Exam-focused current affairs for BPSC and UPSC Prelims, with Bihar linkage, static concepts, key facts, exam traps and interactive MCQs.
19 SEPTEMBER 2026 • BPSC / UPSC PRELIMS
01
Gender • Global Index • World Economic Forum
Global Gender Gap Index 2026 — India at Rank 131
The opening topic explains the Global Gender Gap Index 2026, released by the World Economic Forum, and focuses on India’s rank, parity score and the four dimensions used to compare gender gaps.
131India rank stated in the lecture
64.5%India parity score cited
69.2%Global average cited
145Economies covered in 2026, as stated
Core idea: the index measures the gap between women and men, not the overall level of development. A score closer to 1 indicates a smaller gender gap.
Four dimensions
Economic Participation & Opportunity
Educational Attainment
Health & Survival
Political Empowerment
India & global picture
India remains at Rank 131 in the lecture’s 2026 data.
The score is stated to have improved slightly, with education described as a relatively stronger area.
The larger gaps remain in economic participation and political empowerment.
Iceland is stated to be first; Finland and Norway are also cited among the top three.
First released
The lecture states that the index was first released in 2006.
Exam focus
Remember the publisher + four subindices + India rank and score.
Bottom ranks cited
The lecture cites Chad, Iran and Pakistan at the bottom end of the 2026 table.
Question 1: With reference to the Global Gender Gap Index 2026, consider the following statements:
02
West Asia • Maritime Trade • Energy Security
Sohar Port, Oman — Strategic Access Outside the Strait of Hormuz
The second topic looks at Sohar Port in Oman and why its location on the Gulf of Oman, outside the Strait of Hormuz, matters for trade-route diversification and India’s energy-security calculations.
Persian Gulf→Strait of Hormuz→Gulf of Oman→Sohar / Arabian Sea access
Location & port profile
Country: Oman
Coast: Gulf of Oman, in north-eastern Oman
Described as an industrial port and free zone.
The lecture cites about 72 million tonnes of annual cargo capacity/throughput and roughly $30 billion in investment attracted.
Its key strategic feature is being outside the Strait of Hormuz.
Why it matters for India
Can reduce dependence on a single energy chokepoint.
Offers better route diversification and supply-chain resilience.
Could improve access to Gulf energy and commercial markets.
Creates investment opportunities in logistics, manufacturing and petrochemicals.
Oman ports to remember
Port
Location / significance from the lecture
Sohar
Gulf of Oman; outside Hormuz; industrial port + free zone
Duqm
Arabian Sea coast; strategic and defence relevance
Salalah
Southern Oman; important Indian Ocean shipping location
Hormuz
Connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman.
GCC members
Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain.
Free zone
A special trade/manufacturing area offering investment and tax-related incentives.
Question 2: With reference to Sohar Port, consider the following statements:
03
Electric Mobility • State Ranking • Bihar
India’s Electric Mobility Index 2025 — Delhi Leads, Bihar Rank 18
The third topic covers the India Electric Mobility Index (IEMI) 2025, described in the lecture as a state-level benchmark prepared by NITI Aayog and WRI India to compare EV ecosystem readiness and implementation across states and Union Territories.
50%Transport electrification & progress
30%Charging infrastructure readiness
20%EV research & innovation
18Bihar rank cited
Three assessment themes
Transport Electrification & Progress — EV adoption, market absorption and consumer acceptance.
Charging Infrastructure Readiness — availability of chargers and enabling ecosystem.
Research & Innovation — R&D and innovation capacity in the EV ecosystem.
Performance highlighted
Delhi tops the overall index with a score stated as 84.
Karnataka is stated to lead in charging-infrastructure readiness.
Delhi also leads in EV research and innovation.
Bihar: Rank 18, score 40, placed in the lecture’s “emerging performer” category.
Exam lens: the highest weight is assigned to transport electrification and progress (50%); charging readiness carries 30%, while R&D and innovation carries 20%.
Question 3: With reference to India’s Electric Mobility Index (IEMI) 2025, consider the following statements:
Naval Collision in the Northern Arabian Sea — PNS Hunain & INS Kolkata
The fourth topic discusses a reported collision involving PNS Hunain and INS Kolkata in the northern Arabian Sea and uses the incident to revise the 1991 India–Pakistan agreement on advance notice of military exercises, manoeuvres and troop movements.
Incident as described in the lecture
The Indian warship was described as being on a routine surveillance mission.
PNS Hunain is described as approaching at high speed; a close manoeuvre led to a collision.
The lecture states that PNS Hunain suffered heavier damage and the Indian ship minor damage.
Both countries are stated to have lodged diplomatic protests.
A similar 2011 incident involving PNS Babur and INS Godavari is also recalled.
1991 agreement & maritime limits
The agreement is presented as a confidence-building measure to reduce accidents and unintended escalation.
The lecture highlights an Article 10 rule requiring naval ships and submarines to remain at least 3 nautical miles apart in international waters.
Territorial sea: 12 nautical miles.
Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ): up to 200 nautical miles.
3 nautical miles
Approximately 5.56 km, as explained in the lecture.
Purpose
Prevent accidents, miscalculation and unintended escalation.
Transparency
Advance notice helps distinguish exercises and routine movements from hostile intent.
Source wording note
The supplied transcript contains automatic-speech-recognition variations such as “IAS Kolkata”. This page uses the ship prefix INS Kolkata while otherwise preserving the lecture’s framing and answer logic.
Question 4: With reference to the India–Pakistan naval collision discussed in the lecture, consider the following statements:
05
Nuclear Energy • BARC • Small Modular Reactor
Bharat Small Modular Reactor 300 (BSMR-300)
The fifth topic covers the proposed 300 MW Bharat Small Modular Reactor, described in the lecture as an indigenous BARC-developed SMR concept for commercial deployment with industry participation.
300 MWBSMR-300 unit capacity
₹9,000 crProject cost cited for a 300 MW unit
₹20,000 crProgramme provision cited for SMR R&D/deployment
100 GWNuclear-capacity target by 2047 cited
Technology & commercial model
Developer: Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), as stated in the lecture.
Capacity: 300 MW.
BARC provides the technology; an industry-backed Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) is described as the proposed route for investment and commercialisation.
The lecture names NTPC, Reliance Industries, Adani and Larsen & Toubro among companies approached for discussions.
The SPV is described as holding the relevant commercial/intellectual-property rights under the proposed model.
Why SMRs matter
24×7 low-carbon power.
Potential support for industrial decarbonisation.
Smaller, modular units allow phased capacity addition.
Strengthens long-term energy security and clean-energy transition.
AERB is identified as the nuclear regulatory body.
Transcript note on programme dates
The supplied transcript clearly states the 100 GW nuclear-capacity target for 2047, but the spoken year attached to the five-SMR target is garbled in the transcript. This page therefore does not present that year as a settled source fact.
Question 5: With reference to Bharat Small Modular Reactor (BSMR-300), consider the following statements:
06
Water Resources • Andhra Pradesh • Chennai
Kandaleru Reservoir & Telugu Ganga Project
The final topic explains why Kandaleru Reservoir in Andhra Pradesh matters to Chennai’s drinking-water security and how it fits into the wider Telugu Ganga Project, an inter-state transfer system carrying Krishna water toward Tamil Nadu.
Kandaleru Reservoir — static GK
Location: Rapur Mandal, SPSR Nellore district, Andhra Pradesh, as stated in the lecture.
Built across the Kandaleru River.
The reservoir is placed in the Pennar basin in the lecture.
It is an important part of the Telugu Ganga Project.
The September 2026 news angle is the reported halt/reduction in water supply because of low storage.
Telugu Ganga Project
An inter-state project involving Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.
Routes Krishna water for Chennai drinking-water supply while also supporting irrigation in Andhra Pradesh.
Uses a canal-and-reservoir network for long-distance transfer.
Highlights the importance and complexity of inter-state water cooperation.
Krishna system / Srisailam→Telugu Ganga canals→Somasila Reservoir→Kandaleru Reservoir→Kandaleru–Poondi / Satya Sai Ganga canal→Poondi Reservoir→Chennai
Why in news
Low storage at Kandaleru is stated to have affected Krishna-water transfer toward Chennai in September 2026.
Chennai angle
The project forms part of Chennai’s broader dependence on inter-state and inter-basin water transfers.
Exam trap
Kandaleru is linked to Krishna-water transfer but the lecture places the reservoir itself in the Pennar basin.
Question 6: With reference to Kandaleru Reservoir and the Telugu Ganga Project, consider the following statements:
