Exam-focused current affairs for BPSC and UPSC Prelims, with Bihar linkage, static concepts, key facts, exam traps and interactive MCQs.
12 SEPTEMBER 2026 • BPSC / UPSC PRELIMS
01
Bihar Geography • Disaster Management
Bihar Floods Despite Rainfall Deficit — The Backwater Effect
The 2026 flood episode discussed in the supplied lecture was unusual because the immediate concern was not primarily the usual north-Bihar Himalayan rivers. Instead, a high Ganga level caused by heavy upstream rainfall restricted tributaries from draining into the main river.
Core concept: when the Ganga is already running at a very high level, tributaries such as the Son and Punpun cannot discharge efficiently. Water then backs up in tributary channels and spreads into adjoining low-lying areas. This is the backwater effect.
Why flooding occurred
Heavy upstream rainfall in the Ganga basin, especially around Prayagraj, Varanasi and adjoining upstream areas, raised the main river.
Backwater effect: tributaries could not drain freely into the Ganga.
Flat alluvial terrain slows river flow and reduces sediment-carrying capacity.
Low-lying tal depressions remain vulnerable to water accumulation.
Some pockets also received intense local rain even while cumulative monsoon rainfall remained below normal.
Why embankments matter
Bihar's rivers carry large sediment loads.
Embankments restrict the natural lateral spread of sediment.
More sediment may remain within the channel, gradually raising the river bed.
A raised river bed can increase flood levels and make drainage from adjoining areas more difficult.
This creates a long-term flood-management dilemma: embankments offer local protection but can also alter natural river behaviour.
Heavy upstream rain→Ganga level rises→Tributary drainage slows→Backwater effect→Flooding in adjoining areas
Nepal factor
The 26 August Gandak scare was described as a limited episode. All 36 gates of Valmikinagar Barrage were opened and discharge reached about 1.5 lakh cusecs, but the lecture treats this as secondary to the later Ganga-driven flooding.
Structural vulnerability
Flat terrain, shifting channels, siltation, embankments, low-lying depressions and dense settlement along flood-prone river belts make Bihar structurally vulnerable.
1975 linkage
The lecture connects the mechanism with the 1975 Patna flood: high Ganga levels combined with difficulty in tributary drainage can create severe backwater flooding.
Selected Bihar rivers — quick prelims revision
River
Source / identity in supplied lecture
Important Bihar linkage
Gandak
Nepal Himalaya; known as Narayani in Nepal
Joins Ganga near Sonpur
Kosi
Tibet–Nepal; Saptakoshi system
Joins Ganga near Kursela
Son
Amarkantak, Madhya Pradesh
Joins Ganga near Maner
Punpun
South Bihar river system
Joins the Ganga system near Fatuha
Falgu
Formed by Lilajan and Mohana streams
Flows through the Gaya region; linked with Fatuha drainage system in the lecture
Karmanasa
Kaimur Range
Joins Ganga near Chausa
Source basis supplied: 12 September 2026 teaching transcript on Bihar floods and river-system revision.
Question 1: Consider the following statements regarding the recent flooding in Bihar:
02
Environment • Species Conservation
Great Indian Bustard — Mining Proposal Near Jaisalmer Habitat
An environmental-clearance proposal for a limestone mining project near Ramgarh, Jaisalmer was deferred for further review because the site lies close to a priority conservation landscape of the Great Indian Bustard (GIB).
Why it matters: the case is a classic development-versus-conservation issue. The appraisal panel asked for revision of the proposal, attention to approved production terms, blasting-related safeguards and compliance with Wildlife Institute of India recommendations.
Great Indian Bustard profile
Scientific name:Ardeotis nigriceps.
IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered.
Wildlife Protection Act: Schedule I.
CITES: Appendix I.
CMS: Appendix I.
Resident, non-migratory bird of arid and semi-arid grasslands, open scrub and dry plains.
Why the landscape is sensitive
India's principal remaining stronghold is in Rajasthan, especially the Desert National Park–Jaisalmer landscape.
Mining, blasting, roads and industrial activity can fragment habitat and disturb breeding and foraging.
Overhead power lines are a major collision threat because bustards may fail to detect thin wires while flying.
Population recovery is slow because the species has a low reproductive rate.
Project status
The Centre's appraisal process deferred environmental clearance and sought a revised plan; the project was not finally rejected in the supplied lecture.
Conservation response
The lecture refers to a national bustard recovery effort involving the Wildlife Institute of India, state forest departments, conservation breeding and habitat management.
Grassland lesson
GIB conservation highlights the need to treat grasslands as ecosystems, not as wastelands available for unrestricted conversion.
Mining / infrastructure→Habitat fragmentation + disturbance→Higher mortality / lower breeding success→Pressure on a critically endangered species
Source basis supplied: 12 September 2026 lecture section on the proposed limestone mining project near Great Indian Bustard habitat.
Question 2: Consider the following statements regarding the Great Indian Bustard:
03
Polity • Judiciary • Union Territories
Ladakh High Court Bench — Regulation Under Article 240
A 2026 regulation enables the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh to hold sittings in Ladakh. The change improves local access to the High Court, but it does not create a separate High Court for Ladakh.
Constitutional hook: the regulation was promulgated by the President under Article 240. The lecture identifies it as the Union Territory of Ladakh (Sitting of Bench of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh) Regulation, 2026.
Background
The former State of Jammu & Kashmir was reorganised in 2019 into the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.
Section 75 of the J&K Reorganisation Act, 2019 provides a common High Court for both Union Territories.
Residents of Ladakh often faced long travel, high costs, difficult terrain and harsh weather in accessing High Court proceedings.
What the 2026 regulation does
Allows judges of the common High Court to hold sittings in Ladakh.
Promulgated on 27 August 2026 in the supplied lecture.
Came into force on 5 September 2026.
Operational details such as location, staff, infrastructure and logistics are to be arranged subsequently.
J&K Reorganisation Act, 2019→Common High Court→President's Regulation under Article 240→Bench sittings in Ladakh
Access to justice
Local sittings can reduce travel burden, cost and dependence on hearings outside Ladakh.
What it is not
It is not a new constitutional High Court. The same High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh continues to serve both Union Territories.
Exam linkage
Revise Article 240, Union Territory administration and the institutional consequences of the J&K Reorganisation Act, 2019.
Source basis supplied: 12 September 2026 lecture section on the Ladakh High Court bench regulation.
Question 3: With reference to the 2026 regulation relating to the High Court bench in Ladakh, consider the following statements:
04
Bihar • Disaster Risk Reduction
Palm-Tree Plantation Proposal to Reduce Lightning Deaths in Bihar
Bihar's Disaster Management Department is considering a phase-wise palm-tree plantation programme in lightning-prone rural areas as a supplementary measure to reduce deaths caused by lightning.
Basic idea: tall palm trees are being considered as natural conductors that may intercept lightning and help route electrical charge towards the ground. The lecture repeatedly stresses that plantation should be treated as a supplementary risk-reduction measure.
280Deaths cited for 2021
400Deaths cited for 2022
242Deaths cited for 2023
305Deaths cited for 2024
Implementation outline
Department: Bihar Disaster Management Department.
Plantation proposed in a phase-wise manner across districts.
Implementation period described as about five to six years after approval.
Priority is to begin with districts recording high lightning mortality.
First-phase priority districts
Patna
Kaimur
Rohtas
Banka
The aim is to reduce risk especially for people working in open rural and agricultural areas.
Source basis supplied: 12 September 2026 lecture section on Bihar's proposed palm-tree plantation plan for lightning mortality reduction.
Question 4: With reference to Bihar's proposed palm-tree plantation plan to reduce lightning deaths, consider the following statements:
05
Bihar Governance • Land Administration
Bihar to Roll Out Virtual Revenue Courts
The Bihar Revenue and Land Reforms Department is moving towards a virtual revenue-court system covering revenue courts from the Circle Officer level up to the Divisional Commissioner level.
Digital shift: the Revenue Court Management System is intended to combine online filing, digital case management, virtual hearings and online order/status updates so petitioners do not always need to travel long distances for land-related hearings.
Traditional vs virtual process
Earlier: online filing / listing could be followed by physical presence for hearing.
New model: online filing → digital case management → virtual hearing → order → online status.
Roll-out was described as planned for mid-September after software upgrades.
Likely benefits & challenges
Less travel, lower time and cost for petitioners.
Potentially faster case disposal and greater transparency.
Challenges: digital-literacy gaps, internet connectivity, authentication of parties/documents, cyber security and technical reliability.
CO→DCLR→ADM / DM→Divisional Commissioner
Mutation / Dakhil-Kharij
Updating land records after sale, inheritance, gift, partition or another change in ownership interest. The lecture notes that mutation by itself does not conclusively decide title.
Jamabandi
A revenue record of rights / landholding entry maintained in the state's land-revenue records.
Institutional distinction
Revenue courts are part of the revenue-administration hierarchy; they are not simply the regular civil judiciary headed by District Judges.
Source basis supplied: 12 September 2026 lecture section on Bihar's virtual revenue-court rollout.
Question 5: With reference to Bihar's proposed virtual revenue-court system, consider the following statements:
