Pratidin

UPSC Prelims facts from current affairs

The facts Prelims asks, pulled out of the last 14 days of news: names, numbers, provisions, places and bodies. Open the app to test yourself with the answers hidden.

5 October 2026

Does a valid visa guarantee entry into India? The Delhi High Court says no
  • The Delhi High Court (Justice Amit Mahajan) held that a valid visa does not give a foreigner an absolute, enforceable right to enter India.
  • Section 3(1) of the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025 lets the Centre bar entry on grounds of national security, sovereignty and integrity, foreign relations or public health, and makes the Immigration Officer's decision final and binding.
  • The Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025 came into force on 1 September 2025 and repealed four laws, including the Foreigners Act, 1946 and the Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920.
  • Louis De Raedt (1991): a foreigner's fundamental right is confined to Article 21; the right to reside and settle under Article 19(1)(e) is for citizens only.
  • Hans Muller of Nurenburg (1955): the executive has an unrestricted right to expel a foreigner.
Official rabies death count is under 1% of ICMR's estimate, clouding the 2030 goal
  • Government surveillance (NCDC) recorded 54 suspected human rabies deaths and 37,17,336 dog-bite cases in 2024 (Lok Sabha reply, 22 July 2025).
  • An ICMR-NIE survey in The Lancet Infectious Diseases (2025) estimated 5,726 human rabies deaths and about 9.1 million animal bites a year in India; dogs caused 76.8% of bites.
  • The survey covered 3,37,808 people in over 78,800 households across 60 districts of 15 States, between March 2022 and August 2023.
  • NAPRE, launched on 28 September 2021, aims to eliminate dog-mediated rabies by 2030 using a One Health approach and seeks to make rabies notifiable in all States and UTs.
  • WHO estimates about 59,000 rabies deaths worldwide each year; dogs cause up to 99% of human rabies cases.
One year of two-slab GST: Finance Minister cites a wider base and higher collections
  • The 56th GST Council meeting (3 September 2025) adopted a standard rate of 18%, a merit rate of 5% and a special de-merit rate of 40%, effective 22 September 2025 for most goods and services.
  • Gross GST collections for April to September 2026 were ₹12.46 lakh crore, up 11.6% year on year; September 2026 alone was ₹2,03,521 crore, up 14.7%.
  • The Finance Minister reports 25.8% growth in taxable supplies (October 2025 to July 2026) and about 1.71 crore GST registrations by August 2026.
  • Individual life and health insurance premiums were exempted from GST; small cars, ACs, TVs and cement moved from 28% to 18%.
  • Article 279A(5) keeps petroleum crude, diesel, petrol, natural gas and ATF outside GST until the GST Council recommends otherwise.
Op-ed: Over-regulation is stifling India's universities; one regulator may not fix it
  • The Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025 was introduced in the Lok Sabha on 15 December 2025 and referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee on 16 December 2025.
  • The Bill would replace the UGC, AICTE and NCTE with a single Commission having Regulatory, Standards and Accreditation Councils; funding stays with the Education Ministry.
  • UGC's 2018 regulations set a teacher's workload at not less than 40 hours a week for 30 working weeks (180 teaching days), with at least 5 hours' daily availability on campus.
  • The op-ed argues that compliance-heavy regulation rewards documentation over teaching and that autonomous institutions like the IITs and IIMs outperform tightly regulated ones.
Op-ed: In a trade deal with the US, India should value terms that are hard to reverse
  • Mission 500 (February 2025) aims to take India-US bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030.
  • The India-US framework for an interim agreement (6 February 2026) set an 18% US reciprocal tariff on Indian goods; the extra 25% Russian oil penalty was removed from 7 February 2026.
  • In Learning Resources v. Trump (20 February 2026, 6 to 3), the US Supreme Court held that IEEPA does not authorise the President to impose tariffs.
  • US tariffs can still be imposed under Section 232 (national security), Section 301 (unfair trade practices) and Section 122 (balance of payments, up to 150 days).
  • The op-ed urges India to seek a binding tariff ceiling, non-discrimination, prior consultation, written sector carve-outs and snap-back clauses.
From the rest of the day's papers
  • Former Lok Sabha Secretary General questions the legal basis of the Special Intensive Revision
    • Article 324 vests the superintendence, direction and control of the preparation of electoral rolls and the conduct of elections in the Election Commission.
    • Section 21(3) of the Representation of the People Act, 1950 allows a special revision of the electoral roll for any constituency.
    • Article 326 provides for elections on the basis of universal adult suffrage.
  • US defence strategy's push for partner self-reliance and what it means for India
    • The 2026 US National Defense Strategy, as updated by Colby, lists four priorities: defending the US homeland, deterring China, gaining more support from allies and partners, and rebuilding the US defence industry.
  • Declining urban wind speeds worsen heat stress in Indian cities
    • Terrestrial stilling, a decline in near-surface wind speeds, has been observed globally since the 1980s.
    • The Venturi effect accelerates wind into gusts as it is funnelled through narrow gaps between tall buildings.
    • Cities such as Stuttgart, Seoul and Hong Kong use computational fluid dynamics to plan for ventilation.
  • White House AI accord with tech companies is voluntary and carries no penalties
    • The accord's four controls are internal controls, an AI-safety management team, an independent external auditor and an independent board committee to address reports.
  • Army, Navy and Air Force propose improvements to the Agnipath scheme
    • Agnipath, introduced in June 2022, recruits people aged 17.5 to 21 years as Agniveers for four years, including six months of training.
    • Up to 25% of each batch can be retained in the regular cadre; the rest exit without pension or gratuity but receive a tax-free Seva Nidhi package.
    • The Seva Nidhi is built from the Agniveer's monthly contributions, matched by the government.
  • Defence Ministry likely to release the sixth Positive Indigenisation List
    • The Department of Military Affairs promulgated five Positive Indigenisation Lists comprising 509 items between August 2020 and October 2023.
  • Iran says there is no military solution to the West Asia conflict
    • The Strait of Hormuz is a vital conduit for Gulf oil and gas.
  • Navy sailor arrested for allegedly passing information to a Pakistani operative
    • The arrest was made on 3 October by the Counter Intelligence Cell of the Andhra Pradesh Police.
  • India and Switzerland sign mobility and infrastructure agreements during Swiss President's visit
    • The India-EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) came into force in October 2025.
    • TEPA targets $100 billion of investment and 10 lakh direct jobs in India over 15 years.
    • A Prosperity Summit of India-EFTA business leaders was scheduled for 7 October 2026.
  • Indian-born cheetah gives birth to five cubs at Kuno; India's cheetah population reaches 60
    • KJP21 is the third Indian-born female cheetah to give birth, and the father of her cubs is a male from Botswana.
    • India's cheetah population stands at 60, including 41 born in India.
  • Sanchar Saathi portal crosses 30 crore visits
    • The Sanchar Saathi portal of the Ministry of Communications was launched in May 2023.
    • Chakshu is the Sanchar Saathi facility for citizens to report suspected fraud communications.
  • Uranium Corporation of India marks 60 years
    • Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL) was incorporated on 4 October 1967.
    • UCIL's Jaduguda site has an underground mine and a Technology Demonstration Pilot Plant.
  • Technology Development Board backs indigenous AI vision chip with ₹130 crore
    • The project aims to take the technology from Technology Readiness Level 5 to TRL 9.
    • The Technology Development Board functions under the Department of Science and Technology.
  • Coal India raises coal supply to the power sector in the first half of 2026-27
    • Coal India's offtake in April to September 2026 was 384.2 million tonnes, up 7.6% year on year.

4 October 2026

Education Ministry approves five Centres of Excellence for newer classical languages
  • The Ministry of Education has approved five Centres of Excellence for Classical Assamese, Bengali, Marathi, Pali and Prakrit (PIB, 3 October 2026).
  • Host institutions: Tezpur University (Assamese), Visva-Bharati (Bengali), Deccan College, Pune (Marathi), Central University of Odisha (Pali), Central University of Gujarat (Prakrit).
  • The five languages got classical status on 3 October 2024, taking India's classical languages to 11.
  • Tamil was the first classical language (12 October 2004); the criteria were last revised on 25 July 2024 by the Linguistic Experts Committee under the Sahitya Akademi.
  • Existing CoEs for Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam and Odia function under the Central Institute of Indian Languages, Mysuru.
Andhra Pradesh moves Supreme Court to restore 34% BC quota in local bodies
  • Andhra Pradesh filed an SLP in the Supreme Court on 3 October 2026 against the High Court's 1 October verdict quashing its BC quota orders for local bodies.
  • The High Court struck down G.O. Ms. No. 105 (34% BC reservation in rural local bodies) and G.O. Rt. No. 1065 (33.33% in urban local bodies).
  • Grounds: total SC, ST and BC reservation above the 50% ceiling, and data that did not satisfy the Vikas Kishanrao Gawali (2021) triple test.
  • Articles 243D(6) and 243T(6) enable, but do not oblige, States to reserve local body seats for backward classes (K. Krishna Murthy, 2010).
  • The High Court ordered the local body election process to begin within six weeks because terms expired in March and April 2026.
Karnataka seeks ₹7,142.64 crore in Central drought aid for 177 taluks
  • Karnataka sought ₹7,142.64 crore from the NDRF on 3 October 2026 for drought in 177 taluks, against estimated losses of ₹46,324.50 crore.
  • Rainfall from 1 June to 16 September 2026 was 495 mm against a normal of 766 mm, a 35% deficit.
  • Drought is declared by State governments using the Manual for Drought Management (updated 2020): rainfall triggers, impact indicators and ground truthing.
  • NDRF aid needs an Inter-Ministerial Central Team assessment and approval by a High-Level Committee chaired by the Union Home Minister.
  • The NDRF is constituted under Section 46 and the SDRF under Section 48(1)(a) of the Disaster Management Act, 2005.
No timeline for Sheikh Hasina's extradition, says India's envoy in Dhaka
  • On 3 October 2026 India's High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi said no timeline can be given for Sheikh Hasina's extradition as the request is in a legal process involving courts.
  • Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal sentenced Sheikh Hasina to death in absentia on 17 November 2025 for crimes against humanity linked to the 2024 crackdown.
  • The India-Bangladesh Extradition Treaty was signed in 2013 and amended in 2016 to drop the need to furnish evidence of the offence.
  • Article 6 of the treaty allows refusal for political offences, but Article 6(2) excludes crimes such as murder; Article 8 allows refusal if the request is not made in good faith.
  • Sections 29 and 31 of India's Extradition Act, 1962 let the Centre refuse or bar surrender in political or bad-faith cases.
India demonstrates a 5.56 km free-space quantum key distribution link in Gandhinagar
  • MeitY announced on 3 October 2026 a 5.56 km free-space QKD link between BISAG-N and IIT Gandhinagar, tested on the night of 27 to 28 September.
  • The link achieved a quantum bit error rate below 5% and secure key rates of 230 to 260 bits per second.
  • It combined QNu Labs' QKD device 'Armos' with BISAG-N's post-quantum cryptography platform 'Vedic Kavach'.
  • In QKD, eavesdropping disturbs the quantum states and shows up as a higher error rate.
  • The National Quantum Mission (2023-24 to 2030-31, ₹6,003.65 crore) targets satellite-based secure quantum communication over 2,000 km.

3 October 2026

Captive-bred Great Indian Bustards to be released into the wild for the first time
  • For the first time, captive-bred Great Indian Bustards are being released into the wild: two radio-tagged male chicks, aged four to six months, in Desert National Park, Jaisalmer.
  • The release begins the 'rewilding phase' of Project GIB, a recovery effort under way since 2013.
  • The Wildlife Institute of India has bred 98 bustards in captivity at its Jaisalmer centres; the wild population is about 140, mostly in Rajasthan.
  • The GIB (Ardeotis nigriceps) is Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List (since 2011), in Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, and is the state bird of Rajasthan.
  • The Supreme Court has ordered renewable energy power lines outside Desert National Park to be laid underground by December 2027.
Centre resumes appraising pending post facto green clearances after Supreme Court ruling
  • MoEFCC has told central and State expert bodies to resume appraising post facto environmental clearance proposals that were pending, rejected or returned; no new proposals will be accepted.
  • In Vanashakti v Union of India (29 July 2026), the Supreme Court upheld the 2017 notification, quashed the 2021 Office Memorandum and allowed pending applications to be processed.
  • The 2017 notification was a one-time, six-month window under the EIA Notification, 2006 for projects already in violation.
  • The EIA Notification, 2006 was issued under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986; its stages are screening, scoping, public consultation and appraisal.
  • The Court held that prior environmental clearance remains mandatory unless the rules are formally amended.
Centre issues rules creating a National Tribunals Commission to select tribunal members
  • Rules dated 30 September 2026 create a National Tribunals Commission, headquartered in Delhi, with a chairperson and four members (two judicial, two technical).
  • The NTC chairperson must be a retired Supreme Court judge or a retired High Court Chief Justice; pay is ₹2.5 lakh a month for the chairperson and ₹2.25 lakh for members.
  • The Commission covers selection for 16 tribunals and appellate bodies, and recruitment must begin at least six months before a vacancy arises.
  • On 19 November 2025 the Supreme Court struck down key provisions of the Tribunals Reforms Act, 2021 and directed an independent National Tribunals Commission.
  • Articles 323A (administrative tribunals) and 323B (tribunals for other matters) were added by the 42nd Amendment, 1976.
Op-ed: Split verdict on the Election Commissioners Act exposes how the Supreme Court sits
  • Justices Dipankar Datta and Satish Chandra Sharma split on whether a Constitution Bench must hear the challenge to the CEC and other Election Commissioners Act, 2023, and jointly referred the matter to the Chief Justice of India.
  • Article 145(3) requires at least five judges to decide a case involving a substantial question of law as to the interpretation of the Constitution.
  • In Anoop Baranwal v Union of India (March 2023), the Supreme Court set an interim selection committee of the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition and the Chief Justice of India.
  • The 2023 Act's selection committee is the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and a Union Cabinet Minister nominated by the Prime Minister.
  • The Law Commission's 229th Report (2009) proposed a permanent Constitution Bench in Delhi with regional benches for ordinary appeals.
Explained: First official Indian visit to Pakistan since Operation Sindoor
  • Alok Dimri, Additional Secretary in the MEA, attended the SCO national coordinators' meeting in Islamabad, the first official Indian visit to Pakistan since Operation Sindoor.
  • Pakistan took over the SCO presidency after the Bishkek summit of 31 August and 1 September 2026 and is to host the 2027 summit.
  • Operation Sindoor began on 7 May 2025, after the Pahalgam terrorist attack of 22 April 2025 in which 26 people were killed.
  • The SCO was founded in 2001; India and Pakistan became full members in 2017; its Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure is in Tashkent.
  • Precedents for SCO visits: Pakistan's Foreign Minister in Goa (May 2023) and S. Jaishankar in Islamabad (October 2024).
From the rest of the day's papers
  • Tigress released into Buxa Tiger Reserve to begin phased reintroduction
    • Buxa Tiger Reserve, declared in 1983, lies in Alipurduar district of West Bengal, in a landscape connected to Bhutan and Assam.
    • Valmiki Tiger Reserve, Bihar's only tiger reserve, is in West Champaran district and borders Nepal's Chitwan National Park.
    • The National Tiger Conservation Authority is a statutory body set up in 2006 under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
  • Ukraine calls India's proposal to end the war the most comprehensive it has received
    • Proposals from Turkey and Egypt focus on a grain and agricultural truce in the Black Sea, while the US proposal calls for an energy truce.
    • The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation was established in 2001; India became a full member in 2017.
  • USTR says trade deal with India is not imminent as sticking points remain
    • The Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 permits US tariffs of up to 100% on major buyers of Russian energy, including India.
    • India had earlier agreed to negotiate robust bilateral digital trade rules in exchange for the removal of a 25% tariff.
  • India revises its Model Bilateral Investment Treaty a decade after 2015
    • India's previous Model BIT was approved in 2015, influenced by the White Industries Australia Limited vs Republic of India award (2011).
    • UNCITRAL is exploring reforms to Investor-State Dispute Settlement, including a permanent tribunal and an appellate body.
  • Supreme Court declines meeting with parliamentary panel on One Nation, One Election Bill
    • The Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill, 2024 seeks to amend Articles 83, 172 and 327 and insert a new Article 82A.
    • India held simultaneous Lok Sabha and State Assembly elections in 1952, 1957, 1962 and 1967.
    • Under the Bill, an election after premature dissolution would be only for the remainder of the five-year term.
  • Centre yet to extend Suspension of Operations pact with Kuki-Zo groups in Manipur
    • The SoO pact was first signed in 2008 by the United Peoples' Front and the Kuki National Organisation with the Home Ministry and the Manipur government.
    • The SoO pact aims to confine cadres to designated camps and monitor their weapons.
  • El Nino and post-monsoon dryness prompt calls for ecosystem-wide climate monitoring
    • El Nino is the unusual warming of surface waters in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean.
    • Western Disturbances are extratropical storms from the Mediterranean region that bring non-monsoon winter rain and snow.
    • The Vasundhara Tal system in Uttarakhand uses sensors for water level and snow depth, linked to early warning for glacial floods.
  • Election Commission directs BLOs to enrol voters left out of SIR rolls within a month
    • Form 6 is the application for inclusion in the electoral roll, typically used by new voters.
    • BLOs are expected to cover at least 20 to 25 electors a week to finish within a month.
  • Opinion: Delhi Forest Department's restoration of the Central Ridge criticised
    • Delhi's Central Ridge is part of the Aravalli Range.
    • Prosopis juliflora (vilayati keekar), an invasive species, was introduced in Delhi in the 1920s.
  • India standardises names of 28 places and features in Ladakh on Survey of India map
    • The 28 features are 11 peaks, five mountains, six land areas, two glaciers, two passes, one valley, one river, one lake and one other water body.
    • The Survey of India, established in 1767, is the national mapping agency that produces official maps.
  • Economist proposes climate damage payments to the Global South, conditional on carbon pricing
    • The Surat Emissions Trading Scheme, launched in 2019, achieved 99% compliance and cut particulate pollution by 20 to 30% when robustly enforced.
    • An Emissions Trading Scheme, or cap-and-trade, sets a limit on total emissions and lets entities trade permits.
  • West Asian pottery found underwater off Poompuhar points to ancient sea trade
    • Poompuhar, at the mouth of the Cauvery on the Bay of Bengal, was a port of the early Chola kings.
    • Tamil texts such as Pattinappalai, Manimekalai and Silappathikaram describe Poompuhar as a cosmopolitan port with foreign contacts.
    • Torpedo jars and Roman amphorae have also been found at Pattanam (Kerala), Alagankulam (Tamil Nadu) and Arikamedu (Puducherry).
  • Ship-to-ship transfers raise India's oil imports from West Asia as Russian supply dips
    • In September, imports from Iraq rose 238.2% to over 551,000 barrels per day and from Saudi Arabia 56.2% to almost 543,000 barrels per day.
    • Ship-to-ship transfer is the movement of liquid cargo between two vessels at sea.
  • Falling fertility signals a fading demographic dividend for India and China
    • India's Total Fertility Rate fell from 6.18 in the 1950s to 1.9 in 2021, with urban TFR at 1.6 and rural at 2.1.
    • Replacement level fertility is a TFR of about 2.1 births per woman.
    • The government has constituted a High-Level Committee on Demographic Change.
  • G7 nations agree to release 100 million barrels of oil and fuel
    • The International Energy Agency will coordinate the four-month G7 release of 100 million barrels.
    • A Strategic Petroleum Reserve is an emergency crude oil stock held to deal with supply disruptions.
  • China builds runway on Antelope Reef in the disputed Paracel Islands
    • China has held de facto control of the Paracel Islands since 1974; Vietnam and Taiwan also claim them.
    • The Permanent Court of Arbitration rejected China's Nine-Dash Line claims in 2016.
    • China earlier built a 3 km runway on Fiery Cross Reef in 2015-2016.
  • RoDTEP export scheme extended to December 31, 2026
    • RoDTEP refunds embedded, un-rebated central, state and local duties, taxes and levies on exported products.
    • The extension covers DTA units, Advance Authorisation holders, SEZ units and Export Oriented Units.
  • Cities under Swachh Bharat Mission use waste management for resource and carbon value
    • Ghaziabad is the second urban local body in India to turn waste into carbon value, accredited under the Verified Carbon Standard.
    • The Saligao waste facility in Goa is operated by the Goa Waste Management Corporation.
  • How India regulates drug prices, as the Supreme Court questions retail markups
    • The Drugs (Prices Control) Order is issued under Section 3(2)(c) of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955.
    • The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority, set up in 1997, fixes and revises ceiling prices of scheduled formulations.
    • Non-scheduled formulations have no price ceiling but their MRP cannot rise more than 10% a year.

2 October 2026

Supreme Court orders curbs on vehicle services until unpaid e-challans are cleared
  • In S. Rajaseekaran v. Union of India, the Supreme Court noted e-challans worth ₹49,194.05 crore issued and only ₹26,175.05 crore recovered.
  • Vehicles with unpaid e-challans are to be denied RC renewal, ownership transfer, fitness and PUC certificates, and blacklisted on the Parivahan portal.
  • Section 136A of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 (added in 2019) mandates electronic monitoring and enforcement of road safety.
  • Rule 167A of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989 (August 2021) covers about 132 million-plus cities and requires a notice within 15 days.
  • MoRTH must run a public dashboard, updated monthly, on electronic enforcement by States and UTs.
EC orders drive to enrol left-out voters in 20 SIR States, drops added Form 6 question
  • The ECI has ordered a special drive in 20 States and UTs where the SIR is over to enrol left-out, young and first-time eligible electors.
  • Plain statutory Form 6 will be used, without the July addition on whether the applicant or parents were on the roll after the previous SIR.
  • CEOs must compare pre-SIR and post-SIR rolls to identify deleted electors and may seek help from parties' booth-level agents.
  • Section 21(3) of the Representation of the People Act, 1950 lets the Commission order a special revision of electoral rolls.
  • Article 326 provides for elections on the basis of adult suffrage; Form 6 is the application for inclusion of a new elector.
Op-ed: India's factories are growing, but not creating jobs at the scale needed
  • ASI 2024-25: persons engaged in registered factories rose 7.19%, from 1.96 crore to 2.10 crore, adding more than 14 lakh jobs.
  • ASI 2024-25: GVA grew 9.59%, output 7.81%, invested capital 11.10%, emoluments 12.08% and net profit 7.73%.
  • Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana account for about 56% of factory employment.
  • The op-ed cites PLFS 2025: 73.1% of non-farm workers are in informal-sector enterprises.
  • The ASI covers factories registered under Sections 2(m)(i) and 2(m)(ii) of the Factories Act, 1948.
Centre and Ladakh fix standard names for 28 places on the Survey of India map
  • On 2 October 2026 the Centre, with the UT of Ladakh, identified 28 places and features in Ladakh by standard names on the Survey of India map.
  • Peaks named include Atisha Giri, Rinchen Zangpo, Marpa Lotsava Ri, Milarepa Kangri, Kanishka Peak and Zorawar Peak; a lake is named Guru Rinpoche.
  • On 7 August 2026 a similar exercise named 27 places in Arunachal Pradesh on the Survey of India map.
  • China has issued lists of names for places in Arunachal Pradesh in 2017, 2021, 2023, 2024 and 2025, which India rejects.
  • The Survey of India, founded in 1767 and now under the Department of Science and Technology, is responsible for names and spellings of geographical features.
Delhi's September AQI hits a five-year low even as PM2.5 and PM10 levels rose
  • Delhi's average AQI in September 2026 was 102, the lowest September average in five years (105 in 2025).
  • Despite this, PM10 rose from 104 to 106 µg/m³ and PM2.5 from 35 to 39 µg/m³ in September, according to CPCB data cited by The Indian Express.
  • The overall AQI equals the worst sub-index among the pollutants measured, not their average.
  • India's National AQI, launched on 17 October 2014, covers eight pollutants and six categories from good to severe.
  • Overall AQI is computed only when at least three pollutants are measured, one of which must be PM2.5 or PM10.

1 October 2026

Monsoon 2026 ends 12.6% below normal, India's weakest season since 2015
  • 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.
Cabinet clears ₹1.86 lakh crore Green Energy Corridor Phase-III with 50 GWh of batteries
  • 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.
Editorial: Supreme Court flags ten-fold drug markups, exposing gaps in price control
  • 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%.
Supreme Court rules out a total firecracker ban, open to next-generation green crackers
  • 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.
Centre notifies CAFE-III fuel-efficiency norms for cars from April 2027
  • 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.

30 September 2026

Supreme Court: a police-custody confession alone cannot justify NSA detention
  • On 29 September 2026, the Supreme Court (Justices Dipankar Datta and Sheel Nagu) held that a confessional statement cannot be the sole ground for an NSA detention order.
  • The Court quashed Mulla Afroz's detention over the November 2024 Sambhal violence and imposed ₹10 lakh costs on Uttar Pradesh.
  • The detention order of 13 October 2025 came after the Allahabad High Court had granted him bail in one case.
  • Under the NSA, the maximum period of detention is 12 months; Article 22(4) requires an Advisory Board's opinion for detention beyond three months.
  • A confession to a police officer cannot be proved against an accused under Section 23 of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023.
Why the Centre cut import duty on crude edible oils ahead of the festival season
  • From 24 September 2026, basic customs duty on crude soybean and palm oil fell from 10% to 5%, and on crude sunflower oil from 10% to nil (Notification No. 31/2026-Customs).
  • Refined soybean and palm oil duty fell from 32.5% to 27.5%, refined sunflower from 32.5% to 22.5%; the effective crude to refined gap stays at 19.25 percentage points.
  • India imports about 57% of its edible oil needs and is the world's largest importer of edible oils.
  • NMEO-Oilseeds (October 2024, ₹10,103 crore, 2024-25 to 2030-31) targets 69.7 million tonnes of primary oilseeds by 2030-31.
  • Basic duty on crude edible oils was raised from nil to 20% in September 2024 and cut to 10% in May 2025.
Policing report: one in eight faced cybercrime, poor victims paid more bribes for redress
  • SPIR 2026, by Common Cause and Lokniti-CSDS, surveyed 8,306 people in 16 States and focused on cybercrime victims.
  • 13% of respondents had faced cybercrime in the past two to three years; 54% of these victims suffered financial fraud.
  • 27% of victims who complained to police paid a bribe; 51% of poor victims did so against 12% of affluent victims.
  • NCRB's Crime in India 2024 recorded 1,01,928 cybercrime cases, a 17.9% rise over 2023, with fraud as the motive in 72.6%.
  • Police and public order are State subjects; the Centre supports States through I4C, the cybercrime.gov.in portal and the 1930 helpline.
₹1 lakh crore RDI Fund for deep tech pauses new applications as funds run short
  • The RDI scheme, approved by the Cabinet on 1 July 2025 with a ₹1 lakh crore corpus, was launched by the PM on 3 November 2025 at ESTIC.
  • It has two tiers: a Special Purpose Fund in the ANRF and Second Level Fund Managers such as TDB and BIRAC.
  • It gives long-term low or nil interest loans, equity and fund-of-funds contributions, not grants.
  • In September 2026 the TDB paused new applications citing 'administrative reasons' after its ₹2,000 crore was used up in the first round.
  • An August 2026 report found 15 of 22 first-round beneficiaries had investment links with selection committee members.
Op-ed: To protect tigers, track wildlife crime beyond reserve boundaries
  • TRAFFIC recorded 2,551 tiger seizures involving at least 3,808 tigers from January 2000 to June 2025.
  • India had the most seizures among tiger range countries: 880 incidents involving 981 tigers.
  • Whole tigers rose from about 10% of seizures in the 2000s to about 40% from 2020.
  • The 2006 amendment to the Wild Life (Protection) Act created the NTCA and the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau.
  • The op-ed calls for intelligence-led, landscape-scale enforcement that targets trafficking networks and finance, not just poachers.

29 September 2026

Supreme Court orders Delhi-NCR safety audit in four weeks after a string of rapes
  • A bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and K. Vinod Chandran took suo motu cognisance of Delhi-NCR rape cases on 28 September 2026 and relied on Article 21.
  • Delhi Police must map vulnerable spots district-wise and audit lighting and CCTV within four weeks.
  • The Delhi High Court must report on Fast Track Special Courts and POCSO courts; such trials should preferably finish within one year.
  • Authorities must report the working status of 112, 181, One Stop Centres, Women Help Desks, the Safe City Project and the sexual offender database.
  • Section 72 of the BNS and Section 23 of the POCSO Act bar disclosure of a victim's identity.
Supreme Court asks Centre to frame rules to stop social media firms signing up minors
  • On 28 September 2026 the Supreme Court, in Just Rights for Children Alliance v Union of India, asked the Centre to frame statutory rules barring social media firms from enrolling minors.
  • The reasoning: under Section 11 of the Indian Contract Act, 1872 a minor cannot contract, and the Majority Act, 1875 fixes majority at 18.
  • Mohori Bibee v Dharmodas Ghose (Privy Council, 1903) held a minor's contract void ab initio.
  • The court warned it could act through Section 79 of the IT Act, 2000, the safe harbour for intermediaries.
  • The DPDP Act, 2023 defines a child as a person below 18 and requires verifiable parental consent to process a child's data.
Industrial output grows 8% in August 2026, but consumer non-durables lag at 2.1%
  • The IIP grew 8% year-on-year in August 2026; July was revised to 7.4% from 6.7%.
  • Manufacturing grew 9%, electricity and gas 12.3%, water supply and waste management 6.3%, while mining contracted 5.6%.
  • Capital goods grew 16.9% but consumer non-durables only 2.1%.
  • The new IIP series has base year 2022-23 and uses the Output Producer Price Index instead of the WPI as its deflator.
  • The IIP is compiled and released by the National Statistics Office under MoSPI.
J&K Assembly passes resolution seeking restoration of statehood as BJP walks out
  • The J&K Assembly passed a resolution by voice vote on 28 September 2026 seeking immediate restoration of statehood; BJP members walked out.
  • The J&K Reorganisation Act, 2019 took effect on 31 October 2019 and created two UTs: J&K with a legislature on the Article 239A model, and Ladakh without one.
  • The J&K legislature cannot make laws on public order and police.
  • In In Re: Article 370 (11 December 2023) a five-judge bench upheld the abrogation, directed restoration of statehood at the earliest and elections by 30 September 2024.
  • Only Parliament can restore statehood, by law under Articles 3 and 4; an Assembly resolution is not binding.
Op-ed: Cutting food loss and waste offers India a triple win
  • The International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste is observed on 29 September; the UN General Assembly designated it by resolution 74/209 in 2019.
  • FAO estimates about 13% of food is lost between harvest and retail; UNEP says 19% of food available to consumers is wasted.
  • SDG target 12.3 aims to halve per capita food waste at retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along supply chains by 2030.
  • India has run three national post-harvest loss surveys: 2005-07 and 2012-14 by ICAR-CIPHET (the second sponsored by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries) and 2020-22 by NABCONS for the Ministry.
  • The op-ed calls food loss reduction a triple win for food security, climate and incomes.

28 September 2026

Should the right to vote become a fundamental right?
  • Article 326 provides that elections to the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies shall be on the basis of adult suffrage; the 61st Amendment (1988) lowered the voting age from 21 to 18.
  • Article 324 vests the superintendence, direction and control of elections, including preparation of electoral rolls, in the Election Commission of India.
  • The Representation of the People Act, 1950 governs electoral rolls, while the Representation of the People Act, 1951 governs the conduct of elections, disqualifications and election disputes.
Tamil Nadu withdraws order that kept its law and order department out of RTI
  • Section 24 of the RTI Act, 2005 excludes intelligence and security organisations; central bodies are listed in the Second Schedule and States may notify their own bodies under Section 24(4).
  • Even exempted bodies must disclose information on allegations of corruption and human rights violations; information on human rights violations is given only with the approval of the Information Commission.
  • The RTI (Amendment) Act, 2019 allowed the Central Government to prescribe the tenure and salaries of the Central and State Information Commissioners.
UN adopts a declaration that rising seas will not erase island states
  • UNCLOS was adopted in 1982; the territorial sea extends up to 12 nautical miles and the exclusive economic zone up to 200 nautical miles from the baselines.
  • The Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) is the negotiating bloc of small island and low-lying coastal developing countries in climate and ocean talks.
  • The UN General Assembly's Declaration on Sea Level Rise, adopted by consensus on 24 September 2026, affirms continuity of statehood and of maritime zones despite sea-level rise.
Census 2027 first phase nears completion, PM calls it a national responsibility
  • The Census is conducted under the Census Act, 1948, and 'Census' is a subject in the Union List (Entry 69) of the Seventh Schedule.
  • The Census is carried out by the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India, under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
  • Census 2027 is India's first digital Census and includes caste enumeration, approved by the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs on 30 April 2025.
RBI's listing rule for large NBFCs and the Tata Sons debate
  • The RBI regulates NBFCs under Chapter III-B of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934.
  • The RBI's Scale-Based Regulation framework (October 2021) classifies NBFCs into Base, Middle, Upper and Top layers; Upper Layer NBFCs must list within three years of identification.
  • A Core Investment Company is an NBFC that holds at least 90% of its net assets as investments in its group companies.

27 September 2026

Justice Nagarathna: family disputes need mediation and adjudication working together
  • The Family Courts Act, 1984 provides for family courts and, under Section 9, requires them to first make efforts to bring about a settlement between the parties.
  • The Mediation Act, 2023 gives mediation a statutory framework and provides for pre-litigation mediation under Section 5.
  • Section 89 of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 allows a court to refer a dispute to arbitration, conciliation, judicial settlement including a Lok Adalat, or mediation.
Why Japan wants the UN Charter's 'enemy state' clauses deleted
  • Articles 53, 77 and 107 of the UN Charter refer to 'enemy states', meaning countries that were enemies of Charter signatories in World War II.
  • Under Article 108, a Charter amendment needs adoption by two-thirds of the General Assembly and ratification by two-thirds of UN members, including all five permanent members of the Security Council.
  • UN General Assembly resolution 50/52 (1995) declared the enemy state clauses obsolete, but they remain in the Charter text.
Centre orders 112 captive coal plants to run at full capacity till December
  • Section 11 of the Electricity Act, 2003 allows the appropriate Government to direct a generating company, in extraordinary circumstances, to operate and maintain a generating station in accordance with its directions.
  • Under the Electricity Act, 2003, a person may construct, maintain or operate a captive generating plant without a licence.
  • The Central Electricity Authority is a statutory body under the Electricity Act, 2003 that advises the government on power policy and collects and publishes sector data.
Vedanta seeks a return to Niyamgiri, 13 years after gram sabhas said no
  • The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 makes the Gram Sabha the authority to initiate the process of determining individual and community forest rights.
  • The Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (PESA) extends Part IX of the Constitution to Fifth Schedule areas and empowers gram sabhas in those areas.
  • In Orissa Mining Corporation v. Ministry of Environment and Forests (2013), the Supreme Court left the decision on Niyamgiri mining to the gram sabhas of affected villages.
India's first port-based e-methanol plant to come up at Kandla
  • E-methanol is produced by reacting green hydrogen with captured carbon dioxide; green hydrogen is made by electrolysis of water using renewable electricity.
  • Kandla port was renamed Deendayal Port; it is a major port on the Gulf of Kutch in Gujarat, now run by the Deendayal Port Authority.
  • The International Maritime Organization, headquartered in London, is the UN specialised agency that regulates international shipping, including emissions.

26 September 2026

AFSPA extended in parts of Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal for six more months
  • AFSPA was enacted in 1958; under Section 3, the Governor of a State, the Administrator of a Union Territory or the Central Government can declare an area 'disturbed'.
  • In Naga People's Movement of Human Rights v. Union of India (1997), the Supreme Court upheld AFSPA but required disturbed-area declarations to be reviewed periodically, before six months expire.
  • The Justice B.P. Jeevan Reddy Committee (set up in 2004, report in 2005) recommended repealing AFSPA and moving the necessary powers into the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.
Census 2027: no decision yet on how open-field caste entries will be sorted
  • The Census is conducted under the Census Act, 1948, and 'Census' is a Union subject (Entry 69 of the Union List).
  • Every Census since 1951 has enumerated Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes; the 1931 Census was the last to count all castes.
  • The Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India functions under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.
Centre and banks to settle UPI subsidy once merchant charges begin
  • The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), which runs UPI, RuPay and BHIM, was set up in 2008 by the RBI and the Indian Banks' Association under the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007.
  • The merchant discount rate is the fee a merchant pays its bank for accepting digital payments; it has been zero for UPI and RuPay debit cards since January 2020.
  • The 2024-25 incentive scheme for low-value BHIM-UPI payments had an outlay of ₹1,500 crore and paid 0.15% on small-merchant payments up to ₹2,000.
Should India review its nuclear doctrine without changing its core?
  • The Nuclear Command Authority, set up on 4 January 2003, has a Political Council chaired by the Prime Minister, the only body that can authorise nuclear use, and an Executive Council chaired by the National Security Adviser.
  • India conducted nuclear tests at Pokhran in May 1998 (Pokhran-II); the National Security Advisory Board released the Draft Nuclear Doctrine on 17 August 1999.
  • The 2003 doctrine replaced the 1999 draft's 'punitive' retaliation with 'massive' retaliation designed to inflict unacceptable damage.
Expert panel backs green clearance for the Subansiri Upper hydro project
  • Environmental clearance is granted under the EIA Notification, 2006, issued under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986; Category A projects are appraised by sectoral Expert Appraisal Committees of the Union Environment Ministry.
  • Diversion of forest land for non-forest use needs separate approval under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, renamed the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980 in 2023.
  • Money collected for compensatory afforestation is managed under the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act, 2016, through CAMPA.

25 September 2026

Opposition demands the Chief Election Commissioner's exit
  • Under Article 324(5), the Chief Election Commissioner can be removed only in the same manner and on the same grounds as a Supreme Court judge.
  • Other Election Commissioners can be removed only on the recommendation of the Chief Election Commissioner.
  • The CEC and Other ECs Act, 2023 set up a selection committee of the PM, the Leader of Opposition and a Union Cabinet Minister, replacing the CJI who had been added by the Anoop Baranwal judgment (2023).
Make in India turns 12 with a patchy scorecard
  • Make in India was launched on 25 September 2014 to make India a global manufacturing hub.
  • Supporting measures include PLI schemes, PM GatiShakti, the National Single Window System and FDI liberalisation.
  • The original target was a 25% share of manufacturing in GDP; the share has stayed close to its 2014 level.
Should the UN Security Council's permanent seats and veto go?
  • Under Article 27(3) of the UN Charter, substantive UNSC decisions need nine votes including the concurring votes of the five permanent members.
  • UNGA resolution 76/262 (2022) requires the General Assembly to meet within 10 working days after a veto is cast.
  • India is part of the G4 (with Brazil, Germany and Japan), which seeks permanent seats; reform talks run through the Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN).
What are the alternatives to the SWIFT payment system?
  • SWIFT is a Belgium-based cooperative founded in 1973 that sends payment messages; it does not move money itself.
  • China launched CIPS in 2015 and Russia launched SPFS in 2014 after Western sanctions over Crimea.
  • The RBI allowed Special Rupee Vostro Accounts in 2022 to settle trade in rupees.
Chhattisgarh's anti-conversion law takes effect
  • Article 25 guarantees freedom of conscience and the right to profess, practise and propagate religion, subject to public order, morality and health.
  • In Rev. Stainislaus v. State of Madhya Pradesh (1977), the Supreme Court held that the right to propagate does not include a right to convert another person.
  • Odisha (1967) and Madhya Pradesh (1968) passed the earliest State anti-conversion laws.

24 September 2026

India and the EU to sign their trade deal on 16 December
  • India-EU trade talks began in 2007, stalled in 2013 and restarted in June 2022.
  • The EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), which prices embedded carbon in imports such as steel and aluminium, is a key concern for Indian exporters.
  • An FTA with the EU needs approval by the European Parliament after signing.
A Supreme Court judge defends the Collegium and hits back at the Centre
  • The Collegium emerged from the Second Judges Case (1993) and the Third Judges Case (1998).
  • The 99th Amendment (2014) created the National Judicial Appointments Commission, which the Supreme Court struck down in 2015.
  • Articles 124 and 217 govern the appointment of Supreme Court and High Court judges.
Quality control orders and India's manufacturing growth
  • Quality Control Orders are issued under the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 2016.
  • They make BIS certification mandatory before a product can be made, imported or sold.
  • QCOs on inputs such as chemicals, polymers and fibres affect downstream users, many of them MSMEs.
El Niño, heat deaths and why parched Maharashtra cannot declare drought yet
  • El Niño is the warming of the central and eastern equatorial Pacific; it usually weakens the Indian monsoon.
  • A positive Indian Ocean Dipole can partly offset El Niño's effect on the monsoon.
  • Under the Manual for Drought Management (2016, updated 2020), States declare drought using rainfall, vegetation, soil moisture, water and crop-sowing indicators.
India rejects the OIC contact group's remarks on Kashmir
  • The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation has 57 member states and is headquartered in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
  • India is not a member; it was invited as guest of honour to the OIC foreign ministers' meeting in Abu Dhabi in 2019.
  • India maintains strong bilateral ties with Gulf states such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia despite OIC statements.

23 September 2026

Supreme Court: refusing to sing the National Song cannot be punished
  • In Bijoe Emmanuel v. State of Kerala (1986), the Supreme Court held that three Jehovah's Witness students who stood respectfully but did not sing the National Anthem could not be expelled.
  • Article 51A(a) makes respecting the National Flag and National Anthem a fundamental duty; the National Song is not named in it.
  • A 2026 amendment to the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971 extended its penal provision, which already protected the National Anthem, to intentionally preventing the singing of Vande Mataram.
Karnataka's legislature asks the Centre to shrink the Western Ghats eco-sensitive area
  • The Gadgil panel (WGEEP, 2011) proposed treating about 64% of the Western Ghats as ecologically sensitive.
  • The Kasturirangan working group (2013) reduced this to about 37%, focusing on natural landscapes.
  • Eco-sensitive areas are notified under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986; the Centre has issued several draft notifications without a final one.
Towards recognising women as farmers
  • Women operate only about 14% of operational holdings, according to the Agriculture Census 2015-16.
  • The Hindu Succession (Amendment) Act, 2005 gave daughters equal coparcenary rights in joint family property.
  • The Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana (2011), under DAY-NRLM, supports women in agriculture.
Drug trade to be uprooted by the end of 2029, says Home Minister
  • The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985 is India's main anti-drug law; the Narcotics Control Bureau was set up in 1986.
  • The MANAS helpline 1933 lets citizens report drug-related information.
  • India lies between the Golden Crescent (Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan) and the Golden Triangle (Myanmar, Laos, Thailand).
Green clearances for ports now valid for 20 years
  • The EIA Notification, 2006 is issued under Section 3 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
  • Port and harbour clearances were valid for 10 years plus a one-year extension; they are now valid for 20 years with two further five-year extensions.
  • Coastal projects also need clearance under the Coastal Regulation Zone Notification (currently 2019).

22 September 2026

Supreme Court: an accused must be released if not told the grounds of arrest
  • Article 22(1) requires that an arrested person be informed of the grounds of arrest as soon as may be and be allowed to consult a lawyer.
  • Article 22(2) requires production before a magistrate within 24 hours of arrest.
  • In Pankaj Bansal (2023) and Prabir Purkayastha (2024), the Supreme Court required grounds of arrest to be given in writing under PMLA and UAPA.
Article 371 A to J, and what a new 371K could do for Ladakh
  • Article 371 contains special provisions for Maharashtra and Gujarat; Articles 371A to 371J cover Nagaland, Assam, Manipur, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Sikkim, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Goa and Karnataka.
  • Article 371J, added by the 98th Amendment (2012), provides for the Hyderabad-Karnataka region.
  • The Sixth Schedule (Articles 244(2) and 275(1)) provides autonomous district councils in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram.
India-New Zealand trade deal to take effect on 20 October
  • New Zealand gives duty-free access to 100% of India's exports; India offers concessions on about 70% of its tariff lines, covering about 95% of New Zealand's exports by value.
  • India excluded dairy completely, a sensitive sector for its small farmers and New Zealand's largest export.
  • The agreement was signed on 27 April 2026 and enters into force on 20 October 2026.
How Gaganyaan's crew module will deploy its parachutes
  • Gaganyaan is India's programme to send a three-member crew to low Earth orbit for up to three days and return them safely.
  • The crew module's descent uses 10 parachutes of four types: apex cover separation, drogue, pilot and main parachutes, ending in a splashdown at sea.
  • Two of the three main parachutes are enough for a safe landing, giving the system redundancy.
Nearly 40% of coal power plants are critically low on fuel
  • The Central Electricity Authority (CEA) sets coal stock norms for thermal plants and publishes daily stock data.
  • A plant is classified as 'critical' when its coal stock is below 25% of the normative requirement.
  • Shortages usually come from logistics, rain-hit mining and demand spikes rather than a lack of coal reserves.