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 day recalls the action at the Hot Springs post in the remote and inhospitable terrain of Ladakh on 21 October 1959, when ten personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force were killed while resisting an attack by Chinese troops.

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.

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.

Hot Springs lies in the remote, high-altitude and inhospitable stretch of Ladakh, and it was there on 21 October 1959 that ten men of the Central Reserve Police Force laid down their lives against an attack by Chinese troops.

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 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.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the National Police Memorial in that year, dedicating it to police personnel from every part of the country who died in the line of duty.

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 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 Union Home Minister said the Ministry of Home Affairs has decided to wage a joint fight against drugs through the remaining part of 2026 and the years 2027, 2028 and 2029, so that the country is rid of the problem by the end of 2029.

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.