Daily Current Affairs (DCA) 29 September, 2026

Context
The Government launched the Pashudhan Bima Portal in New Delhi — a single integrated digital platform for livestock insurance under the Livestock Insurance Scheme of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying

What is Pashudhan Bima Portal?

Pashudhan Bima Portal is a digital platform designed to manage the livestock insurance process through a single online system.

It will cover major activities such as:

• Insurance policy issuance
• Online insurance applications
• Claim processing
• Real-time monitoring
• Reporting
• Data-driven management

What It Does

• Enables streamlined policy issuance, claim processing, monitoring and reporting
• Farmers can submit insurance applications online, with the entire process monitored digitally
• Facilitates better coordination, real-time monitoring and data-driven management of livestock insurance programmes
• Available in 11 regional languages, besides Hindi and English

Important Facts for Exams

• Livestock Insurance is now a component of the Rashtriya Gokul Mission, restructured under the Development Programme of the Department
• Premium subsidy: the beneficiary share was reduced to 15 per cent, with the remainder shared by the Centre and States — on a 60:40 basis for most states, 90:10 for NE and Himalayan states, and 100 per cent for UTs
• India is the world’s largest milk producer, contributing about 24 per cent of global output
• Livestock contributes a rising share of agricultural GVA and is a key source of income for small and landless farmers
• Bharat Pashudhan — the digital database assigning a unique 12-digit ID to each animal, used for traceability and scheme delivery
• Other portals in this space: Pashu Aadhaar tagging under NDLM, and the e-Gopala app

Context
At the 81st UN General Assembly, world leaders adopted the UN Declaration on Sea Level Rise by consensus — addressing threats to the sovereignty, legal rights and survival of low-lying coastal nations and Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

What It Is

• A consensus-based international political declaration
• Establishing global principles for safeguarding continued statehood, permanent maritime entitlements and human rights of nations facing inundation
• Adopted under UNGA Decision 78/558, co-facilitated by Australia and Cabo Verde

The Five Key Features

• Presumption of continued statehood — sovereign statehood, legal personality and UN membership remain intact even if territory is submerged
• Freezing of maritime baselines — lawfully deposited UNCLOS maritime boundaries remain fixed and permanent, with no requirement to revise them as coastlines retreat
• Protection of affected persons — populations displaced across borders retain protections under international human rights law, preserving nationality, dignity and the right to self-determination
• Closing the adaptation finance gap — urging predictable, simplified climate adaptation funds for vulnerable island nations
• Scientific observation and early warnings — oceanic data sharing, coastal risk mapping and multi-hazard early warning systems

Key Terms

• Sea-Level Rise: Long-term increase in the average level of the world’s oceans, mainly due to global warming and melting ice.
• SIDS: Small Island Developing States that are particularly vulnerable to climate change, sea-level rise and extreme weather events.
• UNCLOS: United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the major international legal framework governing oceans and maritime zones.
• Maritime Entitlements: Rights of coastal states over maritime areas such as the territorial sea, contiguous zone, EEZ and continental shelf.

• The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) launched the Capacity Enhancement for Effective Forest Management Project with support from JICA.
• The project will run from 2025–26 to 2031–32 and focuses on improving the capacity of frontline forest personnel.
• It covers sustainable forest management, wildlife management, climate challenges, training and research.
• The project has a total outlay of ₹537.10 crore, including ₹440.42 crore from JICA and ₹96.68 crore from the Government of India.

Context
The World Economic Forum released the 10th edition of the Travel and Tourism Development Index (TTDI) 2026. India jumped 9 places to 31st, with an overall score of 4.42.

India’s Performance

• Rank 31, up 9 places
• Score: 4.42
• Driven by low travel costs, cultural resources and natural attractions

The Top Five

The Bottom Five

About the Index

• WEF’s flagship travel and tourism benchmarking series
• Originally the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI), published biennially from 2007 to 2019
• Relaunched in 2022 in its current form
• The 2026 edition was prepared with the Zurich Insurance Group
• Ranks 110 economies, down from 119 in 2025

• The OECD Economic Outlook, Interim Report September 2026 raised India’s FY27 GDP growth forecast to 7.1%, from 6.3% projected earlier.
• The upward revision was linked to strong domestic demand and government measures that protected households and firms from higher energy prices.
• India’s growth is projected to moderate to 6.5% in FY28.
• India’s inflation is projected at 4.7% in FY27 and 4.2% in FY28.

• India’s Index of Industrial Production (IIP) grew 8% in August 2026, up from 7.35% in July 2026.
• Growth was supported by strong performance in manufacturing, electricity, capital goods and consumer goods.
• August growth was the second-highest since April 2024 under the new IIP series.
• The previous higher growth was recorded in June 2026 at 8.8%.

• Russia continued to be India’s largest source of crude oil imports in September 2026.
• Russian supplies remained broadly close to the previous month’s level despite changing geopolitical conditions.
• Russia’s position is important for India’s energy security and crude-import strategy.
• The issue is also connected with international sanctions and tariffs relating to purchases of Russian energy.

Context
Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated the Conference on ‘PRAHAAR – National CT Policy and Strategy’ in New Delhi, and launched a new Extradition Portal.

The Seven Pillars of PRAHAAR

• P — Prevention
• R — Response
• A — Aggregating Internal Capacities
• H — Human Rights
• A — Attenuating Conditions for Terrorism
• A — Aligning International Efforts
• R — Recovery and Resilience

Deliberated through a whole-of-society approach.

What is PRAHAAR?

• PRAHAAR is India’s national framework for dealing with terrorist activities, radicalization and the wider terror ecosystem.
• Its approach is intelligence-led and proactive, aiming to move beyond a purely reactive response to terrorism. It also emphasises human rights, rule of law, technology, inter-agency coordination and international cooperation.

Important Facts for Exams

• PRAHAAR — the National Counter-Terrorism Policy and Strategy; seven pillars
• 288 fugitives brought back from 36 countries, 2019–2026
• Shahzad Bhatti network — declared a terrorist organisation under the UAPA; 40+ modules busted, 350 arrests across 15 states
• UAPA, 1967 — the principal anti-terror law; the 2019 amendment allows the Centre to designate individuals as terrorists, not only organisations
• NIA — National Investigation Agency, established under the NIA Act, 2008, after the 26/11 Mumbai attacks
• MAC — Multi-Agency Centre, under the Intelligence Bureau, for intelligence sharing
• NATGRID — National Intelligence Grid, linking databases across agencies
• Extradition in India is governed by the Extradition Act, 1962; India has extradition treaties with about 50 countries and arrangements with several others
• The inclusion of “Human Rights” as a pillar is notable — counter-terrorism frameworks are frequently criticised on this ground

Context
The Indian Air Force launched Exercise Tarang Shakti 2026 at Jodhpur, Rajasthan — themed “Power in Partnership” — involving seven foreign countries, including the maiden operational participation of US F-35 stealth fighters.

What It Is

• India’s premier multinational large-force employment (LFE) combat air exercise
• The second edition, after the maiden 2024 edition
• Hosted by the IAF at Air Force Station Jodhpur

Participating Countries

• Seven Friendly Foreign Countries: United States, Australia, France, Germany, UAE, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh

• The Indian Air Force (IAF) commenced the 2nd edition of multinational air exercise Tarang Shakti 2026 at Jodhpur, Rajasthan.
• The exercise is being conducted from 26 September to 12 October 2026, with participation from 40 countries.
• Eight countries — Australia, Bangladesh, France, Germany, Greece, Sri Lanka, UAE and the USA — are participating with air assets, while 32 countries are observers.
• Training areas include air defence, reconnaissance, airlift, air-to-air refuelling, BVR/WVR combat, dynamic targeting and Combat Search and Rescue.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the international conference on “The Future of Environment and Climate Dynamics” organised by the National Green Tribunal (NGT).
• The conference was held at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, from 19–20 September 2026.
• Participants included judicial representatives from 17 countries, along with scientists, policymakers and environmental experts.
• Major themes included climate resilience, circular economy, biodiversity, sustainable energy and environmental law.

• Researchers at IIT Delhi developed India’s first working and demonstrable indigenous micro-GPU.
• The system uses Register Transfer Language (RTL) and was prototyped on a Spartan-7 FPGA.
• Potential applications include industrial displays, e-rickshaw dashboards, e-readers, inland navigation and human-machine interfaces.
• The team is also working towards an 8–16 core vector-style GPU architecture and a 65 nm ASIC proof-of-concept.

• World Car-Free Day is observed on 22 September to encourage people to reduce private-car use and promote sustainable transport.
• The initiative developed from international efforts during the 1990s to reduce dependence on cars in urban areas.
• The first international Car-Free Day was held in 1999 as part of the European Union’s “In Town Without My Car” campaign.
• It is associated with wider goals such as cleaner air, sustainable mobility and reduced urban congestion.

• The International Day of Sign Languages is observed on 23 September every year.
• The 2026 theme is “Declaring Deaf People’s Human Rights.”
• The UN designated 23 September as the day through Resolution A/RES/72/161 in 2017.
• The date commemorates the establishment of the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) in 1951.

• National Service Scheme (NSS) Day is observed on 24 September every year.
• NSS was formally launched on 24 September 1969 in 37 universities.
• It operates under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and focuses on student participation in community service and nation-building activities.
• The launch year, 1969, coincided with the birth centenary of Mahatma Gandhi.

• World Heart Day is observed every year on 29 September.
• It aims to create awareness about cardiovascular diseases, their prevention and their global impact.
• The day promotes healthier lifestyles and greater awareness of heart-health risks.

• FICCI FRAMES 2026 is being held in Mumbai with the theme “India’s Media Moment: Creating Value in an Age of Infinite Content.”
• The event focuses on India’s media and entertainment industry and emerging opportunities in the sector.
• Tourism and Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat is scheduled to deliver the inaugural address.
• Key areas include the changing media landscape, digital content and new technologies.

• Indian shooter Esha Singh won the silver medal in the women’s 25m pistol event at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026.
• The event involved several shoot-offs, making it a closely contested competition.
• The medal added to India’s shooting medal tally at the Asian Games.

• Pincky Balhara won a bronze medal in kurash at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026.
• She became the most successful Indian kurash athlete in Asian Games history with her second Asiad medal.
• Her campaign was affected by a knee injury during the semifinal.

• Russia publicly supported India’s candidature for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.
• Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called for greater representation of Asia, Africa and Latin America in the Council.
• Russia also expressed support for Brazil’s candidature.
• The UNSC currently has five permanent members — China, France, Russia, the UK and the US — and 10 elected non-permanent members.

• Nvidia introduced an AI-security framework aimed at monitoring and controlling autonomous AI agents.
• OpenShell allows users to establish and enforce rules governing what AI agents can access.
• Nvidia Sentry provides an additional monitoring layer designed to detect suspicious behaviour and isolate problematic agents.
• The initiative reflects growing concerns about AI-agent security, access control and autonomous system risks.

• India launched its first LNG-powered passenger train from Sabarmati, Gujarat.
• The 8-coach train uses a retrofitted LNG-diesel dual-fuel system, with LNG capable of replacing up to 40% of diesel consumption during line-haul operations.
• The inaugural route was Sabarmati–Mahesana on the Western Railway.
• The initiative aims to reduce diesel use and emissions, particularly on routes where full electrification is not yet available.