Quick Revision
- Beatles four-film project (Sir Sam Mendes) to be shot at Chaurasi Kutia, Rishikesh in Feb 2027; CM Dhami met the film delegation on 18 Oct
- Haridwar cabinet (12 Oct, 13 proposals) approved Uttarakhand Flood Plain Zoning Rules, 2026, the Fire and Emergency Services Bill and a second Jan Vishwas (Amendment) Bill
- Special Summary Revision (SSR) of electoral rolls in 17 States/UTs, including Uttarakhand; qualifying date 1 Jan 2027
- Kolkata stampede toll rises to 19; SIT to be led by a sitting Calcutta High Court judge; BNS Section 105 case registered
- Gwalior (MP) temple truck crash (18 Oct): 15 killed near the Sheetla Mata temple
- Trade margins on 137 anti-cancer drugs capped at 30% (revised prices expected from 9 Nov, as reported)
- Oil firms bar sugarcane juice, syrup and B-heavy molasses ethanol in the 2026-27 tender (about 11 billion litres for E20)
- India-Mauritius DTAA amended with the Principal Purpose Test; investments before 1 Apr 2017 exempt
- WTO raises 2026 world merchandise trade growth forecast to 3.9% (from 1.9%)
- JAXA's MMX Phobos sample-return mission launches 20 Oct JST; Asian Para Games begin at Nagoya (18-24 Oct)
TODAY IN 60 SECONDS
Three stories carry the day: a Beatles film project comes to Rishikesh in our own state, the Election Commission orders a Special Summary Revision of rolls ahead of the early-2027 Assembly polls, and two crowd tragedies, in Kolkata and Gwalior, put public safety in focus.
1. UTTARAKHAND SPECIAL
Beatles film project: CM Dhami met an international film delegation in Dehradun on 18 October. 'The Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event' (directed by Sir Sam Mendes; Neal Street Productions for Sony Pictures with Apple Corps) is to be shot at Chaurasi Kutia (Beatles Ashram), Rishikesh in February 2027, for release in April 2028. About 100 international and 150 Indian crew are expected.
Film policy: Actor Akshay Kumar met the CM to discuss Uttarakhand's Film Policy 2024; officials are working on a single-window clearance system with shooting permissions facilitated within seven days.
Haridwar cabinet of 12 October (13 proposals), key decisions:
- Flood Plain Zoning Rules, 2026 to regulate construction and land use in flood-prone areas
- Horizontal reservation rules, 2026 for discharged Agniveers in direct-recruitment uniformed Group C posts, exempt from the written exam and physical standard test
- Fire and Emergency Services Bill, 2026; second Jan Vishwas (Amendment) Bill, 2026
- Mukhyamantri Rajya Bal Veerta Puraskar Yojana
- 92% of income from disinvestment and monetisation to go to the concerned public agencies
- Swajal mission posts extended to 28 Feb 2027; society for the Malaviya research institute, Haridwar
Also: Uttarakhand is covered by the SSR (qualifying date 1 Jan 2027); the Assembly's term ends in March 2027. Maha Navami (19 Oct) was a state holiday.
Exam Pointer: Rishikesh is the 'Yoga Capital of the World'; the Beatles visited in 1968 to study Transcendental Meditation with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Film tourism is a likely Mains topic: policy, single-window clearance, local employment.
2. POLITY AND GOVERNANCE
- SSR of electoral rolls: 17 States/UTs (including UP, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur, Goa); legal basis Art. 324 and Sec. 21(2), RP Act 1950; Aadhaar is voluntary and no entry can be deleted for lack of it. SSR is a routine annual update; SIR is intensive re-verification
- Kolkata stampede (Chorbagan pandal): toll 19; suo motu case under BNS Section 105; state aid of Rs 25 lakh and a Group D job per deceased family
- Gwalior crash: paddy-laden truck ran into Navratri devotees, 15 killed, 27 injured; City SP removed, eight police personnel suspended
- Supreme Court bars mid-term fee hikes; the full course fee must be notified before admission
- OCI is not citizenship (Art. 9 bars dual citizenship); holders have no political rights (Sec. 7B). Census (Amendment) Rules, 2026 allow private-sector employees and teachers as enumerators
- MHA approves moving CISF from
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