Tuesday, 13 October 2026 · IST · Uttar Pradesh + National · 11 items · 2 MCQs
Uttar Pradesh is set to raise the monthly honorarium of about 60,000 gram praharis by 40% to ₹3,500, while a proposal to lift old-age, destitute-women and disability pensions from ₹1,000 to ₹1,500 for about 1.21 crore people awaits Cabinet approval. This week's Cabinet also cleared a Sustainable Aviation Fuel policy, a Startup Procurement Scheme and a tax-interest waiver, and Ayodhya announced 33 lakh diyas for the 10th Deepotsav.
Today at a glance — things to remember
Gram Prahari honorarium to rise from ₹2,500 to ₹3,500 a month (+40%) for ~60,000 village watchmen.
Proposal to raise UP social pensions from ₹1,000 to ₹1,500 a month for ~1.21 crore beneficiaries.
Cabinet clears SAF Manufacturing Promotion Policy-2026; UPNEDA nodal agency, 100% electricity-duty exemption for 10 years.
UP Startup Procurement Scheme-2026 approved with a dedicated UP Startup E-Marketplace.
Interest Waiver Scheme-2026 waives interest and penalty on pre-GST arrears up to 31 Dec 2025.
Stipend of BAMS, BUMS, BHMS interns doubled from ₹7,500 to ₹15,000 for 1,714 interns.
Shinzo Abe Memorial Corridor opened at Varanasi's Rudraksh Convention Centre.
10th Ayodhya Deepotsav on 5–7 Nov 2026 with 33 lakh diyas.
Noida International Airport (Jewar) signs eVTOL air-taxi pact with the ePlane Company.
Economics Nobel 2026 to Robert E. Hall and Michael Woodford.
Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses (₹11,440 crore) completes its first year; target 350 lakh tonnes by 2030-31.
Detailed notes
1. Gram Prahari honorarium to rise to ₹3,500 a month; CM to announce at Bareilly
GS-II: Governance, police administration | UP-special GS-V/VI: UP law & order, administration
Context
The UP government is set to raise the monthly honorarium of about 60,000 village watchmen (gram praharis); CM Yogi Adityanath is slated to announce it while felicitating them at Bareilly Police Lines on 13 Oct.
Key facts
Honorarium rises from ₹2,500 to ₹3,500 a month — a 40% hike, i.e. ₹12,000 more per year per prahari.
Covers about 60,000 gram praharis, who assist the police under the Home Department (village watch, reporting suspicious activity).
Extra cost ≈ ₹7 crore a month (₹84 crore a year), likely to be met through a supplementary budget.
Part of a series: mid-day meal cooks ₹2,000→₹3,000, panchayat assistants ₹6,000→₹9,000, PRD volunteers' daily allowance ₹500→₹600.
Way forward
Village-level eyes and ears strengthen community policing; fair pay for honorarium-based frontline workers vs fiscal cost is a likely Mains angle.
Concept
'Police' and 'Public order' are State List subjects (Entries 1–2, List II, Seventh Schedule); village chowkidars/praharis are a traditional auxiliary of the thana.
Grouped bar chart comparing earlier and revised monthly honorarium in UP: gram prahari ₹2,500 to ₹3,500, mid-day meal cooks ₹2,000 to ₹3,000, panchayat assistants ₹6,000 to ₹9,000. — StudyForGS
2. Social-security pensions may rise from ₹1,000 to ₹1,500 a month for ~1.21 crore people
GS-II: Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections | UP-special GS-VI: UP social sector
Context
The CM has given in-principle approval to raise old-age, destitute-women and disability pensions; the proposal is expected before the Cabinet, with funds via a supplementary budget.
Key facts
Monthly pension to rise by ₹500 — from ₹12,000 to ₹18,000 a year (+₹6,000).
Beneficiaries: 67 lakh+ elderly, 42 lakh+ destitute women and ~12 lakh persons with disabilities — about 1.21 crore in all.
Last revised after 2017, from ₹500 to ₹1,000 a month.
Still a proposal: needs Cabinet approval and budget provision before payments begin.
Way forward
Social pensions are among UP's largest direct cash transfers; they test DBT delivery, beneficiary verification and the State's fiscal space.
Concept
Article 41 (DPSP) — public assistance in old age, sickness and disablement; the Centre's NSAP (1995) co-funds these pensions.
Donut chart of about 1.21 crore pension beneficiaries in UP: over 67 lakh old-age, over 42 lakh destitute women and about 12 lakh persons with disabilities; proposed hike ₹1,000 to ₹1,500. — StudyForGS
Unit classes: Large ₹200–500 cr, Mega ₹500–1,500 cr, Ultra-mega above ₹1,500 cr.
Incentives: 100% electricity-duty exemption for up to 10 years, net SGST reimbursement, stamp-duty relief, interest & skill subsidies, front-end land subsidy.
UPNEDA is the nodal agency; policy valid for 5 years.
Way forward
Gives stubble and bagasse a market (less burning, more farm income), creates green jobs and supports India's push to blend SAF in aviation fuel.
Concept
SAF is a 'drop-in' jet fuel made from biomass or waste; ICAO's CORSIA is the global scheme to curb international aviation emissions.
Flowchart of UP SAF Policy-2026: feedstock (crop residue, waste, non-edible oilseeds) to technology (pyrolysis, gasification, alcohol-to-jet) to outcomes, with unit tiers Large ₹200–500 crore, Mega ₹500–1,500 crore, Ultra-mega above ₹1,500 crore. — StudyForGS
4. UP Startup Procurement Scheme-2026: a dedicated Startup E-Marketplace for government buying
GS-III: Startups, MSMEs, public procurement | UP-special GS-VI: UP economy
Context
Approved by the Cabinet on 9 Oct to help State-registered startups win government orders.
Key facts
Eligible: innovative enterprises registered under the UP Startup Policy.
A dedicated UP Startup E-Marketplace will list their products and services; it will be set up and run by the UP Startup Mission.
Departments will procure from their approved budgets; startups can compete directly for government work orders.
Same meeting: Interest Waiver Scheme-2026 and doubling of AYUSH interns' stipend (see below).
Way forward
Making the government a 'first customer' tackles startups' biggest hurdle — market access — and supports jobs in tier-2/3 cities.
Mind-map of UP Cabinet decisions of 9 October 2026: SAF Policy-2026, Startup Procurement Scheme-2026 with a Startup E-Marketplace, Interest Waiver Scheme-2026 for dues up to 31 December 2025, and AYUSH interns' stipend raised from ₹7,500 to ₹15,000 for 1,714 interns. — StudyForGS
5. UP Interest Waiver Scheme-2026: relief on old pre-GST tax arrears
GS-III: Fiscal policy, tax administration | UP-special GS-VI: UP finances
Context
The Cabinet approved a one-time window to settle legacy tax dues without interest and penalty.
Key facts
Waives interest and penalty on arrears created up to 31 Dec 2025; window open for 3 months.
Covers pre-GST laws incl. UP Sales Tax Act 1948, CST Act 1956, UP Trade Tax Act 1995, UP Entry Tax Act 2007 and UP VAT Act 2008, plus entertainment tax.
Aim: clear old disputes and realise stuck revenue (Finance Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna).
Way forward
Amnesty-type schemes cut legacy litigation and bring in cash quickly, but repeated waivers can blunt compliance incentives.
6. Stipend of Ayurveda, Unani and Homeopathy interns doubled to ₹15,000
GS-I: Indian culture, festivals | UP-special GS-V: UP culture & tourism
Context
Preparations are on for the 10th edition of the State's flagship Diwali festival in Ayodhya.
Key facts
10th edition, a 3-day celebration on 5–7 Nov 2026.
33 lakh earthen diyas along ~2 km of Ram ki Paidi and the Saryu riverfront.
About 34,000 volunteers plus ~34,000 students; 65 lakh wicks, 55,000 litres of oil, 150 kg camphor.
Deepotsav began in 2017 and has set several Guinness World Records for lamps lit.
Way forward
Drives Ayodhya's religious-tourism economy and potters' livelihoods; crowd, waste and safety management are key governance tests.
Stat tiles for the 10th Ayodhya Deepotsav, 5–7 November 2026: 33 lakh diyas, about 2 km of Ram ki Paidi and Saryu riverfront, about 34,000 volunteers, 65 lakh wicks and 55,000 litres of oil. — StudyForGS
9. Noida International Airport (Jewar) signs pact for electric air-taxi (eVTOL) infrastructure
Announced on 12 Oct for the microeconomic foundations of macroeconomic stabilisation.
Key facts
Robert E. Hall (Stanford) — consumption as a 'random walk' (1978); Michael Woodford (Columbia) — Interest and Prices (2003), New Keynesian models, forward guidance.
Prize: 12 million SEK, shared equally; Indian-origin laureates earlier: Amartya Sen (1998), Abhijit Banerjee (2019).
India link: RBI's 6-member MPC targets CPI inflation of 4% ± 2%.
Way forward
Their work underpins modern inflation targeting, including how the RBI guides expectations.
11. Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses completes its first year
2030-31 targets: 350 lakh tonnes, 310 lakh ha, 1,130 kg/ha.
100% procurement of tur, urad and masur at MSP by NAFED & NCCF for four years (PM-AASHA).
Output rose from 256.83 to 274.09 lakh tonnes (2025-26, 3rd AE); UP is a major pulse state (Bundelkhand).
Way forward
Cuts import dependence and gives Bundelkhand's rain-fed farmers an assured market.
Grouped bar chart of India's pulses production and area: 2024-25 256.83 lakh tonnes and 277.2 lakh ha; 2025-26 274.09 lakh tonnes and 286.46 lakh ha; 2030-31 target 350 lakh tonnes and 310 lakh ha. — StudyForGS
Data point of the day
₹3,500 / month
Gram Prahari honorarium (proposed) Up 40% from ₹2,500 for about 60,000 village watchmen; extra cost ≈ ₹84 crore a year.
Prelims rapid-fire
HAPS airship test: DRDO's ADRDE, Agra flew a high-altitude airship to ~21 km; it held ~20 km for 30+ minutes.
Vindhyachal Mela: Sharadiya Navratri Mela at Vindhyachal (Mirzapur), 11–26 Oct; railways added special arrangements.
National SC-ST Hub: UP tops the leading States under the MSME Ministry's National SC-ST Hub (launched 2016).
Cricket – Lucknow: India beat West Indies by 8 wickets in the 1st T20I at Lucknow; India lead the 5-match series 2–1.
Namo Bharat art: NCRTC–IGNCA MoU to showcase art & heritage at stations of the Delhi–Meerut Namo Bharat corridor.
Day of the Day: 13 Oct – International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (UN, 1989); linked to the Sendai Framework 2015–30.
Practice MCQs — UPPSC Prelims pattern
Q1. Consider the following about UP's SAF Manufacturing Promotion Policy-2026: 1. UPNEDA is the nodal agency. 2. Units with investment above ₹1,500 crore are classed as 'Mega'. 3. It offers 100% electricity-duty exemption for up to 10 years. Which are correct?
1 only
1 and 3 only
2 and 3 only
1, 2 and 3
Show answer
Answer: b Units above ₹1,500 crore are 'Ultra-mega'; 'Mega' is ₹500–1,500 crore. Statements 1 and 3 are correct.
Q2. The recently opened Shinzo Abe Memorial Corridor is located at:
Gorakhpur
Rudraksh Convention Centre, Varanasi
Jewar, Gautam Buddha Nagar
Ram ki Paidi, Ayodhya
Show answer
Answer: b It is at the Japan-assisted Rudraksh Convention Centre, Varanasi.
Mains practice question
Q. Honorarium-based frontline workers (gram praharis, anganwadi workers, cooks) are the backbone of UP's service delivery. Discuss their issues and suggest a sustainable pay framework. (GS-II/GS-VI, 200 words)
Hint / approach
Intro: recent hikes (gram prahari ₹3,500, cooks ₹3,000). Issues: low/irregular pay, no social security, fiscal load. Way forward: inflation indexation, timely DBT, insurance cover, Centre–State cost sharing.
