Daily Briefing Current Affairs

GS-3SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY - DEEP-TECH FINANCING

The RDI Fund Has Money but No Way to Deliver It: Why India's ₹1 Lakh Crore Deep-Tech Fund Has Stalled

On September 29, 2026, TDB posted a notice closing applications for funding under the RDI Fund. It had already selected 13 companies in a second round in August but could not issue them letters of intent. The pause comes nearly a year after the Fund was created in November 2025. It also follows reports in August that 15 of the 22 first-round recipients had investment links to seven members of the selection committee.

Sub TopicIMPLEMENTATION BOTTLENECKS IN THE ₹1 LAKH CRORE RDI FUNDSourceINDIAN EXPRESS, ANRF, VAJIRAM &…
UPSC Relevance9/10
Time to Read3 min read
Total Views29,941
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GS-3ENVIRONMENT AND TRIBAL RIGHTS - GREAT NICOBAR PROJECT

Who May Question Great Nicobar? The Centre's Supreme Court Appeal Targets the Petitioner's Standing, Not the Tribal-Rights Violations She Alleges

The Supreme Court's records show that the Centre filed its SLP on July 24, 2026, seeking a stay on the High Court's May 6 order and on the pending proceedings. The High Court's records show that as of September 24, the Centre had agreed to the matters being listed for final hearing on November 25 and 26. In other words, the Centre accepted a final hearing date in the High Court while asking the Supreme Court to stop that…

Sub TopicLOCUS STANDI, FOREST RIGHTS ACT COMPLIANCE AND THE…SourceSUPREME COURT OF INDIA, THE…
UPSC Relevance9/10
Time to Read3 min read
Total Views43,273
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GS-3DISASTER MANAGEMENT - GLOF EARLY WARNING

Vasundhara Tal Gets Sensors: Uttarakhand Starts Monitoring a Glacial Lake, but the Warning Chain Is Still Incomplete

On September 29, 2026, Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan flagged off the scientific team that will install the early-warning system at Vasundhara Tal. The installation comes weeks after a flood in Nepal's Lhende Khola and Bhote Koshi river system killed hundreds. US Geological Survey analysis traced that flood to a glacial collapse and debris flow rather than an earthquake. With this system, Uttarakhand moves from surveying its…

Sub TopicGLACIAL LAKE OUTBURST FLOOD MONITORING IN THE HIMALAYASourceINDIAN EXPRESS, THEPRINT, JAGRAN
UPSC Relevance9/10
Time to Read3 min read
Total Views46,315
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GS-3AGRICULTURE AND TRADE POLICY - EDIBLE OILS

Cheaper Oil, Costlier Self-Reliance: Who Actually Pays for the Edible Oil Duty Cut

The Department of Consumer Affairs announced the duty rationalisation on September 24, 2026. It followed a Finance Ministry Gazette Notification issued the previous day, which amended the October 24, 2025 notification on edible oil duties. The timing is significant for two reasons. Global prices are high: the FAO Vegetable Oil Price Index stood at 196.9 points in August. The cut also coincides with the arrival of the kharif…

Sub TopicEDIBLE OIL IMPORT DUTY CUT VS OILSEED SELF-RELIANCESourceMINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS…
UPSC Relevance9/10
Time to Read3 min read
Total Views27,107
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GS-3INDIAN ECONOMY - SERVICES SECTOR MEASUREMENT

A Services Index Built on GST Data: What India's New ISP Sees and Who It Cannot See

On September 29, 2026, MoSPI released the trial Index of Services Production for July 2026 through PIB. It is India's first monthly index of services output, with a 2024-25 base year and 19 sub-sectors and it showed double-digit growth in 10 of them. MoSPI's trial Index of Services Production (ISP) for July 2026 revealed that 10 out of 19 service sub-sectors achieved double-digit growth. This is highly relevant for UPSC GS3…

Sub TopicINDIAN ECONOMY - SERVICES SECTOR AND THE NEW INDEX OF…SourcePIB, THE HINDU, INDIAN EXPRESS…
UPSC Relevance8/10
Time to Read3 min read
Total Views26,534
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