Current Affairs - October 13, 2026 Current Affairs

Shafali Verma won the ICC Women’s Player of the Month Award for September 2026 following her outstanding all-round performances in the Women’s Asia Cup and the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan. She scored 360 runs in seven T20 International matches at an average of 72 and a strike rate of 184.61, while also taking six wickets. During the Women’s Asia Cup, she scored 236 runs, including 68 in the final against Sri Lanka. At the Asian Games, she scored 188 runs, including a century against Bangladesh in the semi-final, and helped India secure the gold medal. This was her second ICC monthly award.

INS Trishul is a Talwar-class guided-missile stealth frigate of the Indian Navy that arrived at Plymouth, United Kingdom, on October 11, 2026, to participate in the annual bilateral maritime exercise KONKAN-26. Built in Russia, the warship was commissioned into the Indian Navy in 2003 and is part of the Western Fleet based in Mumbai. Exercise KONKAN-26 is conducted jointly by the Indian Navy and the Royal Navy to enhance interoperability and strengthen maritime cooperation. The exercise includes harbour and sea phases, featuring air defence drills, anti-submarine warfare, cross-deck flying operations, firing exercises, and complex seamanship evolutions. It supports the India-UK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership under the Vision 2035 framework.

5.54% was India’s retail inflation rate in September 2026, up from 4.83% in August 2026. The revised figures were released on October 12, 2026, by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), using the Consumer Price Index series with 2024 as the base year. The increase was mainly driven by rising food prices, particularly vegetables such as onions. Food inflation climbed to 7.74%, while rural retail inflation reached 6.08% and urban retail inflation stood at 4.88%. Although retail inflation exceeded the RBI’s 4% target, it remained within the permitted tolerance range of 2% to 6%.

Ahmedabad, Gujarat, is hosting the BRICS Traditional and Indigenous Sports Demonstration Games 2026 at the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex under India’s BRICS Chairship. The event is organised by the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports in collaboration with the Government of Gujarat. It provides a non-competitive platform for demonstrating and documenting traditional and indigenous sporting practices and encouraging interaction among practitioners from participating countries. Indian sports featured include Mallakhamb, Yogasana, and Kalaripayattu. International demonstrations include Wushu from China, Gorodki from Russia and Belarus, Capoeira from Brazil, and traditional sports from Iran and Ethiopia. The initiative aims to strengthen cultural ties and promote international sports cooperation.

October 13 is observed annually as the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (IDDRR). The United Nations General Assembly established the observance in 1989 to promote global awareness of disaster risks and encourage measures to reduce their impact. In 2026, the theme is “Resilience Starts at Home,” emphasising safe and affordable housing, disaster preparedness, effective early warning systems, and community resilience. The observance encourages governments and communities to strengthen building standards, improve land-use planning, and invest in prevention. It also supports the objectives of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030, which focuses on reducing disaster risks and losses.

7% is the revised GDP growth forecast for India in FY 2026–27 announced by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The IMF raised its projection from 6.4% by 60 basis points in its latest World Economic Outlook. The upward revision reflects resilient domestic demand, strong services sector activity, favourable demographic conditions, a growing domestic market, and structural reforms. Despite global inflation, high oil prices, and geopolitical tensions, India continues to demonstrate strong economic momentum. Meanwhile, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), World Bank, and OECD projected India’s FY27 economic growth at 7.1%, according to the figures provided.

Keya Kumar Badugu from Delhi won the Ladies title at the IGU Bio-Gen Rotary Southern India Golf Championship held at the Karnataka Golf Association (KGA) course in Bengaluru. She defeated Kolkata’s Anaahat Bindra in a playoff after both players finished the 54-hole championship at one-under-par 215. Keya produced an impressive performance in the final round by recording three consecutive birdies on the 15th, 16th, and 17th holes, overcoming a two-stroke deficit to secure the title. Anaahat Bindra finished second, while Priya Kumari secured third place with an aggregate score of 220. The championship is an important event on the Indian Golf Union’s national competition calendar.

Bharat Rice is an initiative launched by the Indian Army on October 12, 2026, to improve the quality and delivery of rice supplied to soldiers. Undertaken by the Directorate General of Supplies and Transport, the initiative was developed in response to feedback from troops regarding ration quality. The rice will meet specified military standards and undergo quality control tests. It will be supplied in 10 kg and 30 kg bags to facilitate transportation, particularly in remote, hilly, and forward areas. The initiative also supports direct delivery to Army Supply Depots, including those in Ladakh and the Northeast.

Lakshadweep became India’s first 100% literate Union Territory on October 11, 2026, under the ULLAS-Nav Bharat Saaksharta Karyakram, a centrally sponsored adult education programme. The achievement followed the successful completion of the Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Assessment Test (FLNAT) by all eligible learners. An initial survey identified 1,113 adult non-literate individuals in the territory. The Education Department organised teaching programmes and assessments to help learners acquire basic reading, writing, and numeracy skills. Teachers and supervisors also conducted assessments at learners’ homes when they could not visit examination centres. ULLAS promotes adult education and lifelong learning.

Keylong, located in the Lahaul and Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh, will host India’s first dedicated high-altitude health research centre, named the ICMR Centre for High Altitude Medicine and Public Health Research (ICMR-CHAMP). The centre is being established under the Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. It will focus on high-altitude physiology, acclimatisation, mountain medicine, climate-sensitive diseases, and disaster medicine. The facility will also integrate telemedicine, drone-enabled healthcare logistics, and real-time health surveillance. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) will collaborate with the Armed Forces Medical Services and the Himachal Pradesh government to strengthen research and healthcare in high-altitude and border regions.