Daily Current Affairs · Last published 6 September 2026
UPSC Prelims Current Affairs: 6 September 2026
The Centre advances Census 2027 in poll-bound states, India backs two UN resolutions, and ISRO fires its semi-cryogenic engine at full thrust.
Centre advances Census 2027 population count in four poll-bound states
The Union Home Ministry on 5 September 2026 advanced the population enumeration phase of Census 2027 in the poll-bound states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Goa, ahead of the nationwide schedule planned for February 2027. In these four states, a self-enumeration option will run from 16 to 30 November 2026, followed by house-to-house enumeration from 1 December 2026 to 4 January 2027 and a revisional round from 5 to 9 January 2027, with the reference date set at 00:00 hours on 5 January 2027. The government deferred the exercise in Manipur amid protests and a demand from sections there for the National Register of Citizens exercise to be completed before the census, even as it moved up the schedule in the four states holding assembly elections in early 2027.
India votes for UNGA resolution to correct the world map's depiction of Africa
The 193 member UN General Assembly on 4 September 2026 adopted, by 164 votes to one, a resolution titled 'Correct the map: rebalancing global cartographic representation and promoting equitable representation of the world's regions, particularly Africa'. Sponsored by Togo, the resolution flags concern that the widely used Mercator projection, which makes Greenland appear roughly the same size as Africa even though Africa is about fourteen times larger, minimises the perceived sizes of Africa, Latin America and South Asia. India voted in favour of the resolution, while the United States cast the lone vote against and Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova, Serbia and Ukraine abstained.
India co-sponsors UNGA resolution declaring 27 November a day against child marriage
The UN General Assembly on 4 September 2026 adopted by consensus a resolution proclaiming 27 November every year as the International Day for the Elimination of Child, Early and Forced Marriage. The resolution was led by Sierra Leone and backed by around seventy co-sponsoring nations including India, with the push championed by Sierra Leone's First Lady Fatima Maada Bio and child rights campaigner Bhuwan Ribhu. The date echoes 27 November 2024, when India itself launched its Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat, or Child Marriage Free India, campaign.
ISRO tests semi-cryogenic engine power head at full 200 tonne thrust
The Indian Space Research Organisation conducted the ninth hot test of its Semi-Cryogenic Engine Power Head Test Article at the ISRO Propulsion Research Complex in Mahendragiri, Tamil Nadu, on 5 September 2026. It was the first time the test article was fired at its full thrust level of 200 tonnes, having previously been tested at 47, 60 and 88 percent thrust in earlier trials. The 35 second test, which sustained full thrust for 5 seconds, also validated the switch over of propellant supply from a low pressure start tank to a medium pressure run tank, a step needed for longer duration tests ahead.
Coal stock redistribution emerges as fuel management dilemma for thermal power plants
India's thermal power sector is confronting a fuel management dilemma in which generators that maintain coal inventories at prescribed norms risk being disadvantaged when limited domestic coal is redirected to plants that have fallen below their stock requirements. Government data shows coal stocks at thermal power plants stood at about 34.55 million tonnes, with another 113 million tonnes at pitheads or in transit, even as overall coal dispatches rose about 6 percent year on year to 354.7 million tonnes in the current financial year through July. Industry executives argue that while emergency redistribution protects grid reliability, it needs a clearly defined corrective mechanism so that prudent fuel planning is not turned into a commercial disadvantage.
Nepal flash floods death toll passes 1,300 as rescue operations continue
The death toll from the flash floods that struck Nepal in late August 2026 rose to 1,344 by 5 September 2026, with Nepal Police reporting 843 bodies recovered, comprising 758 adults and 85 children, as search operations continued across the affected region. India's specialised tunnel rescue teams, deployed to Nepal since the floods began, have continued assisting Nepali authorities at flood hit hydropower project sites including Chilime in Rasuwa district, part of India's sustained disaster assistance to its neighbour.
Supreme Court pushes states to raise district judiciary retirement age to 62
With 5.18 crore cases pending in district courts across the country, the Supreme Court has pressed states to raise the retirement age of judicial officers in the subordinate judiciary from 60 to 62 years, calling it the crying need of the hour to stem the loss of experienced judicial talent. A three judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant has so far seen only seven states, including Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, respond positively and agree to amend their service rules. The court has given the remaining states and union territories a further window to decide, warning that unfilled posts and an ageing out of trained officers would otherwise keep access to justice a distant goal.
President Murmu confers National Teachers' Awards 2026 on 48 school teachers
President Droupadi Murmu conferred the National Teachers' Awards 2026 on 48 school teachers at a ceremony in New Delhi on 5 September 2026, the occasion of Teachers' Day, marked to honour the birth anniversary of Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. The awardees, selected through a three stage process at the district, state and national levels, represent 27 states, 7 union territories and 6 central government organisations, and include 26 male and 22 female teachers. This year's National Teachers' Awards recognised 82 teachers and educators in all, comprising the 48 school teachers along with higher education faculty and skill trainers honoured separately.