UPSC Current Affairs 17 September 2026

• The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is in the news because the Government of India announced on September 16, 2026, that veteran actor Anant Nag will be honoured with the country's highest cinematic recognition.
• He will receive the award at the 72nd National Film Awards ceremony scheduled for September 22, 2026, in Kevadia, Gujarat. This honour comes exactly one year after the actor was conferred with the Padma Bhushan.

• Highest Cinematic Honor: It is the highest official recognition for film personalities in India, presented annually for lifetime contribution to the growth and development of Indian cinema.
• Instituted Year: The award was established in 1969 by the Government of India.
• Name Origin: It is named after Dhundiraj Govind "Dadasaheb" Phalke (1870–1944), who is widely regarded as the "Father of Indian Cinema". He directed India's first full-length feature film, Raja Harishchandra, in 1913.

• Organizers: The award is conferred by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and administered by the Directorate of Film Festivals.
• Presented By: The President of India traditionally presents the award during the annual National Film Awards ceremony.
• Selection Process: The recipient is selected by a jury committee consisting of eminent personalities from the Indian film industry.

• A Swarna Kamal (Golden Lotus) medallion
• A cash prize of ₹10 Lakh (1 million INR)
• A certificate, a silk roll, and a ceremonial shawl

• First Recipient: Actress Devika Rani, often called the "First Lady of Indian Cinema," received the inaugural award in 1969.
• Posthumous Recipients: Only two individuals have received it posthumously—actor Prithviraj Kapoor (1971) and actor Vinod Khanna (2017).
• Recent Winners:
  • 2026 Announced: Anant Nag (Kannada & Hindi cinema)
  • 2025 Recipient: Mohanlal (Malayalam cinema)
  • 2024 Recipient: Mithun Chakraborty (Hindi & Bengali cinema)

• Mandatory Coverage Boundary: It is the maximum monthly basic salary (+ DA) at which an employee is automatically required to enrol in the EPF scheme.
• New Rules Apply To: Any new employee entering the formal workforce with a basic salary up to ₹25,000 must now be enrolled. Previously, anyone starting with a basic pay above ₹15,000 was considered an "excluded employee" and did not face mandatory deductions.

• Massive Net Expansion: More than 51 lakh (5.1 million) additional employees will instantly fall under mandatory social security coverage.
• Lower Take-Home Pay for Some: Employees earning between ₹15,000 and ₹25,000 will experience larger mandatory monthly PF deductions (12% of basic pay), resulting in a slight drop in net take-home salary if their employer calculates PF as part of the overall Cost to Company (CTC).
• Higher Retirement Corpus: The forced reduction in cash-in-hand directly translates into significantly larger retirement savings compounded over time.
• Increased Pension (EPS): Because the Employees' Pension Scheme (EPS) cap climbs in tandem with the ceiling, monthly pension allocations will rise, lifting the maximum employer pension contribution cap from ₹1,250 to ₹2,080 per month.
• Better Insurance Payouts: The maximum coverage ceiling under the Employees' Deposit Linked Insurance (EDLI) scheme is also projected to scale upward in alignment with the higher basic wage cap.

• Surging Payroll Costs: Companies are legally mandated to match the 12% employee contribution. Businesses employing large workforces in the ₹15,000–₹25,000 bracket will see a marked increase in overhead statutory costs.
• Government Fiscal Burden: The government expects to absorb an estimated annual financial outgo of ~₹11,339 crore to support its share of the expanded pension ecosystem.

• What it is: A unique regional organization connecting South Asia and Southeast Asia around the geography of the Bay of Bengal.
• Establishment: Originally formed in 1997 via the Bangkok Declaration as BIST-EC (Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand). It fully transformed into BIMSTEC in 2004 following the inclusion of Myanmar, Nepal, and Bhutan.
• 7 Member Nations: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.
• Demographic Weight: Collectively bridges and represents over 1.7 billion people—roughly 22% of the global population.
• Institutional Framework: Operates through biennial Summits (Heads of State), annual Ministerial Meetings (Foreign Ministers), and biannual Senior Officials' Meetings.

• Alternative to SAARC: With SAARC effectively paralyzed due to ongoing tensions with Pakistan, India has pivoted to BIMSTEC as its primary vehicle for regional cooperation.
• Foreign Policy Convergence: Serves as the intersection for India's "Neighborhood First" policy, "Act East" approach, and the SAGAR/Mahasagar maritime security vision.
• Countering China: Acts as an alternative infrastructure and connectivity model to counter China’s expanding footprint and Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in the Indian Ocean.
• India's Lead Sectors: Under the revamped BIMSTEC framework, India leads critical sectors: Transport & Communication, Tourism, Environment & Disaster Management, and Counter-Terrorism.

• Counter-Terrorism & Cyber Security: Joint agreements to deepen intelligence sharing to combat organized crime, cross-border extremism, and sophisticated cyber threats.
• Disaster Management: Establishing the BIMSTEC Centre of Excellence for Disaster Management in India.
• Digital Financial Integration: India has proposed integrating its Unified Payments Interface (UPI) with the payment architectures of member nations to boost trade and tourism.
• People-to-People Ties: Launch of the BODHI skilling program for youth and professionals, alongside the curation of the BIMSTEC Games and traditional music festivals.

• Slow Economic Integration: Negotiations for a comprehensive BIMSTEC Free Trade Agreement (FTA) have faced delays and remain unfinalized for years.
• Political Instability: Internal crises among member states—such as the civil conflict in Myanmar and economic/political shifts in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Nepal—hinder long-term collective planning.
• Institutional Bottlenecks: The permanent secretariat faces funding and staffing constraints, which slows down project implementation.
• Overlapping Focus: Several member states frequently prioritize commitments to ASEAN or bilateral pathways over BIMSTEC objectives.

• Primary Objective: The campaign seeks to institutionalize Swachhata (cleanliness) as a continuous process and minimize administrative pendency across all government offices.
• Special Emphasis on E-Waste: Unlike standard scrap, all obsolete items like old computers, mobile devices, and electronics will be discarded strictly following the E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022.
• Space and Record Management: Offices are tasked with reviewing millions of old files, weeding out redundant records, and optimizing office floor space.
• Clearing Pending Referrals: A major push is being directed toward resolving public grievances, along with pending references from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), state governments, and Parliament.
• Mechanized Cleaning: The campaign promotes advanced mechanized cleaning methods to enhance workplace safety, efficiency, and deep hygiene.
• Massive Scale: The Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSEL) alone has set a target of executing over 7 lakh cleanliness campaigns nationwide.
• Wider Geographical Reach: The institutionalization covers not just city headquarters but outstation field offices, defence sectors, Indian Railways, and even Indian Missions abroad.

• Wealth from Waste: Over the last five years, these special scrap disposal drives have generated over ₹5,000 crores in revenue for the government.
• Space Optimization: More than 1,000 lakh square feet of prime office space has been freed up nationally by disposing of trash and redundant infrastructure.
• Special Campaign 5.0 Performance: The previous edition alone freed 1.13 crore square feet of office space, disposed of 14,017 metric tonnes of scrap, and generated ₹56.85 crore in immediate revenue.

• Scale of Operations: Major beach clean-up drives are happening simultaneously across more than 100 locations along India's coastal states and Union Territories.
• Diverse Field Events: Beyond beach cleanups, the movement features widespread community events such as human chains, cycling rallies, marathons, and massive citizen engagement programs.
• Underwater Cleanup: Extending its scope beyond the shoreline, agencies like INCOIS are executing underwater cleaning programs (e.g., at Swaraj Dweep in Sri Vijaya Puram) to directly tackle submerged marine debris.

• Ocean Olympiad: The 2026 edition introduces the first-ever national Ocean Olympiad aimed at fostering environmental awareness and science-backed ocean care among students and youth.
• Digital Portals: Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh unveiled the official SSSS v. 5.0 website, informational videos, and a dedicated portal to track nationwide activities.
• The Swachh Sagar Pledge: A customized digital and physical pledge has been distributed nationwide, allowing government employees, students, and regular citizens to officially commit to eco-friendly marine habits.

• Three Strategic Pillars: The initiative continues to run on three fundamental behavioural goals:
  • Consume Responsibly
  • Segregate Waste
  • Dispose Responsibly
• Targeting Marine Plastic: A central objective is reducing microplastics and non-biodegradable waste (like fishing nets and bottles) that devastate marine life and coastal biodiversity.
• Jan Bhagidari (People's Participation): The campaign relies heavily on a community-driven approach, bringing together the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), ISRO, NGOs, local fishermen, and thousands of student volunteers.

• Origin: The campaign originally started in July 2022 as a historic 75-day drive to clean 75 beaches during India's 75th year of independence (Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav). It holds the distinction of being one of the world's longest-running and largest coastal cleanup drives.

• Literal Meaning: The word Nua means "new" and Khai means "food" or "eat". Together, it signifies the "eating of the new rice crop".
• Primary Objective: It is a major post-harvest agricultural festival observed to welcome the first rice harvest of the season.
• Core Philosophy: The festival serves as a grand gesture of thanksgiving to Mother Earth, nature, and the deities for sustaining human life.

• When It's Celebrated: It takes place on the Panchami tithi (fifth day) of the lunar fortnight in the Hindu month of Bhadrapada (August–September), exactly the day after Ganesh Chaturthi.
• Primary Regions: While celebrated across Odisha, it holds massive cultural dominance in Western Odisha (districts like Sambalpur, Bargarh, Bolangir, and Kalahandi). It is also observed in southern Chhattisgarh and parts of Jharkhand.
• Regional Counterpart: In Coastal Odisha and West Bengal, its cultural equivalent is celebrated under the name Nabanna.

• The Nine Colours (Nine Rituals): Preparations start two weeks in advance, progressing through nine sequential stages—from fixing the auspicious date (Lagna dekha), cleaning the home, collecting the new crop (Nua dhan khuja), to the final offering.
• Offering to Deities: The newly harvested crop, called Nabanha, is cooked in new earthen pots and offered first to presiding local deities.
  • Example: In Sambalpur, it is offered to the region's main deity, Maa Samaleswari.
• Nuakhai Juhar: A central social ritual where younger family members touch the feet of their elders to seek blessings, and people exchange greetings to resolve past grievances and strengthen community bonds.
• Grand Feasts: Families gather under one roof to consume the Prasad together, alongside traditional Odia delicacies like kheer, khichdi, and pitha.

• Folk Performances: Evenings feature community gatherings known as Nuakhai Bhetghat, packed with traditional music and vibrant Sambalpuri folk dances such as Dalkhai, Rasarkeli, and Chutkuchuta.
• Cattle Worship: Farmers also honour their livestock, specifically cows and bullocks, by conducting special pujas and tying decorative rakhis to their horns to thank them for their help in the fields.

• Geographical Region: The Pangwala are a Scheduled Tribe residing primarily in the rugged, isolated Pangi Valley. This valley is located in the Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh, nestled along the Pir Panjal range of the Himalayas.
• Definition of "Pangwala": The term has a territorial connotation. It refers collectively to all the native communities and castes permanently inhabiting the Pangi Valley rather than a single homogenous tribe.
• Scheduled Status: Due to extreme topography and historical isolation, the entire Pangi tehsil was declared a Scheduled Area in 1975, granting its inhabitants Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

• Caste Composition: The community is internally divided into upper-caste groups (such as Brahmins and Rajputs/Thakurs) and artisan/Scheduled Caste groups (like Lohars, Chanals, and Halis).
• Social Harmony: Despite these internalized caste divisions, the social structure is not rigidly discriminatory. There are no traces of organized untouchability, and all groups interact freely and collaborate during cultural functions.
• Ethnic Inhabitants: The valley features a blend of Aryan heritage (mostly Hindu Pangwals occupying lower altitudes) and Mongolian heritage (Bhots, who are Tibetan Buddhists living in higher altitude areas called Bhatoris).

• Language: They speak Pangwali, an Indo-Aryan language belonging to the western Himalayan linguistic family.
• Religion: The majority follow a unique form of Hinduism deeply influenced by ancient Kashmir Shaivism, with a focal worship of Shiv-Shakti. The Mindhal Basini Devi temple in Mindhal is their primary pilgrimage site.
• Traditional Attire: Men traditionally wear woollen garments and a white cloth cap called the Pangwali Topi (which local folklore notes resembles historical prisoner caps). Women wear woollen shawls and a distinct cloth cap known as a juji.
• Local Beverages: Traditional brewing is central to their social celebrations, featuring drinks like Arak (a distilled liquor), Chhang (barley/rice beer), and Lugri.

• Livelihood: The community depends heavily on mountainous terrace farming, animal husbandry, and seasonal agricultural labour.
• Crops: They cultivate cold-resistant crops suited for high elevations, such as barley, wheat, buckwheat, rye, millets, potatoes, and peas. Sheep and goat herding are also major economic activities.
• Climate Adaptation: Because of extreme winters and difficult terrain, households live in compact villages built from stone and wood. They heavily rely on tight-knit kinship networks to cooperate and survive the harsh winter months.

• Voluntary Registrations: Indian corporate entities, industries, and organizations can voluntarily register and publicly disclose their specific Net Zero strategies and targets.
• Emissions Disclosures: Participating entities are encouraged to report direct and indirect energy emissions (Scope 1 and Scope 2), while supply-chain emissions (Scope 3) remain optional.
• Progress Tracking: Registered users must provide annual updates to demonstrate measurable, verifiable steps toward mitigating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
• Decarbonization Pathways: The portal allows entities to detail their pathways, highlighting clean energy transitions, energy efficiency upgrades, and carbon removal methods.
• Official Recognition: Entities that successfully complete verified declarations on the repository will receive an official acknowledgment from the MoEFCC.

• Consolidated Government View: It aggregates real-time performance indicators and implementation data from the eight National Missions operating under India’s climate policy framework (originally established in 2008).
• Inter-Ministerial Symmetry: The platform coordinates data sharing across multiple distinct ministries leading initiatives such as solar energy deployment, water management, sustainable agriculture, and eco-restoration.
• Bottleneck Identification: It facilitates systemic monitoring to allow government departments to quickly evaluate sectoral progress and address operational delays or implementation gaps.
• Global Alignment: The dashboard strengthens the linkages between India's domestic climate output data and its reporting commitments under international climate agreements.

• Origin: Enacted in 1967 originally to curb secessionist movements, it has been amended multiple times to evolve into a comprehensive anti-terror mechanism.
• Absolute Power to the Centre: The Union Government holds absolute authority to declare an association or activity "unlawful" via publication in the Official Gazette.
• Jurisdiction: Applies to both Indian and foreign nationals. Charges can be filed even if the offense was committed on foreign soil outside India.
• Highest Punishments: Violations under the act can lead to life imprisonment or the death penalty as the maximum sentences.
• Extended Detention: Investigating agencies can detain suspects without a formal charge sheet for up to 180 days (compared to 60–90 days under regular criminal law).
• Investigative Agency: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is the primary federal body empowered to conduct pan-India investigations and prosecute cases under this law.

• 2004 Expansion: Officially added the definition of a "terrorist act" to the text, allowing the government to ban entire organizations under this specific label.
• 2019 Individual Designation: The landmark 2019 Amendment empowered the central government to designate individuals as terrorists without waiting for a formal judicial conviction.
• Property Seizure: The 2019 amendment also streamlined processes, allowing NIA investigators to seize properties linked to terrorism with the sole approval of the NIA Director-General.

• Bail is the Exception: Under Section 43D(5), courts cannot grant bail if a prima facie case exists against the accused, making judicial release nearly impossible during trials.
• Vague Definitions: Terms such as "unlawful activity" or "likely to strike terror" are highly elastic, leaving room for potential misuse by law enforcement.
• Suppression of Dissent: Human rights groups argue the law is sometimes used to suppress political dissent, free speech, and journalism under the umbrella of national security.

• PM-YASASVI Stand For: Prime Minister Young Achievers Scholarship Award Scheme for Vibrant India

• Nodal Ministry: It is formulated and executed by the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
• Core Objective: To mitigate financial challenges, eliminate school dropout risks, and promote inclusive, quality higher education among historically marginalized sections.
• Consolidation Approach: The program functions as an umbrella model by consolidating older educational initiatives, including the Dr. Ambedkar Post-Matric and Pre-Matric Scholarship Schemes.

• Income Cap: The annual household income of the student's parents or guardians must not exceed ₹2.5 Lakh.

1. Pre-Matric Scholarship: Financial aid mapped out for students in classes 9 and 10 to clear formative schooling expenses.
2. Post-Matric Scholarship: Stepped up funding models covering senior secondary stages (Classes 11 and 12) up to introductory graduation courses.
3. Top Class School Education: Focused financial grants earmarked for meritorious students clearing admissions into elite identified schools.
4. Top Class College Education: Full financial equity coverage—including tuition fee waivers, living allocations, and assignment resources—for students entering premium institutes like IITs, IIMs, and NITs.
5. Construction of Hostels: Dedicated institutional capital to construct safe residential hostels for boys and girls near designated educational zones.

• Application Framework: All enrollment cycles, data vetting, and transaction monitoring occur transparently through the central National Scholarship Portal (NSP).
• Performance-Linked Release: Central funds follow a 3-stage 50:45:5 ratio. The closing 5% block is strictly withheld until states offer proof of verified physical hostel occupancy by the targeted student base.
• Strict Independent Auditing: The framework mandates setting aside 0.25% of the budget allocation to fund independent third-party quality evaluations and random project site inspections.

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