Sunday, 20 September 2026 · IST · Uttarakhand + National · 11 items · 2 MCQs
Uttarakhand's Char Dham Yatra resumed its post-monsoon second phase with the CM offering prayers at Badrinath after a record 50.56 lakh pilgrims in phase one. The 22nd India-US Yudh Abhyas began at Auli in Chamoli, and expert teams intensified GLOF-risk study of the state's sensitive glacial lakes. Nationally, the Cabinet raised the EPFO wage ceiling to Rs 25,000, zero MDR was notified for UPI and RuPay, and the DAC cleared Rs 1.10 lakh crore of largely indigenous defence buys.
Today at a glance — things to remember
Char Dham Yatra second phase resumes; 66.07 lakh pilgrims registered in 2026
CM offers prayers at Badrinath Dham; phase-one drew a record 50.56 lakh visitors
UK Geography & economy; pilgrimage tourism, crowd management; Prelims: Char Dham shrines, rivers of origin.
Context
The Char Dham Yatra resumed its post-monsoon second phase, with the Chief Minister offering prayers at Badrinath Dham and reviewing pilgrim-safety and darshan arrangements.
Key facts
66,07,749 pilgrims registered for the 2026 Yatra; a record 50,56,160 visited in phase one (to 14 Sept)
Horizontal bar chart of 2026 Char Dham phase-one pilgrim numbers by shrine, Badrinath highest at 17.36 lakh. — StudyForGS
2. House of Himalayas drives women's products to global markets
UTTARAKHANDUKPSC: Prelims + Mains (Economy & Social Justice - Uttarakhand)
Syllabus linkage
UK economy & governance; women empowerment, SHGs, rural livelihoods, migration reversal (palayan).
Context
At a Matrushakti Samvad in Dehradun, the CM said the state is working to take women-made products to global markets and to convert self-help groups into larger enterprises.
Key facts
House of Himalayas — a common brand for women's products from all 13 districts
The 22nd edition of the India-US joint military exercise Yudh Abhyas began, held simultaneously at high-altitude Auli in Uttarakhand and the Mahajan range in Rajasthan.
Key facts
22nd edition; runs 15-28 September 2026
Venues: Auli (Chamoli, Uttarakhand) for mountain warfare and Mahajan (Rajasthan) for desert terrain
About 600 personnel each from the Indian and US armies participate
Focus: Integrated Battle Groups, interoperability, drones and autonomous surveillance systems
Way forward
High-altitude joint drills sharpen India's mountain-warfare readiness along the Himalayan frontier.
Concept
Yudh Abhyas — the largest India-US joint land exercise, alternating annually between the two countries; Auli sits above 2,800 m in Chamoli.
Stat-tile row for Yudh Abhyas 2026: 22nd edition, 600+600 troops, two venues, 15-28 September. — StudyForGS
4. Expert teams intensify GLOF-risk study of Uttarakhand glacial lakes
Multi-agency expert teams are studying the state's most dangerous glacial lakes to assess outburst-flood risk, following recurring Himalayan flash-flood disasters.
Key facts
Uttarakhand has about 450 glacial lakes; 13 are classified sensitive, 5 taken up for ground study
Category A (highest risk): Vasudhara Tal (Chamoli), and Mambag, Syuntiankitta & Pyungru (Dharchula)
Agencies: USDMA, NDMA, CWC, Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, C-DAC
Study assesses natural dams, water levels and downstream GLOF risk
Way forward
Early-warning sensors, siphoning of high-risk lakes and downstream zoning are key to cutting GLOF damage.
Concept
GLOF (Glacial Lake Outburst Flood) — sudden release of water when a moraine/ice dam holding a glacial lake fails, causing downstream flash floods.
Uttarakhand GLOF funnel-and-category schematic: 450 lakes to 13 sensitive to 5 studied, with A/B/C risk tiers. — StudyForGS
5. Uttarakhand HC calls Nainital water crisis 'epidemic-like'
UK polity & governance; judiciary, right to clean water, public health administration.
Context
The Uttarakhand High Court at Nainital pulled up the administration over deaths and illness caused by sewage-contaminated drinking water in several villages.
Key facts
Division Bench termed the situation 'epidemic-like'; 2 deaths and over 250 people fell ill
Affected villages include Jeolikote, Ganja, Virbhatti, Chhina, Beluakhan and Sariyatal
Court ordered tanker water, a complaint helpline, and a water-testing lab for Kumaon
Pollution board told to sample 20-25 water sources within 6 days
Way forward
Timely sewer-pipeline repair and routine source testing can prevent water-borne outbreaks in hill towns.
Concept
PIL & judicial oversight: courts use writ jurisdiction (Art. 226) to enforce the right to safe water read into Article 21 (right to life).
UK environment & economy; green accounting, ecosystem services; Prelims: GEP components & first state.
Context
As Himalayan ecology stays in focus during monsoon disasters, Uttarakhand's pioneering Gross Environment Product framework - India's first - remains a key green-accounting reference.
Key facts
Uttarakhand is the first Indian state to measure Gross Environment Product (GEP)
GEP tracks four ecosystem services: air, water, soil and forest
It complements GDP by valuing ecological health alongside economic output ('green GDP')
Supports payments-for-ecosystem-services and eco-sensitive-zone planning
Way forward
Annual GEP indexing can guide green budgeting and reward hill communities that conserve forests and water.
Concept
GEP - a green-accounting metric assigning monetary value to ecosystem services, so environmental gains/losses show up alongside GDP.
Mind-map of Uttarakhand Gross Environment Product with four branches: air, water, soil and forest services. — StudyForGS
Indian economy; social security, labour welfare; Prelims: EPFO, wage ceiling, EPF Act.
Context
The Union Cabinet approved raising the EPFO mandatory-coverage wage ceiling for the first time since 2014, widening formal social-security cover.
Key facts
Wage ceiling raised from Rs 15,000 to Rs 25,000 per month - first revision since 2014
About 51 lakh additional employees expected to come under coverage
Estimated five-year expenditure: about Rs 56,696 crore
Higher ceiling raises both PF savings and pension base for formal workers
Way forward
Periodic, inflation-linked revision of the ceiling would keep social-security cover meaningful.
Concept
EPFO - Employees' Provident Fund Organisation; the wage ceiling is the maximum monthly wage up to which EPF membership is mandatory.
Before-after bar chart of EPFO wage ceiling rising from Rs 15,000 to Rs 25,000 with 51 lakh new members. — StudyForGS
8. Zero MDR notified for UPI and RuPay debit cards
ECONOMYUKPSC: Prelims + Mains (Economy - Banking & Digital Payments)
Syllabus linkage
Indian economy; digital payments, financial inclusion; Prelims: UPI, RuPay, MDR, NPCI.
Context
The Finance Ministry notified zero Merchant Discount Rate on small-value UPI and RuPay debit-card transactions, reinforcing India's push for low-cost digital payments.
Key facts
Zero MDR on UPI transactions up to Rs 2,000 and on RuPay debit-card payments
Notified under the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007
Keeps small-merchant acceptance of digital payments free of transaction cost
NPCI operates both UPI and RuPay
Way forward
Sustaining zero MDR needs a viable incentive model so payment operators keep investing in infrastructure.
Concept
MDR - Merchant Discount Rate; the fee a merchant pays their bank per card/digital transaction, here waived for specified small payments.
Defence; indigenisation, Atmanirbhar Bharat; Prelims: DAC, Acceptance of Necessity (AoN).
Context
The Defence Acquisition Council accorded Acceptance of Necessity for a large tranche of acquisitions, overwhelmingly from Indian industry, boosting indigenous defence manufacturing.
Key facts
Proposals worth about Rs 1.10 lakh crore cleared; 98% to be sourced from Indian industry
Chaired by the Defence Minister; clearance is an Acceptance of Necessity (AoN)
Includes CBRN recce vehicles, high-mobility vehicles, Arudhra radars and marine gas turbines
Aligns with the Atmanirbhar Bharat self-reliance push in defence
Way forward
Timely contract signing after AoN and stable order pipelines will help India's defence industrial base mature.
Concept
DAC - Defence Acquisition Council, the apex MoD body for capital purchases; AoN is the first approval stage in the procurement cycle.
Donut chart showing 98 percent of DAC's Rs 1.10 lakh crore defence buys sourced from Indian industry. — StudyForGS
India expanded its trade and strategic engagement, signing a protocol with the South American bloc MERCOSUR and setting fresh targets with Vietnam.
Key facts
India-MERCOSUR signed the First Additional Protocol enabling electronic Certificates of Origin
MERCOSUR bloc: Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay (South American customs union)
India and Vietnam designated 2027 the 'Year of Friendship', marking 55 years of ties
India-Vietnam set a USD 25 billion bilateral trade target by 2030
Way forward
Concluding a broader India-MERCOSUR preferential/free-trade deal could unlock Latin American markets.
Concept
MERCOSUR - 'Southern Common Market', a South American trade bloc; a Certificate of Origin proves a good's source country for tariff purposes.
Data point of the day
66,07,749
Char Dham Yatra 2026 - Pilgrim Registrations Total pilgrims registered for the 2026 Char Dham Yatra; a record 50.56 lakh completed darshan in the first phase alone.
Prelims rapid-fire
Asian Games 2026 are being held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan; India has fielded about 508 athletes.
Vasudhara Tal (Chamoli) is a Category-A GLOF-risk glacial lake in Uttarakhand.
House of Himalayas is the common brand for women's SHG products from all 13 UK districts.
The EPFO wage ceiling was raised to Rs 25,000 - the first revision since 2014.
Dhiraj Bommadevara became the first Indian male recurve archer to win the World Cup Final.
The 22nd Yudh Abhyas is held at Auli (Uttarakhand) and Mahajan (Rajasthan).
Practice MCQs — UKPSC Prelims pattern
Q1. With reference to glacial lakes of Uttarakhand, consider the following pairs (lake : district):
1. Vasudhara Tal : Chamoli
2. Kedartal : Uttarkashi
3. Mambag : Dharchula
How many pairs are correctly matched?
Only one
Only two
All three
None
Show answer
Answer: C All three are correct. Vasudhara Tal (Chamoli) is Category-A; Kedartal (Uttarkashi) is Category-B; Mambag lies in Dharchula (Pithoragarh).
Q2. Consider the following statements about the recent EPFO wage-ceiling revision:
1. The mandatory-coverage wage ceiling was raised to Rs 25,000 per month.
2. It was the first such revision since 2014.
Which of the statements is/are correct?
1 only
2 only
Both 1 and 2
Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer
Answer: C Both are correct. The ceiling rose from Rs 15,000 to Rs 25,000, the first revision since 2014, bringing about 51 lakh more employees under EPFO.
Mains practice question
Q. Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOF) have emerged as a recurring threat to Uttarakhand's Himalayan region. Examine the causes and discuss the measures needed to strengthen the state's disaster-preparedness. (250 words)
Hint / approach
Link glacier retreat and warming to lake growth; cite Vasudhara-type Category-A lakes and the 450/13/5 study framework; suggest early-warning sensors, lake siphoning, downstream zoning and institutional coordination (USDMA-NDMA-CWC).
📌 One-line revision: Remember today: Char Dham 2nd phase & 66.07 lakh registrations; Badrinath prayers; 22nd Yudh Abhyas at Auli; GLOF study of 5 of 13 lakes; EPFO ceiling Rs 25,000; zero MDR; DAC Rs 1.10 lakh crore (98% indigenous); SEMICON India 2026.
