At the confluence of which two rivers in Kanakapura Taluk of Ramanagara District is the contentious Mekedatu Balancing Reservoir Project proposed by Karnataka?

D. Cauvery and Arkavathi rivers

C. Cauvery and Hemavathi rivers

D. Cauvery and Arkavathi rivers

What are the two exclusive intended utility purposes of the proposed Mekedatu Balancing Reservoir project conceived by Karnataka?

C. Bengaluru metropolitan drinking water supply and 400 MW hydroelectric power generation

A. Agricultural canal irrigation and inland water transport

B. Industrial cooling for steel plants and flood containment

C. Bengaluru metropolitan drinking water supply and 400 MW hydroelectric power generation

D. Commercial aquaculture and artificial ground recharge

Which Union Ministry serves as the apex administrative anchor for the revamped GOBARdhan Compressed Biogas scheme backed by a 10-year outlay of ₹23,731 crore approved in August 2026?

B. Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG)

C. Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare

D. Ministry of Rural Development

Which terrorist attack was explicitly and unequivocally condemned in the BRICS New Delhi Declaration adopted during the 18th BRICS Summit in September 2026?

A. Pahalgam terror attack of 22 April 2025

B. Pulwama convoy bombing of February 2019

C. Uri terror strike of September 2016

D. Dhangri village attack of January 2023

What official stance did member nations adopt regarding the creation of a common BRICS single currency in the New Delhi Declaration 2026?

C. Discarded plans for a common single currency, prioritizing bilateral local currency trade and cross-border digital payment linkages

A. Agreed to launch a gold-backed physical BRICS banknote by 2027

B. Adopted the Chinese Yuan as the mandatory reserve currency of BRICS

C. Discarded plans for a common single currency, prioritizing bilateral local currency trade and cross-border digital payment linkages

D. Established an official BRICS Central Bank in Moscow

Under the MSME Development (Amendment) Bill, 2026 passed by Parliament, which electronic factoring platform was made mandatory for all Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) to settle MSME supplier invoices?

D. TReDS (Trade Receivables Electronic Discounting System)

A. GeM (Government e-Marketplace)

D. TReDS (Trade Receivables Electronic Discounting System)

For achieving what monumental expansion in its domestic social protection coverage was India conferred the 'Outstanding Achievement in Social Security Award 2025' by ISSA in Kuala Lumpur?

A. Introducing mandatory unemployment stipends in urban areas

B. Achieving 100% universal basic pension for all citizens above 50

C. Eliminating all private health insurance schemes

Back to BPSC Current Affairs

BPSC Bihar Special • Current Affairs02 October 2026

Bihar Current Affairs: Mekedatu Reservoir, GOBARdhan CBG Mandate, Shaksgam Valley & BRICS New Delhi Declaration

Source: Ministry of Petroleum / Ministry of External Affairs / BRICS / RBI / Ministry of MSME•Exam Target: BPSC 71st & 72nd CCE Prelims

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BPSC 72nd Special Dossier — Track B, Day 6

1. Mekedatu Balancing Reservoir Dispute: Hydro-Geopolitics in Cauvery Basin

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Location & Setting: Proposed by the Government of Karnataka in Kanakapura Taluk of Ramanagara District at the deep gorge confluence of the Cauvery River and its tributary Arkavathi River, located barely 4 km upstream of the Tamil Nadu border.

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Nomenclature: Mekedatu translates to "Goat’s Leap" in Kannada.

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Project Specifications: A multi-purpose balancing reservoir conceived with a storage capacity of ~67 TMC ft to secure drinking water for the Bengaluru metropolitan region and generate 400 MW of hydroelectric power. It has zero irrigation canal network.

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Tamil Nadu's Legal Objections: Tamil Nadu contends that constructing a reservoir so close to the border impedes natural flows to Mettur Dam, violating the 2007 Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) award and the Supreme Court’s 2018 modified allocation order without lower riparian consent.

2. GOBARdhan Scheme: National Compressed Biogas (CBG) Mandate

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Scheme Genesis & Re-anchoring: Originally launched in April 2018 under Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin), the Union Cabinet in August 2026 expanded the initiative into the National Circular Bioenergy Scheme / Unified Compressed Biogas Scheme, shifting its administrative anchor to the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG).

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Massive Financial Outlay: ₹23,731 crore allocated across a 10-year horizon from FY 2026-27 to FY 2035-36 to achieve a 10-fold scale-up in domestic CBG production.

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Phased Mandatory CBG Blending Obligations (CBO):

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3% in FY 2026–27

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4% in FY 2027–28

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5% from FY 2028–29 onwards across City Gas Distribution (CGD) networks for both CNG (transportation) and PNG (domestic cooking).

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Guaranteed Pricing: Fixed administered price of ₹2,110 per MMBTU guaranteed for an assured 10-year offtake period. Capital support of up to ₹2 crore per Tonne Per Day (TPD) capacity for greenfield projects.

3. Shaksgam Valley (Trans-Karakoram Tract): Indo-China Strategic Flashpoint

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Geographical Matrix: A hyper-strategic, high-altitude tract (~5,180 sq km) situated immediately north of the Karakoram Range and the Siachen Glacier (the world's highest battlefield), through which the Shaksgam River flows.

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Historical & Legal Status: Integral part of the former princely state of Jammu & Kashmir; illegally occupied by Pakistan in 1947–48 and illegally ceded to China under the Sino-Pakistan Boundary Agreement of 2 March 1963.

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India's Sovereign Position: India rejects the 1963 agreement as completely illegal and void, maintaining that Shaksgam Valley is an inalienable territory of India falling under the Union Territory of Ladakh.

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2026 Strategic Concerns: Rapid Chinese construction of militarized road networks, bridges, and tunnels extending within 30 to 50 km of Indian defenses on Siachen.

4. 18th BRICS Summit: New Delhi Declaration 2026

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Host & Milestones: Chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 12–13 September 2026 in New Delhi, marking the 20th anniversary of the BRICS grouping under the theme: “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”.

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Landmark Outcomes in New Delhi Declaration:

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Uncompromising Counter-Terrorism: Explicitly condemned the horrific 22 April 2025 terror attack in Pahalgam (Jammu & Kashmir) which killed 26 individuals, calling for zero tolerance against state-sponsored cross-border terrorism.

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Global Governance Reform: Reaffirmed support for permanent UNSC seats for India and Brazil and called for the next UN Secretary-General to be a woman.

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Currency Consensus: Resolutely discarded any plans for a synthetic common BRICS currency, directing members instead to expand local-currency trade settlements and interoperable digital payments.

5. MSME Development (Amendment) Bill, 2026

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Legislative Overhaul: Passed by Parliament in August 2026, revamping the 20-year-old MSMED Act 2006.

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Economic Pillar: MSMEs drive 31.1% of India’s GDP, 35.4% of manufacturing output, 48.58% of national exports, and employ over 40 crore people across 9.16 crore registered units on the Udyam portal.

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Key Structural Reforms:

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Mandatory TReDS Settlement: Compulsory onboarding of all Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) to settle MSME supplier invoices via the Trade Receivables Electronic Discounting System (TReDS) platform.

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Expedited Dispute Resolution: Statutory timeline of 90 days for conciliation and 90 days for arbitration awards through Online Dispute Resolution (ODR).

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Decriminalization: Replaced penal imprisonment provisions with civil financial penalties.

6. Industrial, Monetary & Cultural Benchmarks

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BHAVYA Rasayan Scheme: Approved on 24 July 2026 with a ₹3,030 crore outlay under the Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers to set up three dedicated world-class chemical parks (minimum 2,000 acres / 8 sq km contiguous land; up to ₹1,000 crore Central grant each).

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RBI Monetary Policy Committee (August 2026): Maintained the policy Repo Rate at 5.25% with a Neutral stance, projecting real GDP growth at 6.7% and CPI inflation at 5.0% for FY 2026-27.

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Global South Concept: Coined in 1969 by Carl Oglesby; delineated economically by the Brandt Line. India has institutionalized leadership through the Voice of Global South Summit and inducting the African Union into the G20.

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International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC): 7,200 km multimodal freight route founded in 2000 by India, Iran, and Russia, bypassing the Suez Canal to slash transit times to Russia from 45 days to 20–25 days.

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Dadasaheb Phalke Award 2024: Conferred on iconic Kannada veteran actor Anant Nag in September 2026.

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ISSA Social Security Award 2025: Conferred on India in Kuala Lumpur for expanding social security coverage from 19% in 2015 to 64.43% in 2025.

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