Govind Ballabh Pant

Miscellaneous

News –

10th September 2026 marks the 139th birth anniversary of Bharat Ratna Govind Ballabh Pant.

Govind Ballabh Pant (1887–1961) – UPSC

1st Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh; prominent freedom fighter and administrator.
Prem Sabha: Social reform & promotion of local education.
Kumaon Parishad (1916): Opposed coolie-begar and hill taxes.
Freedom Struggle:
- Legal counsel in the Kakori case (1925).
- Led Simon Commission protests in Lucknow (1928).
- Participated in the United Provinces Salt campaign (1930).

Key Offices

Premier, United Provinces: 1937–39 & 1946–50
Constituent Assembly member.
1st CM of UP: 1950–54
Union Home Minister: 1955–61

Major Contributions

UP Zamindari Abolition and Land Reforms Act, 1950.
As Home Minister, played a key role in implementing linguistic reorganisation of States under the States Reorganisation Act, 1956.

150th Birth Anniversary of Saratchandra Chattopadhyay

GS1/History

News –

Meta has announced that it will directly report child safety-related matters to the cybercrime portal managed by the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C).

Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C).

It is an initiative of the Ministry of Home Affairs, to deal with cybercrime in the country.
Ministry: Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)
HQ: New Delhi
Purpose: Coordinates Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) to combat cybercrime.

Key Objectives:

Acts as nodal point for tackling cybercrime.
Strengthens action against cybercrime targeting women & children.
Facilitates cybercrime complaints and identifies emerging trends/patterns.
Functions as an early-warning system for proactive prevention & detection.
Promotes cybercrime awareness and cyber hygiene.
Builds capacity of Police, Public Prosecutors & Judicial Officers in cyber forensics, investigation and cyber-criminology.

India-MERCOSUR Cooperation

News

India and the South American trade bloc MERCOSUR have launched negotiations to expand their existing Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) to deepen economic relations and create greater opportunities for businesses on both sides.

MERCOSUR

MERCOSUR – UPSC

Full form: Southern Common Market (Mercado Común del Sur).
Members: Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Bolivia & Venezuela.
Venezuela: Suspended since 2016.
India–MERCOSUR: Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) in force since June 2009.
PTA coverage: ~450 tariff lines from India and 452 from MERCOSUR, with concessions of 10–100%.
Trade (Apr–Oct 2025–26): $11.84 bn
- Exports: $5.22 bn
- Imports: $6.62 bn

Challenges for India: High tariffs, logistics bottlenecks, regulatory complexity and cultural differences.

Prelims: MERCOSUR → South American trade bloc → PTA with India since 2009.

Kishau Multipurpose Project

Irrigation Infrastructure

Context

Recently, six Yamuna-basin States signed an agreement on the long-pending Kishau Multipurpose Project, bringing the stalled project closer to implementation.

Kishau Project

The Kishau Multipurpose Project is a proposed dam on the Tons River, along the River: Tons River
Location: Uttarakhand–Himachal Pradesh border.
Type: Multipurpose dam project.
States/UT involved: Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan & Delhi.
Status: Declared a National Project after remaining stalled for over 8 years.

Funding:

90% of water-component cost → Union Government

10% → Participating States, as per Yamuna Water Agreement (1994).

Yamuna River Basin

Yamuna River Basin – UPSC

Origin: Yamunotri Glacier, Bandarpoonch Range, Uttarakhand
Confluence: Meets the Ganga at Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh.
Basin States/UTs: Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan & Delhi.
Major Tributaries: Tons, Giri, Hindon, Chambal, Sindh, Betwa & Ken.
Importance: Irrigation, drinking water, hydropower, ecology & inter-State water sharing.
Major Projects: Lakhwar, Renukaji & Kishau.

CoBRA Battalion

GS3/Defence

Context

2006-batch IPS officer Sanjukta Parashar, popularly known as the ‘Iron Lady of Assam’ for her counter-insurgency work in the Northeast, has become the first woman officer to head the CRPF’s elite CoBRA unit.

CoBRA

Full form: Commando Battalion for Resolute Action
Force: Specialised operational formation of CRPF.
Raised: 2008–09 for jungle & guerrilla warfare.
Key capabilities: Long-range patrols, intelligence-based operations, ambush/counter-ambush and operations in IED-prone areas.
Major deployment: Anti-Maoist operations in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha & Maharashtra.
Strength: 10 battalions, headed by an Inspector General (IG).

Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs)

- Administrative control: Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
- Forces: Assam Rifles, BSF, CISF, CRPF, ITBP, NSG & SSB.

Key exception – Assam Rifles:

Administrative control: MHA
Operational control: Ministry of Defence (MoD)

Asia Cup

Miscellaneous

News –

Dryland Congress 2026 will convene in New Delhi to address challenges and opportunities in climate-resilient dryland agriculture.

About

Organised by: ICAR & ICRISAT, New Delhi.
Theme: “Transforming Dryland Agriculture through South–South Cooperation”.
Significance: Marks 50 years of ICAR–ICRISAT collaboration; expected to adopt the Delhi Declaration on Dryland (3D).

Drylands

UNEP: Areas with Aridity Index < 0.65 (precipitation/evapotranspiration).
Cover about 45% of global land surface and support 2+ billion people.
India: ~68% of cultivated land; supports 40%+ population and 60% livestock.
Vulnerability: Drylands are warming 20–40% faster than other ecosystems.

Restoration & India

UNCCD: Leads global efforts on land degradation neutrality (LDN).
PMKSY–WDC: India’s key watershed-based approach—soil conservation, ridge-to-valley treatment & water harvesting.

Context

India defeated Sri Lanka in the Women’s Asia Cup 2026 final in Dubai, securing a record-extending eighth Asia Cup title.

Asia Cup (Cricket)

2026: India defeated Sri Lanka in the Women’s Asia Cup final in Dubai, winning a record-extending 8th title.
Nature: Biennial international cricket tournament for Asian teams.
First edition: 1984, following the formation of the Asian Cricket Conference in 1983, precursor to the Asian Cricket Council (ACC).
Format: Since 2016, alternates between ODI and T20I formats.
Women’s Asia Cup: Launched by ACC in 2004.
Most men’s titles: India, followed by Sri Lanka.
Organiser: Asian Cricket Council (ACC).