Environment and geographyThe Hindu, Page 1GS1GS3Must read
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on 30 September 2026 that the June to September southwest monsoon brought 759.4 mm of rain against a Long Period Average (LPA, the 1971 to 2020 average) of 868.6 mm. That is 87% of the LPA, a shortfall of 12.6%. It is the weakest season since 2015, the fourth lowest since 2001 and the 13th lowest since 1901. Under IMD's categories, anything below 90% of the LPA is 'deficient'. Rain was uneven across months: June gave 65% of its normal, July 101%, August 84% and September 92%.
Prelims facts
- The 2026 southwest monsoon gave 759.4 mm against an LPA of 868.6 mm: 87% of the LPA, a 12.6% deficit, the weakest since 2015.
- IMD calls all-India seasonal rain below 90% of the LPA 'deficient'; 96% to 104% is 'normal'.
- East and Northeast India got 74% of their LPA, the region's lowest since 1901; the South Peninsula got 76%.
- Of 36 subdivisions, 18 were normal, 17 deficient and one (Odisha) in excess.
- El Niño developed in June and strengthened through the season; the last sub-90% monsoon, 2015, was also an El Niño year.
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EconomyThe Hindu, BusinessGS3Must read
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the Green Energy Corridor Phase-III (GEC-III) scheme on 30 September 2026. It will strengthen the Intra-State Transmission System (InSTS), the lines and substations inside each State, so that up to 135 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy can be evacuated across States and Union Territories. The total outlay is ₹1,86,405 crore: ₹1,36,378 crore for intra-State transmission and ₹50,000 crore for 50 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS). The Centre will give ₹54,082 crore as central financial support, about 29% of the outlay. The work is to be completed by 2032-33.
Prelims facts
- GEC-III, approved on 30 September 2026, has an outlay of ₹1,86,405 crore and central financial support of ₹54,082 crore.
- It strengthens intra-State transmission to evacuate up to 135 GW of renewable energy and adds 50 GWh of battery storage by 2032-33.
- Greenfield projects go through Tariff Based Competitive Bidding; brownfield work is on a cost-plus basis; State Transmission Utilities implement.
- GEC-II (approved January 2022) was ₹12,031.33 crore for about 20 GW in seven States, with 33% central assistance.
- The scheme is linked to the target of 900 GW of installed non-fossil capacity by 2035.
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Society, justice and ethicsThe Hindu, EditorialGS2GS3Must read
The Hindu's editorial 'Bitter pills' (1 October 2026) takes up a Supreme Court hearing on drug prices. It notes that the Court 'has upbraided disparities between the price to retailer (PTR) and the maximum retail price (MRP) of certain drugs, including those used to treat cancers, in some instances up to 1,000%'. The PTR is what the chemist pays the company; the MRP is the most the patient can be charged. On 29 September 2026, a Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, hearing petitions by Kishan Chand Jain and others, was shown a cancer medicine with a PTR of about ₹2,700 and an MRP of about ₹27,000. 'This is carnage. Plain and simple,' the Bench said.
Prelims facts
- The DPCO, 2013 is issued under Section 3 of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 and is administered by the NPPA.
- Ceiling price of a scheduled medicine = simple average PTR of brands with at least 1% market share, plus a 16% retailer margin.
- Makers of non-scheduled medicines may raise MRP by at most 10% in a year; there is no ceiling price.
- On 29 September 2026 the Supreme Court (Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta) asked why the 16% margin cannot apply to all medicines; next hearing 12 October.
- In February 2019, using paragraph 19 of the DPCO, the NPPA capped trade margins on 42 non-scheduled anti-cancer drugs at 30%.
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Polity and governanceThe Hindu, NewsGS3GS2
On 30 September 2026 a Bench of Justices M.M. Sundresh and P.B. Varale of the Supreme Court said it would neither impose a total ban on firecrackers nor allow unrestricted bursting. 'Neither we are going to agree with you for total ban. Nor are we going to allow them to do it 24 hours,' Justice Sundresh said. The Bench said it was trying to balance festival sentiment with harm to 'old people, sick people and the children'. It indicated it may allow next-generation joined green crackers recommended by CSIR-NEERI (the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research's National Environmental Engineering Research Institute), with conditions on noise, the size and number of shells and the interval between bursts.
Prelims facts
- On 30 September 2026 the Supreme Court (Justices M.M. Sundresh and P.B. Varale) ruled out both a total ban and unrestricted bursting of firecrackers.
- The Bench is open to next-generation joined green crackers recommended by CSIR-NEERI, subject to conditions; the next hearing is on 15 October.
- The case is Arjun Gopal v. Union of India, filed in 2015 on behalf of three children.
- The 2018 judgment allowed only green and reduced-emission crackers, banned joined crackers, barium salts and online sales, and fixed 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. for Deepavali.
- In September 2023 the Court refused to permit barium-based or joined crackers.
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Environment and geographyThe Hindu, BusinessGS3
The Ministry of Power notified the third phase of the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE-III) norms on 30 September 2026. They apply from 1 April 2027 to 31 March 2032 to M1 vehicles, that is, cars and other passenger vehicles, made or imported for sale in India. CAFE norms do not limit each car. They set a target for the average fuel consumption (and so the carbon dioxide emissions) of all cars a company sells in a year, adjusted for the average weight of its fleet. For a fleet at the reference weight of 1,229 kg, the target falls from 3.996 litres per 100 km in 2027-28 to 3.3273 litres per 100 km in 2031-32, an improvement of about 16.7%.
Prelims facts
- CAFE-III, notified by the Ministry of Power on 30 September 2026, applies from 1 April 2027 to 31 March 2032 to M1 passenger vehicles.
- At the 1,229 kg reference weight, the fleet target tightens from 3.996 to 3.3273 litres per 100 km, about 16.7%.
- Super credits: battery electric cars count as 3, plug-in hybrids 2.5, strong hybrids 1.6, flex-fuel vehicles 1.1.
- The draft's extra relaxation for small petrol cars under 909 kg was dropped.
- CAFE norms are framed under the Energy Conservation Act, 2001; Stage I (2017-18) targeted 130 g CO2/km and Stage II (2022-23) 113 g CO2/km.
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