1. Which major state posted the fastest GST growth (88%) in September 2026?
Answer: D. Assam's collections jumped 88% to Rs 2,415 crore, the sharpest rise among major states.
2. What was the final HSBC India Manufacturing PMI for August 2026?
Answer: C. August 2026 ended at 52.8, the weakest since August 2021, before recovering to 55.1 in September.
3. Which sub-sector recorded the steepest fall (-8.4%) in the ISP for July 2026?
Answer: B. Air transport shrank 8.4%, while repair services fell 5.0%.
4. From when did RBI's simplified approval for subsequent major-stake buys in banks take effect?
Answer: B. The Amendment Directions were issued on 1 October 2026 and came into force immediately.
5. From which date will Anup Kumar Saha become MD & CEO of Kotak Mahindra Bank?
Answer: D. Kotak Mahindra Bank said Saha's three-year term as MD & CEO starts on 1 January 2027.
6. What is the maximum MDR payable on a single UPI P2M transaction under NPCI's new framework?
Answer: D. The 0.4% MDR is capped at ₹300, which applies to transactions of ₹75,000 and above.
7. What annual AUM-based PoP charge applies to NPS subscribers from 1 October 2026?
Answer: C. PFRDA's revised structure sets the PoP charge at 0.20% per annum of AUM, adjusted through the NAV.
8. BharatNet is funded through which fund, earlier called the Universal Service Obligation Fund?
Answer: C. Digital Bharat Nidhi, renamed under the Telecommunications Act, 2023, funds BharatNet and other rural telecom schemes.
9. Which ministry coordinates the special Gram Sabhas held on 2 October 2026 for the People's Plan Campaign?
Answer: C. The Ministry of Panchayati Raj coordinates the campaign, with other ministries joining for convergence.
10. According to the PM, what share of UPSC candidates were women in 1952?
Answer: B. Women made up 3% of candidates in 1952, compared with over 30% now.
11. In Manipur, AFSPA extended from 1 October 2026 excludes areas under how many police stations?
Answer: C. The whole of Manipur is covered except 13 police station areas in five districts.
12. How often does the presidency of the UN Security Council rotate among its members?
Answer: E. The UNSC presidency changes every month; Greece holds it for October 2026.
13. Which of the following is NOT one of the five pillars of the Colombo Security Conclave?
Answer: B. The five pillars are security-related; trade liberalisation is not among them.
14. Which body approves the Minimum Support Prices for kharif crops?
Answer: C. The CCEA approved MSPs for 14 kharif crops for 2026-27 on 13 May 2026.
15. Which was the only meteorological subdivision with excess rainfall in the 2026 southwest monsoon?
Answer: C. IMD data showed Odisha as the lone excess subdivision.
16. The UN International Day of Non-Violence, observed on 2 October, was established by the General Assembly in which year?
Answer: C. UNGA resolution A/RES/61/271 of 15 June 2007 created the day to honour Gandhi's birthday.
17. Which professional banking qualification does new RBI Executive Director Sudhakar Malli hold?
Answer: C. Besides a B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering, Malli is a Certified Associate of the Indian Institute of Bankers (CAIIB).
18. India's foreign currency assets stood at what level in the week ended 25 September 2026?
Answer: B. FCA fell by $15.5 billion to $615.4 billion, per RBI data released on 2 October 2026.
19. Project Jagrook was launched by SEBI alongside which event?
Answer: B. SEBI rolled out Project Jagrook, its investor awareness initiative, alongside World Investor Week 2026.
20. According to the Finance Ministry's review released on 1 October 2026, India's FY27 exports could approach which level?
Answer: C. Goods and services exports were nearly $400 billion in five months, so the full-year total could approach $1 trillion.
21. Who launched Special Campaign 6.0 on 2 October 2026?
Answer: B. Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh launched the campaign on 2 October 2026.
22. Revised exempted FASTag rules give a 3-year validity to persons with disability in which range?
Answer: B. From 2 October 2026, persons with 40-69% disability get 3-year validity; 70-100% get 5 years.
23. In VB-G RAM G, what does 'G' in brackets at the end stand for?
Answer: B. The full name is Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Grameen).
24. Among the 28 Ladakh features newly marked on Survey of India maps, Guru Rinpoche is the name of a:
Answer: D. MHA's list names Guru Rinpoche as a lake, alongside Yangpa River and Shkorga Valley.
25. The Koot-Kaparan limestone block auctioned in J&K has been explored up to which stage?
Answer: D. Koot-Kaparan is at G-4 stage, while Wantrag is at G-3.
26. Which ministry implements the scheme for the PCR Act and the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act?
Answer: C. The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment funds States/UTs to implement both Acts.
27. In which month of 2026 did India amend its Foreign Trade Policy to restrict imports made using forced labour?
Answer: C. Goyal said India amended its Foreign Trade Policy in July 2026 to restrict such imports.
28. Over what period will the G7's release of up to 100 million barrels of oil, agreed in October 2026, take place?
Answer: D. The release of up to 100 million barrels is to be spread over four months, with IEA coordination.
29. Which Union Minister of State addressed the Naval Commanders' Conference 2026 (second edition) on semiconductors, AI and quantum technology?
Answer: B. MoS for Electronics and IT Jitin Prasad spoke on domestic capability in semiconductors, AI and quantum technology.
30. Under which project was a tigress released in Buxa on 2 October 2026?
Answer: B. The release was part of the Tiger Augmentation and Recovery Project, run since 2018.
31. Which organisation was technical advisor and knowledge partner for the NABKISAN WASH social bond?
Answer: C. Water.org acted as technical advisor and knowledge partner for India's first WASH-dedicated social bond.
32. Eight Foreign Exchange Management services were removed from RBI's Citizen's Charter because powers were delegated to whom?
Answer: B. RBI delegated these FEMA powers to Authorised Dealers, so the services left the Charter.
33. Through which notification did the Department of Commerce extend Component II timelines of RELIEF?
Answer: B. Notification No. 37/2026-27 dated 30 September 2026 extended the Component II timelines.
34. Who delivered the inaugural address at the 5th Kautilya Economic Conclave on 3 October 2026?
Answer: C. Vice President C. P. Radhakrishnan delivered the inaugural address on 3 October 2026.
35. In PM-SETU cluster SPVs, what ownership share does the anchor industry partner hold?
Answer: D. The anchor industry partner holds 51%, with Centre and State holding 24.5% each.
36. As of October 2026, what share of rural households have tap water connections under Jal Jeevan Mission?
Answer: C. Over 15.96 crore rural families, more than 82% of rural households, have tap connections.
37. How much margin money subsidy has been released under PMEGP since FY 2014-15?
Answer: C. The MSME Ministry reported margin money subsidy of Rs 24,398.61 crore since FY 2014-15.
38. Deccan College Postgraduate and Research Institute will host the Centre of Excellence for which classical language?
Answer: B. Deccan College in Maharashtra has been approved for Classical Marathi.
39. Which edition of the Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly is being held in Arusha in October 2026?
Answer: D. Arusha, Tanzania hosts the 153rd IPU Assembly on 5-9 October 2026.
40. India's milk production in 2014-15 was 14.06 crore tonnes. What figure did Amit Shah cite for current production?
Answer: C. Shah said output has reached 24.80 crore tonnes, making India the top milk producer.
41. What was the value of India's makhana and value-added product exports in FY 2025-26?
Answer: C. India exported over 7,000 MT of makhana and products worth USD 22 million in FY 2025-26.
42. Which company's 'Armos' QKD device was used to demonstrate India's first free-space QKD link?
Answer: C. QNu Labs' Armos device was used with BISAG-N's Vedic Kavach platform.
43. Which edition of Exercise Nomadic Elephant concluded in Pithoragarh on 3 October 2026?
Answer: D. The 18th edition ran from 21 September to 3 October 2026 at Pithoragarh.
44. Which international partner works with MoEFCC, WII and Rajasthan Forest Department on Great Indian Bustard recovery?
Answer: B. The International Houbara Conservation Fund is a partner in the GIB programme.
45. Which facilities were dedicated at the Mumbai Port Authority Swachhata Abhiyan 2026 event on 2 October 2026?
Answer: C. Oil Spill Response (OSR) facilities were dedicated during the programme at Indira Dock.
46. Which country topped the medal table at the 2026 Asian Games with 341 medals?
Answer: E. China finished first with 341 medals, including 169 gold.
47. Which of the following is NOT a member of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA)?
Answer: E. EFTA has four members: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. Denmark is not among them.
48. What is the estimated cost of the 177-house 3D concrete-printed housing pilot in Guntur district?
Answer: C. The pilot in Burripalem and Obulnayudupalem villages costs ₹14 crore and is to be finished in about six months.
49. Where was the 12th International Convention of the Commodity and Capital Market Participants Association of India held on 3 October 2026?
Answer: A. The convention, addressed by SEBI Chairman Tuhin Kanta Pandey, was held in New Delhi.
50. Under the Voluntary Retention Route, what is the minimum retention period for FPI investments?
Answer: C. VRR requires FPIs to keep at least 75% of allotted investment in India for a minimum of three years.
51. Where was the 58th Foundation Day of ICSI held on 4 October 2026?
Answer: C. The event, addressed by Vice-President C. P. Radhakrishnan, took place at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.
52. On which date is the next OPEC+ meeting scheduled after the 4 October 2026 decision?
Answer: B. The group set its next meeting for 1 November 2026 and plans to meet monthly.
53. Who is the Canadian Prime Minister with whom PM Modi set the end-2026 CEPA target?
Answer: D. PM Modi and Canadian PM Mark Carney set the target when they met in New Delhi in March 2026.
54. What is the total strength of Latvia's parliament, the Saeima?
Answer: B. The Saeima has 100 seats, so 51 are needed for a majority.
55. Who flagged off the first cargo voyage from Dibrugarh to Bangladesh on 5 October 2026?
Answer: B. Union Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal flagged it off; CM Himanta Biswa Sarma joined virtually.
56. How many circular piers support the 480 m Sabarmati river bridge of the bullet train corridor?
Answer: D. The bridge rests on 8 circular piers: 4 in the riverbed, 2 on the banks and 2 beyond them.
57. Whose resignation caused the vacancy in the Nagaon Lok Sabha seat?
Answer: B. The Nagaon seat fell vacant after Congress leader Pradyut Bordoloi resigned.
58. How many Departmentally Related Standing Committees function under the Lok Sabha?
Answer: C. Of the 24 DRSCs, 16 work under the Lok Sabha and 8 under the Rajya Sabha.
59. The 17th Pension Adalat on 5 October 2026 was held at which institution in New Delhi?
Answer: C. It was held at the T.N. Chaturvedi Memorial Hall of IIPA, New Delhi, chaired by Dr. Jitendra Singh.
60. The second phase of Mera Resham Mera Abhimaan covers how many sericulture districts producing 95% of India's raw silk?
Answer: C. MRMA 2.0 covers 218 sericulture districts that together account for 95% of raw silk output.
61. How many members does the RBI Monetary Policy Committee have?
Answer: C. The MPC is a six-member committee chaired by the RBI Governor, currently Sanjay Malhotra.
62. The Baghat Urban Co-operative Bank, whose RBI directions were extended in October 2026, is located in which town?
Answer: B. The Baghat Urban Co-operative Bank is based in Solan, Himachal Pradesh; its directions now run till 8 January 2027.
63. SEBI's investor campaign launched on 5 October 2026 runs under which umbrella project until March 2027?
Answer: B. 'Samajh Se Investing Simple' runs under Project Jagrook till March 2027 with exchanges, depositories, AMFI and NISM.
64. As per TRAI's yearly indicators for 2025-26, what was the average monthly wireless ARPU?
Answer: C. Monthly wireless ARPU was ₹180.73, up 3.59%; revenue per GB of data fell to ₹8.02.
65. By how much did domestic coal-based power generation grow in H1 FY 2026-27?
Answer: C. Coal-based generation rose 9.9% to 640.05 BU from 582.5 BU.
66. Which body conducted the National Household Travel Survey (July 2025-June 2026)?
Answer: B. The survey was carried out by the National Statistics Office under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.
67. How many kilometres had been approved under PMGSY-IV by the 5 October 2026 review?
Answer: C. Of the 62,000 km PMGSY-IV target, 20,000 km had already been approved.
68. As of October 2026, how many lost or stolen handsets had been blocked through Sanchar Saathi?
Answer: D. 60.96 lakh handsets were blocked; 37.85 lakh were traced and over 14 lakh recovered.
69. Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya was Chief Justice of which High Court when appointed to the Supreme Court?
Answer: D. He was Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court; his parent High Court is Allahabad.
70. How many long-pending grievances were resolved at the 17th Pension Adalat out of 897 taken up?
Answer: C. 756 of the 897 cases were settled at the Adalat on 5 October 2026.
71. Which Swiss President held talks with PM Modi at Hyderabad House on 5 October 2026?
Answer: C. Guy Parmelin was on his first State visit to India; MMP and Young Professionals agreements were signed.
72. Where did PM Modi meet President Putin for the SCO Summit at the end of August 2026?
Answer: C. Modi met Putin in Bishkek at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in late August.
73. By what percentage did participation in crop insurance rise, as reported at the October 2026 agriculture review?
Answer: C. The review noted a 23% increase in crop insurance participation.
74. Project VeerAI aims to take its AI chip technology from which Technology Readiness Level to TRL-9?
Answer: D. The project is to advance the AI Vision SoC from TRL-5 to TRL-9, ready for commercial deployment.
75. How many Fleet Support Ships are being built at Hindustan Shipyard for the Indian Navy?
Answer: C. HSL is building five FSS; FSS-1 launches on 6 October 2026 alongside keel laying of FSS-5.
76. The SME Growth Fund approved in October 2026 will mainly support which type of enterprises?
Answer: C. The bulk of the fund is meant for manufacturing-focused SMEs, especially in Tier-II and Tier-III clusters.
77. Which of these is NOT listed as a data source for ITLA's National Transport Data Repository?
Answer: D. NTDR will use e-way bill, FASTag, Vahan, GPS and urban traffic data; Aadhaar enrolment is not listed.
78. What was the year-on-year growth of NBFC retail loans in August 2026 as per RBI?
Answer: C. Retail loans grew 22.0% against 13.6% a year earlier, driven by housing and gold jewellery loans.
79. On which date does the 2026 Financial Inclusion saturation campaign begin?
Answer: C. DFS said the saturation campaign will run from 21 October to 31 December 2026.
80. According to the September 2026 HSBC India Services PMI, input cost inflation fell to its lowest level since when?
Answer: C. Input cost inflation eased to its weakest level since November 2025.
81. The World Bank's FY28 growth projection of 7.2% for India is conditional on what?
Answer: B. The 7.2% FY28 figure assumes energy supply chains return to normal by early 2027.
82. Which body releases monthly vehicle retail sales data in India, such as the record September 2026 figures?
Answer: C. The Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA) published the retail data showing 25.37 lakh units sold.
83. In how many languages is the e-Sanjeevani telemedicine service available?
Answer: C. It works in 15 languages: English plus 14 Indian languages.
84. Which category of works under VB-G RAM G is newly added and has 38 works?
Answer: B. Disaster preparedness is the new pillar with 38 permissible works.
85. How many members are in the Inter-Ministerial Central Team sent to assess drought in Maharashtra in October 2026?
Answer: C. The Centre constituted a 10-member team on 5 October 2026.
86. Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit will succeed which officer as Chief of the Air Staff on 31 October 2026?
Answer: C. Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh retires on 31 October 2026, when Dixit takes over.
87. The BrahMos Fire Control Systems and launchers under the October 2026 contract are meant for which service?
Answer: C. The systems and launchers are for Indian Navy ships, where BrahMos is the main surface-to-surface missile.
88. DRDO's High Altitude Platform, flight-tested in October 2026, is mainly intended for which future role?
Answer: C. The lighter-than-air platform is a step towards long-endurance stratospheric aerial surveillance.
89. Who was the Swiss President who met Dr Jitendra Singh in New Delhi on 6 October 2026?
Answer: C. Swiss President Guy Parmelin held talks with Dr Jitendra Singh in New Delhi.
90. Which of these countries is NOT a member of the Moscow Format consultations on Afghanistan?
Answer: C. Members are Russia, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan; Turkmenistan is not listed.