Daily Current Affairs - 08-10-2026

National News

Supreme Court to Examine Split Verdict in Election Commissioners Appointment Case

On October 7, 2026, the Supreme Court of India agreed to examine a review petition concerning the split verdict in the case challenging the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023. The 2023 Act replaced the Chief Justice of India in the selection committee for the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners with a Union Cabinet Minister nominated by the Prime Minister. On September 23, 2026, a bench comprising Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Satish Chandra Sharma delivered differing judgments on the Union Government’s request to refer the matter to a larger bench. Justice Dipankar Datta held that there was no need for a larger bench, while Justice Satish Chandra Sharma favoured reference to a larger bench and a Constitution Bench. A review petition was subsequently filed by Congress leader Jaya Thakur, raising the issue of Justice Satish Chandra Sharma’s son appearing as an advocate for the Election Commission before the Madhya Pradesh High Court. The petition sought recall of the September 23, 2026 split verdict. The matter was brought before a bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V. Srishananda, and the Supreme Court stated that the petition would be examined.

Narendra Modi Completes 25 Years in Government Leadership

Prime Minister Narendra Modi completed 25 years in government leadership on October 7, 2026. He first assumed office as the Chief Minister of Gujarat on October 7, 2001, and served as Gujarat Chief Minister for 13 years. He subsequently assumed office as the Prime Minister of India on May 26, 2014. To mark the completion of 25 years in public office, the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Sabha was held in New Delhi, which was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The event also highlighted the goal of achieving Viksit Bharat and Atmanirbhar Bharat by 2047.

Tamil Nadu News

Paperless Registration of Four Documents from November 2

The Tamil Nadu Government has issued a Government Order (G.O.) permitting mandatory paperless registration from November 2, 2026 for four types of documents: settlement deed, release deed, partition deed (including partition and settlement deeds), and cancellation of settlement deed. The order was issued by Kumaragurubaran, Principal Secretary, Commercial Taxes and Registration Department. Under the system, documents and required Aadhaar documents must be created and uploaded online, registration fees must be paid online, and the Registration Department will examine the documents electronically. The concerned persons must appear before the Sub-Registrar for Aadhaar authentication and completion of registration formalities. After registration, the document number and copy will be sent electronically to the concerned persons, while the registered document number will be preserved digitally. The paperless registration system is being implemented under Phase 2 of the STAR 3.0 project, with software readiness, eligibility conditions, technical changes and staff training required before implementation.

Rooftop Solar Scheme Target for One Lakh Households by March

In Tamil Nadu, a target has been fixed to install rooftop solar power systems in at least one lakh households by March 2027. The Energy and Law Minister C.V.T.R. Nirmalkumar participated in a consultation meeting with representatives of Tamil Nadu solar manufacturers and rooftop solar implementation companies at Kalaivanar Arangam, Chennai, on October 7, 2026. More than 1,500 rooftop solar companies operate across Tamil Nadu, and around 20,000 applications were received during the previous three weeks. After receipt of the Central Government subsidy, additional subsidy under the Tamil Nadu Government's scheme was provided to 1,500 beneficiaries in the first phase. An online portal has been introduced to monitor the process from application submission to smart meter installation and electricity connection. To support increasing solar power generation, the Tamil Nadu Government is formulating the Tamil Nadu Battery Energy Storage Policy-2026, covering Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), and the policy is scheduled for release after final approvals. Online procedures for renewable energy projects are also being expanded to monitor project approvals and operations.

1.7 Crore Smart Meters to be Installed in Tamil Nadu

The Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation Limited (TNPDCL) has invited fresh tenders for installing around 1.7 crore smart meters for households, commercial establishments and other low-voltage consumers across Tamil Nadu under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) of the Union Government. Private firms will be selected for the installation, operation and maintenance of the smart meters. Around 56.85 lakh smart meters will be installed in the Chennai Electricity Distribution Circle. The smart meters will provide a prepayment facility, enabling consumers to pay electricity charges in advance. Smart meters will also be installed on electricity distribution transformers to monitor power losses. Except for agricultural areas, tenders have been invited for installing smart meters for electricity distribution transformers and consumers across Tamil Nadu. Applications can be submitted until November 26, 2026, and the estimated pre-bid amount has been fixed at around ₹13 crore.

Conditions Relaxed for Thaimaman Gold Coin Scheme

The Tamil Nadu Government has relaxed the eligibility conditions of the Thaimaman Gold Coin Scheme, launched at Madurai Rajaji Government Hospital on September 28, 2026. Under the revised guidelines, a child born in a government hospital in Tamil Nadu is eligible for the scheme even if the mother, who was born in Tamil Nadu, has married and settled in another state, provided that both maternal grandparents are permanent residents of Tamil Nadu and the required documentary proof is submitted. Under the scheme, a 1-gram gold coin is provided to eligible children. The revised provision applies to children born in government hospitals from June 22, 2025. On October 7, 2026, a 1-gram gold coin was provided to the child of Uma Maheswari, who delivered at Karaikudi Government Head Hospital.

Sports News

Asian Para Games: Pramod Bhagat and Bhavina Patel to Carry Indian Flag:

The Asian Para Games will be held from October 18 to 24 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. Pramod Bhagat, an Indian para-badminton player, and Bhavina Patel, an Indian para-table tennis player, will carry the Indian national flag during the opening ceremony parade. Pramod Bhagat won six medals between 2014 and 2023, while Bhavina Patel won a silver medal at the 2020 Paralympic Games.

International News

India’s Three-Point Peace Plan for Russia-Ukraine War

India has prepared and shared a three-point peace plan aimed at ending the Russia-Ukraine war. The plan was conveyed by Union External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar during his discussions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his visit to Kyiv, Ukraine. Andrii Sybiha, Foreign Minister of Ukraine, confirmed that the peace plan had been received from India. The peace efforts involving Turkey, Egypt, the United States and India are among the international initiatives aimed at ending the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

Economy News

RBI Raises Repo Rate to 5.5%

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), under Governor Sanjay Malhotra, unanimously increased the repo rate by 0.25 percentage points, from 5.25% to 5.5%, at the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting held in Mumbai. This was the first repo rate hike since 2023, after a gap of about three and a half years. The RBI projected India’s inflation for the current financial year at 4.4%. The increase in the repo rate is expected to raise interest rates on home, vehicle and personal loans offered by banks.

57th GST Council Meeting Focuses on Tax Reforms

The 57th GST Council meeting was held in New Delhi on October 8, 2026, with the focus on GST process and structural reforms rather than tax-rate changes. The Goods and Services Tax (GST) system completed nine years on July 1, 2026, and the GST Council had held 56 meetings before this meeting. The reform proposals covered process reforms, structural reforms, ease of living and doing business, services exports and e-commerce. Key proposals included simplifying input tax credit (ITC), faster refunds, allowing ordinary business expenses within the ITC framework, enabling businesses to register in one State and sell across India, and harmonising GST audits across multiple registrations. The proposals also included reforms concerning Section 17(5) of the GST Act, which governs restrictions on input tax credit.

Science and Technology News

India’s Leprosy Control Targets Fall Short in 2025–26

Under the National Leprosy Eradication Programme (NLEP), India recorded 91,783 new leprosy cases in 2025–26, against a projected 65,000 cases. New child cases stood at 3,832, while Grade 2 Disability (G2D) among new cases was 1.34 per million. The national leprosy prevalence rate was 0.56 cases per 10,000 population at the end of March 2026, below the elimination target of less than one case per 10,000 population. Among States/UTs, Chhattisgarh recorded the highest prevalence rate at 1.66 per 10,000, followed by Jharkhand (1.51), Chandigarh (1.49), Odisha (1.25) and Maharashtra (1.14). In 2025–26, 114 districts had a prevalence rate above one case per 10,000 population, while 148 districts had provisionally achieved interruption of transmission against the target of 300 districts. A total of 1,945 G2D cases were reported, with Chandigarh recording the highest G2D rate at 13.54 per million, followed by Delhi (11.53) and Chhattisgarh (7.87). Single-Dose Rifampicin Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (SDR-PEP) was administered to 91.2% of 16.94 lakh eligible contacts in 2025–26. The projections were based on the National Strategic Plan and Roadmap for Leprosy 2023–2027, while the reported data were from the National Leprosy Eradication Programme Annual Report 2025–26.

Personalities, Awards and Events

2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry Awarded to Scientists from France and Japan

The 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was shared by Henri B. Kagan of France and Kenso Soai of Japan for their discovery of non-linear effects and autocatalysis, which helped provide a solution to a century-old chemistry puzzle concerning chemical asymmetry in molecules. The announcement was made in Stockholm following the announcements of the 2026 Nobel Prizes in Medicine and Physics. The award recognises fundamental research into the origin of molecular asymmetry, including the existence of mirror-image forms of molecules such as amino acids.