Prelims Current Affairs includes International Day Of Older Persons, India At Fao Cofo 28, Operation Drishti, Mission Pegase 26, Worldskills Shanghai 2026 & Bodhana Sivanandan Becomes Youngest Woman Grandmaster

IMPORTANT DAYS

1. INTERNATIONAL DAY OF OLDER PERSONS

Current Context: International Day of Older Persons is observed annually on 1 October to raise awareness about the rights, needs and challenges of older people and to recognise their contributions to families, communities and society.

ABOUT THE DAY

• The 2026 theme is “The Age of Longevity: Rethinking Systems for Longer Lives”, focusing on adapting health, social protection, employment and other systems to support longer lives with dignity and security.
• Established by: United Nations General Assembly.
• Established in: 1990 through UN General Assembly Resolution, adopted on 14 December 1990.
• First observed: 1 October 1991.

ENVIRONMENT

2. INDIA AT FAO COFO 28

Current Context: India showcased its forest and landscape restoration initiatives and reaffirmed its commitment to sustainable forest management, climate action and resilient forest landscapes at the 28th Session of the FAO Committee on Forestry (COFO 28) in Rome.

ABOUT COFO

• COFO: Committee on Forestry.
• It is the highest global intergovernmental body on forestry under FAO and provides a forum for international policy dialogue and technical guidance on forest-related issues.
• Established: 1971, by FAO Conference Resolution.
• Frequency: Meets every two years at FAO Headquarters in Rome.
• Membership: 128 FAO Members.
• COFO advises the FAO Council on programmes and budgets and the FAO Conference on policy and regulatory matters related to forestry.

COFO 28, KEY FOCUS

• Theme: “Forests for food, resilience and prosperity.”

INDIA’S KEY HIGHLIGHTS

• Forest and tree cover: 82.74 million hectares (25.17% of geographical area).
• Carbon sink created: 2.29 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalent by 2021.
• Target: Additional carbon sink of 3.5-4.0 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalent by 2035 (compared to 2005).
• Bonn Challenge pledge: Restore 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030; 21.76 million hectares restored between 2011 and 2020.
• Aravalli Green Wall: 6.45 million hectares of degraded lands to be restored.

DEFENCE

3. OPERATION DRISHTI

Current Context: Under Operation Drishti, Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) surgeons performed 220 sight-restoring surgeries at an underground surgical centre in Tangdhar, Kupwara, along the LoC during the 10th Mega Eye Surgical Camp.

ABOUT OPERATION DRISHTI

• A flagship humanitarian medical outreach initiative launched by the Indian Armed Forces.
• Led by: AFMS in coordination with the Indian Army’s Chinar Corps.
• Location: Underground surgical centre in Tangdhar, Kupwara, along the LoC.
• Aim: To prevent avoidable blindness by delivering advanced eye care to remote border communities.

DEFENCE

4. MISSION PEGASE 26

Current Context: As part of Mission Pégase 26, the French Air and Space Force deployed four Rafale F4 fighters, three A330 MRTT Phénix tankers and two A400M Atlas aircraft to Jodhpur, India.

ABOUT MISSION PEGASE 26

• Seventh edition of France’s long-range air projection exercise.
• Distance: More than 40,000 kilometres.
• Route: Greenland, Canada, Alaska, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, India, Qatar, Réunion, Egypt.
• India is a key stop on the Indo-Pacific leg.
• In India, the French contingent will participate in Exercise Tarang Shakti.

ABOUT EXERCISE TARANG SHAKTI 2026

• Multinational air combat exercise hosted by the Indian Air Force.
• Venue: Air Force Station, Jodhpur.
• Second edition; maiden edition in 2024.
• Participating countries: Seven foreign air forces including US, France, Germany, Australia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and

AWARDS & HONOURS

5. WORLDSKILLS SHANGHAI 2026

Current Context: India finished 10th at WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 with six silver medals and 20 Medals for Excellence, improving from 13th at Lyon 2024.

ABOUT WORLDSKILLS

• WorldSkills Competition #48 was hosted in Shanghai, China, from 23 to 26 September 2026.
• India sent its largest-ever delegation of 70 contestants in 63 skills.
• India became a member of WorldSkills International in 2007.

INDIA’S SILVER MEDAL WINNERS

AWARDS & HONOURS

6. BODHANA SIVANANDAN BECOMES YOUNGEST WOMAN GRANDMASTER

Current Context: Bodhana Sivanandan became the youngest Woman Grandmaster (WGM) in chess history at the age of 11 years.

ABOUT THE ACHIEVEMENT

• Secured her third and final WGM norm at the 46th Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, representing England.
• Also earned a second International Master norm at the same Olympiad.
• Previous record: Kateryna Lagno of Russia at 12 years and 4 months.
• Became Britain’s youngest-ever Women’s Chess Champion in August 2026.

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