Why in News?

• Four-member crew emerged after 378 days of isolation during NASA’s second simulated Mars mission at Johnson Space Center, Houston, USA.

• In this mission, scientists developed Mars like environment on the Earth during the experiment.

Key Highlights

Mission: Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA).

Habitat: 1,700-square-foot (158 sq. m) 3D-printed facility.

Mission Period: 19 October 2025 onwards, for 378 days.

Activities included:

• Growing crops in simulated Martian soil.

• Maintaining the habitat and performing simulated Mars operations.

• Communication with NASA officials with simulated interplanetary delays.

Objectives

• Study astronauts' physical and psychological adaptation to long-duration space missions.

• Understand the challenges of limited resources and isolation.

• Assess communication delays, independent decision-making and habitat maintenance.

• Help prepare for future human missions to the Moon and Mars.

Why in News?

• Soreng district, Sikkim has become India’s first notified Organic Fisheries Cluster under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY).

Key Highlights

• Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh launched the SOP for Organic Certification of Fisheries in the Northeastern Region.

• Fisheries projects worth ₹375 lakh inaugurated under PMMSY.

• 34 fisheries production and processing clusters notified across India under PMMSY.

• Announced in 2019, this scheme was implemented in September, 2020.

Important Development

• Sikkim signed an MoU with ITBP for institutional procurement of locally produced Rainbow Trout.

• Aims to provide stable market access to trout farmers.

Significance

• Promotes chemical-free and sustainable fish farming.

• Strengthens fisheries value chains and farmers’ income.

• Creates opportunities for premium domestic and export markets.

Why in News?

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has issued the Telecom Consumers Complaint Redressal (Fourth Amendment) Regulations, 2026, to make complaint resolution faster, more accessible, and more transparent.

Key Provisions of the Amendment

• Digital Complaint Facility: Consumers can now register complaints, file appeals, and raise service requests through telecom service providers' mobile applications, in addition to existing channels such as websites and complaint centers.

• 24×7 Consumer Support: Complaint centers must operate round the clock throughout the week. However, human assistance must be available for at least 16 hours daily. AI agents and automated systems may also be used with appropriate human oversight.

• Accessibility for Persons with Disabilities: Service providers must establish dedicated helplines or desks for persons with disabilities (PwDs) and ensure accessibility features on their digital platforms.

• Faster Appeal Process: The time limit for filing an appeal after complaint disposal has been reduced from 30 days to 15 days. The Appellate Authority must communicate its final decision within 15 days of receiving the appeal.

• Stronger Accountability: Appellate Authorities must comprise regular management employees with at least five years of experience. The earlier advisory committee-based appeal process has been discontinued.

• Consumer Feedback: Service providers must conduct five-point satisfaction surveys after resolving complaints and appeals and publish the results quarterly.

• Regulatory Oversight: Service providers must establish Consumer Grievance Redressal Oversight Committees. TRAI can review their performance through audits, inspections, and consumer feedback.

• Financial Disincentives: Financial penalties may be imposed for violations of the regulations and delayed or non-submission of quarterly performance reports.

Applicability

The amended regulations apply to Internet Service Providers (ISPs) having more than 10,000 subscribers at the end of the preceding financial year.

Why in News?

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced that India aims to add 500 GW of new non-fossil fuel-based power capacity over the next 10–11 years.

• He made the announcement while addressing the inaugural session of the Bharat Renewable Energy Summit and Expo 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.

India’s Progress in Clean Energy

Highlighting India's progress in renewable energy, the prime minister said that the country had already achieved an important milestone under its Paris Agreement commitments.

• Target achieved early: India had pledged to ensure that 50% of its installed electricity capacity came from non-fossil fuel sources. It achieved this target in 2025, five years ahead of the 2030 deadline.

• Further expansion: India is now aiming to add another 500 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity over the next 10–11 years.

• Growing capacity: According to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, India's total installed power generation capacity stood at approximately 558.89 GW.

The prime minister expressed confidence in India's ability to achieve the ambitious target, emphasizing the country's growing capabilities in the clean-energy sector.

Why Is the 500 GW Target Important?

India's growing energy demand makes the expansion of clean power sources increasingly important. Additional non-fossil fuel capacity can help the country:

• Reduce dependence on coal and other fossil fuels.

• Lower carbon emissions and support climate commitments.

• Strengthen energy security by reducing dependence on imported fuels.

• Encourage investment in solar, wind, hydro, and other clean-energy technologies.

• Create new opportunities in manufacturing, infrastructure, and green jobs.

Why in News?

INS Sudarshini returned to Kochi on 2 November 2026, completing its 10-month transoceanic sailing expedition, Lokayan 26.

Major Engagements

• Participated in Escale à Sète festival (France), SAIL 250 and International Naval Review (USA).

• Conducted naval interactions and training exchanges with Morocco, Portugal, Italy, Egypt and Spain.

Significance

• Strengthened international maritime cooperation and India's maritime outreach.

• Provided practical sail-training experience to young naval officers.

• Promoted India's MAHASAGAR vision – Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions.

• Reflected the ethos of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam – The World Is One Family.

Why in News?

• The 1st International Maize Conference 2026 is being held in Hyderabad from 2 to 4 November 2026, bringing together scientists, policymakers, agricultural institutions, and industry representatives to discuss ways to improve maize production, research, and value-chain development in India.

• The conference was organized around the theme “Maize Revolution for Food, Feed, Fodder, Fuel, and Sustainability in the Changing World” (M4FS).

India Targets 75 Million Tonnes of Maize Production

• India's maize production has reached approximately 55 million tonnes, supported by improvements in crop productivity over the past decade.

Key Focus Areas of the Conference

The discussions focused on making maize farming more productive, profitable, and sustainable.

• Improved seeds and hybrids: Developing high-yielding varieties with better nutritional quality and resistance to pests, diseases, and climate-related stresses.

• Affordable seed access: Strengthening public-sector hybrid production and ensuring quality seeds reach farmers.

• Advanced research: Promoting modern breeding techniques and conserving valuable maize genetic resources.

• Mechanization: Encouraging efficient farming technologies to improve productivity and reduce cultivation costs.

• Value-chain development: Expanding maize-based industries, including its use as a feedstock for ethanol production.

• Food safety: Improving aflatoxin management to ensure better quality maize for food and animal feed.

Significance for India

• The conference highlighted the need to expand the traditional 4F approach—Food, Feed, Fodder, and Fuel—to a 5F approach by placing farmers at the center. 

Why in News?

The Ministry of Defence has signed contracts worth ₹53,866.50 crore with two defense public sector shipyards—Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) and Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL)—for the construction of eight next-generation corvettes for the Indian Navy.

• The project aims to strengthen India's maritime security while giving a major boost to indigenous warship design and manufacturing.

Who Will Build These Warships?

The eight corvettes will be built by two Indian shipyards:

• GRSE: Five corvettes.

• Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL): Three corvettes.

This is the first project in which the ships will be indigenously designed by the Indian Navy and constructed by defense PSUs selected through a competitive process.

What Makes These Corvettes Special?

The next-generation vessels will feature advanced missile weapons and sensor systems. They will be designed to perform a wide range of naval operations across air, surface, and underwater domains.

Their key roles will include:

• Anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare.

• Maritime surveillance and reconnaissance.

• Search-and-attack missions.

• Coastal and littoral defense.

• Protection of important maritime trade routes.

• Strengthening India's maritime presence and deterrence capabilities.

Why in News?

• A 47-year-old Indian national was killed and another Indian-origin passenger was injured after two helicopters collided while landing at Pheriche in Nepal’s Solukhumbu district on 3 November 2026.

• According to Nepal Police, the collision occurred and involved helicopters operated by Fishtail Air and Air Dynasty.

Where Did the Accident Occur?

• The accident took place in Pheriche, located in Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality of the Solukhumbu district in northeastern Nepal.

• Pheriche lies along the popular trekking route to Mount Everest Base Camp, approximately 150 km northeast of Kathmandu. The area is an important stop for trekkers and mountaineers visiting the Everest region.

• About Solukhumbu District

• Solukhumbu is the mountainous and spiritual heart of the Himalayas in eastern Nepal, holding immense global significance.

• It is home to the world’s most iconic natural landmarks, including Mount Everest (Sagarmatha), Lhotse, and the Sagarmatha National Park (a UNESCO World Heritage Site).

• Solukhumbu is characterized by dramatic high-altitude landscapes, ancient Sherpa villages, sacred monasteries, and rugged mountain trails, offering a deep immersion into Sherpa culture and the pinnacle of global adventure tourism.

Why in the news?

Recently, the Supreme Court has agreed to hear a petition by AITUC challenging the definition of 'industry' under the Industrial Relations Code, 2020.

AITUC argues that the new definition, by excluding certain institutions, dilutes worker protection and changes the scope of industrial disputes.

About the Industrial Relations Code, 2020:

It merges 3 laws: the Trade Unions Act, 1926; the Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act, 1946; and the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947.

Definition: Industry = any systematic activity with cooperation between employer and workers for production, supply, or distribution of goods and services.

It excludes:

• Institutions run by organizations substantially engaged in charitable, social, or philanthropic work.

• Govt activities relating to sovereign functions.

• Domestic services.

• Any other activity notified by the Central Govt at its discretion.

Grounds of Challenge:

• Violates Article 14: Exclusion is based on who runs the establishment, not what work is done. So, a nurse in a private hospital vs. a charitable hospital doing the same work gets different rights to go to the Industrial Tribunal for unequal treatment.

• Excessive Delegation: The Centre can exclude any other activity by notification without clear criteria in the law, giving arbitrary, unchecked discretion.

• Deviation from Bangalore Water Supply (1978): In Bangalore Water Supply vs. A. Rajappa, SC gave a triple test: systematic activity + employer-employee cooperation + production of goods/services, and held that the nature of the activity matters, not the motive or who owns it. The new code breaks that.

• Jai Bir Singh Case (Aug 2026): SC said the triple test will still apply to pending cases under the ID Act, 1947, but the definition under Sec 2(p) of the IR Code, 2020, will be interpreted independently, so this challenge becomes crucial.

• Impact: Workers in excluded sectors don't lose all rights but lose specific protections of the IR Code, retrenchment, layoff, closure safeguards, and access to conciliation/adjudication machinery.

Why in News?

The Indian Navy has successfully rescued all 20 crew members aboard the hijacked fishing vessel Azini off the coast of Somalia.

How Was the Operation Conducted?

The fishing vessel was hijacked by armed pirates off Somalia’s north-eastern coast. There were concerns that the pirates could use it as a “mother ship” to launch further attacks on merchant vessels, threatening vital international shipping routes.

The Indian Navy responded with a coordinated operation involving multiple platforms and specialized forces.

• Surveillance and tracking: A mission-deployed Indian Navy warship, supported by a maritime reconnaissance aircraft, located and tracked the hijacked vessel.

• Containment: The Navy used calibrated non-kinetic measures to restrict the vessel’s movement and prevent its escape.

• Special forces deployment: Marine Commandos were reinforced through a precision airdrop by an Indian Air Force C-17 aircraft.

• Successful rescue: Indian Navy personnel secured the vessel, neutralized the pirate threat, and safely rescued all 20 crew members.

Why Is the Operation Significant?

The mission highlights the Indian Navy’s operational readiness and its ability to conduct complex maritime security operations. It also demonstrates effective coordination between the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force.

Somalia’s surrounding waters are strategically important for international shipping. Piracy in the region can endanger seafarers, disrupt trade, and increase maritime security risks.

Why in News?

• External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said India is discussing a three-point plan with Russia, Ukraine and Europe to address key humanitarian and economic concerns arising from the conflict.

Key Highlights

• India’s proposed three-point plan focuses on:

1. Protection of Civilian Shipping: Prevent attacks on civilian ships and seafarers.

2. Restoration of Grain Exports: Restore the flow of Russian and Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea, which has declined sharply.

3. Non-Attack on Energy Infrastructure: Prevent attacks on energy infrastructure, including refineries, electricity grids and fuel-carrying ships.

India’s Diplomatic Efforts

• India is engaging with Russia, Ukraine and European countries.

• PM Narendra Modi and EAM S. Jaishankar have held discussions with Russian leadership.

• Jaishankar has maintained contact with Ukraine.

• India is coordinating the initiative with the United States, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Significance

• Restoration of grain exports is important for Global South countries, which are major purchasers of the grain.

• Protecting shipping and energy infrastructure can reduce global economic disruptions.

• India reiterated that there are no military solutions to major conflicts and called for a diplomatic pathway.

Why in News?

• Union Home Minister Amit Shah presented the prestigious President’s Colour to Chandigarh Police on its 60th Raising Day (Diamond Jubilee).

• The ceremony was held at Police Lines, Chandigarh.

About President’s Colour

• One of the highest honours awarded to a uniformed service in recognition of its exceptional service and achievements.

• Chandigarh Police received the honour for its contribution to:

1. Maintaining law and order.

2. Combating terrorism.

3. Ensuring regional security.

Chandigarh: Administrative Significance

• Became a Union Territory on 1 November 1966.

• Serves as the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana.

• Houses the constitutional institutions and administrative offices of both states.

• Chandigarh Police coordinates with Punjab and Haryana Police for security management in the tri-city region.

Why in News?

• Following the recent Cyclone Arnab, Cyclone Murasu has now emerged.

• This cyclone originated from a low-pressure area in the Andaman Sea, the Bay of Bengal. States such as Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Tamil Nadu could be affected by it.

Key Facts

• India had contributed the name ‘Murasu’ to the list of names designated for cyclones.

• When a weather system forming in the Bay of Bengal reached the intensity threshold defined for a cyclone, it was named ‘Murasu’ in accordance with this list.

• A cyclone is named not based on its projected path or the state it might affect, but according to a pre-determined list of names.

What does the word 'Murasu' mean?

• 'Murasu' is a Tamil word that refers to a traditional drum.

• In ancient Tamil society, this drum was used to convey important information to the people.

• It was used to make public announcements, issue warnings, and share news about significant events.

• It was also used to alert people, especially during times of crisis or danger.

• Therefore, the name 'Murasu' is associated not only with music but also with the tradition of conveying messages and warnings to the people.

Why in News?

• Vice-President C. P. Radhakrishnan inaugurated the National Organ Transplant Games 2026 at Talkatora Stadium, New Delhi.

• Called organ donation a ‘Mahadaan’ (great donation).

Key Highlights

• Organised with the involvement of:

1. Renal Care Foundation.

2. Sir Ganga Ram Hospital.

3. National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

• Vice-President released the ‘Zindagi Dobara’ Calendar.

• Felicitated medal winners of the World Transplant Games 2025, held in Dresden, Germany.

Important Facts About Organ Donation

• One deceased organ donor can save up to eight lives.

• Organ donation gives patients awaiting transplantation a second chance at life.

• The Vice-President called for greater awareness, dispelling myths and encouraging people to discuss their organ donation wishes with their families.

• Organ donation was linked to India's civilisational values of compassion and selfless service, with the example of Maharshi Dadhichi.