Prelims Current Affairs includes Lakshadweep Becomes India’s First 100% Literate Union Territory Under Ullas, Bhagini Nivedita Scheme 2027, Mahesh Kakde Wins Ramanujan Prize 2026, Wwf Living Planet Report 2026, Indian Pilot Smit Machchhar To Receive Israel’s Presidential Award For Civilian Heroism, Alexander Zverev Clinches Atp Year-End No. 1 & Robert E. Hall And Michael Woodford Win 2026 Economics Nobel Prize

SCHEME

1. Lakshadweep Becomes India’s First 100% Literate Union Territory Under ULLAS

Current Context: Lakshadweep was declared a 100% literate Union Territory on 11 October 2026 under the ULLAS–Nav Bharat Saaksharta Karyakram after all eligible learners passed the Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Assessment Test (FLNAT).

• Initial Survey: Identified 1,113 adult non-literates.
• Implementation Support: Teaching programmes, home-based assessments and doorstep testing.

ABOUT THE ULLAS PROGRAMME

• Full Form: Understanding of Lifelong Learning for All in Society.
• Type: Centrally sponsored adult education scheme.
• Objective: Promote adult literacy, foundational numeracy and lifelong learning.
• Key Components:
  • Foundational Literacy and Numeracy: Reading, writing and basic arithmetic.
  • Critical Life Skills: Practical skills for everyday life.
  • Basic Education: Learning opportunities for adults who missed formal schooling.
  • Vocational Skills: Occupational and livelihood-related skills.
  • Continuing Education: Lifelong learning beyond basic literacy.

SCHEME

2.  BHAGINI NIVEDITA SCHEME 2027

Current Context: The West Bengal Cabinet has approved the Bhagini Nivedita Scheme, offering unmarried women ₹50,000 over three years for higher education from January 2027.

ABOUT BHAGINI NIVEDITA SCHEME

• Main Objective: To reduce financial barriers to higher education, encourage women to continue their studies and reduce dropout rates.
• Payment Structure: The assistance will be distributed over three years rather than as a single payment
  • First year: ₹17,000
  • Second year: ₹17,000
  • Third year: ₹16,000

AWARD

3.      MAHESH KAKDE WINS RAMANUJAN PRIZE 2026

Current Context: Professor Mahesh Kakde of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, received the Ramanujan Prize 2026 for his contributions to algebraic number theory.

ABOUT THE AWARD

• Profession: Indian mathematician and Professor in the Department of Mathematics at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru.
• Award: Ramanujan Prize for Young Mathematicians from Developing Countries, 2026.

ABOUT THE RAMANUJAN PRIZE

• Established:
• Administered By: The International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) and the International Mathematical Union (IMU).

REPORT

4.      WWF LIVING PLANET REPORT 2026

Current Context: The WWF Living Planet Report 2026 highlights a 73% average decline in monitored wildlife populations between 1970 and 2022.

ABOUT THE LIVING PLANET REPORT

• Published By: World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), also known as the World Wildlife Fund in some countries.
• Frequency: Published biennially, or once every two years.
• Edition: 16th edition.
• Theme: The Science of Hope.
• Scientific Assessment: The report uses the Living Planet Index (LPI), produced by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), to assess changes in monitored vertebrate wildlife populations worldwide.
• Main Objective: To assess the state of global biodiversity, highlight pressures on wildlife and ecosystems, and identify ways to reverse nature loss.

KEY FINDINGS OF THE REPORT

• Global Wildlife Decline: The average size of monitored vertebrate wildlife populations declined by 73% between 1970 and 2022.
• Data Coverage: The Living Planet Index includes 35,803 population trends covering 5,790 vertebrate species.
• Freshwater Ecosystems: Recorded the steepest average decline, at 85%.
• Terrestrial Ecosystems: Monitored populations declined by an average of 69%.
• Marine Ecosystems: Monitored populations declined by an average of 59%.
• Regional Trends:
  • Latin America and the Caribbean: 95% decline.
  • Africa: 80% decline.
  • Asia-Pacific: 49% decline.
  • North America: 28% decline.
  • Europe and Central Asia: 23% decline.
• Important clarification: The 73% figure does NOT mean that 73% of all animals have disappeared or that 73% of species are extinct. It represents the average change in the size of monitored wildlife populations relative to the 1970 baseline.

INTERNATIONAL

5. INDIAN PILOT SMIT MACHCHHAR TO RECEIVE ISRAEL’S PRESIDENTIAL AWARD FOR CIVILIAN HEROISM

Current Context: Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar has been chosen to receive Israel’s Presidential Award for Civilian Heroism.

ABOUT CAPTAIN SMIT MACHCHHAR

• Profession: Commercial airline pilot with Flydubai.
• Recognition: Israel’s Presidential Award for Civilian Heroism, one of the country’s highest civilian honours for exceptional bravery.
• Award Announced By: Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
• Reason for Recognition: His courage and professional actions helped prevent a potential aviation disaster during an in-flight cockpit attack. Omani co-pilot attacked Machchhar with an axe, causing severe injuries.

RANKINGS

6. ALEXANDER ZVEREV CLINCHES ATP YEAR-END NO. 1

Current Context: Alexander Zverev clinched the ATP Year-End No. 1 ranking, becoming the first German man to finish a season at the top of the ATP Rankings.

ABOUT THE ACHIEVEMENT

• The confirmation followed Carlos Alcaraz’s defeat at the Shanghai Masters in China.
• Zverev secured the honour for the first time in 2026.
• He was 29 years old when he clinched it and is set to be 29 years and 217 days old on 23 November 2026, making him the oldest player to achieve the distinction for the first time.
• In 2026, Zverev won his first two Grand Slam singles titles: the French Open (Roland Garros) and the US Open.

ABOUT ATP RANKINGS

• The ATP Rankings are the Association of Tennis Professionals’ system for ranking men’s singles and doubles players.
• The ATP Year-End No. 1 title goes to the player who finishes the season at the top of the men’s singles rankings.

AWARDS & HONOURS

7. ROBERT E. HALL AND MICHAEL WOODFORD WIN 2026 ECONOMICS NOBEL PRIZE

Current Context: The Nobel Prize in Economics for 2026 has been conferred upon two American economists, Robert E. Hall and Michael Woodford, for their contribution to the “microeconomic foundations of macroeconomic stabilization.”

ABOUT THE LAUREATES

Both economists will share the prize money equally.

ABOUT THE RESEARCH

• The study of macroeconomics involves looking at the entire economy in terms of inflation, unemployment, output and growth.
• The microeconomic foundation of macroeconomics explains how individual decisions regarding consumption, savings, investments, wages and prices are related to economic performance as a whole.
• According to Hall and Woodford’s research, expectations of households and companies about the future influence their decisions and actions.
• The research helps develop more precise models to predict how people will behave after changes in government spending or interest rates announced by a central bank.

ABOUT MACROECONOMIC STABILIZATION

• Policy tools: Monetary policy, fiscal policy, forward guidance and economic forecasts.
• In a recession, lower interest rates or higher government expenditures might increase demand.
• If there are strong inflationary pressures, tighter monetary or fiscal policies can help decrease demand.
• The research is applicable when an economy faces shocks like an increase in the price of energy or changes in consumer spending.

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