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Government notifies Semicon 2.0 Scheme
Why in News? The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has notified Semicon India 2.0, with a multi-year outlay of ₹1,27,500 crore. Announced in the Union Budget 2026-27, the scheme expands government support from individual fabrication and packaging projects to the entire semiconductor value chain. UPSC Relevance: GS-3 Economy: Manufacturing, Industrial Policy; Science and…
Keep Reading →India rejects Hague Court’s Indus Waters Treaty Ruling
Why in News? On August 31, 2026, an ad hoc Court of Arbitration, administered by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) at The Hague, ruled that the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), 1960, remains fully in force despite India’s decision to hold it in abeyance. The tribunal also imposed temporary restrictions on parts of the Ratle…
Keep Reading →What are Hanging Glaciers?
Why in News? The recent devastating floods in Nepal have renewed attention on hanging glaciers and cascading Himalayan hazards. Scientists warn that rising temperatures, permafrost thaw and changing precipitation are destabilising steep ice-covered slopes. A 2026 study identified 219 hanging glaciers in Uttarakhand’s Alaknanda basin, with simulations showing that their collapse could generate avalanche flows…
Keep Reading →Indian Standard Time becomes Mandatory National Time Reference
Why in News? The Union government has notified the Legal Metrology (Indian Standard Time) Rules, 2026, making Indian Standard Time (IST) the common reference for all legal, administrative, commercial and official purposes across India. The rules will come into force 180 days after their publication in the Official Gazette, allowing government departments, businesses and institutions…
Keep Reading →Article 124(3): The Unused Distinguished-Jurist Route to the Supreme Court
Why in News? On 30 August, Supreme Court judge Justice Ujjal Bhuyan highlighted Article 124(3), which permits a distinguished jurist to be appointed to the Court, although that route has never been used. Article 124(3) establishes three alternative eligibility routes: High Court judicial service, High Court advocacy, or recognition by the President as a distinguished…
Keep Reading →Index of Services Production: What India’s New Trial Series Measures
Why in News? On 31 August 2026, MoSPI released the trial Index of Services Production for June 2026, covering 19 service sub-sectors on a 2024-25 base. The release presents 19 separate sub-sector indices, rather than one headline composite measure for the entire services economy. Compared with June 2025, 18 sub-sectors recorded positive growth and 8…
Keep Reading →Mission Rangeen Machhli 2031: Ornamental Fisheries for Island Livelihoods
Why in News? The Department of Fisheries released the Mission Rangeen Machhli 2031 Strategic Action Plan for Ornamental Fisheries Development at Agatti, Lakshadweep, on 31 August 2026, marking a policy release rather than completed implementation. The release establishes a strategic direction; it does not show that the proposed interventions, livelihood gains or conservation outcomes have…
Keep Reading →How Mustard Self-Incompatibility Can Support Hybrid Breeding
Why in News? An IIT Gandhinagar and ICAR-DRMR study reported on 31 August 2026 that four genes help regulate self-pollen rejection in toria and yellow sarson mustard. The researchers characterised SRK, FER1, MLPK and ARC1 in two cultivated forms of Brassica rapa using sequencing, structural prediction, pollination tests and temporary gene suppression. Toria behaved as…
Keep Reading →INS Nipun: Deep-Sea Diving and Submarine-Rescue Support
Why in News? The Indian Navy commissioned INS Nipun, the second Nistar-class Diving Support Vessel, at Mumbai on 31 August 2026 for deep-sea diving, underwater intervention and submarine-rescue support. INS Nipun was formally commissioned after its delivery to the Navy on 30 July 2026 and now enters service under the Western Naval Command. The vessel…
Keep Reading →Machine-Learning Materials Screening: New Candidates for CO2 Conversion
Why in News? On 31 August 2026, PIB reported that IIT Gandhinagar researchers computationally identified three high-entropy MBenes as promising candidates for electrochemical CO2-to-CO conversion. The study screened 56 equiatomic five-metal compositions, narrowed them to 18 viable candidates and identified three with favourable computed reaction profiles. The three candidates are CrNbZrMoTiB5, MoZrHfNbCrB5 and MoZrHfTaCrB5, all…
Keep Reading →Nepalganj Road-Bahraich Broad-Gauge Upgrade
Why in News? On 31 August 2026, Indian Railways inaugurated the completed broad-gauge conversion and electrification of the Nepalganj Road-Nanpara-Bahraich section and extended four existing train services to Nepalganj Road. The completed Indian section is 56.15 km long and runs through Bahraich district in Uttar Pradesh. The former metre-gauge section, originally built in 1886, has…
Keep Reading →India’s Q1 GDP: Reading Growth Under Double Deflation
Why in News? On 31 August, MoSPI's provisional quarterly estimate placed India's real GDP growth at 7.8% for April-June 2026-27 under the national-accounts series with base year 2022-23. Nominal GDP, measured at current prices, grew by 10.3% over the same quarter of the previous financial year. Real GVA, which tracks value added by producers before…
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