Current Affairs — 2 November 2026

Manufacturing PMI eases to 54.7 in October 2026

• The HSBC India Manufacturing PMI fell to 54.7 in October from 55.1 in September, but stayed well above 50, which means the sector is still growing.
• New export orders rose at the fastest pace in six months.
• Selling-price inflation was the weakest in nearly four years; input-cost inflation was the lowest since February.

Captive and commercial coal mines produce 22.03 MT in October, up about 42%

• October 2026 output: 22.03 million tonnes (MT), against 15.49 MT in October 2025. Dispatch: 21.11 MT (about 36% higher).
• April–October 2026: production 117.23 MT (+11.30%), dispatch 124.86 MT (+11.53%).
• The Lohari coal mine in Jharkhand got Mine Opening Permission in October, taking operational captive and commercial mines to 87.

PM inaugurates Bharat Renewable Energy Summit & Expo 2026

• Inaugurated at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, on 2 November; it runs till 5 November on the theme "Invest. Innovate. Inspire."
• The PM said non-fossil sources are now over 50% of India's installed power capacity, a Paris Agreement goal for 2030 that India met in 2025, five years early.
• He said India will add another 500 GW of non-fossil capacity over the next decade or so. The 9th Assembly of the International Solar Alliance is being held alongside.

Revise: Prime Ministers of India

Grievance Redressal Rules, 2026 notified under the VB-G RAM G Act

• The Ministry of Rural Development notified the rules for complaints about the rural jobs scheme.
• Complaints are handled at Gram Panchayat, Block and District level, and can be filed in person, by speed post, by phone or on a digital platform.
• Enquiry must be finished within 7 working days and the complaint resolved within 15 days; unresolved complaints move to the next level.

Revise: Government schemes

Number of Foreigners Regional Registration Offices (FRROs) rises to 20

• Home Minister Amit Shah has directed that every State capital should have an FRRO by 2027.
• New FRROs: Jaipur, Chandigarh and Guwahati (2025); Aizawl and Amaravati (2026). Kohima, Agartala and Bhubaneswar have been notified.
• FRROs register foreigners, extend and convert visas, give permits for protected areas and issue exit permits. e-FRRO offers 35 online services.

TRAI tightens rules on telecom and internet complaints

• TRAI issued the Telecom Consumers Complaint Redressal (Fourth Amendment) Regulations, 2026.
• Complaint centres must now work 24 hours a day, every day (human help for at least 16 hours); complaints and appeals can also be filed through the operator's mobile app.
• Time to file an appeal is cut from 30 to 15 days; the appellate authority must decide within 15 days. Operators must run a feedback survey and face financial disincentives for violations.

Revise: The Constitution of India

Advanced radiotherapy facility opened at AIIMS Rajkot

• Union Health Minister J. P. Nadda inaugurated the facility, built for about ₹39 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY).
• It has a high-energy linear accelerator (LINAC), a wide-bore CT simulator and an HDR brachytherapy unit, and will serve about 1.54 crore people in Saurashtra.
• Nadda said 18 of the 22 AIIMS are now operational.

Revise: Government schemes

Piprahwa relics of the Buddha on exposition in Arunachal Pradesh

• The relics, kept at the National Museum, New Delhi, were received at Tawang Monastery by Chief Minister Pema Khandu on 31 October.
• Exposition: Tawang Monastery (1–7 Nov), Bomdila (8–13 Nov) and the Golden Pagoda, Namsai (14–20 Nov). The relics return to Delhi on 21 November.
• It coincides with Lhabab Duchen, which marks the Buddha's descent from the heavenly realm in Tibetan Buddhism.

Revise: CMs & Governors

First International Maize Conference begins in Hyderabad

• Held from 2 to 4 November 2026 on the theme "Maize Revolution for Food, Feed, Fodder, Fuel and Sustainability in the Changing World".
• ICAR Director General M. L. Jat said India's maize production is about 55 million tonnes and called for 75 million tonnes in the next decade.
• He proposed adding Farmers to the '4F' vision (Food, Feed, Fodder, Fuel) to make it '5F'.

Cyclone Murasu hits the south Andhra Pradesh coast

• The cyclone moved towards the south Andhra Pradesh coast; IMD said its landfall began at 1 AM on 3 November, about 40 km south-east of Ongole, with winds up to 110 km/h.
• Schools and colleges in Chennai and Tiruvallur were closed on 2 November because of heavy rain.
• NDRF teams were moved to Andhra Pradesh ahead of landfall.

Air Marshal Inderpal Singh Walia becomes Vice Chief of the Air Staff

• He took over on 1 November 2026, after Ashutosh Dixit became Chief of the Air Staff.
• He was earlier AOC-in-C, Eastern Air Command.
• He was commissioned in the fighter stream on 11 June 1988.

Revise: Defence chiefs & CDS

₹53,866.50 crore contracts signed for eight Next Generation Corvettes

• The Ministry of Defence signed the contracts with Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) and Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) on 2 November 2026.
• GRSE will build five corvettes and GSL three.
• It is the first project in which ships designed by the Indian Navy are built by Defence PSUs chosen through competitive bidding.

Revise: Defence chiefs & CDS

New seismological observatory opened at Kishtwar, J&K

• Union Minister Jitendra Singh inaugurated it; it sends real-time data to the National Centre for Seismology, New Delhi.
• J&K now has four seismological observatories: Jammu, Srinagar, Udhampur and Kishtwar.
• Four more Doppler Weather Radars (Doda, Kishtwar, Anantnag, Baramulla) are due in 2027.

Kimi Antonelli becomes the youngest Formula 1 world champion

• The Italian Mercedes driver clinched the 2026 title by finishing third at the Mexico City Grand Prix on 1 November (local time), with four races left.
• He is 20 years and 68 days old, breaking Sebastian Vettel's record (23 years and 134 days, 2010).
• Max Verstappen won the race; Lewis Hamilton was second.

2 November: International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists

• Declared by the UN General Assembly in 2013 (Resolution 68/163).
• The date marks the killing of two French journalists in Mali on 2 November 2013.
• UNESCO leads the observance.