BPSC Bihar Special • Current Affairs17 September 2026
Bihar Current Affairs: Malacca Geopolitics, Menstrual Rights, Musi Riverfront, Rice Record & WAVES Summit
Source: Information & Public Relations Department (IPRD Bihar) / Official Gazettes•Exam Target: BPSC 71st & 72nd CCE Prelims
BPSC 72nd Core Foundation Dossier — Module 8
1. Strait of Malacca: Strategic Maritime Chokepoint
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Geopolitical Significance: The Strait of Malacca connects the Indian Ocean (Andaman Sea) to the Pacific Ocean (South China Sea), bordered by Sumatra (Indonesia) to the west, Peninsular Malaysia and Southern Thailand to the east, and Singapore at its southern terminus.
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Economic Lifeline for India: Approximately 55% to 60% of India's maritime trade navigates through this critical waterway.
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Global Trade Metrics: Handles 25% of all global maritime trade, facilitating over 1,02,500 vessel transits annually and 23.2 million barrels of crude oil daily (~29% of global maritime oil).
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Physical Dimensions: Roughly 800 km long with an average width of 65 km; narrows down to just 2.8 km at the Phillips Channel in the Singapore Strait.
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The "Malacca Dilemma": Represents China’s greatest strategic vulnerability, as 60% to 80% of its imported hydrocarbons transit this narrow passage, which is monitored closely by India's tri-services Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC).
2. Right to Menstrual Health: Landmark Supreme Court Ruling
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Constitutional Enshrinement: A division bench comprising Justices J.B. Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan elevated Menstrual Health and Hygiene to the status of an enforceable Fundamental Right under Article 21 (Right to Dignity) and Article 14 (Equality) of the Constitution.
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Inspirational Precept: Echoed the motto of The Pad Project: “A period should end a sentence, not a girl's education”.
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Binding Directives: Mandated all States and Union Territories to provide gender-segregated functional toilets, free menstrual products, and eco-friendly incinerators in government and private schools, warning of derecognition for non-compliance.
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Public Health Data: National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) recorded a rise in hygienic menstrual protection to 77.3% (from 57.6% in NFHS-4), yet nearly 25% of women still suffer from menstrual poverty.
3. Musi Riverfront Development Project (MRDP)
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Urban Rejuvenation: Telangana Government’s flagship infrastructure initiative executed by the Musi Riverfront Development Corporation Ltd (MRDCL), transforming a 55 km urban corridor through Hyderabad on the lines of the Sabarmati Riverfront.
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Perennial Rejuvenation: Diverts 2.5 TMC of water from the Godavari River basin (via Mallanna Sagar reservoir) into Osmansagar and Himayatsagar to sustain continuous environmental flows.
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Pollution Abatement: Construction of 39 new Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) and upgrading 31 existing plants.
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Cultural Focal Point: The Gandhi Sarovar Cultural Precinct at the confluence of the Musa and Esi rivulets, featuring the proposed world's tallest statue of Mahatma Gandhi.
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Geographical Background: Originates in the Ananthagiri Hills (Vikarabad district) and flows 267 km before merging as a major left-bank tributary of the Krishna River.
4. Agricultural Milestones: Copra MSP, Coconut Scheme & Record Rice Output
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Copra MSP for 2026: Approved by Union Cabinet:
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Milling Copra: ₹12,027 per quintal (+₹445 hike).
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Ball Copra: ₹12,500 per quintal (+₹400 hike).
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Procured by NAFED and NCCF under the Price Support Scheme (PSS).
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Nariyal Samvardhan Yojana (Budget 2026–27): India leads global coconut production with a 30.37% global share. Part of a ₹350 crore high-value plantation package; Coconut Development Board (CDB, est. 1981, Kochi) raised seedling subsidies to ₹45/plant and area expansion subsidies up to ₹56,000/ha.
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Historic Rice Record: India surpassed China in agricultural year 2024–25 with a record harvest of 150.18 million tonnes, making India the world’s #1 rice producer.
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Top Producing States:
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Uttar Pradesh: 20.76 MT (13.82%)
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Telangana: 17.45 MT (11.62%)
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West Bengal: 16.02 MT (10.66%)
5. Transparency & Trade Frontiers: CPI, REE, WAVES & India-UK FTA
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Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2025: Released by Transparency International; India ranked 91st out of 182 countries with a score of 39/100 (improving from 96th rank / score 38 in 2024).
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Rare Earth Corridors: Central government announced dedicated corridors across 4 coastal states: Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Odisha, and Andhra Pradesh to extract and refine 17 rare earth elements.
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WAVES Summit 2025: World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit held at Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai (1–4 May 2025) under the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting; PM Modi championed the Creative / Orange Economy, aiming for a $50B industry by 2029 with the establishment of the Indian Institute of Creative Technology (IICT).
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India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA) 2025: Concluded in London by PM Narendra Modi and UK PM Keir Starmer; grants zero-duty tariff elimination on 99% of Indian exports, targeting $120B in bilateral trade by 2030.
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