Prelims Current Affairs includes World Cotton Day , Nabkisan Lists India’s First Wash Social Bond, Odisha Launches First Mice Incentive Portal, Andhra Pradesh To Pilot India’s First 3d-Printed Rural Houses Under Pmay-G, India-Uae Mountain Guardian 2026 Exercise Begins In Uttarakhand & Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann And Georg Nagel Win 2026 Nobel Medicine Prize

IMPORTANT DAYS

1. WORLD COTTON DAY

Current Context: World Cotton Day is observed annually on 7 October to raise global awareness about the cotton sector and its contribution to economic development, international trade, employment and poverty alleviation.

ABOUT WORLD COTTON DAY

• Recognised by: United Nations General Assembly through Resolution, adopted in August 2021.
• The initiative originated in 2019, when the Cotton-4 (C-4) countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad and Mali proposed the observance of World Cotton Day.
• The observance highlights the importance of cotton to developing countries, particularly for small farmers, rural workers and low-income communities.

ECONOMY

2. NABKISAN LISTS INDIA’S FIRST WASH SOCIAL BOND

Current Context: NABKISAN Finance Limited listed India’s first Social Bond dedicated exclusively to the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector on the National Stock Exchange (NSE), Mumbai.

ABOUT NABKISAN FINANCE LIMITED

• NABKISAN Finance Limited (NKFL) is a subsidiary of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD).
• It is an NBFC regulated by the Reserve Bank of India and was incorporated in 1997.
• NABKISAN provides financing for agriculture, Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), rural enterprises, MSMEs, climate initiatives and WASH projects.

WHAT IS A SOCIAL BOND?

• A Social Bond is a debt instrument through which funds are raised specifically to finance projects having positive social outcomes.

WHAT IS WASH?

• WASH covers access to safe drinking water, sanitation facilities and hygiene services and practices.
• Coupon rate: 8.10%; maturity: September 2031.

USE OF PROCEEDS

• Funds will be used to finance projects that expand access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene infrastructure, especially in rural areas.

STATES IN NEWS

3.  ODISHA LAUNCHES FIRST MICE INCENTIVE PORTAL

Current Context: Odisha launched India’s first dedicated digital MICE Incentive Portal to promote the state as a destination for business events and simplify applications for financial incentives.

WHAT IS MICE?

• MICE stands for Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions.
• MICE tourism is a specialised segment of business tourism involving organised events such as corporate meetings, conferences, incentive trips, exhibitions, conventions and large-scale business events.

ABOUT THE MICE INCENTIVE PORTAL

• The portal provides a digital mechanism for event organisers, investors and tourism operators to apply for eligible financial incentives.
• It is designed to promote Odisha’s destinations and infrastructure for corporate conventions and business events.
• The initiative aims to make the incentive-application process more transparent, streamlined and accessible.
• Introduced under the Odisha Tourism (Amendment) Policy, 2026.
• The policy seeks to develop the Bhubaneswar-Cuttack-Puri-Paradip region as a MICE tourism hub.

STATES IN NEWS

4. ANDHRA PRADESH TO PILOT INDIA’S FIRST 3D-PRINTED RURAL HOUSES UNDER PMAY-G

Current Context: Andhra Pradesh has launched the country’s first national-level pilot housing project using 3D Concrete Printing (3DCP) under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) 2.0.

ABOUT THE PILOT PROJECT

• Location: Burripalem and Obulnayudupalem, Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh.
• The pilot is intended to develop technical protocols and structural benchmarks that can help in scaling 3D-printed rural housing across India.
• The project is expected to be completed within six months, according to the Ministry of Rural Development.

WHAT IS 3D CONCRETE PRINTING?

• 3D Concrete Printing (3DCP) is an additive manufacturing technology used for construction.
• A computer-controlled printer deposits specially formulated cement-based concrete layer by layer according to a digitally designed building plan.
• Unlike conventional construction, it can reduce dependence on traditional formwork, manual masonry and sequential construction processes.
• The technology can potentially reduce construction time, labour requirements, material wastage and costs, while maintaining structural quality when appropriately engineered.

HOW THE TECHNOLOGY WORKS

• Digital design: The house is first converted into a computer-based construction model.
• Layer-by-layer printing: A robotic 3D printer deposits concrete along predetermined paths.
• Wall construction: Concrete layers gradually build the walls and other designed structural elements.
• Finishing: Conventional activities such as electrical, plumbing, roofing and other finishing works can be integrated with the printed structure.
• ABOUT PMAY-G (Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin)
• Ministry: Ministry of Rural Development.
• Launched: 20 November 2016, with effect from 1 April 2016.
• Purpose: To provide pucca houses with basic amenities to eligible rural households that are houseless or living in inadequate housing.

DEFENCE

5. INDIA-UAE MOUNTAIN GUARDIAN 2026 EXERCISE BEGINS IN UTTARAKHAND

Current Context: The India-UAE joint military exercise, MOUNTAIN GUARDIAN 2026, commenced on 5 October 2026 at the Foreign Training Node, Chaubatia, Uttarakhand.

ABOUT MOUNTAIN GUARDIAN 2026

• Participating forces: Indian Army and UAE Army/Land Forces.
• Edition: 3rd edition.
• Total personnel: 92, with equal representation from both sides.

INDIA-UAE DEFENCE COOPERATION

• Mountain Guardian expands India-UAE military cooperation beyond desert-focused drills such as Desert Cyclone.

AWARDS

6. KARL DEISSEROTH, PETER HEGEMANN AND GEORG NAGEL WIN 2026 NOBEL MEDICINE PRIZE

Current Context: The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was jointly awarded to Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel for their discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics.

WHAT IS OPTOGENETICS?

• Optogenetics is a technique that combines genetic engineering and light to control the activity of specific cells, particularly neurons.
• Scientists introduce genes for light-sensitive proteins, such as channelrhodopsins, into selected nerve cells.
• When light of the appropriate wavelength is applied, these proteins open or close ion channels and thereby activate or inhibit neuronal activity.
• This gives scientists very precise control over individual groups of neurons, helping them establish cause-and-effect relationships between neural activity and behaviour.

ABOUT LIGHT-GATED ION CHANNELS

• A light-gated ion channel is an ion channel that can be opened or closed by light stimulation.
• The research revolves around channelrhodopsin, a light-gated protein found in the membrane of the single-cell green alga Chlamydomonas.
• Hegemann and Nagel discovered that upon blue light stimulation, the channel opens and allows charged ions to move across the membrane.
• Karl Deisseroth inserted the channelrhodopsin gene into nerve cells of rats; the altered cells produced nerve impulses when blue light was shined on them (2005). He later demonstrated the tool in live mice brains (2007).

ABOUT THE LAUREATES

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