UPSC current affairs, 24 September 2026

• The India-New Zealand FTA gives India duty-free access for 100% of its exports, while India excluded dairy and nearly 30% of its import lines from tariff concessions.
• New Zealand committed $20 billion in investments over 15 years, and the deal aims to double bilateral goods trade from $1.1 billion by 2030.

Trade policy: the editorial presents FTAs with smaller economies, which protect sensitive sectors such as dairy, as a way to diversify exports and reduce MSME exposure to global shocks.

2025 · GS3 · 10 marks What are the challenges before the Indian economy when the world is moving away from free trade and multilateralism to protectionism and bilateralism? How can these challenges be met?

How to use it: India's FTA with New Zealand, protecting dairy while securing duty-free access for all its exports, shows bilateral deals being used to diversify markets amid global trade disruption.

• The 18th BRICS summit was held in New Delhi on September 12-13, 2026, and issued the Delhi Declaration.
• BRICS has 11 member countries, including Iran and the United Arab Emirates.
• India endorsed the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation's Bishkek resolution condemning strikes on Iran.

India and multilateral groupings: the author presents BRICS as a platform for multi-alignment and strategic autonomy, and for India-China engagement, while members diverge on issues such as AI regulation and climate.

2026 · GS2 · 10 marks "BRICS acts as a powerful counterweight in global governance, actively amplifying the voice and influence of the Global South." Explain the role of BRICS in projecting itself as an alternative to other groupings.

How to use it: The Delhi Declaration's consensus among 11 members and BRICS's shared aim of a more representative international system illustrate its role as an alternative platform that serves India's strategic autonomy.

• The federal funds rate, set by the U.S. Federal Open Market Committee, works much like India's repo rate.
• U.S. public debt reached 122.6% of GDP in the first quarter of 2026.
• The U.S. accounts for one-third of global military expenditure, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

Global monetary spillovers: a U.S. rate hike driven by war-linked inflation and high public debt shows how external tightening and rising bond yields shape conditions for emerging economies such as India.

• Motor Accidents Claims Tribunals are set up by State governments, and claims are filed under Section 166 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.
• No-fault liability gives Rs 5 lakh for death and Rs 2.5 lakh for grievous hurt without proving negligence.
• Under the 'pay and recover' principle, courts can direct insurers to pay victims first and then recover the amount from owners or drivers.

Road safety and access to justice: the claims framework, built through tribunals and Supreme Court formulae, shows how courts have expanded compensation, including recognising homemakers' work.

• Project 75I is the Indian Navy's programme to acquire six next-generation conventional submarines with Air Independent Propulsion (AIP).
• The submarines are expected to be a variant of the HDW Class 214, with the first delivered seven years after contract signing.
• AIP lets non-nuclear submarines stay submerged for extended periods without surfacing to recharge batteries.

Defence cooperation and indigenisation: in-country submarine building with a German partner links India-Germany ties to Make in India in defence.

• The Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 (H.R. 5334) allows tariffs of up to 100% on the five largest purchasers of Russian oil and natural gas.
• Russian Ural crude accounts for 51% of India's total crude imports.

India-U.S. relations and energy security: secondary tariffs on Russian oil buyers test India's strategic autonomy and its energy import strategy.

• The Climate Impact Lab projects 66,800 additional heat deaths in the Sahel region over the same six-month period.
• India's southwest monsoon showed a 15% rainfall deficit up to September 22, 2026.

Climate change and public health: projected heat deaths, a monsoon deficit and low coal stocks show how El Niño strains health, energy and agriculture together.

• China advocates 'Asian solutions to Asian problems', stressing that regional disputes be managed among Asian countries without external interference.
• U.S.-China disputes include tariffs, semiconductor restrictions, rare earth export controls and Taiwan arms sales.

Great-power rivalry in Asia: a U.S.-China truce and the 'G2' idea raise concerns for India about being sidelined in shaping the Asian order.

• Tulu has been given second additional administrative language status in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts of Karnataka.
• Tulu is one of the five major Dravidian languages, with Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam, and is now mostly written in the Kannada script.
• The article links Tulu culture with the Yakshagana and Bhoota Kola traditions.

Linguistic diversity and governance: official recognition of a regional language at district level shows how States accommodate linguistic identity in administration.

• The 2023 Act's selection committee has the Prime Minister as Chairperson, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and a Union Cabinet Minister nominated by the PM.
• In Anoop Baranwal v. Union of India (2023), the Supreme Court set an interim panel of the PM, Leader of Opposition and the CJI.
• Both judges flagged delays in constitutional references, noting that Anoop Baranwal took eight years.

Independence of constitutional bodies: petitioners argue that an executive majority on the selection panel undermines the Election Commission's independence.

• Form 6 is the application for first-time inclusion in the electoral roll; the disputed change added a Special Intensive Revision declaration without amending the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960.
• The Registration of Electors Rules, 1960 are framed under the Representation of the People Act, 1950.

Functioning of the Election Commission: dissent within a multi-member Commission raises questions on collective decision-making and on procedure for changing electoral roll forms.

• The G4 nations, India, Brazil, Germany and Japan, met to press for reformed multilateralism and a more representative UN Security Council.
• The India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) was discussed with Italy's Deputy Prime Minister.
• The UN General Assembly comprises all 193 UN member states.

India as a voice of the Global South: the remarks link representation in global institutions to UN reform and to resisting weaponised supply chains and energy.

• The Supreme Court had directed the ECI to accept Aadhaar as a document and give reasons for deletions in Bihar.

Electoral integrity: the piece argues that the SIR departed from the ECI's tradition of voter inclusion, making registration more punitive.

2026 · GS2 · 10 marks Is the right to vote a fundamental right? Discuss the position of the Election Commission of India while undertaking the revision of electoral rolls. Can it also examine the question of citizenship of the voters?

How to use it: The SIR's 13 crore draft-roll deletions, the shift of the burden of proof onto voters, and two ECs' unanswered objections show the ECI's role and limits in revising electoral rolls.

• Ladakh became a Union Territory in 2019; it was an independent kingdom before its integration into the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir in 1834.

Asymmetric federalism: an Article 371 model for Ladakh shows how special provisions can address regional demands for land, job and cultural safeguards.

2026 · GS2 · 15 marks How far has the Indian federal framework been successful in accommodating regional and cultural diversities? Highlight the role of asymmetric federalism and suggest measures to make dispute resolution mechanisms more…

How to use it: The Centre's proposed Article 371 arrangement for an elected UT-level body in Ladakh is an example of asymmetric federalism accommodating regional and cultural diversity.

• The Domestic Tourism Expenditure Survey was released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation and covered 2.46 lakh households.
• Pilgrimage and religious trips made up 48% of all overnight trips.
• 35.2% of rural and 37.7% of urban households took at least one overnight trip.

Inequality in consumption: the widening rural-urban gap in leisure travel reflects income differences, and the dominance of pilgrimage trips matters for tourism policy.

• The HSBC Flash India PMI is compiled by S&P Global and sponsored by HSBC.
• A PMI reading above 50 indicates expansion in economic activity.

Economic indicators: high-frequency data such as PMI help track momentum in manufacturing and services ahead of official GDP data.

• The RBI's classification of Tata Sons as an upper-layer NBFC (NBFC-UL) in September 2022 mandated its public listing within three years.
• Tata Trusts collectively hold about 66% of Tata Sons' equity.

Financial regulation: the RBI's rejection of Tata Sons' argument that a debt-free entity should not face enhanced NBFC norms shows the reach of its upper-layer NBFC framework.

• The SAT-SAAW weapons are for the IAF's Jaguar, Hawk and Su-30 MKI aircraft.
• The Buy (Indian-IDDM) category prioritises indigenously designed, developed and manufactured defence products.

Defence indigenisation: a domestic PSU contract with 60% indigenous content under IDDM shows Aatmanirbhar Bharat in defence procurement.

• Kavach is an indigenously developed Automatic Train Protection system that prevents Signal Passing at Danger (SPAD).
• Kavach requires Safety Integrity Level-4 (SIL-4) certification, the highest safety standard.

Railway safety and indigenous technology: scaling Kavach is central to preventing collisions and signal violations on the network.

• Section 42(3)(c) of the Telecommunications Act, 2023 prohibits tampering with telecommunication identifiers.
• The IMEI is a 15-digit unique identifier whose first 8 digits are the Type Allocation Code allocated by GSMA.
• Sanchar Saathi is the government portal for citizens to verify and block devices.

Cyber security and telecom regulation: IMEI tampering aids fraud and crime, so identifier integrity is part of securing a network of 1,204.01 million active wireless subscribers (July 2026).

• Elderline 14567 was launched on October 1, 2021 under the Atal Vayo Abhyuday Yojana (AVYAY) of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
• The National Institute of Social Defence (NISD) monitors Elderline's implementation.

Welfare of the elderly: a national helpline coordinating with police, health and legal aid services is one model for elder care and protection.