Lakshadweep Achieves 100% Literacy Status: Declared a 100% literate Union Territory on October 11, 2026, by Administrator Praful Patel + Announcement Venue – Secretariat, Kavaratti + Programme – ULLAS (Understanding Lifelong Learning for All in Society), also known as Nav Bharat Saaksharta Karyakram, a centrally sponsored adult education scheme + Target Group – 1,113 adult non-literate residents identified in the initial survey + Assessment – All eligible learners cleared the Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Assessment Test (FLNAT) through targeted instruction and doorstep assessments by volunteer educators.

Bharat Rice: Indian Army launched Bharat Rice on October 12, 2026, to improve troop ration quality and signed a 5-year MoU with the Food Corporation of India (FCI) for better logistics + Direct Delivery – Supplied directly to Army Supply Depots, including remote and forward areas of Ladakh and the Northeast + Quality Standards – Custom-milled through NAFED with strict limits on broken, damaged and discoloured grains + Packaging – 10-kg and 30-kg bags for easier handling and transport in mountainous terrain + Allocation – 1.25 lakh metric tonnes for the Army in FY 2026–27 + Significance – Strengthens ration quality and streamlines military supply-chain logistics.

Indian Coast Guard’s “Tat Se Parwat” Expedition: 17-member ICG mountaineering team summited Mount Mukut (7,045 m) on October 7, 2026 + Meaning – “From Sea to Summit” + Significance – First ICG flag expedition to a peak above 7,000 metres + Everest Preparation – Fifth and final phase of an 18-month high-altitude training programme for a proposed Mount Everest expedition in 2027 + Mount Everest – 8,848.86 m, the world’s highest mountain above sea level + Flagged Off – September 15, 2026, by ICG Director-General Paramesh Sivamani + Flagged In – October 12, 2026, at Dehradun by Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami + Special Occasion – Proposed Everest expedition coincides with the ICG’s Golden Jubilee (Swarnim Jayanti) in 2027.