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Current affairsGender Snapshot 2026 (UN Women & UN DESA): 1 in 3 Gender Equality Institutions Weakened, SDG 5 Off Track by 171 YearsUN Women and UN DESA jointly released the Gender Snapshot 2026 on September 17, 2026, revealing that 1 in 3 national gender equality institutions lost institutional power in just two years, while bilateral aid for gender equality fell 13% between 2023 and 2024. Not a single SDG 5 (Gender Equality) indicator is on track by 2030, and gender equality globally is 171 years away at the current pace of progress. Current affairs11th National Ayurveda Day 2026: Theme 'Ayurveda for a Healthier Tomorrow', Key Initiatives and India's AYUSH ExpansionIndia observed the 11th National Ayurveda Day on September 23, 2026 — permanently fixed on the autumnal equinox by a Gazette Notification of March 2025 — with the theme "Ayurveda for a Healthier Tomorrow." The Ministry of Ayush launched the Ayush Vision 2030 strategic document and conferred the National Dhanwantari Ayurveda Awards 2026 at the main national celebration in Nagpur, Maharashtra. Current affairsIIT Bombay, Sahil Wakode, and the SC/ST Act: Caste Discrimination in Higher Education, Dean Suspended, Crime Branch ProbeSahil Ravindra Wakode, a 22-year-old second-year B.Tech student at IIT Bombay from Yavatmal, Maharashtra, was found dead in his hostel room on 18 September 2026 following allegations of caste-based harassment. IIT Bombay on 21 September suspended the deanship of Prof. Suryanarayana Doolla (Dean of Administrative Affairs). Mumbai Crime Branch registered an FIR under Section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (abetment of suicide) and the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act, 1989. The case raises urgent questions about caste discrimination in premier educational institutions. Current affairsHealth Ministry Advisory on Stem Cell Therapy: Supreme Court Judgment, NMC-ICMR Guidelines, and Autism RestrictionThe Union Health Ministry, alongside the National Medical Commission (NMC) and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), issued a comprehensive advisory in September 2026 to strengthen regulation of stem cell therapy in India, following a Supreme Court judgment (January 30, 2026) explicitly banning the use of stem cell therapy for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as a routine clinical service due to insufficient scientific evidence. Current affairsBadri Cattle Conservation: First OPU-IVF Calf Born at GBPUAT Pantnagar — Indigenous Breed MilestoneA healthy female calf of the indigenous Badri cattle breed was born on September 11, 2026 at G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology (GBPUAT), Pantnagar, Uttarakhand, through OPU-IVF (Ovum Pick-Up In Vitro Fertilisation) — a first for this rare Himalayan breed. The milestone, achieved jointly by GBPUAT and ICAR-NDRI Karnal, marks a significant advance in conservation biotechnology for India's indigenous mountain cattle. Current affairsUNGA Declares November 27 as International Day Against Child, Early and Forced Marriage: India's Role, Legal Framework, and SDG 5.3The 193-member United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted by consensus on September 4–5, 2026, a landmark resolution designating November 27 every year as the International Day for the Elimination of Child, Early and Forced Marriage. India co-sponsored the resolution, which carries special national significance — November 27, 2024 was the launch date of India's 'Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat' campaign. Current affairsMahatma Ayyankali's 163rd Birth Anniversary: The Social Revolutionary Who Gave Kerala's Dalits the Right to Walk on Public RoadsAugust 28, 2026 marks the 163rd birth anniversary of Mahatma Ayyankali (1863–1941), the pioneering social reformer and Dalit rights leader from Travancore (present-day Kerala) who led mass campaigns for freedom of movement on public roads, access to education for Dalit children, and labour rights for agricultural workers — transforming Kerala's caste-ridden social landscape. Current affairsNBSS&LUP Releases India's First Digital Soil Texture Map at 1-Hectare Resolution: Precision Agriculture Gets a FoundationThe National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning (NBSS&LUP), an ICAR institute headquartered in Nagpur, released India's first digital soil texture map at 1-hectare resolution on 16 July 2026 — coinciding with NBSS&LUP's 50th Foundation Day and ICAR's 97th Foundation Day. The map, available on the Bhoomi Geoportal, uses AI-based analysis of field studies, remote sensing, and satellite imagery to enable farm-level soil characterisation — a critical input for precision agriculture, irrigation planning, and crop-suitability assessment across India. Current affairsEl Niño 2026-27: NOAA Forecasts 69% Probability of Record-Breaking Intensity — India's Monsoon, Food Security, and Climate RisksNOAA's Climate Prediction Center has assessed a 69% probability that the 2026-27 El Niño will become the strongest on record (instrumental records date from 1950), with multi-model forecasts projecting a peak Niño 3.4 sea surface temperature anomaly of +3.6°C — surpassing the 2015-16 record of +2.75°C. The event is still intensifying with peak expected in November–December 2026, and poses significant risks to India's monsoon, kharif harvest, and global food security. Current affairsSupreme Court Reduces Judicial Service Practice Requirement to 1 Year: Bhumika Trust Case 2026 — Complete UPSC GuideIn Bhumika Trust v. Union of India (August 21, 2026), a three-judge Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant reduced the mandatory law practice requirement for Civil Judge (Junior Division) recruitment from three years to one year, introduced a transitional waiver for notifications issued up to March 31, 2027, and mandated structured Academy training plus a two-year clerkship for all fresh appointees. Current affairsCensus 2027: 40 Questions, First Caste Count Since 1931, and NPR Link — Complete UPSC GuideIndia's 16th Census, scheduled for 2027, was formally notified by Registrar General Mritunjay Kumar Narayan. Its questionnaire carries 40 questions — 14 new or modified from 2011 — including individual caste (jati) enumeration for the first time since 1931, linkage to Aadhaar and NPR, and a first-ever self-enumeration portal in 16 languages. The House Listing phase began April 1, 2026; Population Enumeration is slated for February 2027. Current affairsNITI Aayog Report on Professional Services 2026: Regulatory Reforms for Law, Medicine, Accounting, Architecture and EngineeringNITI Aayog released a report titled "India's Services Sector: Insights on Regulatory Regime in Professional Services" in August 2026, recommending a four-pronged reform roadmap — regulatory harmonisation, international mutual recognition agreements, technology adoption, and upskilling — to transform India's legal, accounting, architectural, engineering, and healthcare professional services and boost their global competitiveness.
In previous-year questions
- Which body's recommendation in 2002 led the Supreme Court to remove the 3-year mandatory practice requirement for Civil Judge entry in the Third All India Judges Association case?UPSC · Current Affairs
- The National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC), which can take suo motu cognisance of atrocity cases against Scheduled Castes in educational institutions, derives its authority from which constitutional article?UPSC · Current Affairs
- The National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCISM), which regulates Ayurveda, Unani, and Siddha education in India, was established under which Act to replace the older Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM)?UPSC · Current Affairs
- In the AYUSH framework, 'Sowa-Rigpa' refers to the traditional medicine system originating in which region, and was formally recognised by the Government of India under which Act?UPSC · Current Affairs