UKPSC Current Affairs — 18 September 2026 — Uttarakhand + National

Uttarakhand's biggest stories today are the statewide Seva Sankalp campaign (17 Sept-17 Oct) and the ground-zero study of five high-risk glacial lakes after the Nepal GLOF, even as the Nainital High Court slammed an 'epidemic-like' water crisis. Nationally, India chaired the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi with 15 bilaterals, ISRO's EOS-05 became the heaviest GSLV payload, and the RBI held the repo rate at 5.5%.

Today at a glance — things to remember

Seva Sankalp campaign runs 17 Sept-17 Oct 2026 across Uttarakhand.
Uttarakhand HC calls the Nainital water crisis 'epidemic-like'.
Ground-zero study of 5 high-risk glacial lakes begins (GLOF).
State has 450 glacial lakes; 13 are in max-risk Category A.
Haridwar Kumbh 2027 prep intensifies; Commissioner gets ₹5 cr powers.
Uttarakhand GSDP 2025-26 pegged at ₹3.82 lakh crore.
India hosts the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi.
ISRO EOS-05 is the heaviest GSLV payload at 2,367 kg.
India ranks 131st on the WEF Global Gender Gap Index 2026.
RBI holds the repo rate at 5.5% with a neutral stance.

Detailed notes

1. Uttarakhand launches month-long 'Seva Sankalp' service campaign

UTTARAKHANDUKPSC: Prelims + Mains (Polity & Governance - Uttarakhand)

Syllabus linkage	State governance & welfare delivery; Prelims: state schemes, Viksit Bharat 2047; Mains GS-II governance.
Context	CM Pushkar Singh Dhami launched the statewide Seva Sankalp campaign, running 17 Sept-17 Oct 2026, timed to the PM's birthday, to deepen the citizen-government connect toward Viksit Bharat 2047.
Key facts	11 flagship programmes, including Seva Setu doorstep scheme camps and Aashirwad Ka Diya. The Seva First Innovation Challenge uses IIT/IIM experts as jury and mentors. Guiding theme: 'Jan-Jan Ki Sarkar, Jan-Jan Ke Dwar' (government at the citizen's doorstep). Targets students, women, youth, beneficiaries and elected representatives.
Way forward	Impact hinges on last-mile saturation of central & state schemes and transparent beneficiary feedback.
Concept	Saturation governance aligns with SDG-16; Viksit Bharat 2047 is the 2047 centenary development vision.

Pillar diagram of the Seva Sankalp campaign showing five flagship programmes under the Viksit Bharat 2047 goal. — StudyForGS

2. Uttarakhand HC pulls up Nainital admin over 'epidemic-like' water crisis

POLITYUKPSC: Prelims + Mains (Polity, Governance & Rights - Uttarakhand)

Syllabus linkage	Judiciary - PIL & Article 226; right to clean water under Art. 21; public-health governance.
Context	The Nainital Division Bench (Justices Manoj Kumar Tiwari and Siddhartha Shah) termed a contaminated-water outbreak 'epidemic-like' and held officials accountable for negligence.
Key facts	2 deaths and 250+ people fell ill across villages such as Jeolikote, Chhina and Sariyatal. Peyjal Nigam told to fast-track a Kumaon water-testing lab; the pollution board to sample 20-25 sources in 6 days. The DM must ensure tanker supply of potable water; ₹4 lakh released for ELISA tests.
Way forward	Strengthen rural piped-water quality monitoring under the Jal Jeevan Mission and speed up sewer-leak redressal.
Concept	A PIL under Art. 226 lets High Courts enforce rights; the right to clean water flows from Art. 21.

3. Expert teams study 5 high-risk glacial lakes amid GLOF fears

ENVIRONMENTUKPSC: Prelims + Mains (Geography & Disaster Management - Uttarakhand)

Syllabus linkage	Himalayan geography, GLOF, disaster management (DM Act 2005); Prelims: glaciers, SDMA.
Context	After the 26 Aug 2026 Nepal GLOF, multidisciplinary teams began a ground-zero study (8 Sept 2026) of Uttarakhand's most dangerous glacial lakes.
Key facts	5 critical lakes: Vasudhara (Chamoli), a Dharchula cluster and a Joshimath lake. The state has 450 glacial lakes; 13 are Category-A (maximum risk). Teams from the Wadia Institute, CWC and C-DAC assess natural dams and downstream risk.
Way forward	Install early-warning sensors, lake-lowering siphons and community GLOF drills before the 2027-30 risk window.
Concept	A GLOF is the sudden release of glacial-lake water when a moraine or ice dam fails, worsened by warming.

Flowchart of Uttarakhand's GLOF/disaster-management response chain from hazard to relief. — StudyForGS

4. Haridwar gears up for Kumbh 2027; financial powers delegated

UTTARAKHANDUKPSC: Prelims + Mains (Governance & Culture - Uttarakhand)

Syllabus linkage	Fairs & festivals of Uttarakhand; crowd/event management; cooperative event governance.
Context	Preparations for the 2027 Haridwar Kumbh have intensified, with the Chief Secretary reviewing ghats, roads and bridges and the Cabinet fast-tracking approvals.
Key facts	The Mela Officer can sanction works up to ₹1 crore; the Garhwal Commissioner up to ₹5 crore. 250 new State Transport buses were approved to boost Kumbh-period mobility. Focus areas: crowd management, sanitation and riverfront (ghat) safety.
Way forward	Adopt tech-enabled crowd monitoring and carrying-capacity caps drawn from past pilgrim surges.
Concept	The Kumbh Mela (UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, 2017) rotates among Haridwar, Prayagraj, Nashik and Ujjain.

Donut chart: Uttarakhand's 450 glacial lakes split into Category A (13), B and C risk tiers. — StudyForGS

5. Gross Environment Product: Uttarakhand's green-accounting model in focus

ENVIRONMENTUKPSC: Prelims + Mains (Environment & Economy - Uttarakhand)

Syllabus linkage	Green GDP/GEP, environmental economics, ecosystem services; Prelims: GEP as a first-in-India step.
Context	Uttarakhand's Gross Environment Product (GEP) - India's first - gains fresh policy salience as the state balances hydropower, tourism and Himalayan ecology.
Key facts	GEP values four resources - air, water, soil and forests - as an ecological balance-sheet. It complements GDP by pricing ecosystem services, a form of 'green GDP'. It supports payment-for-ecosystem-services and eco-sensitive-zone planning.
Way forward	Institutionalise annual GEP accounting to guide green budgeting and inter-state 'green bonus' claims.
Concept	Ecosystem services - provisioning, regulating, cultural and supporting - underpin GEP valuation.

Bar chart of Uttarakhand GSDP: ₹3,81,889 crore (2025-26) rising ~12% to ₹4,27,716 crore (2026-27). — StudyForGS

6. India chairs the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi

IRUKPSC: Prelims + Mains (International Relations)

Syllabus linkage	India & groupings (BRICS), bilateral diplomacy; Mains GS-II international relations.
Context	India hosted the 18th BRICS Summit (11-13 Sept 2026) in New Delhi, where PM Modi held 15 bilateral meetings.
Key facts	Modi-Xi: reaffirmed that 'differences must not become disputes' and stressed border peace. Modi-Putin: cooperation on defence, energy and space; India invited to the annual summit in Russia. The New Delhi Declaration urged restraint on West Asia and humanitarian access to Gaza.
Way forward	Leverage BRICS for local-currency trade, connectivity and Global-South priorities.
Concept	BRICS (2009; expanded from 2024) is a plurilateral bloc in which India is a founding member.

Mind-map of the 18th BRICS Summit 2026 in New Delhi and PM Modi's key bilateral meetings. — StudyForGS

7. ISRO launches EOS-05, its first dedicated GEO imaging satellite

SCI-TECHUKPSC: Prelims + Mains (Science & Tech - Space)

Syllabus linkage	Space tech, Earth observation, GSLV; Prelims: launch vehicles and orbits.
Context	On 4 Sept 2026, GSLV-F17 placed EOS-05 toward geosynchronous orbit - a first for an Indian imaging satellite.
Key facts	At 2,367 kg, it is the heaviest payload ever flown by a GSLV. It operates near 36,000 km for continuous observation of the same region. It aids cyclone, flood and forest-fire tracking and disaster response, with a 7+ year life.
Way forward	Continuous GEO imaging boosts real-time disaster early-warning, valuable for Himalayan states.
Concept	A geosynchronous orbit (~35,786 km) has an orbital period equal to Earth's rotation.

Stat-tile row of ISRO EOS-05 key facts: GSLV-F17, 2,367 kg, ~36,000 km orbit, 7+ year life. — StudyForGS

8. ESA and ISRO deepen ties on Gaganyaan, Moon and Venus

SCI-TECHUKPSC: Prelims + Mains (Science & Tech - Space Diplomacy)

Syllabus linkage	International S&T cooperation, human spaceflight, planetary missions.
Context	At the Paris space summit (Sept 2026), the ESA and ISRO expanded cooperation across human spaceflight and planetary science.
Key facts	ESA will provide ground-station support for Gaganyaan (3 crew, 400 km orbit, 3-day mission). The Venus Orbiter Mission is set for March 2028, costs ₹1,236 crore and carries 19 payloads. Cooperation extends to the planned Bharatiya Antariksh Station and lunar exploration.
Way forward	Global partnerships cut cost and risk for India's crewed and deep-space ambitions.
Concept	Gaganyaan is India's first human-spaceflight programme; V. Narayanan chairs ISRO.

9. India ranks 131st on the Global Gender Gap Index 2026

REPORTUKPSC: Prelims + Mains (Society & Reports/Indices)

Syllabus linkage	Gender indices, social justice; Prelims: reports and their publishing bodies.
Context	The Global Gender Gap Index 2026 placed India at 131st, with Iceland again topping the global ranking.
Key facts	India retained its 131st rank; gaps persist in economic participation and health. Iceland remains No. 1, as it has for well over a decade. The index scores four sub-indices: economy, education, health and political empowerment.
Way forward	Raising female labour-force participation and political representation is key to closing the gap.
Concept	The World Economic Forum publishes the Gender Gap, Global Risks and Travel & Tourism reports.

10. RBI holds the repo rate at 5.5% with a neutral stance

ECONOMYUKPSC: Prelims + Mains (Economy - Monetary Policy)

Syllabus linkage	Monetary policy, MPC, inflation targeting; Prelims: repo/CRR and RBI tools.
Context	The Monetary Policy Committee kept the repo rate at 5.5%, retaining a neutral stance amid easing inflation.
Key facts	Repo rate: 5.5%; policy stance: neutral. GDP growth is projected at around 6.8% for the year. The inflation-targeting band remains 4% (+/- 2%).
Way forward	A data-dependent RBI keeps balancing growth support against price stability.
Concept	The MPC (6 members) sets policy under the RBI Act's flexible inflation-targeting framework.

Bar chart of Uttarakhand's 2026-27 budget allocations by sector: education, agriculture, railways, roads and power. — StudyForGS

Data point of the day

₹3,81,889 crore

Uttarakhand GSDP, 2025-26
Projected to rise about 12% to ₹4,27,716 crore in 2026-27; the state targets 70 million tourists a year by 2030.

Prelims rapid-fire

GSLV-F17 launched EOS-05 on 4 Sept 2026 - India's first GEO imaging satellite.

Venus Orbiter Mission: ₹1,236 crore, launch March 2028, 19 payloads.

Uttarakhand's GEP (air, water, soil, forests) was India's first green-GDP model.

The Kumbh Mela is on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list (2017).

Iceland tops the Global Gender Gap Index 2026; India is 131st.

RBI repo rate: 5.5%; inflation target 4% (+/- 2%).

Practice MCQs — UKPSC Prelims pattern

Q1. With reference to Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOF) in Uttarakhand, consider the following statements: 1. The state has classified its glacial lakes into risk categories A, B and C. 2. Category-A lakes carry the maximum risk. 3. The Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology is among the agencies studying them. Which of the statements given above are correct?

1 and 2 only
2 and 3 only
1 and 3 only
1, 2 and 3

Show answer

Answer: D
Uttarakhand's ~450 glacial lakes are tiered A/B/C; the 13 Category-A lakes are highest-risk; the Wadia Institute, CWC and C-DAC are among the study agencies. Hence all three are correct.

Q2. EOS-05, recently launched by ISRO, is best described as:

A navigation satellite in low Earth orbit
India's first dedicated imaging satellite in geosynchronous orbit
A communication satellite launched by the PSLV
A lunar orbiter

Show answer

Answer: B
EOS-05, launched on GSLV-F17 at 2,367 kg (the heaviest GSLV payload), is India's first dedicated Earth-imaging satellite headed to geosynchronous orbit (~36,000 km) for continuous observation.

Mains practice question

Q. Recurrent GLOF and cloudburst events expose the fragility of Himalayan states. Discuss the disaster-management measures Uttarakhand needs, integrating early-warning technology and community preparedness. (250 words)

Hint / approach

Anchor on the Aug 2026 Nepal GLOF, 450 lakes / 13 Category-A, the DM Act 2005 and SDMA, sensors and lake-lowering siphons, and community drills; conclude with green-accounting (GEP) linkages.

📌 One-line revision: Revise today: Seva Sankalp (17 Sep-17 Oct), 450 glacial lakes / 13 Category-A, EOS-05 on GSLV-F17 (2,367 kg), 18th BRICS in New Delhi, India 131st on the Gender Gap Index, RBI repo 5.5%.

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UKPSC Current Affairs — 18 September 2026