Jharkhand public service commission (JPSC)

🏛️ POLITY & CONSTITUTION

1. SC on NTA Reforms – Institutional Continuity

News: SC emphasized institutionalizing reforms within NTA, not knee-jerk reactions.

Key Observations:

• Justice P.S. Narasimha: Reforms must be “institutionalized” and “carried on within the NTA”
• Government must not hop from one committee to another
• Radhakrishnan Committee (former ISRO chief) recommendations vs Nandan Nilekani Task Force

Static Link:

• NTA: National Testing Agency – established 2017
• NEET-UG: National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (Undergraduate)
• Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2026

2. Southern Zonal Council Meeting

News: 31st meeting of Southern Zonal Council chaired by Home Minister Amit Shah in Tamil Nadu.

Key Facts:

• Chair: Union Home Minister Amit Shah
• Vice-Chair: TN CM C. Joseph Vijay
• Members: Chief Ministers, Lt. Governors/Administrators of member States/UTs + 2 Ministers from each State
• Recommendations: Advisory in nature

Static Link:

• Zonal Councils: Statutory bodies under States Reorganisation Act, 1956
• 5 Zonal Councils: Northern, Central, Eastern, Western, Southern
• Inter-State Council: Article 263 (different from Zonal Councils)

3. Delhi HC Questions Lakshmi Yojana MP/MLA Endorsement

News: HC questioned mandatory MP/MLA endorsement for Delhi Lakshmi Yojana.

Key Observations:

• “We can’t approve of it” – Bench told government
• Endorsement clause gives “unbridled discretion” to political representatives
• Scheme itself does not mention any requirement of endorsement letter

Static Link: PIL – Public Interest Litigation; Article 226 – HC’s writ jurisdiction

4. SACRILEGE LAW – Punjab’s Constitutional Challenges

News: Punjab’s sacrilege law faces constitutional challenges – Equality, Proportionality, Federal Competence.

Key Issues:

Previous Attempts:

• 2016: Akali Dal-BJP govt – only Guru Granth Sahib – returned by Centre
• 2018: Congress govt – all four scriptures – returned without Presidential assent
• 2025: AAP govt – all four texts – sent to Select Committee, shelved
• 2026: Current law – amended ceremonial statute – Governor’s assent only

Petition before Punjab & Haryana High Court: Argues life sentence is criminal law (Concurrent List) – cannot bypass central scrutiny

Static Link:

• Article 14: Equality before law
• Article 254: State law repugnant to Central law – void unless Presidential assent
• Seventh Schedule: Concurrent List – criminal law
• Mithu vs State of Punjab (1983) – mandatory death penalty struck down
• Maneka Gandhi vs Union of India (1978) – “just, fair and reasonable” procedure

5. SC on Polygamy – Examining Again

News: SC seeking Centre’s response on petition challenging constitutional validity of polygamy.

Petition: Make polygamy a criminal offence under Section 82 of BNS (applies to non-Muslims – up to 7 years for marrying during subsistence of existing marriage)

Petitioners’ Demand: Annulment of exemptions granted to Muslims

Static Link:

• Section 82 BNS – bigamy (non-Muslims)
• Muslim Personal Law – allows polygamy (up to 4 wives)
• Constitutional validity – freedom of religion vs equality (Article 14, 25)

6. Disabled Rights Groups Concerned Over Census 2027 Categories

News: Activists concerned over proposed Census disability categories – only 9 categories vs 21 recognized under RPwD Act.

Proposed Census Categories:

• Seeing, hearing, speech, mobility, intellectual disability, mental illness, acid attack, chronic neurological disease, blood disorder

Missing Conditions:

• Cerebral palsy, dwarfism, muscular dystrophy, specific learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorder, multiple sclerosis

Static Link:

• Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016 – recognizes 21 specified disabilities
• Census Act, 1948 – governs Census operations
• UNCRPD: UN Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities – India ratified 2007

7. Government to Send Ministers to Universities – “One Day, One University”

News: Modi government plans “One Day, One University” programme – one Union Minister to one university every day.

Coordinators: Education Minister Pralhad Joshi, Youth Affairs Minister Mansukh Mandaviya

Static Link: UGC – University Grants Commission – regulates higher education in India

💰 ECONOMY

8. RBI MPC Minutes – Interest Rates Likely to Harden

News: MPC minutes indicate possible interest rate hike.

Key Observations:

Key Data:

• Current repo rate: 5.25% (unchanged since February 2026)
• Oil price assumed: ~$90/barrel
• Core inflation projected: 4.3% in 2026-27

Static Link:

• MPC: Monetary Policy Committee – constituted under RBI Act, 1934
• Repo Rate: Rate at which RBI lends to banks
• Inflation target: 4% ± 2% (RBI’s mandate)

9. India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable (ISMIR)

News: 4th ISMIR in Singapore – Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman leads delegation.

Delegation Includes:

• External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar
• Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal
• MoS Jitin Prasad

ISMIR: Established 2022 – apex ministerial mechanism for India-Singapore relations

Static Link: Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) – India-Singapore trade pact

10. SpiceJet Insolvency – Section 9 IBC

News: NCLT allowed Aviator ML to withdraw insolvency petition against SpiceJet after last-minute settlement.

Key Points:

• Section 9 IBC: Operational creditor can initiate insolvency
• Default amount: ₹58.64 crore
• NCLT imposed ₹15 lakh costs (₹7.5 lakh each to PM’s National Relief Fund)

Static Link:

• IBC, 2016: Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code
• NCLT: National Company Law Tribunal – under Companies Act, 2013
• PMNRF: Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund – under PM’s name

🌐 INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

11. Pakistan Extends Airspace Ban for Indian Aircraft

News: Pakistan extended closure of airspace to Indian aircraft until September 24.

Background: Both countries imposed matching airspace restrictions after Pahalgam terrorist attack (April 2025)

Static Link: India-Pakistan airspace restrictions – impact on flight routes, fuel costs

12. U.S. Pauses 50% Tariffs on Canadian Goods

News: Trump paused 50% tariffs on Canadian goods for 3 days.

Context: Renegotiating USMCA (United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement) – signed in Trump’s first term

Static Link: USMCA – replaced NAFTA in 2020

13. China Reusable Rocket – First Land Recovery

News: China successfully recovered first stage of rocket on land for first time (Zhuque-3).

Significance: Marks China’s first land recovery; second recovery overall (first was sea platform in July)

Competition: SpaceX and Blue Origin have been recovering rockets since 2015

Static Link: Reusable rockets reduce launch costs significantly

14. India to Build Hospital in West Bank

News: India reiterated commitment to two-state solution; launched construction of hospital in Jenin, West Bank.

Key Points:

• Secretary (MEA) Sripriya Ranganathan visited Ramallah – highest-ranking Indian diplomat since Oct 7, 2023
• Handed over consignment of medicines
• Deploying Indian field hospital in Gaza

Static Link: Two-state solution – India’s consistent position on Israel-Palestine

🌍 GEOGRAPHY & ENVIRONMENT

15. Agasthyamalai – SC on Encroachments

News: SC frustrated over TN govt’s inability to evict encroachers in Agasthyamalai landscape.

Key Data:

Shock Factor: 118 government servants (Army, Police, Forest Dept) identified as encroachers

SC Directives:

• Time-bound, division-wise eviction plan
• Legal action against all 118 government servants
• Moratorium on welfare schemes within encroached areas
• Complete prohibition on new non-forestry activities
• Suggested using paramilitary for eviction

Static Link:

• Forest Conservation Act, 1980
• Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972
• Central Empowered Committee (CEC) – Supreme Court-appointed
• Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve – 3,500 sq. km, Kerala + TN

16. SC on Solid Waste Management – Gen Z to “Educate” Elders

News: SC said Gen Z and Gen Alpha should “educate” elders against careless waste generation.

Key Observations:

• “I am entitled to generate but not to cooperate” – general feeling across society
• “Solid waste is a problem for sanitary workers alone” – legally incorrect, constitutionally unethical

Committee: 5 Union Secretaries (Housing, Environment, Jal Shakti, Panchayati Raj, Rural Development) + CPCB Member-Secretary

Directions:

• District Collectors to engage with households and educational institutions
• Department of School/Higher Education to initiate theoretical and practical knowledge on SWM
• “An educated child is the most effective instrument for educating a parent”

Static Link:

• Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules, 2026
• CPCB: Central Pollution Control Board – under Ministry of Environment
• Article 21: Right to healthy environment (implied)

17. Solar Irrigation and Groundwater – PM-KUSUM

News: Over 2.5 million solar pumps installed under PM-KUSUM.

Key Insight: Solar irrigation impact on groundwater depends on model deployed – not inherently good or bad.

Models:

Regional Differentiation:

Fiscal Impact:

• Agricultural electricity subsidies: Over ₹1 lakh crore/year
• Groundwater irrigation: 45-62 million tonnes CO2/year

Static Link:

• PM-KUSUM: Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan
• SKY Scheme: Suryashakti Kisan Yojana (Gujarat)
• DISCOMs: Distribution companies

🔬 SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

18. Reusable Rockets – China’s Progress

Static Link: Reusable rocket technology – reduces launch costs; first achieved by SpaceX (2015)

🏅 SPORTS (Current Affairs)

19. India Defeats Pakistan – Hockey World Cup

News: India beat Pakistan 5-3, qualifies for second round.

Key Goal Scorers:

Position: India finished second in Pool D (behind England)

Static Link: FIH Hockey World Cup – Netherlands & Belgium co-hosts

20. Badminton World Championships – Lakshya Sen Shocked

News: Lakshya Sen lost to 18-year-old Garret Tan (USA) – 19-21, 21-19, 21-17.

Other Results:

• Ayush Shetty: Won 21-8, 21-10 (25 minutes)
• P.V. Sindhu: Won 21-16, 21-17
• Satwik-Chirag: Walkover (Scottish pair withdrew)

Static Link: BWF World Championships – Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, Delhi

21. India Wins 600th Test

News: India won 600th Test vs Sri Lanka by 165 runs.

Key Milestone:

Most Test Wins:

1. Australia – 426
2. England – 405
3. South Africa – 191
4. India – 187
5. West Indies – 187

Player of the Match: Devdutt Padikkal

Key Performance:

• Manav Suthar: 10-wicket haul (only 5th Indian with multiple 5-wicket hauls in first 2 Tests)
• Fastest to 10-wicket haul: Narendra Hirwani (debut) – Suthar is 2nd

Static Link: India’s first Test – 1932 vs England

📌 STATIC CORNER – QUICK REVISION