1.The Union government Wednesday increased the dearness allowance (DA) by 3 percentage points effective from July 1 this year, benefitting more than 1 crore employees and pensioners ahead of the Diwali festival.

2.The statue of Lady Justice, in the judges’ library of the Supreme Court, now holds a copy of the Indian Constitution, instead of a sword, and the blindfold has come off to leave her with open eyes.

3.The absolute highest increase in MSP has been announced for rapeseed and mustard at Rs 300 per quintal, followed by lentil (masur) at Rs275 per quintal. For gram, wheat, safflower, and barley, there is an increase of Rs210 per quintal, Rs150 per quintal, Rs140 per quintal and Rs130 per quintal, respectively, according to the CCEA.

4.President Droupadi Murmu is scheduled to visit Odisha for three days from October 23 during which she will lay the foundation of several key railway and development projects in the state, an official statement said.

5.Statues of eminent personalities will be installed at various locations across the state. According to the plan, statue of Bhajan Samrat Bhikari Bal will be installed in Kendrapara, Dharam Singh Mandhata Majhi in Bolangir, Kuntala Kumari Sabat and Kabi Sekhar Chintamani Mohanty in Bhubaneswar, Kabi Samrat Upendra Bhanja in Berhampur and Gokulananda Mohanty in Bhadrak.

6.Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan Wednesday said that a Law Revision Commission will be formed within next 45 days to review the old laws which have become obsolete, and suggest ways to bring in reforms.

7.Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s niece Roma Ray died Wednesday at her south Kolkata residence due to old age ailments, her family said. She was 95.

8.In order to enhance track safety, improve ride quality, and extend the lifespan of railway tracks, East Coast Railway (ECoR) recently commissioned 96-stone rail grinding machines, RGI96-5.

9.Seventyseven per cent voter turnout has been recorded in Punjab as per the data received from Deputy Commissioner-cum-District Election Officers for the gram panchayat elections.

10.The Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) chairman K Marigowda quit Wednesday, amid a row over irregularities in allotment of sites to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s wife Parvathi B M.

11.The Supreme Court Wednesday directed the Lieutenant Governor (LG) V K Saxena, who also holds the office of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) chairperson, to file his personal affidavit by October 22 on issues concerning alleged felling of trees in the Delhi Ridge area.

12.National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah assumed the office of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Chief Minister at the Civil Secretariat at Srinagar Wednesday, while Haryana’s Nayab Singh Saini staked claim to form the government.

13. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy unveiled his much anticipated “victory plan” Wednesday, calling on his allies to take urgent steps to bolster Kyiv at a precarious moment in a bid to end the war with Russia next year.

14.BharatPe Group Wednesday said it has narrowed its consolidated losses before tax by about 50 per cent to Rs474 crore in 2023-24. It had reported losses of Rs 941 crore in FY23, according to a company statement.

15.Captain Ashalata Devi will become the first Indian woman footballer to play 100 international matches when she takes the field in the SAFF Championships opening match against Pakistan here Thursday.