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Current affairsProject Cheetah: India-Born Cheetah KGP12 Delivers Four Cubs at Kuno National Park — Population Reaches 56On September 18, 2026 — one day after Project Cheetah completed four years — KGP12, an India-born female cheetah and daughter of South African cheetah Gamini, delivered four cubs at Kuno National Park, Madhya Pradesh. Confirmed by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change via PIB, this brings India's total cheetah population to 56, marking continued second-generation breeding success in the world's only cheetah reintroduction programme. Current affairs72nd National Film Awards 2026: Dadasaheb Phalke to Anant Nag, Best Film 'Article 370', Ceremony at Ekta NagarThe 72nd National Film Awards ceremony was held on 22 September 2026 at Ekta Nagar (Statue of Unity complex), Kevadia, Gujarat — the first time this ceremony was held outside New Delhi. President Droupadi Murmu conferred the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, India's highest film honour, on veteran Kannada actor Anant Nag. Best Feature Film went to 'Article 370' and Best Actress to Yami Gautam. Current affairsWestern Ghats Ecologically Sensitive Area: 6th Draft Notification 2026, Kerala's Push to Exclude 131 Villages, and the Conservation-Livelihood DebateThe Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) issued its 6th draft notification on July 25, 2026, proposing to declare over 56,825 sq km of the Western Ghats as an Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA). The public objection window closes September 24, 2026. Kerala has moved to exclude 131 villages and approximately 9,993 sq km, while the Centre insists no part — except the Palakkad Gap — should be excluded to maintain ecological continuity. Current affairsPMAY-U 2.0: Original Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Urban Concludes September 2026, Successor Targets 1 Crore More FamiliesAs the original Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) concludes in September 2026 after completing approximately 1 crore houses in over 11 years, its successor — PMAY-U 2.0, approved by the Union Cabinet on August 9, 2024 — is now in full implementation. The new phase targets 1 crore additional urban families with a total investment of ₹10 lakh crore over five years, prioritising women's homeownership and affordable rental housing. 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 affairsPM Modi's Uzbekistan State Visit and 26th SCO Summit in Bishkek: India's Central Asia Strategy and SCO at 25Prime Minister Narendra Modi will undertake a four-day visit to Central Asia from August 29 to September 1, 2026 — a bilateral state visit to Uzbekistan followed by participation in the 26th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, marking the organisation's 25th founding anniversary. Current affairsSEBI IT Resilience Index for Market Infrastructure Institutions: Nine-Parameter Framework and Implications for India's Capital MarketsThe Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) issued a circular on August 24, 2026 mandating a standardised IT Resilience Index (ITRI) for all Market Infrastructure Institutions — stock exchanges, depositories and clearing corporations — rated on nine parameters including availability and security, to be operationalised within six months. Current affairsPSB Confluence 2026: High-Powered Banking Reforms Committee for Viksit Bharat — Deposit Mobilisation, Youth Banking, and GCC StrategyThe Department of Financial Services (DFS), Ministry of Finance, hosted the PSB Confluence 2026 in New Delhi on August 17–18, bringing together 125 senior leaders of Public Sector Banks and Public Financial Institutions. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman called for actionable banking reforms under seven themes to feed into a proposed High-Powered Committee on Banking for Viksit Bharat.