CurrentPulse AI

weekly current-affairs digest

14 October 2026 – 20 October 2026

Part 1 · bounded zero-cost rendering · 5 canonical briefs

01•Economy•GS-3

GST Standing Committee of 12 States: Five Permanent Seats and B2C E-Invoicing

FAST READ - The Centre announced a 12-state GST Standing Committee on 13 October 2026, with Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu as permanent members. - B2C e-invoicing may begin from 1 April. - India has about 1.7 crore GST taxpayers. WHY IN NEWS The GST regime is managed by cooperative federalism through the GST Council. A smaller standing committee of states is meant to speed up technical and compliance decis…

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02•Economy•GS-3

SEBI Common Advertisement Code: Brand Endorsements Yes, Product Endorsements No

FAST READ - SEBI notified a Common Advertisement Code for the entities it regulates. - Celebrities may endorse a brand but not a specific financial product, and the code takes effect on 8 April 2027. - SEBI also extended the deadline for IPO issue-size revisions to 31 March 2027. WHY IN NEWS Finfluencers, celebrity-led advertising and misleading return claims have drawn regulatory attention to retail investor protection. A single code r…

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03•Government Schemes•GS-2

NSAP Renamed PMSSY: Rs 53,428 Crore Approved for FY27 to FY31

FAST READ - The Union Cabinet approved Rs 53,428 crore to continue the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) for FY27 to FY31 and renamed it PMSSY. - NSAP is the Centre's main non-contributory social pension and family benefit scheme. - The Cabinet also approved a 78-day productivity-linked bonus for railway employees. WHY IN NEWS Centrally sponsored schemes must be re-appraised and approved for each Finance Commission cycle. The…

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04•Economy•GS-3

IDBI Bank Strategic Sale: CCEA Approves 60.72% Stake Transfer to Fairfax Unit

FAST READ - The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved the sale of a 60.72% stake in IDBI Bank to a subsidiary of Fairfax Financial. - The reported value is Rs 52,878.08 crore, making it a landmark bank privatisation. - After the sale the Government will hold 15% and LIC 19%. WHY IN NEWS The Centre's disinvestment programme had stalled on IDBI Bank for several years. The CCEA clearance moves the transaction to its final s…

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05•Economy•GS-3

RBI Raises Repo Rate to 5.50%: First Hike since 2023

FAST READ - The RBI's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) raised the policy repo rate by 25 basis points to 5.50% on 7 October 2026. - The stance moved from neutral to calibrated tightening, ending a long pause that followed the 2025 rate cuts. - It is the first hike since February 2023. WHY IN NEWS Retail inflation had accelerated to 4.82% in August 2026, crude oil prices stayed elevated because of West Asia tensions, and the rupee weakene…

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