Current Affairs Quiz 20th, 21st and 22nd October 2026 Quiz

Explanation: Bathukamma is Telangana’s traditional flower festival, celebrating nature, women’s unity, and the state’s cultural traditions. Women sing folk songs and dance around floral arrangements, which are immersed in ponds or lakes at the end of the celebrations.

Explanation:

• The Global Hunger Index 2026 was released on 14 October 2026, ahead of World Food Day (16 October), at a hybrid event in Berlin. India ranked 100th out of 122 countries, with a score of 24.1 — in the “serious” hunger category.
• The index is released jointly by the German aid agency Welthungerhilfe (WHH) and Concern Worldwide, an Irish organisation, along with partner institutions: the Institute for International Law of Peace and Armed Conflict (IFHV) and the Swiss organisation Helvetas.

Top-Ranked Countries (Score < 5.0)

• Belarus (Score: <5.0)
• Bosnia & Herzegovina (Score: <5.0)
• Bulgaria (Score: <5.0)
• Chile (Score: <5.0)
• China (Score: <5.0)
• Costa Rica (Score: <5.0)
• Croatia (Score: <5.0)

Bottom Rank

• 122- Somalia
• 121- DR Congo
• 120- Chad

Explanation:

• India has climbed one place to 84th in the Henley Passport Index for October 2026, even as the number of destinations Indian passport holders can access without obtaining a visa beforehand has dropped from 57 to 55 over the past year.
• According to the latest ranking released by Henley & Partners, dated October 9, India shares the 84th position with Algeria and Mauritania. The country’s score has declined by two destinations compared with October 2025, highlighting the gap between its ranking and the travel privileges available to its passport holders.
• The Henley Passport Index ranks 199 passports according to the number of destinations their holders can visit without securing a visa in advance. It covers 227 destinations and uses data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Top 3 Ranks

• 1st Place: Singapore (193 destinations)
• 2nd Place (Tied): Japan, South Korea, and the United Arab Emirates (188 destinations each)
• 3rd Place: Sweden (187 destinations)

Explanation: India and Myanmar signed five MoUs under the Mekong–Ganga Cooperation (MGC) framework. The projects focus on grassroots development, including water and sanitation, road upgrades, sports facilities, boiler operations, and software support.

Explanation: According to the provided document, ICICI Prudential Life Insurance rebranded itself as ICICI Life Insurance and introduced the tagline “Har Kal Aasaan.” The change emphasizes a simpler, more flexible, and transparent customer experience, aligning with the broader goal of “Insurance for All by 2047.”

Explanation: Reema Nanavaty, Director of the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) of India, received the Hillary Rodham Clinton Award. Her work focuses on women’s economic empowerment through women-owned enterprises and women-led supply chains.

Explanation: State Bank of India (SBI) received the World’s Best Consumer Bank 2026 award from Global Finance magazine for the second consecutive year. The award was presented on the sidelines of the IMF Annual Meeting 2026 in Bangkok, Thailand.

8. Exercise Akhand Prahar-II was conducted by the Indian Army in which location?

(a) Pokhran, Rajasthan

(b) Jaisalmer, Rajasthan

(c) Leh, Ladakh

(d) Pathankot, Punjab

(e) Tezpur, Assam

Explanation: The Indian Army's Black Mace Brigade and Battle Axe Division conducted Exercise Akhand Prahar-II in the desert sector of Jaisalmer. The exercise focused on technology-enabled combined arms operations, New Generation Equipment (NGEs), and Force Multipliers (FMs).

Explanation: Vice-President C. P. Radhakrishnan commissioned INS Samarthak at Karwar, Karnataka. The vessel represents progress in indigenous defence manufacturing, with more than 75% indigenous content.

Explanation: Sheetal Devi equalled the women’s compound archery world record with 704 points at the 2026 Asian Para Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. She also teamed up with Toman Kumar to set a new world record of 1,402 points in the mixed team ranking round.

Explanation: Prof. B. Madhusoodana Kurup was a renowned fisheries scientist and the founding Vice-Chancellor of the Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS). His contributions included documenting inland aquatic biodiversity, discovering eight freshwater fish species in the Western Ghats, and leading the Kuttanad Water Balance Study.

Explanation: World Statistics Day is observed every five years on 20 October. It was first celebrated in 2010 and was established by the United Nations Statistical Commission to promote statistical literacy, data integrity, and the importance of national statistical systems. In India, Statistics Day is observed on 29 June, the birth anniversary of statistician Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis.