Exam-focused current affairs for BPSC and UPSC Prelims, with Bihar linkage, static concepts, key facts, exam traps and interactive MCQs.
15 SEPTEMBER 2026 • BPSC / UPSC PRELIMS
01
Indian Ocean • Maritime Security • Regional Cooperation
Colombo Security Conclave — 2026 Table-Top Exercise at Visakhapatnam
The first topic covers the Colombo Security Conclave (CSC), a regional security-cooperation mechanism in the Indian Ocean Region, and the 2026 simulation-based exercise held at the Eastern Naval Command in Visakhapatnam.
2011Trilateral origin
6Members in 2026
Visakhapatnam2026 venue
3 daysTable-top exercise
Members in the lecture: India, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Mauritius, Bangladesh and Seychelles. The original 2011 mechanism involved India, Sri Lanka and Maldives.
2026 exercise
Venue: Eastern Naval Command, Visakhapatnam.
Nature: three-day table-top exercise, meaning a simulation-based discussion rather than a live military drill.
Theme: coordinated response to illicit maritime activities in the Indian Ocean Region.
Threats discussed include maritime terrorism, narcotics smuggling, human trafficking and IUU fishing.
Major cooperation areas
Maritime safety and security.
Countering terrorism and radicalisation.
Trafficking and transnational organised crime.
Cybersecurity and protection of critical infrastructure, including undersea cables.
Information sharing and maritime-domain awareness.
IUU fishing
Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated fishing is treated as a major regional maritime-security concern.
SAGAR
Security and Growth for All in the Region — linked in the lecture to India's Indian Ocean approach.
MAHASAGAR
Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions.
Shared threats→Information sharing→Common SOPs→Better coordination→Safer Indian Ocean
Question 1: With reference to the Colombo Security Conclave (CSC), consider the following statements:
02
Environment • Wildlife Crime • South Asia
Kathmandu Declaration 2026 under SAWEN
The second topic explains the South Asia Wildlife Enforcement Network (SAWEN) and the 2026 Kathmandu Declaration adopted to strengthen regional action against poaching, illegal wildlife trade and transboundary wildlife crime.
2011SAWEN launched
8Member countries
12-point2026 declaration
30 JanSAWEN Day
SAWEN basics
Full form: South Asia Wildlife Enforcement Network.
Launched on 30 January 2011 at Paro, Bhutan.
Secretariat established in Kathmandu, Nepal in 2011.
Members listed in the lecture: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Core functions: intelligence sharing, capacity building and coordinated enforcement.
Kathmandu Declaration focus
Information and intelligence sharing.
Coordinated law enforcement and criminal-justice cooperation.
Financial investigation, anti-money laundering and asset recovery.
Science and technology; protection of rangers and frontline staff.
Biopiracy, illegal access to biological resources, marine/freshwater wildlife crime, research and awareness.
Other outcomes in the lecture: annual country contributions from 1 January 2027, a SAWEN Implementation Plan 2026–2030, an endorsed work/budget framework, and observance of 30 January as SAWEN Day.
SAWEN vs CITES
The lecture presents SAWEN as a South Asian enforcement-cooperation network, while CITES is the global convention regulating international trade in endangered species.
India linkage
Regional intelligence cooperation can support agencies such as the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, Customs, police and forest departments.
Current context
The lecture connects the issue to the recent rescue of orangutans in Odisha and concerns about cross-border wildlife trafficking.
Question 2: With reference to the Kathmandu Declaration 2026 adopted under SAWEN, consider the following statements:
03
Bihar • Irrigation • Solar Energy
ASHA Model of Irrigation — Modernising Bihar's Ahar-Pyne System
The third topic covers Bihar's ASHA model — Automated Solar Powered High Efficiency Irrigation Application — which combines traditional water-storage structures with solar pumps, automation and pipeline-based delivery.
Rainwater and canal water are stored in an ahar/pond.
Solar panels generate electricity for the irrigation system.
Automated pumps lift water when irrigation is needed.
Underground pipelines carry water to fields, reducing conveyance losses.
Surplus solar electricity may be fed to the grid.
Pilot project facts
Location: Kalyanpur, Paliganj, Patna.
Command area stated in the lecture: about 665 acres.
About 1.2 km channel mentioned between the water source and solar-power system.
About 30 km underground pipeline network to fields.
Solar-power plant spread over about 1 acre; work stated as around 70% complete.
Ahar
A traditional water-storage structure used in Bihar's irrigation landscape.
Pyne
A traditional channel that carries water to fields.
Main gains
Lower diesel dependence, improved water-use efficiency, year-round irrigation support and use of renewable energy.
Question 3: With reference to Bihar's ASHA model of irrigation, consider the following statements:
04
Bihar Economy • Sugarcane • Investment Policy
Bihar Sugarcane Industry Investment Promotion Policy 2026
The fourth topic explains Bihar's new policy for reviving and modernising the sugar industry, attracting investment, reopening closed mills and building an integrated sugarcane economy linking farmers, mills, distilleries, power generation and rural employment.
₹70 cr3,500 TCD subsidy
30 yearsLand lease period
₹1Token lease amount
₹15 crExpansion booster
Key incentives in the lecture
Up to ₹70 crore subsidy for a new 3,500 TCD sugar mill.
Additional support of ₹2 crore for each additional 100 TCD above the stated base capacity.
25 acres for a 3,500 TCD project and 40 acres for a 5,000 TCD project, on a 30-year lease at token ₹1, as described in the lecture.
₹15 crore support for specified expansion of an existing mill by 1,000 TCD.
₹5 crore subsidy mentioned for a new distillery and interest-relief support for bank loans.
Integrated sugarcane economy
Sugar for food and beverage industries.
Molasses / sugarcane juice → ethanol, supporting fuel blending.
Bagasse → cogeneration of electricity and useful steam/heat.
Press mud → compressed biogas / organic manure and other value-added products.
Rural jobs and stronger farmer-market linkage.
TCD = tonnes of cane crushed per day. It is a measure of sugar-mill crushing capacity, not the amount of sugar produced.
Revival
Closed mills can be reopened and old units modernised.
Energy
Ethanol, bagasse cogeneration and CBG link the sugar sector with India's wider bioenergy transition.
Employment
Expansion can create jobs in cultivation, transport, processing, distilling and allied activities.
Question 4: With reference to the Bihar Sugarcane Industry Investment Promotion Policy 2026, consider the following statements:
05
Economy • Strategic Resources • Clean Energy
India's Critical Minerals Push — Overseas Partnerships and Recycling
The final topic explains why India is pursuing critical-mineral partnerships with countries including Argentina, Australia and Chile, along with domestic exploration, processing, recycling and overseas asset acquisition.
Critical minerals: resources with high economic and strategic importance but significant supply-risk exposure. The lecture links them to EV batteries, renewable energy, semiconductors, electronics and defence systems.
Examples & overseas strategy
Examples cited: lithium, cobalt, nickel, copper, graphite and rare-earth elements.
India is stated to recognise 30 critical minerals.
Lithium Triangle: Argentina, Bolivia and Chile.
The lecture says India already has interests in five lithium blocks in Argentina and is discussing additional opportunities.
Cooperation with Australia and other partners is linked to exploration and supply diversification.
India's policy framework
National Critical Mineral Mission launched in 2025; outlay stated as ₹34,300 crore.
Focus: exploration, mining, processing, recycling and overseas acquisition.
KABIL works on overseas critical-mineral assets and partnerships.
A ₹1,500 crore recycling incentive scheme is mentioned in the lecture.
Critical-mineral parks are cited for Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Maharashtra and Gujarat.
KABIL structure in the lecture
Company
Share stated
Role/context
NALCO
40%
National Aluminium Company Ltd.
HCL
30%
Hindustan Copper Ltd.
MECL
30%
Mineral Exploration & Consultancy Ltd.
Energy security
Reliable mineral supply supports EVs, batteries and renewable-energy manufacturing.
Strategic autonomy
Diversified sources reduce vulnerability to geopolitical or supply-chain disruption.
Circular economy
Recycling e-waste and mineral-bearing waste can recover valuable inputs and reduce import dependence.
Question 5: With reference to India's critical-mineral strategy, consider the following statements:
