UPSC daily current affairs

UPSC daily news summary — 19 October 2026

Key developments include the Centre's planned overhaul of the mining regulatory framework under the MMDR Act, Japan's upcoming Martian Moons eXploration mission, and significant biodiversity documentation at Kerala's Peechi-Vazhani Wildlife Sanctuary.

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1 polity MMDR Act Overhaul Mining Regulatory Reform The Ministry of Mines has initiated plans to overhaul the parent mining statute to streamline regulatory approvals and modernise exploration rights. GS2 GS3

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2 science-and-technology Martian Moons eXploration MMX Mission JAXA Phobos… Japan's aerospace agency JAXA is launching the Martian Moons eXploration spacecraft to collect soil samples from Mars's moon Phobos. GS3

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3 environment Peechi Vazhani Wildlife Sanctuary Biodiversity Kerala… A joint multi-taxa biodiversity survey across three Kerala wildlife sanctuaries documented 36 new wildlife species records and 24 Western Ghats endemic species. GS3

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4 economy Additional Tier-1 Bonds and Banking Capital Norms Yes Bank estimated a Rs 5,217 crore impact following a Supreme Court ruling on the write-off of Additional Tier-1 (AT1) bonds issued during its 2020 restructuring. GS3

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