Current Affairs 28 October 2026: Daily GK Update with 15 MCQs

Yesterday was a heavy news day for anyone writing SSC, Railway, Banking, BPSC, BSSC or JSSC. The Prime Minister opened a three-day science conclave at Bharat Mandapam, the Defence Acquisition Council cleared proposals worth ₹2.12 lakh crore, and the Jharkhand Cabinet signed off on a ₹607.03 crore lift irrigation project.

Below are 20 facts from the last 24 hours, each with the exams it actually matters for. Then 15 objective questions built only from these facts, pitched slightly harder than the real paper. Read the facts once, attempt the questions without scrolling back, and see how many you hold.

National

• ESTIC 2026 opens at Bharat Mandapam: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Emerging Science, Technology and Innovation Conclave 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi on 27 October. The three-day event runs to 29 October, covers 12 thematic areas including artificial intelligence, biotechnology and ocean sciences, and hosts about 150 deep-tech startup stalls. Exam tag: All exams
• E100 ethanol cleared for flex-fuel vehicles: The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways amended the Central Motor Vehicles Rules to permit E100 (100 percent ethanol) in vehicles built and tested for it, alongside the existing E10, E20 and E85 grades. India had already met its 20 percent ethanol blending target in ethanol supply year 2025-26. Exam tag: SSC / Railway / All exams
• Vigilance Awareness Week 2026 under way: The Central Vigilance Commission is observing it from 26 October to 1 November 2026 on the theme "Probity for Prosperity" (सत्यनिष्ठा से समृद्धि). The CVC was set up in 1964 on the K. Santhanam Committee's recommendation and became statutory under the CVC Act, 2003. Exam tag: SSC / Banking / BPSC / BSSC
• "Timeless India" book launched at Dharohar Bhawan: The Archaeological Survey of India, with the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), launched Timeless India: Protection & Revival of Indian Cultural Identity at Dharohar Bhawan, New Delhi on 28 October. The author is former Rajya Sabha MP Tarun Vijay; Culture and Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat was chief guest. Exam tag: All exams (Books & Authors)

International

• 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum in New Delhi: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla inaugurated the forum at Samvidhan Sadan, Parliament House Complex, on the theme "Strengthening Parliaments for People-Centric Development". Delegations from BRICS member and partner countries attended the two-day session on 26 and 27 October, and a New Delhi joint declaration was adopted (verify). Exam tag: BPSC / SSC / All exams
• Lula wins Brazil's presidential election: Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won the 2026 Brazilian presidential election, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted his congratulations. Brazil is a founding BRICS member along with Russia, India and China, which makes this a likely one-liner in bank and railway papers. Exam tag: Banking / Railway / All exams

Economy & Banking

• Repo rate stands at 5.50 percent: At its October meeting the RBI's Monetary Policy Committee raised the repo rate by 25 basis points to 5.50 percent, with the SDF at 5.25 percent and the MSF and Bank Rate at 5.75 percent. CRR stays 4.50 percent and SLR 18 percent, and the stance moved from neutral to calibrated tightening. RBI Governor: Sanjay Malhotra. Exam tag: Banking / SSC / BSSC
• Anup Bagchi takes over at HDFC Bank: Anup Bagchi assumed charge as Managing Director and CEO of HDFC Bank with effect from 27 October 2026. HDFC Bank is India's largest private-sector lender by assets, so expect this in both prelims one-liners and banking-awareness sections. Exam tag: Banking / SSC
• PM-KISAN extended to 2030-31: The Union Cabinet approved continuing PM-KISAN from 2026-27 to 2030-31 with an outlay of ₹3.15 lakh crore. The scheme pays ₹6,000 a year to eligible land-holding farmer families in three equal instalments. Exam tag: All exams

Appointments at a glance

Index and rankings

Sports

• India thrash Bangladesh 13-0 in hockey: India began its Asian Champions Trophy 2026 title defence with a 13-0 win over Bangladesh on 27 October at the Olympian Surjit Singh Hockey Stadium, Jalandhar. Six teams are in the fray, Harmanpreet Singh captains India and Craig Fulton coaches. Semi-finals shift to Mohali on 4 November, with the final on 5 November. India are the defending champions, having beaten hosts China 1-0 in the 2024 final at Hulunbuir, and a sixth title would be an India record. Exam tag: All exams

Awards

• Harry Kane wins the 2026 Ballon d'Or: England and Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane won the men's Ballon d'Or 2026 at the ceremony in London, finishing ahead of Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal. Alexia Putellas of Spain took the women's award, her third after 2021 and 2022. Exam tag: All exams
• Jharkhand honours archer Ankita Bhakat: Chief Minister Hemant Soren felicitated Jharkhand archer Ankita Bhakat for her gold medal at the 2026 Asian Games. Jharkhand's archery pipeline out of Ranchi and Jamshedpur is a standing JSSC and JPSC favourite. Exam tag: JSSC / JPSC / All exams

Science & Defence

• DAC clears ₹2.12 lakh crore in procurement: The Defence Acquisition Council, chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, approved capital acquisition proposals worth about ₹2.12 lakh crore, with roughly 82 percent to be sourced from Indian industry. That domestic share is the figure examiners pick out. Exam tag: SSC / Railway / All exams
• Four launch pads by 2029: ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan said India will have four functional launch pads by 2029. A dedicated 2,000-acre Small Satellite Launch Vehicle complex is coming up at Kulasekarapattinam in Tuticorin district, Tamil Nadu, with integration buildings, launch pads and telemetry systems. Exam tag: All exams
• Chandrayaan-5 to fly with Japan: Chandrayaan-5 is planned as a joint lunar mission with Japan's space agency and will carry a 350 kg rover designed for about 100 days of surface experiments. ISRO also expects the first uncrewed Gaganyaan test flight within roughly two months, after about 8,000 ground experiments. Exam tag: SSC / Railway / Banking

Bihar-Jharkhand Special

• Bihar launches a month-long anti-drug drive: Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary launched the month-long "Nasha Mukt Yuva: Gen-Z Against Addiction" campaign, warning that young people are the group most at risk. Expect this in Bihar GK and current-affairs sections. Exam tag: BPSC / BSSC / Bihar Police
• BPSC 72nd CCE prelims postponed again: The Bihar Public Service Commission deferred the 72nd Combined Competitive Exam prelims that was set for 25 October 2026, and a fresh date is awaited. The notification issued on 5 May 2026 listed about 1,186 posts, with applications open from 7 to 31 May. Vacancy totals quoted by coaching portals vary, so treat the exact figure as (verify) until the commission's own notice is checked. Exam tag: BPSC
• Jharkhand clears ₹607.03 crore lift irrigation scheme: The Jharkhand Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Hemant Soren on 27 October, approved the Neemdih-Kukru mega lift irrigation scheme at ₹607.03 crore in Seraikela-Kharsawan district. Water will be lifted from the Chandil reservoir through underground pipelines to the Neemdih and Kukru blocks. The same Cabinet cleared a revised estimate of ₹545.38 crore for a 500-bed hospital at MGM Medical College, Jamshedpur and ₹284.17 crore for Jharkhand Medico City infrastructure, with further decisions on drinking water, rural development, power and mineral exploration. Exam tag: JSSC / JPSC / JTET

Important Days

• International Animation Day, 28 October: Observed by ASIFA (the International Animated Film Association) since 2002, the day marks Charles-Émile Reynaud's first public screening of painted animated strips on his Théâtre Optique in Paris on 28 October 1892. The previous day, 27 October, is UNESCO's World Day for Audiovisual Heritage. Exam tag: All exams
• Rashtriya Ekta Diwas, 31 October: National Unity Day marks the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, born in 1875. The Statue of Unity at Kevadiya, Gujarat, stands 182 metres tall. World Stroke Day falls on 29 October. Exam tag: All exams

Where today's 15 questions live now

The 15 objective questions built from these facts have moved to their own daily quiz on the platform, so you can attempt them timed instead of reading the answers off the page. Marking there is +1 for a correct answer and -0.25 for a wrong one, same as SSC CHSL and most banking prelims.

Attempt the quiz before you re-read this page. Recall under a clock is what moves a fact from "I saw that" to "I know that".

One honest caveat before you memorise. Two items here are not fully nailed down. The New Delhi joint declaration text from the BRICS Parliamentary Forum and India's exact Henley Passport Index 2026 rank both appeared differently across sources, which is why they carry a verify tag. The BPSC 72nd vacancy figure also moves between 1,186 and 1,230 depending on which portal you read.

Treat the tagged lines as revision prompts rather than settled answers, and check the commission or ministry notice before you quote a number in an interview. Everything else on this page is traceable to PIB, RBI, FIH or a state cabinet briefing.

Your next step is the quiz, not another scroll. Aaj ka full CA quiz: ExamAtlas.com