UPSC Current Affairs 19 September 2026

• Six-Point Roadmap: The Centre outlined a core roadmap focusing on higher productivity, lowering production costs, securing better prices, mitigating natural calamity damages, diversifying crops, and conserving soil health.
• Upcoming Seed and Fertilizer Acts: To shield farmers from substandard, black-market, or counterfeit supplies, the Central Government announced it is planning to overhaul existing laws and introduce stricter regulatory Seed and Fertilizer Acts.
• 'Lab to Land' Initiative: The government promised to speed up this initiative to smoothly transfer scientific innovations and laboratory research directly to physical farm fields.
• Rabi Conference Timeline: It was announced that the upcoming National Rabi Conference is scheduled to take place on September 28–29 in New Delhi.

• FTAs and Zero-Duty Exports: The Union Minister urged southern states to align with international quality benchmarks to maximize Free Trade Agreements (FTAs). For instance, the India-EU agreement allows zero import duties on prominent southern commodities like tea, coffee, spices, coconut, cashew, and fruits.
• Booming Coconut Sector: Statistics revealed a 62% year-on-year growth in coconut exports (surging from ₹4,349 crore to ₹7,038 crore). A new dedicated promotion scheme from the Union Budget will soon be active.

• Digital Infrastructure: The status of the Digital Agriculture Mission (DAM) and the building of a universal Farmers' Registry were thoroughly reviewed to digitalize beneficiary tracking.
• Resource Management: Deliberations focused on executing a balanced Framework for Fertiliser Sale (FFS) and integrating technology to stop the illegal diversion of subsidized fertilizers to industries.

• Telangana: Presented its extension ecosystem, 'Rythu Nestham'.
• Andhra Pradesh: Showcased its dedicated framework on climate change mitigation and weather variability.
• Karnataka: Highlighted its advanced practices in improving pulse production.
• Kerala: Shared successful procurement and digital marketplace strategies.
• Tamil Nadu: Presented its benchmarks in precision farming and high-tech agriculture.

• Origin: A highly stylized classical dance-drama that originated in Kerala during the 17th century.
• Key Elements: It synthesizes Nritta (pure dance), Nritya (expression), Natya (drama), and Geetha (music), utilizing rigorous facial expressions (Navarasa) and hand gestures (Mudras).
• Elaborate Makeup (Vesham): The dancers wear heavy costumes and intricate rice-paste makeup called Chutti, where color symbolism defines the character (e.g., Green for heroes/gods, Red/Black for villains/demons).

• Organisers: The festival is organized by the Kalakshetra Foundation under the aegis of the Ministry of Culture, Government of India.
• Theme: The central theme for the 17th edition is “Kadha Rasa Sangama – Confluence of Essence of Stories”.
• Venue: Hosted at the Bharata Kalakshetra Auditorium located in Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai.

• Three Premier Institutions: The festival features distinctive performances from the Sadanam Academy, Kerala Kalamandalam, and Margi Theatre.
• East-Meets-West Adaptation (Sept 19): A major highlight of the festival is Kerala Kalamandalam's presentation of “The Old Man and the Sea”—a unique Kathakali adaptation of Ernest Hemingway’s classic novel tracking the determination of the fisherman Santiago.
• Traditional Climax (Sept 20): The festival concludes with “Rugmangada Charitham” by Margi Theatre, portraying King Rugmangada's ultimate test of faith and devotion.
• Academic Sessions: Alongside evening plays, daily lecture-demonstrations are held from 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM at the Rukmini Arangam, followed by showcase performances from the students of the Kalakshetra Foundation.

• Fiji has declared a national HIV emergency after recording a sharp, sustained rise in new HIV infections, with health authorities saying an “outbreak‑level” response is no longer enough.
• The declaration follows 2,016 new HIV diagnoses in 2025 (about 16 times the 2019 level) and an estimated 1 in 60 adults now living with HIV, up from about 1 in 167 five years ago.

• Methamphetamine and Injectable Drug Use: Fiji has become a primary maritime transit hub for drug trafficking organizations moving narcotics from the Americas to markets in Australia, New Zealand, and Asia. This has caused highly addictive drugs like methamphetamine to flood the local Fijian market.
• Dangerous Needle Sharing ("Bluetoothing"): Over 42% of confirmed transmission routes with known data are linked to drug injections. The crisis is heavily exacerbated by "bluetoothing"—a practice where blood is drawn from a person who has just injected drugs and immediately injected into another person's vein to share the high at a lower cost.
• Sexual Transmission & Low Protection: More than half of the known cases are attributed to sexual transmission. This is driven by low condom use, multiple sexual partners, and untreated sexually transmitted infections (STIs), which make contracting HIV easier.
• Stigma and Low Testing Awareness: Out of an estimated 9,100 people living with HIV in the country, only 39% know their status, and just 22% are currently accessing life-saving antiretroviral treatment (ART).

• Mother-to-Child Transmission: The crisis has heavily impacted newborns. In 2025, 59 babies acquired HIV from their mothers, and two in every 100 pregnant women in Fiji now carry the virus. Tragically, 18 of those babies died before their first birthday.
• Rising Death Toll: Fiji reported 117 HIV-related deaths in 2025, a stark increase from the 25 deaths recorded in 2021.
• Co-infections: Health officials have warned that the virus is weakening immunity across communities, leading to an accompanying spike in Tuberculosis (TB) cases.

• Whole-of-Government Mobilisation: The emergency declaration elevates the response beyond the Ministry of Health, involving the President’s office, the Parliament, and a newly formed five-minister cabinet subcommittee to legally bypass administrative barriers.
• Harm Reduction Programs: To combat needle sharing, the government plans to introduce public programs providing sterile syringes and needles.
• Expanding Medical Care: The country is rapidly scaling up free, confidential HIV testing, widening access to Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), and expanding antiretroviral treatment distribution nationwide.

• Origin: The river rises from the southern slopes of the Trimbakeshwar-Anjaneri hills in the Sahyadri range (Western Ghats), located in the Nashik district of Maharashtra.
• Proximity to Godavari: Interestingly, its source is just 2 kilometres away from the origin of the Godavari River, India's second-longest river.
• Flow Direction: It is a west-flowing river that runs for about 154 kilometres before emptying into the Arabian Sea.
• Regions Covered: It drains parts of the Nashik, Thane, and Palghar districts. It is the largest river in the Northern Konkan region.
• Estuary & Mouth: The islands of Jhow and Wadhiv lie in its estuary, while Arnala Island sits right off its mouth.
• The "Titanic of Gujarat": A historic passenger steamship named SS Vaitarna (popularly known as Vijli or Bijli) disappeared in a heavy cyclonic storm in the Arabian Sea in 1888, taking down hundreds of passengers.

• Rainfall Dependent: The river is highly seasonal, receiving 98% of its annual rainfall from the Southwest Monsoon between June and October.
• Tributaries: Its primary tributaries include the Tansa, Pinjal, Surya, Alvand, Ganjai, and Dahanu (Deharji) rivers.
• Pollution: Despite its pristine origin in the Western Ghats, the river faces heavy industrial and urban pollution as it approaches the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.
• Dam Discharge Risks: Nearby tribal settlements often face severe safety hazards and drowning risks due to sudden water surges caused by upstream dam operations.

• Water Supply: The Vaitarna is crucial for urban infrastructure; over 60% of Mumbai's drinking water is supplied by this river and its connected dams.
• Major Dams: The mainstem features three prominent reservoirs: Upper Vaitarna, Middle Vaitarna, and Modak Sagar (Lower Vaitarna).

• Definition: Prolactin (also called luteotropic hormone or lactogen) is a polypeptide protein hormone mainly responsible for breast development and triggering milk production.
• Origin: It is synthesized and secreted by specialized cells called lactotrophs located in the anterior pituitary gland at the base of the brain.
• Presence: Both men and women have baseline levels of prolactin in their blood, though it is naturally higher in women.

• Lactation: It initiates and maintains milk synthesis (lactogenesis) in the mammary glands. (Note: It works permissively with oxytocin; prolactin makes the milk, while oxytocin causes milk ejection or let-down).
• Reproductive Regulation: High levels of prolactin act as a temporary, natural contraceptive by suppressing Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone (GnRH), which subsequently lowers the luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) required for ovulation.
• Broader Functions: Beyond reproduction, it plays roles in over 300 separate biological processes, including immune regulation, metabolic homeostasis, and stress responses.

• Dopamine (The Brake): Unlike most hormones, prolactin is under continuous inhibitory control. The brain chemical dopamine acts as a brake; more dopamine means less prolactin.
• Estrogen (The Accelerator): Estrogen stimulates the pituitary gland to produce more prolactin, which causes levels to spike naturally during pregnancy.
• Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone (TRH): TRH stimulates prolactin release.
• Diurnal Fluctuations: Prolactin levels are dynamic, naturally peaking during deep sleep and temporary periods of physical stress or strenuous exercise.

• Symptoms in Women: Irregular or entirely absent menstrual cycles (amenorrhea), unexpected milky breast discharge (galactorrhea), vaginal dryness, and difficulty conceiving.
• Symptoms in Men: Decreed testosterone, reduced sex drive (libido), erectile dysfunction, lowered sperm count, and occasionally breast enlargement (gynecomastia).
• Common Causes:
  • Prolactinoma: A benign, non-cancerous tumour on the pituitary gland that overproduces the hormone.
  • Medications: Anti-dopaminergic drugs (antipsychotics, antidepressants, certain blood pressure or acid reflux medications) that lower dopamine, thereby removing the "brake" on prolactin.
  • Medical Conditions: Primary hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid raises TRH, which forces prolactin up), chronic kidney disease, or liver failure.

• Testing: Diagnosed through a standard serum prolactin blood test. Doctors recommend testing under fasting conditions and resting states to avoid transient spikes caused by stress. 
• Imaging: If levels are severely elevated, a brain MRI is used to check the pituitary gland for micro- or macro-prolactinomas. 
• Treatment:
  • First-line medications: Dopamine agonists such as Cabergoline or Bromocriptine mimic dopamine in the brain to lower prolactin levels and shrink tumours effectively.
  • Adjusting Prescriptions: If triggered by a medication, a doctor may adjust or swap the offending pharmaceutical. 

• Origin: The Trust was set up on February 5, 2020, by the Government of India.
• Legal Catalyst: Its formation directly followed the historic November 2019 Supreme Court of India verdict on the Ayodhya land dispute, which mandated the creation of an independent trust to oversee temple construction.
• Primary Objective: It holds the mandate to manage, construct, and maintain the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh.
• Land Ownership: The Central Government transferred the entire 67.703-acre acquired temple site area to this Trust.

• Independent Body: The trust operates as an independent entity set up via a trust deed under the Indian Trusts Act.
• No Direct Government Ambit: Because it functions autonomously without direct state funds or financial assistance, the Trust does not fall under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005.
• Government Representation: The structure accounts for an IAS officer representing the Central Government, another representing the State Government, and the District Magistrate of Ayodhya as an ex-officio member. However, these government nominees do not hold voting rights during trust board resolutions.
• Milestone Accomplished: The grand temple construction reached its primary phase completion with the Prana Pratishtha (consecration ceremony) held on January 22, 2024.

• Puberty as Competency: According to Article 195 of Sir Dinshah Fardunji Mulla's Principles of Mohammedan Law, any Muslim of sound mind who has attained puberty is legally competent to enter into a marriage contract.
• Presumption of Age: In the absence of contrary evidence, the law presumes an individual attains puberty at 15 years of age. Once puberty is reached, a guardian's consent is not legally indispensable.

• Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 (PCMA): Defines a "child" as a male under 21 years or a female under 18 years. It criminalises and prohibits the solemnisation of child marriages across India.
• POCSO Act, 2012: The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act defines anyone below 18 years as a child. It treats any sexual overarching relationship or intercourse with a minor as statutory rape, making no exceptions for marriage.

• Lack of Precedent: The Supreme Court of India previously directed that prior High Court judgements supporting minor marriages under personal law should not be relied upon as binding precedents by other courts.
• Supreme Court Technical Dismissal (2025): The Supreme Court dismissed a petition by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) challenging a personal law marriage ruling, but did so strictly on the technical grounds that the commission lacked locus standi (legal standing to sue) rather than settling the underlying constitutional question.
• Pending Reforms: The central government has previously proposed legislative amendments to explicitly ensure that the PCMA overrides all customs and personal laws, fixing 18 as the uniform marriageable age for all women. However, the broader reconciliation between personal laws, individual liberties, and child welfare frameworks remains highly contested.

• Accelerating Deep Tech: The alliance mobilizes private capital, technical mentorship, market linkages, and policy engagement to help Indian startups build globally competitive companies.
• The India–US Tech Corridor: IDTA focuses heavily on strengthening cross-border collaboration between the United States and India. It aligns with the bilateral TRUST (Transforming the Relationship Utilizing Strategic Technology) initiative.
• Global Market Expansion: It aims to help Indian innovators transition from pure research to commercializing their products in global markets like the U.S., while easing the expansion of international firms into India.

• Founding Investors: The alliance was originally launched at Semicon India 2025 by prominent venture capital and private equity firms, including Celesta Capital, Accel, Blume Ventures, Chiratae Ventures, 3one4 Capital, Premji Invest, Gaja Capital, and Tenacity Ventures.
• Tech Giants as Advisors: Major global technology leaders, most notably Nvidia and Qualcomm, have joined the alliance to serve as strategic technical advisers and provide deep industry expertise.
• Academic Collaborations: IDTA partnered with the University of Chicago's Polsky Center to launch a specialized US-India deep tech accelerator specifically aimed at helping Indian IIT/IIIT-affiliated startups commercialise globally.

• Capital Commitment: Alliance members collectively committed more than $2.5 billion (approx. ₹21,000 crore) over five years to back next-generation technologies, including a dedicated $1 billion carve-out specifically for Artificial Intelligence (AI) startups.
• Investment Style: There is no single pooled fund; instead, it operates voluntarily (similar to Nasscom), where individual members independently deploy $10 million to $15 million per company based on their own strategies.
• Sector Breakdown of First-Year Funding (₹2,170 Crore Total):
  • Energy Security, Climate Action & Transition: ₹655 crore across 8 companies.
  • Quantum Computing, Robotics & Space Tech: ₹649 crore across 21 companies.
  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Applications: ₹639 crore across 16 companies.
  • Biotech, Biomanufacturing & Pharma: ₹189 crore across 7 companies.
  • Digital Economy & Digital Agriculture: ₹38 crore across 4 companies.

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