UPSC Current Affairs 14 September 2026

• The Varieties: The four recently highlighted varieties are CAZRI Moth-4, CAZRI Moth-5, CAZRI Moth-6, and CAZRI Moth-7.
• Release Timeline: These varieties were systematically bred and released over the preceding three years.
• Primary Features: They are engineered for developmental plasticity, high yield potential, and extreme heat and terminal drought tolerance.

• Root & Canopy Architecture: They feature deep, fast-penetrating taproot systems to access subsurface moisture (10–40 cm layer). Their dense canopy acts like a mat, reducing soil evaporation and preventing erosion.
• Maturity Cycle: They generally feature a flexible maturity range of 65 to 83 days depending on regional agroclimatic conditions.
• Dual Purpose: The plants retain their greenness up to maturity, offering both grain for food-processing and high-quality green fodder for livestock.

• Regional Backbone: Moth bean is the most vital pulse crop of western Rajasthan, grown across nearly 10 lakh (1 million) hectares.
• Low Input Cultivation: The crop thrives in poor fertility soils (extremely low organic carbon of 0.13–0.18%) and survives on an annual rainfall of just 150–250 mm.
• Commercial Demand: Moth bean is heavily utilized by India's major snack-food processing industries (such as for making Bhujia).

• Saathi Portal Allocation: CAZRI is multiplying these seeds on its research farms to meet the official Saathi Portal seed indents for 2026.
• Massive Scaling Potential: One quintal of breeder seed translates into 1,000–1,400 quintals of certified seed.
• Distribution Network: The seeds are actively being multiplied by the National Seeds Corporation, Rajasthan State Seeds Corporation, and authorized private partners to scale adoption to 25% of Rajasthan's total moth bean area.

• The Indian Navy's guided-missile corvette INS Kulish is in the news because it arrived at Cambodia's Ream Naval Base on September 12, 2026.
• This historic port call marks the first-ever visit by an Indian Navy warship to this specific Cambodian naval facility, signalling a massive step forward in Southeast Asian maritime diplomacy.

• Ship Class: It is a Kora-class guided-missile corvette.
• Name Origin: The name Kulish translates to Indra's thunderbolt weapon (Vajra) in Indian mythology.
• Primary Role: It is designed primarily as a surface combatant, heavily optimized for anti-surface warfare.
• Weaponry & Armament:
  • Anti-Ship Missiles: Equipped with four quad launchers carrying 16 Kh-35 Uran-E anti-ship missiles (range of 130 km).
  • Anti-Air Defence: Armed with two mobile shoulder-based Strela-2 Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) systems.
  • Guns: Features an Otobreda 76 mm main gun and two AK-630 30 mm Close-In Weapon Systems (CIWS) for air defence.
• Aviation: The ship can carry and operate one HAL Chetak or HAL Dhruv helicopter.
• Past Deployments: It frequently takes part in international operations, such as the 31st edition of India-Indonesia Coordinated Patrol (CORPAT).
• Bilateral Ties: The main objective is to boost maritime cooperation, exchange operational knowledge, and build stronger professional ties between the Indian Navy and the Royal Cambodian Navy.
• Key Strategic Frameworks: The visit aligns with major regional frameworks, including:

• ASEAN-India Year of Maritime Cooperation 2026
• India's Act East Policy
• The MAHASAGAR vision (Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions), promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific.

• On-Ground Activities: During the docking period, crew members are participating in professional interactions, sports fixtures, and structured naval engagements.

• A three-day Colombo Security Conclave (CSC) Tabletop Exercise was conducted at the Eastern Naval Command, Visakhapatnam, from 9–12 September 2026.
• It focused on developing a coordinated response to illicit maritime activities in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).

• Origin (2011): It began as a trilateral maritime security cooperation framework between India, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives.
• Revival & Rebranding (2020): After becoming briefly dormant due to political shifts, it was revived and formally named the Colombo Security Conclave in 2020.
• Current Full Members: It comprises six member states: India, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Mauritius (joined 2022), Bangladesh (joined 2024), and Seychelles (joined 2026).
• Secretariat: It operates out of a permanent Secretariat located in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
• Leadership Level: The forum is driven primarily by the National Security Advisors (NSAs) and Deputy NSAs of the participating nations.

1. Maritime Safety and Security: Ensuring safe commercial shipping and international trade lanes.
2. Countering Terrorism and Radicalization: Sharing intelligence to curb extremism.
3. Combating Trafficking and Transnational Organized Crime: Fighting drug smuggling, arms running, and human trafficking.
4. Cybersecurity and Critical Infrastructure Protection: Safeguarding technological frameworks and digital networks.
5. Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR): Formulating quick, collective disaster relief strategies.

• Net Security Provider: It cements India’s role as the "first responder" to regional crises and acts as a primary net security provider in its immediate neighbourhood.
• Countering Extra-Regional Influence: It creates a reliable institutional alternative for smaller island nations, reducing their structural dependence on extra-regional powers like China.
• SAGAR Vision: It aligns with India’s broader geopolitical blueprint of SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region).
• Action-Oriented Platform: Unlike broader bodies like the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), the CSC operates as a tightly-knit, highly functional, and operationally robust coalition.

• Presiding Deity: The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva (Ramanathaswamy).
• Char Dham Site: It is highly sacred as one of the four holistic Char Dham pilgrimage destinations, alongside Badrinath, Puri, and Dwarka. Notably, it is the only Shiva temple among the four.
• Jyotirlinga: It holds immense spiritual importance as one of the 12 sacred Jyotirlinga shrines of Lord Shiva, uniquely marking the southernmost Jyotirlinga in India.
• Paadal Petra Sthalam: It is recognized as one of the 276 holy sites glorified in the divine songs of the Nayanars (Shaivite poet-saints).

• The Ramayana Connection: According to Hindu puranas, Lord Rama (along with Sita and Lakshmana) prayed to Shiva here to perform penance for the sin of Brahmahatya (killing Ravana, who was a Brahmin).
• The Two Lingams:
  • Ramalingam: Built out of sand by Goddess Sita when Hanuman faced delays returning with a deity from the Himalayas. This stands as the primary deity.
  • Vishwalingam: The lingam brought by Hanuman from Mount Kailash. Following Rama's historic instructions, the Vishwalingam is traditionally worshipped first.
• Evolution of Construction: Originally a brick and thatch structure, it transitioned into stone in the 12th century under the Chola dynasty. Major structural expansions were carried out over centuries by the Pandyas, the Vijayanagara rulers, and the Sethupati kings of Ramnad.

• Dravidian Style: The temple stands as a pinnacle of traditional Dravidian architecture, surrounded by high compound stone walls (madil) spanning over 15 acres.
• World's Longest Corridor: The temple features the longest pillared corridor in the world. The iconic outer corridor extends over 1,200 meters and is supported by 1,212 masterfully carved granite pillars.
• Massive Gopurams: The complex boasts magnificent, multi-tiered gateway towers. The eastern Rajagopuram is the highest, scaling 126 feet tall.
• Sacred Hydrology: The complex houses 22 sacred wells (theerthams) within its walls. Pilgrims traditionally take a holy dip in these waters, which are believed to possess therapeutic and spiritually purifying properties.

• What it is: A regional, intergovernmental wildlife law enforcement support body.
• Launch Year: It was officially launched in January 2011 during an expert group meeting in Paro, Bhutan.
• Secretariat Location: Headquartered in Kathmandu, Nepal.
• Member Countries: Comprises eight South Asian nations:
  • Afghanistan
  • Bangladesh
  • Bhutan
  • India
  • Maldives
  • Nepal
  • Pakistan
  • Sri Lanka

• Combat Wildlife Crime: Protect the region's rich biodiversity by curbing poaching and trafficking.
• Policy Harmonization: Standardize environmental laws and conservation policies across all borders.
• Intelligence Sharing: Promote real-time research, data distribution, and tactical training among member agencies.
• National Action Plans: Push member countries to design and execute specific local strategies to halt wildlife crimes.

• Transnational Crime Status: Formally recognized illegal wildlife trade as a sophisticated form of transnational organized crime.
• Financial Crackdown: Agreed to run intelligence-led financial investigations, freeze illicit asset flows, and apply anti-money laundering measures.
• Digital & Border Safety: Outlined immediate strategies to counter traffickers using online spaces and exploiting porous geographical borders.
• Scientific Cooperation: Vowed to share technological innovations, research, and data to stop biopiracy and illegal access to biological resources.

• The Researchers: The discovery was made by a research team led by Prof. Dipti Raut, along with PhD scholars Sanjaya Dalai and Aparna Mishra from Ravenshaw University, in collaboration with J.G.M. Raven from the Naturalis Biodiversity Center in the Netherlands.
• The Location: The specimens were identified within the sandy, intertidal stretches of the Devi River Estuary near Astaranga in the Puri district of Odisha, India.

• Classification: It is a bivalve mollusc belonging to the family Donacidae (commonly known as wedge clams) under the order Veneroida.
• The Brackish Water Surprise: While Deltachion species are almost exclusively associated with purely marine (oceanic) environments, Deltachion ravenshaw was discovered in the brackish waters of an estuary where salinity levels heavily fluctuate.
• Biodiversity Hotspot: India currently documents 12 Donacidae species, 7 of which are recorded along the rich coastline of Odisha.

• Size: It is exceptionally tiny, measuring just about 6.9 mm.
• Shell Shape: It features an elongated, triangular shell that tapers into a distinctly pointed anterior (front) end.
• Distinct Markings: The posterior (back) part of its shell exhibits prominent, broad, and flat radial ribs. These intersect with fine microscopic lines, giving the clam a unique, lattice-like pattern that differentiates it from its closest relatives.

• Paraguay has featured prominently in recent news due to its exceptional economic performance, strategic energy advantage, and deepening international partnerships, including with India.
• India and Paraguay marked 65 years of diplomatic relations on 13 September 2026. India and Paraguay established diplomatic relations in September 1961.

• Landlocked Position: Located in south-central South America, it is completely surrounded by Argentina, Brazil, and Bolivia.
• Two Main Regions: The Paraguay River splits the country into the eastern region (home to the vast majority of the population and fertile agricultural lands) and the western region (the Gran Chaco, a sparsely populated area of marshlands and forests).
• Capital City: Asunción is the political, cultural, and economic capital, located on the banks of the Paraguay River.

• Political Structure: It operates as a unitary presidential constitutional republic.
• Current Leader: Santiago Peña Palacios has served as the President since April 2023.
• Demographics: It has a population of approximately 6.9 to 7 million people. The majority of citizens are of mestizo (mixed European and Indigenous) descent.
• Bilingual Identity: It is highly unique for its linguistic integration. Over 90% of the population speaks Guaraní (an indigenous language) alongside Spanish, making it the most bilingual nation in the Americas.
• National Currency: The Guaraní (PYG), which has seen recent surges against the US dollar due to booming trade.

• Green Energy Leader: Paraguay is one of the world's absolute leading exporters of hydroelectric power. It co-runs the massive Itaipu Dam with Brazil, allowing it to generate 100% clean electricity and export the surplus for massive revenue.
• Agricultural Giant: Despite its small population, it is the 9th largest soybean producer globally, the 9th largest beef exporter, and the 2nd largest producer of stevia.
• Natural Wealth: It sits atop the Guaraní Aquifer, one of the world's largest underground freshwater reserves, ensuring total agricultural self-sufficiency.

• Independence: Paraguay declared independence from Spanish rule in 1811.
• Devastating Wars: The country's early history was deeply scarred by the War of the Triple Alliance (1865–1870) against Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay, which wiped out over half of its male population. It also fought Bolivia in the Chaco War (1932–1935), successfully securing territorial rights.
• Authoritarian Legacy: The country endured a rocky 20th century under the brutal 35-year dictatorship of Alfredo Stroessner (1954–1989). Transitioning into a modern democracy has been a gradual process burdened by institutional corruption.

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