bareli; Apparel City in Noida.
  • PM MITRA Park coming up at Lucknow–Hardoi.
  • UP ranks 3rd in fabric output (13-14% share), has 17 GI-tagged textile products; Gautam Buddh Nagar exported over ₹21,000 crore in 2025-26.
ECONOMY RBI raises repo rate by 25 bps to 5.50% — first hike since Feb 2023
  • Repo: 5.25% → 5.50%; SDF 5.25%; MSF & Bank Rate 5.75%.
  • Stance shifted from neutral to 'calibrated tightening' (4-2 vote).
  • Inflation target: CPI 4% ± 2% under flexible inflation targeting (RBI Act, Sec. 45ZA).
NATIONAL Nobel Prize in Literature 2026: Canadian poet Anne Carson
  • Canadian poet, essayist and classicist, aged 76; second Canadian literature laureate after Alice Munro (2013).
  • Cited for a "bold and inventive oeuvre" that has created new forms for contemporary literature.
  • Known works: Autobiography of Red, The Beauty of the Husband, Eros the Bittersweet.

12 October 2026

Full notes with diagrams →
UP-AGRI Paddy procurement begins in western UP today; 65 LMT target for KMY 2026-27
  • Procurement window: western UP 12 Oct 2026 – 15 Feb 2027; eastern UP 1 Nov 2026 – 28 Feb 2027.
  • MSP: ₹2,441 per quintal (common) and ₹2,461 per quintal (Grade A) paddy.
  • State target raised to 65 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) from 62 LMT last season.
  • Online farmer registration is mandatory to sell at government purchase centres.
UP-WELFARE State moves to raise social-security pensions from ₹1,000 to ₹1,500 a month
  • Monthly pension to rise ₹1,000 → ₹1,500 (₹12,000 → ₹18,000 a year).
  • Covers about 1.21 crore people: 67 lakh+ old-age, 42 lakh+ destitute women and ~12 lakh divyang pensioners.
  • Last revision was in 2017 (₹500 → ₹1,000).
  • If approved, the higher amount could start from the third quarter of FY 2026-27.
UP-DISASTER Gomti flood eases in Lucknow; embankment survey from Faizullaganj to Naimisharanya
  • Barrage gates to stay open until the river falls below 105.60 m.
  • Irrigation department to survey a proposed embankment from Faizullaganj (Lucknow) to Naimisharanya (Sitapur).
  • 52 boats and a relief camp at Hayat Nagar were deployed earlier in the week; upstream gauges at Neemsar (Sitapur) were already falling.
  • The Gomti, a groundwater-fed tributary of the Ganga, rises at Gomat Taal near Pilibhit and joins the Ganga near Kaithi (Ghazipur).
UP-GOVERNANCE Way cleared to re-engage 25,000+ outsourced power workers; service age raised to 60
  • More than 25,000 outsourced electricity workers removed earlier can be re-engaged (of ~85,000 employed two years ago).
  • Outer age limit for outsourced service raised from 55 to 60 years.
  • Workers above 55 need a fitness certificate from a registered medical practitioner and an affidavit of willingness.
  • Contracts with outsourcing agencies will be amended to extend service periods.
UP-SCHEME Cabinet approves Uttar Pradesh Artificial Intelligence Mission (UP-AIM)
  • AI centres in all 75 districts for training, innovation, jobs and entrepreneurship.
  • Support for at least 100 AI startups; 5 lakh youth to be trained in AI skills.
  • 50,000 forward-deployed AI professionals; 100+ AI use cases, of which 25-30 will be scaled up.
  • Same meeting cleared the UP Startup Procurement Scheme-2026 — a UP Startup E-Marketplace for government buying from registered startups.
UP-ECONOMY UP Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Manufacturing Promotion Policy-2026 approved
  • Feedstock: rice husk, wheat straw, sugarcane bagasse, municipal waste and non-edible oilseeds.
  • Technologies: pyrolysis, gasification and Alcohol-to-Jet (ATJ).
  • Unit categories: Large ₹200–500 crore, Mega ₹500–1,500 crore, Ultra-mega above ₹1,500 crore.
  • 100% electricity-duty exemption for up to 10 years, net SGST reimbursement, stamp-duty relief; UPNEDA is nodal agency; policy valid 5 years.
UP-INFRA 1,725 AC electric buses for 18 cities; integrated bus terminal for Lucknow
  • 1,725 air-conditioned e-buses across 18 cities, including Lucknow, Kanpur, Varanasi, Prayagraj, Ayodhya, Gorakhpur and Noida (with Jewar).
  • Operators buy buses and chargers and handle staff and maintenance; fares fixed by the state; depot land given free by civic bodies/Noida Authority.
  • At present 743 e-buses run in 15 municipal corporations.
  • Integrated bus terminal at Vrindavan Vihar Yojana, Lucknow on PPP, estimated at ₹265 crore.
UP-GOVERNANCE 20% quota for ex-Agniveers; ₹1,725-crore Sardar Patel Skill & Employment Zones
  • Former Agniveers get 20% reservation in police, prisons, forest and transport department posts.
  • 3-year upper age relaxation; they keep the benefit of their original reservation category.
  • Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Skill Training and Employment Zone scheme: ₹1,725 crore over 3 years; 75 districts in 9 zones (hub-and-spoke).
  • Phase-1 centres: Lucknow, Kanpur, Gorakhpur, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Jhansi, with hostels and placement cells.
POLITY NHRC marks 33rd Foundation Day; CJI says right to water means safe, reliable supply
  • CJI Surya Kant: under Article 21, water must be safe, reliable and accessible — a mere tap connection is not access to water.
  • NHRC was set up on 12 October 1993 under the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993; chairperson Justice V. Ramasubramanian.
  • Over 24 lakh cases registered in 33 years with disposal above 98%; NHRC India mobile app launched.
  • UN General Assembly recognised safe drinking water and sanitation as a human right in 2010.
NATIONAL Navy commissions INS Mangrol, its third anti-submarine warfare shallow water craft
  • Built by Cochin Shipyard Ltd; the third Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW-SWC) from the yard.
  • Over 80% indigenous content.
  • Role: hunt submarines in coastal waters, working with maritime patrol aircraft, helicopters and other warships.
  • Named after Mangrol, a fishing harbour town in Gujarat's Junagadh district.

13 October 2026

Full notes with diagrams →
UP-GOVERNANCE Gram Prahari honorarium to rise to ₹3,500 a month; CM to announce at Bareilly
  • Honorarium rises from ₹2,500 to ₹3,500 a month — a 40% hike, i.e. ₹12,000 more per year per prahari.
  • Covers about 60,000 gram praharis, who assist the police under the Home Department (village watch, reporting suspicious activity).
  • Extra cost ≈ ₹7 crore a month (₹84 crore a year), likely to be met through a supplementary budget.
  • Part of a series: mid-day meal cooks ₹2,000→₹3,000, panchayat assistants ₹6,000→₹9,000, PRD volunteers' daily allowance ₹500→₹600.
UP-WELFARE Social-security pensions may rise from ₹1,000 to ₹1,500 a month for ~1.21 crore people
  • Monthly pension to rise by ₹500 — from ₹12,000 to ₹18,000 a year (+₹6,000).
  • Beneficiaries: 67 lakh+ elderly, 42 lakh+ destitute women and ~12 lakh persons with disabilities — about 1.21 crore in all.
  • Last revised after 2017, from ₹500 to ₹1,000 a month.
  • Still a proposal: needs Cabinet approval and budget provision before payments begin.
UP-POLICY Cabinet clears UP Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Manufacturing Promotion Policy-2026
  • Feedstock: rice husk, wheat straw, sugarcane bagasse, municipal waste, non-edible oilseeds; technologies: pyrolysis, gasification, Alcohol-to-Jet.
  • Unit classes: Large ₹200–500 cr, Mega ₹500–1,500 cr, Ultra-mega above ₹1,500 cr.
  • Incentives: 100% electricity-duty exemption for up to 10 years, net SGST reimbursement, stamp-duty relief, interest & skill subsidies, front-end land subsidy.
  • UPNEDA is the nodal agency; policy valid for 5 years.
UP-SCHEME UP Startup Procurement Scheme-2026: a dedicated Startup E-Marketplace for government buying
  • Eligible: innovative enterprises registered under the UP Startup Policy.
  • A dedicated UP Startup E-Marketplace will list their products and services; it will be set up and run by the UP Startup Mission.
  • Departments will procure from their approved budgets; startups can compete directly for government work orders.
  • Same meeting: Interest Waiver Scheme-2026 and doubling of AYUSH interns' stipend (see below).
UP-ECONOMY UP Interest Waiver Scheme-2026: relief on old pre-GST tax arrears
  • Waives interest and penalty on arrears created up to 31 Dec 2025; window open for 3 months.
  • Covers pre-GST laws incl. UP Sales Tax Act 1948, CST Act 1956, UP Trade Tax Act 1995, UP Entry Tax Act 2007 and UP VAT Act 2008, plus entertainment tax.
  • Aim: clear old disputes and realise stuck revenue (Finance Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna).
UP-HEALTH Stipend of Ayurveda, Unani and Homeopathy interns doubled to ₹15,000
  • Monthly stipend for BAMS, BUMS and BHMS interns: ₹7,500 → ₹15,000.
  • 1,714 interns benefit — 588 Ayurveda, 150 Unani, 976 Homeopathy.
  • Paid during the compulsory rotating internship (OPD, wards, night shifts).
UP-CULTURE Shinzo Abe Memorial Corridor opened at Varanasi's Rudraksh Convention Centre
  • Located at Rudraksh International Cooperation & Convention Centre, Varanasi — built with Japanese assistance, inaugurated in 2021.
  • Abe visited Varanasi in Dec 2015 with PM Modi (Ganga Aarti); he was conferred the Padma Vibhushan (2021).
  • Varanasi–Kyoto partner-city ties; UP's MoUs with Japanese firms ≈ ₹90,000 crore; a 500-acre 'Japan City' is planned near Jewar airport.
  • 2027 marks 75 years of India–Japan diplomatic ties (established 1952).
UP-CULTURE 10th Ayodhya Deepotsav on 5–7 November: 33 lakh diyas on Saryu ghats
  • 10th edition, a 3-day celebration on 5–7 Nov 2026.
  • 33 lakh earthen diyas along ~2 km of Ram ki Paidi and the Saryu riverfront.
  • About 34,000 volunteers plus ~34,000 students; 65 lakh wicks, 55,000 litres of oil, 150 kg camphor.
  • Deepotsav began in 2017 and has set several Guinness World Records for lamps lit.
UP-INFRA Noida International Airport (Jewar) signs pact for electric air-taxi (eVTOL) infrastructure
  • Airport at Jewar, Gautam Buddha Nagar; partner: ePlane Company (an IIT Madras-incubated startup).
  • Covers vertiports, charging, operating procedures and safety; trials of the e200X prototype planned.
  • Needs DGCA and BCAS clearances; NCR air-taxi services are eyed around 2028.
  • Also in UP: DRDO's ADRDE, Agra tested a high-altitude airship platform (see Rapid-Fire).
ECONOMY Economics Nobel 2026 to Robert E. Hall and Michael Woodford
  • Robert E. Hall (Stanford) — consumption as a 'random walk' (1978); Michael Woodford (Columbia) — Interest and Prices (2003), New Keynesian models, forward guidance.
  • Prize: 12 million SEK, shared equally; Indian-origin laureates earlier: Amartya Sen (1998), Abhijit Banerjee (2019).
  • India link: RBI's 6-member MPC targets CPI inflation of 4% ± 2%.
NATIONAL Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses completes its first year
  • Outlay ₹11,440 crore (2025-26 to 2030-31); focus crops Tur, Urad, Masur.
  • 2030-31 targets: 350 lakh tonnes, 310 lakh ha, 1,130 kg/ha.
  • 100% procurement of tur, urad and masur at MSP by NAFED & NCCF for four years (PM-AASHA).
  • Output rose from 256.83 to 274.09 lakh tonnes (2025-26, 3rd AE); UP is a major pulse state (Bundelkhand).

14 October 2026

Full notes with diagrams →
UP-GOVERNANCE Gram Praharis get ₹1,000 hike and ₹5-lakh cashless health cover
  • Monthly honorarium of about 68,000 Gram Praharis raised by ₹1,000 — from ₹2,500 to ₹3,500 (about 40%).
  • Cashless treatment up to ₹5 lakh for watchmen and their families.
  • CM called them the 'CCTV of villages' — first link of rural crime intelligence for the police.
  • Part of a wider honorarium push: mid-day meal cooks earlier moved from ₹2,000 to ₹3,000.
UP-INFRA Noida International Airport (Jewar) inks pact for electric air-taxi (eVTOL) ecosystem
  • Airport to give space for vertiports, charging stations and proof-of-concept trials of the e200X eVTOL.
  • Uses: airport-to-airport transit, intra-city air taxis, air ambulance in Delhi-NCR.
  • Clearances from DGCA (safety) and BCAS (security) needed; drone trials precede piloted flights.
  • eVTOL = electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing aircraft — quiet, zero tail-pipe emission.
UP-CULTURE Ayodhya readies for 10th Deepotsav: 33 lakh diyas on Saryu, 5-7 Nov
  • 10th Deepotsav on 5-7 Nov 2026; target 33 lakh earthen diyas over ~2 km of the Saryu riverfront.
  • About 34,000 volunteers; ~65 lakh wicks and 55,000 litres of oil arranged.
  • Deepotsav began in 2017; organised by the UP Tourism Department — earlier editions set Guinness records.
UP-SCHEME UP Artificial Intelligence Mission (UP-AIM) approved
  • Targets: 100+ AI use cases (25-30 scaled up), support to 100 AI start-ups, 5 lakh youth trained.
  • 50,000 forward-deployed AI professionals; AI centres in all 75 districts.
  • Integrated UP AI Stack with GPU compute; an AI Trust & Assurance Framework planned.
  • Runs as an independent society under the IT & Electronics Department.
UP-SCHEME ₹1,725-crore Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Skill Training & Employment Zones
  • Outlay ₹1,725 crore over 3 years; 9 zones on a hub-and-spoke model.
  • Phase-1 hubs (10-25 acres): Lucknow, Kanpur, Gorakhpur (GIDA), Gautam Buddha Nagar, Jhansi (BIDA).
  • Basic skills for arts/commerce youth, upskilling for ITI-polytechnic-engineering grads, foreign-language training for overseas jobs.
  • Hostels, placement cells; viability gap funding possible for private developers.
UP-ECONOMY UP Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Manufacturing Promotion Policy-2026
  • Feedstock: rice husk, wheat straw, sugarcane bagasse, municipal waste, non-edible oilseeds; tech: pyrolysis, gasification.
  • Unit classes: Large ₹200-500 cr, Mega ₹500-1,500 cr, Ultra-mega > ₹1,500 cr.
  • Incentives: stamp-duty relief, net SGST reimbursement, interest subsidy, 100% electricity-duty exemption up to 10 years.
  • Nodal agency UPNEDA; policy valid 5 years.
UP-GOVERNANCE 20% reservation for ex-Agniveers in UP Police, Forest, Prison & Transport recruitment
  • 20% of posts in Police, Forest, Prison and Transport recruitments reserved for ex-Agniveers.
  • Upper age limit 25 → 28 years (3-year relaxation); benefit given within the candidate's original category (horizontal).
  • Exempted from written and physical tests — only a medical test required.
UP-INFRA 1,725 AC electric buses for 18 cities under Gross Cost Contract
  • 1,725 AC e-buses on Gross Cost Contract (GCC) — private operators run them for 12 years; fares fixed by the State.
  • Municipal corporations and Noida Authority to give free land for depots.
  • Currently 743 e-buses run in 15 municipal corporations.
  • Cities include Lucknow, Kanpur, Varanasi, Prayagraj, Agra, Ayodhya, Gorakhpur and Noida (incl. Jewar).
UP-CULTURE Bhadohi district to be renamed 'Sant Ravidas Nagar Bhadohi'
  • Bhadohi was carved out of Varanasi and became UP's 65th district on 30 June 1994.
  • Name history: Sant Ravidas Nagar (1997) → Sant Ravidas Nagar Bhadohi (1999) → Bhadohi (2014) → now restored.
  • Bhadohi is India's 'carpet city' — Bhadohi hand-made carpet holds a GI tag.
  • Sant Ravidas (Raidas): 15th-16th c. Bhakti saint of Varanasi; his hymns are included in the Guru Granth Sahib.
ECONOMY Retail inflation climbs to 5.54% in September; RBI had hiked repo to 5.50%
  • Headline CPI 5.54% (Aug 4.83%); food inflation 7.74%.
  • Rural 6.08% vs urban 4.88% — villages hit harder.
  • RBI MPC raised repo by 25 bps to 5.50% on 7 Oct; target 4% ± 2% (flexible inflation targeting).
NATIONAL PM GatiShakti National Master Plan completes five years (13 Oct)
  • 7 engines: railways, roads, ports, waterways, airports, mass transport, logistics infrastructure.
  • Network Planning Group (NPG) appraises big projects on the platform; all States/UTs on board.
  • Aim: cut logistics cost (13-14% of GDP) toward global benchmarks; UP links it to Jewar airport, DFC junctions and expressways.

16 October 2026

Full notes with diagrams →
UP-INFRA UPSIDA's 52nd board eases industrial plot allotment; Lalitpur pharma park on PPP
  • Minimum evaluation score for allotment of plots above 500 sq m cut from 60 to 50 points.
  • Pharmaceutical park in Lalitpur (Bundelkhand) to be developed on PPP mode.
  • Land acquisition cleared for industrial areas in Hardoi, Chitrakoot and Mirzapur; land in Kanpur Nagar for a BPCL LPG bottling plant and terminal.
  • Layout plan of Kannauj Perfume Park approved; revised layout of Trans Ganga City, Unnao cleared.
UP-CULTURE Ayodhya Ram temple earns FSSAI's top 'Ati Vishisht' food-safety rating
  • Score 103/114 on a 47-parameter checklist — kitchen hygiene, storage, serving areas, food handling.
  • Valid 2 years (11 Oct 2026 – 10 Oct 2028); the trust will hold fortnightly internal compliance reviews.
  • BHOG = Blissful Hygienic Offering to God — FSSAI initiative under Eat Right India for safe prasad and langar.
  • Bands: Ati Vishisht 100–114, Santoshjanak 91–99, 77–90 re-audit, below 77 reapply; Hanumangarhi, Kanak Bhawan and Devkali temple also certified.
UP-POLITY UP Legislative Council: Graduate & Teacher constituency polls on 23 October
  • 11 seats of graduate and teacher constituencies — incl. Varanasi, Meerut, Agra, Allahabad-Jhansi, Gorakhpur-Faizabad.
  • 152 candidates, 14.81 lakh+ voters, 2,697 booths; polling 23 Oct, counting 27 Oct.
  • Art. 171(3): 1/12 of members elected by graduates of 3 years' standing and 1/12 by teachers (secondary level and above, 3 years).
  • UP Vidhan Parishad has 100 members; a member's term is 6 years, with one-third retiring every 2 years.
UP-SCHEME UP-AIM: State AI Mission approved, with a ₹1,725-crore skill-zone scheme
  • Targets: 100+ AI use cases (25–30 scaled up), support for 100 AI startups, 5 lakh youth trained, 50,000 forward-deployed AI professionals.
  • AI centres in all 75 districts and an integrated UP AI Stack with GPU-based computing.
  • Twin decision: Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Skill Training & Employment Zone scheme — ₹1,725 crore over 3 years, 9 zones, hub-and-spoke.
  • First-phase centres: Lucknow, Kanpur, Gorakhpur, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Jhansi.
UP-ECONOMY Sustainable Aviation Fuel Manufacturing Promotion Policy-2026
  • Unit tiers by capital investment: Large ₹200–500 cr, Mega ₹500–1,500 cr, Ultra-mega above ₹1,500 cr.
  • 100% electricity-duty exemption for up to 10 years, plus stamp-duty relief, net SGST reimbursement, interest and skill subsidies, patent-fee reimbursement.
  • Nodal agency: UPNEDA, with an evaluation committee under its Director; policy life 5 years.
  • India's indicative SAF blending targets for international flights: 1% by 2027, 2% by 2028.
UP-INFRA 1,725 AC electric buses for 18 cities on a 12-year GCC model
  • Allocation: Lucknow & Kanpur 300 each, Varanasi 250, Gorakhpur 150; Agra, Ghaziabad, Meerut, Noida (incl. Jewar) 100 each.
  • GCC model for 12 years: private operators buy and run buses and build charging depots; the State fixes fares.
  • Subsidy ₹40 lakh per 12-m bus and ₹35 lakh per 9-m bus; free depot land from municipal corporations and Noida Authority.
  • At present 743 e-buses run in 15 municipal corporations.
UP-GOVERNANCE 20% reservation for former Agniveers in four uniformed services
  • 20% of posts reserved for former Agniveers in police, forest, prisons and transport department recruitment.
  • Upper age limit relaxed from 25 to 28 years (3-year relaxation).
  • Candidates keep the benefit of their original reservation category — a horizontal quota.
  • Agnipath scheme (June 2022): 4-year tenure; up to 25% retained in regular cadre.
UP-CULTURE Two renamings: Jewar airport proposal and Sant Ravidas Nagar Bhadohi
  • Noida International Airport, Jewar (Gautam Buddha Nagar) → proposed 'Narendra Modi International Airport, Noida-Jewar'; the Union Cabinet decides airport names, followed by Gazette notification.
  • Phase 1 inaugurated in March 2026; it is Delhi-NCR's second international airport.
  • Bhadohi was carved out of Varanasi in 1994; renamed in 1997, 1999 and 2014 — this is its fourth major name change.
  • Power to alter district names: Sec. 6(2), UP Revenue Code, 2006. Sant Ravidas, a 15th-century Bhakti saint, was born in Varanasi.
UP-GOVERNANCE Ease-of-business trio: Model Building Regulations, Startup Procurement & Interest Waiver
  • Model Building Regulations-2026 for industrial authorities (Noida, Greater Noida, YEIDA): FAR cap removed for plots on roads wider than 45 m.
  • Deemed approval in 60 days for plans by licensed experts — residential plots up to 500 sq m, commercial up to 200 sq m; high-rises need a structural audit every 5 years.
  • Startup Procurement Scheme-2026: a dedicated UP Startup E-Marketplace run by the UP Startup Mission.
  • Interest Waiver Scheme-2026: a 3-month window waiving interest and penalty on tax dues up to 31 Dec 2025.
NATIONAL First BIMSTEC Home Ministers' Meeting adopts the Delhi Declaration
  • Adopted the Delhi Declaration for a secure, resilient and prosperous Bay of Bengal.
  • Priority areas: counter-terrorism, organised crime & drugs, human trafficking, cybercrime, legal cooperation.
  • BIMSTEC: founded 6 June 1997 (Bangkok Declaration); 7 members; Secretariat in Dhaka.
ECONOMY Global Innovation Index 2026: India ranked 38th of 139 economies
  • India: 38th overall; 49th in innovation inputs, 25th in outputs; 1st among 36 lower-middle-income economies.
  • Top 5: Switzerland, Sweden, USA, Republic of Korea, Singapore.
  • India 1st in ICT services exports; clusters — Bengaluru 25th, Delhi 27th.
NATIONAL Lakshadweep declared India's first fully literate UT under ULLAS
  • All 1,113 identified non-literates passed the FLNAT (Foundational Literacy & Numeracy Assessment Test).
  • ULLAS – Nav Bharat Saaksharta Karyakram (2022–27) targets non-literates aged 15+; 95%+ literacy = 'fully literate'.
  • Mizoram was the first fully literate State (May 2025).

19 October 2026

Full notes with diagrams →
UP-GOVERNANCE Navratri push: “Sashakt Nari, Samridh Uttar Pradesh” — women-empowerment scorecard
  • Anganwadi workers' monthly honorarium raised from ₹3,000 to ₹12,000 (four-fold), with health insurance cover.
  • More than 1.20 crore women are linked to self-help groups (SHGs) in UP.
  • 4 lakh+ women in 31 districts are members of women-led dairy producer companies — Balinee, Samarthya, Kashi, Baba Gorakhnath, Srijani.
  • Take-home ration (THR) production handed to SHG women; BC Sakhi brings banking to gram panchayats; Lakhpati Didi targets sustainable incomes.
UP-SCHEME CM Farmers' Scholarship Scheme: seats doubled, grant raised to ₹60,000
  • Seats per agricultural university/institute: 45 → 90; per agricultural college: 15 → 30.
  • Annual grant per student raised from ₹36,000 to ₹60,000.
  • Covers UG & PG courses in agriculture, home science, horticulture, forestry and animal husbandry.
  • Coverage: 11 agri universities/institutes and 61 agri colleges; about ₹22.90 crore paid to 6,454 students (2017-18 to 2025-26).
UP-ENVIRONMENT Sauj Jheel (Mainpuri) declared Ramsar site — India 103, UP 14
  • Sauj Jheel: shallow lake in the Ganga floodplain, Mainpuri district; Ramsar Site No. 2603.
  • Part of a wetland network with nearby Saman Bird Sanctuary — Mainpuri is now the only UP district with two Ramsar sites.
  • UP's tally rises to 14, second only to Tamil Nadu.
  • Supports waterbirds, sacred lotus (*Nelumbo nucifera*) and wild sugarcane (*Saccharum spontaneum*).
  • Ramsar Convention: signed 2 Feb 1971 at Ramsar (Iran), in force 1975; World Wetlands Day = 2 Feb.
UP-POLITY Allahabad HC: hold panchayat polls within 3 months on existing 27% OBC quota
  • Polls to be held under the existing reservation, including 27% OBC; cannot wait for the Dedicated Backward Classes Commission (formed 18 May 2026).
  • OBC-reserved seats must not be treated as open seats merely because the inquiry is pending.
  • Terms of earlier bodies ended May 2026; the 25 May 2026 order making outgoing pradhans Administrators was upheld.
  • Challenge to Sections 12(3-A) and 12-BB(3) of the UP Panchayat Raj Act, 1947 under Article 243-E rejected.
  • State must give the SEC staff, funds and security.
UP-ECONOMY UP Cabinet's 39-proposal package: AI Mission, ₹1,725-cr skill zones, SAF policy
  • UP Artificial Intelligence Mission (UP-AIM): society under IT & Electronics Dept; 100+ AI use cases, 100 AI startups, 5 lakh youth trained, AI centres in all 75 districts.
  • Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Skill Training & Employment Zone scheme: ₹1,725 crore over 3 years; 9 zones (hub-and-spoke); phase 1 at Lucknow, Kanpur, Gorakhpur, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Jhansi.
  • Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Policy-2026: 5 years; nodal agency UPNEDA; 100% electricity-duty exemption up to 10 years.
  • UP Startup Procurement Scheme-2026 creates a UP Startup E-Marketplace; interest-waiver scheme on old tax dues; Model Building Regulations, 2026 approved.
UP-INFRA New Noida (DNGIR) sets up 3 circles to develop 80 villages
  • Area 209.11 sq km across 80 villages between Dadri (Gautam Buddha Nagar) and Khurja (Bulandshahr).
  • Master Plan 2041; planned population about 6 lakh.
  • Four phases: 2023-27, 2027-32, 2032-37, 2037-41.
  • Compensation: phases 1–2 on Greater Noida model (6% abadi plot); phases 3–4 on YEIDA model (7%).
UP-CULTURE 10th Ayodhya Deepotsav (5–7 Nov) to light 33 lakh diyas
  • 33 lakh earthen lamps along ~2 km of the Saryu riverfront incl. Ram Ki Paidi; dates 5–7 Nov 2026.
  • About 65 lakh wicks and 55,000 litres of oil; ~34,000 volunteers.
  • Cultural programmes on a special stage at Ram Ki Paidi; focus on security, traffic and cleanliness.
NATIONAL · ECONOMY Ethanol 2026-27: zero sugar diversion — sugar-based feedstocks excluded
  • Procurement shifts to maize, damaged foodgrains, surplus FCI rice and C-heavy molasses.
  • Reasons: record retail sugar prices, weak cane yields in Maharashtra/Karnataka, festive buffer stocks.
  • India has already achieved E20 blending; capacity ~2,000 crore litres; E25/E27 and flex-fuel under study.
  • UP angle: India's top cane state loses the juice/B-heavy route — distilleries must pivot to grain and C-heavy molasses.
NATIONAL · POLITY Supreme Court: children have a fundamental right to access the Internet
  • Right flows from Article 21 read with Article 19(1)(a); builds on Anuradha Bhasin (2020).
  • Suggested parental consent, age-appropriate safeguards and a 'child mode' for social-media accounts.
NATIONAL · ECONOMY PLFS 2025: rural female labour-force participation jumps to 45.9%
  • Rural female LFPR 33% → 45.9%; urban 23.3% → 27.7%.
  • Biggest gains: Arunachal Pradesh (+8.28 rural, +5.24 urban); Lakshadweep declined.
  • Rise is largely self-employment/unpaid family work — quality of jobs remains a concern.

20 October 2026

Full notes with diagrams →
UP-CULTURE Vijayadashami at Gorakhnath Temple: Tilakotsav and the Nath-tradition Vijay procession
  • Morning worship of Guru Gorakhnath, then Tilakotsav where devotees receive blessings.
  • At 4 pm the Vijay procession leaves the temple in Nath-sect attire, stopping at Mansarovar Temple.
  • At Mansarovar Ramlila Ground the CM performs the coronation of Lord Ram (Rajyabhishek) and aarti.
  • Ends with a community feast open to all castes; minority-community residents welcome the procession with garlands.
UP-GOVERNANCE 'Shri Krishna Puri': homes for the poor on mafia-freed land at Kasari-Masari, Prayagraj
  • Site: Kasari-Masari, Prayagraj; colony to be named 'Shri Krishna Puri'.
  • Continues the state model of building homes for the poor on land freed from mafia (seized-asset reuse).
  • CM urged people to 'burn' social evils — drug addiction, dowry, caste discrimination, family discord — with Ravan's effigy.
UP-SPORTS Asian Para Games 2026: Etawah's Ajeet Singh Yadav wins javelin F46 silver in India's 1-2 finish
  • Ajeet Singh Yadav (Etawah, UP) — silver, 65.02 m; Rinku Hooda — gold, 65.11 m (men's javelin F46).
  • Ajeet is a Paris 2024 Paralympics silver medallist and 2023 World Para Athletics champion.
  • India had 11 medals (4G-5S-2B) and was 4th in the table on 19 Oct; other golds — Mona Agarwal (shooting), Nishad Kumar, Soumya.
  • UP's 'Padak Lao, Pad Pao' policy offers direct government jobs to medal winners.
UP-SCHEME Mukhyamantri Krishak Chhatravritti Yojana: seats doubled, grant raised to ₹60,000 a year
  • Run by the UP State Agricultural Produce Market Board (Mandi Parishad).
  • Annual grant: ₹36,000 → ₹60,000 (+₹24,000).
  • Seats per institution: universities/institutes 45 → 90; agricultural colleges 15 → 30.
  • Covers 11 agri universities/institutes and 61 agri colleges — Agriculture, Home Science, horticulture, forestry, animal husbandry.
  • Track record: 6,454 students got about ₹22.90 crore between 2017-18 and 2025-26.
UP-INFRA ₹22.45 crore Doppler weather radar network across five UP cities
  • Sites: Azamgarh, Varanasi (installed) + Lucknow, Jhansi, Aligarh (work under way).
  • Cost: ₹22.45 crore — about ₹19.50 crore for radars + ₹2.95 crore civil works.
  • Each radar covers roughly 250–500 km; aims to warn farmers and save crops and livestock.
  • Complements central radars and UP's automatic weather station network.
UP-SCHEME Kanya Sumangala and Mission Shakti: life-cycle support for the girl child
  • MKSY: ₹25,000 in six stages — birth, immunisation, Class 1, Class 6, Class 9 and graduation/diploma.
  • ₹1 lakh assistance at marriage (CM's statement).
  • Safety: women help desks and a separate room in every police station, 1090 helpline, women beat police.
  • 1.29 lakh girls received self-esteem training under Mission Shakti (16 Oct).
UP-GOVERNANCE UP Cabinet (39 proposals): UP-AI Mission, skill zones, aviation-fuel policy and startup procurement
  • UP-AI Mission (UP-AIM): society under IT dept; 5 lakh youth to be AI-skilled, 100+ AI startups, AI centres in all 75 districts.
  • Sardar Patel Skill Training & Employment Zone Scheme: ₹1,725 crore, 9 zones (hub-and-spoke).
  • Sustainable Aviation Fuel Policy-2026 (nodal: UPNEDA) — feedstock from crop residue, municipal waste, non-edible oilseeds.
  • UP Startup Procurement Scheme-2026 (startup e-marketplace) and Interest Waiver Scheme-2026 (3 months).
UP-GOVERNANCE Renamings: Bhadohi becomes 'Sant Ravidas Nagar Bhadohi'; Jewar airport to bear PM Modi's name
  • Bhadohi → Sant Ravidas Nagar Bhadohi — reportedly its 5th renaming in 32 years.
  • Sant Ravidas (15th-century Bhakti saint) was born near Varanasi; Bhadohi is India's hand-knotted carpet hub (GI tag).
  • Noida International Airport, Jewar (Gautam Buddha Nagar) to be named after PM Narendra Modi.
  • Same Cabinet: paddy procurement policy for KMY 2026-27; SH-84 (Mainpuri) to be four-laned.
UP-CULTURE 10th Ayodhya Deepotsav (6–7 Nov) to stage Ramlila in Malayalam, Assamese and Dogri for the first time
  • 10th edition on 6–7 November 2026; Ramlila on 10–15 stages across Ayodhya.
  • First-ever troupes performing in Malayalam (Kerala), Assamese (Assam), Dogri (J&K); Uttarakhand and Bengal troupes too.
  • Philippines troupe confirmed; foreign troupes invited via ICCR.
  • Russian artists in Ayodhya also marked the birth centenary of Gennadi Pechnikov, celebrated as 'Russia's Ram' (19 Oct).
NATIONAL NSAP renamed Pradhan Mantri Samajik Sahayata Yojana; continued to 2030-31 with ₹53,428 crore
  • Outlay ₹53,428 crore; about 3.20 crore beneficiaries in all 36 States/UTs.
  • Sub-schemes renamed: PM Vridhavastha, Vidhawa, Divyangjan Pension Yojanas and PM Parivar Labh Yojana.
  • Disability pension: eligibility threshold 80% → 40% (in line with RPwD Act, 2016); age criterion from birth; ₹375 (0–79 yrs), ₹625 (80+).
  • NSAP began 15 Aug 1995, implementing Article 41 (public assistance in old age, disablement).
ECONOMY Retail inflation rises to 5.54% in September; UP at 6.08%
  • All-India CPI: 5.54% (Aug: 4.83%); rural 6.08%, urban 4.88%.
  • Food inflation (CFPI): 7.74% (Aug: 5.97%).
  • Uttar Pradesh: 6.08% (rural 6.71%, urban 4.73%) — above the national average.
  • RBI's target: 4% ± 2% — September is close to the 6% upper band.

21 October 2026

Full notes with diagrams →
UP-JUDICIARY Allahabad HC orders STF verification of documents of all UP basic-school teachers
  • Order of 16 Oct 2026 by Justice Vinod Diwakar; STF found cases where 10 or more people were employed against one set of documents.
  • All teachers of Classes 1-8 must submit appointment letters and educational documents to the Basic Shiksha Adhikari (BSA) within one week.
  • BSA forwards papers to the STF range office; ADGP (STF) supervises verification; officers liable to be held personally accountable for laxity.
  • Teachers must file notarised affidavits naming relatives who held BSA-level or higher posts; compliance hearing on 4 Nov 2026.
UP-POLITY UP Legislative Council biennial polls on 23 Oct for 11 graduate & teacher seats
  • 11 seats: 5 Graduates' and 6 Teachers' constituencies; polling on 23 Oct 2026, 8 am-4 pm.
  • UP Vidhan Parishad has 100 members; members serve 6 years, with one-third retiring every 2 years (hence 'biennial').
  • Under Art. 171, 1/12 of members are elected by graduates of 3 years' standing and 1/12 by teachers of secondary schools and above.
  • Voting uses the single transferable vote system of proportional representation.
UP-CULTURE 'Wings Over Ganges': IAF's first air show over the Ganga at Varanasi's Namo Ghat
  • Venue Namo Ghat, Varanasi; latest schedule 22-25 Oct 2026; marks the 94th anniversary of the IAF (founded 8 Oct 1932).
  • Suryakiran team flies 9 Hawk Mk 132 jets (built by HAL under licence); Sarang helicopter display team also performs.
  • Line-up includes Tejas, LCH Prachand, Rafale, Su-30MKI, C-295, IL-76/IL-78 and AN-32.
  • Organisers expect 20-30 lakh visitors, boosting boats, hotels and riverfront tourism.
UP-SCHEME UP Cabinet sets up the Uttar Pradesh AI Mission (UP-AIM); Lucknow pitched as India's first AI City
  • UP-AIM is an independent society under the IT & Electronics Department.
  • Targets: 100+ AI use cases (25-30 scaled up), 100 AI startups, 5 lakh AI-skilled youth and 50,000 forward-deployed AI professionals.
  • AI centres in all 75 districts; Noida and Lucknow are being built as Deep Tech hubs under the startup policy.
  • Gautam Buddha Nagar already hosts 12 IT/ITES SEZs; 7 Software Technology Parks are functional in the state.
UP-SCHEME ₹1,725 crore Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Skill Training & Employment Zone scheme approved
  • Outlay ₹1,725 crore over 3 years; 9 zones covering all 75 districts on a hub-and-spoke model.
  • Phase-1 centres (10-25 acres, 4-lane connectivity): Lucknow, Kanpur (PPP), Gorakhpur (GIDA), Gautam Buddha Nagar (NOIDA/YEIDA), Jhansi (BIDA).
  • Courses: basic skills for non-technical graduates, upgrades for ITI/polytechnic/engineering youth, and foreign-language training for overseas jobs.
  • AI-driven analytics, digital dashboards, hostels and placement cells at each centre.
UP-ECONOMY UP Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Manufacturing Promotion Policy-2026 cleared
  • Feedstock: rice husk, wheat straw, sugarcane bagasse, municipal waste, non-edible oilseeds; routes incl. pyrolysis, gasification and Alcohol-to-Jet.
  • Unit classes by investment: Large ₹200-500 cr, Mega ₹500-1,500 cr, Ultra-mega above ₹1,500 cr.
  • Incentives: stamp-duty relief, net SGST reimbursement, interest subsidy, 100% electricity-duty exemption for up to 10 years.
  • Nodal agency UPNEDA; policy valid for 5 years.
UP-GOVERNANCE Bhadohi becomes 'Sant Ravidas Nagar Bhadohi'; Jewar airport to be 'Narendra Modi International Airport'
  • Bhadohi, carved out of Varanasi, became UP's 65th district on 30 June 1994; it was renamed back to plain 'Bhadohi' on 6 Dec 2014.
  • Named after Sant Ravidas (15th-16th c. Bhakti poet of Kashi; 40 of his verses are in the Guru Granth Sahib); his 650th birth-anniversary year is being marked.
  • Bhadohi is India's 'Carpet City' — hand-knotted carpet holds a GI tag.
  • Noida International Airport, Jewar (Gautam Buddha Nagar) to be renamed Narendra Modi International Airport.
UP-CULTURE 10th Ayodhya Deepotsav (5-7 Nov) to light 33 lakh diyas along Ram Ki Paidi
  • 10th edition, 5-7 Nov 2026; target 33 lakh earthen diyas over a ~2 km stretch of Ram Ki Paidi and the Saryu ghats.
  • About 34,000 volunteers plus ~34,000 students; ~65 lakh wicks, 55,000 litres of oil, 150 kg camphor.
  • Deepotsav began in 2017 with about 1.71 lakh diyas and has set successive world records.
  • Ayodhya lies on the right bank of the Saryu (Ghaghara); part of the Ramayana Circuit under the Swadesh Darshan scheme.
ECONOMY Centre halts sugar-based ethanol procurement for 2026-27 — a key watch for UP's cane belt
  • PSU oil firms' joint tender for ~11 billion litres for the supply year from 1 Nov 2026 excludes ethanol from cane juice, sugar, sugar syrup and B-heavy molasses.
  • Allowed: C-heavy molasses, damaged food grains, surplus FCI rice, maize and other feedstocks under the National Policy on Biofuels.
  • India hit E20 (20% blending) in 2025, five years ahead of the original 2030 target.
  • Mills may sell sugar made in Oct 2026 across Oct-Nov over and above monthly quotas.
NATIONAL India-New Zealand FTA enters into force; Rubio says India-US trade deal is 'very close'
  • India-NZ FTA in force from 20 Oct 2026: duty-free access for Indian exports; NZ gains access for wood, wool, sheep meat; US$20 bn investment commitment.
  • US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met EAM S. Jaishankar in Mumbai on 20 Oct; also held a US-India-UAE trilateral.
  • Feb 2026 framework had cut US tariffs on most Indian goods to 18% from 50%.
  • Rubio urged India to buy more US and Venezuelan crude and toured the Jamnagar refinery (Gujarat).
SOCIAL Global Hunger Index 2026: India ranked 100th of 122, still in the 'serious' category
  • Score 24.1; rank 100/122 (last year 102/123); 'serious' band is 20.0-34.9.
  • Child wasting 19.0% (up from 16.9%) — highest in South Asia; child stunting 29.3% (down from 35.6%).
  • Undernourishment 9.8% (from 10.5%); under-5 mortality 2.7%.
  • GHI uses four indicators: undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting and child mortality.

22 October 2026

Full notes with diagrams →
UP-GOVERNANCE UP raises three police allowances on Police Commemoration Day
  • Motorcycle allowance for Sub-Inspectors and Inspectors raised from ₹700 to ₹1,000 per month.
  • Uniform allowance for PPS cadre officers raised from ₹6,400 to ₹15,000; SIM allowance for field-duty constables/head constables from ₹2,000 to ₹2,500.
  • Women in UP Police rose from about 10,000 to 45,000; over 2.26 lakh personnel recruited and training capacity raised to 60,000 at a time.
  • Six UP personnel were among the 154 police personnel across India who died on duty in the past year; three new women PAC battalions have been raised.
  • Police Commemoration Day (21 Oct) marks the 1959 Hot Springs (Ladakh) ambush in which ten CRPF personnel were killed.
UP-EDUCATION TET made mandatory for TGT posts in aided secondary schools
  • For the first time, passing TET (upper-primary level, Classes 6-8) is compulsory for TGT recruitment in aided schools.
  • Other qualifications: graduation with 50% in the subject (or PG with 45%) plus an NCTE-recognised B.Ed.
  • Candidates may obtain a valid TET certificate by 30 June 2027.
  • The UP Education Service Selection Commission has been asked to include the revised eligibility in its next notification.
UP-POLITY Polling for 11 graduate and teacher MLC seats on 23 October
  • 11 seats across graduate and teacher constituencies; 152 candidates in the fray.
  • Over 14.81 lakh voters and 2,697 polling booths; polling 8 am-4 pm on 23 Oct, counting on 27 Oct.
  • Seats include the Varanasi Division graduate and teacher constituencies; process to be completed by 31 Oct.
  • Voting is by single transferable vote (preferential ballot).
UP-GOVERNANCE ECI freezes transfers of UP roll-revision staff for SSR-2027
  • Exercise is a Special Summary Revision (SSR) under Section 21, RP Act 1950, with 1 Jan 2027 as qualifying date.
  • Draft roll on 12 Nov 2026; claims and objections till 11 Dec; final roll on 4 Jan 2027.
  • DEOs, EROs and AEROs are deemed on deputation to ECI under Section 13CC; posts must not be left vacant.
  • Separately, the Commission ordered a probe into alleged voter-list irregularities in Pilibhit.
UP-ECONOMY Gulf-based retail group plans another ₹10,000 crore investment in UP
  • Group has already invested about ₹10,000 crore in UP and plans another ₹10,000 crore; four more projects are under way.
  • New 1 lakh sq ft hypermarket in Greater Noida (Gautam Buddha Nagar) inaugurated by state ministers; its earlier UP outlet is in Lucknow.
  • The group sources fruits, vegetables and food products from UP for export.
UP-SCHEME 20% reservation for former Agniveers in four UP services
  • 20% reservation for former Agniveers in police, forest, prison and transport department recruitment.
  • Upper age limit raised from 25 to 28 years (3-year relaxation).
  • Exempted from written and physical tests; only a medical test; original category reservation continues.
UP-INFRA 1,725 AC electric buses for 18 UP cities
  • 1,725 AC e-buses in 18 cities on a Gross Cost Contract model with private operators for 12 years.
  • Fares to be fixed by the state government; municipal corporations and the Noida Authority to give depot land free.
  • Cities include Lucknow, Kanpur, Agra, Varanasi, Prayagraj, Gorakhpur, Ayodhya, Jhansi and Noida (incl. Jewar).
  • At present 743 e-buses run in 15 municipal corporations.
UP-SCHEME UP notifies Sustainable Aviation Fuel Manufacturing Promotion Policy-2026
  • Units classed as Large (₹200-500 cr), Mega (₹500-1,500 cr) and Ultra-mega (above ₹1,500 cr).
  • Incentives: 100% electricity-duty exemption for 10 years, stamp duty relief, net SGST reimbursement, interest and skill subsidies.
  • UPNEDA is the nodal agency; policy valid for 5 years.
  • Feedstock: agricultural residue, municipal waste and non-edible oilseeds, adding to farm incomes.
UP-SCHEME UP Startup Procurement Scheme-2026 with a dedicated e-marketplace
  • A UP Startup E-Marketplace will list startups' products and services for departments to buy.
  • Run by the UP Startup Mission; purchases from departments' approved budgets.
  • Open to enterprises registered under the UP Startup Policy.
  • UP has about 96 lakh MSMEs, around 14.2% of India's enterprises.
NATIONAL NSAP continued till 2030-31 and renamed PM Samajik Sahayata Yojana
  • Outlay ₹53,428 crore; about 3.20 crore beneficiaries; 100% centrally funded.
  • IGNOAPS, IGNWPS, IGNDPS and NFBS renamed as PM Vridhavastha, Vidhawa, Divyangjan Pension and PM Parivar Labh Yojana.
  • Disability pension: benchmark disability lowered from 80% to 40%, minimum age removed; ₹375 (0-79 yrs) and ₹625 (80+).
ECONOMY RBI MPC minutes: unanimous hike to 5.50%, stance split 4:2
  • All six members voted for a 25 bps hike in repo rate to 5.50%.
  • Shift to a 'calibrated tightening' stance passed 4:2; two external members preferred neutral.
  • September CPI inflation 5.54%, near the upper end of the 4% ± 2% target band.

23 October 2026

Full notes with diagrams →
UP-POLITY UP Legislative Council: voting today for 11 Graduates' & Teachers' seats
  • 11 seats: 5 Graduates' (Lucknow, Varanasi, Agra, Meerut, Allahabad-Jhansi) + 6 Teachers' (Lucknow, Varanasi, Agra, Meerut, Bareilly-Moradabad, Gorakhpur-Faizabad).
  • About 152 candidates, over 14.81 lakh voters and 2,697 polling booths; counting on 27 October 2026.
  • Special casual leave declared for eligible graduate/teacher voters among employees in Lucknow.
  • Varanasi Division seats: notification 29 Sept; the Divisional Commissioner is the Returning Officer.
UP-GOVERNANCE Lucknow hosts 'Sadhana Shrinkhala-2026' under Mission Karmayogi
  • Third regional workshop (after Vijayawada & Guwahati) for 12 States/UTs: 8 states incl. UP + Chandigarh, Delhi, J&K, Ladakh.
  • Roadmap to be linked with the Unnati portal, which connects 700+ government training institutions.
  • Four focus areas: governance & leadership, operational efficiency, faculty capacity, digital/AI transformation.
UP-SECURITY 'TechSangam' International Dialogue-26 opens at UPSIFS, Lucknow
  • Day 1: digital trust, data security, AI in forensic investigation; Day 2 (24 Oct): CM is chief guest; National Quantum Mission presentation.
  • Discussions anchored in the DPDP Act, 2023 and Viksit Bharat-2047 goals.
  • Student sessions on banking cyber-security, insurance fraud and cyberbullying evidence.
UP-INFRA Ganga Expressway: 594 km corridor cutting travel time by up to 10 hours
  • ~594 km, six-lane (expandable to 8), access-controlled; cost about ₹36,230 crore; passes through 12 districts.
  • Meerut-Prayagraj time cut from 10-12 hrs to ~6 hrs; trucks Saharanpur-Prayagraj 20-22 hrs to 11-12 hrs.
  • Planned: 3.5 km emergency airstrip at Shahjahanpur and a ~2,635 ha manufacturing & logistics corridor.
  • A 74.467 km greenfield link (₹8,585.51 cr, UPEIDA) will join Noida International Airport, Jewar to the expressway via Bulandshahr.
UP-ECONOMY UP meets record 32,673 MW peak power demand; cheap PM-KUSUM solar approved
  • Record 32,673 MW met on 24 June 2026 vs 12,327 MW (2014) and 16,110 MW (2017).
  • Supply schedule: 24 hrs district HQ, 21.5 hrs tehsil HQ, 18 hrs rural areas.
  • UPERC approved 10 PPAs (19.7 MW) under PM-KUSUM Component C-2 (feeder-level solarisation) at ₹2.91-2.99/unit; lowest bid from Chitrakoot.
UP-ECONOMY ₹56.26 crore incentives cleared for four industrial units across UP
  • Gorakhpur unit - ₹25.97 cr (largest); food-processing unit, Barabanki - ₹12.77 cr; cement units at Hamirpur - ₹10.11 cr and Amethi - ₹7.41 cr.
  • Units span Purvanchal, Madhyanchal and Bundelkhand, supporting balanced regional growth.
  • Incentives are quarter-wise reimbursements for 2025-26 and early 2026-27.
UP-SCHEME Two free LPG refills for Ujjwala families; 1,725 AC e-buses for 18 cities
  • About 1.86 crore Ujjwala households; expected cost about ₹2,143 crore for FY 2026-27.
  • Phase 1: Oct-Dec 2026 (Diwali); Phase 2: Jan-Mar 2027 (Holi); Aadhaar-linked bank account & authentication required; subsidy via DBT.
  • 1,725 AC electric buses for 18 cities on Gross Cost Contract model: Lucknow & Kanpur 300 each, Varanasi 250, Gorakhpur 150.
UP-LAW & ORDER Gangsters Act: property action crosses ₹15,233 crore; homes for poor on seized land
  • Value rose from ₹1,800 cr (Aug 2021) to ₹15,233 cr (Oct 2026); total includes attachment, not only final confiscation.
  • 148 flats built on freed land: 76 at Lukarganj, Prayagraj (PMAY-U) and 72 EWS flats at Dalibagh, Lucknow.
  • Kasari-Masari, Prayagraj: 1,200 homes under Padmalok Awas Yojana (foundation 15 Oct 2026) - would take total to 1,348.
UP-CULTURE 10th Ayodhya Deepotsav (5-7 Nov) to light 33 lakh diyas; Ashfaqullah Khan remembered
  • 10th Deepotsav, 5-7 Nov 2026: 33 lakh diyas on a ~2 km stretch from Ram Ki Paidi to Saryu ghats; ~34,000 volunteers.
  • Materials: ~65 lakh wicks, 55,000 litres of oil, 150 kg camphor.
  • Ashfaqullah Khan (b. 22 Oct 1900, Shahjahanpur), HRA member, took part in Kakori train action (9 Aug 1925); hanged at Faizabad Jail, 19 Dec 1927.
NATIONAL NSAP revamped as 'PM Samajik Sahayata Yojana' with ₹53,428 crore outlay
  • Outlay ₹53,428 crore; about 3.20 crore beneficiaries in all 36 States/UTs.
  • Sub-schemes renamed: PM Vridhavastha, PM Vidhawa, PM Divyangjan Pension Yojana and PM Parivar Labh Yojana.
  • Disability pension: benchmark disability 80% → 40%, eligibility from birth; ₹375/month (0-79 yrs), ₹625 (80+).
SCI-TECH ISRO to launch NVS-03 navigation satellite on 30 October
  • NVS-03: 3rd of the NVS series and 12th satellite of IRNSS/NavIC; launch from Satish Dhawan Space Centre.
  • NavIC covers India and about 1,500 km beyond its boundary for positioning, navigation and timing.

26 October 2026

Full notes with diagrams →
UP-CULTURE Valmiki Jayanti: CM unveils 48 projects worth ₹411 crore at Bithoor, Kanpur Nagar
  • 48 projects worth over ₹411 crore in the Bilhaur and Bithoor Assembly constituencies of Kanpur Nagar — a mix of inaugurations and foundation stones; certificates given to welfare-scheme beneficiaries.
  • Bithoor (on the Ganga) is traditionally regarded as Valmiki's ashram, where Sita is believed to have lived and Luv-Kush were born.
  • UP declared 26 October a public holiday for Valmiki Jayanti — schools and government offices closed, banks open.
  • The holiday was among 15 public holidays cancelled in 2017 and was later restored after demands from the Valmiki community.
UP-ECONOMY UP GCC Innovation Summit 2026 opens in Lucknow; state targets 500+ GCCs by 2031
  • About 15 MoUs and 5 Letters of Comfort for investors expected; around 13 academic MoUs with IIT Kanpur, IIT (BHU) and IIIT Lucknow.
  • UP already hosts 200+ GCCs (BFSI, semiconductors, engineering, healthcare); target 500+ by 2031.
  • Main hubs Noida–Greater Noida; expansion planned to Lucknow, Kanpur and Varanasi.
  • UP GCC Policy 2024: capital subsidy up to 25%, land subsidy 30–50%, operational subsidy 20%, interest subsidy 5%, plus payroll and R&D support.
UP-AGRI Paddy procurement in eastern UP from 1 November at MSP ₹2,441 per quintal
  • Western UP: 12 Oct 2026 – 15 Feb 2027; Eastern UP: 1 Nov 2026 – 28 Feb 2027.
  • MSP: Common ₹2,441/quintal, Grade-A ₹2,461/quintal.
  • Phased timing reflects later harvest in the eastern (Purvanchal) belt.
UP-INFRA PM in Varanasi (25 Oct): women-led garment unit and IAF's 'Wings over Ganges' at Namo Ghat
  • New garment facility described as predominantly women-led, serving a global customer base.
  • 'Wings over Ganges' marked the IAF's 94th anniversary (IAF founded 8 Oct 1932); organised by Central Air Command, HQ Prayagraj (Bamrauli).
  • About 100 aircraft — 52 fighters, 32 helicopters, 15 transport, 1 heritage — from 12 bases, incl. Rafale, Su-30MKI, Tejas and LCH Prachand.
  • Surya Kiran (9 Hawk Mk 132) and Sarang (ALH Dhruv) teams performed; meat/fish sale barred within 30 km to cut bird-strike risk.
UP-INFRA Four link expressways worth ~₹29,000 crore planned to connect Jewar airport and industrial hubs
  • Jewar Link: Noida International Airport (Jewar) ↔ Ganga Expressway via Bulandshahr.
  • Farrukhabad Link: 91 km, joining Ganga and Agra–Lucknow Expressways via the Kannauj Expressway near Kudrail (Etawah).
  • Jhansi Link: serves Bundelkhand — the BIDA area and the UP Defence Industrial Corridor.
  • Purvanchal Link: connects the Agra–Lucknow and Purvanchal Expressways; total outlay ~₹29,000 crore.
UP-GOVERNANCE OTS scheme in all 762 urban bodies gives ₹116.43 crore relief on house, water and sewer tax
  • Covers 762 ULBs: 17 municipal corporations, 200 municipal councils, 545 nagar panchayats.
  • 1,71,166 applications; 1,33,589 approved, 34,801 under process.
  • Dues of ₹312.94 crore; ₹72.96 crore recovered; relief of ₹116.43 crore (avg. ~₹8,715 each).
  • Dues payable in up to 3 instalments; residential applications dominate (1,42,274).
UP-CULTURE 10th Ayodhya Deepotsav on 5–7 November: 33 lakh diyas along Ram Ki Paidi and Saryu riverfront
  • 10th edition, 5–7 November 2026, at Ram Ki Paidi and the Saryu riverfront.
  • 33 lakh diyas, 65 lakh wicks, 55,000 litres of oil and 150 kg camphor.
  • About 34,000 volunteers (largely students) for lighting and crowd management.
UP-SCHEME UP Cabinet clears Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Manufacturing Policy-2026
  • Feedstock: rice husk, wheat straw, sugarcane bagasse, municipal waste, non-edible oilseeds; routes incl. pyrolysis, gasification, Alcohol-to-Jet.
  • Units: Large ₹200–500 cr, Mega ₹500–1,500 cr, Ultra-mega >₹1,500 cr.
  • Incentives: stamp-duty relief, net SGST reimbursement, interest subsidy, 100% electricity-duty exemption for 10 years, front-end land subsidy.
  • Nodal agency UPNEDA; policy valid for 5 years.
NATIONAL Mann Ki Baat (139th episode): Khadi & village industries turnover crosses ₹1.87 lakh crore
  • KVI turnover >₹1.87 lakh crore (2025-26); employment >2.04 crore people.
  • Sales >₹28 crore on Gandhi Jayanti alone; KVIC target ₹2.51 lakh crore.
  • Linked to Vocal for Local — relevant to UP's ODOP products.
ECONOMY PM opens RBI's ₹169-crore Greenfield Data Centre and Cybersecurity Training Institute near Bhubaneswar
  • Located at Info Valley-II, Khordha (Odisha); 18.55-acre campus; cost ₹169 crore.
  • Acts as critical backup to RBI's primary data centre at Kharghar, Navi Mumbai.
  • Site chosen away from seismic fault lines and border zones; foundation laid 22 March 2023.

27 October 2026

Full notes with diagrams →
UP-ECONOMY Lucknow hosts GCC Innovation Summit 2026; white paper on AI in GCCs released
  • White paper 'The True Economics of AI Adoption in GCCs' released – drafted by HCLTech and IIT Kanpur under a deep-tech collaboration; summit organised with Invest UP.
  • UP GCC Policy 2024: capital subsidy up to 25%, opex, payroll and land incentives; state aims for 500+ GCCs by 2031 in Noida, Lucknow, Kanpur, Varanasi, Prayagraj and Gorakhpur.
  • LG Electronics to invest ₹634 crore in an Eco Solutions GCC (500+ jobs, operational by end-2026); HCLTech opened an AI-powered GCC Centre of Excellence in Lucknow.
UP-DISASTER Cyclone 'Arnab': UP on alert for heavy rain and strong winds from 28 to 31 October
  • 28 Oct (yellow alert): winds 30–40 km/h in Sonbhadra, Mirzapur, Chandauli, Varanasi, Bhadohi, Ghazipur, Ballia.
  • 29 Oct (orange alert): heavy rain, 40–50 km/h winds in Chitrakoot, Kaushambi, Prayagraj, Fatehpur, Pratapgarh, Rae Bareli, Amethi, Sultanpur.
  • 30 Oct: heavy rain in Bareilly, Pilibhit, Shahjahanpur and parts of Purvanchal, Awadh and the Terai; day temperature may fall 5–8°C.
  • Landfall expected near Yanam (between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam) by 28 Oct forenoon with winds of 115–125 km/h; official alerts via the Sachet app.
UP-POLITY Counting today for 11 Legislative Council seats from graduates' and teachers' constituencies
  • Graduates' seats: Lucknow, Varanasi, Agra, Meerut, Allahabad–Jhansi; Teachers' seats: Lucknow, Varanasi, Agra, Meerut, Bareilly–Moradabad, Gorakhpur–Faizabad.
  • Overall turnout about 55%; highest in Gorakhpur–Faizabad Teachers (79.01%), lowest in Lucknow Graduates (38.02%).
  • Only registered graduates and teachers vote – by single transferable vote (preferential ballot).
  • UP Vidhan Parishad has 100 members; one-twelfth each are elected by graduates and by teachers (Article 171).
UP-INFRA CM unveils 48 projects worth ₹411 crore at Bithoor (Kanpur) on Valmiki Jayanti
  • Projects span the Bilhaur and Bithoor Assembly constituencies; certificates were handed to welfare-scheme beneficiaries.
  • Event held at Bithoor, revered as Maharishi Valmiki's tapobhumi (place of penance) on the Ganga.
  • Valmiki Jayanti falls on Ashwin Purnima; UP declared 26 Oct a public holiday – the holiday was among 15 cancelled in 2017 and later restored.
UP-CULTURE Ayodhya's 10th Deepotsav to light 30 lakh diyas on 56 Saryu ghats
  • Target: 30 lakh diyas on 56 ghats of the Saryu (about 33 lakh ordered to cover breakage); a fresh world-record attempt.
  • Deepotsav began in 2017 with 1.71 lakh diyas; 2025 lit 26,17,215 diyas.
  • About 35,000 volunteers, coordinated by Dr Rammanohar Lohia Avadh University with the district administration.
UP-ENVIRONMENT Sauj Jheel (Mainpuri) becomes India's 103rd Ramsar site; UP now has 14
  • Sauj Jheel = Ramsar Site No. 2603 – a shallow floodplain lake in the Ganga basin, ecologically linked to the nearby Saman Bird Sanctuary.
  • Mainpuri is now the only UP district with two Ramsar sites.
  • State tally: Tamil Nadu 20, Uttar Pradesh 14; India is 1st in Asia, 3rd in the world (after UK, Mexico).
UP-SCHEME UP AI Mission and ₹1,725-crore Skill Zone scheme approved
  • UP-AIM: an independent society under the IT & Electronics Dept – 100+ AI use cases, help for 100 AI startups, AI training for 5 lakh youth, AI centres in all 75 districts, a GPU-based UP AI Stack.
  • Skill Zone scheme: ₹1,725 crore over 3 years, 9 zones on a hub-and-spoke model covering all districts.
  • First-phase centres: Lucknow, Kanpur, Gorakhpur, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Jhansi – with hostels, placement cells and possible viability gap funding.
UP-POLICY UP's Sustainable Aviation Fuel Policy-2026 to turn farm waste into jet fuel
  • Feedstock: rice husk, wheat straw, sugarcane bagasse, municipal waste, non-edible oilseeds; routes – pyrolysis, gasification, Alcohol-to-Jet.
  • Units: Large ₹200–500 cr, Mega ₹500–1,500 cr, Ultra-mega >₹1,500 cr.
  • Incentives: 100% electricity-duty exemption for up to 10 years, net SGST reimbursement, stamp-duty and land-use charge relief, interest subsidy.
  • Nodal agency: UPNEDA; policy valid 5 years.
NATIONAL DAC clears ₹2.12 lakh crore defence buys; 82% from Indian industry
  • Army: Light Multi Role Helicopters, VSHORADS, counter-drone systems, long-range kamikaze drones, self-propelled tracked guns.
  • Navy: Active Offboard Decoy Systems; IAF: special utility helicopters, mobile X-band Doppler weather radars.
  • About 82% of the value to be sourced from Indian industry.
ECONOMY Centre notifies E100 (pure ethanol) as fuel for flex-fuel vehicles
  • Applies only to vehicles designed by manufacturers for E85/E100 – ordinary E20 vehicles are unaffected.
  • Gross vehicle weight threshold in the relevant emission norms raised from 3,000 kg to 3,500 kg.
  • Aim: cut crude imports and vehicular emissions.

28 October 2026

Full notes with diagrams →
UP-GOVERNANCE Yogi Cabinet clears 22 proposals: cyber shield, robotics park, cashless care
  • UP Cyber Security Operations Centre (UP-CSOC) to be set up through C3iHub, IIT Kanpur; PRAGATI Robotics Park approved to promote robotics & AI.
  • Cashless medical treatment extended to non-teaching staff of aided/unaided secondary & Sanskrit schools and Basic Education staff (with dependants).
  • Master developer selection for PM MITRA Mega Textile Park (~1,000 acres, Lucknow–Hardoi); 7 AMRUT 2.0 water/sewerage projects for Lucknow & Varanasi.
  • Free land: 9.524 ha to Sainik School, Mainpuri; warehouses in Jhansi & Lalitpur; UP Inland Vessels Rules, 2026 and a State Livestock Mission cleared.
  • 0.5% stamp duty on share value fixed for registering company mergers/demergers.
UP-POLITY MLC polls: BJP sweeps Meerut, SP holds Varanasi Teachers
  • BJP won Meerut Graduates (Dinesh Kumar Goyal), Meerut Teachers (Shrichand Sharma) and Bareilly-Moradabad Teachers (Dr Hari Singh Dhillon, margin 17,676).
  • SP retained Varanasi Teachers (Lal Bihari Yadav); results of remaining seats were being finalised at compilation.
  • Graduates' seats: Lucknow, Varanasi, Agra, Meerut, Allahabad-Jhansi; Teachers': Lucknow, Varanasi, Agra, Meerut, Bareilly-Moradabad, Gorakhpur-Faizabad.
  • UP Council has 100 members: 38 by MLAs, 36 by local bodies, 8 graduates, 8 teachers, 10 nominated by the Governor.
  • MLC term is 6 years; one-third retire every 2 years — the Council is a permanent House.
UP-CULTURE Mati Kala Mahotsav 2026 opens in Lucknow today
  • Runs 28 Oct – 7 Nov 2026; organised by the Uttar Pradesh Mati Kala Board (Khadi & Village Industries Dept.).
  • Theme: 'Mitti se Sanskriti, Sanskriti se Samriddhi'.
  • Inaugurated by Khadi & Village Industries Minister Rakesh Sachan; artisans from many districts display clay products ahead of Diwali.
  • Aims to create markets for potters (Prajapati community) and revive eco-friendly earthenware.
UP-INFRA Four link expressways (~322 km) get the go-ahead
  • Jewar Link (~74 km): connects Noida International Airport with the Yamuna & Ganga Expressways.
  • Jhansi Link (~106 km): links the new industrial city BIDA (Jhansi) with the Bundelkhand Expressway (Jalaun).
  • Farrukhabad Link (~91 km, ~₹7,489 cr): Agra–Lucknow Expressway (near Etawah) to Ganga Expressway (near Hardoi).
  • Agra-Lucknow ↔ Purvanchal Link (~51 km, ~₹4,776 cr) joins the two existing expressways.
  • Total contract value ~₹17,542 crore for ~322 km.
UP-ECONOMY Pre-Diwali wage boost: VDA revised for 74 employments
  • Basis: average All-India CPI of 431 points (Jan–Jun 2026) against a base of 400.
  • Monthly increase ranges from ₹174.25 to ₹238.39 depending on district class and skill.
  • Highest slab: skilled worker in Gautam Buddh Nagar & Ghaziabad — ₹17,106.39/month; unskilled in other districts — ₹12,530.25.
  • Daily wage = monthly wage ÷ 26; workers already paid more keep their higher wage.
UP-GOVERNANCE Six months in the village to vote in Panchayat polls
  • A person must have lived continuously in the village for at least 6 months before roll preparation to be enrolled.
  • Proof via Aadhaar, electricity or telephone bill plus a declaration of intent to reside.
  • Standardises Section 9(3) and replaces the ambiguous 'residing in a manner' clause; follows earlier High Court directions.
  • Applies uniformly to all Gram Panchayats; rolls are prepared under Art. 243K (State Election Commission).
UP-GOVERNANCE UP tops Mission Karmayogi implementation
  • Ranking: 1. Uttar Pradesh, 2. Rajasthan, 3. Jammu & Kashmir.
  • 19.23 lakh registered users on iGOT Karmayogi, over 99% active; 350+ training institutions under the Unnati initiative.
  • Category A: Home Dept 1st, Basic & Secondary Education 2nd — each with >1 crore courses; Category B: Higher Education 1st.
  • Unnati Capability Index and a National Curriculum Design Framework were launched.
UP-ECONOMY UP eyes 500+ Global Capability Centres by 2031
  • Noida–Greater Noida to anchor the push; Lucknow promoted as a new technology destination.
  • Policy incentives: capital subsidy up to 25%, operational subsidy up to 20%, land subsidy 30–50%.
  • Linked to a proposed UP AI Mission and DeepTech hubs.
  • India has 2,100+ GCCs employing ~23.6 lakh professionals.
NATIONAL Army releases revised Land Warfare Doctrine
  • Replaces the December 2018 Land Warfare Doctrine.
  • Adds drones, AI, precision warfare and multi-domain operations to the Army's fighting concept.
POLITY President assents to Frontier Nagaland Territorial Authority Bill
  • Covers 6 eastern districts: Tuensang, Mon, Longleng, Kiphire, Noklak, Shamator.
  • 62-member body: 40 elected (one-third for women), 20 ex-officio MLAs (non-voting), 2 nominated by Governor.
  • Handles 46 subjects with an executive council of up to 9 members.
NATIONAL 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum opens in New Delhi
  • Theme: 'Strengthening Parliaments for People-Centric Development'.
  • Four pillars: resilience, innovation, cooperation, sustainability.

29 October 2026

Full notes with diagrams →
UP-GOVERNANCE UP's new recruitment policy: provisional joining before character verification
  • Candidates selected for general posts get a provisional appointment letter before verification is complete; covers direct recruitment in departments, corporations, councils, autonomous bodies, panchayats and local bodies.
  • Sensitive/security posts still need detailed verification before appointment; district police and the local intelligence unit must report within 30 days.
  • Police check covers the home district and any district of stay for over 1 year in the last 5 years, using existing records (no physical presence needed).
  • Serious offences (e.g. murder, rape, paper leaks, cheating gangs, cyber fraud) or violence aimed at regime change bar a candidate; an FIR alone or a political opinion is not a ground; false information means cancellation of appointment.
UP-INFRA CM's connectivity scorecard: 10 expressways, 17 airports, metro in 7 cities
  • 10 expressways now operational in UP (state's claim: about one and a half before 2017).
  • 12 domestic + 5 international airports — the state says this is the highest number of international airports in India.
  • Metro rail in 7 cities, up from none before 2017 (Lucknow, Kanpur and Agra among them).
  • Stated benefits: wider markets for farmers, job and education access for youth, time saving and tourism growth.
UP-ECONOMY UP Rise 2026 in Ayodhya and the investment push towards a $1 trillion economy
  • UP Rise 2026 is built on the 'Aatmanirbhar UP' vision; 1,000+ students took part, 20+ ideas pitched, 15 shortlisted.
  • Winner: an organic-farming startup team from Kushinagar (₹25,000 prize); runner-up: an eco-friendly portable cremation unit cutting wood use by up to 30%.
  • Programme to run in 30 colleges across 25 cities; schemes showcased include Mukhyamantri Udyami Yojana, UP Startup Fund, Abhyudaya Yojana and the Free Tablet scheme.
  • CM reiterated the mantra 'Reform, Perform and Transform' and the goal of a $1 trillion state economy.
UP-ECONOMY GCC Innovation Summit, Lucknow: UP targets 1,000 Global Capability Centres
  • UP GCC Policy 2024 targets 1,000+ new GCCs and 5 lakh jobs, including in tier-2 and tier-3 cities (Lucknow, Kanpur, Gorakhpur).
  • State reports a land bank of 75,000+ acres for investors.
  • A new ₹634 crore GCC investment in Eco Solutions announced; an AI-powered GCC Centre of Excellence launched at a Lucknow IT campus.
  • India hosts 2,100+ GCCs employing 23 lakh+ professionals.
UP-INFRA Cabinet clears four link expressways: ~322 km at ₹17,542 crore
  • Jewar Link (~74 km): Noida International Airport (Jewar) to the Ganga Expressway.
  • Jhansi Link (~106 km): links the new industrial city BIDA (Jhansi) with the Bundelkhand Expressway in Jalaun.
  • Farrukhabad Link (~91 km) joins the Ganga and Agra–Lucknow Expressways; Agra–Lucknow to Purvanchal Link (~51 km) connects the two expressways near Lucknow.
  • Total ~322 km / ₹17,542 crore; built in EPC mode in ~3 years with 5 years of maintenance by contractors.
UP-GOVERNANCE Same Cabinet: UP Cyber Security Operations Centre, Robotics Park, cashless care for school staff
  • UP-CSOC (Cyber Security Operations Centre) to be set up through C3iHub, IIT Kanpur; a Pragati Robotics Park approved to promote robotics and AI.
  • Cashless medical treatment extended to non-teaching staff of aided/unaided secondary and Sanskrit schools, Basic Education staff and Samagra Shiksha personnel with dependants.
  • 9.524 ha transferred free to the Sainik Schools Society for Sainik School, Mainpuri; free land for warehouses in Jhansi and Lalitpur.
  • 845 residential units (533 Type-3, 312 Type-4) for High Court officials at Devghat Jhalwa, Prayagraj; UP Inland Vessels Rules, 2026 promulgated; AMRUT 2.0 projects for Lucknow and Varanasi.
UP-SCHEME PMAY-Gramin regional workshop in Lucknow reviews next-phase reforms
  • Target: 4.95 crore rural houses by March 2029 (2.95 crore in Phase I, 2016-17 to 2023-24 + 2 crore for 2024-25 to 2028-29).
  • Proposed reforms: cluster-based housing, rural mason training, Centres of Excellence and a credit framework for rural housing.
  • Unit assistance ₹1.20 lakh (plains) / ₹1.30 lakh (hilly & difficult areas); minimum house size 25 sq m.
  • Beneficiaries from SECC 2011 verified by Gram Sabha; 60% of targets for SC/ST; tracked on AwaasSoft and funds via SNA-SPARSH; Centre:State share 60:40 (90:10 for NE/Himalayan States).
UP-CULTURE 10th Ayodhya Deepotsav on 7 November: 33 lakh diyas and 2,100 drones
  • About 33 lakh (3.3 million) diyas planned at Ram Ki Paidi and the Saryu ghats — aiming at a new record.
  • 2,100 indigenous drones show with 3D projection; 2,147 participants in the Saryu Aarti; green fireworks near Gonda bridge.
  • About 35,000 volunteers; ~1,000 artists from UP and 12 other states; cultural troupes from 12 countries and international Ramlilas.
  • Three phases: Shobha Yatra from Saket Mahavidyalaya → Ram Katha Park (Bharat Milap, Rajyabhishek) → Saryu Aarti and lamp lighting.
NATIONAL Union Cabinet: DA raised to 63%; PM Viksit Gram Swaraj Yojana approved
  • DA/DR: 60% → 63% from 1 July 2026; ~48 lakh employees and ~68 lakh pensioners; cost ₹10,016 crore a year.
  • PM Viksit Gram Swaraj Yojana: ₹7,395.55 crore for 2026-27 to 2030-31 (co-terminus with the 16th Finance Commission); Centre ₹4,869.48 cr, States ₹2,526.07 cr.
  • Covers 2.55 lakh panchayats and traditional local bodies, ~32 lakh elected representatives; annual GPDPs on eGramSwaraj, audits via AuditOnline, own-source revenue push.
  • Also cleared: a ₹10,000 crore container manufacturing promotion scheme.
ECONOMY Khelo India Sports Goods Manufacturing Scheme (₹1,856.67 crore) — a boost for Meerut
  • Outlay ₹1,856.67 crore; period 2026 to 2033-34.
  • Cluster-based Sports Goods Manufacturing Zones (SGMZs) via convergence with the BHAVYA scheme and NICDC industrial parks; turnover-linked support for producers.
  • ₹105 crore for certification by international sports federations; Centres of Excellence and R&D convergence with the Anusandhan National Research Foundation.
  • UP angle: Meerut sports goods is the district's ODOP product and one of India's two biggest sports-goods hubs (with Jalandhar).

30 October 2026

Full notes with diagrams →
UP-GOVERNANCE UP rewrites character-verification rules: provisional joining before police report
  • Selected candidates for general posts get a provisional appointment letter before verification is complete.
  • For sensitive posts, verification stays mandatory before joining; district police and local intelligence must report within 30 days.
  • Verification covers the home district and any district where the candidate lived over 1 year in the past 5 years; based on records, no physical presence needed.
  • Disqualification for serious offences (murder, rape, paper leaks, cheating gangs, cyber fraud) and for involvement in violent activity aimed at changing the government; an FIR alone does not disqualify.
  • Applies to direct recruitment in departments, corporations, councils, autonomous bodies, panchayats and local bodies; concealing facts cancels appointment.
UTTAR PRADESH CM's development scorecard: women's work participation and connectivity
  • Women's workforce participation in UP stated at about 13% in 2017 and 36% now (CM's figures; measure not specified).
  • Expressways: from about 1.5 before 2017 to 10 operational now.
  • Airports: 12 domestic and 5 international airports now operational.
  • Metro rail now runs in 7 cities of UP, up from none earlier.
  • Credits 'zero tolerance' policing for safer night-time business and higher female participation.
UP-INFRA UP Cabinet clears four link expressways worth about ₹17,542 crore
  • Four projects: Farrukhabad Link, Agra–Lucknow to Purvanchal Link, Jhansi Link and Jewar Link expressways.
  • Estimated total cost about ₹17,542.06 crore; built in packages under the EPC model by UPEIDA.
  • Agra–Lucknow–Purvanchal link improves east–west travel; Jewar link ties the Noida International Airport area to the grid.
  • Same meeting: 22 proposals cleared in all.
UP-SCHEME UP's first State Livestock Mission approved with five sub-missions
  • Five sub-missions: entrepreneurship & startups, breed development, innovation & digital livestock, fodder & feed, and research & globalisation.
  • Grants of ₹40,000 for one improved cow and ₹80,000 for two; support for goat, sheep, pig and poultry, incl. 100 chicks for needy families.
  • Grants go by DBT after milestones and committee approval; PPP encouraged.
  • UP has India's largest livestock population and ranks first in milk production.
UP-ECONOMY Textile push: PM MITRA Park master developer picked; ₹150-crore garment plant opens in Varanasi
  • PM MITRA Mega Textile Park on the Lucknow–Hardoi border: 1,000 acres, estimated cost ₹1,947 crore.
  • Central aid 30%, up to ₹500 crore; SPV equity UP 51% : Centre 49%; preferred bidder for master developer selected.
  • In Varanasi, PM inaugurated a ₹150 crore garment plant, the company's first major unit in Purvanchal, with about 1,000 jobs mainly for women.
  • Theme of the event: 'Apna Hunar, Apni Pehchan' (Your Skill, Your Identity).
UP-GOVERNANCE Cyber security centre, robotics park and cashless care for school staff
  • UP-CSOC (Cyber Security Operations Centre) to be set up through C3iHub of IIT Kanpur.
  • PRAGATI Robotics Park approved to promote robotics and AI.
  • Cashless medical treatment extended to non-teaching staff of secondary, Sanskrit, basic and Samagra Shiksha institutions and their dependants.
  • 845 residences (533 Type-3, 312 Type-4) for High Court officials at Devghat Jhalwa, Prayagraj; seven AMRUT 2.0 water and sewer projects for Lucknow and Varanasi.
UP-SCHEME Lucknow hosts PMAY-G regional workshop on next-phase reforms
  • Target of 4.95 crore rural houses by March 2029 (2.95 crore + 2 crore additional).
  • Proposed reforms: cluster-based housing, rural mason training, Centres of Excellence and a rural housing credit framework.
  • Unit assistance ₹1.20 lakh (plains), ₹1.30 lakh (hilly/difficult); minimum size 25 sq m.
  • Funding 60:40 (90:10 for NE/Himalayan states); tracking via AwaasSoft and SNA-SPARSH.
NATIONAL PM-KISAN 24th instalment released today; Rabi MSP for wheat at ₹2,610
  • Over ₹18,690 crore to more than 9.34 crore farmers via DBT.
  • PM-KISAN gives ₹6,000 a year in three instalments; UP has one of the largest beneficiary bases.
  • MSP for Rabi 2027-28: wheat ₹2,610 per quintal; safflower saw the largest absolute rise (+₹675).
NATIONAL Union Cabinet: PM Viksit Gram Swaraj Yojana, DA hike and container scheme
  • PM Viksit Gram Swaraj Yojana: ₹7,395.55 crore (2026-27 to 2030-31) for over 2.55 lakh panchayats.
  • DA/DR raised from 60% to 63% from 1 July 2026; annual cost ₹10,016.10 crore.
  • Container Manufacturing Promotion Scheme: ₹10,000 crore, aiming at 7.5 lakh TEUs capacity.
  • Khelo India Sports Goods Manufacturing Scheme: ₹1,856.67 crore (2026-27 to 2033-34).
ECONOMY Finance Ministry nowcasts Q2 FY27 GDP growth at 7.35%
  • Q2 FY27 GDP nowcast 7.35%; FY27 forecasts: IMF 7.0%, World Bank, OECD and RBI 7.1%.
  • Forex reserves cover 10.3 months of imports.
  • Risks: West Asia crisis, crude prices, a strengthening El Niño affecting Rabi sowing.

Prelims rapid-fire — 126 facts

Dinesh Sharma (former UP Deputy CM, ex-Lucknow Mayor) — 15th Lt Governor of Andaman & Nicobar.
UP Legislative Council polls: 11 seats (5 Graduates' + 6 Teachers'), voting 23 Oct.
ODOC — One District One Cuisine — UP's food-branding twin of ODOP, highlighted at UPITS 2026.
NSG regional hub approved on land in Ayodhya.
Chitrakoot Link Expressway: 15.172 km, six-lane, ₹1,008.67 crore (Bundelkhand connectivity).
UP Rajya Sabha strength: 31 seats — largest of any state; 10 up for election on 16 Oct.
UPITS 2026 partner countries: 6: Russia, Austria, Japan, Singapore, Belarus, Vietnam
New UP food-branding initiative: One District, One Cuisine (ODOC), alongside ODOP
UP Startup Policy 2026: New UP Startup Mission; ₹1,000 crore Startup Fund
Kirti Chakra (posthumous), 2026: STF Inspector Sunil Kumar (Shamli encounter)
Swachhata Hi Seva 2026 theme: Swachhata Mein Sahbhag, Swachh Bharat, Viksit Bharat
Shastri's birthplace (UP): Mughalsarai (Pt. DDU Nagar), Chandauli; born 2 Oct 1904
Renaming: Bhadohi district → 'Sant Ravidas Nagar Bhadohi' (650th birth-anniversary year of Sant Ravidas).
Literature: Acharya Ramchandra Shukla birth anniversary (4 Oct; b. 1884, Agona, Basti) — wrote 'Hindi Sahitya Ka Itihas' (1929).
Personality: Lal Bahadur Shastri 122nd birth anniversary (2 Oct) — born at Mughalsarai (now Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Nagar, Chandauli).
Urban floods: Lucknow's Gomti Riverfront closed 'until further notice' by LDA after rain-induced waterlogging (3 Oct).
Agriculture: Kufri Ruby — CPRI baby-potato variety (90 days, ~60% baby tubers) notified for UP and 13 other States; showcased by Meerut (Modipuram) scientists.
Scheme: One District One Cuisine (ODOC) — launched on UP Diwas (24 Jan 2026); highlighted again at Bhadohi.
Deepotsav 2026: 10th edition, 5–7 Nov, Ram ki Paidi, Ayodhya — 33 lakh diyas
HCL-Foxconn OSAT unit: Near Jewar (Gautam Buddh Nagar) — ₹3,706 crore, display-driver chips
AI Pragya: UP initiative to skill 10 lakh youth in AI & emerging tech
UP tourism rank: 1st in domestic and 4th in foreign tourist arrivals
Naimisharanya: Pilgrim site on the Gomti, Sitapur district; Gomti rises near Madhotanda (Pilibhit)
UPESSC exam: 3–4 Dec 2026 for 12,405 primary assistant teacher posts
Sports: 70th State School Gatka Competition held at Dr. Ambedkar International Stadium, Ayodhya (3-6 Oct).
Education: Kashi Naresh University set up in Sant Ravidas Nagar (Bhadohi) district.
Culture: 'One District, One Cuisine' - new concept to preserve UP's regional food heritage, on ODOP lines.
Heritage: Parichha Dam award at 26th ICID Congress, Marseille on 14 October.
Elections: UP Legislative Council graduates' and teachers' seats: poll 23 Oct, counting 27 Oct.
Schools: Dream Labs for robotics and drone training to come up in 3 government schools of Basti.
UP Cabinet meeting: 9 Oct 2026 — 24+ proposals expected (youth, women, food, investment)
UP Scholarship 2026-27: Online applications open; last date 31 October
PM Modi – 25 years in public office: 7 Oct 2001 oath as Gujarat CM; Varanasi MP; UP CM marked the day
Asian Games 2026 (Aichi-Nagoya): India 4th — 85 medals (21 G, 27 S, 37 B); Doha hosts 2030
Fleet Support Ship 'Surya': First indigenous FSS launched at Hindustan Shipyard, Visakhapatnam
COP31: 9–20 Nov 2026 at Antalya, Türkiye
Divyang rehabilitation: District Divyang Punarvas Kendras to be set up in all 18 divisions of UP; first one running in Gorakhpur.
Recruitment: UP Home Guard: medical & character verification of selected candidates from 12 Oct 2026.
Expressway: Jewar–Ganga Expressway link: 74.467 km, 6-lane greenfield (expandable to 8) from Noida International Airport via Bulandshahr.
New board: UP Ghumantu Vikas Board set up for denotified, nomadic & semi-nomadic communities.
Regional planning: Prayagraj–Chitrakoot Regional Development Authority approved for coordinated development.
Festival: Ayodhya Deepotsav 2025 (9th edition) set a record with 26.17 lakh diyas; 2026 edition due before Diwali.
Renaming: Noida International Airport (Jewar, Gautam Buddha Nagar) → proposed Narendra Modi International Airport, Noida-Jewar (needs Centre's approval).
Renaming: Bhadohi district → Sant Ravidas Nagar Bhadohi; known for GI-tagged hand-made carpets.
Culture: CM at Devi Patan, Tulsipur (Balrampur) — a Shaktipeeth — launched 78 projects worth ₹803 crore on Navratri day 1 (11 Oct).
Welfare: Ujjwala beneficiaries to get two free LPG refills in FY 2026-27 (Diwali & Holi); outlay ₹2,142.78 crore.
Health: AYUSH interns' monthly stipend doubled: ₹7,500 → ₹15,000.
Urban: New City Promotion Scheme: ₹115 crore first instalment to Mirzapur-Vindhyachal & Muzaffarnagar authorities (FY27 provision ₹3,500 crore).
HAPS airship test: DRDO's ADRDE, Agra flew a high-altitude airship to ~21 km; it held ~20 km for 30+ minutes.
Vindhyachal Mela: Sharadiya Navratri Mela at Vindhyachal (Mirzapur), 11–26 Oct; railways added special arrangements.
National SC-ST Hub: UP tops the leading States under the MSME Ministry's National SC-ST Hub (launched 2016).
Cricket – Lucknow: India beat West Indies by 8 wickets in the 1st T20I at Lucknow; India lead the 5-match series 2–1.
Namo Bharat art: NCRTC–IGNCA MoU to showcase art & heritage at stations of the Delhi–Meerut Namo Bharat corridor.
Day of the Day: 13 Oct – International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (UN, 1989); linked to the Sendai Framework 2015–30.
Interest Waiver Scheme-2026 — 3-month window; waives interest/penalty on old (pre-GST era) tax dues up to 31 Dec 2025 — VAT, Trade Tax, Entry Tax etc.
UP Startup Procurement Scheme-2026 — Govt buying from start-ups via a UP Startup E-Marketplace run by UP Startup Mission
Mission Shakti × Navratri — Women-safety messaging at 26 temples/shrines during Sharadiya Navratri
Vindhyachal Navratri Mela — 11-26 Oct 2026, Mirzapur — special rail facilities for pilgrims
UP-Haryana boundary — Survey of India fixing the Yamuna border (Saharanpur sector); ~25% done
AYUSH interns — Cabinet raised stipend for BAMS, BUMS, BHMS interns in government colleges
Deepotsav 2026 (10th edition): Ayodhya, 5–7 Nov — 33 lakh diyas at Ram ki Paidi and Saryu ghats.
Padma Lok Awas Yojana: about 600 flats by Prayagraj Development Authority on reclaimed land; foundation stone on 15 Oct.
State Highway-84 (Mainpuri): to be widened to four lanes (Cabinet, 9 Oct).
Paddy procurement policy: approved for Kharif Marketing Season 2026-27.
70th State-Level School Kabaddi Championship: held at Jubilee Inter College, Gorakhpur.
Anganwadi workers & helpers: one additional saree each sanctioned by the Cabinet.
Renaming: Bhadohi district renamed Sant Ravidas Nagar Bhadohi (Cabinet, Oct 2026)
Rajya Sabha: All 10 UP seats filled unopposed: BJP 8, SP 2; BSP left with no UP member; outgoing terms end 25 Nov
Award: UP 1st in PMAY-U Beneficiary-Led Construction; 3rd in PMAY-U 2.0 grounding (5 Oct)
Urban rules: Model Building Regulations, 2026: no FAR cap on roads >45 m; deemed approval in 60 days; high-rise audit every 5 years
Sports: Major Dhyan Chand Sports University, Meerut; “Medal Lao, Naukri Pao” = govt jobs for medallists
Festival: 19 Oct: Maha Navami public holiday in UP; CM performed Kanya Pujan at Gorakhnath Temple, Gorakhpur
Asian Para Games 2026 host — Aichi–Nagoya, Japan (18–24 Oct); India 11 medals (4G-5S-2B), 4th on 19 Oct
Sports-job policy (UP) — 'Padak Lao, Pad Pao' — direct govt jobs for medal winners
Vindhyavasini Dham, Mirzapur — 25 lakh+ devotees in a single Navratri day (CM)
Model Building Regulations-2026 — Simplified map/plot approvals in industrial development authority areas
UP Interest Waiver Scheme-2026 — 3 months; interest/penalty waiver on old tax dues up to 31 Dec 2025
Mandi Parishad (UP) — Runs Krishak Chhatravritti; 2026-27 spending provision ₹3,025.49 crore
Ujjwala refills: 2 free LPG refills (Diwali & Holi) in FY27 for PMUY families; cost ₹2,142.78 cr
e-Buses: 1,725 AC electric buses for 18 cities (incl. Noida-Jewar) on a 12-year operator contract
AYUSH interns: Stipend of Ayurveda, Unani & Homeopathy interns doubled to ₹15,000/month
Startups: Startup Procurement Scheme-2026: e-marketplace run by UP Startup Mission for govt purchases
Tax relief: Interest Waiver Scheme-2026: 3-month window to clear old tax dues (up to 31 Dec 2025) without interest/penalty
Anganwadi: Workers & helpers to get 3 sarees a year instead of 2 — 3,80,290 beneficiaries
Suhas L.Y. (UP-cadre IAS) won bronze in men's singles SL4 para-badminton at the 5th Asian Para Games, Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
Three new women PAC battalions are named after Uda Devi Pasi, Jhalkari Bai Kori and Avanti Bai Lodhi.
Internship stipend for Ayurveda, Unani and Homeopathy interns doubled from ₹7,500 to ₹15,000 a month; 1,714 interns benefit.
Ayodhya's 10th Deepotsav is planned for 5-7 Nov 2026 at Ram ki Paidi and the Saryu riverfront.
UP now has the Police Commissionerate system in 7 cities and a cyber police station in every district.
21 Oct also marks the Azad Hind Government proclaimed by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in 1943.
Renaming: Bhadohi district to be renamed Sant Ravidas Nagar Bhadohi (UP Cabinet, 9 Oct 2026).
Naming: Noida International Airport, Jewar to be named after PM Narendra Modi (UP Cabinet decision).
Tech mission: UP-AIM (UP AI Mission): train 5 lakh youth in AI, AI centres in all 75 districts, back 100+ AI startups.
Green policy: UP Sustainable Aviation Fuel Policy-2026: nodal agency UPNEDA; feedstock - crop residue, MSW, non-edible oils.
Sports: Suhas L.Y. (IAS, UP Sports Dept.) won bronze in men's singles SL4 para-badminton at the Asian Para Games 2026.
Festival: Ayodhya Ramlila 2026 staged in Delhi for the first time (10-20 Oct); organisers claim 74 crore+ views across 57 countries.
AYUSH stipend: Doubled ₹7,500 → ₹15,000/month for 1,714 BAMS/BUMS/BHMS interns (Cabinet, 9 Oct)
Ex-Agniveers: 20% reservation in police, forest, prison & transport recruitment; upper age 25 → 28
E-buses: 1,725 AC e-buses for 18 cities on gross-cost contract (12 yrs); 743 already run in 15 corporations
Valmiki Jayanti: Ashwin Purnima; UP public holiday on 26 Oct (restored after 2017 cancellation)
IAF Day: 8 October (founded 1932); 2026 = 94th anniversary; Central Air Command HQ: Prayagraj
RBI data centres: Primary: Kharghar (Navi Mumbai); new backup: Khordha, Odisha
Bhadohi district to be renamed Sant Ravidas Nagar Bhadohi (UP Cabinet, Oct 2026).
Valmiki Jayanti (26 Oct) – public holiday in UP; Valmiki's tapobhumi is Bithoor (Kanpur Nagar).
Cyclone 'Arnab' – name given by Bangladesh, means 'ocean'; landfall near Yanam.
UP Interest Waiver Scheme-2026 – 3 months; waives interest/penalty on tax dues up to 31 Dec 2025 under 6 laws incl. UP VAT Act, 2008.
UP Data Centre Policy 2026 – targets 2 GW capacity and ₹2 lakh crore investment; extra incentives for Bundelkhand & Purvanchal.
Deepotsav 2025 record – 26,17,215 diyas; coordinated by Dr Rammanohar Lohia Avadh University.
Wings over Ganges: IAF's 94th anniversary aerial display at Namo Ghat, Varanasi (25 Oct) with the Surya Kiran team.
PM inaugurated a garment manufacturing unit at Mirzamurad, Varanasi — focused on women's employment.
Ayodhya's 10th Deepotsav: 5–7 Nov 2026, target 33 lakh diyas on Ram ki Paidi & Saryu ghats.
Shram Samvad (Lucknow, 26–27 Oct): Centre-UP programme on the 4 Labour Codes (merging 29 central laws).
845 housing units (533 Type-3 + 312 Type-4) at Devghat Jhalwa, Prayagraj for Allahabad High Court officers.
Cabinet passed UP Inland Vessels Rules, 2026 for inland water transport.
Bhadohi district renamed 'Sant Ravidas Nagar Bhadohi' by the state Cabinet (October 2026).
UP AI Mission (UP-AIM): AI centres in all 75 districts, 5 lakh youth to be trained, support for 100 AI startups.
UP Sustainable Aviation Fuel Policy-2026: nodal agency UPNEDA; up to 10 years of electricity-duty exemption.
Mukhyamantri Samuhik Vivah Yojana: ₹1 lakh per couple (₹64,000 to the bride's account); 2026-27 target 72,540 couples.
28 new Bachpan Day Care Centres approved for children (3–7 yrs) with disabilities; 25 already running.
PM inaugurated a ₹150 crore garment plant in Varanasi — theme 'Apna Hunar, Apni Pehchan'.
Renaming: Bhadohi district renamed Sant Ravidas Nagar Bhadohi (Cabinet, 9 Oct 2026)
Sports: Suhas L.Y. (UP sports secretary) won bronze in men's singles SL4 para-badminton at the Asian Para Games 2026
Defence: 9.524 ha in Mainpuri transferred free for Sainik School Mainpuri
Tech: UP AI Mission (UP-AIM): AI centres in all 75 districts, training for 5 lakh youth
Green fuel: SAF Policy-2026: UPNEDA is nodal agency; up to 10 years of electricity-duty exemption
Days: Rashtriya Ekta Diwas on 31 Oct marks the 151st birth anniversary of Sardar Patel

Data points of the period

28.4%
UP budget actually spent (end-Sept 2026)
₹2.84 lakh crore of ₹9.99 lakh crore; target 60% by November
₹8,882 crore (+18%)
UP GST collection, September 2026
Fastest growth among India's top four GST-collecting states this month.
Over ₹2 lakh crore
UP's merchandise exports
Grew about 2.27 times in a decade; UP ranks 5th among states (CM, 4 Oct 2026).
24,779 MW
UP peak power demand met
On 3 Oct 2026 — up from 23,445 MW on 1 Oct
₹18,000 per month
Shiksha Mitra honorarium
Up from ₹10,000 - an 80% rise for 1,27,841 Shiksha Mitras
470
Sportspersons appointed to UP Police
43 SI + 295 Civil Police constables + 132 PAC constables (8 Oct 2026)
13.40 crore voters
UP electorate after SIR
Final roll of 10 Apr 2026; about 2.04 crore names deleted from 15.44 crore
1.21 crore
Social-security pensioners in UP
Proposed monthly pension ₹1,500 (from ₹1,000); last raised in 2017
₹3,500 / month
Gram Prahari honorarium (proposed)
Up 40% from ₹2,500 for about 60,000 village watchmen; extra cost ≈ ₹84 crore a year.
1,725
AC electric buses approved for UP cities
18 cities, 12-year GCC model; Lucknow and Kanpur get 300 each.
India 103 | UP 14
Ramsar sites
Sauj Jheel (Mainpuri) is Ramsar Site No. 2603; UP is second only to Tamil Nadu.
39 proposals
UP Cabinet, 9 Oct 2026
One meeting cleared the AI Mission, ₹1,725 cr skill zones, SAF Policy-2026, two renamings and free LPG refills.
about 45,000
Women in UP Police
Up from about 10,000 before 2017, as stated by the state government on Police Commemoration Day 2026.
32,673 MW
UP record peak power demand met
Met on 24 June 2026 - about 2.7 times the 2014 peak of 12,327 MW.
500+ by 2031
UP GCC target
up from 200+ GCCs operating today
103
India's Ramsar sites
Tamil Nadu leads with 20; Uttar Pradesh is second with 14 after Sauj Jheel (Mainpuri).
₹17,106.39 / month
Highest UP minimum wage slab
Skilled worker, Gautam Buddh Nagar & Ghaziabad, from 1 Oct 2026 (+₹238.39)
~322 km | ₹17,542 crore
Link expressways cleared by UP Cabinet
Four UPEIDA link expressways in EPC mode, ~3-year build
₹17,542.06 crore
Link expressway outlay
Four link expressways approved by the UP Cabinet on 27 Oct 2026, EPC model, by UPEIDA

43 practice MCQs — UPPSC Prelims pattern

Q1. In the 2026 biennial Rajya Sabha election in Uttar Pradesh for 10 seats, with an effective Assembly strength of 397, how many first-preference votes does a candidate need to win?

  1. 36
  2. 37
  3. 40
  4. 41
Show answer
Answer: B
Quota = [397 ÷ (10 + 1)] + 1 = 36.09 + 1; ignoring the fraction, 37 votes are required.

Q2. Consider the following statements about Masuriya Din: 1. He was a member of the Constituent Assembly. 2. He belonged to the Pasi community. 3. He campaigned against the Criminal Tribes Act. Which of the statements given above are correct?

  1. 1 only
  2. 1 and 2 only
  3. 2 and 3 only
  4. 1, 2 and 3
Show answer
Answer: D
All three are correct: born in Prayagraj (1911), he was a Constituent Assembly member, a Pasi leader and fought the Criminal Tribes Act.

Q3. Consider the following statements about events linked to Uttar Pradesh: 1. The Chauri Chaura incident took place in Gorakhpur district in 1922. 2. Lal Bahadur Shastri was born in Mughalsarai, now in Chandauli district. 3. Kashi Vidyapith was founded after the Non-Cooperation Movement was withdrawn. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. 1 only
  2. 1 and 2 only
  3. 2 and 3 only
  4. 1, 2 and 3
Show answer
Answer: b
Chauri Chaura (Gorakhpur) took place on 4 Feb 1922 and Shastri was born at Mughalsarai (Chandauli) on 2 Oct 1904. Kashi Vidyapith was founded on 10 Feb 1921, during the movement, a year before it was withdrawn, so statement 3 is wrong.

Q4. With reference to the Minimum Support Prices for Rabi Marketing Season 2027-28, which crop received the highest absolute increase?

  1. Wheat
  2. Rapeseed & Mustard
  3. Lentil (Masur)
  4. Safflower
Show answer
Answer: d
Safflower rose by ₹675 to ₹7,215 per quintal; mustard (+₹413) and lentil (+₹390) followed, while wheat rose only ₹25 to ₹2,610.

Q5. With reference to the India Carpet Expo held recently at Bhadohi, consider the following statements: 1. It is organised by the Carpet Export Promotion Council (CEPC). 2. The 2026 edition was the 50th (golden jubilee) edition. 3. Bhadohi handmade carpet has a Geographical Indication (GI) tag. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. 1 and 2 only
  2. 2 and 3 only
  3. 1 and 3 only
  4. 1, 2 and 3
Show answer
Answer: D
All three are correct: CEPC organises the Expo, 2026 marked its 50th edition, and Bhadohi handmade carpet is GI-tagged (2010).

Q6. For the rabi marketing season 2027-28, which crop received the highest absolute increase in MSP?

  1. Wheat
  2. Rapeseed & mustard
  3. Masur (lentil)
  4. Safflower
Show answer
Answer: D
Safflower MSP rose by ₹675 to ₹7,215/quintal — the highest; wheat got the smallest hike (₹25, to ₹2,610).

Q7. With reference to the Gomti river, consider the following statements: 1. It originates in Pilibhit district. 2. Naimisharanya lies on its bank in Sitapur district. 3. It joins the Ghaghara near Ayodhya. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. 1 only
  2. 1 and 2 only
  3. 2 and 3 only
  4. 1, 2 and 3
Show answer
Answer: B
The Gomti rises near Madhotanda (Pilibhit) and flows past Naimisharanya (Sitapur) and Lucknow; it joins the Ganga near Kaithi (Varanasi–Ghazipur border), not the Ghaghara. Hence 1 and 2 are correct.

Q8. The HCL-Foxconn unit coming up near Jewar in Uttar Pradesh is an 'OSAT' facility. OSAT refers to:

  1. Assembly, packaging and testing of semiconductor chips
  2. Fabrication of silicon wafers from raw silicon
  3. Satellite-based optical communication terminals
  4. Manufacture of solar photovoltaic modules
Show answer
Answer: A
OSAT = Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly & Test, the back-end of chipmaking. The Jewar unit (₹3,706 crore) will make display-driver chips.

Q9. Parichha Dam, recently named a World Heritage Irrigation Structure, is built on which river?

  1. Ken
  2. Betwa
  3. Dhasan
  4. Chambal
Show answer
Answer: B
Parichha Dam (1881-86) is on the Betwa in Jhansi and feeds the Betwa Canal System and the 920 MW Parichha thermal plant.

Q10. Consider the following about Rajya Sabha elections: 1. Members are elected by elected MLAs by proportional representation through single transferable vote. 2. Voting is by open ballot. 3. Nominated MLAs also vote. Which are correct?

  1. 1 only
  2. 1 and 2 only
  3. 2 and 3 only
  4. 1, 2 and 3
Show answer
Answer: B
Art. 80(4) provides election by elected MLAs via STV; open ballot was introduced in 2003. Nominated members do not vote.

Q11. With reference to the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council, consider: 1. It has 100 members. 2. About one-twelfth of members are elected by graduates. 3. About one-third are elected by members of local authorities. Which are correct?

  1. 1 and 2 only
  2. 2 and 3 only
  3. 1 and 3 only
  4. 1, 2 and 3
Show answer
Answer: D
UP Council has 100 members; under Art. 171, ~1/3 by local bodies, 1/3 by MLAs, 1/12 graduates, 1/12 teachers and the rest nominated.

Q12. UP Police recently appointed 470 sportspersons. PAC, in which 132 of them were inducted as constables, stands for:

  1. Police Action Corps
  2. Provincial Armed Constabulary
  3. Public Assistance Cell
  4. Prayagraj Armed Cadre
Show answer
Answer: B
PAC is the Provincial Armed Constabulary, UP's armed reserve police force.

Q13. Consider the following statements about Bhadohi district: 1. It was carved out of Varanasi district in 1994. 2. Renaming a district in UP requires a law passed by Parliament. 3. Bhadohi hand-made carpet is a GI-tagged product. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. 1 and 2 only
  2. 1 and 3 only
  3. 2 and 3 only
  4. 1, 2 and 3
Show answer
Answer: B
Bhadohi was carved out of Varanasi on 30 June 1994 and its carpet is GI-tagged. A district is renamed by state notification under Sec. 6(2) of the UP Revenue Code, 2006 — Parliament's role (Art. 3) is for renaming States.

Q14. In the 100-member Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council, how many members are elected by graduates?

  1. 6
  2. 8
  3. 10
  4. 12
Show answer
Answer: B
Art. 171 provides about 1/12 each for graduates and teachers: UP has 8 graduates' and 8 teachers' seats, 38 elected by MLAs, 36 by local bodies and 10 nominated by the Governor.

Q15. After the RBI's monetary policy of 7 October 2026, the Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) rate stands at:

  1. 5.25%
  2. 5.50%
  3. 5.75%
  4. 6.00%
Show answer
Answer: C
Repo was raised to 5.50%; SDF is 25 bps below (5.25%) and MSF/Bank Rate 25 bps above (5.75%).

Q16. Consider the following statements about the Uttar Pradesh Sustainable Aviation Fuel Manufacturing Promotion Policy-2026: 1. UPNEDA is the nodal agency for the policy. 2. Units with capital investment above ₹1,500 crore are classified as 'Ultra-mega'. 3. It offers 100% electricity-duty exemption for up to 20 years. Which of the statements given above are correct?

  1. 1 only
  2. 2 and 3 only
  3. 1 and 2 only
  4. 1, 2 and 3
Show answer
Answer: c
UPNEDA is the nodal agency and ultra-mega units are those above ₹1,500 crore. The electricity-duty exemption is for up to 10 years, not 20.

Q17. With reference to the Gomti river, consider the following statements: 1. It originates from Gomat Taal near Pilibhit. 2. It is a tributary of the Ghaghara. 3. Lucknow and Jaunpur are located on its banks. Which of the statements given above are correct?

  1. 1 and 2 only
  2. 1 and 3 only
  3. 2 and 3 only
  4. 1, 2 and 3
Show answer
Answer: b
The Gomti rises at Gomat Taal near Pilibhit and flows past Lucknow, Sultanpur and Jaunpur to join the Ganga (not the Ghaghara) near Kaithi in Ghazipur district.

Q18. Consider the following about UP's SAF Manufacturing Promotion Policy-2026: 1. UPNEDA is the nodal agency. 2. Units with investment above ₹1,500 crore are classed as 'Mega'. 3. It offers 100% electricity-duty exemption for up to 10 years. Which are correct?

  1. 1 only
  2. 1 and 3 only
  3. 2 and 3 only
  4. 1, 2 and 3
Show answer
Answer: b
Units above ₹1,500 crore are 'Ultra-mega'; 'Mega' is ₹500–1,500 crore. Statements 1 and 3 are correct.

Q19. The recently opened Shinzo Abe Memorial Corridor is located at:

  1. Gorakhpur
  2. Rudraksh Convention Centre, Varanasi
  3. Jewar, Gautam Buddha Nagar
  4. Ram ki Paidi, Ayodhya
Show answer
Answer: b
It is at the Japan-assisted Rudraksh Convention Centre, Varanasi.

Q20. With reference to Bhadohi district, consider the following statements: 1. It was carved out of Varanasi district in 1994. 2. It was first named 'Sant Ravidas Nagar' in 1997. 3. It is famous for its brassware industry. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. 1 only
  2. 1 and 2 only
  3. 2 and 3 only
  4. 1, 2 and 3
Show answer
Answer: b
Bhadohi became UP's 65th district on 30 June 1994 (from Varanasi) and was named Sant Ravidas Nagar in 1997. It is famous for hand-made carpets (GI-tagged), not brassware — that is Moradabad.

Q21. Which agency is the nodal agency for the Uttar Pradesh Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Manufacturing Promotion Policy-2026?

  1. UPSIDA
  2. UPNEDA
  3. Invest UP
  4. UPEIDA
Show answer
Answer: b
UP New and Renewable Energy Development Agency (UPNEDA) approves and disburses incentives; an evaluation committee under its Director assesses applications.

Q22. With reference to Uttar Pradesh's Sustainable Aviation Fuel Manufacturing Promotion Policy-2026, consider the following statements: 1. UPNEDA is the nodal agency for the policy. 2. 'Mega' units are those with capital investment above ₹1,500 crore. 3. Eligible units get 100% electricity-duty exemption for up to 10 years. Which of the statements given above are correct?

  1. 1 and 2 only
  2. 1 and 3 only
  3. 2 and 3 only
  4. 1, 2 and 3
Show answer
Answer: B
Mega units are ₹500–1,500 crore; units above ₹1,500 crore are 'Ultra-mega'. Statements 1 and 3 are correct.

Q23. Consider the following statements about the State Legislative Council: 1. One-twelfth of its members are elected by graduates of at least three years' standing residing in the State. 2. One-twelfth are elected by teachers of at least three years' standing in institutions not lower than secondary school. 3. A law of Parliament abolishing a Council is a constitutional amendment under Article 368. Which of the statements given above are correct?

  1. 1 and 2 only
  2. 2 and 3 only
  3. 1 and 3 only
  4. 1, 2 and 3
Show answer
Answer: A
Art. 171(3) provides the graduate and teacher quotas. Under Art. 169(3), a law creating or abolishing a Council is not deemed an amendment under Art. 368. UP's graduate–teacher seats go to the polls on 23 Oct.

Q24. Sauj Jheel, which took India's Ramsar tally to 103 in October 2026, is located in which district of Uttar Pradesh — the only UP district that now has two Ramsar sites?

  1. Etawah
  2. Mainpuri
  3. Unnao
  4. Hardoi
Show answer
Answer: B
Sauj Jheel lies in the Ganga floodplain of Mainpuri, which already had Saman Bird Sanctuary; UP now has 14 Ramsar sites.

Q25. Which of the following is NOT a part of the Supreme Court's 'triple test' for OBC reservation in local bodies?

  1. A dedicated commission to inquire into backwardness
  2. Specifying quota proportion local-body-wise
  3. Total SC/ST/OBC reservation not exceeding 50%
  4. Approval of the quota by the State Legislature by two-thirds majority
Show answer
Answer: D
The triple test (Vikas Kishanrao Gawali, 2021) = dedicated commission + local-body-wise proportion + 50% cap; no legislative two-thirds approval is required.

Q26. With reference to the Mukhyamantri Krishak Chhatravritti Yojana of Uttar Pradesh, consider the following statements: 1. It is implemented by the State Agricultural Produce Market Board (Mandi Parishad). 2. The annual grant has been raised to ₹60,000. 3. Seats per agricultural college have been raised from 15 to 30. Which of the statements given above are correct?

  1. 1 and 2 only
  2. 2 and 3 only
  3. 1 and 3 only
  4. 1, 2 and 3
Show answer
Answer: D
All three are correct: the Mandi Parishad runs the scheme, the grant rose from ₹36,000 to ₹60,000, and seats rose 15 → 30 in colleges (45 → 90 in universities/institutes).

Q27. Under Uttar Pradesh's ₹22.45 crore Doppler weather radar project, radars have already been installed at which of the following pairs of cities?

  1. Lucknow and Jhansi
  2. Azamgarh and Varanasi
  3. Aligarh and Lucknow
  4. Jhansi and Varanasi
Show answer
Answer: B
Azamgarh and Varanasi radars are installed; work is under way at Lucknow, Jhansi and Aligarh.

Q28. With reference to the recent renaming in Uttar Pradesh, consider the following statements: 1. Bhadohi was created as a separate district out of Varanasi in 1994. 2. Bhadohi's hand-knotted carpet holds a Geographical Indication tag. 3. Sant Ravidas, after whom the district is named, was a disciple of Guru Nanak. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. 1 only
  2. 1 and 2 only
  3. 2 and 3 only
  4. 1, 2 and 3
Show answer
Answer: B
Bhadohi became UP's 65th district on 30 June 1994 after being carved out of Varanasi, and its hand-knotted carpet is GI-tagged. Statement 3 is wrong: Sant Ravidas is traditionally linked with Ramananda's Bhakti tradition, not as a disciple of Guru Nanak, though his verses are in the Guru Granth Sahib.

Q29. Under Article 171 of the Constitution, what fraction of the members of a State Legislative Council is elected by electorates consisting of teachers?

  1. One-third
  2. One-sixth
  3. One-twelfth
  4. One-fifth
Show answer
Answer: C
Article 171: one-third by local bodies, one-third by MLAs, one-twelfth by graduates, one-twelfth by teachers (secondary level and above) and about one-sixth nominated by the Governor. UP's Council has 100 members.

Q30. With reference to the UP Cabinet decision of October 2026 on former Agniveers, consider the following statements: 1. They will get 20% reservation in police, forest, prison and transport department recruitment. 2. Their upper age limit has been raised to 28 years. 3. They are exempted from the physical test but must clear the written examination. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. 1 only
  2. 1 and 2 only
  3. 2 and 3 only
  4. 1, 2 and 3
Show answer
Answer: B
Former Agniveers get 20% reservation and the age limit rises from 25 to 28 years. They are exempted from both the written and physical tests and need only a medical test, so statement 3 is wrong.

Q31. The National Social Assistance Programme, continued till 2030-31, has been renamed as which of the following, and to what level has the benchmark disability criterion for disability pension been lowered?

  1. Pradhan Mantri Samajik Sahayata Yojana; 40%
  2. Pradhan Mantri Jan Suraksha Yojana; 40%
  3. Pradhan Mantri Samajik Sahayata Yojana; 60%
  4. Pradhan Mantri Kalyan Pension Yojana; 80%
Show answer
Answer: A
NSAP is now the Pradhan Mantri Samajik Sahayata Yojana (₹53,428 crore, 2026-27 to 2030-31). The benchmark disability criterion was cut from 80% to 40%, in line with the RPwD Act 2016.

Q32. With reference to the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council, consider the following statements: 1. It has 100 members. 2. One-twelfth of its members are elected by teachers who have taught for at least three years in institutions not lower than secondary school. 3. One-sixth of its members are nominated by the Governor. Which of the statements given above are correct?

  1. 1 and 2 only
  2. 2 and 3 only
  3. 1 and 3 only
  4. 1, 2 and 3
Show answer
Answer: D
UP Council has 100 members; Art. 171(3)(c) gives 1/12 to teachers (3+ years, secondary level and above) and Art. 171(3)(e) 1/6 nominated by the Governor. Today 11 graduate & teacher seats go to polls.

Q33. The Ganga Expressway connects Meerut with Prayagraj. Which one of the following districts does it NOT pass through?

  1. Hardoi
  2. Unnao
  3. Kanpur Nagar
  4. Sambhal
Show answer
Answer: C
Its 12 districts are Meerut, Hapur, Bulandshahr, Amroha, Sambhal, Budaun, Shahjahanpur, Hardoi, Unnao, Rae Bareli, Pratapgarh and Prayagraj - Kanpur Nagar is not on the route.

Q34. With reference to Bithoor, recently in news, consider the following statements: 1. It lies on the bank of the Ganga in Kanpur Nagar district. 2. It is traditionally associated with the ashram of Maharishi Valmiki. 3. It was a centre of Nana Saheb during the Revolt of 1857. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. 1 and 2 only
  2. 2 and 3 only
  3. 1 and 3 only
  4. 1, 2 and 3
Show answer
Answer: d
All three are correct: Bithoor (Kanpur Nagar, on the Ganga) is revered as Valmiki's tapobhumi and was the seat of Nana Saheb Peshwa in 1857.

Q35. Consider the following statements about urban local bodies in Uttar Pradesh: 1. The state has 17 municipal corporations. 2. Nagar panchayats are the most numerous category of urban local bodies. 3. Urban local bodies derive constitutional status from the 73rd Constitutional Amendment. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. 1 only
  2. 1 and 2 only
  3. 2 and 3 only
  4. 1, 2 and 3
Show answer
Answer: b
UP has 17 municipal corporations, 200 municipal councils and 545 nagar panchayats (762 in all). ULBs got constitutional status from the 74th, not the 73rd, Amendment.

Q36. Sauj Jheel, recently designated as India's 103rd Ramsar site, is located in which district of Uttar Pradesh?

  1. Etawah
  2. Mainpuri
  3. Agra
  4. Unnao
Show answer
Answer: B
Sauj Jheel (Ramsar Site No. 2603) is in Mainpuri, which also has Saman Bird Sanctuary – making it the only UP district with two Ramsar sites.

Q37. With reference to the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council, consider the following statements: 1. One-twelfth of its members are elected by teachers' constituencies. 2. Electors of a teachers' constituency must have taught for at least three years in institutions not lower than secondary school. 3. It has 100 members. Which of the statements given above are correct?

  1. 1 and 2 only
  2. 2 and 3 only
  3. 1 and 3 only
  4. 1, 2 and 3
Show answer
Answer: D
All three are correct: Article 171(3)(c) provides for teachers' seats (one-twelfth) with the three-year teaching condition, and the UP Vidhan Parishad has 100 members.

Q38. With reference to the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council, consider the following statements: 1. It has 100 members. 2. One-twelfth of its members are elected by graduates of at least three years' standing. 3. One-third of its members retire every second year. 4. Teachers' constituency electors must teach in institutions not lower than secondary school. Which of the statements given above are correct?

  1. 1 and 2 only
  2. 2 and 3 only
  3. 1, 3 and 4 only
  4. 1, 2, 3 and 4
Show answer
Answer: d
All are correct under Art. 171 and the UP composition (100 members: 38+36+8+8+10). The Council is permanent; one-third retire every 2 years.

Q39. The 'Jhansi Link Expressway' recently approved by the UP Cabinet is meant to connect the BIDA industrial area with which expressway?

  1. Yamuna Expressway
  2. Bundelkhand Expressway
  3. Ganga Expressway
  4. Purvanchal Expressway
Show answer
Answer: b
The ~106 km Jhansi Link connects BIDA (Jhansi) with the Bundelkhand Expressway in Jalaun district.

Q40. The Jewar Link Expressway approved by the Uttar Pradesh Cabinet in October 2026 will connect Noida International Airport with which expressway?

  1. Bundelkhand Expressway
  2. Ganga Expressway
  3. Purvanchal Expressway
  4. Gorakhpur Link Expressway
Show answer
Answer: B
The ~74 km Jewar Link connects Noida International Airport (Jewar) to the Ganga Expressway; the ~106 km Jhansi Link connects BIDA with the Bundelkhand Expressway.

Q41. Consider the following statements about the Pradhan Mantri Viksit Gram Swaraj Yojana: 1. Its period is co-terminus with the Sixteenth Finance Commission. 2. It is a Central Sector Scheme fully funded by the Centre. 3. It supports preparation of Gram Panchayat Development Plans on the eGramSwaraj portal. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. 1 only
  2. 1 and 3 only
  3. 2 and 3 only
  4. 1, 2 and 3
Show answer
Answer: B
It runs 2026-27 to 2030-31 (16th FC period) and is centrally sponsored (Centre ₹4,869.48 cr + States ₹2,526.07 cr), so statement 2 is wrong.

Q42. With reference to the UP Cabinet decisions of 27 October 2026, consider the following: 1. Four link expressways will be built on the EPC model by UPEIDA. 2. The PM MITRA Park is on the Lucknow–Kanpur border. 3. UP-CSOC will be set up through IIT Kanpur's C3iHub. Which of the statements given above are correct?

  1. 1 and 2 only
  2. 1 and 3 only
  3. 2 and 3 only
  4. 1, 2 and 3
Show answer
Answer: B
The PM MITRA Park is on the Lucknow–Hardoi border (1,000 acres), so statement 2 is wrong.

Q43. Under the PM MITRA Park scheme, the shareholding of the Special Purpose Vehicle for the Uttar Pradesh park is:

  1. Centre 51% : State 49%
  2. State 51% : Centre 49%
  3. Centre 100%
  4. State 74% : Private 26%
Show answer
Answer: B
SPV PM MITRA Park Uttar Pradesh Ltd: UP 51%, Centre 49%.

Mains practice questions

  1. "Back-loaded public spending weakens outcomes." Examine this statement in the context of Uttar Pradesh's 2026-27 budget execution and suggest reforms. (UPPSC GS-VI, 125 words)
  2. "Police reform in India remains a story of judicial directives awaiting full implementation." Examine this with reference to the Prakash Singh judgment and recent modernisation steps in Uttar Pradesh. (200 words)
  3. "Handicraft clusters can be Uttar Pradesh's ticket to a trillion-dollar economy." Examine with reference to Bhadohi carpets, ODOP and GI tags. (200 words)
  4. Uttar Pradesh is moving from being a consumer market to a manufacturing hub for electronics, semiconductors and data centres. Examine the drivers of this shift and the challenges it faces. (UPPSC GS-VI, 125 words)
  5. UP's industrial journey is described as moving 'from mobile phones to modules to microchips'. Examine the state's electronics and semiconductor strategy and the challenges in building a deep-tech ecosystem. (GS-VI, 200 words)
  6. The Legislative Council is often called a 'costly ornament'. In the context of Uttar Pradesh, evaluate the relevance of graduates' and teachers' constituencies. (125 words)
  7. "Textiles can be Uttar Pradesh's largest job engine after agriculture." Examine this statement in light of the state's recent textile-park and PM MITRA initiatives. (125 words, GS-VI)
  8. Social-security pensions and procurement at MSP are two key instruments of inclusive growth in Uttar Pradesh. Critically examine their welfare and fiscal implications in the light of recent decisions. (125 words)
  9. Honorarium-based frontline workers (gram praharis, anganwadi workers, cooks) are the backbone of UP's service delivery. Discuss their issues and suggest a sustainable pay framework. (GS-II/GS-VI, 200 words)
  10. Uttar Pradesh has India's largest youth population. Critically examine how the UP AI Mission and the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Skill Training & Employment Zones can convert this demographic dividend into productive employment. (UPPSC GS-VI, 125 words)
  11. Uttar Pradesh is shifting from MoU-led investment promotion to execution-led industrialisation. Discuss with reference to recent policy measures such as UP-AIM, the SAF Policy-2026 and the Model Building Regulations, and the challenge of regional balance. (125 words, 8 marks)
  12. “Women's collectives are becoming the backbone of rural transformation in Uttar Pradesh.” Examine with reference to SHGs, women-led dairy companies and BC Sakhi. (125 words)
  13. Uttar Pradesh's girl-child and women-safety schemes now follow a 'life-cycle' approach. Examine with reference to Kanya Sumangala Yojana and Mission Shakti. (UPPSC GS-V, 125 words)
  14. "Skilling, not just degrees, will decide whether Uttar Pradesh reaps its demographic dividend." Evaluate the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Skill Training & Employment Zone scheme and the UP AI Mission in this light. (200 words)
  15. Police modernisation in Uttar Pradesh has combined personnel welfare with capacity building. Examine the key measures taken and the challenges that remain. (125 words, GS-V)
  16. "Expressways are becoming the growth spine of Uttar Pradesh." Examine this statement with reference to the Ganga Expressway and the state's industrial-corridor strategy. (UPPSC GS-VI, 125 words)
  17. Global Capability Centres can drive Uttar Pradesh's shift towards a services-led $1 trillion economy. Discuss the opportunities and challenges with reference to the UP GCC Policy 2024. (GS-VI, 125 words)
  18. Global Capability Centres can make Uttar Pradesh's tier-2 and tier-3 cities new engines of services-led growth. Discuss the opportunities and the constraints. (UPPSC GS-VI, 125 words)
  19. Expressway-led growth is central to Uttar Pradesh's development strategy. Examine how link expressways and industrial corridors can reduce regional disparities among Western UP, Bundelkhand and Purvanchal. (UPPSC GS-VI, 200 words)
  20. "Expressways can be Uttar Pradesh's tool to bridge regional disparities." In the light of the new link expressways, examine how connectivity can integrate Bundelkhand and Purvanchal with the state's growth centres. (GS-VI, 125 words)
  21. “Speed of recruitment and integrity of recruitment must go together.” Discuss in the light of Uttar Pradesh’s new character-verification policy. (125 words)

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