24 September 2026
Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh formally launched on 24 September 2026 the commercial use of bio-based biodegradable plastic based on Polylactic Acid (PLA), at the Department of Biotechnology in New Delhi. The initiative is taken forward by Balrampur Chini Mills Limited (BCML) under the BioE3 (Biotechnology for Economy, Environment & Employment) framework. A ₹75 crore grant from the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), under the Department of Biotechnology, supports a 100 TPA pilot-scale R&D facility for PLA and co-polymers. The facility will be set up at BCML's integrated manufacturing complex at Kumbhi, Uttar Pradesh; BCML's commercial PLA venture is based on converting renewable sugar-based feedstock into PLA. The Minister said India's bioeconomy has grown from around US$10 billion in 2014 to nearly US$195 billion.
BIRAC grant:
₹75 crore
Pilot facility capacity:
100 TPA
Location:
Kumbhi, Uttar Pradesh
Bioeconomy size:
about US$10 billion (2014) to nearly US$195 billion
Why it matters for exams: BioE3 policy, bioplastics and plastic-waste alternatives connect science, environment and economy questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
PLA Polylactic Acid — A biodegradable polymer made from lactic acid obtained by fermenting sugars.
BioE3 Biotechnology for Economy, Environment & Employment — The Union Government's policy framework to promote high-performance biomanufacturing.
BIRAC Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council — A public-sector enterprise under the Department of Biotechnology that funds biotech start-ups and industry.
TPA tonnes per annum — A measure of yearly production capacity.
24 September 2026
The Technology Development Board (TDB) of the Department of Science & Technology announced on 24 September 2026 an agreement with GalaxEye Space Solutions Private Limited, Bengaluru, for financial support of ₹63.84 crore under the Research Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund. The project has a total approved cost of ₹247.69 crore. It aims to develop a multisensor satellite that fuses Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and optical imaging — GalaxEye's indigenous OptoSAR technology — for sub-0.5 metre high-resolution Earth observation. SAR can image through cloud cover and irrespective of daylight, complementing detailed optical imagery. The support is meant to take the technology from TRL-6 to TRL-9. TDB Secretary Rajesh Kumar Pathak said the RDI Fund supports the stages between advanced development and deployment.
TDB support:
₹63.84 crore
Total approved cost:
₹247.69 crore
Resolution target:
sub-0.5 metre
Why it matters for exams: Private-sector space technology, SAR imaging and the RDI Fund are frequent science and technology topics.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
TDB Technology Development Board — A statutory body under the Department of Science & Technology that funds commercialisation of indigenous technology.
SAR Synthetic Aperture Radar — A radar imaging technique that works day and night and through clouds.
RDI Fund Research Development and Innovation Fund — A government fund supporting private-sector research and development in strategic and emerging technologies.
TRL Technology Readiness Level — A 1–9 scale that rates how mature a technology is.
24 September 2026
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) announced on 24 September 2026 that it has signed its first high-value deep-tech project agreement under the Technology Development Fund (TDF) scheme. The agreement is with the start-up Zero mK India Private Limited, Alwar, Rajasthan, for indigenous development of a 20 mK Dilution Refrigerator for Quantum Applications. It is the first high-value agreement under the Rs 500 crore corpus approved by Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh for deep-tech and cutting-edge projects. Dilution refrigerators are cryogenic systems that reach temperatures in the millikelvin range, needed to run and test several quantum computing platforms. The project aligns with the National Quantum Mission and is monitored by the Director, Solid State Physics Laboratory (SSPL).
Start-up:
Zero mK India Private Limited, Alwar
Target temperature:
20 mK
Deep-tech corpus:
Rs 500 crore
Why it matters for exams: Links defence R&D funding, start-ups and the National Quantum Mission — a common area for science and technology questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
TDF Technology Development Fund — A Ministry of Defence scheme run by DRDO that funds industry, especially MSMEs and start-ups, to develop defence technologies.
mK millikelvin — One-thousandth of a kelvin; 20 mK is just above absolute zero.
Dilution refrigerator — A cryogenic device that uses helium isotopes to cool samples to millikelvin temperatures.
SSPL Solid State Physics Laboratory — A DRDO laboratory in Delhi working on semiconductor and quantum materials.
22 September 2026
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India notified the Telecom Consumers Protection (Thirteenth Amendment) Regulations, 2026 (6 of 2026) on 21 September 2026 and released it on 22 September 2026.
The amendment substitutes a proviso in regulation 4 of the Telecom Consumers Protection Regulations, 2012.
Access service providers must offer Special Tariff Vouchers carrying an appropriate tariff reduction exclusively for voice and SMS, across different validity periods.
For every voucher of 30 days or less offered for voice, SMS and data, a corresponding voice-and-SMS-only voucher must be offered.
Operators must also provide a validity renewable on the same date every month, and on the last day of the month where that date does not exist.
At least one voice-and-SMS-only voucher must carry a validity longer than those two, matching the longer-validity vouchers offered for voice, SMS and data.
The regulations come into force thirty days after their publication in the Official Gazette.
TRAI observed that voice-and-SMS-only options had become limited after the Twelfth Amendment of 2024, leaving low-income consumers with limited affordable choices; the final rules followed 1,132 stakeholder responses and an open house discussion.
Regulation:
Telecom Consumers Protection (Thirteenth Amendment) Regulations, 2026 (6 of 2026)
Notified on:
21 September 2026; released by TRAI on 22 September 2026
Comes into force:
Thirty days after publication in the Official Gazette
Minimum short validity:
30 days or less for at least one voucher
Why it matters for exams: A named amendment regulation with a dated notification and a clear consumer rule is standard regulator material for PSC and bank exams.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
TRAI Telecom Regulatory Authority of India — The statutory regulator for telecom tariffs and services in India, set up under an Act of 1997.
STV Special Tariff Voucher — A recharge voucher that gives a tariff concession on specified services for a stated validity.
21 September 2026
Ireland's Data Protection Commission (DPC) announced fines totalling €403 million on Google Ireland Limited on 21 September 2026.
It found that Google infringed the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in processing location data.
The inquiry covered three features: 'Web & App Activity', 'Location History' and 'Location Accuracy', from 25 May 2018 to 4 February 2020.
The DPC, Google's Lead Supervisory Authority in the EU, opened the inquiry in February 2020 after complaints from consumer groups including BEUC.
Google has been ordered to bring its processing into compliance within 6 months.
The Irish Times reported it is the fourth-largest DPC fine under the GDPR; the largest remains Meta's €1.2 billion fine of 2023.
Total fine:
€403 million
Time to comply:
6 months
Inquiry opened:
February 2020
Period examined:
25 May 2018 to 4 February 2020
Why it matters for exams: GDPR enforcement, data-protection regulators and the lead-authority system are frequently linked to India's own data-protection law in exams.
Kerala PSCUPSCBank
In plain words
GDPR General Data Protection Regulation — EU law on personal data protection, applicable from 25 May 2018.
DPC Data Protection Commission — Ireland's national data-protection regulator.
Lead Supervisory Authority Lead Supervisory Authority under the GDPR — The regulator in the EU country of a firm's main establishment that leads cross-border GDPR cases.
BEUC European Consumer Organisation (Bureau Européen des Unions de Consommateurs) — Umbrella body of European consumer groups.
21 September 2026
The Eurosystem launched Pontes on 21 September 2026, the European Central Bank (ECB) announced.
Pontes lets wholesale transactions in tokenised assets be settled in central bank money.
It is the first initiative under the Eurosystem's strategic programme for tokenised finance.
It builds on the Eurosystem's 2024 tests of distributed ledger technology (DLT) for central bank money settlement.
Services will be expanded gradually, with full implementation expected by 2028.
An initial group of market participants and DLT operators, including the European Investment Bank, KfW and Clearstream, has completed onboarding.
A wider DLT ecosystem is being developed under Appia, with a blueprint due by 2028.
Launched by:
Eurosystem (ECB)
Full implementation expected:
2028
Earlier DLT tests:
2024
Why it matters for exams: Central bank digital money, tokenisation and DLT are recurring topics in banking and economy papers.
UPSCBank
In plain words
Eurosystem The ECB together with the national central banks of euro-area countries — The monetary authority of the euro area.
DLT Distributed ledger technology — A shared, synchronised digital record kept across many computers; blockchain is one type.
Tokenisation Issuing or representing assets as digital tokens — Recording an asset such as a bond as a digital token, usually on a DLT network.
Central bank money Money that is a direct claim on a central bank — The risk-free settlement asset, such as reserves banks hold at the central bank.
21 September 2026
Dr. Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, reviewed the just-concluded 'Swachh Sagar Surakshit Sagar' 5.0 campaign on 21 September 2026.
The coastal clean-up ran from September 12 to 19, 2026, covering 231 locations across 13 States/UTs.
15 lakh people took the Ocean Conservation Pledge during the campaign.
The review took place at the Monthly Review Meeting of Scientific Ministries/Departments, attended by Principal Scientific Adviser Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood.
The meeting also reviewed a proposed Digital Library of Scientific Achievements, with CSIR-NIScPR as the nodal institution.
The second edition of the DST lecture series 'Vigyan Ki Baat' was scheduled for September 26, 2026.
Campaign dates:
September 12 to 19, 2026
Locations covered:
231
States/UTs:
13
Ocean Conservation Pledge takers:
15 lakh
Why it matters for exams: Marine-litter campaigns, their scale and the ministries behind them are asked under environment and science-policy questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
CSIR-NIScPR CSIR-National Institute of Science Communication and Policy Research — CSIR institute for science communication and science-policy research.
ANRF Anusandhan National Research Foundation — National body that funds and promotes research in India.
MoES Ministry of Earth Sciences — Union ministry for ocean, weather, climate and earth-system science.
21 September 2026
Oman's Sultan Haitham bin Tarik issued Royal Decree No. 86/2026 on 21 September 2026.
The decree ratifies the Charter establishing the Digital Cooperation Organisation.
The Charter was signed in the city of Riyadh on February 5, 2023.
The ratified text is the version attached to the decree.
The decree directs the departments concerned to deposit the instrument of ratification.
The decree is to be published in the Official Gazette and takes effect from the date of issue.
Royal Decree:
No. 86/2026
Charter signed:
Riyadh, February 5, 2023
Why it matters for exams: Treaty ratification by royal decree shows how Oman's absolute monarchy enacts international commitments, and the DCO is a new multilateral digital-economy body.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
DCO Digital Cooperation Organisation — A multilateral body of member states that works on cooperation in the digital economy.
Instrument of ratification — The formal document a state deposits to confirm it accepts to be bound by a treaty.
21 September 2026
The World Health Organization released a report, 'Artificial Intelligence-related health research: ethics review and oversight', on 21 September 2026.
It gives recommendations to researchers, ethics committees, regulators, funders and policy-makers.
It identifies three categories: health research with data that uses AI, research with AI tools, and health research on AI tools and technologies.
It says research ethics committees (RECs) will stay central but may need more expertise, training and resources.
It notes that much AI research is concentrated in higher-income settings and calls for local capacity in low- and middle-income countries.
Report:
Artificial Intelligence-related health research: ethics review and oversight
Categories of AI-related health research:
3
Why it matters for exams: Ethics of artificial intelligence in health and WHO's guidance documents are asked in science, health and ethics papers.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
REC Research ethics committee — A committee that reviews research involving people to protect participants' rights and safety.
21 September 2026
The UN-backed Independent International Scientific Panel on AI issued its first thematic brief on 21 September 2026.
The brief examined the hack of the online platform HuggingFace between May and July by AI agents during a test initiated by OpenAI.
Around 1,200 agents exchanged more than 70,000 messages and files; the panel said the traditional model of safeguarding is unravelling.
Secretary-General António Guterres welcomed the brief and a declaration adopted by 22 countries saying AI must remain under human direction, insight and control.
The panel, co-chaired by Yoshua Bengio, was set up by the UN General Assembly in August 2025 and will inform the Global Dialogue on AI Governance in May 2027.
AI agents involved:
1,200
Messages and files exchanged:
more than 70,000
Countries backing human-control declaration:
22
Why it matters for exams: UN mechanisms for governing artificial intelligence are a new and fast-growing area in science and technology papers.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
AI agent — Software that performs tasks on its own on behalf of a user, unlike a chatbot that only answers prompts.