Current Affairs, 12 November 2026: inflation at 6.09%, Air Force told to prepare for drone and space warfare, IITF opens and more

Every item below is taken from the official releases of the Press Information Bureau (PIB), Government of India, dated 12 November 2026 — 20 stories. Each headline opens the full story on Bharat Darshan Times with the complete official text, photos, data tables and a link to the original release.

Who this is for: students preparing for UPSC, state PSC, SSC, banking and other exams, and every reader who wants the day’s government news without the noise.

Top 10 points for exams

1. Retail inflation (CPI, base 2024=100) rose to 6.09% in October from 5.54% in September; food inflation 8.94%; rural 6.63%, urban 5.41%.
2. Rajnath Singh asked the Indian Air Force at its Commanders’ Conference to prepare for drone, electronic, cyber and space warfare and launched in-house AI tools.
3. The 45th India International Trade Fair runs at Bharat Mandapam from 14 to 27 November with over 3,500 exhibitors; Piyush Goyal inaugurates it on 13 November.
4. 22 companies bid for 10 GWh of grid-scale advanced chemistry cell capacity under the PLI scheme (target 50 GWh; outlay ₹18,100 crore).
5. TDB-DST signed an agreement to provide ₹64.05 crore to Astrome for an AI-enabled electronic-intelligence satellite constellation (project cost ₹128.11 crore).
6. Nifty 50 closed at 25,299.35 (+0.18%) on 12 November; Nifty Realty rose 4.51%, Nifty Auto fell 1.02% (NSE).
7. Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan has reached 35.88 crore people, including 14.35 crore youth and 11.33 crore women.
8. Kendriya Vidyalayas launched the Vidya Samiksha Kendra with an AI bot, KVS-Samvaad parent app and KVS Alumni Portal.
9. One Nation One Ration Card covers all 36 states and UTs and handles about 3.27 crore portability transactions a month.
10. The 9th National Naturopathy Day will be observed on 18 November at Nagamangala, Karnataka; theme “Prakrutik Chikitsa, Swasth Bharat”.
11. Defence Ministry relaunched the Gallantry Awards portal; Veer Gatha has grown to 1.92 crore students from 8 lakh in its first edition.

Key numbers of the day

Figure	What it is
6.09%	CPI inflation, October 2026 (provisional)
8.94%	Food inflation (CFPI), October 2026
116.22%	Onion inflation, October 2026 (annual)
110.05	All-India CPI index, October 2026 (2024=100)
25,299.35	Nifty 50 close, 12 November 2026 (NSE)
3,500+	Exhibitors at IITF 2026 (45th edition)
22	Companies bidding for 10 GWh grid-scale cell PLI
₹18,100 cr	Outlay of the ACC battery storage PLI scheme (2021)
₹64.05 cr	TDB-DST support to Astrome for AI-ELINT satellites
35.88 crore	People reached by Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan
198	District De-Addiction Centres in India
3.27 crore	Monthly ONORC portability transactions
78.65 crore	Beneficiaries in digitised ration databases
1.92 crore	Students in the fifth edition of Veer Gatha
653	Papers published by Ayush research councils in 2025-26
18 Nov	9th National Naturopathy Day

Economy, business and industry

• Retail inflation rises to 6.09% in October from 5.54%; onion up 116%, food prices up 8.94% — Rural inflation is 6.63% and urban 5.41%; potato, cauliflower and coconut are cheaper than a year ago.
• India International Trade Fair opens 14 November with 3,500 exhibitors at Bharat Mandapam — Piyush Goyal inaugurates the 45th edition on 13 November; the first five days are for business visitors, the public enters from 19 November.
• 22 firms bid for 10 GWh of grid-scale battery cell manufacturing under PLI scheme — Technical bids were opened on 11 November; the capacity is part of a targeted 50 GWh under the ₹18,100-crore ACC programme.

India vs World: technology and defence

• Rajnath Singh tells Air Force to prepare for drone, cyber and space warfare — He launched AI applications built in-house by the IAF and asked commanders to keep the “element of surprise” on both offence and defence.
• Government backs Bengaluru firm with ₹64.05 crore to build AI-enabled intelligence satellite constellation — The Technology Development Board’s support covers half of the ₹128.11-crore project for 50-kg class ELINT microsatellites.
• Defence Ministry relaunches Gallantry Awards portal; Veer Gatha reaches 1.92 crore students — The revamped site adds memorials, museums, a tribute section and an archive on awardees and military operations since independence.

Governance and public life

• PM shares Sanskrit verse on selfless service to others — The subhashitam says noble people are devoted to public welfare, like jewels that radiate their own light.
• President Murmu tells Eklavya school students to aim to become job creators — She met meritorious students at Rashtrapati Bhavan during Janjatiya Gaurav Pakhwada and urged them to follow current affairs.
• Farmers should be recognised as custodians of crop diversity, says P.K. Mishra — He spoke at the 22nd Foundation Day of PPVFRA, which also marked 25 years of the Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Act.
• Citizens get until 30 November to give feedback on water conservation works — The Jal Shakti Ministry extended the Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari 2.0 feedback portal; over 1.5 crore structures have been reported.

Science, technology and international cooperation

• India’s science academy backs G20 academies’ statement on technology for disaster readiness — The Joint S20 Statement names five areas for action and goes to the G20 ahead of its December summit in Miami.
• Jitendra Singh begins Italy visit to advance science partnership agreed in May — The five-day visit includes a science and innovation dialogue in Rome and visits to research institutions in Trieste.

Education and youth

• Kendriya Vidyalayas get AI dashboard, parent app and alumni portal — Education Minister Pralhad Joshi launched three KVS platforms built in-house by the Sangathan’s IT Services Cell.

Health and wellness

• Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan has reached 35.88 crore people, Social Justice Ministry says — People seeking treatment and counselling rose from 2.08 lakh in 2020-21 to over 9.11 lakh in 2025-26.
• Naturopathy Day on 18 November to focus on research and preventive health — The 9th National Naturopathy Day will be held in Nagamangala, Karnataka, under the theme “Prakrutik Chikitsa, Swasth Bharat”.

Culture, media and heritage

• Nearly 50,000 devotees pay respects to Buddha relics in Arunachal Pradesh — After Tawang, the relics are at Bomdila until 13 November and then move to the Golden Pagoda in Namsai.
• Startups have until 13 November to register for WaveX pavilion at IFFI Goa — Only DPIIT-registered startups in film, media and allied technology can book pods at WAVES Bazaar from 20 to 24 November.

Swachhata and Special Campaign 6

• CPWD says it exceeded targets on grievances and record review in Special Campaign 6.0 — The campaign’s preparatory phase ran from 15 to 30 September and implementation from 2 to 31 October 2026.
• HUDCO holds eye check-up camp for sanitation and security staff during Special Campaign 6 — The housing finance company also cleared old files, scrap and obsolete IT equipment.

Explainers: read these for exams

• One Nation, One Ration Card: how portable foodgrain access works across 36 states and UTs — A PIB backgrounder on the scheme, which records about 3.27 crore portability transactions a month.

Watch

• Air Force commanders’ conclave in Delhi: Rajnath Singh attends — DD News

Practice questions

1. What was India’s retail inflation (CPI) in October 2026?

(a) 5.54% · (b) 6.09% · (c) 6.63% · (d) 8.94%

2. What is the base year of the new Consumer Price Index series used in the October 2026 release?

(a) 2012 · (b) 2022 · (c) 2024 · (d) 2026

3. Which vegetable had the highest annual inflation in October 2026 among the top five items?

(a) Potato · (b) Onion · (c) Cauliflower · (d) Cabbage

4. Where is the 45th India International Trade Fair being held?

(a) Yashobhoomi · (b) Bharat Mandapam · (c) Pragati Maidan Hall 1 · (d) Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium

5. What is the theme of IITF 2026?

(a) Vikas aur Virasat · (b) Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat · (c) Viksit Bharat · (d) Atmanirbhar Bharat

6. How many companies bid for the 10 GWh grid-scale cell capacity under the ACC PLI scheme?

(a) 12 · (b) 17 · (c) 22 · (d) 30

7. The ACC battery storage PLI scheme targets how much manufacturing capacity?

(a) 10 GWh · (b) 25 GWh · (c) 50 GWh · (d) 100 GWh

8. At which event did Rajnath Singh ask the IAF to prepare for drone, cyber and space warfare?

(a) Air Force Commanders’ Conference · (b) Combined Commanders’ Conference · (c) DefExpo · (d) Aero India

9. Astrome Technologies is building a constellation of satellites for which purpose?

(a) Weather forecasting · (b) Electronic intelligence · (c) Broadband · (d) Navigation

10. How many people has the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan reached as of 12 November 2026?

(a) 3.58 crore · (b) 14.35 crore · (c) 35.88 crore · (d) 58.8 crore

11. When is the 9th National Naturopathy Day?

(a) 12 November · (b) 18 November · (c) 24 November · (d) 1 December

12. One Nation One Ration Card is in place in how many states and UTs?

(a) 28 · (b) 31 · (c) 36 · (d) 38

13. Which minister launched the Kendriya Vidyalaya AI-integrated Vidya Samiksha Kendra?

(a) Pralhad Joshi · (b) Piyush Goyal · (c) Jitendra Singh · (d) Manohar Lal

14. Who urged Eklavya school students to become job creators?

(a) Vice-President · (b) President Droupadi Murmu · (c) Prime Minister · (d) Education Minister

15. The Gallantry Awards portal also hosts which programme for students?

(a) Veer Gatha · (b) Param Vir · (c) Shaurya Yatra · (d) Vijay Diwas

Answers

1. (b) 6.09% · 2. (c) 2024 · 3. (b) Onion · 4. (b) Bharat Mandapam · 5. (a) Vikas aur Virasat · 6. (c) 22 · 7. (c) 50 GWh · 8. (a) Air Force Commanders’ Conference · 9. (b) Electronic intelligence · 10. (c) 35.88 crore · 11. (b) 18 November · 12. (c) 36 · 13. (a) Pralhad Joshi · 14. (b) President Droupadi Murmu · 15. (a) Veer Gatha

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What this page does not include: events and claims that are not in an official release. Corruption cases, court matters and other news will appear here only after they are verified against primary sources.

Source: Press Information Bureau — All Releases, 12 November 2026.