Article 246
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Current affairsIndia Adds 4 Sites to UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List: Colonial Andaman, Nicobarese Culture, Ahom Sivasagar, Shekhawati Havelis — Total Now 73India added four new cultural sites to UNESCO's World Heritage Tentative List in September 2026, taking the national total to 73 sites (53 cultural + 17 natural + 3 mixed). The four sites are: the Colonial Penal Settlement of the Andaman Islands, the Continuity of Nicobarese Culture, the Rangpur-Sivasagar Historic Architectural Ensemble (Ahom dynasty, Assam), and the Painted Havelis of Shekhawati (Rajasthan). Current affairsNITI Aayog Launches PACT and ZET Marketplace at 5th e-FAST India Summit: Decarbonising India's Road Freight SectorNITI Aayog launched the Platform for Aggregating Clean Transport (PACT) and the Zero Emission Truck (ZET) Marketplace on 7 September 2026 at the 5th e-FAST (Electric Freight Accelerator for Sustainable Transport) India Summit in New Delhi. The twin platforms target India's road freight sector, where heavy commercial vehicles — just 3–4% of the total fleet — contribute over one-third of all transport-sector carbon emissions. Current affairsRBI Proposes On-Tap Licensing for Urban Cooperative Banks (UCBs): Ending a 22-Year Pause, Tier Framework, and Banking Sector SignificanceThe Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is proposing to resume licensing of Urban Cooperative Banks (UCBs) after a 22-year pause — licensing was stopped in 2004 following the failures of the 1993–2001 liberalisation era. RBI issued a Discussion Paper in January 2026 and Governor Sanjay Malhotra announced in August 2026 that draft guidelines would be issued shortly for public consultation. The on-tap model means applications will be accepted on a continuous rolling basis once eligibility criteria are met, rather than in periodic windows. Current affairsIndia Joins Global 6G Initiative as 26th Member: 'Call to Action for 6G Leadership and Security', Bharat 6G Vision, and IMT-2030India formally joined the US-led 'Call to Action for 6G Leadership and Security' initiative on 7–8 September 2026 on the sidelines of the G20 Innovation Ministerial in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, becoming the 26th member nation. India's MoS for Commerce Jitin Prasada met US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick; the initiative was launched by NTIA (US Department of Commerce) in July 2026 and aims to coordinate 6G standards, security frameworks, and supply chains among like-minded democracies. Current affairsDAC Approves ₹1.10 Lakh Crore Defence Procurement: India's Largest-Ever Capital Acquisition — CBRN Vehicles, ALH, Sarvatra Bridge and 98% IndigenisationThe Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, granted Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) on 7 September 2026 for capital acquisition proposals worth ₹1.10 lakh crore covering CBRN Recce Vehicles, Advanced Light Helicopters, the Sarvatra Bridge System, Arudhra Radars, Marine Gas Turbines, and electronic-warfare jammers — with approximately 98% of procurement sourced from Indian industry under the Atmanirbhar Bharat push. Current affairsBSI Discovers Osbeckia ulotricha in Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve: New Plant Species from Western Ghats and India's Biodiversity SignificanceScientists from the Botanical Survey of India (BSI) discovered a new woolly-haired flowering plant species, Osbeckia ulotricha, in the shola grasslands of the Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve in the Western Ghats (Kerala–Tamil Nadu boundary). Published in the international botanical journal Lilloa, the discovery adds to India's documented flora — set against the backdrop of the Western Ghats as one of the world's 36 biodiversity hotspots. Current affairsRBI Financial Stability Report June 2026: Banking Sector at Multi-Decadal Low NPA, Rising Household Debt, and AI-Driven Cyber RisksThe Reserve Bank of India's Financial Stability Report (FSR) for June 2026 reports India's banking sector has achieved a multi-decadal low Gross Non-Performing Asset (GNPA) ratio of 1.8%, while flagging rising household debt (45.5% of GDP) and AI-enabled cyberattacks as the top emergent systemic risks — critical reading for UPSC, Banking, and SSC aspirants. Current affairsLIC Gets RBI Approval to Acquire Up to 9.99% Stake in ICICI Bank: Regulatory Framework, Insurance-Banking Linkage, and UPSC SignificanceThe Reserve Bank of India granted the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) approval to acquire up to 9.99% of ICICI Bank's paid-up share capital or voting rights within one year from September 4, 2026. This marks a significant regulatory development at the intersection of banking supervision, insurance regulation, and India's evolving financial conglomerate architecture. Current affairsMunitions India Limited and Drogo Aerospace Sign MoU for Indigenous UAV and Loitering Munition Systems: India's Kamikaze Drone Capability and Defence IndigenisationMunitions India Limited (MIL), a Defence Public Sector Undertaking (DPSU) under the Ministry of Defence, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Drogo Aerospace Private Limited on September 4, 2026, in Pune for the development of indigenous Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and loitering munition (kamikaze drone) systems — a major step in India's defence indigenisation drive under the Make in India framework. Current affairsDRDO-ACRHEM Patent for BAM-H24: India's Next-Generation Solid Rocket Propellant Fuel and Its Defence-Space SignificanceThe Indian Patent Office granted Patent No. 599900 (August 20, 2026) to DRDO and ACRHEM (University of Hyderabad) for BAM-H24 — a boron-hydrogen-nitrogen-rich energetic compound with high thermal stability, low impact sensitivity, and high specific impulse. BAM-H24 can function as a solid rocket propellant fuel, propellant additive, or burn-rate accelerator for missile systems and launch vehicles, advancing India's Atmanirbhar defence capability. Current affairs18th BRICS Summit 2026, New Delhi: India's Chairship, Theme, Agenda and What to Expect on September 12–13India hosts the 18th BRICS Summit on September 12–13, 2026, at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi — India's fourth BRICS chairship. The theme is "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability." Over 350 BRICS meetings were held across 25+ cities under India's 2026 presidency. The expanded BRICS+ grouping now includes nine members, making this summit the largest in the bloc's history. Current affairsSupreme Court Directs States to Raise District Judges' Retirement Age: Pendency Crisis, Constitutional Framework, and Judicial ReformA Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant directed all States and Union Territories on September 1, 2026, to consider raising the retirement age of district judiciary judicial officers from 60 to 61/62 years, in the long-pending case All India Judges Association v. Union of India (W.P.(C) No. 1022/1989). The direction is driven by over 5.18 crore pending cases in district courts and 1,744 vacancies, and is contested by 10 States citing financial constraints.
In previous-year questions
- The 'Census' subject in the Indian Constitution is listed under which entry and which list of the Seventh Schedule?UPSC · Current Affairs
- India's nuclear energy sector falls under which entry of the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution, making it exclusively a Union subject?UPSC · Current Affairs
- The Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026, which proposes to rename Kerala as 'Keralam', was passed by the Lok Sabha on 11 August 2026. Under which Article of the Constitution of India does Parliament derive the power to alter the name of a state?UPSC · Current Affairs
- India's target for nuclear power capacity under the Viksit Bharat 2047 vision is 100 GW, up from approximately 8.8 GW currently. The Draft SHANTI Rules 2026 enable this by allowing private entities into nuclear power. Which constitutional provision gives Parliament the exclusive power to legislate on atomic energy, making State entry into nuclear power impossible without Central legislation?UPSC · Current Affairs
- The GST Council of India is a constitutional body created under which Article of the Constitution, inserted by the 101st Constitutional Amendment Act, 2016?UPSC · Current Affairs
- Which entry in the Union List of the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution of India gives Parliament exclusive power to enter into treaties with foreign countries?UPSC · Current Affairs