Daily Current Affairs (DCA) 18 September, 2026

Context
A four-year status review of Project Cheetah released by Kuno National Park shows India’s cheetah population has risen to 52, including 32 cubs born on Indian soil. The programme has entered the consolidation phase.

About the Cheetah

• Acinonyx jubatus — a large felid of the family Felidae
• The sole extant member of the genus Acinonyx
• The fastest living terrestrial animal, accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in about three seconds

Conservation Status

• IUCN: Vulnerable globally; the Asiatic subspecies is Critically Endangered
• CITES: Appendix I

Important Facts for Exams

• Cheetah population: 52 — 49 at Kuno, 3 at Gandhi Sagar; 32 cubs born in India
• 17 free-ranging at Kuno; the programme is in its consolidation phase
• Acinonyx jubatus; sole member of genus Acinonyx
• IUCN Vulnerable; Asiatic subspecies Critically Endangered; CITES Appendix I
• Declared extinct in India in 1952; the last were reportedly shot in Koriya, present-day Chhattisgarh
• Project Cheetah launched 17 September 2022 at Kuno, with 8 cheetahs from Namibia; 12 more from South Africa in February 2023
• The world’s first intercontinental large carnivore translocation
• Kuno is in Sheopur district, and Gandhi Sagar in Mandsaur-Neemuch, both in Madhya Pradesh
• The cheetah is the only large carnivore to have gone extinct in independent India

Context
Scientists from the Zoological Survey of India and Savitribai Phule Pune University described a new limbless amphibian, Gegeneophis chandgadi, discovered in backyard leaf litter in Buzawade village, Maharashtra’s Western Ghats.

What It Is

• A subterranean, limbless amphibian — a caecilian
• Family Grandisoniidae; genus Gegeneophis, commonly called blind caecilians
• An annulocylix caecilian — slender, ringed and cylindrical, without a tail

Where Found

• Buzawade village, Chandgad taluka, Kolhapur district
• In the northern Western Ghats of Maharashtra

Habitat

• Highly fossorial — spends nearly its entire life underground
• Inhabits human-modified rural agroecosystems and village backyards
• Thrives beneath decaying wood piles, compost and organic waste, and moist bamboo leaf litter
• Where rich organic matter is conserved and synthetic chemical pesticides are avoided

Important Facts for Exams

• Gegeneophis chandgadi — a caecilian, family Grandisoniidae
• Found at Buzawade village, Chandgad taluka, Kolhapur district, northern Western Ghats
• Described by the Zoological Survey of India and Savitribai Phule Pune University
• Caecilians form the order Gymnophiona — the third order of amphibians, alongside Anura (frogs and toads) and Caudata/Urodela (salamanders and newts)
• They are limbless, burrowing amphibians with vestigial eyes and chemosensory tentacles
• Fossorial — adapted to digging and living underground
• Annuli — the ring-like folds encircling the body
• Notable: the species was found in a human-modified backyard, not pristine forest — showing agroecosystems free of pesticides can hold undescribed biodiversity
• The Western Ghats is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the world’s eight hottest biodiversity hotspots
• ZSI — Zoological Survey of India, established 1916, headquartered at Kolkata, under the MoEFCC

Context
On 17 September 2026, the PM Vishwakarma Scheme completed three years, reaching 30 lakh registrations. The Ministry of MSME marked the anniversary at the Dhono Dhanyo Auditorium, Kolkata, West Bengal.

Objective

• End-to-end support to traditional artisans and craftspeople engaged in 18 identified trades

The Three Pillars

• Samman (Respect) — formal identification through PM Vishwakarma Certificates and digital ID cards
• Samarthya (Capability) — multi-tier skill upgradation, exposure to modern tooling, and formalisation via the Udyam Assist Platform (UAP)
• Samriddhi (Prosperity) — concessional credit, doorstep toolkits, monthly digital transaction cashbacks and market linkages, while preserving the Guru-Shishya parampara

Important Facts for Exams

• PM Vishwakarma launched 17 September 2023, on Vishwakarma Jayanti; completed three years with 30 lakh registrations
• Covers 18 traditional trades
• Outlay: ₹13,000 crore for FY2023-24 to FY2027-28
• A Central Sector Scheme, fully funded by the Centre
• Jointly implemented by MoMSME, MSDE and DFS
• Training stipend ₹500 per day; toolkit incentive ₹15,000 by e-voucher
• Loan: ₹1 lakh (18 months) + ₹2 lakh (30 months) at 5 per cent, with 8 per cent interest subvention
• Also provides a PM Vishwakarma certificate and ID card, incentive of ₹1 per digital transaction (up to 100 monthly), and marketing support
• Basic training: 5–7 days; advanced training: 15 days or more
• Registration through Common Service Centres, with three-tier verification — Gram Panchayat/ULB, District Implementation Committee, and Screening Committee
• The 18 trades include carpenter, boat maker, blacksmith, goldsmith, potter, cobbler, mason, basket/mat/broom maker, doll and toy maker, barber, garland maker, washerman, tailor and fishing net maker
• Eligibility: artisan aged 18 or above, engaged in one of the 18 trades in an unorganised, self-employed capacity

• Six states — Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Rajasthan — signed an agreement for the Kishau Multipurpose Project.
• The 422 MW project will support water storage, irrigation and the rejuvenation of the Yamuna River.
• A 232.6-metre-high concrete gravity dam will be built on the Tons River with 1,562 MCM storage capacity.
• The project is a National Project, with 90% funding by the Centre and 10% by the participating state

• NIELIT and Infineon Technologies inaugurated a Centre of Excellence (CoE) on semiconductor manufacturing in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
• The centre will provide practical training in ATMP, OSAT and semiconductor backend manufacturing.
• Infineon supplied 8 semiconductor manufacturing equipment units for training and skill development.

• MeitY granted in-principle approval for an AI Centre of Excellence in Bhubaneswar, Odisha under the IndiaAI Mission.
• The centre will focus on AI innovation, startup incubation and responsible AI deployment.
• Key focus areas include healthcare, governance, disaster management, education, coastal and marine economy and fisheries.

• RBI sold ₹50,000 crore of Government Securities through an Open Market Operation (OMO) to absorb durable liquidity.
• It is the first tranche of a ₹1 trillion OMO sale programme; ₹25,000 crore each is scheduled for 21 and 28 September 2026.
• Net liquidity surplus stood at ₹7.37 trillion, while durable liquidity was estimated at around ₹14 trillion by mid-September.
• WACR stood at 5.05%, compared with the 5.25% repo rate.

Context
Kerala will become the first State in India to introduce a mandatory computer-based Hazard Perception Test (HPT) for driving licence applicants, from December 2026.

What It Is

• A computer-based road-safety assessment
• Uses simulated traffic situations to test whether applicants can identify potential hazards at the appropriate time
• The provision for such an assessment already exists under the Central Motor Vehicles Rules

Aim

• Move driver testing beyond knowledge of traffic rules and vehicle handling
• Toward real-world hazard recognition, anticipation and safer decision-making

Important Facts for Exams

• Kerala — the first State to make the Hazard Perception Test mandatory, from December 2026
• Provision already available under the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989
• The test measures anticipation, not rule knowledge — the gap between knowing a rule and reacting in time
• The UK pioneered the HPT in 2002, as part of its theory test; Australia and several other countries also use it
• Driving licences in India are issued by State Transport Authorities / RTOs under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988
• Motor vehicles is a Concurrent List subject
• Road accident data 2024: 4,87,707 accidents and 1,77,175 deaths; about 485 deaths daily
• Accident severity rose from 21.6 (2005) to 36.3 (2024) deaths per 100 accidents
• Two-wheeler riders 46.2 per cent and pedestrians 20.6 per cent of fatalities
• 18–45 age group: 66.1 per cent of deaths; estimated 3 per cent GDP loss
• Related: the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019, which introduced electronic enforcement (136A), Good Samaritan protection (134A), Golden Hour cashless treatment (162), contractor liability (198A) and vehicle recall (110A)
• Also related: automated driving test tracks, Bharat NCAP vehicle safety ratings, and the Safe Systems approach
• India is a signatory to the Brasilia Declaration and committed to SDG 3.6 — halving road traffic deaths

• India’s combined merchandise and services exports reached USD 399.27 billion during April–August 2026, growing 15.5%.
• Merchandise exports during the period stood at USD 215.91 billion.
• Total imports reached USD 459.65 billion, registering 18.01% growth.
• In August 2026, combined exports were USD 82.68 billion, while imports stood at USD 92.09 billion.

• The Union Health Ministry directed States and UTs to ensure that stem cell therapy for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is provided only through duly approved clinical trials.
• The advisory was issued on 16 September 2026 and reiterates the existing regulatory framework for stem cell therapy.
• The advisory follows the Supreme Court judgment of 30 January 2026 in Yash Charitable Trust & Ors. v. Union of India & Ors.

• Veteran actor Anant Nag will receive the Dadasaheb Phalke Award 2024 for his contribution to Indian cinema.
• He will be honoured during the 72nd National Film Awards ceremony on 22 September 2026.
• He will become the 56th recipient and the second Kannada cinema artist to receive the award after Rajkumar.

• The Government reconstituted the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) with 18 members for a three-year term.
• Shashi Shekhar Vempati will serve as the Chairperson.
• The board includes personalities such as Preity Zinta, Suniel Shetty, Pankaj Tripathi and Pallavi Joshi.

• IPS officer Sanjukta Parashar took charge as the Inspector General of CRPF CoBRA.
• She became the first woman officer to lead the elite CoBRA jungle-warfare force.
• CoBRA is a specialised 10-battalion CRPF unit trained mainly for guerrilla warfare, long-range operations and counter-insurgency.

• The International Day of STI for the South is observed annually on 16 September.
• The day highlights the role of science, technology and innovation in sustainable development, particularly in the Global South.
• The UN General Assembly officially recognised the day through Resolution A/RES/78/259 in 2024.