Banking Current Affairs Quiz: 21 October 2026

The National SARAS Mela is being held at Punnami Ghat in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, from 13 October to 31 October 2026, and it is the first National SARAS Mela placed anywhere outside the Delhi-NCR region.

The CCO, which functions under the Ministry of Coal, developed SUVIKALP as an in-house Mine Repurposing Tool to help stakeholders select suitable projects for land left behind after mining, and it is the CCO that has been recognised with the SKOCH Gold Award 2026 in the category Digital Operational Efficiency…

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research is running the month-long campaign along with its 114 institutes, Regional Centres, Agricultural Technology Application Research Institutes and Krishi Vigyan Kendras, which makes the drive national in reach.

The Ministry of Defence signed the contract with BEL to procure the Improved Low Level Light Weight Radar for the Indian Army at a cost of about Rs 770 crore, in the presence of the Defence Secretary in New Delhi.

The Prime Minister said that Thiru Vummidi Ethiraj would always be remembered for his effort in crafting the historic sceptre that was presented to former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, and that in 2023 the government had the honour of giving it a place of pride in the new Parliament building.

The Namami Gange Programme was launched in that year as an integrated conservation mission with the twin objectives of effective abatement of pollution and the conservation and rejuvenation of the National River Ganga.

The correct answer is Japan, which joins the fourteenth edition as the partner country, a step seen as strengthening economic cooperation between India and Japan.

SARAS Melas are organised by the government under this mission, which is its flagship programme for cutting rural poverty and building women’s economic strength.

SUVIKALP received the SKOCH Gold Award 2026 under this category on 26 September 2026, and the choice of category fits the tool, which ranks mine repurposing options through a structured, data-driven process that weighs technical, environmental, social and economic criteria.

The campaign is a month-long exercise and it opened on 2 October 2026, the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, with cleanliness drives at ICAR establishments across the country and a floral tribute to Gandhi.

The radar is able to detect and track targets of fighter aircraft size as well as mini and micro drones, and it can also prioritise aerial targets, which together allow the Army to counter the threat posed by unmanned aerial systems.

In his message the Prime Minister recalled that many years after the sceptre was made, it was in that year that his government had the honour of installing the Sengol in the new Parliament building, and he met Thiru Vummidi Ethiraj around the same time to convey gratitude for his…

The plant was therefore raised vertically, and its land need works out to far less per unit of capacity than the conventional alternative.

Under this theme the three-day event at the Bombay Exhibition Centre, NESCO, in Mumbai will display the country's industrial capabilities, investment opportunities and emerging technologies, and position India as a global manufacturing and sourcing destination.

The Lakhpati Didi initiative under DAY-NRLM moved up in stages, and in February 2026 the government announced a raised target of six crore Lakhpati Didis, a phase that puts weight on holding on to income gains and helping enterprises grow rather than only counting members.

PRISM is the next step after SUVIKALP has helped identify a suitable project for land left over from mining.

Speaking at the Swachh Bharat Diwas programme of ICAR-IARI in New Delhi, he appreciated the cleanliness drive, asked for Swachhata to be treated as a year-round and team-based activity, and said a better workplace environment supports the well-being of employees as well as the advancement of science.

The Ministry of Defence stated that the purchase aligns with the government's vision of a developed India and is a significant step towards indigenisation of air defence platforms, giving a boost to the domestic defence manufacturing ecosystem, including micro, small and medium enterprises, and helping build a resilient, self-reliant and…

The tribute states that the historic Sengol was presented to the former Prime Minister, and the craftsman who helped make it has now passed away, drawing the Prime Minister's condolences.

This technology was brought to India through the programme and improves upon the activated sludge process and the sequential batch reactor by adding fixed artificial media and plant roots, which gives it a smaller footprint, lower power use and nutrient removal.

The industry is projected to reach that size by 2030 and to grow to USD 1 trillion by 2040, supported by rising demand, export opportunities, a demographic dividend, relatively low per capita consumption and enabling government initiatives.

The SARAS journey opened in 1999, when the first National SARAS Mela was organised in Delhi with roughly 65 beneficiaries, so the first statement holds.

The Coal Controller Organisation held twelve thematic webinars under the SUVIKALP Samvaad Webinar Series, which was designed as a structured knowledge-sharing and capacity-building exercise to support informed decisions on mine closure and sustainable repurposing.

ICAR-IARI in New Delhi observed Swachh Bharat Diwas on 2 October 2026 on this theme, with a series of cleanliness activities across the institute and a call for sustained participation in keeping the campus clean and healthy.