Which premier scientific research institution indigenously developed 'BIRSA 101', India's first CRISPR-Cas9 based gene therapy for Sickle Cell Disease?

A. National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune

B. Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad

C. Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru

Which structural corporate tax rationalization was introduced in Union Budget 2026–27 to enhance Ease of Doing Business and minimize tax litigation?

B. Rationalization of Minimum Alternate Tax (MAT) to 14% as a final tax

A. Total elimination of Goods and Services Tax for manufacturing

B. Rationalization of Minimum Alternate Tax (MAT) to 14% as a final tax

C. Exemption of foreign institutional investors from capital gains filing

D. Introduction of a 50% flat tax on corporate dividend distributions

Which landmark legislation has been actively deployed in India to decriminalize hundreds of minor, technical, and procedural commercial offences?

A. Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act

C. Competition Commission Act, 2002

D. Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016

Which emergent political party and youth leader secured an absolute majority in Nepal's transformative 2026 General Elections?

D. Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) led by Balendra 'Balen' Shah

A. CPN-UML led by K.P. Sharma Oli

B. Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) led by Prachanda

C. Nepali Congress led by Sher Bahadur Deuba

D. Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) led by Balendra 'Balen' Shah

Which set accurately ranks the top three countries holding the largest proven crude oil reserves globally in 2025–26?

A. Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, and Iran

B. Saudi Arabia, Russia, and United States

C. Canada, Iraq, and United Arab Emirates

Which tectonic plate convergence is geologically responsible for the uplift of the 7,000-km-long Andes fold mountain chain along South America's western margin?

A. Subduction of oceanic Nazca Plate beneath continental South American Plate

B. Pacific Plate and Indo-Australian Plate

C. Cocos Plate and Caribbean Plate

D. African Plate and Eurasian Plate collision

Back to BPSC Current Affairs

BPSC Bihar Special • Current Affairs18 September 2026

Bihar Current Affairs: Sickle Cell Elimination 2047, USBRL Link, EoDB Reforms & Venezuela Oil Geopolitics

Source: Information & Public Relations Department (IPRD Bihar) / Official Gazettes•Exam Target: BPSC 71st & 72nd CCE Prelims

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BPSC 72nd Core Foundation Dossier — Module 9

1. National Sickle Cell Anemia Elimination Mission & BIRSA 101

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Genetic Etiology: Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) is an inherited red blood cell disorder characterized by abnormal hemoglobin (HbS), causing erythrocytes to warp into rigid crescent/sickle shapes, triggering vaso-occlusive crises and organ damage.

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National Mission 2047: Launched on 1 July 2023 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Shahdol, Madhya Pradesh under the National Health Mission (NHM).

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Target Objective: Complete elimination of Sickle Cell Disease as a major public health hazard by year 2047 (Vision 2047), with priority screening across tribal populations in 17 high-burden states.

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Breakthrough Gene Therapy (BIRSA 101): Unveiled by CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB), Delhi, BIRSA 101 is India's first indigenously developed CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing therapy targeting defective hemoglobin genes.

2. Jammu-Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL)

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National Infrastructure Feat: Spans 272 km across rugged Himalayan terrain, connecting the Kashmir Valley directly to India's broad-gauge national rail network.

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National Project Status: Conferred 'National Project' status in 2002.

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Engineering Icons: Houses the world-renowned Chenab Rail Bridge (world's highest railway bridge at 359 m above riverbed, surpassing Eiffel Tower) and the Anji Khad Bridge (Indian Railways’ first cable-stayed bridge).

3. Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) & Union Budget 2026–27 Reforms

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Macroeconomic Trajectory: India's World Bank Doing Business rank jumped from 142nd (2014) to 63rd (2019), and IMD World Competitiveness improved to 41st in 2025; ranked in 'Group A' in World Bank GovTech Maturity Index (2020, 2022, 2025).

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Decriminalization & Deregulation:

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Through the Jan Vishwas Act, hundreds of technical business infractions were decriminalized.

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More than 47,000 regulatory compliances simplified, digitized, or dismantled.

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Key Provisions in Union Budget 2026–27:

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MAT Rationalization: Minimum Alternate Tax (MAT) rationalized to a flat 14% as a final tax to permanently end tax litigation.

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New Income Tax Act: Replaces cumbersome legacy codes with a streamlined corporate and personal tax regime.

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Customs Integrated System (CIS): Fully integrated automated customs processing within 2 years.

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Startup Capital: Fresh infusion of ₹10,000 crore into the central 'Fund of Funds' for startups and deep-tech innovation.

4. Nepal General Election 2026: The Generative Shift

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Historic Mandate: The 2026 parliamentary election witnessed a seismic political realignment; Nepali voters handed a decisive majority to the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) under the leadership of Balendra 'Balen' Shah.

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Anti-Establishment Wave: Driven by nationwide youth discontent ("Gen-Z" mobilization) against decades of systemic corruption, unemployment, and revolving-door governance by legacy communist and Nepali Congress leaders.

5. Global Energy Geopolitics: Venezuela, OPEC & Oil Reserves

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Operation Absolute Resolve (January 2026): US military intervention ended Nicolás Maduro's administration; Delcy Rodríguez assumed office as Interim President of Venezuela.

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World's Largest Proven Crude Oil Reserves:

Venezuela: 303.0 billion barrels (approx. 17.17% of global total, largest on Earth).

Saudi Arabia: 267.2 billion barrels (15.14%).

Iran: 208.6 billion barrels (11.82%).

Canada: 163.1 billion barrels (9.24% - predominantly oil sands/bitumen).

Iraq: 145.0 billion barrels (8.22%).

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OPEC Membership Changes:

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Founded in September 1960 in Baghdad with Venezuela as a founding member.

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UAE exited OPEC and OPEC+ effective 1 May 2026 (following Angola's exit in 2024, Ecuador in 2020, and Qatar in 2019), reducing core OPEC membership to 11 nations.

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Geopolitical Doctrines:

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Monroe Doctrine (1823): Declared by President James Monroe, warning European powers against colonial intervention in the Americas.

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Roosevelt Corollary (1904): Theodore Roosevelt's expansion asserting US "police power" in Latin America.

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South American Physical Geography:

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Andes Mountains: Longest continental fold mountain chain (~7,000 km) formed by the subduction/convergence of the oceanic Nazca Plate under the continental South American Plate; apex peak Mount Aconcagua (6,961 m).

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Lake Maracaibo: Largest lake in South America and core hub of Venezuelan petroleum extraction.

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Angel Falls: World's highest uninterrupted waterfall (979 m) located on the Kerep river in Canaima National Park.

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