​The Public Private Partnership Appraisal Committee (PPPAC) under the Ministry of Finance has cleared six freight railway lines spanning a total of 647 km.

​For the first time, Indian Railways will adopt the Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM)—a financing framework widely used in highway infrastructure—to co-share investment costs and operational risks with private builders.


State-Wise Project Breakdown

1. ​Odisha (4 Lines):

​Balaram–Putgadia–Tentuloi (Inner Corridor) — 49.58 km

​Budhapank–Tentuloi–Luburi (Outer Corridor) — 112.56 km

​Jajpur-Keonjhar Road–Aradi–Dhamara Port — 101.26 km

​Tikiri Station to Waltair Bauxite Mines — 48.96 km

2. ​Telangana (1 Line):

​Manuguru to Ramagundam — 207.80 km

3. ​Jharkhand (1 Line):
​Pakur/Nagarnabi to Godda — 126.52 km

Two Indian Army pilots executed a high-risk rescue mission in a single-engine Cheetal helicopter to evacuate an injured mountaineer (a Junior Commissioned Officer) near Ladakh's Nun-Kun peaks in the Zanskar range.


Prelims focus : NUN KUN Peak in Ladakh Zanskar range

--> NDMA Assessment: The National Disaster Management Authority identified 195 vulnerable glacial lakes across six Himalayan states and Union territories, categorizing 67 of them as Category A ("very high risk").

--> ​Central Water Commission Findings: The CWC's June 2026 monitoring report flagged 147 glacial lakes that showed an expansion in water spread over the month, recommending vigorous monitoring

NASA launched the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope on August 30, 2026, to investigate dark energy, dark matter, and exoplanets.

#CA2026
#SPACE

PARIVARTAN Scheme : Programme for Accelerated Renewal and Incentivization of Vehicle Assets for Reducing Transport Air Pollution and Network Emissions for Delhi-NCR.

​Goal: Replace older commercial vehicles (BS-IV and older trucks and buses) with BS-VI or electric vehicles to significantly reduce winter air pollution in Delhi-NCR.

#CA2026
#STATE

Core Incident : SC judge Justice Sandeep Mehta addressed three letters to Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant, questioning why his requests to transfer Rajasthan High Court Acting Chief Justice (ACJ) Sanjeev Prakash Sharma have not been acted upon despite alleged evidence of misconduct and favouritism.

​Key Issues Highlighted

1. ​Internal Judicial Accountability & Integrity:
Justice Mehta expressed concern over a "grim and disturbing scenario" in his parent High Court, citing issues of favouritism and conduct unbecoming of leadership within the higher judiciary.

2. ​Collegium & Transfer Mechanism.

3. ​Institutional Credibility.

#CA2026
#POLITY

The Great Lakes of North America (Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior — mnemonic: HOMES)


1. Entirely within the USA: Lake Michigan is the only Great Lake completely within the US territory. The other four straddle the US–Canada border.


2. West to East: Lake Superior --> Lake Michigan --> Lake Huron --> Lake Erie --> Lake Ontario

3. ​East to West: Lake Ontario --> Lake Erie --> Lake Huron --> Lake Michigan --> Lake Superior

4. ​Size & Volume:
​Largest by Area: Lake Superior (also the world's largest freshwater lake by surface area).

5. ​Smallest by Area: Lake Ontario.

#CA2026

-->Semicon 2.0 Programme, notified by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).

--> ​Total Outlay: ₹1.27 lakh crore.

--> ​Core Focus: Boosting indigenous chip design, domestic intellectual property (IP) creation, and developing the upstream semiconductor supply chain (manufacturing equipment, raw materials, fab plants, and advanced packaging).

#CA2026

The Hague-based Court of Arbitration issued an award regarding interim measures and the status of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), ruling that India’s decision to hold the treaty in "abeyance" is not permissible under the treaty or international law. The court concluded that the treaty remains fully operational and India must fulfill its obligations regarding hydroelectric project designs on Western Rivers.

--> Interlink

https://t.me/bpscweb/44594

https://t.me/bpscweb/44594

https://t.me/bpscweb/35978

https://t.me/bpscweb/43876?single

#CA2026
#GS1mains