11 October 2026 Current Affairs: Headlines, GK & MCQs

The correct answer is Rs 11,440 crore. The Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses was sanctioned with this allocation for the six years from 2025-26 to 2030-31, and the money pays for seed kits, certified seed, cluster-based cultivation in 489 districts and a thousand dal mills. Option A, Rs 7,047 crore, is wrong because that figure is the Minimum Support Price amount released directly to farmers by NCCF, not the Mission outlay. Option C, Rs 14,217 crore, is wrong because that is the MSP value paid out in Rabi 2026-27 procurement, again a purchase figure rather than the scheme allocation. Option D, Rs 6,431 crore, is wrong for the same reason: it is the worth of pulses bought in Kharif 2025-26. Only option B names the sanctioned outlay of the Mission itself, which is the figure asked for in the question.

The correct answer is 350 lakh tonnes. The Mission sets this as the production goal for 2030-31, to be reached with yield of 1,130 kg per hectare and a sown area taken up to 310 lakh hectares. Option A is wrong because 274.09 lakh tonnes is the output already achieved in 2025-26 on the third advance estimates, a starting point and not the target. Option B is wrong because 286.46 lakh hectares is the area under pulses in 2025-26, a measure of land and not of tonnage. Option D confuses the two measures as well: 310 lakh hectares is the area targeted for 2030-31, not the quantity of pulses to be harvested. Candidates should keep the three numbers separate, since paper setters often swap the area target and the production target.

The correct answer is NCCF and NAFED, that is the National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation of India Limited and the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Limited. Under the Mission they may buy the whole quantity of Tur, Masur and Urad offered by willing and registered farmers for four years, from 2025-26 to 2028-29, which gives growers an assured market at the Minimum Support Price. Option A is wrong because the Food Corporation of India and the Central Warehousing Corporation are not named as the procuring agencies for this Mission. Option C is wrong because NABARD is a development bank for agriculture and rural credit rather than a buyer of pulses. Option D is wrong because APEDA deals with export promotion of farm produce. Only option B names the two cooperative federations placed in charge of assured purchase.

The correct answer is the SATHI portal, which stands for Seed Authentication, Traceability and Holistic Inventory. It follows the seed through its life cycle across generations by automating the supply chain from seed production to certification and sale, so that farmers receive seed of verified quality. Option B is wrong because Krishi Mapper is a mobile application used for geo-fencing, land geo-tagging and real-time tracking of seed variety demonstrations and yields, not for seed certification records. Option C is wrong because Vistaar, like e-Samriddhi, is a verification platform meant for direct payments, live market data and price stability rather than seed traceability. Option D is wrong for the same reason. Remember SATHI with seed, Krishi Mapper with geo-tagging, and e-Samriddhi and Vistaar with payments and market information.

The correct answer is about 7.8 kg. The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence seized that much foreign-origin gold, valued at more than Rs 11.50 crore, in intelligence-led operations run on 8 and 9 October 2026 in the eastern region, and six persons were arrested. The total is made up of two actions: 50 gold bars of roughly 6.8 kg taken from a vehicle stopped at Dankuni Toll Plaza, and close to 1 kg taken from train passengers at two stations in West Bengal. Options A, C and D are wrong because no such quantity was reported in this set of operations; they are the kind of round figures a paper setter places beside the real one to test whether a candidate has memorised the actual seizure. Keep the pair of numbers together: about 7.8 kg of gold and a value above Rs 11.50 crore.

The correct answer is Dankuni Toll Plaza. A four-wheeler carrying four persons was stopped there as it travelled from Banpur, near the Bangladesh border, towards Kolkata. The search produced 50 gold bars weighing around 6.8 kg and worth nearly Rs 10 crore, some of them bearing foreign markings, and none of the occupants could produce documents showing lawful possession. The head of the smuggling syndicate active in the Banpur border area was among the four arrested. Options A, B and D name other places in West Bengal and were not the site of this interception, so they are incorrect. For the examination, remember the chain of places in this case: Banpur as the point of origin near the border, Dankuni Toll Plaza as the point of interception, and Kolkata as the intended destination of the consignment.

The correct answer is Tripura. DRI teams intercepted passengers coming off trains at Malda Town railway station and New Jalpaiguri railway station and seized about 1 kg of foreign-origin gold worth nearly Rs 1.5 crore, held in the form of bangles and bars. The investigation showed that this gold had been made from metal smuggled across the India-Bangladesh border in Tripura, and the two passengers were arrested after they could not show proof of lawful purchase. Options B, C and D name other north-eastern States that also lie along India’s eastern frontier, but the case traced the consignment to the Tripura stretch of the border. The wider point of the operations was that road and rail corridors linking the North-East with large markets such as Kolkata are being used to move smuggled gold.

The correct answer is the Ministry of Finance. The press note on the gold seizures in the eastern region was issued by that ministry, under which the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence works as the apex agency for intelligence-led action against smuggling and commercial fraud in customs matters. Option A is wrong because the Ministry of Home Affairs looks after internal security and the central armed police forces that guard the border, not revenue intelligence. Option B is wrong because the Ministry of Commerce and Industry deals with trade policy and export promotion. Option D is wrong because the Ministry of Corporate Affairs administers company law. Candidates should link DRI with the revenue side of the Finance Ministry, and recall that in this case it seized about 7.8 kg of gold worth over Rs 11.50 crore and arrested six persons.

The correct answer is 5.753 kg. The Mangalore Regional Unit of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence intercepted an Indian national travelling by train from Delhi to Bengaluru and recovered three packets of a white crystalline substance of that weight, suspected to be methamphetamine, from the passenger’s trolley bag. The accused was arrested and later remanded to judicial custody by the competent court set up under the narcotics law. Options A, B and D are wrong because no such weight was reported in this case; they are placed beside the real figure to see whether the candidate has noted the exact quantity. The weight matters in law as well, because the notified commercial quantity for methamphetamine is only 50 grams, and a seizure of this size therefore falls in the gravest category of offence.

The correct answer is the Mangalore Regional Unit. Acting on intelligence, officers of that unit stopped a passenger travelling by train from Delhi to Bengaluru and recovered 5.753 kg of suspected methamphetamine from the trolley bag being carried. Option B is wrong because the Kolkata unit of the agency figured in a separate action of the same period, which dealt with foreign-origin gold smuggled from across the Bangladesh border, not with narcotics. Options C and D name other regional units of the agency that were not involved in this particular case. For the examination, pair the facts carefully: the Mangalore Regional Unit with the crystal meth seizure on the Delhi to Bengaluru train route, and the seizure being made under the narcotics law of 1985.

The correct answer is the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985, usually called the NDPS Act. Methamphetamine is treated in India as a psychotropic substance and is regulated by this law, under which possessing, making, selling, buying, transporting, importing or exporting the drug without authority is an offence. The accused in this case was arrested and sent to judicial custody by the competent court constituted under the same Act. Option A is wrong because the customs law deals with duty and goods crossing the border rather than narcotics as such. Option C is wrong because the money laundering law targets proceeds of crime. Option D is wrong because the law of 1940 governs the quality and sale of medicines. Punishment under the NDPS Act depends on the nature of the offence and the quantity seized.

The correct answer is 50 grams. Under the narcotics law the punishment turns on whether the quantity seized is small, intermediate or commercial, and for methamphetamine the commercial mark is fixed at 50 grams. The seizure of 5.753 kg in this case is many times that limit, which is why the offence attracts rigorous imprisonment of 10 to 20 years together with a fine of Rs 1 lakh to Rs 2 lakh. Options A, B and D are wrong because they do not match the notified figure for this drug; candidates often confuse the limits set for different substances, so it is worth remembering that each narcotic has its own small and commercial quantity. Methamphetamine, also called Ice, is a highly addictive synthetic stimulant acting on the central nervous system.

The correct answer is 3,548. Indian Railways notified that many graduate-level posts in the Non-Technical Popular Categories through the Centralised Employment Notification issued by the Railway Recruitment Boards, covering four categories of posts across commercial services, train operations, accounts and administration. Option A is wrong because 2,750 is the number of posts in a single category, that of Goods Train Manager, which is the largest block within the total rather than the total itself. Options C and D are wrong because no such totals were notified; they are placed as plausible larger figures to test recall. The remaining posts in the notification are 371 for Senior Clerk Cum Typist, 300 for Junior Accounts Assistant Cum Typist and 127 for Chief Commercial Cum Ticket Supervisor, and these four numbers add up to the notified total.

The correct answer is Goods Train Manager, with 2,750 of the notified posts, which is by far the biggest block in this recruitment. Option A is wrong because Senior Clerk Cum Typist accounts for 371 posts, the second largest share but much smaller. Option B is wrong because Junior Accounts Assistant Cum Typist has 300 posts. Option C is wrong because Chief Commercial Cum Ticket Supervisor has only 127 posts, the smallest share, even though it carries the highest pay among the four at Pay Level 6. Candidates should learn the order of the four categories by number of posts, since the vacancy break-up is a favourite question: Goods Train Manager, then Senior Clerk Cum Typist, then Junior Accounts Assistant Cum Typist, and finally Chief Commercial Cum Ticket Supervisor.

The correct answer is Rs 35,400 a month, which is the initial basic pay for Chief Commercial Cum Ticket Supervisor at Pay Level 6 under the Seventh Central Pay Commission. Option B is wrong because Rs 29,200 a month at Pay Level 5 is the initial basic pay of the other three posts in this notification, namely Goods Train Manager, Junior Accounts Assistant Cum Typist and Senior Clerk Cum Typist. Options A and D are wrong because those entry pay figures belong to other levels of the pay matrix and were not notified for these posts. Allowances and service conditions apply as per the relevant rules. For the examination, link the post with the level and the pay: Level 6 with Rs 35,400 for the supervisor post, and Level 5 with Rs 29,200 for the rest.

The correct answer is 18 to 33 years as on 1 January 2027, with relaxation for eligible categories as prescribed in the rules. A candidate must also hold a degree of a recognised university or an equivalent qualification and meet the conditions laid down for the particular post. Options A, C and D are wrong because they alter either the band of years or the reference date, and both details must match the notification exactly. Selection runs through a first stage computer based test and a second stage computer based test, followed by document verification and medical examination as applicable. Applications opened on 8 October 2026 and close on 6 November 2026, with the fee payable up to 8 November 2026 and corrections allowed from 9 to 18 November 2026.

The correct answer is INS Trishul. The Ministry of Defence stated that the guided missile stealth frigate INS Trishul had reached Plymouth in the United Kingdom, where it is scheduled to exercise with the Royal Navy in KONKAN-26. The frigate is therefore the Indian unit named for this deployment, and it is the ship that will be opened to visitors during the harbour stage of the exercise at Plymouth. Option A, INS Tabar, is wrong because no such ship figures in this deployment; the only Indian warship identified for KONKAN-26 is INS Trishul. Option C, INS Teg, is wrong for the same reason, as the announcement names a single frigate and that frigate is Trishul. Option D, INS Talwar, is also wrong: although the name is close to that of the ship actually deployed, the vessel sent to the United Kingdom for this edition of the exercise is INS Trishul and no other.

The correct answer is the United Kingdom. KONKAN is described as the yearly bilateral maritime exercise between India and the United Kingdom, held with the Royal Navy, and the current edition is being conducted in the waters off Plymouth on the British coast in a harbour phase and a sea phase. The exercise has grown in scale and in complexity over the past two decades and is treated as a cornerstone of cooperation between the two fleets, sitting within the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership that the two countries set out in the India-UK Vision 2035 document. Option A, France, is wrong because the partner navy for KONKAN is the Royal Navy and not the French Navy. Option B, Australia, is wrong because no Australian participation is part of this exercise. Option D, the United States of America, is wrong as well: the announcement names only the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom as the participating foreign navy.

The correct answer is air, surface and sub-surface. The Sea Phase of the exercise is built around complex operational drills in all three of these domains. The serials planned for it include helicopter landings from one ship’s deck to the other, gunnery firings, air defence exercises, demanding ship-handling evolutions and anti-submarine warfare practice, which is precisely why the air, the surface and the waters below the surface are all covered. The Harbour Phase, by contrast, is given over to professional interactions, cross-deck visits, sports fixtures, cultural engagements and opening the ship to visitors. Option B is wrong because land and cyber operations do not form part of this naval exercise. Option C is wrong because space and cyber are not among the domains listed for the sea serials. Option D is wrong for both reasons: neither land nor space figures in the three domains described for the Sea Phase of KONKAN-26.

The correct answer is India-UK Vision 2035. The exercise is presented as a reaffirmation of the shared commitment of the two countries to secure, open and free seas, and the Ministry of Defence places that commitment within the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership that the two sides set out in the India-UK Vision 2035 document. The naval exercise is thus the operational face of a political understanding: the two fleets practise together so that they can work smoothly alongside each other in complicated situations at sea. Option A is wrong because the partnership referred to here is framed by the Vision document for the year 2035 and not for 2030. Option C is wrong because the understanding cited is a vision statement covering the whole partnership rather than a maritime roadmap. Option D is wrong because the figure attached to the India-UK vision in this context is 2035, not 2047.

The correct answer is Varanasi. The 94th edition of the weekly cycling drive was held in Varanasi, where the Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports led the ride. The morning opened at Namo Ghat with a meditation session and ended with a rally of about 5.5 km that ran from Namo Ghat to Sampurnanand Sanskrit University, both of which are in the city. Option A, Lucknow, is wrong because the venue named for this edition is Varanasi and not the state capital. Option B, Prayagraj, is wrong for the same reason, as no part of the programme was held there. Option D, Kanpur, is wrong as well: the ghats and the Sanskrit university mentioned as the start and the finish of the rally are landmarks of Varanasi, which is where the minister addressed the cyclists and the pledge against drug use was taken.

The correct answer is Nasha Mukt Yuva for Viksit Bharat. The edition in Varanasi was built around that theme, which links physical fitness to the wider campaign for a drug-free generation. In keeping with it, the minister and the participants took the Nasha Mukt Bharat pledge before the ride, and the cycle rally carried the same message through the streets of the city. Option B is wrong because the campaign invoked at this event was the one against substance abuse, not the cleanliness mission. Option C is wrong because Khelo India is a separate sports development programme and was not the theme announced for this edition. Option D is wrong because the organisers framed the morning around rejecting narcotics and adopting healthy habits rather than around air quality, even though cycling itself is a clean form of transport.

The correct answer is Raj Kumar Pal, who won his gold medal as a member of the Indian men’s hockey team at the Asian Games held in Aichi-Nagoya. He was one of four medallists honoured at the cycling event in Varanasi. Option A, Prachi Chaudhary, is wrong because her medal at those Games was a bronze in the women’s quarter-mile event on the track. Option B, Parul Chaudhary, is wrong because she took two bronze medals rather than a gold, one in the women’s steeplechase and the other in the longer distance race. Option C, Jay Kumar, is wrong because his medals were a silver in the mixed relay and a bronze in the men’s relay, so neither of them was gold. Only the hockey player among the four stood on the top step of the podium.

The correct answer is Sampurnanand Sanskrit University. After addressing the gathering and administering the pledge against drug use, the Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports led the riders out of Namo Ghat and the rally finished at that university, covering a distance of roughly 5.5 km through the city. Option A, Banaras Hindu University, is wrong because the institution named as the end point of the rally was the Sanskrit university and not BHU. Option C, Dashashwamedh Ghat, is wrong because the ghat connected with the event was Namo Ghat, which is where the meditation session, the cultural performance and the start of the ride took place. Option D, Sarnath, is wrong because the route described for this edition stayed within the city streets and did not extend to that site.

The correct answer is Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat. Yuva Sangam is the youth exchange carried out under that programme, and its seventh phase is being implemented by the Department of Higher Education in the Ministry of Education with the aim of strengthening national integration and building contact between young people from different regions. Participants come from twenty paired States and Union Territories and are shown the cultural traditions, educational institutions, innovation ecosystems and development work of the state they are matched with. Option B is wrong because that scheme funds higher education in the states rather than organising youth exchanges. Option C is wrong because the abhiyan named there connects institutions with village development work and is a separate initiative. Option D is wrong because that programme is aimed at bringing foreign students to Indian institutions, which is not what Yuva Sangam does.

The correct answer is West Bengal. The delegation from Uttarakhand, for which Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University is the nodal institute, travelled to West Bengal and is being hosted there by IIT Kharagpur. The group was welcomed at the start of the tour, called on the Governor of the host state, and went on to see riverside landmarks in Kolkata as part of its cultural itinerary. Option A, Odisha, is wrong because that state is not the one paired with Uttarakhand in this phase of the exchange. Option C, Assam, is wrong for the same reason, as the host institute named for the visit lies in West Bengal. Option D, Tamil Nadu, is also wrong: the delegates’ programme was built around the traditions, institutions and landmarks of West Bengal and not of a southern state.

The correct answer is IIT Kharagpur, which is hosting the visiting group and arranging its exposure to the cultural, spiritual and educational life of the host state. On the Uttarakhand side, the nodal institute for the delegation is Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University, so the two institutions together anchor this pairing. Option A, Jadavpur University, is wrong because the release names the institute of national importance at Kharagpur as the host for this delegation. Option B, Visva-Bharati University, is wrong for the same reason, although it too is located in the host state. Option D, Presidency University, is wrong as well. Routing delegations through such institutes is deliberate, since it lets the academic exchange run alongside the cultural programme that Yuva Sangam is built around.

The correct answer is Shri R. N. Ravi, who met the visiting delegation in his capacity as Governor of West Bengal. The students and teachers discussed learning, cultural exchange and the importance of building ties among young people from different parts of the country, and the meeting gave them a view of the host state’s distinctive cultural identity. Options B, C and D are wrong because the Governor named in connection with this interaction is Shri R. N. Ravi and no other person. Candidates should note the pairing carefully, since questions on Yuva Sangam often combine the dignitary met with the host state, the nodal institute and the hosting institute. Here the delegation came from Uttarakhand, the host institute was IIT Kharagpur, and the Governor it called on was the Governor of West Bengal.