Daily Current Affairs - 2026-10-09

Big news across economy, defence, polity, science and sports has piled up this week — exactly the kind of multi-domain mix that competitive exams love to test. Here's a crisp, exam-focused rundown of today's top current affairs.

RBI Hikes Repo Rate to 5.50%, Shifts to 'Calibrated Tightening'

In its October bi-monthly review concluded on October 7, 2026, the RBI's Monetary Policy Committee, under Governor Sanjay Malhotra, raised the repo rate by 25 basis points to 5.50%. The hike came amid retail inflation near 4.8% and a weak rupee, reversing the 2025 easing cycle. The MPC also changed its policy stance from 'neutral' to 'calibrated tightening', signalling no rate cuts in the near term.

• Remember: Current repo rate = 5.50%, RBI Governor = Sanjay Malhotra.
• Policy stance changed from 'neutral' to 'calibrated tightening'.
• Key for Banking/Economy sections — MPC decisions, repo rate trends, inflation targeting.

Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit to Be Next Chief of the Air Staff

On October 6, 2026, the government announced that Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, currently Vice Chief of the Air Staff, will become the 29th Chief of the Indian Air Force on October 31, 2026, succeeding Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh. Commissioned in December 1986, Dixit is an experimental test pilot and qualified flying instructor with over 3,500 flying hours. He will be the first Mirage-2000 squadron commander to head the IAF, with operational experience in Operation Safed Sagar and Operation Sindoor.

• Note the name, rank, and succession date for defence current affairs.
• Useful for questions on top military appointments and IAF leadership history.

Cabinet Approves ₹10,000 Crore SME Growth Fund and New Transport Authority

On October 6, 2026, the Union Cabinet approved a ₹10,000 crore SME Growth Fund for direct equity investment in small and medium enterprises to build 'future champion' Indian firms in manufacturing, technology and strategic sectors, with a significant share earmarked for Tier-II and Tier-III industrial clusters. The Cabinet also cleared the Integrated Transport and Logistics Authority (ITLA), an apex body to prepare a long-term national transport plan covering roads, railways, ports, aviation, inland waterways and urban mobility.

• Key figures: ₹10,000 crore SME Growth Fund; new body = ITLA.
• Relevant for Economy and Government Schemes sections.

Supreme Court: Election Commissioners' Immunity Wider Than Judges'

Hearing petitions against the CEC and Other Election Commissioners Act, 2023, a bench led by CJI Surya Kant orally observed on October 5, 2026 that immunity granted to the CEC and ECs under Section 16 of the Act may be broader than that enjoyed by constitutional court judges. Justice Joymalya Bagchi remarked that such sweeping protection "is perhaps only for the President." The Court issued notice to the Union government and the ECI.

• Important for Polity: Election Commission's statutory powers and the 2023 Act.
• Watch for further developments in this case.

Government Rejects Musk's Bias Claim Against Starlink

On October 8, 2026, India's Ministry of Communications rejected Elon Musk's claim that unnamed "oligarchs" were blocking Starlink's rollout in India. The government clarified that its satellite communication authorisation framework is fair and non-discriminatory, with Starlink, Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio Satellite Communications all at a similar stage of mandatory security clearance before spectrum assignment.

• Relevant for Science & Technology/Economy: telecom and satellite policy.
• Note the three players: Starlink, Eutelsat OneWeb, Jio Satellite Communications.

2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry: 'Mirror Molecule' Research

Announced on October 7, 2026, the Nobel Prize in Chemistry was jointly awarded to Henri B. Kagan (France) and Kenso Soai (Japan) for discovering non-linear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis — explaining how chiral (mirror-image) molecules can be selectively produced, with major applications in pharmaceuticals and fragrances.

• Key Prelims fact: Nobel Chemistry 2026 winners and their field — asymmetric synthesis/chirality.

Anne Carson Wins 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature

On October 8, 2026, the Swedish Academy awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature to Canadian poet and essayist Anne Carson for her "bold and inventive oeuvre" that reinterprets classical Greek mythology through poetry, scholarship and essay writing.

• Remember: Anne Carson, Nobel Literature 2026, Canadian poet-essayist.

India Achieves First 5.56 km Free-Space Quantum Key Distribution Link

On October 3, 2026, PIB announced that QNu Labs, BISAG-N and IIT Gandhinagar jointly demonstrated India's first free-space Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) link over 5.56 km between BISAG-N and IIT Gandhinagar, achieving a secure key rate of 230-260 bits per second with a hybrid quantum-plus-post-quantum cryptography system.

• Key for Science & Technology: QKD, quantum-secure communication milestones.
• Note the institutions involved — QNu Labs, BISAG-N, IIT Gandhinagar.

NTPC Targets 30 GW Nuclear Capacity by 2047

Around October 8, 2026, NTPC's nuclear arm identified three greenfield sites in Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Odisha for commercial nuclear power plants, part of a roadmap to build 30 GW of nuclear capacity across 14 states by 2047. Each site is expected to host 2-4 GW using Pressurised Water Reactor (PWR) technology, with potential partnerships including Westinghouse, Holtec, Rosatom and EDF.

• Relevant for Economy/Energy Policy: nuclear capacity targets, PWR technology.

India Finishes Fourth at Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026

The 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan concluded on October 4, 2026, with India finishing fourth on the medal table with 85 medals (21 gold, 27 silver, 37 bronze) — its second-highest Asian Games haul ever, after the record 107 medals at Hangzhou 2023.

• Key numbers: 85 total medals, 21 gold, 4th position overall.
• Relevant for Sports current affairs sections.

That wraps up today's current affairs digest — revise these key facts and figures regularly to stay exam-ready!