Current Affairs — 15 September 2026

1. IAF's First Dronathon-2026: Showcasing India's Indigenous Drone Warfare Capability

Basic Concept

Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) have moved from a niche battlefield tool to a central pillar of modern air power, spanning surveillance drones, armed loitering munitions, drone swarms and the counter-UAS systems built to defeat them. India's push for self-reliance in this domain sits under the broader Atmanirbhar Bharat framework in defence manufacturing, alongside indigenous programmes for fighter aircraft and missile systems. This item is core GS3 (Science and Technology, Defence and Security) material, and it also touches GS2 to the extent it reflects defence-indigenisation policy.

Core Context

The Indian Air Force inaugurated its first-ever "Dronathon-2026" at the Pokhran Field Firing Range in Jaisalmer district, Rajasthan, running from 14 to 16 September 2026. The event was designed to test indigenous unmanned systems under realistic operational conditions rather than in a controlled laboratory setting, bringing together the IAF and India's drone manufacturing industry on a shared field.

Latest Developments

• Dronathon-2026 featured live trials of autonomous drone operations, coordinated drone swarms, electronic warfare and jamming resistance, and counter-UAS (anti-drone) systems.

• The IAF demonstrated Vayu UTtaM, an indigenously developed multi-mode Unmanned Traffic Management system meant to safely coordinate multiple drones operating in the same airspace.

• The exercise is intended to help Indian industry align its drone innovation roadmap directly with the IAF's actual operational requirements, shortening the gap between prototype and induction.

• It builds on lessons from recent conflicts worldwide, where low-cost drones and swarms have reshaped tactical air operations, reinforcing India's emphasis on indigenous counter-drone capability.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• Dronathon-2026 was held at the Pokhran Field Firing Range, Jaisalmer district, Rajasthan (14-16 September 2026).

• Vayu UTtaM is an indigenous multi-mode Unmanned Traffic Management system for coordinating drone operations.

• Pokhran Field Firing Range has also hosted other major IAF exercises such as Vayu Shakti and Gagan Shakti.

• UAS (Unmanned Aerial Systems) and counter-UAS technology fall under GS3's Science and Technology and Internal/External Security themes.

2. Hindi Diwas 2026 and the 6th All India Official Language Conference

Basic Concept

On 14 September 1949, India's Constituent Assembly adopted what is known as the Munshi-Ayyangar formula, under which Hindi in the Devanagari script was designated the official language of the Union under Article 343 of the Constitution, not a "national language" (India has no constitutionally declared national language). English was permitted to continue for official purposes for 15 years after independence. The Eighth Schedule to the Constitution recognised additional languages at the time and has since been expanded, now listing 22 languages. Anti-Hindi agitations in Tamil Nadu in 1965 led Parliament to permanently retain English alongside Hindi for official use, via the Official Languages Act, 1963. This is core GS2 (Indian Polity, constitutional provisions) and GS1 (language and culture) content.

Core Context

India observed Hindi Diwas 2026 on 14 September, commemorating the 1949 adoption of Hindi as the official language, and the Union Home Minister inaugurated the 6th All India Official Language Conference in Mumbai the same week, organised by the Department of Official Language under the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Latest Developments

• The conference featured the presentation of the Rajbhasha Gaurav and Rajbhasha Kirti Awards to ministries, departments and public sector undertakings for outstanding implementation of official language policy, with the Department of Financial Services winning the First Prize under the Rajbhasha Kirti category.

• The event evaluated the performance of Town Official Language Implementation Committees (TOLICs), which coordinate Hindi implementation across central government offices, banks and PSUs in a given city.

• Around 32 exhibition stalls at the conference showcased multilingual and AI-based translation tools, alongside literary releases in Hindi.

• The conference reflects the continuing institutional machinery under Article 343 and the Official Languages Act, 1963, that seeks to progressively expand Hindi's use in government functioning while preserving the constitutional bilingual (Hindi and English) framework.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• The Munshi-Ayyangar formula (1949) designated Hindi as the official language of the Union, not a national language, under Article 343.

• The Eighth Schedule originally listed 14 languages; it now lists 22 languages.

• The Official Languages Act, 1963, permits continued use of English alongside Hindi for official Union purposes.

• Town Official Language Implementation Committees (TOLICs) coordinate Hindi implementation at the city level among central government offices.

3. India Clinches the Women's Asia Cup 2026

Basic Concept

The Asia Cup is a continental cricket championship organised by the Asian Cricket Council, held in both men's and women's, and ODI and T20, formats across cycles. Tournament wins, host nations and named venues are recurring low-difficulty Prelims fact-check items, so current sporting events are worth noting for their bare facts even though they carry no policy analysis. This is GS1/Prelims general-awareness content.

Core Context

The Indian women's cricket team won the 6th T20 edition of the Women's Asia Cup (the tournament's 10th edition overall) in Dubai, defeating Sri Lanka by 72 runs in the final held between 28 August and 13 September 2026 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

Latest Developments

• Eight teams competed: India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong and Indonesia.

• This was India's 8th Asia Cup title overall (men's and women's editions combined across formats and years) and its 4th specifically in the T20 format.

• Opening batter Shafali Verma was among the standout performers, including the tournament's fastest half-century, reflecting continued strength in India's women's T20 batting line-up.

• The win extends a broader trend of expanding institutional support and visibility for women's cricket in India following the introduction of the Women's Premier League.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• The Women's Asia Cup 2026 (T20 format, 6th T20 edition) was held in Dubai, UAE.

• India defeated Sri Lanka by 72 runs in the final.

• The Asia Cup is organised by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC).

4. India-MERCOSUR PTA: A New Electronic Certificate of Origin Protocol

Basic Concept

MERCOSUR (Mercado Comun del Sur, or Southern Common Market) is a South American trade bloc comprising Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay as full members, with Bolivia as a more recently acceding full member and Venezuela currently suspended. India and MERCOSUR signed a Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) in 2004, which entered into force in June 2009, granting tariff concessions on a limited, mutually agreed list of products rather than the broad, near-total coverage of a Free Trade Agreement (FTA). A Certificate of Origin is a trade document certifying the country in which a good was manufactured, which is what allows an importer to claim preferential tariff treatment under such agreements. This is core GS2 (India's bilateral/regional groupings) and GS3 (external trade facilitation) content.

Core Context

India and MERCOSUR signed a First Additional Protocol to their 2004 PTA, formally recognising electronically issued Certificates of Origin as legally equivalent to paper-based ones, by amending Article 16 of Annex III (Rules of Origin) of the agreement.

Latest Developments

• The India-MERCOSUR PTA currently covers around 450 tariff lines offered by India and 452 tariff lines offered by MERCOSUR, a coverage list that has remained unchanged since the agreement came into force in 2009.

• The new protocol is expected to cut clearance delays and documentation costs for exporters by removing the need for physical, paper-based Certificates of Origin at customs.

• Officials on both sides have separately flagged discussions on expanding the current limited-coverage PTA into a more comprehensive Free Trade Agreement, though no formal FTA negotiations have concluded.

• The move mirrors India's broader push to digitise trade facilitation processes, in line with its participation in global e-commerce and paperless trade discussions at the WTO.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• MERCOSUR's full members are Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Bolivia; Venezuela is currently suspended.

• The India-MERCOSUR PTA was signed in 2004 and entered into force in June 2009.

• A PTA offers tariff concessions on a specific list of products, unlike an FTA, which covers nearly all traded goods.

• A Certificate of Origin certifies a good's country of manufacture for claiming preferential tariff treatment.

5. Indrayani River Fish Kill: A Pollution Wake-Up Call in Maharashtra

Basic Concept

A mass fish kill is typically triggered by a sharp drop in dissolved oxygen levels in water, most often caused by untreated sewage and industrial effluents raising the water's Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) and Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) beyond levels aquatic life can tolerate, a condition called hypoxia. Under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, State Pollution Control Boards are responsible for monitoring and regulating industrial and municipal discharge into rivers. This is core GS3 (Environment, pollution) and GS1 (rivers and geography of Maharashtra) content.

Core Context

Thousands of dead fish were found floating in the Indrayani River near the pilgrimage town of Alandi in Maharashtra, with the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board attributing the die-off to industrial discharge and municipal sewage causing hypoxic (low-oxygen) conditions in the river.

Latest Developments

• The Indrayani River originates near Kurvande village close to Lonavala in the Western Ghats and is a tributary of the Bhima River, itself part of the larger Krishna river system.

• The river flows through the twin pilgrimage towns of Dehu and Alandi, both closely associated with the Warkari (Bhakti) tradition and the legacy of saints Tukaram and Dnyaneshwar respectively.

• Suspected causes include untreated sewage from urbanising areas around Pune's Pimpri-Chinchwad belt and industrial nullahs discharging chemically toxic effluent directly into the river.

• The incident has renewed calls for stricter enforcement of effluent treatment norms and for expanding sewage treatment capacity in the rapidly urbanising Pune metropolitan region.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• The Indrayani River is a tributary of the Bhima River, which itself joins the Krishna river system.

• The Indrayani flows through Dehu (associated with Sant Tukaram) and Alandi (associated with Sant Dnyaneshwar).

• Mass fish kills are commonly linked to hypoxia caused by high BOD/COD from sewage and industrial discharge.

• The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 empowers State Pollution Control Boards to regulate such discharge.

6. Zero-MDR on UPI and the Taxation Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026

Basic Concept

The Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) is the fee a merchant pays their bank or payment service provider for processing a digital payment; India has kept MDR at zero on UPI person-to-merchant transactions since January 2020 to encourage adoption, with the government instead compensating payment-service providers through budgetary incentive schemes. The Unified Payments Interface (UPI), built by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), is India's flagship instant real-time payment system and a core pillar of the country's Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), alongside Aadhaar. This is core GS3 (Indian Economy, digital financial infrastructure) content.

Core Context

The Ministry of Finance notified zero charges on UPI transactions up to ₹2,000 and on all RuPay debit card payments, even as the Taxation and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026 creates a legal pathway for a Merchant Discount Rate to be levied specifically on larger person-to-merchant UPI transactions.

Latest Developments

• Only about 4% of UPI transactions exceed the ₹2,000 threshold, but this small share accounts for roughly 67% of total UPI transaction value, making it the segment where a fee could meaningfully offset payment-infrastructure costs without affecting small, everyday transactions.

• UPI processed more than 24,000 crore transactions in 2025-26, reflecting its scale as the dominant retail digital payment rail in India.

• Industry estimates put the annual cost of maintaining zero-MDR on UPI at approximately ₹20,700 crore, a cost currently absorbed by banks, payment aggregators and government incentive schemes.

• The move is being framed as a way to make UPI's merchant-payment infrastructure more financially sustainable for banks and fintech players without discouraging small-value digital transactions, which remain fully free.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) is the fee merchants pay for processing digital payments; it has been zero on UPI person-to-merchant payments since January 2020.

• UPI is operated by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).

• UPI and Aadhaar are both cited as pillars of India's Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI).

• Only a small share (~4%) of UPI transactions exceed ₹2,000, but they carry a disproportionately large share (~67%) of total transaction value.

7. Chandrayaan-1 Data Points to a New Contender for the Moon's Oldest Basin

Basic Concept

Chandrayaan-1, launched in October 2008, was India's first lunar mission and carried instruments including the Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) that studied the mineral composition of the lunar surface. The South Pole-Aitken (SPA) Basin, over 4 billion years old, is currently recognised as the Moon's oldest and largest confirmed impact basin. Scientists estimate around 300 impact basins may exist on the Moon, of which only about 74 have been confirmed and characterised so far. This is core GS3 (Space Technology, Science) content, useful also as a Static-GS-adjacent "Indian space missions" fact base.

Core Context

Scientists at India's Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) re-analysed nearly two-decade-old mineralogy data from Chandrayaan-1 to confirm the existence of a large impact structure in the Moon's southeastern hemisphere, named the Australe Basin, whose distinctive low-calcium, high-magnesium basalt composition suggests it could predate the South Pole-Aitken Basin.

Latest Developments

• If confirmed through further study, the Australe Basin would become the Moon's oldest known impact basin, ahead of the South Pole-Aitken Basin.

• The finding demonstrates continuing scientific value from Chandrayaan-1's archived data, even 18 years after the mission's launch.

• The discovery is expected to inform planning for future Indian lunar South Polar missions, including the proposed Chandrayaan-4 sample-return mission.

• Basin age is inferred through the composition and layering of basaltic material rather than direct dating, since no lunar samples from this specific basin have yet been physically retrieved.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• Chandrayaan-1 (launched 2008) was India's first lunar mission and carried the Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) instrument.

• The South Pole-Aitken (SPA) Basin is currently the Moon's oldest confirmed impact basin, over 4 billion years old.

• The newly highlighted Australe Basin is located in the Moon's southeastern hemisphere.

• Chandrayaan-4 is India's planned lunar sample-return mission.

8. Taming Quantum Decoherence with Precision Timing: A Raman Research Institute Breakthrough

Basic Concept

Quantum computers rely on qubits, which can exist in superposition and become entangled, properties that allow computations impossible for classical bits. However, qubits are extremely fragile: interaction with their environment causes decoherence, the loss of their quantum properties, and in entangled systems this can cause "entanglement sudden death" - an abrupt, complete loss of entanglement rather than a gradual decay. India's National Quantum Mission (2023), with an outlay of ₹6,003.65 crore, supports research across quantum computing, communication, sensing and materials over an eight-year period. This is core GS3 (Science and Technology, emerging technologies) content.

Core Context

A team at the Raman Research Institute (RRI), Bengaluru, led by physicist Urbasi Sinha, demonstrated that a single, precisely timed operation applied to a quantum system can delay decoherence and prevent entanglement sudden death, offering a proof-of-concept alternative to repeated, resource-intensive error-correction interventions.

Latest Developments

• The technique works by exploiting the specific timing dynamics of decoherence rather than continuously monitoring and correcting the quantum state, which is the norm in conventional quantum error correction.

• Because it requires only a single well-timed intervention, the approach could reduce the computational and hardware overhead needed to keep quantum systems stable for longer.

• The result is currently a proof of concept and will need to be validated across different quantum computing hardware platforms (superconducting, ion-trap, photonic, etc.) before wider adoption.

• The breakthrough adds to India's growing body of quantum research output under the National Quantum Mission, reinforcing domestic capacity in a strategically prioritised emerging technology.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• The National Quantum Mission (2023) has an outlay of ₹6,003.65 crore and spans quantum computing, communication, sensing and materials.

• Decoherence is the loss of a quantum system's superposition/entanglement properties due to environmental interaction.

• "Entanglement sudden death" refers to an abrupt, complete loss of entanglement rather than gradual decay.

• The Raman Research Institute (RRI) is based in Bengaluru.

9. Migratory Birds in Crisis: The Nairobi Flyways Declaration

Basic Concept

Migratory birds travel along well-defined global corridors called flyways, several of which already have dedicated multilateral conservation frameworks, such as the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement. India lies on the Central Asian Flyway (CAF), which connects breeding grounds in Siberia and Central Asia to wintering grounds in South Asia, but the CAF currently lacks a binding treaty-level framework of its own, relying instead on a voluntary action plan. This is core GS3 (Environment, biodiversity conservation, international agreements) content.

Core Context

BirdLife International released its State of the World's Birds report ahead of a Global Flyways Summit in Nairobi, finding that 45% of migratory bird species are in decline and roughly 1 in 9 face extinction risk, prompting governments and financial institutions to sign the Nairobi Flyways Declaration committing to coordinated, cross-border conservation action and finance.

Latest Developments

• The Slender-billed Curlew, once found across Eurasia and Africa, was formally declared extinct in 2025, underscoring the severity of the migratory bird crisis that the declaration seeks to address.

• Since 2021, development banks and conservation financiers have committed roughly $6 billion toward migratory bird and habitat conservation finance, a figure the Nairobi Declaration seeks to build upon.

• Only about 9% of migratory bird species are considered adequately protected across their entire migratory cycle, compared with 45% protection coverage for non-migratory bird species, reflecting the special vulnerability of species that cross multiple national jurisdictions.

• The successful recovery of the Egyptian Vulture in parts of its range is cited as evidence that coordinated, well-funded conservation intervention can reverse migratory species' decline.

• For India specifically, the absence of a binding Central Asian Flyway treaty (unlike the frameworks covering some other global flyways) is flagged as a policy gap relevant to its own migratory bird conservation commitments.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• India lies on the Central Asian Flyway (CAF), connecting Siberian/Central Asian breeding grounds to South Asian wintering grounds.

• The Central Asian Flyway currently has a voluntary action plan but no binding multilateral treaty, unlike some other global flyways.

• BirdLife International's State of the World's Birds report found 45% of migratory bird species in decline.

• The Slender-billed Curlew was declared extinct in 2025.

10. Gujarat's Action Plan to Save the Great Indian Bustard

Basic Concept

The Great Indian Bustard (GIB), one of the heaviest flying birds and India's critically endangered state bird of Rajasthan, has suffered a drastic population collapse, largely from collisions with power transmission lines, habitat loss and predation, with fewer than 150 individuals estimated to survive in the wild, concentrated mainly in Rajasthan's Desert National Park and small pockets in Gujarat, Maharashtra and Karnataka. "Project Great Indian Bustard" and related conservation-breeding efforts run under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), with the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) providing technical support. This is core GS3 (Environment, species conservation) content.

Core Context

The Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change reviewed progress on Great Indian Bustard conservation and released a Gujarat-specific Action Plan targeting a minimum viable population of over 30 birds across the 200-500 sq. km Lala-Rawa grassland landscape in Kachchh district.

Latest Developments

• The plan includes a new GIB Soft Release Centre near Naliya in Kachchh, meant to acclimatise captive-bred birds before release into the wild.

• Around 11 sq. km of degraded grassland is being restored specifically to support GIB habitat needs in the Lala-Rawa landscape.

• The plan employs a "jump-start" breeding technique to boost reproduction rates in captivity, and officials confirmed that a second chick born through this intervention has survived past the critical three-month survival threshold.

• Grassland restoration for GIB conservation is being framed as part of a broader push for landscape-level, rather than only species-specific, conservation planning in arid and semi-arid India.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• The Great Indian Bustard is Rajasthan's state bird and is classified Critically Endangered.

• Its core habitat in Rajasthan is the Desert National Park; small populations also survive in Gujarat, Maharashtra and Karnataka.

• Collision with power transmission lines is a leading cause of GIB mortality, prompting Supreme Court directions on undergrounding power lines in GIB habitats.

• The Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun, provides technical support for GIB conservation-breeding programmes.

11. World Circular Economy Forum 2026 Opens in Gandhinagar

Basic Concept

A circular economy seeks to minimise waste by keeping materials and products in use for as long as possible through reuse, repair, remanufacturing and recycling, as opposed to a linear "take-make-dispose" model. The World Circular Economy Forum (WCEF) is an annual global platform, and hosting it signals a country's growing policy emphasis on resource efficiency and sustainable production and consumption. This is core GS3 (Environment, sustainable development, economy) content.

Core Context

India began hosting the World Circular Economy Forum (WCEF) 2026 at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, from 15 to 18 September 2026, under the theme "Circular Economy: Transition for People and Prosperity," bringing together more than 2,000 stakeholders from over 65 countries and 125-plus exhibitors.

Latest Developments

• The forum includes a board meeting of the United Nations' 10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production (10YFP), linking India's domestic circular-economy push to a global policy framework.

• WCEF 2026 is being positioned as an opportunity for India to showcase domestic circular-economy initiatives, from recycling of steel slag and e-waste to sustainable textile and plastic-waste management.

• The event reflects India's broader commitments under its Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) rules for plastic waste and e-waste, and its national resource-efficiency policy framework.

• Hosting a major global sustainability forum also supports India's diplomatic positioning ahead of future climate and biodiversity negotiations, by demonstrating tangible domestic action.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• WCEF 2026 was held at Mahatma Mandir, Gandhinagar, Gujarat (15-18 September 2026).

• A circular economy is based on reduce-reuse-recycle-remanufacture principles, as opposed to a linear economy.

• The forum linked to the UN's 10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production (10YFP).

12. ADR Report: Criminalisation of Politics and the Special Courts Backlog

Basic Concept

The Supreme Court, acting on a PIL, directed the Union Government in 2017-18 to set up dedicated Fast Track Special Courts exclusively to try criminal cases against sitting and former Members of Parliament and state Legislative Assemblies, aiming for speedy disposal given the sensitivity of criminalisation of politics for India's representative democracy. The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), a civil-society body, has tracked candidates' criminal, financial and educational disclosures since the early 2000s, based on affidavits filed with the Election Commission of India. This is core GS2 (Indian Polity, electoral reforms, judiciary) content.

Core Context

A new ADR analysis found that despite 12 dedicated Fast Track Courts functioning since December 2017, the number of pending criminal cases against sitting and former MPs/MLAs rose from 4,075 in 2018 to 4,266 by July 2026, with around 1,838 cases pending for more than five years.

Latest Developments

• In the 18th Lok Sabha, 251 MPs (46%) have self-declared pending criminal cases, and 170 MPs (31%) face serious criminal charges such as those carrying a sentence of five years or more.

• Across State Legislative Assemblies, 2,098 sitting MLAs (51%) have declared pending criminal cases, reflecting the problem's spread across state as well as national politics.

• Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest pendency of any state, with 1,220 cases against its legislators still undecided.

• The report attributes slow disposal partly to Fast Track Court judges simultaneously handling multiple categories of cases rather than devoting themselves exclusively to legislator-related matters, diluting the intended speed of the mechanism.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• The Supreme Court directed setting up of Fast Track Special Courts for cases against MPs/MLAs; 12 such courts have functioned since December 2017.

• The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) compiles its analyses from candidates' sworn affidavits filed with the Election Commission of India.

• As of the ADR's latest count, 251 MPs in the 18th Lok Sabha have declared pending criminal cases.

• Uttar Pradesh has the highest pendency of criminal cases against legislators among Indian states.

13. India and Vietnam Deepen Defence Cooperation

Basic Concept

India and Vietnam elevated their ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2016, and defence cooperation has since become one of the most active pillars of the relationship, including training, capacity-building and a India-extended Line of Credit for defence procurement. Vietnam is a key partner in India's Act East Policy and shares India's interest in freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, given its own territorial disputes there. This is core GS2 (India's bilateral relations, Act East Policy, Indo-Pacific) content.

Core Context

India and Vietnam agreed to further expand defence cooperation, including exploring joint production of defence equipment, and announced that the next round of their bilateral Defence Policy Dialogue will be held around the Aero India 2027 exhibition.

Latest Developments

• The two sides discussed deepening maritime security cooperation, reflecting shared interests in a stable and rules-based Indo-Pacific and South China Sea.

• Talks included expanding technology-sharing and industrial collaboration in defence manufacturing, moving the relationship beyond training and platform sales toward co-production.

• Vietnam is a central partner in India's Act East Policy, and defence ties with Hanoi are frequently read alongside India's broader Indo-Pacific strategic outlook, including the Quad grouping.

• Aero India, held biennially in Bengaluru, is India's flagship aerospace and defence exhibition, and using it as the venue for a bilateral policy dialogue signals continuity and priority in the relationship.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• India and Vietnam share a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, established in 2016.

• Vietnam is a key partner under India's Act East Policy.

• Aero India is India's biennial flagship aerospace and defence exhibition, held in Bengaluru.

14. IBBI's Proposed Reforms for Personal Guarantors, Post the Subhash Chandra Case

Basic Concept

The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), 2016 allows creditors to initiate insolvency proceedings not just against a corporate debtor but also, separately, against a Personal Guarantor to that corporate debt (typically a promoter or director who has personally guaranteed a company's loans). The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) is the statutory regulator overseeing insolvency professionals, processes and agencies under the Code. This is core GS3 (Indian Economy, corporate insolvency law) content.

Core Context

Following scrutiny of procedural gaps exposed by the personal-guarantor insolvency proceedings involving businessman Subhash Chandra, the IBBI proposed four changes to strengthen safeguards for personal guarantors caught up in insolvency resolution processes.

Latest Developments

• The Subhash Chandra case drew attention after an NCLT order highlighted a wide gap between the scale of claims admitted against a personal guarantor and the guarantor's own liability under the original guarantee, exposing weak procedural checks.

• IBBI's proposed reforms aim to improve transparency and due process in how claims against personal guarantors are verified, admitted and adjudicated.

• The changes are also intended to prevent creditors from using personal-guarantor proceedings to recover amounts disproportionate to the guarantor's actual undertaking.

• The case has renewed debate on balancing creditors' recovery rights with fair treatment of individual guarantors under India's insolvency framework, a recurring tension since personal guarantor provisions were operationalised in 2019.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• The IBBI is the statutory regulator for insolvency professionals and processes under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016.

• A Personal Guarantor is an individual (often a promoter) who has personally guaranteed a corporate debtor's loan and can be separately proceeded against under the IBC.

• The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) adjudicates insolvency matters, including those against personal guarantors.

15. Exercise Samudra Laksamana: India-Malaysia Naval Cooperation

Basic Concept

India conducts a wide network of bilateral naval exercises with Indo-Pacific partners to build interoperability and maritime domain awareness, particularly around critical sea lanes such as the Strait of Malacca, through which a large share of India's seaborne trade passes. Exercise Samudra Laksamana is a bilateral naval exercise between the Indian Navy and the Royal Malaysian Navy. This is core GS2/GS3 (India's bilateral defence relations, maritime security) content.

Core Context

INS Mysore concluded India's participation in the 4th edition of Exercise Samudra Laksamana at Lumut Naval Base, Malaysia, marking the continuation of a periodic bilateral naval engagement between the Indian Navy and the Royal Malaysian Navy.

Latest Developments

• The exercise included joint manoeuvres, cross-deck visits and professional exchanges aimed at enhancing interoperability between the two navies.

• Lumut, on Malaysia's western coast, hosts the Royal Malaysian Navy's main fleet base and sits close to the southern approaches of the Strait of Malacca.

• The exercise reflects continuing India-Malaysia defence engagement under the wider umbrella of India's Act East Policy and its Indo-Pacific maritime security partnerships.

• INS Mysore is a Delhi-class guided-missile destroyer of the Indian Navy, frequently deployed for overseas naval diplomacy and joint exercises.

UPSC Prelims Pointers

• Exercise Samudra Laksamana is a bilateral naval exercise between India and Malaysia; its 4th edition was held at Lumut Naval Base.

• INS Mysore is a Delhi-class guided-missile destroyer of the Indian Navy.

• The Strait of Malacca is a critical global sea lane connecting the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean via the South China Sea.

16. Practice MCQs

Practice MCQs

Q1. Consider the following statements regarding the Indo-MERCOSUR Preferential Trade Agreement:
1. MERCOSUR's full members include Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.
2. The India-MERCOSUR PTA came into force in 2004.
3. A Preferential Trade Agreement covers a specific list of products, unlike a Free Trade Agreement which covers nearly all traded goods.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

• (a) 1 and 3 only

• (b) 2 and 3 only

• (c) 1 and 2 only

• (d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: (a) 1 and 3 only

Explanation: The India-MERCOSUR PTA was signed in 2004 but entered into force only in June 2009, making statement 2 incorrect. Statements 1 and 3 correctly describe MERCOSUR's membership and the nature of a PTA versus an FTA.

Q2. With reference to the Great Indian Bustard (GIB), consider the following statements:
1. It is the state bird of Rajasthan.
2. Its largest surviving wild population is found in Gujarat's Kachchh district.
3. Collision with power transmission lines is a major cause of its mortality.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

• (a) 1 and 2 only

• (b) 1 and 3 only

• (c) 2 and 3 only

• (d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: (b) 1 and 3 only

Explanation: The GIB's largest surviving population is in Rajasthan's Desert National Park, not Gujarat, which holds only a small residual population; this makes statement 2 incorrect. Statements 1 and 3 are correct.

Q3. The Merchant Discount Rate (MDR), as discussed in the context of UPI payments, refers to:

• (a) The interest rate charged by NPCI to member banks for settlement

• (b) The fee a merchant pays for processing a digital payment transaction

• (c) The discount offered by merchants to customers using UPI

• (d) The subsidy given by the government to promote UPI adoption

Answer: (b) The fee a merchant pays for processing a digital payment transaction

Explanation: MDR is the fee levied on merchants for processing digital payments; it has been kept at zero for UPI person-to-merchant transactions since January 2020 to encourage adoption.

Q4. Consider the following statements regarding India's Central Asian Flyway (CAF):
1. It connects breeding grounds in Siberia and Central Asia to wintering grounds in South Asia.
2. It is governed by a legally binding multilateral treaty similar to the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

• (a) 1 only

• (b) 2 only

• (c) Both 1 and 2

• (d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: (a) 1 only

Explanation: The Central Asian Flyway currently operates only under a voluntary action plan and lacks a binding multilateral treaty framework, unlike some other global flyways, making statement 2 incorrect.

Q5. With reference to the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), 2016, consider the following statements:
1. A Personal Guarantor to a corporate debtor can be proceeded against separately under the Code.
2. The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) is the adjudicating authority for insolvency cases.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

• (a) 1 only

• (b) 2 only

• (c) Both 1 and 2

• (d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: (a) 1 only

Explanation: The IBBI is the sector regulator, not the adjudicating authority; adjudication under the IBC is done by the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT). Statement 1 correctly describes personal guarantor proceedings.

Q6. The Munshi-Ayyangar formula, adopted by India's Constituent Assembly in 1949, primarily dealt with:

• (a) The delimitation of state boundaries on linguistic lines

• (b) Designating Hindi as the official language of the Union under Article 343

• (c) The reservation of seats for linguistic minorities in Parliament

• (d) The creation of the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution

Answer: (b) Designating Hindi as the official language of the Union under Article 343

Explanation: The Munshi-Ayyangar formula resolved the language debate in the Constituent Assembly by designating Hindi (Devanagari script) as the Union's official language rather than a national language, while permitting continued use of English for a transitional period.

Q7. Consider the following statements regarding Chandrayaan-1:
1. It carried the Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) instrument.
2. Data from the mission has been used to suggest that the Australe Basin may be older than the South Pole-Aitken Basin.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

• (a) 1 only

• (b) 2 only

• (c) Both 1 and 2

• (d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: (c) Both 1 and 2

Explanation: Chandrayaan-1 carried the Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3), and its archived mineralogy data was recently used by Indian scientists to identify the Australe Basin as a possible impact structure older than the currently recognised oldest basin, the South Pole-Aitken Basin. Both statements are correct.