UPSC current affairs, 23 September 2026

Punjab’s Groundwater Crisis: When the Green Revolution Runs Dry

Why in news: Punjab’s stage of groundwater extraction hit 152% in the 2025-26 Dynamic Groundwater Assessment, with 72% of its 153 blocks now ‘over-exploited’ — the highest share among all States.

For Mains: cite CGWB’s Dynamic Groundwater Assessment thresholds and Punjab’s 152% figure while answering on Green Revolution externalities; use Atal Bhujal Yojana and ‘Pani Bachao, Paisa Kamao’ as case examples of demand-side groundwater management, and note the MSP-driven cropping- pattern distortion as the root policy failure.

Maharashtra’s Women Farmers’ Bill Redefines Who Counts as a ‘Farmer’

Why in news: Maharashtra’s July 2026 Women Farmers’ Empowerment Bill grants women independent recognition as farmers irrespective of land ownership — the first Indian State law to give this land-delinked definition enforceable legal form.

For Mains: use this as a live example while discussing the feminisation of agriculture, the implementation gap in the National Policy for Farmers, 2007, and the design of Agri Stack as a gender- disaggregated digital agriculture architecture.

11th National Ayurveda Day: Ministry of AYUSH Unveils ‘Ayush Vision 2030’

Why in news: India observed its 11th National Ayurveda Day on 23 September 2026 from Nagpur under the theme ‘Ayurveda for a Healthier Tomorrow’, with the Ministry of AYUSH outlining its Ayush Vision 2030 roadmap.

For Mains: link AYUSH mainstreaming to India’s health-diplomacy soft power (WHO GCTM), the integrative-medicine push via Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, and the standing debate on evidence-based validation of traditional-knowledge systems.

Supreme Court: National Song Cannot Override the Conscientious Objector

Why in news: The Supreme Court held that an elected government may shape the scope of the National Song but cannot compel citizens to sing it or penalise conscientious objectors, while hearing a challenge to the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Act, 2026.

For Mains: distinguish ‘respect’ from ‘compulsion’ while discussing national symbols; balance Articles 19/25 against the Article 51A(a) fundamental duty, and use Bijoe Emmanuel as the anchor precedent on compelled speech.

Election Commission Freezes Trinamool Congress’s Name and Symbol

Why in news: The ECI froze the Trinamool Congress’s name and ‘grass and flowers’ symbol on 17 September 2026 after two rival factions — led by Mamata Banerjee and Arup Roy — separately claimed to be the real party.

For Mains: discuss the ECI’s quasi-judicial powers under Article 324 read with the 1968 Order, the ‘party theft’ allegation as a check on institutional neutrality, and the comparative pattern across recent symbol disputes.

Kerala Orders Probe into CMRL-Exalogic Case, Reviving the FIR-Registration Debate

Why in news: Kerala ordered a police inquiry into the CMRL-Exalogic payoff controversy involving former CM Pinarayi Vijayan’s family, reopening the constitutional debate on when a preliminary inquiry is required before an FIR is registered.

For Mains: weigh speedy access to criminal justice against safeguards against politically motivated FIRs; note ‘Police’ is a State List subject even as a Union agency (ED) supplies the underlying intelligence.

India-U.S. Trade Deal Held Hostage to Section 301 Probes Against India’s Rivals

Why in news: A full India-U.S. trade deal remains unlikely until Washington launches and concludes fresh Section 301 investigations against India’s competitor exporters such as Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the Philippines.

For Mains: link to the WTO’s MFN principle, U.S. trade-law instruments (Section 301, IEEPA), India’s trade-diversification strategy, and the energy-security implications of secondary sanctions on Russian oil buyers.

Canal-Top Solar: India’s Land-Free Route to Clean Energy

Why in news: India’s vast, under-explored canal network is emerging as a land-free frontier for solar power, with canal- top photovoltaic (CTPV) systems gaining fresh policy momentum after the Centre’s newly approved PM Surya Sarovar Yojana.

For Mains: connect to the National Solar Mission, land-use conflicts in renewable-energy siting, and the water-energy nexus via evaporation savings on irrigation canals.

‘Squatting’ on Mining Leases Threatens India’s Critical-Minerals Push

Why in news: Union Mines Secretary Keshav Chandra flagged ‘squatting’ — miners holding acquired blocks without starting operations — as a growing concern even as India accelerates critical-minerals reforms and explores lithium in Mali.

For Mains: connect to the National Mineral Policy, 2019, India’s critical-minerals security strategy, the 2023 MMDR amendments, and outward mineral diplomacy in Africa.

Supreme Court Calls Cancer-Drug Overpricing a ‘Broad Daylight Dacoity’

Why in news: The Supreme Court termed the overpricing of essential cancer medicines a ‘broad daylight dacoity’, flagging a drug sold to retailers at ₹2,700 but priced at an MRP of ₹27,000 — a tenfold mark-up.

For Mains: examine the essential-medicines price-regulation architecture (DPCO, NPPA, NLEM), the right to health under Article 21, and the case for extending price control beyond scheduled formulations.

Purnima Devi Barman’s Hargila Army: Compassion as Public-Spirited Action

Why in news: Conservationist Purnima Devi Barman was named businessline’s Changemaker of the Year 2026 for turning Assam’s once-reviled greater adjutant stork into a symbol of women-led conservation through her all-women ‘Hargila Army’.