Monday, 21 September 2026 · IST · Madhya Pradesh + National · 11 items · 2 MCQs
Madhya Pradesh dominates the day: India-born cheetah KGP12 birthed four cubs at Kuno, lifting the national tally to 56, as Project Cheetah turned four; the Mohan Yadav Cabinet approved Rs 42,490 crore for schooling, irrigation and welfare; and the 40th Ladli Behna instalment of Rs 1,500 reached over 1.25 crore women. Nationally, the EPFO wage ceiling rose to Rs 25,000, Delhi topped the India Electric Mobility Index 2025, and GIFT City climbed to 37th in the Global Financial Centres Index.
MP Cabinet clears Rs 42,490 cr of schemes (15 Sep)
40th Ladli Behna: Rs 1,500 to 1.25 cr women
Ujjain gears up for Simhastha-2028 (27 Mar-27 May)
EPFO wage ceiling up to Rs 25,000 (17 Sep)
Delhi tops India Electric Mobility Index 2025
GIFT City climbs to 37th in GFCI 40
DRDO to field 30 kW anti-drone laser
Semicon Mission 2.0: Rs 1.27 lakh cr committed
US law: up to 100% tariff on Russian-oil buyers
Detailed notes
1. Kuno cheetah tally hits 56 as India-born KGP12 births four cubs
MADHYA PRADESHMPPSC: Prelims + Mains GS-III (Environment and Ecology)
Syllabus linkage
GS-III environment, biodiversity and conservation; Prelims: Project Cheetah, Kuno (Sheopur), Gandhi Sagar, Namibia/South Africa/Botswana source stock, national parks of MP.
Context
On 20 September 2026, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav announced that India-born female cheetah KGP12 delivered four cubs at Kuno National Park, lifting India's cheetah count from 52 to 56 as Project Cheetah completed four years.
Key facts
Kuno National Park lies in Sheopur district, MP; the 56 cheetahs comprise 53 at Kuno and 3 at Gandhi Sagar sanctuary.
36 of the 56 are India-born; Project Cheetah was launched on 17 September 2022 with 8 Namibian cheetahs; the animal was declared extinct in India in 1952.
MP is the only 'Cheetah State' and also the 'Tiger State' with the country's largest forest cover by area.
The cheetah is the world's fastest land animal, rated Vulnerable on the IUCN list; commercial trade is barred under CITES.
Way forward
Develop the second home at Gandhi Sagar, curb cub mortality, secure the prey base and grow eco-tourism livelihoods around Kuno.
Concept
Project Cheetah — the world's first inter-continental large-carnivore translocation and India's flagship species-reintroduction programme.
Stat-tile fact sheet: India's cheetah population 56 (53 at Kuno, 3 at Gandhi Sagar), 36 India-born, 4 new cubs, Project Cheetah 4 years. — StudyForGS
2. MP Cabinet clears Rs 42,490 crore for schools, irrigation and welfare
MADHYA PRADESHMPPSC: Prelims + Mains GS-II (Governance and Polity)
Syllabus linkage
GS-II governance and state policy; GS-III infrastructure and irrigation; Prelims: MP Cabinet, Samagra Shiksha, MARKFED, major and micro irrigation projects.
Context
The Mohan Yadav Cabinet on 15 September 2026 approved schemes worth Rs 42,490 crore covering school education, transport, horticulture and irrigation across the state.
Key facts
Rs 36,006 crore for Samagra Shiksha (2026-27 to 2030-31); Rs 1,167 crore for 11 transport schemes; Rs 491 crore for horticulture and food processing.
Irrigation: Chitawad project, Ujjain (Rs 1,846 cr, 65,000 ha on the Kshipra); Gaund, Singrauli (Rs 750 cr, 34,500 ha); Chanderi, Ashoknagar.
Rs 2,220 crore interest-free loan to MARKFED for foodgrain credit repayment by 30 September 2026.
Way forward
Outcome-linked, time-bound spending with third-party audit will decide real gains in learning levels and irrigated area.
Concept
Samagra Shiksha — a centrally sponsored, integrated school-education scheme spanning pre-primary to Class 12.
Donut chart of the Rs 42,490 crore MP Cabinet outlay: Samagra Shiksha Rs 36,006 cr dominates, with irrigation, MARKFED loan, transport and horticulture. — StudyForGS
3. 40th Ladli Behna instalment: Rs 1,500 reaches over 1.25 crore women
SOCIETYMPPSC: Prelims + Mains GS-II (Social Justice and Governance)
Syllabus linkage
GS-II welfare schemes for women and vulnerable sections, DBT governance; Prelims: Ladli Behna Yojana, Direct Benefit Transfer, women-centric MP schemes.
Context
CM Mohan Yadav on 13 September 2026 released the 40th instalment of the Mukhyamantri Ladli Behna Yojana — Rs 1,500 each to over 1.25 crore women through DBT at a state event in Agar-Malwa.
Key facts
1,25,22,542 women received Rs 1,500; the monthly outgo is roughly Rs 1,835 crore.
August 2026 paid Rs 1,750 owing to a one-off Rs 250 Raksha Bandhan shagun; September reverts to the regular Rs 1,500.
Launched in 2023, the scheme aims at women's economic self-reliance through direct cash transfer.
Way forward
Link the cash support with skilling and credit to shift from income support to durable livelihoods.
Concept
DBT — Direct Benefit Transfer routes subsidy or benefit cash straight to Aadhaar-linked bank accounts to cut leakages.
Stat-tile row for the Ladli Behna 40th instalment: Rs 1,500 per woman to 1.25 crore beneficiaries via DBT, about Rs 1,835 crore monthly. — StudyForGS
4. MP fast-tracks Simhastha-2028 works at Ujjain
MADHYA PRADESHMPPSC: Prelims + Mains GS-I (Art, Culture and Geography)
Syllabus linkage
GS-I culture, fairs and festivals, Narmada-Kshipra geography; Prelims: Simhastha Kumbh, Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga, Kshipra river, Ujjain.
Context
The state has cleared fresh infrastructure works to prepare Ujjain for Simhastha-2028, the twelve-yearly Kumbh held on the banks of the Kshipra.
Key facts
Simhastha-2028 is scheduled from 27 March to 27 May 2028; the 2026-27 Budget earmarked about Rs 2,000 crore for it.
Ujjain hosts the Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga and the Mahakal Lok corridor; the Simhastha recurs every 12 years.
Works span roads, ghats, sanitation and a dedicated flower cluster for the crores of expected pilgrims.
Way forward
Balance mega-event infrastructure with Kshipra river rejuvenation and robust crowd-safety planning.
Concept
Simhastha/Kumbh — held by rotation at four sites: Ujjain, Prayagraj, Haridwar and Nashik.
Theme map of Madhya Pradesh in the news: Tiger and Cheetah State, welfare schemes, Cabinet and Budget, culture and heritage, agriculture and irrigation. — StudyForGS
5. Soybean and wheat anchor MP's MSP crop basket
MADHYA PRADESHMPPSC: Prelims + Mains GS-III (Agriculture and Economy)
GS-III social security and labour reform; Prelims: EPFO, EPS, wage ceiling, Ministry of Labour and Employment.
Context
From 17 September 2026 ('Sewa Divas'), the EPFO raised the statutory monthly wage ceiling from Rs 15,000 to Rs 25,000, widening formal social-security coverage.
Key facts
The EPS pension-contribution cap rises from Rs 1,250 to Rs 2,080.
A higher ceiling brings more workers under mandatory PF and pension; the ceiling was last revised in 2014.
EPFO functions under the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
Way forward
Combine wider coverage with account portability and timely pension revision to strengthen retirement security.
Concept
EPFO — Employees' Provident Fund Organisation, a statutory retirement-savings body for the organised sector.
Grouped bar chart: EPFO wage ceiling rises from Rs 15,000 to Rs 25,000 and the EPS pension cap from Rs 1,250 to Rs 2,080. — StudyForGS
7. Delhi tops the India Electric Mobility Index 2025
REPORTMPPSC: Prelims + Mains GS-III (Economy and Environment)
Syllabus linkage
GS-III clean mobility and policy indices; Prelims: NITI Aayog, WRI India, EV policy, composite indices.
Context
NITI Aayog and WRI India released the India Electric Mobility Index 2025, with Delhi leading on EV adoption and readiness.
SCI-TECHMPPSC: Prelims + Mains GS-III (Science and Technology)
Syllabus linkage
GS-III science-technology and self-reliance; Prelims: India Semiconductor Mission, fabs, chip design.
Context
The government committed about Rs 1.27 lakh crore for Phase 2 of the India Semiconductor Mission, shifting focus from assembly to design and fabrication.
Key facts
Investor interest of nearly Rs 1 lakh crore has already been received.
The five-year goal is automotive, power and appliance chips designed and manufactured in India.
Way forward
Build materials, equipment and skilled-talent ecosystems, not fabrication plants alone.
Concept
Semiconductor fab — a facility that fabricates integrated circuits on silicon wafers.
11. US law clears up to 100% tariffs on Russian-oil buyers
IRMPPSC: Prelims + Mains GS-II (International Relations)
Syllabus linkage
GS-II India and the world, energy and trade diplomacy; Prelims: secondary sanctions, crude imports, India-US-Russia ties.
Context
New US legislation authorises tariffs of up to 100% on countries that buy Russian oil, adding pressure on India's energy-import basket.
Key facts
Russia made up over 51% of India's oil imports (July 2026); the US absorbs about 20% of India's goods exports.
The tariff stacks on existing US duties on Indian goods.
Way forward
Diversify crude sources and press for a balanced India-US trade agreement.
Concept
Secondary sanctions — penalties imposed on third countries for trading with a sanctioned nation.
Data point of the day
~85 lakh MT
MP wheat procurement at MSP (Rabi 2025-26) Madhya Pradesh — the wheat bowl and India's 'Soybean State' — procured close to 85 lakh metric tonnes of wheat at MSP. The state's Rabi 2026-27 wheat price is set at Rs 2,600 per quintal (including bonus), while the Soybean MSP 2026-27 is Rs 5,708 per quintal.
MP's cheetah homes — Kuno (53) and Gandhi Sagar (3) — 56 total
Samagra Shiksha — Integrated school-education scheme, pre-primary to Class 12
Sewa Divas (17 Sep) — EPFO wage ceiling raised to Rs 25,000
IEMI 2025 topper — Delhi (score 84) — NITI Aayog + WRI India
Soybean MSP 2026-27 — Rs 5,708/quintal — MP is the 'Soybean State'
Practice MCQs — MPPSC Prelims pattern
Q1. With reference to Project Cheetah, consider the following statements: 1. It was launched at Kuno National Park in Sheopur district. 2. The first cheetahs were brought from Namibia. 3. Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary is the second cheetah site in Madhya Pradesh. Which of the statements are correct?
1 and 2 only
2 and 3 only
1 and 3 only
1, 2 and 3
Show answer
Answer: D All three are correct. Project Cheetah began on 17 September 2022 at Kuno (Sheopur) with 8 Namibian cheetahs, and Gandhi Sagar sanctuary is the second cheetah home in MP.
Q2. The Mukhyamantri Ladli Behna Yojana is associated with which state, and what is its regular monthly amount as of September 2026?
Rajasthan; Rs 1,000
Madhya Pradesh; Rs 1,500
Madhya Pradesh; Rs 1,250
Maharashtra; Rs 1,500
Show answer
Answer: B It is a Madhya Pradesh scheme paying Rs 1,500 per month via DBT; the 40th instalment was released on 13 September 2026.
Mains practice question
Q. Project Cheetah has been described as both a conservation milestone and an ecological experiment. Critically examine its progress in Madhya Pradesh and the challenges that lie ahead. (250 words)
Hint / approach
Trace translocation from Namibia and South Africa; note the population of 56 and the India-born share; discuss the Kuno and Gandhi Sagar habitats, cub mortality, carrying capacity and prey base; and weigh eco-tourism livelihoods against ecological risk.
📌 One-line revision: Kuno cheetahs 56 (36 India-born) | MP Cabinet Rs 42,490 cr | Ladli Behna 40th, Rs 1,500 to 1.25 cr women | EPFO ceiling Rs 25,000 | GIFT City 37th (GFCI 40) | Delhi tops EV Index 2025.
