Monthly at a glance
- Mon 2 Nov — GST mop-up surges 23% to ₹2.31 lakh crore; ISRO's NVS-03 boosts NavIC; new IAF chief unveils 'VAYU' vision
- Tue 3 Nov — ₹53,866-cr Next-Gen Corvette deal, PM's 500 GW clean-energy goal and SC's green-cracker window lead the day
All topics — key facts for revision
2 November 2026
Full notes with diagrams →SCI-TECH GSLV-F18 places NVS-03 in orbit — third next-gen NavIC satellite
- 20th flight of the GSLV programme; satellite placed in Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO).
- Third of the NVS series after NVS-01 (May 2023) and NVS-02 (Jan 2025).
- Carries an indigenous atomic clock plus procured clocks for precise timing.
- Adds L1 signal to existing L5 and S-band — better compatibility with civilian devices.
- NavIC covers India + ~1,500 km beyond its borders.
SCI-TECH $6.3 billion Binance heist — biggest crypto theft on record
- Bulk of funds drained in about 20 minutes; entry via an engineer's compromised laptop.
- About $3 billion located and frozen; stablecoin issuers froze large sums.
- Previous record: Bybit, Feb 2025 – $1.5 billion.
- Bitcoin fell to a six-week low after the news; exchange set aside reserves to cover user losses.
DEFENCE New IAF chief Ashutosh Dixit outlines 'VAYU' vision
- VAYU = Vigilance & readiness, Aatmanirbharta, Yukti (ingenuity), Unity of effort.
- Indigenous platforms prioritised: Tejas Mk1A, Tejas Mk2, AMCA.
- New domains: AI-enabled C2, layered counter-drone defence, near-space operations.
- Fighter pilot commissioned 6 Dec 1986; earlier CISC and Vice Chief; Kargil veteran (Op Safed Sagar).
DEFENCE Navy readies ₹80,000-crore Project-18 next-gen destroyers
- Reportedly 6 ships (earlier 8) of about 10,000 tonnes each — largest Indian surface combatants.
- Builder: Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd (MDL), Mumbai; roughly ₹13,000 cr per ship.
- Target of near-100% indigenous content (up from ~75%).
- Successor to Project-15B (Visakhapatnam class).
ENVIRONMENT PM opens Bharat Renewable Energy Summit; 9th ISA Assembly in Delhi
- Participants from 130+ countries, 40+ ministers, 400+ exhibitors.
- Co-located: 9th ISA Assembly and 4th International Conference on Green Hydrogen (ICGH).
- 9 country partners (incl. EU, France, Germany, UK) and 13 states participating.
- Builds on RE-INVEST, India's earlier flagship RE investment summit.
ENVIRONMENT Why even a strong El Niño does not guarantee a poor monsoon
- Season rainfall 759.4 mm vs normal 868.6 mm (~12.6% deficit).
- Niño-3.4 anomaly +2.1°C (8 Oct) — in the strong range; likely to persist to Feb 2027.
- Worst hit: East & NE India (74%) and South Peninsula (76%) of LPA.
- A positive IOD saved the 1997 monsoon despite a very strong El Niño; in 2026 it came too late.
ECONOMY GST mop-up surges 23% to ₹2.31 lakh crore — highest growth in 4 years
- Domestic gross ₹1.59 lakh cr (+15.8%); imports ₹72,246 cr (+42.2%).
- CGST ₹42,935 cr, SGST ₹51,340 cr, IGST ₹1.37 lakh cr.
- Refunds ₹27,934 cr; net GST ₹2.03 lakh cr.
- Record remains April 2026: ₹2.43 lakh cr; Apr–Oct gross ₹14.77 lakh cr (+13.2%).
- Top state: Maharashtra ₹35,150 cr; UP & Bihar grew 24%.
ECONOMY Guwahati airport opened for agarwood exports
- Issued under the FT(D&R) Act, 1992 and Foreign Trade Policy 2023.
- Existing points include Mumbai, Nhava Sheva, Kolkata, Delhi, Chennai, Kandla, Mundra.
- CITES export permit still mandatory for listed species.
- Assam (esp. Golaghat) is India's agarwood hub — the resin is prized as 'oud'.
POLITY Supreme Court bars Senior Advocates from oral mentioning from 2 November
- Builds on the 29 Nov 2025 circular (effective 1 Dec 2025) on mentioning procedure.
- Urgency letter & mentioning proforma due by 3 PM of the previous working day.
- Matters covered by automatic listing generally cannot be mentioned.
- Separately, the CJI asked High Courts why litigants must rush to the SC for early hearings.
GOVERNANCE Digi Yatra begins international passenger trials at seven airports
- Airports: Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kochi, Amritsar.
- App reads passport MRZ + NFC chip, matches a selfie; credential stays in the phone's digital wallet.
- Platform has 26.5 million+ users and 110 million+ journeys.
- Plans interoperability with IATA One ID and ICAO Public Key Directory.
IR India hosts first-ever BIMSTEC Maritime Security Exercise
- All 7 members take part: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand.
- Aims: interoperability, maritime domain awareness (MDA), coordination and best practices.
- Follows the 6th BIMSTEC Summit (Bangkok, 2025) — theme 'Prosperous, Resilient and Open'.
- ANC (est. 2001) is India's first integrated tri-service command.
SOCIETY National Social Security Board notified for gig and platform workers
- Chaired by the Union Minister of Labour & Employment.
- Members: Centre, states, aggregators, employers, unions and gig-worker associations.
- Eligible aggregators pay 1–2% of annual turnover (capped) into a social security fund.
- Board will recommend schemes, monitor welfare and review fund expenditure.
3 November 2026
Full notes with diagrams →DEFENCE MoD inks ₹53,866-crore deal for 8 Next Generation Corvettes
- GRSE, Kolkata builds 5 ships and Goa Shipyard Ltd builds 3; GRSE was the lowest bidder (L1) in May 2025.
- Multi-role stealth ships for anti-surface & anti-submarine warfare, coastal defence and littoral combat; replace ageing single-role missile corvettes.
- First Navy in-house design of this class awarded to DPSUs via competitive bidding – not nomination or foreign licence.
- About ₹6,733 crore per ship; first delivery by 2030; ~72 lakh person-days in yards and 460 lakh in MSMEs over 10 years.
ENVIRONMENT PM: India to add 500 GW more non-fossil capacity in 10–11 years
- India has ~300 GW non-fossil capacity towards the 500 GW by 2030 goal (COP-26); 50% non-fossil share met in 2025, 5 years early.
- Solar module manufacturing rose from ~2 GW to 200+ GW in a decade; solar cell capacity is ~40 GW.
- Investment opportunity of ₹20 lakh crore (~US$220 bn) by 2030; ₹15 lakh crore invested in the last decade.
- PM Surya Ghar: 65 lakh+ homes (target 1 crore); PM-KUSUM: 30 lakh+ farmers; US$200 mn Africa Solar Facility proposed.
ECONOMY FM: Capex push to continue till private investment picks up
- Budget 2026-27 capex is ₹12.2 lakh crore; FM cited its multiplier effect over five years.
- India needs more equity capital for 7%+ growth; GST and banks show 'no fragility'.
- FPIs sold ~₹1.6 lakh crore of equities in FY27 (till Oct) but turned net buyers in the last two weeks.
- Banking committee under ex-CVC S.N. Patel to report by April 2027; AI-training centres planned in every district.
ENVIRONMENT Siang Upper Multipurpose Project: Arunachal CM offers dialogue
- Proposed 11,000–11,200 MW project on the Siang (Yarlung Tsangpo) – would be India's largest hydropower project.
- Present work is limited to surveys for a Pre-Feasibility Report (PFR); an NHPC office was torched on 23 Oct 2026.
- Seen as a strategic buffer against China's mega dam on the Yarlung Tsangpo (Medog) upstream.
- Protesters, mainly Adi groups, want PFR surveys and central forces withdrawn; fear displacement and loss of land.
ENVIRONMENT Delhi-NCR invokes GRAP Stage II as AQI turns 'Very Poor'
- Stage II curbs: ban on coal & firewood, limits on diesel generators, higher parking fees, more mechanised sweeping & sprinkling.
- IMD/IITM forecasts AQI to stay 'Very Poor'; calm weather and farm fires add to the load.
- GRAP stages: I Poor (201–300), II Very Poor (301–400), III Severe (401–450), IV Severe+ (>450).
DEFENCE Maiden BIMSTEC Maritime Security Exercise concludes in Andamans
- Hosted by the Andaman & Nicobar Command – India's only tri-service command; theme 'Shared Seas, Shared Security and Shared Prosperity'.
- 3-day tabletop + 2-day harbour phase; ships incl. SLNS Gajabahu (Sri Lanka) and UMS King Aung Zeya (Myanmar).
- Focus: maritime domain awareness, HADR, maritime crime, terrorism and oil-spill response in the Bay of Bengal.
- Anchored in the Delhi Declaration of the 1st BIMSTEC Home Ministers' Meeting (13 Oct 2026).
POLITY SC allows certified green crackers in Delhi-NCR on 7–8 November
- Bursting only 6–7 am and 8–10 pm; no online sale; sales only at district-designated points.
- Only CSIR-NEERI-approved products with QR codes and PESO licence; barium and conventional 'laris' stay banned.
- 300-m cracker-free zones near hospitals, schools and silence zones; CPCB to file daily AQI reports; next hearing 16 Dec.
- Court: blanket ban fostered an illegal market; Art 25 is subject to the Art 21 right to a healthy environment.
SOCIETY SC: Rescued bonded labourers must get aid within 7 days
- Immediate aid ordinarily within 7 days of the release certificate; complaints verified and certificates issued within 24 hours.
- Aid cannot be withheld over inter-State disputes or pending criminal cases; duty under Arts 21 & 23 continues after release.
- Centre: guidelines with NHRC in 3 months, a uniform release certificate and an effective NAVJIVAN portal.
- States: nodal officers, active Vigilance Committees; grievances settled in 30 days; case arose from a Shahjahanpur (UP) brick-kiln rescue (2019).
POLITY Centre notifies VB-G RAM G Grievance Redressal Rules, 2026
- Three tiers: Gram Panchayat → Block → District; unresolved cases escalate after 15 days.
- Physical complaints go on the digital platform the same day; enquiry within 7 working days.
- No grievance can be refused for format, language or procedural defects; appeals under Schedule I of the Act.
- Critics say some key provisions of the draft were dropped from the final rules.
POLITY MHA to set up FRROs in all State capitals by 2027
- 5 new FRROs since 2025: Jaipur, Chandigarh, Guwahati, Aizawl, Amaravati; notified next: Kohima, Agartala, Bhubaneswar.
- FRROs handle registration, residential permits, visa extension/conversion, protected-area permits and exit permits.
- The 2025 Act merged four laws: Passport (Entry into India) Act 1920, Registration of Foreigners Act 1939, Foreigners Act 1946, Immigration (Carriers' Liability) Act 2000.
IR NSA Doval in Hanoi: India–Vietnam to deepen defence cooperation
- Ties raised to an Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in May 2026 during President To Lam's India visit.
- Progress reviewed on the Joint Vision on Defence Partnership towards 2030; links Viksit Bharat 2047 with Vietnam Vision 2045.
- 4th India–Vietnam Security Dialogue held in New Delhi (Oct 2026) – counter-terror, cyber, maritime security; held every two years under a 2016 MoU.
Prelims rapid-fire — 12 facts
| Bhutan built 108 stupas in 9 hours; Chorten No. 76 was dedicated to PM Modi. |
| US approved a proposed sale of 500 PAC-3 MSE Patriot interceptors (~$2.1 bn) to Ukraine. |
| Indians remitted about $20 bn abroad under the LRS in the first 8 months of 2026 (limit $2.5 lakh per year). |
| 2 November: International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists (UNGA Res 68/163). |
| Union Home Minister said Chandigarh will become India's first drug-free city. |
| President Droupadi Murmu hoisted the flag marking the start of the Nashik–Trimbakeshwar Simhastha Kumbh on the Godavari. |
| 3 November – International Day for Biosphere Reserves (UNESCO); India has 18 BRs, 13 in the UNESCO World Network. |
| Manisha Bhanwala – India's first woman World Champion in wrestling (Senior Worlds, Astana, 2026). |
| EPFO marked its 74th Foundation Day (1 Nov); launched services on WhatsApp and auto-settlement of inoperative accounts up to ₹1,000. |
| Dinesh V. Ganvir – 55th Director General of the Geological Survey of India (Ministry of Mines). |
| 2 November – International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists; 2026 theme 'Threats Evolve. Impunity Endures.' |
| Operation Cactus (3 Nov 1988) – Indian forces foiled a coup attempt in the Maldives. |
Data points of the period
₹2.31 lakh crore (+22.9% YoY)
Gross GST collections, October 2026
Second-highest monthly mop-up ever after April 2026 (₹2.43 lakh crore); net GST ₹2.03 lakh crore after refunds of ₹27,934 crore.
Second-highest monthly mop-up ever after April 2026 (₹2.43 lakh crore); net GST ₹2.03 lakh crore after refunds of ₹27,934 crore.
54.7
Manufacturing PMI (October 2026)
Down from 55.1 in September but well above the 50 mark (expansion). New export orders hit a 6-month high; input-cost inflation was the lowest since Feb 2026 and output-price rise at a near 4-year low.
Down from 55.1 in September but well above the 50 mark (expansion). New export orders hit a 6-month high; input-cost inflation was the lowest since Feb 2026 and output-price rise at a near 4-year low.
4 practice MCQs — UPSC Prelims pattern
Q1. With reference to the recently launched NVS-03 satellite, consider the following statements: 1. It was launched by GSLV-F18 from Sriharikota. 2. It adds an L1 navigation signal alongside the L5 and S-band signals. 3. NavIC's primary service area extends about 1,500 km beyond India's borders. Which of the statements given above are correct?
- 1 and 2 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
Show answer
Answer: D
All three are correct: GSLV-F18 launched NVS-03 on 30 Oct 2026; it carries L1, L5 and S-band payloads; NavIC covers India plus ~1,500 km.
All three are correct: GSLV-F18 launched NVS-03 on 30 Oct 2026; it carries L1, L5 and S-band payloads; NavIC covers India plus ~1,500 km.
Q2. Which one of the following countries is NOT a member of BIMSTEC?
- Myanmar
- Bhutan
- Maldives
- Thailand
Show answer
Answer: C
BIMSTEC's 7 members are Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand; Maldives is not a member.
BIMSTEC's 7 members are Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand; Maldives is not a member.
Q3. With reference to bonded labour in India, consider the following statements: 1. Article 23 of the Constitution prohibits begar and other similar forms of forced labour. 2. The Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act was enacted in 1976. 3. Vigilance Committees at district and sub-divisional levels are constituted under this Act. Which of the statements given above are correct?
- 1 only
- 1 and 2 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
Show answer
Answer: D
All three are correct: Article 23 bans begar and forced labour; the BLSA Act, 1976 abolished bonded labour and provides for Vigilance Committees at district and sub-divisional levels.
All three are correct: Article 23 bans begar and forced labour; the BLSA Act, 1976 abolished bonded labour and provides for Vigilance Committees at district and sub-divisional levels.
Q4. Which of the following countries are members of BIMSTEC? 1. Bhutan 2. Maldives 3. Myanmar 4. Nepal 5. Indonesia. Select the correct answer using the code given below.
- 1, 3 and 4 only
- 1, 2, 3 and 4 only
- 2, 4 and 5 only
- 1, 3, 4 and 5 only
Show answer
Answer: A
BIMSTEC has 7 members: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Maldives and Indonesia are not members.
BIMSTEC has 7 members: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Maldives and Indonesia are not members.
Mains practice questions
- The record crypto-exchange heist of October 2026 shows that virtual digital assets are now a security concern, not just an investor-protection issue. Examine India's regulatory framework for VDAs and suggest reforms. (15 marks, 250 words)
- Public capital expenditure has been the mainstay of India's growth while private investment has lagged. Critically examine the 'crowding-in' effect of public capex and suggest measures to revive private investment without compromising fiscal prudence. (250 words, 15 marks)
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