Karnataka & Group C Current Affairs – October 22nd to October 25th, 2026

Appointments

Sunil Kumar Appointed Next ONGC Chairman 

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has appointed Sunil Kumar as the next Chairman of the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), succeeding Arun Kumar Singh. Currently an Executive Director, Kumar will assume charge on December 7, 2026, for a combined three-year tenure that includes a post-superannuation contractual engagement. 

Awards

1. President Confers 65th National Exhibition of Art Awards

Context: President Droupadi Murmu presented the Lalit Kala Akademi Awards at the 65th National Exhibition of Art and the 3rd Print Biennale India 2026, recognising excellence in visual arts and printmaking.

Key Highlights:

• Award: Lalit Kala Akademi Awards 2026
• Issuing Authority: Lalit Kala Akademi (Union Ministry of Culture).
• Presenter: President Droupadi Murmu at the Dr. Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi (21 October 2026).
• Volume Presented: 20 awards via two-tier selection: 6,175 artworks by 2,495 artists from 27 States/UTs → 270 displayed → 20 awarded. Print Biennale Grand Prize and Honourable Mention winners were also felicitated.

About the Award:

• Conferred by the Lalit Kala Akademi, the National Academy of Art, founded in 1954.
• Presented at the National Exhibition of Art, held since 1955 (first edition at Jaipur House, New Delhi).
• Print Biennale India is a biennial printmaking showcase covering etching, woodcut, lithography and screen-printing.

Key Recipients

2. Devadas Chimakode Selected for Karnataka Janapada Award 2026

Context: The Karnataka Janapada Academy selected Bidar folk artist Devadas Chimakode for its 2026 annual honorary award, recognising his contribution to the state’s folk traditions.

Key Highlights:

• Award: Karnataka Janapada Academy Honorary Award 2026 (announced 21 October 2026).
• Awardee: Devadas Chimakode (56), from Chimakod village, Bidar taluk, Bidar district.
• Issuing Authority: Karnataka Janapada Academy.
• Key Achievement: 35 years of practice in folk singing, instrumental music, Suggi Kunitha (a folk dance) and Halage (a traditional percussion instrument), and taking folk traditions to villages across the region.
• Prize: ₹25,000 cash and a citation.

About the Award:

• Conferred annually by the Karnataka Janapada Academy, the state’s folk arts academy under the Department of Kannada and Culture.
• Honours folk artists for lifetime contribution to preserving and promoting Karnataka’s Janapada (folk) traditions.

3. Ameena Nazreen A S Wins Global Youth Institute Award 2026

Context: Indian high school student Ameena Nazreen A S won the Global Youth Institute (GYI) Award at the World Food Prize Foundation’s 2026 Norman E. Borlaug International Dialogue in Des Moines, Iowa (USA).

Key Highlights:

• Award: Global Youth Institute Award 2026 (US$500 cash prize)
• Awardee: Ameena Nazreen A S, one of 7 Indian high school students selected through the NAAS-YUVA selection drive of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS).
• Issuing Authority: World Food Prize Foundation (WFPF)
• Event: Held alongside the Norman E. Borlaug International Dialogue (20–22 October 2026; theme: “Before Hunger Wins”). Students presented research papers on food-security challenges.
• Allied Development: NAAS signed an MoU with the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST), USA for agricultural research, capacity building and knowledge exchange.

About the Award:

• The Global Youth Institute is the WFPF’s annual programme that brings high school students from around the world to Des Moines to research and present solutions on food and nutrition security and sustainable agriculture.
• The WFPF also administers the World Food Prize (est. 1986 by Nobel laureate Norman E. Borlaug, father of the Green Revolution).

4. Ashoke Sen Becomes First Indian to Win Oskar Klein Medal

Context: String theorist Ashoke Sen of ICTS Bengaluru received the 2026 Oskar Klein Medal after delivering the Oskar Klein Memorial Lecture in Stockholm, becoming the first Indian physicist to receive the honour.

Key Highlights:

• Award: Oskar Klein Medal 2026
• Awardee: Ashoke Sen, ICTS-Infosys Madhava Chair Professor at the International Centre for Theoretical Sciences (ICTS-TIFR), Bengaluru.
• Issuing Authority: Stockholm University and the Nobel Committee for Physics, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
• Presentation: Memorial Lecture titled “Gravity from Strings and Strings from Gravity”, delivered on 22 October 2026 at the AlbaNova University Centre, Stockholm.
• Key Achievement: Pioneering work in string theory, including S-duality, string field theory and the microscopic counting of black hole entropy.
• Other Honours: Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics (2012), Dirac Medal (2014), Padma Bhushan (2013), Padma Shri (2001), FRS (1998), Infosys Prize (2009), S.S. Bhatnagar Prize (1994) and ICTP Prize (1989).

About the Award:

• Instituted in 1988 in honour of Swedish theoretical physicist Oskar Klein (1894–1977), co-proposer of the Kaluza–Klein theory. It is awarded annually to the physicist who delivers the Memorial Lecture.
• Notable past recipients include Chen-Ning Yang (first, 1988), Steven Weinberg, Edward Witten, Stephen Hawking, Peter Higgs and Kip Thorne.

5. Usha Mangeshkar Gets First Bhupen Hazarika Award

Context: The Assam Government named playback singer Usha Mangeshkar the first recipient of the Bharat Ratna Dr Bhupen Hazarika National Award.

Key Highlights:

• Award: Bharat Ratna Dr Bhupen Hazarika National Award (inaugural)
• Awardee: Usha Mangeshkar, for contributions to Indian music and Hazarika’s works.
• Issuing Authority: Government of Assam (announced 23 October 2026).
• Presenter: PM Narendra Modi, Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi (29 November 2026), at the close of Hazarika’s birth centenary.

About the Award:

• Instituted in 2026. It is given every three years for music, arts or cinema and carries ₹10 lakh and a citation.
• Bhupen Hazarika (1926–2011, born in Sadiya, Assam) was known as the “Bard of the Brahmaputra” and received the Bharat Ratna posthumously in 2019.

6. SUVIKALP Wins SKOCH Gold Award 2026

Context: The Coal Controller Organisation (CCO) under the Ministry of Coal won the SKOCH Gold Award 2026 for its SUVIKALP initiative.

Key Highlights:

• Award: SKOCH Gold Award 2026, in the category “Digital Operational Efficiency – Data Driven Decision Making”.
• Awardee: Coal Controller Organisation, Ministry of Coal.
• Key Achievement: SUVIKALP, an in-house Mine Repurposing Tool for the sustainable and productive reuse of closed coal mines.

About the Award:

• Conferred under the SKOCH Awards by the SKOCH Group, an independent think tank, since 2003.
• Honours excellence in governance, public service delivery, digital transformation and institutional efficiency.

Important Days

1. World Iodine Deficiency Day

• Observed Date: October 21
• Observing Organisation: Global health community, led by WHO, UNICEF and the Iodine Global Network
• Objective: To raise awareness of iodine deficiency disorders such as goitre, hypothyroidism and impaired brain development, and to promote universal use of iodised salt, which India pursues through its National Iodine Deficiency Disorders Control Programme (NIDDCP), launched in 1962 as the National Goitre Control Programme and renamed in 1992.

2. Ashfaqulla Khan Birth Anniversary

• Observed Date: October 22
• Observing Organisation: Government of India
• Objective: To commemorate the revolutionary Ashfaqulla Khan (born 1900, Shahjahanpur, UP), a member of the Hindustan Republican Association (HRA) and a key participant with Ram Prasad Bismil in the Kakori Train Action (9 August 1925). He was hanged at Faizabad Jail on 19 December 1927, and is remembered as a symbol of Hindu–Muslim unity in the freedom struggle.

3. International Day of the Snow Leopard

• Observed Date: October 23
• Observing Organisation: United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), through Resolution 79/143 (December 2024). The date marks the Bishkek Declaration (2013), which launched the Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Programme (GSLEP) of 12 range countries.
• Objective: To promote conservation of the snow leopard (Panthera uncia; IUCN: Vulnerable; CITES and CMS Appendix I) and its high-altitude ecosystems. India has an estimated 718 snow leopards (SPAI, 2023; highest in Ladakh) and runs Project Snow Leopard (2009).

4. United Nations Day

• Observed Date: October 24
• Observing Organisation: United Nations. The UNGA declared the observance in 1947.
• Objective: To mark the entry into force of the UN Charter (signed 26 June 1945 in San Francisco; in force 24 October 1945) and promote the UN’s goals of peace, security, human rights and development. The UN has 193 member states and six principal organs: the General Assembly, Security Council, ECOSOC, Trusteeship Council, International Court of Justice and Secretariat. India is a founding member (joined 30 October 1945).

5. World Polio Day

• Observed Date: October 24
• Observing Organisation: Rotary International, with the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI, launched 1988: WHO, UNICEF, CDC, Rotary and the Gates Foundation)
• Objective: To honour Jonas Salk, developer of the first inactivated polio vaccine (IPV), and push for global eradication of wild poliovirus, which remains endemic only in Pakistan and Afghanistan. India launched Pulse Polio in 1995, recorded its last case on 13 January 2011 (Howrah, West Bengal), and was certified polio-free by WHO on 27 March 2014.

6. ITBP Raising Day

• Observed Date: October 24
• Observing Organisation: Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), under the Ministry of Home Affairs
• Objective: To mark the raising of the ITBP on 24 October 1962, during the Sino-Indian War. This Central Armed Police Force (governed by the ITBP Act, 1992; motto “Shaurya – Dridhata – Karm Nishtha”) guards the 3,488 km India–China border from the Karakoram Pass (Ladakh) to Jachep La (Arunachal Pradesh). 2026 is its 64th Raising Day.

7. World Standards Day

• Observed Date: October 14
• Observing Organisation: IEC, ISO and ITU under the World Standards Cooperation. In India, the observance is led by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, and the Telecommunication Engineering Centre (TEC) held a celebration in New Delhi.
• Objective: To honour the experts who develop voluntary international standards and to commemorate the London meeting of delegates from 25 countries on 14 October 1946 that led to the creation of ISO (1947). The day has been observed since 1970.
• Theme: “Shared Vision for a Better World: Spotlight on SDG 7 – Affordable and Clean Energy”

8. International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction

• Observed Date: October 13
• Observing Organisation: UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR). The day was established by the UNGA in 1989 and fixed on 13 October in 2009 (Resolution 64/200).
• Objective: To shift focus from reactive disaster relief to proactive risk reduction and promote a global culture of disaster resilience.
• Theme: “Resilience Starts at Home”

Military Exercises

1. Exercise IBSAMAR

Context: The 9th edition of the India–Brazil–South Africa Maritime Exercise concluded in South Africa, strengthening trilateral naval interoperability and maritime cooperation.

Salient Features:

2. Exercise SIMBEX

Context: The 33rd edition of the Singapore–India Maritime Bilateral Exercise (SIMBEX-2026) began at Visakhapatnam to enhance naval interoperability and maritime security in the Indo-Pacific.

Salient Features:

3. Jaipur on NatGeo ‘Best of the World 2027’

Context: National Geographic named Jaipur among the 25 destinations on its Best of the World 2027 list, ahead of the city’s 300th founding anniversary.

Key Highlights:

• List: National Geographic Best of the World 2027 (25 destinations chosen by its editors, photographers and explorers).
• Reason for Selection: Tricentenary in 2027; heritage architecture such as Jal Mahal; traditional textile and gem-cutting crafts; and the Jaipur Literature Festival (14–18 January 2027).

About Jaipur:

• Founded on 18 November 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II of the Kachhwaha dynasty, as one of India’s earliest planned cities.
• Inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2019 (Jaipur City, Rajasthan). It is known as the “Pink City”.

Sports

1. Yashaswini–Harmeet Win Asian TT Bronze

Why in News: Yashaswini Ghorpade and Harmeet Desai won bronze in mixed doubles at the Asian Table Tennis Championships 2026, ending India’s 72-year medal drought in the event.

Key Highlights:

• Venue:- Tashkent, Uzbekistan; organised by the Asian Table Tennis Union (ATTU).
• Players:- Yashaswini Ghorpade (Karnataka) and Harmeet Desai (Gujarat).
• Historic Feat:- India’s previous mixed doubles medal was a silver in 1954 (Yatin Vyas–Meena Parande). India’s only mixed doubles gold came at the inaugural 1952 edition (Kalyanpur Jayant–Gool Nasikwala).

Asian TT Championships 2026: Indian Mixed Doubles Progression

2. S Meghana Retires from All Cricket

Why in News: Indian women’s batter Sabbhineni Meghana (30) announced her retirement from all formats of cricket.

Key Highlights:

• Profile:- Born 1996 in Krishna district, Andhra Pradesh; played domestic cricket for Andhra and Railways.
• International Honours:- Won the Women’s T20 Asia Cup 2016 and silver at the 2022 Commonwealth Games (Birmingham).
• WPL Career:- Played for Gujarat Giants (2023) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (2024–), and was part of RCB’s WPL 2024 title-winning squad.

3. India’s Record Haul at Asian Para Games 2026

Why in News: India finished 4th with a record 114 medals (30 gold, 35 silver, 49 bronze) at the 5th Asian Para Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan (18–24 October 2026).

Key Highlights:

• Record Tally:- Surpassed the previous best of 108 medals at Hangzhou 2022 (originally 111, revised after doping disqualifications).
• Contingent:- 168 para-athletes (112 men, 56 women) across 11 sports; flag bearers Pramod Bhagat and Bhavina Patel.
• Top Sport:- Para-athletics with 65 medals (22 gold).

Asian Para Games 2026: India’s Sport-wise Medals

Asian Para Games 2026: Key Indian Gold Medallists

4. Nihal Sarin, Humpy Win European Club Cup Golds

Why in News: Indian Grandmasters Nihal Sarin and Koneru Humpy won individual board gold medals at the 41st European Chess Club Cup 2026.

Key Highlights:

• Venue:- Budva, Montenegro (17–23 October 2026); organised by the European Chess Union (ECU), with 108 teams.
• Team Champions:- Open: Bayegan Pendik (Turkey), ahead of Novy Bor (Czech Republic) on tiebreaks. Women: Cercle d’Echecs de Monte-Carlo (Humpy’s club).
• Indian Haul:- 4 individual board medals: 2 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze.

European Club Cup 2026: Indian Individual Medallists

Miscellaneous

India’s Classical Languages Rise to 11

Context: With Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Assamese and Bengali granted classical status, India now has 11 Classical Languages, and Centres of Excellence have been approved for the new entrants.

Key Highlights:

• Approving Authority: Union Cabinet (October 2024), on revised criteria; the Ministry of Culture is the nodal ministry.
• Revised Criteria (2024): 1,500–2,000 years of recorded history; ancient literature regarded as heritage; knowledge texts (prose) plus epigraphic and inscriptional evidence; the classical form may be distinct from the modern language.
• Benefits: Research grants, Centres of Excellence, manuscript digitisation, translation and international awards for scholars; promotion led by the Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL), Mysuru.

Classical Languages of India