India Plans 100 New Airports Under Modified UDAN

What’s the News?

• The Union Government plans to develop 100 new airports over the next 10 years under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS)–Modified UDAN.
• Union Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu said the expansion will focus on Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, Himalayan regions, remote areas and island territories.
• The Cabinet-approved Modified UDAN scheme has a total outlay of ₹28,840 crore for FY 2026–27 to FY 2035–36. The minister described the overall investment as around ₹30,000 crore.
• India's operational airport network has expanded from 74 airports in 2014 to 166 airports currently.

Modified UDAN Scheme

• UDAN: Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik.
• It is the Centre's Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) under the Ministry of Civil Aviation, aimed at making air travel affordable and connecting unserved and underserved regions.
• Modified UDAN will operate for 10 years and seeks to improve both regional aviation infrastructure and route sustainability.

Components

• 100 airports: To be developed mainly from existing unserved airstrips.
  • Earmarked amount: ₹12,159 crore.
• 200 modern helipads: Targeted particularly at hilly, remote, island and aspirational regions.
• Operations & Maintenance support: Three-year support envisaged for around 441 aerodromes.
• Viability support: ₹10,043 crore earmarked over 10 years to support airlines operating regional routes.
• The programme also seeks to strengthen indigenous aviation capacity and improve the commercial sustainability of regional airports.

Hub-and-Spoke Model

• Alongside airport expansion, the government is promoting an international hub-and-spoke aviation model.
• Under this model, passengers from smaller airports travel through a designated hub for onward international connectivity, with integrated check-in, immigration, customs and baggage transfer.
• Ahmedabad has become India's third airport under this framework, after Varanasi and Amritsar.
• The government plans to extend the model to 22 additional airports in the current phase.

Why Modified UDAN?

• Increasing demand for air connectivity is emerging from regions beyond metropolitan centres.
• Expected benefits include:
  • Better last-mile and regional connectivity.
  • Growth of tourism, trade and employment.
  • Faster access to services in remote and difficult terrain.
  • Integration of smaller cities into national economic networks.
  • Greater use and financial sustainability of regional aviation infrastructure.

Additional Info

Challenges under Earlier UDAN Phases

A CAG audit highlighted sustainability concerns in the earlier phases:

• 403 of 774 routes (52%) awarded up to UDAN-3 did not commence operations.
• Of the 371 routes that started, only 112 completed the full three-year concession period.
• Only 54 routes connecting 17 RCS airports continued beyond the concession period.
• Overall, only about 7% of the 774 routes were found sustainable over a three-to-five-year period.
• 83 of 139 airports, heliports and water aerodromes identified for revival/development under the first three phases were either unutilised or under-utilised.

Sources

• The Economic Times
• Deccan Herald
• Business Standard

5th Edition of Swachh Sagar, Surakshit Sagar 2026 Launched

What’s the News?

• Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Earth Sciences, launched the 5th edition of Swachh Sagar, Surakshit Sagar (SSSS v.5.0).
• Led by the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), it is a nationwide campaign for marine-litter reduction, beach cleanliness and ocean conservation.
• It seeks to transform coastal conservation into a Jan Bhagidari movement involving citizens, students, youth, coastal communities, NGOs and volunteer organisations.
• The week-long campaign will cover 100+ coastal locations across India.

Swachh Sagar, Surakshit Sagar 5.0

• The annual campaign was started in 2022 and the 2026 programme is its 5th edition.
• It is inspired by the Swachh Bharat vision and is also linked with the broader objectives of India's Deep Ocean Mission.
• Major activities include:
  • Beach clean-up drives at 100+ locations.
  • Ocean Conservation Pledge.
  • Human chains and community mobilisation.
  • Cycling rallies and marathons.
  • Youth-focused activities.
  • Programmes associated with World Ozone Day.
• The campaign culminates in conjunction with International Coastal Cleanup Day.

National Ocean Olympiad

• SSSS v.5.0 introduces India's first-ever national Ocean Olympiad.
• It is designed primarily for students and youth to:
  • Improve ocean literacy.
  • Build awareness about marine ecosystems and pollution.
  • Encourage participation in ocean and coastal conservation.
• A dedicated campaign website, Ocean Conservation Pledge portal and digital outreach material have also been launched.

SAGAR PRAHARI App

• The campaign is supported by the SAGAR PRAHARI mobile application.
• It provides a digital interface for participation and engagement with SSSS v.5.0 activities.
• The initiative therefore combines on-ground coastal action with digital citizen participation.

Additional Info

India’s Coastline

• India's officially reassessed coastline measures 11,098.81 km, replacing the earlier figure of 7,516.6 km.
• The revised measurement was undertaken by the National Hydrographic Office (NHO) in coordination with the Survey of India (SoI) using modern GIS and high-resolution High-Water Line data.

Deep Ocean Mission

• Ministry: Ministry of Earth Sciences.
• Launched: 2021.
• Outlay: ₹4,077 crore.
• Major components include:
  • Deep-sea mining technologies and underwater vehicles.
  • Ocean climate-change advisory services.
  • Deep-sea biodiversity exploration and conservation.
  • Deep-ocean survey and exploration.
  • Energy and freshwater technologies from the ocean.
  • Advanced marine biology and engineering.

PRITHVI Scheme

• PRITHvi VIgyan (PRITHVI) is the umbrella Central Sector Scheme of the Ministry of Earth Sciences.
• It integrates major programmes covering the atmosphere, ocean, cryosphere, geosphere and Earth-system sciences.
• Its major components include ACROSS, O-SMART, PACER, SAGE and REACHOUT.

Days & Themes

• International Coastal Cleanup Day: Observed annually on the third Saturday of September to promote removal and monitoring of marine debris.
• World Ozone Day: 16 September; formally known as the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer.

Sources

• Indian Masterminds
• ThePrint

Centre Halves Sugar Stock Limit to Curb Hoarding

What’s the News?

• The Union Government has halved the sugar stock-holding limit for dealers and traders from 4,000 quintals to 2,000 quintals (200 tonnes).
• The measure is aimed at curbing hoarding and speculative trading, improving domestic availability and stabilising retail prices during the high-demand festive period.
• Dealers are also prohibited from holding a particular sugar stock for more than 30 days from the date of receipt.
• Kolkata and its extended metropolitan areas are exempt from the reduced ceiling and can continue to hold up to 4,000 quintals (400 tonnes) because the region serves as an important distribution hub for eastern and North-Eastern India.

Revised Sugar Stock Limits

• Dealers/Traders
  • Maximum stock: 2,000 quintals
  • Equivalent: 200 tonnes
  • Maximum holding period: 30 days
• Kolkata & extended metropolitan area
  • Maximum stock: 4,000 quintals / 400 tonnes
• Separately, the government has restricted bulk consumers from keeping sugar stocks exceeding 15 days of consumption.
• Dealers are required to regularly declare and update their stocks through the Department of Food & Public Distribution's online portal.

Why Were Limits Tightened?

• Sugar prices witnessed a sharp short-term increase ahead of the festive season.
• The government identified:
  • Hoarding by some traders and intermediaries.
  • Speculative transactions.
  • Paper trading without corresponding physical movement of sugar.
  • Artificial perceptions of scarcity.
• Following government interventions and improved availability, ex-mill sugar prices declined by around 20% from their recent elevated levels.

Other Measures to Increase Sugar Supply

The Centre has adopted several complementary measures:

• Permitted duty-free import of 10 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of raw sugar to augment domestic availability.
• Central and State government teams are undertaking physical verification of stocks held by sugar mills, dealers and traders.
• Sugar mills have been encouraged to commence crushing earlier to boost festive-season supply.
  • Normal October production: 3–4 LMT
  • Expected production after early crushing: more than 10 LMT
• India's current sugar production is estimated at around 306 LMT, compared with an initial estimate of about 343 LMT.

Additional Info

Essential Commodities Act, 1955

• Sugar is regulated under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955.
• Section 3 empowers the Central Government to regulate the production, supply, distribution and availability of essential commodities.
• The current stock-control measures have been issued using powers under the Act along with the Sugar (Control) Order, 2025.

Sugar (Control) Order, 2025

• It replaced the earlier Sugar (Control) Order, 1966 and Sugar Price (Control) Order, 2018.
• It provides an updated regulatory framework covering:
  • Production and sale of sugar.
  • Stock and release quotas.
  • Movement and export/import.
  • Minimum Selling Price (MSP) of sugar.
  • Digital reporting and stock monitoring.
  • Raw sugar and specified khandsari units.
• Administered by: Department of Food & Public Distribution, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution.

Sources

• The Economic Times
• The Hindu BusinessLine

India’s Current Account Deficit Widens to $4.2 Billion in Q1 FY27

What’s the News?

• India’s Current Account Deficit (CAD) widened to $4.2 billion, or 0.5% of GDP, in Q1 FY27, compared with $3.4 billion (0.4% of GDP) in the corresponding quarter of FY26.
• The widening was primarily driven by a larger merchandise trade deficit.
• However, stronger services exports and remittances provided a substantial cushion to the current account.

BoP Indicators

([Reserve Bank of India][1])

What Drove the CAD?

Merchandise Trade

• The goods trade deficit increased sharply to $86.1 billion from $68.9 billion.
• This means India's payments for merchandise imports exceeded receipts from merchandise exports by a wider margin.

Services Surplus

• Net services receipts increased to $51.6 billion from $47.9 billion.
• Growth was recorded particularly in:
  • Computer services
  • Other business services
  • Transportation services

Remittances

• Personal transfer receipts, largely representing remittances from Indians working overseas, rose to $42.9 billion from $33.2 billion.
• Strong services earnings and remittances therefore helped partially offset the merchandise trade deficit.

Capital Flows

• Foreign Direct Investment (FDI):
  • Net inflow: $6.1 billion
  • Previous year: $5.2 billion
• Foreign Portfolio Investment (FPI):
  • Net outflow of $9.6 billion
  • Previous year: net inflow of $1.6 billion
• NRI deposits:
  • Net inflow declined to $2.8 billion from $3.6 billion.
• External Commercial Borrowings (ECBs):
  • Net inflows declined to $3.3 billion from $4.4 billion.

Forex Reserve Impact

• India's foreign exchange reserves recorded a depletion of $8.1 billion on a Balance of Payments basis during the quarter.
• In the corresponding quarter of the previous year, reserves had increased by $4.5 billion.
• BoP-basis reserve change reflects transactions and should be distinguished from changes in the headline forex-reserve stock caused by currency and asset valuation movements.

Additional Info

What is Current Account Deficit?

Current Account is a component of a country's Balance of Payments (BoP). It broadly records:

• Goods: Merchandise exports and imports.
• Services: IT, business, transport, tourism and other services.
• Primary Income: Investment income, interest, profits, compensation of employees, etc.
• Secondary Income: Unrequited transfers, including remittances.

A Current Account Deficit occurs when a country's current-account payments exceed its current-account receipts.

Why is CAD Important?

• A moderate CAD is not necessarily adverse if it is financed by stable capital inflows such as FDI.
• A persistently high CAD can:
  • Increase demand for foreign currency.
  • Put depreciation pressure on the rupee.
  • Increase reliance on foreign capital.
  • Create pressure on forex reserves when external financing is inadequate.

CAD vs Fiscal Deficit

• CAD: Relates to India's transactions with the rest of the world.
• Fiscal Deficit: Gap between the government's total expenditure and its non-borrowed receipts.
• CAD → External-sector indicator
• Fiscal Deficit → Government-finance indicator

Sources

• The Economic Times
• The Indian Express
• Firstpost

Gollala Gudi Temple Declared Monument of National Importance

What’s the News?

• The Gollala Gudi Temple at Palampet village in Mulugu district, Telangana, has been declared a Monument of National Importance by the Union Government through a Gazette notification.
• The Kakatiya-era temple lies south-west of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Kakatiya Rudreshwara (Ramappa) Temple.
• It will now receive Central protection and conservation through the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (AMASR) Act, 1958.
• With its inclusion, the number of ASI-protected monuments in Telangana has increased to 10.

Gollala Gudi Temple

• Location: Palampet, Venkatapur mandal, Mulugu district, Telangana.
• Period: Kakatiya era, broadly associated with the 12th–13th centuries CE.
• Architectural type: Trikutalaya — a temple with three sanctums (garbhagrihas).
• Its layout includes:
  • An east-facing mandapa or pillared hall.
  • Three garbhagrihas towards the north, south and west.
  • A Shiva lingam in the central sanctum.
  • Two detached shrines with carved dvarapalas.

Architectural Features

• Parapets decorated with sculptures.
• Doorways and entablatures featuring rows of hamsas (swans).
• Intricate jali or lattice work.
• A high plinth decorated with animal figures and floral motifs.
• Wall niches containing representations of:
  • Vishnu
  • Lakshmi
  • Ganesha
  • Mahishasuramardini.

What Does ‘Monument of National Importance’ Mean?

• Such monuments are protected under the AMASR Act, 1958.
• Section 4 empowers the Central Government to declare an ancient monument or archaeological site to be of national importance.
  • The government first issues a preliminary Gazette notification.
  • A two-month period is provided for objections.
  • After considering objections, a final Gazette notification may declare the site nationally important.
• After declaration, the ASI is responsible for measures relating to its protection, conservation and maintenance.

Protection Zones

Under the AMASR Act:

• Prohibited Area: ordinarily 100 metres from the boundary of a protected monument.
• Regulated Area: extends for the next 200 metres beyond the prohibited area.
• Construction is tightly restricted in the prohibited zone, while activities in the regulated zone require prescribed permissions.

Ramappa Temple

• Officially called the Kakatiya Rudreshwara (Ramappa) Temple.
• Location: Palampet, Telangana.
• It represents the distinctive temple-building traditions of the Kakatiya dynasty.
• It was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2021.
• UNESCO recognition is under:
  • Criterion (i): Masterpiece of human creative genius.
  • Criterion (iii): Exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition/civilisation.

Additional Info

Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)

• Under: Ministry of Culture.
• Established: 1861.
• Founder: Alexander Cunningham, regarded as the first Director-General of ASI.
• Major functions:
  • Conservation of monuments of national importance.
  • Archaeological excavations and surveys.
  • Epigraphical research.
  • Regulation and protection of antiquities and archaeological heritage.
  • Implementation of the AMASR Act, 1958 and Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972.

Kakatiya Dynasty

• A major medieval Deccan dynasty centred in present-day Telangana.
• Capital: Orugallu, present-day Warangal.
• Important rulers included Ganapati Deva, Rudrama Devi and Prataparudra II.
• Kakatiya architecture is particularly known for ornate stone carving, elaborate pillars, sculptural decoration and distinctive temple planning.

Sources

• The Hindu
• Deccan Chronicle
• Mirror Now

Japan’s JCR Upgrades India’s Sovereign Rating to ‘A-’

What’s the News?

• Japan Credit Rating Agency (JCR) upgraded India’s foreign-currency and local-currency long-term sovereign issuer ratings by one notch from BBB+ to A-.
• The outlook remains Stable, indicating that JCR does not currently anticipate a rating change in either direction.
• JCR also raised India’s country ceiling from A- to A.
• The upgrade reflects India’s strong economic growth, improved fiscal expenditure quality, stronger financial system and resilient external position.
• This puts India in the A rating category on JCR’s scale, its first A-level sovereign rating from an international rating agency in more than three decades.

Why Did JCR Upgrade India?

Strong Economic Growth

• India has maintained growth of around 7%, supported by:
  • Robust private consumption.
  • High public investment, particularly infrastructure expenditure.
• Real GDP grew 7.8% in Q1 FY27, despite global economic and geopolitical headwinds.
• JCR expects India to maintain growth of more than 6% in FY27.

Structural Reforms

JCR highlighted policies strengthening India's long-term productive capacity, including:

• Goods and Services Tax (GST).
• Expansion of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI).
• Digital payments and Direct Benefit Transfers (DBT).
• Wider financial inclusion and formalisation of economic activity.

Fiscal Consolidation

• Centre's fiscal deficit declined from:
  • 4.7% of GDP in FY25
  • to 4.4% of GDP in FY26.
• JCR particularly noted improvement in the quality of government expenditure, with greater emphasis on capital expenditure and infrastructure rather than current expenditure.

Stronger Financial System

• India's banking-sector asset quality has improved substantially.
• Gross Non-Performing Assets (GNPA) declined to around 1.8% by the end of FY26.
• Factors supporting the improvement include:
  • Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC).
  • Government capital infusion.
  • Stronger RBI supervision.
• Capital adequacy and profitability of banks remain healthy, while asset quality and capital adequacy of NBFCs have also improved.

External-Sector Strength

JCR highlighted India's ability to withstand external shocks because:

• The Current Account Deficit (CAD) remains contained.
• India's large services surplus helps offset the merchandise trade deficit.
• Foreign-exchange reserves are substantial and significantly exceed short-term external debt.

Remaining Challenges

JCR also flagged continuing fiscal vulnerabilities:

• General government debt, including Centre and State debt, remains high.
• Interest payments impose a significant fiscal burden.
• India's federal fiscal structure and transfers between the Centre and States complicate fiscal consolidation.
• Sustained improvement will depend partly on whether government infrastructure spending successfully crowds in private investment.

Additional Info

What is a Sovereign Credit Rating?

A sovereign credit rating assesses a government's ability and willingness to repay its debt obligations.

A higher rating generally implies:

• Lower perceived default risk.
• Potentially lower overseas borrowing costs.
• Greater confidence among international investors.

What Does ‘A-’ Mean?

• A- is an investment-grade rating.
• On JCR's scale, it is higher than:
  • BBB+
  • BBB
  • BBB-
• But lower than:
  • A
  • A+
  • AA categories
  • AAA

What is a Country Ceiling?

• A country ceiling indicates the maximum rating generally assignable to foreign-currency obligations of entities located within that country.
• JCR raised India's country ceiling by one notch to A.

India’s Other Major Sovereign Ratings

• S&P Global: BBB / Stable
• Fitch: BBB- / Stable
• Moody’s: Baa3
• JCR's A- rating is therefore notably higher than India's ratings from the three major global agencies.

Sources

• The Economic Times
• NDTV
• Livemint