PIB News Today for UPSC: 10 November 2026 (Anti-Cancer Drug Prices, Startups, TRAI Port Charges)

1. NPPA Caps Trade Margins on 137 Anti-Cancer Drugs; Revised MRPs Apply From 9 November

About the action

• The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA), under the Department of Pharmaceuticals in the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, has capped trade margins on the Maximum Retail Price (MRP) of 137 anti-cancer drugs.
• The cap follows recommendations of an Expert Committee constituted by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) on 17 October 2026, so the revised MRPs took effect within about three weeks.

What the data show

• By 8 November, 85 pharmaceutical companies had reported revised MRPs for 1,364 formulations covering 121 drugs, which means the cut is already reaching packs and shelves.
• 679 brands reported price reductions of more than 50%, and the highest reported reduction is 96.45%, which shows how wide trade margins had been on some medicines.
• The estimated annual saving to consumers is ₹3,540.38 crore; this is an expected figure built on company reports, not a measured saving.

Consumer safeguards

• No chemist or hospital pharmacy can charge above the revised MRP, and buyers can verify prices on the Pharma Sahi Daam mobile app or at nppa.gov.in.
• Overcharging complaints go to the Pharma Jan Samadhan portal or the NPPA helpline 1800-111-255, giving patients a direct route that does not need a court.

Concerns and way forward

• Only 85 companies had reported by 8 November, so actual relief depends on how quickly the remaining manufacturers and retailers comply; NPPA monitoring of pack MRPs would address this.
• A margin cap lowers the retail mark-up but not the ex-factory price, so the effect on supply from manufacturers working on thinner margins is worth tracking.

Read more on GSMitra: Cancer Medicine Price Cap: 30% Trade Margin on 137 Drugs Explained · India’s Healthcare Affordability Crisis: A Multi-Dimensional Look

Source: PIB release 2334268

2. National Entrepreneurship Day: India Has Over 2.62 Lakh DPIIT-Recognised Startups

Background

• National Entrepreneurship Day is observed on 9 November because the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship was established on 9 November 2014.
• The Startup India initiative, launched in 2016, has grown from a policy framework into a platform that supports startups from idea stage to scaling.

What the data show

• Recognised startups rose from fewer than 500 in 2014 to over 2.62 lakh in November 2026, which the release says makes India the world’s third-largest startup ecosystem.
• Over 55,200 startups were recognised in FY 2025-26, the highest in a single year since 2016, with recognitions up 51.6% and direct jobs up 36.1% over FY 2024-25.
• Startups have created more than 25 lakh jobs up to October 2026, and Maharashtra, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Gujarat lead in recognised startups and direct jobs as of 31 March 2026.
• More than 1.07 lakh recognised startups, about 48%, have at least one woman director or partner, and nearly half of all recognised startups come from Tier-II and Tier-III cities.

Support schemes named in the release

A caution for answers

• Recognition counts measure registration, not survival or profit, so Mains answers should pair these figures with funding gaps and the concentration of startups in a few States.

Source: PIB release 2334411

3. TRAI Frames Port Charges for IP-Based Interconnection, Effective 1 January 2027

Background

• Interconnection links two telecom networks so that users of different service providers can reach each other, and Section 11(1)(b) of the TRAI Act, 1997 empowers TRAI to prescribe its terms and conditions.
• The 2001 port-charges regulation covered only legacy E1/TDM ports (2.048 Mbps), and its charges were last revised in 2012, so IP-based links had no charge framework.

What has changed

• The definition of ‘Port’ now covers both E1 and IP ports, with bandwidth expressed in Mbps or Gbps, so modern links fall inside the regulation.
• Annual IP-port charges are capped at ₹5.6 lakh for a 1 Gbps port and ₹42.3 lakh for a 10 Gbps port, and parties may agree to lower charges or to other capacities using the same method.
• The charges apply uniformly to fixed-line, mobile, national long-distance and international long-distance services, while the earlier charges continue only for E1 ports.
• A graded financial disincentive of up to ₹15 lakh per Service Area for each contravention gives the rules an enforcement edge.

Process and status

• TRAI ran a pre-consultation (3 April 2025), a consultation paper (10 November 2025) and an open house discussion (28 January 2026), with seventeen stakeholders commenting, before finalising the text.
• The regulations take effect on 1 January 2027, so they are notified but not yet in force; the impact on operators’ costs will show only after that date.

Source: PIB release 2334365

4. Swachh Survekshan 2025-26: 10th Edition Awards on 11 November; Over 4,751 Cities Assessed

About the survey

• Swachh Survekshan is the flagship cleanliness assessment of Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban, and it has grown from 73 ULBs in 2016 to over 4,751 cities in the latest edition.
• Urban local bodies were scored on 43 indicators across 10 assessment areas, by over 3,000 trained assessors using GPS-enabled monitoring and a fully digital evidence process.
• New emphasis this year covers citizen feedback, river fronts, coastlines and water bodies, open defecation and urination, and cleanliness of tourist and heritage spots.

Swachh Shehar Jodi

• Launched on 27 September 2025, it pairs 70 mentor cities with 191 mentee cities across 33 States/UTs, and is described as the first urban waste management mentorship programme.
• Mentee cities improved between SS 2024 and the latest edition: visible cleanliness 48% to 70%, source segregation 16% to 30% and access to sanitation 11% to 38%.
• Rankings are not yet announced in this release, so the winners will be known only on 11 November.

Read more on GSMitra: Swachh Survekshan at 10: Urban Solid Waste Management in India

Source: PIB release 2334316

5. Delhi’s First Recreational Yamuna Cruise on National Waterway-110 to Open on 10 November

Key points

• The Yamuna is designated National Waterway-110 under the National Waterways Act, 2016, and the cruise runs on the Sonia Vihar-Jagatpur stretch in Delhi.
• The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) is developing it with the DDA, Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation, Delhi Jal Board and Delhi’s Irrigation and Flood Control Department.
• Electric-powered vessels will be used, and trial runs were done last month, so the launch rests on tested operations rather than a plan alone.
• The release presents it as a step to use the waterway for tourism and cleaner mobility; it describes a recreational service, not freight movement.

Source: PIB release 2334385

6. India-Myanmar ‘Rahat Mitra’: First Bilateral Tri-Services HADR Exercise Held at Chennai

Key points

• It is the first bilateral tri-services Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) exercise between the two countries, involving the Indian Navy, Army and Air Force with a Myanmar delegation.
• A table-top exercise on a severe cyclone scenario tested joint response mechanisms, which suits two Bay of Bengal neighbours exposed to cyclones.
• Demonstrations covered obstacle clearance, bridge-laying, shipborne HADR on INS Sukanya, flood relief teams, maritime search and rescue with INS Bitra, and IAF casualty evacuation.
• Day two also showed shore-based communication networks for command and control at INS Adyar and field medical triage at Military Hospital, Chennai, covering the full relief chain.
• The release frames the aim as interoperability and exchange of best practices, so it is a capacity-building step and not a defence pact.

Source: PIB release 2334306