UPSC Current Affairs — Page 2
October 17, 2026
GST Collections, September 2026: ₹1.96 Lakh Crore and What It Says About Demand
Gross GST revenue rose 9.8 per cent to ₹1.96 lakh crore in September 2026, with domestic collections up 11.3 per cent and imports up 5.4 per cent. The festive-quarter signal, the fiscal math behind the number, and the caveats that qualify it.
October 16, 2026
Samudra Manthan: The ₹84,084-Crore Mission to Explore India's Deep Waters
The Cabinet approved 'Samudra Manthan', the National Offshore Exploration Scheme, with an ₹84,084-crore Phase-I outlay through FY 2030-31: sixty deepwater wells, fresh seismic data and shared infrastructure, aimed at lifting domestic oil and gas production from around 62 to 80 MMTOE.
October 16, 2026
One Nation, One Election: Why the JPC's Supreme Court Interaction Was Called Off
The Joint Parliamentary Committee examining the One Nation, One Election Bills dropped a planned 'informal interaction' with the Chief Justice of India and other Supreme Court judges on 6 October 2026 after objections over separation of powers. Here is what the two constitutional amendment Bills do, how the Kovind Committee's plan has moved since 2023, and where the legislation stands.
October 16, 2026
Nobel Prizes 2026: The Winners and the Discoveries Behind Each Award
The six 2026 Nobel Prizes go to the discoverers of optogenetics, the architect of the IceCube neutrino observatory, two chemists who solved the riddle of mirror-image molecules, the Canadian poet Anne Carson, jurist Navi Pillay and the economists Raj Chetty and Nathaniel Hendren. Who they are, what the work means, and how the prizes work.
October 16, 2026
Special Intensive Revision (SIR): How India's Electoral Rolls Are Being Rewritten
The Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR), a house-to-house re-verification of electoral rolls ordered in phases, is complete in 20 States/UTs and upheld by the Supreme Court in May 2026. Here is how the SIR works, what it changed in Bihar, and where the process stands.
October 10, 2026
RBI Repo Rate Hike to 5.50%: The October 2026 MPC Decision, Explained
The Monetary Policy Committee raised the repo rate by 25 basis points to 5.50 per cent on 7 October 2026, the RBI's first hike since February 2023, and changed its stance to calibrated tightening as food and fuel inflation firmed up. The decision, the projections and the road ahead, explained from RBI's own records.
October 10, 2026
The Supreme Court in September 2026: Fake AI Citations, Re-Arrest Safeguards and a POCSO Acquittal
Three rulings that defined the Supreme Court's September: a ₹425-crore customs penalty set aside because the order leaned on AI-hallucinated citations that do not exist; new safeguards requiring a Magistrate's approval before anyone released for an Article 22 breach can be re-arrested; and a reminder that POCSO's statutory presumptions cannot substitute for proof.
October 10, 2026
Rupee Under Pressure: Why India's Forex Reserves Fell $51 Billion in a Month
India's forex reserves fell from a lifetime high of $785.71 billion in early September to $734.61 billion by 2 October, including the largest weekly drop on record, as the RBI defended a rupee near its all-time low. The RBI has responded with a rate hike, tighter rules for the currency derivatives market and a special dollar window for public-sector oil marketing companies.
October 10, 2026
NEET-UG 2026 Paper Leak: Re-Exam, Protests and the Supreme Court Orders
NEET-UG 2026 was cancelled on 12 May after a paper leak, re-conducted on 21 June and followed by nationwide student protests and a police crackdown. The Supreme Court closed the protest FIRs across the country under Article 142, allowed one FIR against 2,873 persons with criminal antecedents, and the Centre must frame a compensation policy within three months.
October 10, 2026
Green Energy Corridor Phase-III: ₹1.86 Lakh Crore to Evacuate 135 GW of Renewables
The Union Cabinet approved the Green Energy Corridor Phase-III on 30 September 2026: ₹1,86,405 crore to build intra-state transmission for evacuating up to 135 GW of renewable energy, along with 50 GWh of battery storage, by FY 2032-33. Phase-I is fully commissioned; Phase-II is under implementation.
October 10, 2026
Union Cabinet Decisions, 6 October 2026: ₹10,000 Crore SME Growth Fund and ITLA
The Union Cabinet on 6 October 2026 approved a ₹10,000 crore SME Growth Fund for direct equity investments in small and medium enterprises, and the setting up of the Integrated Transport & Logistics Authority (ITLA) to end fragmented transport planning. The same meeting passed a resolution congratulating the Prime Minister on 25 years of continuous leadership.
September 19, 2026
Monsoon 2026 review: A below-normal forecast, a late onset and the withdrawal
IMD's Long Range Forecast placed 2026 seasonal rainfall at 90% of the LPA: the below-normal band. Onset was late, June opened weak, and withdrawal began around 19 September from West Rajasthan. This guide covers the season and the mechanisms behind it.
September 13, 2026
BRICS Summit 2026: New Delhi, 11 members and the expansion question
India hosted the 18th BRICS Summit at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, on 12–13 September 2026 under the theme "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Trust", adopting the New Delhi Declaration. This guide covers the membership, India's positions and the institutions UPSC tests.
September 11, 2026
India and the World: July to September 2026
The quarter's diplomacy ran through Central Asia: Prime Minister Modi visited Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan (29 August – 1 September) and attended the 26th SCO Summit in Bishkek (31 August – 1 September), with India set to host the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi on 12–13 September 2026. The India–China reset, summit formats, and the Prelims facts for each.
September 11, 2026
Reports and Indices: July to September 2026
Two releases dominate the quarter: the UN Sustainable Development Report 2026, where India ranked 94th of 167 countries, its best-ever position, and the IMF's July 2026 World Economic Outlook Update, which trimmed India's FY2026–27 growth to 6.4 percent while raising 2027. The one statistic per report, with the static topic each connects to.
September 11, 2026
Government Schemes: July to September 2026
Three Cabinet approvals this quarter, each mapped to ministry, outlay, and Prelims question format: the revamped Khelo India scheme (₹36, 441 crore, 2026–31) with enhanced assistance to national sports federations, the GOBARdhan National Circular Bioenergy Scheme (₹23, 731 crore), and the BHAVYA Rasayan chemical parks scheme (₹3, 030 crore).
September 11, 2026
Economy: July to September 2026
Q1 FY 2026–27 grew 7.8 percent in real terms, the fastest quarterly print in over a year, while the RBI's August MPC held the repo rate at 5.25 percent for a second straight meeting, raised the FY27 growth forecast to 6.7 percent, and cut its inflation projection to 5.0 percent. Every number with the reasoning behind it.
September 11, 2026
Supreme Court Judgments: July to September 2026
The quarter's key verdicts, all verified from Supreme Court records: zero tolerance for AI-hallucinated precedents, a national policy for elderly and terminally ill prisoners, curbs on clipped court videos on social media, compensation and national directions on stray-cattle deaths, the NEET protest interim directions, and September rulings on juvenility, externment review powers, and penalty discretion. Each mapped to its constitutional anchor and Prelims test format.
September 11, 2026
One nation one election: The proposal, the bills and the amendment route
Simultaneous elections would hold Lok Sabha and State Assembly polls together. The Kovind Committee recommended it in March 2024; two Constitution Amendment Bills now sit with a Joint Parliamentary Committee. This guide explains the proposal and the constitutional questions it raises.
September 11, 2026
India–China border talks: The mechanisms and the disengagement record
India–China border diplomacy runs on layered mechanisms: the WMCC, corps commander talks and Special Representatives. This guide explains the architecture and the disengagement record from Galwan to Depsang–Demchok.
September 11, 2026
Governors vs state governments: The constitutional position and the case law
Governor–state friction recurs through Article 200 assent disputes. This guide explains the Governor's constitutional position, the discretionary zone, and the case law from Bommai to the recent assent rulings.
September 11, 2026
Floods and disaster management: The framework behind every monsoon question
India's disaster framework rests on the DM Act 2005, the NDMA's Flood Guidelines, the NDRF, and the global Sendai Framework. This guide explains the institutions, the four Sendai priorities, and the flood-specific concepts UPSC tests.
September 11, 2026
The Women's Reservation Act: One-third seats, delimitation and the timeline
The 106th Constitutional Amendment (Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023) reserves one-third of seats in the Lok Sabha, state assemblies and the Delhi Assembly for women. Its commencement waits on delimitation after the next census. This guide explains the Act and its preconditions.
September 11, 2026
India–US relations: The framework that survives every administration
The India–US relationship rests on four foundational agreements, the 2+2 Dialogue, iCET and the Quad. This guide explains the scaffolding UPSC tests: the agreements, the frameworks, and the recurring friction points.