Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena has declared Ladakh the country's first fully (100%) organic Union Territory, covering Leh and Kargil districts after a phased move away from synthetic fertilisers and chemical pesticides.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has published its first worldwide assessment of coral reef ecosystems, rating 96% of the assessed shallow-water reef ecosystems as Critically Endangered. It covers 188,362 sq km of reefs in 127 tropical and subtropical ecoregions in over 80 countries and territories.
Researchers have described two new plant species, Ophiorrhiza shidiensis and Ophiorrhiza pemae, from Vijoynagar in Changlang district, Arunachal Pradesh, an area that lies within the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot. Both belong to the Rubiaceae family, known as the coffee, madder or bedstraw family. O. shidiensis takes its name from "Shidi", the Lisu (Yobin) name for Gandhigram, while O.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has updated its capital adequacy framework to match Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) standards, with revised leverage ratio rules taking effect on 1 April 2027. Domestic Systemically Important Banks (D-SIBs) must hold a minimum leverage ratio of 4%, and other banks 3.5%, at all times.
A flock of 18 Greater Flamingos (Phoenicopterus roseus) was spotted at Veeranam Lake in Tamil Nadu's Cuddalore district, which is rare for this inland freshwater lake. The bird normally prefers coastal wetlands, mudflats, lagoons and shallow waters, and in winter usually moves from the Gulf of Kutch to the east coast.
The 14th International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week (ILPPW), listed for October 18/24, is observed to build awareness of lead poisoning and encourage steps that prevent lead exposure, particularly among children. The 2026 theme is "From Detection to Prevention." Lead mostly enters the body when contaminated dust, soil, water, food or other materials are inhaled or swallowed.
The Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC) held its 30th meeting in New Delhi. The meeting took stock of domestic and global macro-financial developments and assessed emerging risks to India's financial system.
Oil India Limited (OIL) has struck natural gas in the shallow-water part of the Krishna-Godavari (KG) Basin. Its Godavari-1 well registered a peak flow of 200,000 Standard Cubic Metres per Day (SCMD).
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