Jayakrishnan EduTips Daily Digest (18 October 2026)
1) National
Trade Margin Rationalisation on 137 Anti-Cancer Drugs: The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) under the Department of Pharmaceuticals (Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers) invoked Paragraph 19 of the Drugs (Prices Control) Order (DPCO), 2013 to cap the trade margin at 30% of Maximum Retail Price (MRP) on 137 non-scheduled anti-cancer formulations, expected to reduce retail prices by up to 70% effective 9 November 2026.
India's Ramsar Site Tally Reaches 103: Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav announced the addition of two new Wetlands of International Importance—Sukhna Wetland in Chandigarh (Ramsar Site No. 2602; Chandigarh's first Ramsar site) and Sauj Jheel in Mainpuri district, Uttar Pradesh (Ramsar Site No. 2603; making Mainpuri the only UP district with two Ramsar sites alongside Saman Bird Sanctuary)—taking India's total Ramsar sites to 103.
Census (Amendment) Rules, 2026 Notified: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) notified the Census (Amendment) Rules, 2026 under Section 18(1) of the Census Act, 1948, amending Rule 3 of the Census Rules, 1990 to expand eligibility for appointment as Census enumerators to include clerks, teachers, and officials from Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs), statutory bodies, banks, and private companies for the upcoming digital Census.
Special Summary Revision (SSR) of Electoral Rolls: The Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the schedule for the Special Summary Revision (SSR) of electoral rolls across 17 States and Union Territories with 1 January 2027 as the qualifying date.
MoD Signs Rs 4,106 Crore Contracts for GSAT-7C and Varunastra: The Ministry of Defence (MoD) inked two indigenous defence contracts worth Rs 4,106 crore, comprising Rs 2,563 crore for the GSAT-7C communication satellite for the Indian Air Force (IAF) and Rs 1,543 crore with Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), Hyderabad, for Varunastra Heavy Weight anti-submarine torpedoes (developed by NSTL, DRDO) for the Indian Navy.
KAUMARACON-2026 & Digital AYUSH Initiatives: Vice-President C. P. Radhakrishnan inaugurated KAUMARACON-2026 at the All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), New Delhi, launching the AYUSH Start-up Portal, AIIA–iCAINE website, AyuDIVA, Vamana App, and Panchakarma Assessment App, alongside an MoU between AIIA and Maharishi International University, USA.
BIS Launches Silver Refinery Scheme: Union Minister Pralhad Joshi (Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution) unveiled the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) Silver Refinery Scheme, released 7 new Indian Standards across clean mobility, robotics, and therapeutic healthcare, and launched a standardisation roadmap for sustainable agriculture.
First-Ever Kanda Express Reaches Agartala: The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution dispatched over 2,800 Metric Tonnes (MT) of buffer onion across the North-East via two Kanda Express rail rakes and 44 truck consignments, with the first-ever Kanda Express reaching Agartala, Tripura.
Over 1.93 Lakh Houses Approved Under PMAY-U 2.0: At the 10th Central Sanctioning and Monitoring Committee (CSMC) meeting, 1.93 lakh additional houses were approved under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Urban 2.0 (PMAY-U 2.0), taking total sanctioned houses under the mission past the 20 lakh mark.
Caller Name Presentation (CNAP) from 1 November 2026: Telecom operators are set to roll out the Caller Name Presentation (CNAP) service nationwide from 1 November 2026, displaying the verified KYC-registered name of incoming callers to curb spam and cyber fraud.
Tamil Nadu Semiconductor Ecosystem Scheme & Mizoram Digital Initiatives: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay launched the Tamil Nadu Semiconductor Ecosystem Scheme in Chennai, while Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma launched four digital financial management initiatives in Aizawl—Mizoram Integrated Works Accounts System (MIWAS), e-Sanction, e-Budget, and 100% Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).
2) International
Sudhakar Dalela Appointed Next Indian Ambassador to Nepal: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) appointed 1993-batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer Sudhakar Dalela (currently serving as Secretary in the MEA) as India's next Ambassador to Nepal.
Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2026: In the Global Hunger Index 2026, India ranked 100th out of 122 countries with a GHI score of 24.1 (categorised as "serious"), recording child wasting at 19% and a reduction in child stunting to 29.3% (down from 50% in 2000).
8th India–UK Science and Innovation Council Meeting: Co-chaired by Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh and UK Secretary of State Jonathan Reynolds, the meeting saw the joint inauguration of the BRIC–CDFD Oxford Nanopore Technologies India Genomics Centre of Excellence (CoE) to advance genomics and biotechnology research.
NTPC Signs Cooperation Agreement with Africa50: State-owned power major NTPC Limited signed a Cooperation Agreement with pan-African infrastructure investment platform Africa50 in New Delhi to jointly develop power projects and cross-border electricity trading across Africa.
Dr. T. M. Balakrishnan Nair Elected Chair of UNESCO Indian Ocean Panel: Dr. T. M. Balakrishnan Nair, Director of the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), Hyderabad, was elected Chair of UNESCO's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) Indian Ocean Panel.
Exercise INDRA 2026 & 14th India–Mongolia JWG: Indian Navy's indigenous stealth frigate INS Sahyadri is participating in the bilateral India–Russia naval exercise INDRA 2026 in Vladivostok, Russia, while the 14th India–Mongolia Joint Working Group (JWG) on defence cooperation convened to strengthen military ties.
3) Economy
SEBI Updates Intermediary Advertisement Norms & IPO Revision Timeline: The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) amended the SEBI (Intermediaries) Regulations, 2008 to introduce a new advertisement compliance framework effective 8 April 2027, and extended the timeline for revision of Initial Public Offering (IPO) issue size until 31 March 2027.
CtrlS Inaugurates Patna Data Centre & Plans Rs 10,000 Crore Bihar Investment: CtrlS Datacenters inaugurated a Rs 400 crore, 12 MW IT capacity data centre at Patliputra Industrial Area, Patna (opened by Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary), and signed a Letter of Intent for a 150 MW AI data centre at Bodh Gaya as part of a Rs 10,000 crore investment plan in Bihar.
Major Investment Proposals Worth Rs 43,600 Crore: Key industrial investment proposals cleared include Rs 41,750 crore by Energy Capital Global for an AI-ready data centre campus, Rs 1,500 crore by Sunstream Green Energy for a 300 MW solar project with battery storage, and Rs 350 crore by Valency International Pte. Ltd. for an integrated agro-processing and export hub.
PSA Mumbai & Tuticorin Container Terminal Record Benchmarks: PSA Mumbai set a terminal performance record at Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) with an exchange of 18,381 TEUs on vessel MSC DILETTA, while Tuticorin Container Terminal handled a record 33,771 TEUs.
4) Date’s Importance (18 October)
World Menopause Day (18 October 2026): Observed annually on 18 October (established in 2009 by the International Menopause Society (IMS) in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO)) to raise awareness of midlife women's health and well-being; 2026 Theme: "Chronic Pain at Midlife".
World Okapi Day (18 October): Celebrated annually on 18 October to promote conservation of the endangered Okapi ("forest giraffe"), an elusive mammal endemic to the Ituri Rainforest of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Alaska Day (18 October): Marks the formal transfer of Alaska from the Russian Empire to the United States on 18 October 1867 following the Alaska Purchase Treaty for USD 7.2 million.
Azerbaijan Restoration of Independence Day (18 October): Commemorates the adoption of the Constitutional Act on the State Independence of the Republic of Azerbaijan from the Soviet Union on 18 October 1991.
Key Historical Milestones on 18 October: Founding of Heidelberg University in Germany (18 October 1386); first publication of Herman Melville's 'Moby-Dick' in London (18 October 1851); Texas Instruments announced the Regency TR-1, the world's first commercial transistor radio (18 October 1954); Soviet probe Venera 4 became the first spacecraft to measure the atmosphere of another planet (Venus) (18 October 1967); maiden test flight of the multipurpose SA 315B Lama (Cheetah) helicopter in Bengaluru (18 October 1972); birth anniversary of Maharaja Gulab Singh (1792), former UP and Uttarakhand CM Narayan Dutt Tiwari (1925–2018), veteran actor Om Puri (1950), and author Amish Tripathi (1974); death anniversary of Kakori case revolutionary Ramkrishna Khatri (18 October 1996, author of 'Shaheedon Ki Chhaya Mein').
5) Person of the Day
Dr. Ramya Manjunath Anche (Principal Investigator of NASA's PUFFINS Mission): Bengaluru-born Indian-origin astronomer selected by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as the Principal Investigator to lead its USD 20 million PUFFINS space telescope mission under the NASA Astrophysics Pioneers Programme.
About the PUFFINS Mission: PUFFINS (Polarimetry in the Ultraviolet to Find Features in INterStellar dust) is a Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) SmallSat mission carrying a specialized 10-inch ultraviolet space telescope designed to measure the ultraviolet spectropolarimetry and polarization of starlight passing through interstellar dust grains and magnetic fields.
Scientific Collaboration and Precursor Role: Combines space-based UV observations with ground-based measurements from the 82-inch Otto Struve Telescope at McDonald Observatory to study interstellar gas, serving as a vital technological precursor to NASA's flagship Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO).
Academic Trajectory in India and the US: Completed her PhD at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bengaluru, where she contributed to optical instrumentation for ISRO's Aditya-L1 solar mission and the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT), before advancing ultraviolet instrumentation research at the University of Arizona (Steward Observatory).
6) Sports
Asian Para Games 2026 Opens in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan: The 5th Asian Para Games (18–24 October 2026) commences today in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, with India fielding a 281-member delegation comprising 168 athletes (112 men and 56 women) across 11 sports disciplines (including Boccia), led by Chef de Mission Rahul Swami and opening ceremony flag bearers Pramod Bhagat and Bhavina Patel.
Punam Raut Announces Retirement from International Cricket: Former Indian women's top-order batter Punam Raut announced her retirement from all forms of international cricket after representing India in three ODI World Cups (2009, 2013, 2017) and four T20 World Cups, memorably scoring 86 in the 2017 Women's ODI World Cup Final against England.
BCCI Announces Squads for New Zealand Tour: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced India's ODI and Test squads for the upcoming tour of New Zealand, featuring a five-match ODI series starting on 4 November 2026 in Auckland.
7) Awards
Shubman Gill Sets Record with 5th ICC Player of the Month Award: Indian batter Shubman Gill, who was named ICC Men's Player of the Month for September 2026 alongside Shafali Verma (Women's category), set an all-time record by becoming the first cricketer to win the ICC Player of the Month award five times.
Inaugural Padma Shri Dr. S. Subramanian Memorial Lecture: To mark the 42nd Raising Day of the National Security Guard (NSG), the Inaugural Dr. S. Subramanian Lecture was instituted and hosted at the BPR&D Auditorium, New Delhi, honouring Padma Shri S. Subramanian, the former Director General of NSG and CRPF and Founder Director of the Special Protection Group (SPG).
8) Other Important Significance
TDB-DST Sanctions Rs 150 Crore to QNu Labs for Quantum-Secure Networks: The Technology Development Board (TDB) under the Department of Science and Technology (DST) approved Rs 150 crore in support under the Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) scheme (towards a Rs 300 crore total project) for Bengaluru-based QNu Labs to build indigenous quantum-secure communication networks.
BHASHINI and IISc Bengaluru Release Sourashtra Text-to-Speech Model: The Digital India BHASHINI Division and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, jointly developed and released an AI-powered Text-to-Speech (TTS) model for the Sourashtra language to preserve and digitise minority linguistic heritage.
National Conference on e-Governance Reforms in Dharamshala: The two-day National Conference on e-Governance Reforms concluded in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh (16–17 October 2026), deliberating on AI-driven citizen service delivery and digital public infrastructure.