Daily Current Affairs · 4 September 2026
UPSC Prelims Current Affairs: 4 September 2026
ISRO successfully launches its first geosynchronous imaging satellite EOS-05, Rajnath Singh unveils India's RAKSHA defence diplomacy roadmap, and Jaishankar visits Poland and Ukraine.
ISRO's GSLV-F17 successfully launches India's first geosynchronous imaging satellite EOS-05
The Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle GSLV-F17 successfully placed the EOS-05 Earth observation satellite into its intended Sub-Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit, 18 minutes after lifting off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota at 2.55 a.m. on 4 September 2026. Weighing 2,367 kilograms, EOS-05 is India's first ever imaging satellite designed to operate from Geosynchronous orbit, about 36,000 kilometres above Earth, and will provide real time imagery for agriculture, environment and disaster management once operational. ISRO Chairman V Narayanan said this was the 107th launch from Sriharikota and the 19th flight of the GSLV, and the space agency's first successful launch since the failure of the PSLV-C62 mission in January 2026. The EOS-05 mission replaces the payload lost when the GSLV-F10/EOS-03 mission failed in August 2021 due to a cryogenic upper stage anomaly.
Two workers rescued alive from a flooded Nepal hydropower tunnel, nine days after the flash floods
Two hydropower workers were pulled out alive from tunnels buried by debris at the Trishuli-3A project in Nepal's Rasuwa district on 4 September 2026, nine days after the 26 August flash floods likely caused by a glacier collapse, Nepal's Energy Minister Biraj Bhakta Shrestha and Army spokesperson Brig. Gen. Raja Ram Basnet confirmed. Nepal Police said the death toll had reached 1,282 by 4 September, with more than 4,700 people still missing and around 600 children unaccounted for in the worst hit Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts. The joint command of Nepal's security forces continues to search for those still missing across the flood affected region.
Rajnath Singh releases 'RAKSHA', India's 10 year defence diplomacy roadmap
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh released the 'RAKSHA' document on defence diplomacy in New Delhi on 3 September 2026, outlining India's strategic roadmap and vision for global defence partnerships over the next 10 years. The framework rests on four pillars: deepening bilateral and multilateral security partnerships, capacity building through joint military exercises and training, promoting Make in India defence platforms as exports, and strengthening India's role as a Net Security Provider and First Responder in the Indian Ocean Region. The release was attended by the Chief of the Army Staff, the Defence Secretary, and senior officials of the Ministry of External Affairs and National Security Council Secretariat, reflecting the document's framing of defence diplomacy as a core pillar of India's foreign policy.
Jaishankar begins visit to Poland and Ukraine for bilateral consultations
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar began a visit to Poland and Ukraine from 3 to 5 September 2026 for bilateral consultations, the Ministry of External Affairs said. The itinerary includes talks with Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski in Warsaw, followed by consultations with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha in Kyiv. The Ministry said the visit would allow both sides to exchange views on regional developments and issues of mutual interest, coming amid India's continued diplomatic engagement on the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
India will finalise US trade pact only after a preferential tariff edge, says Piyush Goyal
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on 3 September 2026 that India would finalise its proposed Bilateral Trade Agreement with the United States only once Washington offers Indian exporters a preferential tariff rate compared with competing countries such as Vietnam, Bangladesh, Thailand and Indonesia. Speaking at a National Workshop on Leveraging Free Trade Agreements in New Delhi, Goyal said India's nine existing free trade agreements already give it preferential access to economies representing about USD 60 trillion of global GDP, nearly two thirds of world trade. He is expected to travel to the United States in late September for the G20 Trade Ministerial in Milwaukee and bilateral talks with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
CAQM in talks with Punjab, Haryana and ISRO to improve stubble fire estimation ahead of winter
The Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas said on 3 September 2026 that it is in discussions with Punjab and Haryana to improve the measurement of stubble burning fires ahead of the winter pollution season. CAQM chief Rajesh Varma said satellite fire counts from overhead passes may not give the most accurate picture of the extent of farm fires, and that the Commission has asked ISRO to develop a basic ground truthing protocol this year to get a better estimate than fire counts alone. The move is part of CAQM's preparation to manage the sharp seasonal rise in Delhi NCR's air pollution linked to paddy stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana each October and November.
Chhattisgarh tops the Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari 'Catch the Rain' campaign nationally
Chhattisgarh emerged as the top ranked state in the third phase of the Ministry of Jal Shakti's Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari and Jal Shakti Abhiyan, Catch the Rain campaigns, with close to 78,000 water conservation structures completed, according to an official statement. Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai presented the state's water conservation model at the Ministry's departmental summit in New Delhi on 2 September 2026. Five Chhattisgarh districts, Surajpur, Mahasamund, Balod, Balodabazar-Bhatapara and Kabirdham, also ranked among the country's top 10 districts for water conservation. The state credited a community led approach, including a 5 percent model pioneered in Koriya district under which farmers voluntarily set aside 5 percent of their land for groundwater recharge structures.
ASI declares Kakatiya era Gollala Gudi temple in Telangana a Monument of National Importance
The Archaeological Survey of India notified the Gollala Gudi temple at Palampet in Telangana's Mulugu district as a Monument of National Importance on 2 September 2026, bringing it under the protection of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958. The temple stands near the UNESCO World Heritage Site Kakatiya Rudreshwara, the Ramappa Temple, and is a trikutalaya, an east facing mandapa surrounded by three garbhagriha, noted for its exquisite carvings and architectural heritage. The ASI will now be responsible for the temple's conservation, maintenance and regulated public access.