Exam-focused current affairs for BPSC and UPSC Prelims, with Bihar linkage, static concepts, key facts, exam traps and interactive MCQs.
21 SEPTEMBER 2026 • BPSC / UPSC PRELIMS
01
Economy • Business Climate • Global Survey
Global Business Climate Survey 2026 — India Ranked First
The first topic covers the Global Business Climate Survey 2026, a perception-based survey of Swedish companies operating abroad. The lecture places India at Rank 1 among the 41 markets covered.
1stIndia rank stated in the lecture
41Global markets covered
2020Survey first conducted, as stated
73%Respondents rating India good / very good
Core idea: this is a perception-based business-climate survey reflecting how Swedish companies assess operating conditions, profitability, turnover expectations and investment prospects in different markets.
Who conducts it?
Business Sweden
Swedish Chambers International
Swedish diplomatic missions / embassy and consular network, as described in the lecture
Respondents answer standard questions on the business environment, profitability, turnover, investment plans and operating conditions.
Why India scored strongly
Industrialisation and manufacturing growth
Digital transformation
Government infrastructure push in roads, ports, rail and logistics
Large domestic market and growing middle class
Opportunities linked to green transition and renewable energy
Top three cited
India, Ireland and Vietnam are stated as the top three markets in the lecture.
Do not confuse this survey with the former World Bank Ease of Doing Business index.
Question 1: With reference to the Global Business Climate Survey 2026, consider the following statements.
02
Geography • Hydropower • Arunachal Pradesh
Siang Upper Multipurpose Project
The proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project in Arunachal Pradesh combines storage, hydropower, water-security and flood-moderation objectives, while also raising concerns about displacement, ecology and seismic risk.
Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibet→Siang / Dihang in Arunachal Pradesh→Meets Dibang + Lohit→Brahmaputra in Assam
Project snapshot
River: Siang in Arunachal Pradesh
Type: Multipurpose storage + hydropower project
Expected capacity: roughly 11,000–12,500 MW, as stated in the lecture
Status: proposal / pre-feasibility stage
PFR: prepared by NHPC, according to the lecture
Why it is strategically discussed
Storage can improve water security and flood moderation.
It can support large-scale hydropower generation.
The lecture links the proposal to concerns about upstream Chinese hydropower development on the Yarlung Tsangpo.
India views downstream storage as a resilience / preparedness measure.
People’s concerns
Submergence, village relocation, tribal land and identity, livelihoods and adequacy of consultation.
Ecology
Potential impacts on river ecology, biodiversity and a seismically sensitive Himalayan region.
Static GK
Siang / Dihang is the Indian stretch of the Yarlung Tsangpo before it becomes the Brahmaputra downstream.
Question 2: With reference to the Siang Upper Multipurpose Project, consider the following statements.
03
Environment • Wildlife • Reintroduction
Project Cheetah — New Cubs at Kuno National Park
The lecture highlights the birth of four cubs at Kuno National Park on 18 September 2026 and uses the event to revise the chronology, institutions and conservation logic of Project Cheetah.
2022Project launched
8Cheetahs initially brought from Namibia
56Total tally stated after new births
53 + 3Kuno + Gandhi Sagar tally stated
Project basics
Launch: 17 September 2022
Initial release site: Kuno National Park, Madhya Pradesh
Nodal ministry: Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
Implementing body: National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA)
Aim: establish a self-sustaining cheetah population in suitable grassland / open-forest ecosystems.
Why the 2026 birth matters
An India-born female is now contributing to the breeding population.
The lecture presents this as progress from translocation toward natural breeding.
It strengthens the case for long-term self-sustaining population growth.
The programme is described as a major grassland and wildlife-conservation initiative.
1952: cheetah declared extinct in India→2022: Namibia translocation→2023: South Africa arrivals→2026: further expansion + India-born breeding
Kuno
Located in Madhya Pradesh and the first reintroduction site under Project Cheetah.
Gandhi Sagar
The lecture identifies Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary as the second Indian habitat with three cheetahs.
Species note
The lecture notes the cheetah as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List and identifies African cheetahs as the source population for India’s programme.
Question 3: With reference to Project Cheetah, consider the following statements.
04
Environment • Tiger Reserve • Chhattisgarh
Indravati Tiger Reserve — Reopening for Eco-tourism
The lecture revises Indravati Tiger Reserve in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh, explaining its location, Project Tiger status, wildlife significance and the reported reopening for regulated eco-tourism after years of security-related restrictions.
Static GK
State: Chhattisgarh
District / region: Bijapur district, Bastar region
Named after the Indravati River
Associated with Project Tiger since 1983, as stated in the lecture
Total area cited: about 2,799 sq km
Why reopening matters
Improved forest access and conservation monitoring
Patrolling against poaching and illegal logging
Regulated eco-tourism and local livelihood support
Greater administrative presence in a region affected by left-wing extremism
Key fauna
Tiger, leopard, dhole, sloth bear and wild buffalo are cited in the lecture.
State animal
The lecture identifies the wild buffalo as the state animal of Chhattisgarh.
River linkage
The reserve derives its name from the Indravati River.
Question 4: With reference to Indravati Tiger Reserve, consider the following statements.
05
Defence • Naval Diplomacy • India–Egypt
INS Trishul at Alexandria — India–Egypt Naval Diplomacy
The lecture covers the 14–17 September 2026 port call of INS Trishul at Alexandria, Egypt, the associated passage exercise and the ship’s static defence profile.
Visit & exercise
Port: Alexandria, Egypt, on the Mediterranean coast
Visit: 14–17 September 2026
Exercise: PASSEX / passage exercise with the Egyptian Navy, as described in the lecture
Purpose: interoperability, naval diplomacy and stronger India–Egypt maritime ties.
The lecture also mentions a tribute at a war memorial connected with World War casualties.
INS Trishul — key facts
Class: Talwar-class guided-missile frigate
Design: Project 1135.6 / Russian Krivak-III-derived design, as stated
Commissioned: 2003
Multi-role capabilities: anti-surface, anti-air and anti-submarine warfare
Designed with stealth features and capable of operating a multi-role helicopter.
Trio cited
INS Talwar, INS Trishul and INS Tabar are identified together in the lecture.
Naval diplomacy
Port calls and passage exercises build trust, interoperability and operational familiarity.
Location trap
Alexandria is an Egyptian port on the Mediterranean Sea.
Question 5: With reference to INS Trishul, consider the following statements.
06
Science • Defence Electronics • Semiconductor
DRDO’s Indigenous GaN MMIC Technology
The final topic explains DRDO’s indigenous Gallium Nitride (GaN) Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit (MMIC) technology and why wide-bandgap semiconductors matter for modern radar, electronic warfare and communication systems.
Core concept:Gallium nitride is a wide-bandgap semiconductor suited to high-power, high-frequency and high-temperature operation. An MMIC integrates microwave / radio-frequency functions on a compact chip.
Why GaN over conventional silicon?
Higher power-handling capability
Better performance at high radio frequencies
Greater thermal stability
Higher efficiency and more compact defence-electronics systems
Suitable for next-generation radar, EW, missile, sensor and satellite applications.
Institutions in the lecture
Technology developed by DRDO’s Solid State Physics Laboratory (SSPL) in Delhi.
Large-scale fabrication / manufacturing is linked in the lecture to GAETEC in Hyderabad.
The lecture states that indigenous GaN MMIC technology has been demonstrated up to the X-band.
X-band is cited as roughly 8–12 GHz.
GaN material→High-power RF device→MMIC chip→Radar / EW / missiles / satellites
GaN
A wide-bandgap semiconductor used where high power and high frequency matter.
MMIC
A Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit integrates microwave / RF components on a single chip.
Exam focus
Remember the chain: DRDO – SSPL – GaN – MMIC – X-band applications.
Question 6: With reference to DRDO’s indigenous GaN MMIC technology, consider the following statements.
