Exam-focused current affairs for BPSC and UPSC Prelims, with Bihar linkage, static concepts, key facts, exam traps and interactive MCQs.
16 SEPTEMBER 2026 • BPSC / UPSC PRELIMS
01
International Relations • Black Sea • Food Security
Russia–Ukraine War and Black Sea Grain Trade Disruption
The first topic examines how repeated attacks on ships, ports and logistics in the Black Sea are disrupting grain movement and raising concerns about global food security.
300+Attacks cited in ~1.5 months
6Black Sea littoral states
30%Russia + Ukraine wheat-export share stated
12%Ukraine maize-export share stated
Lecture framing: Russia and Ukraine are described as major grain exporters and as the “bread basket of Europe”, supported by fertile Chernozem soils rich in humus and phosphorus.
Black Sea geography
Six littoral states: Türkiye, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Romania, Georgia and Russia.
The lecture calls the Black Sea the world’s largest meromictic basin, where upper and lower water layers do not fully mix.
Sea route: Black Sea → Bosporus → Sea of Marmara → Dardanelles → Aegean Sea → Mediterranean.
The Danube provides an alternative route for Ukraine, but with lower carrying capacity than Black Sea ports.
Trade disruption cited in the lecture
Russian total grain exports in August: 5.9 million tonnes → 1.7 million tonnes.
Wheat exports: 5.0 million tonnes → 1.3 million tonnes.
Export destinations cited as falling from 43 countries to 16.
Usable/exporting ports cited as falling from 47 to 10.
Higher freight risk and reduced port capacity can transmit into higher food prices.
Chernozem
Dark, fertile steppe soil associated with high humus content and suitability for grain cultivation.
Ukraine maize
The lecture states that Ukraine exported about 23 million tonnes of maize in 2025–26, around 12% of world maize exports.
2022 precedent
The Black Sea Grain Initiative is recalled as a UN- and Türkiye-mediated arrangement that enabled grain movement after earlier disruption.
Question 1: Consider the following statements regarding the Black Sea crisis:
02
International Trade • Latin America • Global South
The second topic covers negotiations to expand the existing India–MERCOSUR Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) and the exam-relevant distinction between a PTA, an FTA and a customs union.
1991Treaty of Asunción
2009PTA operational
450India tariff lines cited
452MERCOSUR tariff lines cited
MERCOSUR basics
Full form: Southern Common Market; Spanish name cited as Mercado Común del Sur.
Created by the Treaty of Asunción, 1991.
Founding members: Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.
Bolivia is cited as the newer fifth member; Venezuela is described as suspended.
The lecture describes MERCOSUR as a customs union with internal trade liberalisation plus a common external tariff.
India–MERCOSUR timeline
2003: framework agreement.
2004: PTA signed.
1 June 2009: PTA became operational.
14 September 2026: negotiations launched to expand the existing PTA, as stated in the lecture.
A first additional protocol is cited for enabling an electronic Certificate of Origin.
PTA vs FTA vs Customs Union
Arrangement
Core idea
Exam takeaway
PTA
Tariff concessions on selected products
India–MERCOSUR arrangement
FTA
Wider product coverage and deeper tariff liberalisation
Broader than a PTA
Customs Union
FTA-type internal liberalisation + common external tariff
MERCOSUR is described this way
2025 trade
The lecture cites India–MERCOSUR trade at about US$20.84 billion in 2025.
Potential sectors
Pharmaceuticals, engineering goods, chemicals, textiles, automobiles and related sectors are cited as beneficiaries of wider access.
Global South
The term is presented as referring broadly to developing and emerging economies, not a strict geographic category.
Question 2: With reference to the India–MERCOSUR Preferential Trade Agreement, consider the following statements:
03
Science & Technology • AI • Research Communication
SARAL AI — Simplifying Scientific Research for Wider Audiences
The third topic explains SARAL AI, an AI-based platform associated with the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), and its use by CSIR for turning complex research into accessible public-facing content.
Research papers & patents→SARAL AI→Simplified content→Video / podcast / poster / presentation→Wider public reach
What SARAL AI does
Designed for simplifying and communicating research.
Processes research publications and patents.
Produces multimedia formats such as videos, podcasts, posters and presentations.
The lecture states that outputs can be created in 18 languages.
Intended beneficiaries include students, citizens, researchers, institutions and policymakers.
Why in news
CSIR has started using SARAL AI for wider dissemination of scientific research.
The lecture specifically refers to CSIR-NIScPR.
A hands-on workshop involved more than 90 participants, including editors and researchers.
Accessible research videos are being shared through a dedicated YouTube playlist, as described in the lecture.
ANRF
Anusandhan National Research Foundation, described in the lecture as a statutory body under the Department of Science and Technology.
Legal basis
Created under the ANRF Act, 2023; the lecture states that the Act came into force on 5 February 2024.
Core idea
Bridge the gap between science and society by making complex research easier to understand.
Question 3: With reference to SARAL AI, consider the following statements:
04
India–Nepal • Energy • Cross-Border Power Trade
India Approves 18-Hour Power Supply to Nepal after Hydropower Losses
The fourth topic covers India’s temporary cross-border electricity supply arrangement after floods damaged Nepal’s hydropower infrastructure and reduced domestic generation.
654 MWTotal approved supply
18 hours/daySupply window
13 Sep–31 Dec2026 period
13Hydropower plants affected
Why Nepal sought imports early
The lecture links the request to a 26 August flash flood that damaged hydropower infrastructure.
Domestic generation capacity is stated to have fallen by about 550 MW.
13 hydropower plants are cited as affected.
Nepal normally imports more power in dry/winter months; this request came earlier due to the flood-related shortfall.
Approved supply arrangement
654 MW approved from India.
Supply window: 18 hours per day, 12:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., as stated in the lecture.
Period: 13 September to 31 December 2026.
Bulk supply is linked to the Muzaffarpur–Dhalkebar transmission line, with the balance through Tanakpur–Mahendranagar.
India–Nepal Power Trade Agreement provides the framework for cross-border electricity trade.
2022
A Joint Vision Statement on Power Sector Cooperation reaffirmed expansion of power trade and connectivity.
Seasonal trade
Nepal can export surplus hydropower during high-flow months and import during dry/winter periods when river flows decline.
Question 4: With reference to the recent India–Nepal electricity supply arrangement, consider the following statements:
05
Environment • Wetlands • Blue Carbon
Pichavaram Mangroves — Economic Valuation and Blue Carbon
The final topic covers a recent study on the economic value of the Pichavaram mangrove ecosystem in Tamil Nadu and its wider role in coastal protection, fisheries, biodiversity, livelihoods and climate regulation.
₹2,485 crTotal economic value cited
1,478.64 haArea stated
2022Ramsar designation
251.14 t C/haSoil carbon stock cited
Location & status
District: Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu.
Coast: Bay of Bengal.
Located between the Vellar and Coleroon/Kollidam estuarine systems, as described in the lecture.
Designated a Ramsar Site in 2022.
The lecture states a total area of about 1,478.64 hectares.
Ecosystem services
Coastal protection: buffers waves, storm surges and erosion.
Fisheries: breeding, feeding and nursery habitat for fish and shellfish.
Biodiversity: supports diverse plant and animal life.
Livelihoods and ecotourism: supports local communities.
Climate regulation: mangrove vegetation and sediments store large quantities of carbon.
Study details in the lecture: total economic value is stated as ₹2,485 crore; the study is described as covering 302 households across five villages. Soil organic carbon stock is cited at about 251.14 tonnes of carbon per hectare.
Blue carbon
Carbon stored in coastal and marine ecosystems such as mangroves, especially in vegetation, roots, soils and sediments.
Long-term storage
Waterlogged mangrove sediments slow decomposition and can preserve organic carbon for long periods.
Disaster reduction
Mangrove belts can reduce exposure to coastal erosion, waves and storm surges.
Transcript note
The supplied lecture contains some garbled intermediate valuation figures. This page retains the clearly stated figures used in the lecture’s own MCQ and revision points.
Question 5: Consider the following statements regarding the Pichavaram mangrove ecosystem:
