Current Affairs — 11 September 2026

1. ASUSE 2025: Mapping India's Unincorporated Economy at the District Level

Basic Concept

India's economy has a large unincorporated, non-agricultural informal segment — proprietorships, partnerships (excluding LLPs), cooperatives, and trusts or societies engaged in manufacturing, trade and other services outside corporate frameworks. Because this segment employs a major share of India's non-farm workforce yet stays largely outside formal statistics like the Annual Survey of Industries, the National Statistical Office (NSO), under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), measures it separately through the Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises (ASUSE). This is core GS3 (Economy — employment, informal sector, national income statistics) content.

Core Context

The NSO released India's first-ever comprehensive district-level estimates for the unincorporated non-agricultural sector, drawing on ASUSE 2025 data spanning 757 districts, to support decentralised, evidence-based economic planning.

Latest Developments

• The top 10 districts (concentrated in Gujarat, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal) generate roughly one-tenth of all establishments, workers and Gross Value Added (GVA); the top 50 districts across 12 states drive nearly a third of the sector's total establishments, workforce and GVA.
• Roughly a third of all districts host over 1,00,000 unincorporated establishments each, while about 9% of districts have fewer than 10,000 units; only 16 "mega-districts" host more than 5,00,000 units each.
• In 280 districts, GVA per worker exceeds the national average of ₹1,56,539; in 331 districts, productivity clusters between ₹1,00,000 and ₹1,50,000 per worker.
• In 237 districts, women make up at least a third of the unincorporated workforce, and in 25 districts more than half; in every district of Mizoram, female-owned units account for at least half of all establishments.
• Policy applications include targeting institutional credit schemes such as PM MUDRA Yojana and PM SVANidhi toward low-productivity districts, and migrating informal units onto the Udyam Assist Platform for formal banking access.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• ASUSE (Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises) is conducted by the National Statistical Office (NSO) under MoSPI.
• The unincorporated sector covers manufacturing, trade and "other services" enterprises that are proprietorships, partnerships (excluding LLPs), cooperatives, or trusts/societies.
• The Udyam Assist Platform (UAP) helps informal micro-enterprises transition toward formal recognition and credit access.
• The all-India average GVA per worker in the unincorporated sector, per ASUSE 2025, is ₹1,56,539.

2. Each One Teach One: A Reverse-Learning Model from Assam

Basic Concept

India's literacy and digital-inclusion goals are pursued both through formal schemes and grassroots innovations. Intergenerational learning models — where school-going children transmit literacy or digital skills to older, often illiterate family members — are a recognised low-cost strategy for closing the adult literacy gap, especially among women in tribal and rural households. This is GS1 (Indian Society — women's empowerment, tribal communities, education) and GS4 (Ethics — social responsibility) content.

Core Context

Assam geography teacher Rajesh Bordoloi received the National Teachers' Award 2026 for his "Each One Teach One" initiative at Adarsha Tribal Higher Secondary School, Kalbari (Jorhat district), where students from the Mising tribal community teach their own mothers literacy and digital skills.

Latest Developments

• Class 10 students act as home tutors, teaching mothers to read and write, operate smartphones, make UPI payments, and use online banking and other digital services; smart boards are also used at parent-teacher meetings to familiarise mothers with technology.
• Nearly 99% of the school's students belong to the Mising community, many being first-generation learners, making the initiative significant for tribal educational inclusion.
• The programme also promotes school retention and awareness against child marriage, and has expanded from Kalbari village to several neighbouring villages.
• The initiative demonstrates a "reverse learning" model, turning students into community change-makers rather than only recipients of education.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• The National Teachers' Award is conferred annually by the Government of India on Teachers' Day (5 September) to recognise outstanding contributions to school education.
• The Mising (also spelt Mishing) are a Scheduled Tribe community concentrated in Assam's Brahmaputra valley.
• UPI (Unified Payments Interface)-based digital-literacy training for women links financial inclusion with digital literacy goals.

3. The Call to Action for 6G Leadership and Security

Basic Concept

Each telecom generation (1G to 5G) has required international standard-setting and, increasingly, security cooperation; India runs its own Bharat 6G Alliance to guide domestic 6G research alongside global coordination bodies. Multilateral "calls to action" or coalitions on emerging technology are non-binding intergovernmental instruments used to align policy and security approaches among like-minded countries before formal treaty-level agreements are negotiated. This is GS2 (International Relations — technology diplomacy) and GS3 (Science & Technology — telecom) content.

Core Context

India formally endorsed the "Call to Action for 6G Leadership and Security," joining a 26-government coalition led by the United States to coordinate the development, deployment and governance of secure, open and interoperable 6G networks.

Latest Developments

• The initiative was launched by the US National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) in July 2026 under the US G20 presidency; India's Department of Telecommunications (DoT) leads domestic and international engagement.
• Signatories include India, the US, UK, Japan, South Korea, Germany, France, Canada, Australia and several European and Latin American countries — 26 governments in total.
• The initiative sets a 12-month action roadmap covering expert contacts, industry and R&D mapping, resilient telecom supply chains, and an intergovernmental review in 2027.
• It commits members to build 6G systems that are open, interoperable, secure, resilient, AI-supported and energy-efficient, and promotes Open RAN architectures and transparency in telecom hardware and software supply chains.
• The initiative explicitly preserves each nation's strategic autonomy over spectrum allocation and domestic policy choices, and does not replace existing industry-led standards bodies.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• The Call to Action for 6G Leadership and Security was launched by the US NTIA in July 2026.
• India's Department of Telecommunications (DoT) leads India's engagement with global 6G governance initiatives.
• Open RAN (Radio Access Network) refers to open, interoperable telecom network architecture standards, promoted as an alternative to closed proprietary systems.
• The Bharat 6G Alliance is India's own domestic platform coordinating 6G research and development.

4. Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) (Amendment) Rules, 2026

Basic Concept

E-commerce in India is regulated under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, and the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020, covering both marketplace and inventory-based e-commerce entities. "Dark patterns" are manipulative online design practices, such as false urgency or hidden costs, separately addressed through the Central Consumer Protection Authority's 2023 Guidelines. This is GS2 (Governance — consumer protection) and GS3 (Economy — digital commerce regulation) content.

Core Context

The Department of Consumer Affairs notified the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) (Amendment) Rules, 2026, tightening norms on dark patterns, search manipulation and price transparency, effective from 1 January 2027.

Latest Developments

• E-commerce entities must become partners in the National Consumer Helpline (NCH) convergence framework and provide complainants a verbatim copy of their recorded complaint.
• Platforms are barred from manipulating search-result algorithms to mislead consumers, and sponsored or paid listings must carry prominent visual disclosures.
• Whenever a discount is advertised, platforms must display both the reduced price and the "prior price" — defined as the lowest price offered in the preceding 30 days — to curb deceptive price-drop claims.
• Platforms must comply with the 2023 Dark Patterns Guidelines through mandatory annual self-audits and display a compliance certificate on their interface; they are also barred from using personal or behavioural data without explicit consent and from levying arbitrary bundled fees.
• Marketplaces must disclose full country-of-origin information and domestic importer details for foreign-sourced products, along with clear product lifecycle information such as best-before dates and warranty terms.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• The Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules operate under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, which replaced the Consumer Protection Act, 1986.
• The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) issued the Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns in 2023.
• The National Consumer Helpline (NCH) is the government's centralised consumer-grievance redressal mechanism.
• The 2026 Amendment Rules come into force from 1 January 2027.

5. Copper: Record Prices and Strategic Importance

Basic Concept

Copper (Cu, atomic number 29) is a base metal prized for its electrical and thermal conductivity, often called "Doctor Copper" for its use as a leading indicator of global economic health, since demand tracks construction, manufacturing and infrastructure activity. It is a critical mineral for the clean-energy transition — power grids, EVs and renewables — and features on India's own list of declared critical minerals. This is GS3 (Economy/Geography — minerals, critical minerals) content.

Core Context

Global copper prices surged to an all-time high of $14,708 per tonne on the London Metal Exchange (LME), reflecting surging demand from clean-energy infrastructure, EVs and AI data centres, alongside tariff-driven market disruptions.

Latest Developments

• Copper is one of only two elemental metals, alongside gold, with an intrinsic reddish-orange colour, and is 100% recyclable without loss of its physical or chemical properties.
• Electric vehicles require up to four times more copper than internal combustion engine vehicles, given their use in battery packs, stator coils, motors and DC fast-charging infrastructure.
• Copper is essential to AI and data-centre infrastructure (chip-level interconnects, busbars, liquid cooling systems) as well as traditional power grids, wind turbines and solar plants.
• Copper's antimicrobial ("oligodynamic") properties give it contact-killing action against bacteria, yeasts and viruses, supporting its use on frequently touched surfaces.
• India remains a large net copper importer despite domestic reserves and smelting capacity, making global price surges directly relevant to India's manufacturing and clean-energy costs.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• Copper's chemical symbol is Cu, from the Latin "cuprum," meaning "from Cyprus."
• Copper use marks the transition from the Neolithic to the Chalcolithic (Copper Age) and then the Bronze Age in human history.
• Copper is officially notified among India's list of Critical Minerals, given its role in EVs, renewables and electronics.
• The London Metal Exchange (LME) is a key global price benchmark for base metals, including copper, aluminium and zinc.

6. The 18th BRICS Summit: Structure, Membership and India's Chairship History

Basic Concept

BRICS distinguishes between full members (with complete decision-making rights) and partner countries — a newer, looser tier of engagement introduced as the grouping expanded, without full membership status. The grouping's institutional infrastructure has grown through successive Indian chairships, each producing specific, lasting deliverables. This is GS2 (International Relations — India and regional/global groupings) content.

Core Context

Ahead of hosting the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi on 12-13 September 2026 — its fourth chairship since the grouping's inception — coverage previewed the summit's structure, membership tiers and preparatory meetings held across India through the year.

Latest Developments

• BRICS now has 11 full members (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the UAE — joined 2024 — and Indonesia, joined January 2025) and 10 partner countries (Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan and Vietnam).
• The 2026 summit's logo uses a lotus symbol (purity, resilience, progress), colourful petals representing member countries, and a Namaste gesture representing India's hosting spirit, under the theme "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability."
• India's three previous chairships each left specific institutional legacies: 2012 New Delhi (4th Summit) laid the groundwork for the New Development Bank and Contingent Reserve Arrangement; 2016 Goa (8th Summit) rolled out the NDB's first green loans, the BRICS Agriculture Research Platform, and the BRICS-BIMSTEC Outreach Summit; 2021 (virtual, 13th Summit) adopted the BRICS Counter-Terrorism Action Plan and launched the BRICS Vaccine R&D Centre and Remote Sensing Satellite Constellation Agreement.
• The 2026 chairship involved over 350 meetings across 25 Indian cities, including the Finance Ministers' meeting (Jaipur and Mumbai), the Environment Ministers' meeting (New Delhi), the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministerial (Chennai), the Communications Ministers' meeting (Pune), and a Youth Ministers' meeting (Visakhapatnam).
• Key 2026 deliverables include a BRICS Startup Innovation Fund, an MSME Cooperation Portal, Agro-Ecology Centres of Excellence, BRICS CONNECT for skilling, and the Global Value Chain (GVC) Action Plan 2026-2030.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• BRICS distinguishes 11 "full members" (Indonesia joined January 2025) from 10 "partner countries," including Belarus, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, Thailand and Vietnam.
• India's four BRICS chairships were in 2012 (4th Summit, New Delhi), 2016 (8th Summit, Goa), 2021 (13th Summit, virtual) and 2026 (18th Summit, New Delhi).
• The BRICS Vaccine R&D Centre and the Remote Sensing Satellite Constellation Agreement were both launched during India's 2021 virtual chairship.
• The BRICS-BIMSTEC Outreach Summit was convened during India's 2016 Goa chairship.

7. Lipulekh Pass: India-Tibet Border Trade Resumes

Basic Concept

Lipulekh Pass is a high-altitude Himalayan pass (over 17,000 feet) in Pithoragarh district, Uttarakhand, near the India-Nepal-China trijunction, historically used by Bhotiya traders of Kumaon for barter trade with Tibet and as a route for the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra. Border trade through such passes is governed by bilateral arrangements dating to the 1954 Sino-Indian Panchsheel Agreement, and has periodically been suspended due to conflict or other disruptions. This is GS1 (Physical/Political Geography — mountain passes) and GS2 (India's neighbourhood, border management) content.

Core Context

Cross-border trade between India and the Tibet Autonomous Region resumed through Lipulekh Pass after a six-year hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and procedural delays.

Latest Developments

• The pass connects the Kumaon region of India to Taklakot (Purang) in Tibet's Ngari Prefecture, a key commercial hub for cross-Himalayan trade.
• Trade through the pass was mentioned in the 1954 Sino-Indian Panchsheel Agreement, closed after the 1962 war, reopened in 1992, and operated annually until suspension in 2019.
• Indian traders exchange jaggery, sugar candy, spices, tea and utensils for Tibetan raw wool, pashmina, garments and yak hair during a limited seasonal trading window.
• The Border Roads Organisation's 80-km all-weather Dharchula-Lipulekh road serves as the pass's terminal infrastructure, easing movement for security forces and Kailash Manasarovar Yatra pilgrims.
• Lipulekh lies near the Kalapani territory, also claimed by Nepal, which disputes the origin of the Kali (Mahakali) River as the boundary marker under the 1816 Treaty of Sugauli.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• Lipulekh Pass is located in Pithoragarh district, Uttarakhand, near the India-Nepal-China trijunction.
• The Kali (Mahakali) River, per the 1816 Treaty of Sugauli, demarcates the India-Nepal boundary in this region — the basis of Nepal's Kalapani-area claims.
• Lipulekh is one of the approved routes for the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra, organised by the Ministry of External Affairs.
• Nathu La, Shipki La and Lipulekh are among India's designated border trade passes with the Tibet Autonomous Region of China.

8. Gram Sabha Consent and the Forest Rights Act

Basic Concept

The Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006 recognises the rights of forest-dwelling Scheduled Tribes and other traditional forest dwellers over forest land and resources, and requires Gram Sabha consent as part of the "free, prior and informed consent" (FPIC) principle before forest land is diverted for non-forest use. The Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 lays down a two-stage (Stage-I and Stage-II) clearance process for such diversion, and the Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) was designated the nodal authority for FRA implementation via a 2005 amendment to the Government of India (Allocation of Business) Rules, 1961. This is core GS2 (Governance — statutory bodies, tribal welfare) and GS3 (Environment — forest governance) content.

Core Context

Adivasi and forest-dweller organisations, led by a national platform called the Campaign for Survival and Dignity (CSD), have demanded that the Ministry of Tribal Affairs withdraw an office memorandum stating it has "no provision" or role in requiring Gram Sabha consent at the Stage-II forest clearance stage.

Latest Developments

• The 31 August memorandum followed a Parliamentary Committee on Public Undertakings report noting that NHPC found Gram Sabha consent requirements were delaying its hydropower projects.
• CSD argues the memorandum contradicts Section 11 of the FRA, 2006, which designates MoTA as the nodal authority for FRA implementation including consent-related rules, and the Supreme Court's Niyamgiri judgment (2013), which affirmed Gram Sabha FPIC as a prerequisite for forest clearance.
• CSD cites government data showing about 3,05,945 hectares of forest land were approved for non-forest use between 2008-09 and 2022-23 without full FRA compliance, disputing the claim that consent requirements are the primary cause of project delays.
• The Parliamentary Committee has also proposed lowering the Gram Sabha consent threshold from 100% to 70-75%, which CSD calls a misreading of Gram Sabhas' statutory powers.
• The disputed sequence is: FRA rights recognition (MoTA, nodal) then Gram Sabha consent (FPIC, per the Niyamgiri judgment) then Stage-II forest clearance under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 — CSD argues this is settled law that the August memorandum undermines.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• The Forest Rights Act, 2006 (Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act) recognises individual and community forest rights.
• Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) of the Gram Sabha was affirmed as a legal requirement for forest diversion in the Niyamgiri judgment, (2013) 6 SCC 476.
• The Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 provides a two-stage (Stage-I and Stage-II) clearance process for diverting forest land to non-forest use.
• PESA, 1996 (Panchayats Extension to Scheduled Areas Act) is read alongside the FRA as a constitutional basis for Gram Sabha authority in Scheduled Areas.

9. Doctors Flag Misplaced Protein Anxiety Fuelled by Social Media

Basic Concept

Dietary protein requirements in India are set by ICMR-NIN (National Institute of Nutrition) guidelines, which specify a Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for a healthy adult. Nutrition science distinguishes "complete" proteins (containing all nine essential amino acids in adequate proportions, typically from animal sources) from "incomplete" plant proteins, though this distinction is increasingly contested when overall diets are varied and calorically adequate. This is GS2 (Health policy) and GS3 (Science — nutrition; Society) content.

Core Context

A White Paper by a national physicians' association on nutrition, released around National Nutrition Week (1-7 September), argues that India's protein discourse has become fixated on gram-counting and product marketing rather than genuine dietary adequacy, driven substantially by social media.

Latest Developments

• ICMR-NIN recommends about 0.83g of protein per kg body weight per day for a healthy adult — roughly 50g for a 60-kg adult; higher-need groups like growing children, breastfeeding women, athletes and older adults may need up to 2g/kg/day.
• The White Paper, titled "Rethinking Protein in Plant-Based Diets," challenges the claim that animal protein is "complete" and plant protein "incomplete," noting plant foods contain all nine essential amino acids, just in different proportions, and that combining proteins at every single meal is not strictly necessary in a varied, adequate diet.
• Protein supplements are not routinely necessary for healthy adults, though they may help athletes, older people with poor appetite, or those on GLP-1 weight-loss medications, which carry a muscle-loss side effect.
• The release coincides with new food-labelling mandates from India's food safety regulator, amid concern that social media increasingly substitutes for professional dietary advice.
• Clinicians have reported cases of self-directed high-protein diets causing dangerous potassium and phosphorus imbalances in patients with underlying kidney disease.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• ICMR-NIN (National Institute of Nutrition) sets India's Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA), including for protein.
• National Nutrition Week is observed annually from 1-7 September.
• FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) is the statutory body regulating food labelling and safety standards in India.
• A "complete protein" contains all nine essential amino acids in adequate proportions; plant foods contain all nine but often in different ratios than animal sources.

10. When an AI Chatbot Becomes the First Confidant in a Mental Health Crisis

Basic Concept

Mental health governance in India operates under the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017, which recognises a right to mental healthcare and decriminalised attempted suicide, alongside the National Mental Health Programme (NMHP) and its Tele-MANAS helpline for remote counselling. The rise of generative AI chatbots as an always-available conversational tool has created a new, largely unregulated category of informal first responder for people in emotional distress. This is GS1 (Society), GS2 (Governance — health policy) and GS3 (Science & Technology — AI applications) crossover content.

Core Context

Psychiatrists report that a growing share of patients, especially younger ones, are turning to AI chatbots before consulting a professional when in emotional distress, raising concerns about delayed care and reinforced hopelessness in suicide-risk situations.

Latest Developments

• A survey of over a thousand young people aged 12-21 found 19.2% had used AI chatbots for mental health advice in 2025, with nearly two-thirds not telling anyone about the practice.
• Among hundreds of thousands of analysed AI chatbot conversations, under 5% broadly touched on mental health, though only a small fraction met a strict definition of an identifiable person seeking mental health help.
• Chatbots are reported to be better at recognising very low- and very high-risk situations, but weaker at distinguishing intermediate suicide-risk levels, since distress is often expressed indirectly.
• Repeated AI reassurance can create an "internal loop," where users draw comfort from empathetic responses while disregarding suggestions to seek professional help; a chatbot also lacks access to a person's psychiatric history or current mental state.
• Experts have called for mandatory safety audits of AI mental-health tools, independent clinical assessment standards, clearer liability frameworks, and public education on the appropriate limits of AI use in mental health.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• The Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 recognises a statutory right to mental healthcare and decriminalised attempted suicide in India.
• Tele-MANAS is India's national tele-mental-health helpline programme, launched under the National Mental Health Programme.
• Distinguishing "intermediate risk" from "very high/low risk" suicide indicators is a recognised challenge in AI-based mental health risk assessment.

11. Science News: CosmoCube — A Lunar Far-Side Satellite Hunting the Universe's First Signal

Basic Concept

The "cosmic dark age" refers to the roughly 150-million-year period after the Big Bang before the first stars formed, during which the universe was filled with neutral hydrogen gas; this hydrogen emits a faint radio signal at the 21-centimetre wavelength that carries information about the universe's earliest conditions. Detecting it from Earth is extremely difficult because the ionosphere blocks the relevant low frequencies and human radio transmissions swamp the residual signal — making the Moon's far side, permanently shielded from Earth-based radio noise, an attractive observation site. India's own planned mission in this space is PRATUSH. This is GS3 (Science and Technology — space technology, astronomy) content.

Core Context

Researchers led by the Royal Astronomical Society have proposed CosmoCube, a suitcase-sized satellite that would use the Moon's far side as a natural radio shield to detect the faint 21-cm signal from the universe's earliest, starless period — a mission explicitly compared to India's own planned PRATUSH mission.

Latest Developments

• CosmoCube would orbit the Moon with about 40 minutes of radio-shielded observation time per 2-hour lunar orbit; a proposed 2-year mission could gather roughly 1,000 hours of usable data.
• The mission team projects a possible launch in about five years, subject to funding, since Earth-based radio telescopes cannot access the frequencies needed to detect this signal at all.
• The proposal flags a genuine competing risk: several countries, including the US and India, are planning their own lunar far-side missions, which could add radio interference to the very region CosmoCube depends on staying radio-quiet.
• India's own PRATUSH mission is cited alongside CosmoCube as pursuing the same cosmic dark age science using a similar radio-astronomy approach.
• The "Epoch of Reionization" — when the first stars and galaxies ionised surrounding neutral hydrogen and ended the cosmic dark age — is the scientific transition period both missions aim to help characterise.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• The 21-centimetre hydrogen line is a radio wavelength emitted by neutral hydrogen, used to study the universe before the first stars formed.
• The "cosmic dark age" refers to the period between roughly 380,000 years and about 1 billion years after the Big Bang, ending with the Epoch of Reionization.
• PRATUSH is India's planned mission to study the cosmic dark age using radio astronomy from the Moon's far side.
• The Moon's far side is used for radio astronomy because it is permanently shielded from Earth-originated radio interference.

12. Prelims Bytes: Quick-Fire Facts

Prelims Bytes: Quick-Fire Facts

• The Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Jan Seva Award 2026 was conferred on Kishor Makwana, Chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC), at the 16th Sansad Ratna Awards ceremony in New Delhi, an award instituted in Dr. Kalam's memory to honour outstanding public service.
• Researchers recorded Ophiopogon japonicus (dwarf lilyturf), an East Asian medicinal herb native to China, Japan, Korea and Nepal, in India for the first time, found at 2,185m in Arunachal Pradesh's West Kameng district, extending its known range into the Eastern Himalaya.
• Ladakh's Leh Apex Body and Kargil Democratic Alliance continue to press for full statehood and Sixth Schedule status, distinct from the Centre's proposed new Article 371 "Chapter K" body; activist Sonam Wangchuk has warned of fresh agitation from 19-24 September if the Centre does not respond within a week.
• A study by a German aerospace research institute suggests Mercury may have shrunk by up to 14 miles (23km) as its iron core cools, about 30% more than earlier estimates — a finding the BepiColombo spacecraft, expected to enter Mercury orbit in November 2026, could help confirm.
• A separate investigation into political funding (covered in depth in the 12 September notes) found that six Gujarat-based Registered Unrecognised Political Parties received about ₹1,700 crore in donations in 2023-24 despite fielding only 15 Lok Sabha candidates in 2024.

13. Practice MCQs

Practice MCQs

Q1. Consider the following statements regarding ASUSE (Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises) 2025:
1. It is conducted by the National Statistical Office under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.
2. The unincorporated sector, as measured by ASUSE, includes Limited Liability Partnerships (LLPs).
3. ASUSE 2025 provided India's first-ever district-level estimates for the unincorporated non-agricultural sector.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

• (a) 1 and 2 only
• (b) 2 and 3 only
• (c) 1 and 3 only
• (d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: (c) 1 and 3 only

Explanation: ASUSE is indeed conducted by the NSO under MoSPI, and ASUSE 2025 did provide India's first district-level estimates for this sector. However, the unincorporated sector specifically excludes LLPs, covering only proprietorships, ordinary partnerships, cooperatives, and trusts/societies, making statement 2 incorrect.

Q2. As of 2026, which of the following is classified as a BRICS "Partner Country" rather than a full member?

• (a) Indonesia
• (b) Iran
• (c) Vietnam
• (d) United Arab Emirates

Answer: (c) Vietnam

Explanation: Indonesia, Iran and the UAE are full BRICS members (Indonesia since January 2025, Iran and the UAE since 2024). Vietnam is one of BRICS's 10 partner countries, a looser tier of engagement introduced alongside full membership expansion.

Q3. Consider the following statements about Lipulekh Pass:
1. It is located in Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand.
2. It is one of the approved routes for the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra.
3. Trade through the pass has continued without any interruption since the 1954 Panchsheel Agreement.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

• (a) 1 and 2 only
• (b) 2 and 3 only
• (c) 1 and 3 only
• (d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: (a) 1 and 2 only

Explanation: Lipulekh Pass is indeed in Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand, and is a Kailash Manasarovar Yatra route. However, trade through the pass was closed after the 1962 war, reopened only in 1992, and was suspended again from 2019 until its recent resumption, making statement 3 incorrect.

Q4. The requirement of a Gram Sabha's "free, prior and informed consent" before forest land diversion was judicially affirmed by the Supreme Court of India in which of the following cases?

• (a) Samatha v. State of Andhra Pradesh
• (b) Orissa Mining Corporation v. Ministry of Environment and Forests (the Niyamgiri case)
• (c) Kesavananda Bharati v. State of Kerala
• (d) T.N. Godavarman Thirumulpad v. Union of India

Answer: (b) Orissa Mining Corporation v. Ministry of Environment and Forests (the Niyamgiri case)

Explanation: The 2013 Niyamgiri judgment affirmed that Gram Sabha free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) is a prerequisite for forest clearance under the Forest Rights Act, 2006, a principle since cited in disputes over the Ministry of Tribal Affairs' role in enforcing it.

Q5. Consider the following statements regarding the proposed CosmoCube mission and India's PRATUSH mission:
1. Both missions aim to study the "cosmic dark age" using radio astronomy from the Moon's far side.
2. The 21-centimetre hydrogen line is emitted by ionised hydrogen formed after the first stars appeared.
3. The Moon's far side is preferred for such observations because it is permanently shielded from Earth-based radio interference.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

• (a) 1 only
• (b) 1 and 3 only
• (c) 2 and 3 only
• (d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: (b) 1 and 3 only

Explanation: Both missions do target the cosmic dark age from the Moon's radio-shielded far side, and that shielding is indeed why the site is preferred. However, the 21-cm line is emitted by neutral hydrogen present before the first stars formed, not by ionised hydrogen formed afterward, making statement 2 incorrect.