Daily Current Affairs · Last published 9 September 2026
UPSC Prelims Current Affairs: 9 September 2026
Lucknow tops India's clean air rankings, ISRO's EOS-05 satellite reaches its final orbit, and India's first genome study links genetic markers to endometriosis.
Lucknow tops Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan 2026 among million-plus cities
Lucknow topped the Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan 2026 among cities with a population of more than 10 lakh, scoring 198 points to finish narrowly ahead of Indore, which scored 197, and Jabalpur, which scored 195. The Sarvekshan, conducted under the National Clean Air Programme, evaluates cities on measures such as public transport quality, dust control at construction sites and roads, solid waste management and the expansion of green cover, measured against their own past performance. Officials credited Lucknow's improved public bus fleet, stricter dust mitigation rules and continued tree plantation drives for its position at the top of the rankings.
ISRO's EOS-05 completes final orbit-raising manoeuvre, reaches geosynchronous orbit
ISRO completed the third and final orbit-raising manoeuvre of its EOS-05 satellite at 8.57 pm on 7 September 2026, firing the Liquid Apogee Motor for 1,247 seconds and placing the satellite into a near circular orbit of about 34,903 km by 35,884 km. EOS-05, launched aboard the GSLV-F17 rocket on 4 September, is India's first imaging or Earth observation satellite designed to operate from geosynchronous orbit, distinct from India's long-standing GSAT communication satellites in that same class of orbit, and will undergo health and systems checks over the coming days before its imaging payload is activated. Two earlier orbit-raising manoeuvres on 5 and 6 September had already reshaped the satellite's orbit from its initial sub-geosynchronous transfer orbit.
India's first genome-wide study links 21 genetic regions to endometriosis
A study led by the ICMR, National Institute for Research on Women's Health in Mumbai has identified 21 suggestive genetic regions associated with endometriosis in Indian women, described by its researchers as the first genome-wide association study of the disease from India and South Asia. Published in the journal Scientific Reports, the study analysed genetic data from 2,523 participants gathered across 18 centres nationwide under the Endometriosis Clinical and Genetic Research in India initiative, and found the strongest signal near the LINC00415/SHISA2 region on chromosome 13. The researchers said the findings are not yet ready for clinical use or individual risk prediction, but provide a foundation for future genetic studies of endometriosis in South Asian populations.
National Horticulture Board freezes fresh subsidy applications for a month
The National Horticulture Board, an autonomous body under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, suspended acceptance of fresh applications for grant of clearance under two of its subsidy schemes for one month with effect from 4 September 2026, according to a circular issued on 3 September. The move follows the Board's decision in August to bar sitting ministers, members of Parliament, state legislators and government officials from availing subsidies under these schemes, after media reports found that a Union minister of state and the family of a serving IAS officer had received subsidies for their own farms under a scheme administered by their own ministry. The suspended schemes cover commercial horticulture development and cold storage construction or expansion, and the Board said it needed the pause to verify pending cases and update its online application system before resuming fresh applications.
Union minister launches 9th Rashtriya Poshan Maah 2026 in Varanasi
Union Minister for Women and Child Development Annpurna Devi launched the ninth Rashtriya Poshan Maah 2026 at the Rudraksh International Cooperation and Convention Centre in Varanasi on 9 September 2026, in the presence of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The month long campaign, observed every September under the Poshan Abhiyaan framework, carries the theme Hamari Anganwadi, Hamari Jimmedari and calls on citizens to take shared ownership of anganwadi centres as the first point of nutrition, health and early childhood care. This year's edition also marks ten years of the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana and focuses on dietary diversity, fresh hot cooked meals at anganwadi centres, and community accountability for child nutrition outcomes.
India's LPG imports from the US surge 254% in the April to June quarter
India's imports of liquefied petroleum gas from the United States surged 254 percent to 2.6 billion dollars in the April to June quarter of 2026-27, even as crude oil imports from the US fell 57.5 percent over the same period, according to government trade data. The US share of India's total LPG imports rose above 50 percent over the six months to August, as disruptions to Gulf supplies linked to the West Asia crisis pushed Indian buyers to source more of the fuel from American exporters. The shift illustrates how the West Asia crisis has reshaped India's energy trade commodity by commodity, pushing buyers toward American LPG even as broader crude sourcing patterns moved differently.
Supreme Court dismisses Centre's plea to revive Rs 363 crore GST demand against Vodafone Idea
The Supreme Court on 7 September 2026 dismissed the Centre's appeal seeking to revive a Rs 363 crore goods and services tax demand against Vodafone Idea, upholding a Bombay High Court ruling that had earlier quashed the demand. A bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and N Vinod Chandran questioned how tax proceedings could be initiated against Vodafone Mobile Services Limited after it had ceased to exist following its merger with another entity. The dispute arose after the Directorate General of GST Intelligence issued a show cause notice in August 2024 over the 2017 transfer of Vodafone Mobile Services' telecom tower business to ATC Telecom Infrastructure, seeking tax and penalty from a company the Bench noted no longer legally existed.
Supreme Court refuses Aravalli panel's extension request, sets 30 November deadline
The Supreme Court on 7 September 2026 rejected a six month extension sought by its own high powered committee tasked with defining the ecologically fragile Aravalli hills and range, and directed the panel to submit its final report by 30 November 2026 instead. Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, hearing the committee's plea for an extension until February 2027, remarked that it appeared to be waiting for his retirement and said the court would not allow further delay. The Supreme Court had earlier constituted the committee to recommend a uniform definition of the Aravalli range and measures to regulate mining in the region.