NEWS & VIEWS|||SARASIJ|||29-10-2026

 

NEWS & VIEWS|||SARASIJ|||29-10-2026

THURSDAY| VOL—IV/2026/OCTOBER

OPINIONATED, FOR FREE CIRCULATION.

आलस्यं हि मनुष्याणां शरीरस्थो महान् रिपुः।

--Subhashita

 Laziness is the greatest enemy of a person, dwelling within a person’s own body.

INDIA: (GOI, SWARAJYA, VISHWAMITRA, HINDU POST, INDIA TODAY).

Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah called on President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan and is understood to have briefed her on administrative and internal security issues.

The President’s two-day visit to her home district Mayurbhanj in Odisha, postponed because of Cyclone Arnab, has been rescheduled to 4–5 November.

PM Shri Narendra Modi chaired the 54th PRAGATI meeting at Seva Teerth and reviewed Railway, PM Ekta Mall, and Bulk Drug Park projects worth over ₹16,000 crore across 31 States and UTs. He called for linking Ekta Malls with tourism and local businesses, domestic production of active pharmaceutical ingredients stressing “outcomes rather than outlays”.

PM Shri Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Bharat Renewable Energy Summit & Expo (BRESE) 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, on 2 November. The 2–5 November summit expects over 130 countries; India has 308 GW of installed non-fossil fuel capacity and is on course for its 500 GW target by 2030, the MNRE said.

The Union Cabinet approved a ₹10,000 crore Container Manufacturing Promotion Scheme up to FY 2039-40, with interest subvention support of ₹859 crore, output-linked assistance of ₹8,891 crore and ₹150 crore for testing. It aims to raise domestic capacity about tenfold to 7.5 lakh TEUs, creating some 3,000 direct and over 50,000 indirect jobs.

The Cabinet also cleared the Khelo India Sports Goods Manufacturing Scheme with an outlay of ₹1,856.67 crore from 2026 to 2033-34. It will set up Sports Goods Manufacturing Zones and give Anchor Investment Support and Turnover Linked Support, in line with the Khelo Bharat Niti 2025.

The Cabinet approved the Pradhan Mantri Viksit Gram Swaraj Yojana, a centrally sponsored scheme for 2026-27 to 2030-31 with an outlay of ₹7,395.55 crore (Centre ₹4,869.48 crore, States ₹2,526.07 crore). It will strengthen Panchayats and train about 32 lakh elected representatives, with Gram Panchayat Development Plans prepared on eGramSwaraj.

Central government employees and pensioners will get an additional 3% Dearness Allowance and Dearness Relief from 1 July 2026, over the existing 60%, after Cabinet approval. The hike will cost ₹10,016.10 crore a year and benefit 48.54 lakh employees and 68.71 lakh pensioners.

MSME Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi released ₹1,000 crore of margin money subsidy under the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) for 11,333 new micro enterprises. The support unlocks bank credit of ₹3,260 crore and is expected to create over 1.02 lakh jobs.

Textiles Ministry will reopen the PLI Scheme for Textiles portal for Round 4 applications from 1 November to 31 December 2026 for MMF apparel, MMF fabrics and technical textiles. The minimum turnover for Part 2 has been cut from ₹200 crore to ₹100 crore, and the tenure extended to 2033-34 for Round 4 applicants.

The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has revised the MRPs of 543 brands of anti-cancer medicines, with cuts of over 90% in some cases, effective 9 November. Anastrozole tablets (Anarzole, 10 tablets) will now cost ₹73 instead of ₹695.76, and the denosumab injection Debrumab ₹5,941 instead of ₹22,031.25. CANCER TREATMENT BECAME CHEAPER.

MoS Health Prataprao Jadhav launched the 60-day Tobacco-Free Youth Campaign 4.0 at ABVIMS–Dr RML Hospital, New Delhi, with special focus on tobacco-free college and university campuses. Over 5.8 lakh educational institutions and 73,000 villages were declared tobacco-free in the first three editions.

The Jal Shakti Ministry launched the ‘Punah Bharan’ mobile app, developed by BISAG-N with the National Water Mission, to plan scientific groundwater recharge. It identifies possible artificial recharge zones within 3 km of the user, and its web portal gives village-level recharge zonation maps.

Government e-Marketplace (GeM) has cut its transaction charge to 0.30%, raised the exemption threshold to ₹10 lakh and reduced OEM assessment fees by up to 92%, easing costs for sellers, especially small businesses.

In the Legislative Council polls for 28 seats in four States, Congress lost all four seats in Karnataka (BJP three, JD(S) one), the BJP won six of 11 seats in Uttar Pradesh but lost the Varanasi teachers’ seat to the SP, and the Jan Suraaj Party opened its account in Bihar. In Maharashtra, NCP (SP) won two seats and the BJP and Shiv Sena one each, while Congress’s Abhijit Wanjari claimed victory in Nagpur Graduates after BJP’s Sudhakar Kohale reportedly conceded.

The NHRC issued an advisory on the ‘Protection of Human Rights of Female Inmates and their Children’ to nine Union Ministries and all States and UTs, covering ten key areas including maternal and child healthcare and access to justice, and sought progress reports within two months.

The Railway Board has told all zones to strictly switch off mobile and laptop charging points in coaches between 11 pm and 5 am for fire safety, reiterating its 2014 order after a passenger’s power bank exploded on a train in South Eastern Railway.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will inaugurate the Shaheed Smarak in Ambala Cantonment, Haryana, on 5 November, Minister Anil Vij said. Built at a cost of about ₹800 crore, the memorial displays the history of the 1857 First War of Independence and will open to the public on 6 November.

CYCLONE ARNAB:

Cyclone ‘Arnab’ crossed the Andhra Pradesh–Yanam coast southwest of Yanam between 2 am and 8 am on Wednesday with winds of 125–135 kmph gusting to 150 kmph, then weakened over land. CM N. Chandrababu Naidu asked Union Home Minister Amit Shah for a central team to assess the damage; crops over 2.24 lakh hectares in 14 districts were damaged, affecting 3.45 lakh farmers, and 16 NDRF and 11 SDRF teams were deployed.

States’ Preparation to fight effect of cyclone  ‘ARNAB’ is complete.

In Odisha, IMD issued a red warning for Ganjam, Gajapati, Rayagada, Koraput, Malkangiri and Nabarangpur districts for isolated extremely heavy rain, as Arnab’s remnants moved north. A station in Gajapati recorded 249.9 mm of rain.

Strict directives remain in place completely banning fishermen from venturing into the sea along and off the West Bengal and Odisha coasts due to very rough sea conditions, poor visibility, and squally wind gusts reaching up to 70 kmph.

Nine people died in cyclone-related incidents, including two in Bhimavaram, West Godavari, hit by a tree and an electric pole, two women in Konaseema in house collapses, four in Visakhapatnam and Anakapalli from falling poles and electrocution, and an 11-year-old boy in a wall collapse in Guntur district. CM N. Chandrababu Naidu announced ₹5 lakh ex gratia for each victim’s family.

Evacuation Vigilance: Coastal monitoring teams in the Sundarbans and Digha are actively raising public awareness regarding potential storm surges and high tides.

BENGAL: The West Bengal cabinet approved a historic rule stipulating that future schoolteachers appointed through the School Service Commission (SSC) will be completely barred from participating in active politics or contesting panchayat, civic, Lok Sabha, or assembly elections.

WORLD: (REUTER, AP, AFP, BLOOMBERG, CNN, WP)

Vice-President C.P. Radhakrishnan met a delegation of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) led by David McAllister at Parliament House.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar held talks with Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger in New Delhi on trade, investment, startups, space, skilling, and mobility.

3.  The MEA said Jaishankar will attend the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Atlanta, US, on 30–31 October and a Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on the sidelines, then lead India’s delegation to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in St John’s, Antigua and Barbuda, from 1 to 4 November.

India and Mexico signed the Terms of Reference for a Preferential Trade Agreement, formally launching negotiations.

Ports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal met HD Hyundai Chairman Chung Ki-sun in Seoul on the proposed greenfield mega shipyard at Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu. A Joint Working Group will steer the project, with the joint venture structure and DPR expected within six months.

Israel’s election produced no clear majority: with about 85.6% of votes counted, PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc had 53 seats and Gadi Eisenkot’s opposition bloc 48, with Arab-led parties projected to win 19; 61 seats are needed in the 120-member Knesset. Likud alleged fraud at Arab polling stations. QUALITION?? POSSIBLE 3 ALTERNATIVES.

The World Bank said global commodity prices are projected to rise 23% in 2026, with energy prices up 32%, as the Middle East conflict disrupts oil and grain shipments. Brent crude is forecast to average $91 a barrel in 2026, up from $69 in 2025.

GULF WAR:

The Vance Letter: In a surprise diplomatic push, US Vice President JD Vance has transmitted a direct letter to Mohsen Rezaei, the hardline secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council and former IRGC commander. The overture is a delicate bid to see if statecraft can avert a catastrophic new cycle of hostilities, though Rezaei previously stated Tehran will not negotiate until its fundamental requirements are met.

Sanctions for Inspections Deal: Regional mediators led by Qatar—backed heavily by Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Egypt—are aggressively floating a new draft proposal. The deal urges Tehran to allow UN inspectors into its bombed nuclear sites in exchange for partial US sanctions relief. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that Tehran is "giving diplomacy a chance", though earlier iterations of the Qatari proposal were deemed unacceptable by hardliners.

Regional Warnings: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, speaking during talks with Vladimir Putin in Moscow, reiterated that the Middle East must resolve its own problems without US involvement.

During a campaign rally in Texas, Trump claimed the war would end "whenever I want it to", adding that the US may launch "another little Epic Fury" to ensure a total statement that Iran will never possess a nuclear weapon.

Iran's Cable Threat: In response to the post-election strike warnings, Iranian security officials told Reuters that Tehran has drawn up highly detailed counter-plans to physically attack and sever critical Gulf undersea internet and data cables if hostilities resume.

With a third US aircraft carrier strike group arriving in the region, Iran has warned that any further "military misadventure" instigated by Israel or the US in the Persian Gulf will have an immediate, devastating impact on global gas and oil consumer markets.

LUCAS Drone Shot Down: Highlighting the fragility of the current ceasefire, Iranian air defense forces confirmed they successfully shot down an advanced American Low-Cost Unmanned Combat Attack System (LUCAS) kamikaze drone over the southern strategic port city of Bandar Abbas.

The MEA said 22 Indians, including 14 seafarers, have been killed in the ongoing West Asia conflict, three of them in Saudi Arabia. India voiced serious concern over Houthi attacks on Saudi infrastructure and the threat to shipping through the Bab-el-Mandeb strait.

CRIME & PUNISHMENT:

The Supreme Court questioned the Election Commission for asking people deleted from Delhi’s draft rolls in the SIR to apply afresh through Form 6, which is meant for first-time voters, and suggested Form 8 for those who shifted. EC to consider extending the 30 October deadline if needed.

Calling fake “digital arrest” cyber frauds “digital dacoity”, the Supreme Court refused to consolidate 35 criminal cases across 12 States against two persons, Gourab Kumar Saha and Nidhi Bhandari, accused of letting their firm’s bank account be used as a mule account. The CJI noted that an 81-year-old Ernakulam resident had lost ₹1.90 crore.

Kolkata Police arrested former West Bengal minister and singer Indranil Sen over alleged financial irregularities in Durga Puja ‘preview shows and the sale of passes by Mass Art Society, after hours of questioning by the ED and the police.

The Enforcement Directorate provisionally attached the land and 59 buildings of Mohammad Ali Jauhar University in Rampur, run by a trust controlled by jailed SP leader Azam Khan, in a money laundering case. The ED says ₹426.46 crore of the campus cost is proceeds of crime; the property’s market value is about ₹1,170 crore.

Lawyers allegedly vandalized the courtroom of Allahabad High Court judge Justice Ajay Bhanot amid protests over his conduct, a day after the High Court Bar Association wrote to Chief Justice Arun Bhansali alleging that the judge had humiliated an advocate and mocked a senior advocate. VERBAL COMMENTS CAN’T BE RESPONDED BY PHYSICAL VIOLENCE. PROPER LEGAL ACTIN SHALL BE TAKEN BY AUTHORITY.

The Supreme Court set aside the Indian Navy Selection Board’s April 2024 decision denying Permanent Commission to JAG Branch woman officer Seema Chaudhary and ordered it to reconsider her claim within six weeks. The Bench led by CJI Surya Kant said past non-recommendations cannot overshadow her favorable Annual Confidential Reports.

MISHAPS: -

At least 68 people were killed when a Renfe AVE high-speed train collided with an Iryo train near Urda in Spain’s Toledo province on the Madrid–Seville line. PM Pedro Sánchez ordered an investigation, promising a strong response if negligence is found, and declared three days of national mourning from 29 to 31 October.

More than 100 people were killed and 113 injured in a drone strike on a busy market in Nyala, capital of Sudan’s South Darfur, said the rights group Emergency Lawyers, which blamed the Sudanese army. Nyala is held by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

WILD LIFE:

A 19-month-old cheetah, KNG22, from Kuno National Park died on 27 October after being shot five times with a pellet gun outside the park in Morena — the first gunshot death since the cheetahs were brought to India in 2022. The Centre has sent a team of NTCA and Wildlife Crime Control Bureau officials, and Madhya Pradesh has formed a special task force. THE HUNTER SHALL BE HUNTED BY POLICE.

WEATHER:

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has placed all districts of West Bengal under a yellow weather alert for Thursday, 29 October.

GAMES & SPORTS

Kajal Dhochak (76 kg) and Neelam Sirohi (50 kg) won silver medals at the World Wrestling Championships in Astana — the first time two Indian women reached the finals at the same edition. Kajal, 18, lost 6-8 to Ukraine’s Anastasiya Alpyeyeva, while Neelam lost by fall to Japan’s four-time world champion Yui Susaki.

India women beat Zimbabwe by eight wickets in the third ODI at Vadodara to sweep the series 3-0, after also winning the T20Is 3-0. Left-arm spinner Vaishnavi Sharma took five wickets as Zimbabwe were bowled out for 131 in 39.5 overs, and Pratika Rawal and Shafali Verma hit unbeaten half-centuries.

At the WPL 2027 auction in Kochi, UP Warriorz signed Australia captain Sophie Molineux for ₹1.10 crore, the costliest buy. Kiran Navgire was the highest-paid Indian, joining Delhi Capitals for ₹75 lakh, while G. Kamalini went to Gujarat Giants for ₹40 lakh.

Abhishek Sharma replaced Ishan Kishan at No. 1 in the ICC men’s T20I batting rankings after his 113 off 38 balls against New Zealand. South Africa’s Marco Jansen replaced Ravindra Jadeja as the No. 1 Test all-rounder.

Three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka, 41, retired after a 7-5, 7-6 (7/2) first-round loss to Jiri Lehecka at the Basel Open. The Swiss won the 2014 Australian Open, 2015 French Open and 2016 US Open, and Olympic doubles gold with Roger Federer in 2008.

MEDICINE, SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY:

ISRO will launch the navigation satellite NVS-03 on GSLV-F18 from the Second Launch Pad at Sriharikota at 11:51 PM on 30 October. The 2,250 kg satellite, with an indigenous atomic clock, will help NavIC regain the minimum number of satellites needed for standalone regional navigation services.

DAS KAPITAL:

India’s industrial output (IIP) grew 6.7% in September 2026, easing from a revised 7.8% in August. Manufacturing rose 7.6% and electricity 11.2%, while mining contracted 6.2%.

The US Federal Reserve kept its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 3.75–4% in a 10-2 vote, with two members favoring a 25-basis-point hike, citing persistently elevated inflation.

DALAL STREET:

Jio Platforms made a spectacular listing on the exchanges. The stock debuted at a 21% premium (listing at ₹1,358 against an IPO price of ₹1,119), instantly commanding a market capitalization of ₹13 lakh crore and cementing itself as India's second most valuable company. WE HAVE TO WAIT TO SEE ITS LONG-TERM VALUE.

BSE Sensex:  73,246.03      -352.64          ▼ 0.48%

Nifty 50:        22,698.85      -50.90            ▼ 0.22%

Bank Nifty:   54,267.40      +292.50         ▲ 0.54%

BULLIONS:

Gold 24 Karat (999 Purity):          10 Grams      ₹1,42,707/- to ₹1,45,290/-

Silver 999 Fine:        1 Kilogram   ₹1,93,442/-to ₹2,04,770/-

CURRENCIES:

USD:₹95.21/-|EUR: ₹106.08/-|GBP:₹126.84/-|CNY:₹13.19

 

THE END.