Prelims Current Affairs includes International Day Of The Snow Leopard, Index Of Eight Core Industries Grows 7.9% In September 2026 , Agri Welfare Portal , The Green Diwali Campaign 2026, Ashfaqullah Khan Birth Anniversary 202 , Kharg Island & Gsat-7b

IMPORTANT DAYS

1. INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE SNOW LEOPARD

Current Context: The International Day of the Snow Leopard is observed on 23 October to enhance international and regional cooperation in support of efforts to conserve the snow leopard.

ABOUT THE DAY

• Proclaimed by: UN General Assembly in

ABOUT THE SNOW LEOPARD

• Scientific name: Panthera uncia.
• Found in the high mountain regions of Asia, including Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
• Often called the “ghosts of the mountains” due to their elusive nature.
• Listed in Appendix I to CITES since 1975 and Appendix I to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals since 1986.
• IUCN Status: Vulnerable (classified in 2017).

ECONOMY

2. INDEX OF EIGHT CORE INDUSTRIES GROWS 7.9% IN SEPTEMBER 2026

Current Context: India’s Index of Eight Core Industries (ICI) grew by 7.9% on a yearly basis in September 2026, against the revised growth of 5.9% in the previous month.

ABOUT THE INDEX OF CORE INDUSTRIES (ICI)

• Released by: Office of the Economic Adviser (OEA), Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
• Purpose: To measure changes in the production of key industries that form the foundation of industrial and infrastructure activity.
• Weight in IIP: The eight traditional core industries together accounted for 27% of the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) under the earlier series.
• Base Year: The new series uses 2022-23 as its base year.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

• Best performing product: Iron ore registered the highest growth of 4%.
• Other best performing products: Electricity – 11.4%, coal – 10.7% and refinery products – 10.3%.
• Worst performing products: Fertilizers (–11.7%), natural gas (–4.6%) and crude oil (–1.4%).
• Cumulative growth of ICI: 5.1% in April-September 2026 against 2.5% in April-September 2025.

WEIGHT OF EACH INDUSTRY

GOVERNMENT SCHEMES

3. AGRI WELFARE PORTAL

Current Context: The Union Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister launched the upgraded Agri Welfare Portal.

ABOUT THE PORTAL

• Aim: To provide farmers across the country with direct, easy access to government schemes, financial assistance and reliable agricultural information on their mobile phones.
• Scheme Access: Brings information on initiatives including PM-KISAN, AgriStack and Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana into a common interface, with online eligibility checks and application facilities.
• Farm Information: Provides updates on weather, farming practices, seeds, fertilisers and market prices.
• Rural Use: Designed for basic smartphones and weak internet connections, with screen-reader support.
• Assistance: A training campaign through Krishi Vigyan Kendras is planned.
• Wider Network: Farmer Producer Organisations, Primary Agricultural Credit Societies, scientists, researchers and start-ups are intended to be brought onto the platform.
• Transparency: Features online eligibility checks, direct application facilities and transfer of financial assistance through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).

ENVIRONMENT

4. THE GREEN DIWALI CAMPAIGN 2026

Current Context: WWF-India, supported by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), launched a nationwide Green Diwali Campaign.

ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN

• It is a nationwide environmental awareness and behavioural change campaign encouraging citizens to celebrate Diwali without firecrackers.
• Aim: To reduce festival-related air and noise pollution, promote environmentally responsible celebrations and encourage sustainable lifestyles aligned with Mission LiFE.

KEY FEATURES

• Focus on 130 NCAP Cities: Prioritises public awareness in 130 cities covered under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP).
• Green Diwali Pledge: Encourages citizens to avoid firecrackers, use diyas and energy-efficient lighting, eliminate single-use plastics, segregate waste and support local products.
• Carbon Footprint Assessment: Promotes WWF-India’s Carbon Footprint Survey.
• Community Participation and Recognition: Invites institutions and communities to organise pledge drives, rallies and awareness activities.

HISTORY

5. ASHFAQULLAH KHAN BIRTH ANNIVERSARY 202

Current Context: The birth anniversary of Ashfaqullah Khan falls on 22 October and is marked to honour the freedom fighter.

ABOUT ASHFAQULLAH KHAN

• Born: 22 October 1900 in Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh.
• He was part of the Hindustan Republican Association (HRA).
• He took part in the 1925 Kakori Train Robbery.
• His friendship with Ram Prasad Bismil is commemorated as a symbol of Hindu-Muslim unity.
• He was hanged by the British government on 19 December 1927 at Faizabad Jail.
• He used the pseudonym ‘Hasrat’ and was interested in Urdu poetry.

ABOUT THE KAKORI TRAIN CONSPIRACY OF 1925

• Occurred on 9 August 1925 at Kakori, near Lucknow.
• Members of the HRA halted a train loaded with government funds and stole them to meet the requirements of their revolutionary activities.
• Others hanged in relation to the case included Ram Prasad Bismil, Rajendra Nath Lahiri and Roshan Singh.

PLACES IN NEWS

6. KHARG ISLAND

Current Context: Reports suggest strikes on Iran’s strategic Kharg Island oil hub are being considered, although the claims remain unconfirmed.

ABOUT KHARG ISLAND

• Location: A small coral island in Iran, located in the northern Persian Gulf, about 30 km from the Iranian mainland.
• Area: 25 sq. km; length 8 km; width 4.5 km.
• It is one of relatively few Persian Gulf islands with natural freshwater resources.
• Highest point: Mount Didehban (87 meters above sea level).
• The discovery of an offshore oil field in the early 1960s led to the development of major petroleum and petrochemical installations.
• It became Iran’s largest oil-loading terminal by the early 1970s.
• During the Iran-Iraq war (1980-1988), Kharg was repeatedly bombed, its oil facilities were reconstructed in the early 1990s.

STRATEGIC SIGNIFICANCE

• It facilitates as much as 90% of Iran’s oil exports and is vital for Iran’s economy.
• Storage capacity: 28 million barrels.
• Ability to load 10 supertankers simultaneously and about 7 million barrels of oil per day.
• Its strategic significance lies in its proximity to the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial global oil passage.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

7. GSAT-7B

Current Context: ISRO is slated to launch the Indian Army’s first dedicated communications satellite, GSAT-7B, by mid-2028.

ABOUT GSAT-7B

• It is part of the GSAT-7 series satellites.
• Weight: 5,000 kg (five tonnes); it will be the heaviest communication satellite India has ever built.
• Orbit: Geostationary orbit.
• It will provide secure, round-the-clock connectivity across remote border areas and challenging terrain.
• Till now, the Indian Army has been dependent on GSAT-7A and other surveillance satellites like the RISAT 2BR1 imaging satellite.

GSAT-7 SERIES SATELLITES

• GSAT-7 (Rukmini): India’s first military satellite, launched in August 2013 from an Ariane 5 ECA rocket; provides communication services to the Indian Navy.
• GSAT-7A: Launched on 19 December 2018; provides communication services to the Indian Air Force and helps in satellite-controlled operations of UAVs.
• GSAT-7R (CMS-03): Launched on 2 November 2025 as a replacement for Rukmini, enables secure communications between warships, aircraft, submarines and maritime operations centres.

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