NEWS & VIEWS|||SARASIJ|||20-10-2026
NEWS & VIEWS|||SARASIJ|||20-10-2026
TUESDAY| VOL—IV/2026/OCTOBVER
OPINIONATED, FOR FREE CIRCULATION.
श्रीदुर्गास्तोत्रम्
ॐ दुम्बीजयै च विद्महे। दुःखायै
च धीमहि।
तन्नो दुर्गा प्रचोदयात्
॥
दुम्बीजनिलये देवी दुर्गे
दुःखनिवारिणि।
दूरीकृतघसञ्चये दुर्गादेवी
नमोस्तु ते ॥ १ ॥
सर्वरोगापहे देवी संसाररोगमोचनि।
सर्वगे सत्त्वसंपूर्णे सनदुर्गे
नमोस्तु ते ॥ २ ॥
सङ्गीतरसिके मतस्सङगीतसुस्वरास्पदे।
INDIA:
(GOI, SWARAJYA, VISHWAMITRA, HINDU POST, INDIA TODAY).
*Dussehra (Vijayadashami* ) in 2026 is celebrated on
Tuesday, October 20, 2026 across most of India, while parts of the eastern
region (such as West Bengal and Odisha) observe Bijoya Dashami on Wednesday, 21
October 2026.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has completed 25 years in
public service, a journey defined by the mantra of Jan Seva Se Desh Seva, and a
relentless commitment that continues.
Mission Karma Yogi is aimed at strengthening the capacity
and skills of government officials and making civil services more
citizen-centric. with the objective of placing the right person in the right
role at the right time. The iGot platform under Mission Karma Yogi has over
1.70 crore registered users and it hosts over 6500 courses across domain,
functional and behavioral competencies.
The Department of Financial Services will run a nationwide
saturation campaign for financial inclusion schemes from 21 October to 31
December 2026, covering 2.70 lakh Gram Panchayats and Urban Local Bodies. Banks
will hold camps for enrolment under PMJJBY, PMSBY and APY, opening of PMJDY
accounts, re-KYC, and KCC applications for PM-Kisan beneficiaries.
Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan launched the
upgraded Agri Welfare Portal, a single-window gateway for farmers to access
schemes such as PM-KISAN, Agri Stack, and the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana ( A GREAT INITIATIVE) on their mobile
phones. Krishi Vigyan Kendras will run a special training campaign to help
farmers use the portal.
Fisheries Secretary Dr Abhilaksh Likhi reviewed the
Pithoragarh Coldwater Fisheries Cluster in Uttarakhand on 19 October. The
Ministry said Uttarakhand is the first Himalayan State to export trout to Nepal
and the first to supply trout to the ITBP. I HAVE
BEEN THERE, AND BROUGHT 5 KG. TROUTS, PACKED IN ICE IN THERMOCOL BOXES. SO
TASTY!! PLANNING TO VISIT AGAIN!
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta inaugurated a
200-tonne-per-day biogas plant at Goyla Dairy under the Seva Sankalp Abhiyan,
to process cattle dung and biodegradable waste from dairy colonies. Delhi’s
first such 200-TPD plant began operating at Nangli Dairy, Najafgarh, in
September 2025.
The Election Commission said the Special Intensive Revision
(SIR) of electoral rolls aims to ensure that no eligible citizen is left out
while removing deceased, duplicate and shifted electors. It noted that the last
intensive revision was held in 2002–04 and that EVMs cannot be hacked.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, replying to
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s letter to the Prime Minister, said
there is no constitutional deadline to prorogue a House after it is adjourned
sine die. He said the 64-day gap since the Lok Sabha was adjourned on 13 August
is no irregularity.
The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has acted against unauthorized online listing and sale of explosives such as ammonium nitrate, gunpowder, picric acid, and PETN, which are regulated under the Explosives Act, 1884. Over 3,900 sellers have been delisted from e-commerce platforms; violations can be reported on helpline 1915.
India will host the 61st meeting of the International
Committee of Legal Metrology (CIML) for the first time, in New Delhi from 26
October. The three-day meeting, organized by the Department of Consumer Affairs
with the International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML), will bring
together over 100 international delegates.
The 135th Raising Day of Manipur Police was celebrated
yesterday at 1st Battalion Manipur Rifles Parade Ground in Imphal. The
celebration was attended by Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh.
The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) warned that
fraudsters are using deepfake videos of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Finance
Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and State Chief Ministers in Facebook and Instagram
ads promoting fake government schemes. Victims are lured to phone numbers,
WhatsApp chats or fake websites and made to pay repeated fees.
Indian Railways warned passengers against playing music or
videos on speaker mode in trains and on railway premises, with fines of up to
₹1,000. Repeat violators can face imprisonment of up to six months, a fine of
up to ₹5,000, or both.
The CISF will switch to a domain-based, sector-specific
command structure from 1 November with the approval of the Home Ministry,
realigning eight of its 11 sectors. New sectors include Coal (Ranchi), Steel
(Bhilai), Petroleum and Natural Gas (Guwahati), Power-I (New Delhi), Power-II
(Kolkata), and West Coast (Mumbai) and East Coast (Chennai) port sectors.
Telangana government constituted a six-member Cabinet
sub-committee headed by Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka to
oversee measures against drought and El Niño conditions, with priority on
drinking water. About 315 of the State’s 621 mandals are facing drought
conditions of varying degrees.
BENGAL
:
CM’s Compensation Visits: Chief Minister Shuvendu Adhikari
is personally visiting the families of the victims today and tomorrow (October
20–21) to distribute compensation cheques of ₹25 lakh. A sitting judge-led
Special Investigation Team (SIT) is actively probing the incident, while
high-level committees have ordered the closure of VIP gates and food stalls
near exit points to manage ongoing Mahanawami crowds.
Electoral Roll Demands: State BJP President Samik
Bhattacharya has officially called for a fresh Special Intensive Revision (SIR)
of electoral rolls. He alleges that the previous database cleanup—which deleted
91 lakh voters—was marred by disruptions, sparking cross-party counter-protests
demanding the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner. I fully agree with him—But Mr. Ganesh Kumar only shall
continue to be in control.
WORLD:
(REUTER, AP, AFP, BLOOMBERG, CNN, WP)
ISLAM SCORCHES FRANCE:
President Emmanuel Macron appealed for calm a day after
France suffered one of its worst days of unrest in years, with thousands
arrested and shops looted or damaged after protests over high prices and
declining public services.
Macron declined Interior Minister Laurent Nunez's offer to
resign after widespread weekend rioting, the Elysee presidential office said. HOPEFULLY THERE ARE NO COCKROACES PLANTED IN FRANCE!!!
Residents in Limoges recoiled in horror at the city's
fire-ravaged town hall, an ornate 19th-century neo-Renaissance building which
survived two world wars but was torched by a masked mob during the worst
unrest to convulse France in years.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will represent India at the
25th meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of Government in Dushanbe, Tajikistan,
today (20 October). The MEA said the meeting will focus on trade, economy,
investment, connectivity, innovation, and cultural-humanitarian cooperation
among SCO members.
The India–New Zealand Free Trade Agreement comes into force
today (20 October), on Vijaya Dashami, giving 100% duty-free access to Indian
exports in New Zealand. Both sides aim to double bilateral trade to₹35,000
crore by 2030, and New Zealand has committed to facilitate USD 20 billion
investment in India.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking in Samarkand,
said the United States is close to finalizing a trade deal with India. He
begins a three-day visit to India today, holding talks with External Affairs
Minister S. Jaishankar in Mumbai and paying tribute at the 26/11 memorial at
the Taj hotel.
India rejected references to it in the resolutions of the
OIC Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in Baghdad on 17–18 October as
‘malicious, biased and false’ and orchestrated by Pakistan. The MEA said the
OIC has no locus standi on India’s internal matters.
OIC MAY BE INFORMED THAT CONTINUING WITH THIS AGENDA MAY HAVE SOME ADVERSE
EFFECTS.
Power Secretary Pankaj Agarwal and Saudi Arabia’s Assistant
Minister of Energy for Electricity Affairs Nasser Al-Qahtani reviewed progress
on the proposed India–Saudi Arabia electricity grid interconnection at a
virtual meeting.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk will visit India from 21
to 23 October and hold talks with PM Narendra Modi in New Delhi on 22 October,
with trade, Defence and emerging technologies on the agenda. He will also visit
Bengaluru; ties were elevated to a strategic partnership in August 2024.
The Indian Embassy in Italy issued an advisory asking Indian
nationals to stay cautious, avoid crowded places and protest sites, and follow
local news. Emergency helpline numbers +39 331 614 2085 and +39 3881647527 have
been issued.
Russia launched fresh strikes on Ukraine’s energy grid.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine again received no early warning from
partner countries about the attacks.
GULF
WAR:
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says an oil tanker “violating regulations” caught fire after hitting a sea mine in the Strait of Hormuz as attacks on shipping continue.
Trump says he is in the process of negotiating a peace deal
between Russia and Ukraine, while suggesting Moscow hasn’t helped Iran during
the US-Israel war.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has accused Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of “driving America into another war to stay
out of jail”.
Mehrdad Akhlaghi Ketabchi has been appointed Iran’s Defence
minister. Parliament approved the 68-year-old on Sunday. His principal
expertise is in ballistic missiles, solid-fuel propulsion, aerospace technology,
and military-industrial production, according to state media.
The military spokesperson for the Houthis says Saudi
warplanes carried out 110 air strikes and missile attacks over the past 24
hours in Yemen. Yahya Saree said in a statement the bombardment targeted sites
in the capital, Sanaa, and the governorates of Hodeidah, Taiz, Amran, Hajjah,
Saada, al-Jawf, al-Dhale, and Marib.
Saudi Arabia’s Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman Al Saud
has held a meeting with UAE Vice President Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan
in Abu Dhabi. The Saudi Defence minister also met UAE President Sheikh Mohamed
bin Zayed Al Nahyan during his visit.
Egypt’s parliament will continue discussions on Monday over authorizing
military support to Saudi Arabia amid ongoing Houthi attacks, Reuters reported,
quoting MPs.
The Ministerial Council of the Gulf Cooperation Council
(GCC) has condemned “in the strongest terms” Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia. In
a statement following its meeting in Bahrain, the council underscored its
member states’ “full solidarity” and united stance with the kingdom.
Lebanon’s Parliament speaker has urged the continued
presence of the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, UNIFIL, in a meeting with
the French foreign minister, according to Iran’s state-run news agency IRNA.
A Houthi ballistic missile attack on a military training
Centre in Yemen’s Shabwa governorate killed at least 53 soldiers and wounded
about 200 recruits, the Shabwa provincial government said. The Iran-backed
rebels fired three ballistic missiles at the al-Alam camp.
BALUCH NEWS: Expanded Insurgency Footprint: Security
officials remain on high alert following a major shift in tactical violence.
The regional rebellion has expanded rapidly from the traditional southern and
central strongholds into the resource-rich Pashtun-majority northern districts,
keeping main highways and checkpoints heavily fortified.
Iranian Sistan-Baluchistan
Updates:
• Militant Coalition Surge: Iranian forces are confronting
daily armed clashes. Security reports confirm 63-armed incidents, 94 deaths,
and 33 injuries spanning the recent weeks leading up to late October. The
violence follows the operational unification of several armed factions under
the umbrella coalition known as the Popular Fighters Front (JMM).
Tehran continues to increase military deployments to the
strategic southeastern border zone near Chabahar port.
NEPAL: Nepal is preparing its climate agenda ahead of COP-31
in Antalya, Türkiye (scheduled for November 9–20, 2026), focusing on Himalayan
protection and loss-and-damage funding.
WILD
LIFE:
A rescued Sumatran baby orangutan was repatriated from
Gujarat to Indonesia, arriving at Kualanamu Airport in Medan. Five more young
orangutans rescued in Odisha, now at Nandankanan Zoological Park, are in the
pipeline for repatriation.
CRIME
& PUNISHMENT:
Bollywood action star Tiger Shroff—son of veteran actor
Jackie Shroff—narrowly escaped an assassination attempt unhurt after gunmen
opened fire on his car in Mumbai's upscale Juhu suburb on Sunday evening,
October 18, 2026. Two people—his driver, Firdaus, and a bystander—sustained
injuries during the targeted ambush and were rushed to Nanavati Hospital.
Overseas-based gangsters Anil Pandit and Harman Sandhu
posted a message on social media claiming responsibility for the hit on behalf
of the notorious Lawrence Bishnoi gang. The post explicitly stated that Tiger
Shroff was targeted because he ignored multiple direct warnings telling him not
to work with Bollywood superstar Salman Khan. The group added an ominous
warning: "Anyone who does not listen to us, they will be next, wait and
watch."
The Assailants are already arrested.
Three Meitei villagers collecting firewood were shot dead by
suspected militants in the Sunurok hills, on the border of Imphal East and
Kangpokpi districts in Manipur, on Monday; three others were injured. Angry
locals placed two of the bodies outside Chief Minister Y. Khemchand Singh’s
residence in Imphal, police fired tear gas, and a combing operation has been
launched.
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) dismantled a
gold smuggling syndicate operating through Ahmedabad and Surat airports with a
Dubai-based financier, seizing 13.017 kg of foreign-origin gold worth about
₹19.41 crore. Three persons were arrested under the Customs Act, 1962; the gold
was melted at an illegal unit in Vadodara.
In separate operations, the DRI seized 591.3 kg of ganja
smuggled from Nepal in a truck intercepted on the Gorakhpur–Kushinagar road,
and 43.2 lakh foreign-origin cigarettes worth ₹8.64 crore in Mizoram. THERE SHALL BE A STATE RUN WAY OF SELLING ‘GANJA’ TO
CUSTOMERS, IN A LIMITED & RESTRICTED MANNER. GOI/STATE LIQUOR SHOPS CAN BE
USED.
MISHAPS:
-
In three different Road Accidents, at different States, 11
Persons killed—and 10 injured.
ENVIRONMENTAL:
-
Cyclone Arnab Alert: A deep depression over the Bay of
Bengal has intensified, bringing heavy rain and storm warnings across coastal
and southern Bengal today due to the approaching Cyclone Arnab.
GAMES
& SPORTS
India won 11 medals — four golds, five silvers and two bronzes
— on day one of the Asian Para Games.
Mona Agarwal won the women’s 10m air rifle SH1 gold with a
Games record of 250.0, ahead of Avani Lekhara (249.6), while Nishad Kumar (long
jump T47, 7.11 m), Rinku (javelin F46) and Soumya (1500m T12/13) also won gold.
Archer Sheetal Devi equalled the world record of 704 out of
720 in the women’s compound qualification round at the Asian Para Games,
setting a new Asian record.
IRS officer Ekta Vishnoi won three gold medals in the 57 kg
category at the World Masters Powerlifting Championships in Nevada, USA, with a
total lift of 362.5 kg.
Mizoram’s Chinmay Sutar remained 400 not out off 517 balls
against Nagaland at Sovima in the Ranji Trophy Plate, becoming only the second
Indian to score 400 in a first-class innings after B.B. Nimbalkar (443*).
Mizoram declared at 581 for nine.
Former India spinner Ramesh Powar was appointed to the BCCI
senior men’s selection committee, now headed by Pragyan Ojha, with Shiv Sundar
Das, RP Singh, and Ajay Ratra as the other members. The vacancy arose after
Ajit Agarkar’s retirement.
Ten-year-old Arshi Gupta of Faridabad won the Mini Max
category at the FMSCI RMC India National Karting Championship 2026 in
Bengaluru, becoming the world’s youngest driver to win the Rotax MAX Challenge
(RMC) Mini title.
TECHNOLOGY:
India has crossed 300 GW of installed non-fossil fuel power
capacity after adding over 55 GW in 2025-26, against a target of 500 GW by
2030. The Central Electricity Authority projects a need for about 74 GW of
energy storage by 2031-32, including about 27 GW of pumped storage and over 47
GW of battery storage.
DAS
KAPITAL:
DALAL STREET:
Indian stock markets—including the National Stock Exchange
(NSE) and Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE)—are closed today, Tuesday, October 20,
2026, on account of Dussehra (Vijayadashami).
The Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX) will stay closed for the
morning session today but will reopen for evening
trading starting at 5:00 PM IST.
Jio Platforms Mega IPO Alert: Despite the market holiday,
major primary market activity is buzzing. The much-anticipated Jio Platforms
IPO successfully locked in a record ₹2.5 lakh crore in bids for its anchor
book, ahead of opening to the public tomorrow, October 21.
Current Market Status & Summary:
Indices reflect yesterday's closing numbers, which saw a
major correction:
• BSE Sensex: Closed at 73,852.90, tumbling by 876.37 points
(1.17%).
• NSE Nifty 50: Settled at 22,888.95, dropping 257.20 points
(1.11%) and slipping below its key psychological support level of 22,900.
BULLIANS:
• 24-Karat Gold (999 Purity): ₹1,48,910/- per 10 grams.
• 22-Karat Gold (916 Purity): ₹1,36,400/- per 10 grams.
• 999 Fine Silver: ₹2,13,685/- per kilogram.
CURRENCY:
The Indian Rupee (INR) is trading near a six-week high at
approximately ₹94.84 to ₹95.17 against the US Dollar (USD), buoyed by targeted
currency interventions from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and stricter forex
hedging curbs. This upward momentum has helped the rupee weather macroeconomic
pressure from a sharp rise in Brent crude oil prices and ongoing foreign
capital outflows.
GBP:₹126.79/- | EUR:₹106.94/-
|USD:₹95.17/- | CNY:₹14.23/-
THE END.
Comments
Post a Comment