1 Rajputana Royals won the first Archery Premier League
Rajputana Royals (RR) won the inaugural Archery Premier League (APL) title. The 2025 Archery Premier League was the inaugural season of the Archery Premier League. It was held from October 2 to 12, 2025, with six teams. Ram Charan was the official brand ambassador of the league . The league featured 36 Indian archers and 12 foreign archers divided into six teams. The six franchises were Prithviraj Warriors, Kakatiya Knights, Mighty Marathas, Rajputana Royals, Chero Archers, and Chola Chiefs. India’s top archer and Rajputana Royals player Ojas Praveen Deotale , after winning the tournament, said that the APL would be beneficial for Indian players and provide them with a stage experience similar to the Olympics.
2 PM Modi launches development projects worth Rs 13,430 crore in Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh
PM Modi on Thursday launched development projects worth around ₹13,430 crore in Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh . These initiatives span key sectors including infrastructure, energy, defence manufacturing, railways and industry, which will play a major role in boosting the state’s economic development and connectivity.
3 India-Brazil joint declaration agrees to further strengthen the Mercosur-India trade agreement
Brazilian Vice President Geraldo Alckmin has arrived on a two-day visit to India. Geraldo Alckmin, Vice President of Brazil and Minister of Development, Industry, Trade and Services, met Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday . During the meeting in New Delhi, the Union Minister welcomed the interest of India and Mercosur member countries in deepening their existing preferential trade agreement, with the aim of promoting trade and investment. Recalling the framework agreement signed between India and Mercosur on June 17, 2003 , which aimed to strengthen relations and promote the expansion of trade in accordance with the rules and regulations of the World Trade Organization, they agreed. Mercosur or Mercosul is a regional trade organization of South American countries whose members are Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay.
4 After four years, the biennial tradition of Darbar transfer has been resumed in Jammu and Kashmir.
The biennial tradition of Darbar Shifting has been resumed in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir after four years . Chief Minister Omar Abdullah announced its reinstatement. Addressing a press conference in Jammu, Mr. Abdullah said the state cabinet has approved the resumption of this centuries-old tradition. The Lieutenant Governor has also approved it. This government decision marks the return of Jammu and Kashmir’s oldest administrative traditions. The practice of Darbar Shifting was started by Maharaja Gulab Singh in 1872 to ensure administrative access to both Jammu and Kashmir . Under this practice, the capital is shifted between Jammu and Srinagar during seasonal changes. In 2021, the Lieutenant Governor’s administration had put a stop to this tradition.
5 Per Drop More Crop Scheme: New initiative for small scale water harvesting and conservation
To encourage optimal water use and increase farmers’ income , the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has implemented a new policy under the ” Per Drop More Crop” scheme. This initiative enables states and union territories to undertake micro-level water harvesting and conservation projects under ” Other Interventions .” Under the revised guidelines, states and union territories can now plan micro-level water management activities, such as diggi construction and water harvesting systems, based on local needs. These systems can be developed for both farmer and community use, ensuring sustainable water availability for micro-irrigation. Previously, funding for such activities was limited to 20 percent of the total allocation for each state/union territory , and 40 percent for the northeastern states, Himalayan states, and the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. Now, states/union territories are allowed to spend beyond this limit based on their specific needs .
6 Wild elephant population in India has declined by 25%: DNA census report
India’s first nationwide DNA-based census has found that the country’s wild elephant population has declined by nearly 25% in eight years , underscoring growing threats from depleted forests and increased conflict with humans. The report, titled ” Status of Elephants in India: DNA-based Synchronous All-India Population Estimates of Elephants ” (SAIEE 2021-25), released on October 14, 2025 , estimates the number of elephants across India at 22,446, down from 29,964 in 2017. This exercise, led by the Wildlife Institute of India, marks a shift from older census techniques to the more scientifically robust DNA mark-recapture method. Project Elephant, launched in 1992 to protect the animals and their corridors, was previously based on visual or dung-based counts. By state, Karnataka has the highest number of elephants with 6,013 , followed by Assam (4,159), Tamil Nadu (3,136), Kerala (2,785), Uttarakhand (1,792) and Odisha (912). Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand together have over 650 elephants. Small elephant populations also remain in northeastern states such as Arunachal Pradesh (617), Meghalaya (677), Nagaland (252) and Tripura (153). In parts of central and eastern India, states such as Madhya Pradesh (97) and Maharashtra (63) have small and scattered herds of elephants.
7 India ranked 102nd in the Global Hunger Index 2025
India ranks 102nd out of 123 countries on the 2025 Global Hunger Index (GHI) , with a score of 25.8 , falling into the “serious” category of hunger . In the 2024 Global Hunger Index (GHI), India ranked 105th out of 127 countries with a score of 27.3, placing it in the “serious” category. The top countries with scores below 5 globally are Armenia , Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Chile, and China . Somalia, ranked last at 123rd, South Sudan at 121st, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo at 11th. The 2025 Global Hunger Index (GHI) reflects a lag in progress, with a global GHI score of 18.3, slightly lower than 19.0 in 2016, indicating that hunger remains in the “moderate” category. Established in 2006, the GHI was initially published by the US-based International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and the Germany-based Welthungerhilfe. In 2007, the Irish non-governmental organization Concern Worldwide also became a co-publisher. In 2018, IFPRI withdrew from the project, and the GHI became a joint project of Welthungerhilfe and Concern Worldwide. The GHI is a tool for comprehensively measuring and tracking hunger at the global, regional, and national levels. The parameters include undernutrition (inadequate calorie intake); child stunting (children under 5 years of age with low height); child wasting (children under 5 years of age with low weight for their height); and child mortality (children who die before their fifth birthday).
8 Kirti Vardhan Singh attended the 19th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement.
India’s Minister of State for External Affairs, Kirti Vardhan Singh, met with His Excellency Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, President of the Republic of Uganda . Singh is in Uganda to attend the 19th Mid-Term Ministerial Conference of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in Kampala, taking place on October 15th and 16th , where he is leading the Indian delegation. Uganda is the Chair of the Non-Aligned Movement for 2024-26. This year, the Mid-Term Ministerial Conference is themed “Deepening Cooperation for Global Prosperity.” The Non-Aligned Movement was founded during the collapse of colonial rule and the struggles for independence among peoples in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and other regions of the world. In the early days of the Movement, the Non-Aligned Movement’s work was crucial in the decolonization process. This led to the attainment of freedom and independence for many countries and peoples and the establishment of dozens of new sovereign states.
9 A special agreement between IIT Delhi and the Indian Navy
Special attention will be given to “crew-centric” features and requirements in the warships being designed for the Indian Navy . Extensive research will be conducted by experts to achieve this objective. This research will be conducted jointly by a specialized unit of the Navy and IIT Delhi. A special agreement has been signed between the Indian Navy’s Directorate of Naval Architecture and IIT Delhi. Under this agreement, joint research will be conducted on “crew-centric” aspects of warship design. A joint research and design center will be established under the agreement. The center’s objective is to improve the quality of life of personnel deployed on Indian Navy ships. This work will be possible through modern design and innovation.
10 Abhishek Sharma and Smriti Mandhana ICC Players of the Month for September
The ICC has honored Indian T20I opener Abhishek Sharma and Indian women’s team opener Smriti Mandhana with the Player of the Month award for September . Left-handed explosive opener Abhishek Sharma played a key role in the team’s victory in the Asia Cup 2025 with his brilliant batting. Abhishek scored 314 runs in seven matches at an average of 44.85 and a strike rate of 200. He was the tournament’s top scorer. Based on this performance, Abhishek was named the Cricketer of the Month for September.
In the women’s category, Smriti Mandhana was awarded the Player of the Month award for September. Smriti scored 58, 117, and 125 in the home ODI series against Australia. Mandhana scored 308 runs in the series at an average of 77 and a strike rate of 135.68.
11 Women’s Blind Football World Cup, 2025
Argentina defeated England to lift the title in the 2025 World Cup, organised by the International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA) in Kochi , Kerala , in the final . The defending champions retained the trophy with a 2-0 win. In the final match at the United Sports Centre, Kakkanad, Argentina continued their winning streak with goals from Garcia Sosa Barreneche and Yohana Aguilar. Japan finished second after defeating Brazil. India defeated Turkey to finish fifth in the World Cup.
12 India hosted the 11th Asian Aquatics Championships
India made sporting history by hosting the 11th Asian Aquatics Championships for the first time at the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, from September 28 to October 11, 2025. China topped the medal tally with 54 medals (40 gold, 10 silver, 4 bronze). India finished 11th, its best-ever performance in the event, winning a total of 13 medals – 4 silver and 9 bronze .
- China – 40 gold, 10 silver, 4 bronze | Total: 54 (1st)
- Kazakhstan – 8 gold, 7 silver, 8 bronze | Total: 23 (2nd)
- Japan – 5 gold, 12 silver, 4 bronze | Total: 21 (3rd)
- Hong Kong, China – 3 gold, 4 silver, 7 bronze | Total: 14 (4th)
- Vietnam – 2 gold, 7 silver, 6 bronze | Total: 15 (5th)
- India – 0 gold, 4 silver, 9 bronze | Total: 13 (11th)
The event was jointly organised by the Swimming Federation of India (SFI) and the Government of Gujarat. 65 medals were contested across four sports: swimming (42 events), artistic swimming (11 events), diving (10 events), and water polo (2 events). Srihari Nataraj emerged as the most decorated athlete, winning 7 medals, the most by an Indian in a single edition. Bhavya Sachdeva created history by winning India’s first women’s medal (bronze in the 400m freestyle).
13 World Food Day
World Food Day is celebrated every year on October 16th to raise awareness about the importance of safe, nutritious, and sustainable food. This year’s theme is ” Working together for better food and a better future .” Under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) 2013, approximately 810 million people are provided with subsidized food grains. Additionally, schemes such as the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, the Decentralized Procurement Scheme, and the Open Market Sale Scheme help stabilize food grain prices and protect poor families from hunger and malnutrition.
14 World Spine Day
World Spine Day is celebrated on October 16th . Its purpose is to promote awareness about spine health. This year’s theme is ” Healthy Spine – Healthy Future .” By 2050, 843 million people are expected to suffer from spinal diseases. With awareness and a healthy lifestyle, it’s possible to prevent spinal pain and disability.