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Daily Current Affairs: 15 October 2026

Current affairs of 15 October 2026: SEBI revises Closing Auction Session and derivatives market timings; Supreme Court upholds quashing of Yes Bank’s Rs 8,415 crore AT1 write-off; EDF for services exports: 30-day filing deadline under new FEMA rules, and 15 more topics. Key facts for every exam, with a quiz.

Take the quiz (15 questions)October 2026
18 TOPICSDaily CurrentAffairs15 October 2026In focus: SEBI revises Closing Auction Session and…safalsetu.com

In this issue: 18 topics

National Affairs

  1. Ladakh projects worth Rs 3,350 crore inaugurated by PM Modi
  2. Supreme Court: converts cannot automatically claim Backward Class quota

Government Schemes

  1. NSTCC: Piyush Goyal launches National Strategic Trade Command Centre

Banking & Finance

  1. SEBI revises Closing Auction Session and derivatives market timings
  2. Supreme Court upholds quashing of Yes Bank’s Rs 8,415 crore AT1 write-off
  3. EDF for services exports: 30-day filing deadline under new FEMA rules

Economy

  1. Balance of Payments August 2026: CAD narrows to US$5.2 billion
  2. India’s September 2026 trade data: total exports at US$80.75 billion
  3. India-China trade deficit tops US$105 bn in January-September 2026

International Affairs

  1. India-US trade deal: first tranche finalised, under legal drafting
  2. CICA Summit in Baku: India urges unity against cross-border terrorism

Agriculture & Rural

  1. Mahila Kisan Diwas 2026 observed on 15 October in New Delhi

Science & Technology

  1. CNAP caller name display mandatory from 1 November 2026: DoT

Environment & Ecology

  1. Kigali Amendment turns 10: HFC phase-down and India’s schedule

Defence & Security

  1. GSAT-7C and Varunastra: MoD signs Rs 4,106 crore defence contracts

Reports & Indexes

  1. PLFS September 2026: unemployment rate falls to 5%, LFPR at 55.5%

Awards & Persons

  1. Asian Games 2026: PM meets Indian contingent after 85-medal haul
  2. Vishvajit More wins India’s first U23 World Wrestling silver

National Affairs

Polity & Governance

1. Ladakh projects worth Rs 3,350 crore inaugurated by PM Modi

  • On 15 October 2026, the PM inaugurated five Ladakh projects worth about ₹3,350 crore through video conferencing.
  • Leh's Kushok Bakula Rinpoche Airport terminal (₹650 crore) is India's first airport terminal heated by geothermal energy.
  • The ₹2,500 crore Nimmu-Padum-Darcha road cuts travel time from about 12 hours to about 3 hours.
  • India's first Petroglyph Conservation Park in Leh protects ancient rock art.
Full notes and 3 MCQs ›
Polity & Governance

2. Supreme Court: converts cannot automatically claim Backward Class quota

  • Bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Shree Chandrashekhar dismissed Tamil Nadu's appeal on 15 October 2026.
  • Madras HC had quashed G.O. (Ms) No. 31 of 9 March 2024 treating converts to Islam as Backward Class Muslims.
  • Court held that social backwardness of a pre-conversion caste does not carry over after conversion.
  • Article 16(4) benefits cannot rest only on a person's status before conversion.
  • Persons professing a religion other than Hinduism, Sikhism or Buddhism do not hold Scheduled Caste status.
Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Government Schemes

Economy

3. NSTCC: Piyush Goyal launches National Strategic Trade Command Centre

  • Piyush Goyal launched the National Strategic Trade Command Centre (NSTCC) at Vanijya Bhawan, New Delhi, on 15 October 2026.
  • The Department of Commerce developed NSTCC for integrated, data-driven monitoring and governance of India's international trade.
  • First-phase dashboards cover IEC, Advance Authorisation, EPCG, Certificate of Origin, SCOMET and restricted imports and exports.
  • NSTCC builds on DGFT systems and the Trade Connect ePlatform and will add data from other agencies over time.
  • Goyal sought regular Inter-Ministerial Committee meetings to clear pending SCOMET applications.
Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Banking & Finance

Economy

4. SEBI revises Closing Auction Session and derivatives market timings

  • SEBI circular of 15 October 2026 fixes a 10-minute Closing Auction Session (CAS) from 3:30 pm to 3:40 pm on every trading day.
  • CAS order entry shuts at a random, system-driven moment between 3:38 pm and 3:40 pm.
  • CAS reference price is the VWAP of trades in the final 15 minutes of continuous trading.
  • Index and stock derivatives will trade until 3:45 pm; expiring index contracts stop at 3:30 pm on expiry day.
  • Provisions take effect on 7 December 2026; iceberg order carry-forward starts on 8 February 2027.
Full notes and 3 MCQs ›
Polity & Governance

5. Supreme Court upholds quashing of Yes Bank’s Rs 8,415 crore AT1 write-off

  • A bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Augustine George Masih dismissed the appeals on 15 October 2026.
  • The Bombay High Court had quashed the ₹8,415 crore AT1 bond write-off on 20 January 2023.
  • The Administrator announced the write-down on 14 March 2020, a day after the final reconstruction scheme took effect.
  • The final scheme approved by the Centre had dropped the AT1 write-down clause present in the draft scheme.
Full notes and 3 MCQs ›
Economy

6. EDF for services exports: 30-day filing deadline under new FEMA rules

  • Foreign Exchange Management (Export and Import of Goods and Services) Regulations, 2026 took effect on 1 October 2026.
  • Export Declaration Form (EDF) filing now applies to services exports, including IT and consulting firms.
  • EDF is due within 30 days from the end of the invoice month; one EDF may cover all invoices of a month.
  • Services export proceeds must be realised within nine months of invoice date; rupee-invoiced or rupee-settled exports get 12 months.
Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Economy

Economy

7. Balance of Payments August 2026: CAD narrows to US$5.2 billion

  • India's current account deficit eased to US$5.2 billion in August 2026 from US$6.1 billion in August 2025.
  • Net capital account inflows rose sharply to US$50.6 billion, against just US$0.5 billion a year earlier.
  • Net NRI deposits of US$83.0 billion lifted net banking capital to US$64.7 billion.
  • Overall balance showed a surplus of US$45.4 billion in August 2026, versus a deficit of US$5.6 billion in August 2025.
  • For April-August 2026, the current account deficit was US$18.3 billion, up from US$12.8 billion a year ago.
Full notes and 3 MCQs ›
Economy

8. India’s September 2026 trade data: total exports at US$80.75 billion

  • India's total exports (goods plus services) in September 2026 were US$80.75 billion, up 10.99% from US$72.76 billion a year earlier.
  • September 2026 merchandise exports were US$44.40 billion against US$36.08 billion in September 2025; merchandise imports were US$74.61 billion.
  • April-September 2026-27 total exports were US$476.20 billion, a growth of 13.84%.
  • Cumulative merchandise exports for April-September stood at US$259.89 billion (+18.51%); merchandise trade deficit was US$177.64 billion.
  • Electronic goods exports jumped 70.44% to US$5.31 billion in September 2026.
Full notes and 3 MCQs ›
Economy

9. India-China trade deficit tops US$105 bn in January-September 2026

  • India's trade deficit with China reached US$105.93 billion in January-September 2026, rising 20.7% year on year.
  • Bilateral trade grew 25.4% to US$144.45 billion in the first nine months of 2026.
  • China's exports to India were US$125.19 billion (+23.3%); India's exports to China were US$19.26 billion (+40.7%).
  • In FY 2025-26, India imported US$131.63 billion from China and exported US$19.47 billion, a record deficit.
Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

International Affairs

Economy

10. India-US trade deal: first tranche finalised, under legal drafting

  • On 15 October 2026, Piyush Goyal said the first tranche of the India-US bilateral trade agreement is finalised and in legal drafting.
  • He spoke at the inauguration of the SRCC Centenary Conclave themed 'Pathways to Viksit Bharat'.
  • India's merchandise exports to the US rose to about US$51 billion in April-September 2026 from US$45.73 billion a year earlier.
  • Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agarwal said negotiations on the deal are progressing well.
Full notes and 3 MCQs ›
International Relations

11. CICA Summit in Baku: India urges unity against cross-border terrorism

  • The 7th CICA Summit was held in Baku, Azerbaijan, on 15 October 2026, hosted by President Ilham Aliyev.
  • MoS for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh represented India and addressed the plenary session.
  • Singh cited India's Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam outlook and urged members to unite against cross-border terrorism.
  • CICA was first proposed by Kazakhstan's Nursultan Nazarbayev at the 47th UN General Assembly session in 1992.
  • CICA has 28 member states, including India, China, Russia, Pakistan and Azerbaijan.
Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Agriculture & Rural

Agriculture & Rural Development

12. Mahila Kisan Diwas 2026 observed on 15 October in New Delhi

  • Mahila Kisan Diwas 2026 was celebrated on 15 October at Dr B.R. Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi.
  • The event was chaired by Atish Chandra, Secretary, Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
  • Theme: 'Role of Women Farmers in Building Developed Agriculture and a Developed India'.
  • The book 'Women Farmers of India: Journey from Challenges to Success' was released.
  • The UN International Day of Rural Women was set up by UNGA resolution 62/136 of 18 December 2007.
Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Science & Technology

Polity & Governance

13. CNAP caller name display mandatory from 1 November 2026: DoT

  • Department of Telecommunications (DoT) directed all telecom service providers on 15 October 2026 to introduce CNAP.
  • Calling Name Presentation (CNAP) will be available across all service areas from 1 November 2026.
  • Service will be on by default for all users, without any separate request.
  • Caller name will come from the originating operator's subscriber database; unsaved international numbers show 'International Call'.
  • Trials were held on 4G and higher networks; 2G/3G and PSTN rollout will be considered separately.
Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Environment & Ecology

Environment & Ecology

14. Kigali Amendment turns 10: HFC phase-down and India’s schedule

  • The Kigali Amendment was adopted on 15 October 2016 at the 28th Meeting of the Parties in Kigali, Rwanda.
  • It entered into force on 1 January 2019; 173 of the 198 Montreal Protocol parties have ratified it.
  • The HFC phase-down could avoid up to 0.5 deg C of global warming by 2100.
  • India freezes HFC use at its 2024-2026 baseline from 2028 and must cut 85% by 2047.
  • MOP-38, marking the tenth anniversary, is scheduled for 2-6 November 2026 in Kigali.
Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Defence & Security

Science & Technology

15. GSAT-7C and Varunastra: MoD signs Rs 4,106 crore defence contracts

  • The Ministry of Defence signed two contracts worth about ₹4,106 crore in New Delhi on 15 October 2026.
  • GSAT-7C communication satellite for the IAF: ₹2,563 crore, with NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), Bengaluru.
  • Varunastra heavy-weight torpedoes for the Navy: ₹1,543 crore, with Bharat Dynamics Limited, Hyderabad.
  • Varunastra was developed by DRDO's Naval Science and Technological Laboratory (NSTL).
Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Reports & Indexes

Economy

16. PLFS September 2026: unemployment rate falls to 5%, LFPR at 55.5%

  • NSO released monthly labour force data for September 2026 on 15 October 2026.
  • Overall Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) rose to 55.5%; Worker Population Ratio (WPR) rose to 52.7%.
  • Unemployment rate fell to 5%, a drop of 0.2 percentage points from September 2025.
  • Rural unemployment fell to 4.2%; urban unemployment stayed broadly stable at 6.8%.
  • Urban female participation reached its highest level since October 2025.
Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

Awards & Persons

Sports

17. Asian Games 2026: PM meets Indian contingent after 85-medal haul

  • PM Narendra Modi interacted with India's Asian Games 2026 contingent on 15 October 2026.
  • India won 85 medals (21 gold, 27 silver, 37 bronze) and finished fourth in the medal table.
  • Women athletes won 38 of the 85 medals, including 11 golds.
  • Both hockey teams won gold; the women's victory ended a 44-year wait.
  • Archery gave India five golds; kabaddi produced golds in both men's and women's events.
Full notes and 3 MCQs ›

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