Daily Current Affairs Analysis | 12th September, 2026 | Shankar IAS Academy | UPSC | Mains 2026

Hi, hello and welcome to Shankara Academyy's daily current affairs analysis and today's date is the 11th of September 2026. Please like, comment, share and subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit on the bell icon to receive instant updates and all our notifications from the academy. So with that, let's move into the topics of discussion for the day. Topics of discussion. The first topic is about the endometriosis being a neglected disease for so long and how much of the global burden is constituted by India and why now why are we talking about this now is going to be decoded here. And the second article is taken from the PIB. It is about India's blue economy. It is talking about how there is a blue revolution and why it is important for India to understand all of this and make new schemes and policies and also uh focus on the maintenance of the schemes. And the third one is about the bricks. You see that the brick summit is something that is very very significant and it talks about the world having a lot of powers that is is moving from a uniolarity to a multipolarity and we'll decode that in detail and also we'll talk about the challenges that are present there is a changing world order that's what will be decoded and the fourth one is about the decentralized renewable energy and the energy security that is present you see that when we talk about energy security being specific to Odisha and the rural areas there's something that's very very significant that has happened this article is taken from the down to earth and we'll decode it and the final one is a princip for the day so what are we waiting for let's move into the article for the day the first one is about the endometriosis this article is taken from uh the express you see that endometriosis is a phenomenon wherein the woman's reproductive part above that there's a tissue a tissue that will grow over the fallopian tube that area And there will be a inflammation that happens there. When this inflammation that happens when there's pain, a lot of people take um the idea that they're getting their regular cramps, the monthly cramps and they actually fail to notice that this is a disease. So this has become a neglected disease because of this. Let's decode this in detail. So the context is that the ICMR le genomewide study has found that women have a genetic disposition that is present to endometriosis. So Indian women may have this genetic predisposition uh that is uh with regard to endometriosis is the first point. The second one is that endometriosis is um uh um neglected disease. So learning about this neglected disease, this is the first time that is actually happening in India. So this is the first kind of a genome study that is happening with regard to India. The third one is there is a population specific approach that is necessary for early diagnosis or treatment because it is a neglected disease. the diagnosis and the treatment. It is taking a long time for people to understand how to diagnose the disease and how to treat the disease and the global burden because a lot of people do not identify in the early terms even um if they identify in the early time only they will be able to give the treatment right. So when it takes a lot of time and after they become infertile or after they become in the after they go to the final stages that is when if they identify that they have this problem. So the treatment is also going to be very very difficult. So this is the context. So as already stated endometriosis is a tissue which is similar to the endometrium that is a uterine lining and it grows outside the uterus. So when it grows outside the uterus like this, it affects organs such as the ovaries, it affects the fallopian tube and it affects the pelvic tissue. So now this outer layer it's not going to be simply that it is going to inflame itself. So this can cause severe menstrual pain. This can cause chronic pain that is present and this can also cause fatigue or infertility. So this fatigue and infertility is caused and this creates a psychological burden on women. So the exact cause of why this happens or the exact cause of what is a cure for this hormonal disease is not yet known. So you see that this is normal and this is the endometriosis. For a normal person the fallopian tube is like this and the ovary is there and the endometrium is here. But when you see endometriosis you have these red color spots that I'm talking about here. Right? These red color spots they are actually inflamed. because they're inflamed and because uh they are um affecting um women they do not know that if it is a menstrual pain, menstrual cramp or if it is because of this. Only when they go take a entire checkup they know that they do have this problem. Now about 10% of the women in reproductive age are estimated to live with endometriosis and India is estimated for 25% of the global burden. So which is why it is very very important for India to make the risk stratification and this risk stratification will only help in policym. So this can be quoted in GS1 women health issues. So genetic factors also partly explain why Indian women are susceptible to this disease and this also may be associated with higher incidence of immune related conditions. So there's lupus, multiple sclerosis and inflammatory bowel disease which also is caused by primarily caused by endometriosis. And this is a autoimmune condition. So autoimmune condition is a condition where your body's own immunity starts acting against the uh other daily functions of your body and because of which you can you cannot stop what is happening inside your body and it may um you know affect an organ or it may affect the function of your body and in the end you will have a disease uh about this condition. So um this is about the autoimmune syndrome. Now the major challenges are so often for 4 to year 12 years there's a delay in identifying that you have this particular disease according to WH so when we have as already stated because of period pain we dismiss everything that is happening with regard to that and we think that is very normal. So only when they expect experience difficulty conceiving a lot of women actually go and get it checked. Now this creates a lot of psychological burden for them. This also affects the way that they conceive themselves because fertility is something that is seen as a very sacred thing in India. So when they're not able to conceive, there are a lot of uh pressures that the women face. So delayed treatment can result in the internal scaring organ damage or complications affecting fertility. Three things. So first you have the painkillers that are given for treatment because there is no definitive cure and it is a hormonal disease. So painkillers are given and then you have G&R medicines to suppress the symptoms pills and progesterine for that and endometri leons in severe cases are removed by laparoscopic surgery and uh IVF also is given when infertility is present. So currently there's no definitive cure. With this we have come to the prelimin question for the day. Consider the following statements regarding endometriosis. It involves the growth of a tissue similar to the uterine lining outside the uterus. Yes, genetic factors may contribute to susceptibility to the disease. Yes, it is a definitive curative treatment available through hormonal therapy. We know third statement is wrong. So, anything with three will go. So, the answer should be option A one and two only. Let's check. Yes, the answer is option A one and two only. With this, we have come to the end of the first topic and let's move to India's blue economy. The second topic for the day. India's blue economy fueling the India's blue economy this article is taken from the PIB so six years of empowering India's fisheries sector under PMMSY that is the Pradhan mantri matya satri yojana so this yojna has particularly strengthened uh the fisheries sector and the context if you see it was launched in 2020 with 20,750 crores outlet so this is one of the flagship project of the fisheries and with regard to that a lot of times This has been quoted in GS2 in the governance angle and if you see in PYQ for prelims with regard to blue economy they've had a question with regard to fisheries also they've had a question which is why this angle is very very important for the PyQs. So this um this is approximately help three cr people who are dependent on fisheries to have their livelihood. Now if you see about the pradan mantri satya yoja machi satya yoja it is launched by minister of fisheries animal husbandry and diiring during the year 2020 to 2021. Now the total outlay we have seen already is 20,750 crores and the record is 2500 cr allocation for this sector. So all states and union territories are covered under the scheme and uh that inland marine and coastal fisheries anything regard to water and fishes are covered under the scheme. So it is a blue revolution. So they want a blue economy that is inclusive that is sustainable that will help people. So this is a blue revolution that is present also the central sector and centrally sponsored compre all of that we'll be dealing with in detail is entirely centrally sponsored scheme or uh is there a central sector that is balancing out are the states contributing to it as well and the subs scheme the uh that strengthens the insurance and formalization of the scheme and the financial angle of the scheme. Now you see that uh projects approved from 2020 to 2026 it has taken about 21,394 crores. Fish production has gone up to 197.75 LTS and exports have gained revenue up to 73,890 crores and 58 lakh livelihoods have been created. So what what do these numbers say? What am I talking about? It says that the fish's production have gone up to 40% higher in 5 years. So rural income has been sustained. Rural income has been helped. So 73,000 cr exports are crossed and 58 lakh direct and indirect jobs are present. That is core to the blue economy livelihood. Now if you see scheme architecture the central sector 100 when you talk about central sector it is 100% government funding. So all the renewable and development innovation that happens that will be taken care of the government. The aquatic quarantine and disease surveillance. So in case there's a species that has gotten a disease. So the surveillance of the disease they're seeing that no other fish or no other product no other uh product um you know aggravates this particular um disease or no other aquatic animal gets these disease. All this quarantine is happening just like how we had during COVID. The harbor modernization and NF uh NFD DB support is uh also present and then you have cooperatives uh that you know enhance the uh fisheries support and their safety and uh there is traceability and certification and labeling. They know where the fishes are, what is happening. they all have it neatly detailedly um given so that they understand that how the system works and the final one is how is the matsa sub scheme that is present also uh the centrally sponsored scheme is the cost will be shared with that particular state or beauty in a particular um percentage so the fish production and productivity will be enhanced so not just about the fishes even seaweeds are included The inlands are included. The marine and mariculture are included here and harbors and landing centers are also taken care and coal chain deep sea fishing and coastal villages are also taken care and there is monitoring control and surveillance that is necessary and there is an extension of service and the fishers welfare. So you see that the pradan mandri matsakisan samri soja it's a central subs scheme. So about 6,000 crores across all states and UTS it is um present. So with this uh regard there is also the the poor bonder ice factory. This poor bonder ice factory actually helps store fishes. There's also a green soup phenomenon. microbes clean water while also being a fer to the fish. So this is also present. So the insurance coverage also it talks about the occupational risk and uh the people who are putting their life at risk. So all of this will be covered and there is improved access to institutional credit and performance that is present. So um across the fisheries value chain there's also the quality that is present and there's a structural transformation that is organized it is transparent and it is resilient. So you see that this is the fish production trajectory in 2024 to 2025. It has grown from 142 in 2020 and this has actually created a lot of employment export and production that we've already dealt with the data in detail. So this is basically for a glance for you to know that this is how much it is grown. So the production export and livelihood are taken care of. Now there is also a modern angle the agricultural uh infrastructure that is present for the agriculture like that there's an aquaculture um infrastructure that is necessary for the fishes right so what is happening there so 12 approved aqua parks are there to take care of all the marine organisms there's also a seaweed cultivation there's also a paper which has uh spoken about seaweed being being the next food. Uh so we you can read more about it. There's also the inland aquaculture. This can also be quoted in your GS3 science and technology part the biofllock unit. Earlier when we talked about the green soups, the green soup is also boflock unit and this has high density but it requires you know lower assistance for the farming water farming. Then ornamental fisheries are backed. Ornamental fishes are even grown even today in a lot of houses that those are also taken care of and diversified aquaculture is productive, resource efficient and scalable. So you see uh farmers produce um farmers uh produce fish and they support incubation. They have uh strengthen the bargaining power of the small fisheries. That's collective marketing that is present. 200 lakh per village. It's fully centrally funded. There's livelihood diversification that happens post harvest and there's economically vibrant postal communities. Those are present. Now you see that in technology angle there is the re um recirculatory aquaculture system. So it reuses the water for the intensive aquaculture farming that is present. A boflock is that microbes recycle nutrients into feed the green soup of aquaculture and there is digital platform that is launched under the PMKS while from September 2024 there is 37.23 two three lakh registrations that is present and there's also access to credit insurance and traceability that is present and formalization digital identities for all stakeholders all work people and there's a datadriven governance so two decades in poor bundas fishing enterprise there has been high cost in setting up the ice plant that we have already seen because this ice plant was set up the storing of the fishes was very easy so local fishing boats had ice supply all the time. So they can store their fish and they can actually sell the fish at a fresher level. So there's lower spoilage and better catch quality and higher earnings that is present. So grassroot growth is present. So with reference to the initiatives under the praan monthly matria consider the following pairs national fisheries digital platform launched under PMMKsy in September 2024. Fish farmer production organization. Uh collective empowerment of fisheries and fish farmers. Climate resilient coastal villages fully funded by the concerned state government. Recirculatory aquaculture system. Water efficient and intensive farming technology. How many of the given pairs above are correctly matched? Only one pair, only two pairs, only three pairs or four pairs. So please send us across your answer copies um for this question in the comment section. We'll respond to it. And with this let's move to the third topic for the day. The third topic for the day is bricks at 20 a ch changing world order. So India host the 18th brick summit. It is 20 years since bricks happened. Earlier it was brick and then south Africa decided to join. So when South Africa decided to join it became bricks. Now this has sharpened the internal fault lines. So what is India's multi- alignment doctrine and what has happened? So first who coined the term? Jim O'Neal coined the term and he worked in Goldman shacks in 2001 and then the foreign ministers they met on the UNGA sidelines and the first summit happened in Russia. So what was the year it was in June 2009 and then South Africa joined during 2009 it was brick and then after South Africa joined it became bricks and then there's an expansion the Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, UAE all of them have been admitted. So 11th full member in January became Indonesia and the chairman they rotate annually and in 2026 India has chaired. So the purpose is to there uh there there is a lot of emerging economy in the world right so for the emerging economies to have a voice bricks provides that platform. So the reform of the IMF, World Bank, UN Security Council, all of them will be debated and spoken there. And then the new development bank 2014, it started funding the infrastructure and development because of which there was a resilience. So what resilience am I talking about? There was a liquidity pool of 100 billion. So liquidity meaning you can take the amount cash. It's not in the form of any asset. So there was liquidity and uh the contingent reserve arrangement gave about resilience. So intrabricks trade was also present and they diversified the supply chains. So local currency settlement and payment linkages. You always see that this is called as a grant. So why not as a rupee or a yen? It is because it is the country specific. So they wanted a common term as grant. So they will grant the amount for particular uh infrastructure or particular resilience and uh the cooperation can be in a lot of sectors like health, climate, digital infrastructure and critical minerals. So even we had a recent question on the critical mineral mission so that you can go and refer the 2026 PYQ paper. Now you see that the new development bank has approved 141 project and it is present in Shangghai, China and it has uh given infrastructure and developmental finance for a lot of countries and if you see that the contingent reserve arrangement it is a liquidity backs stop. So this is um established from 2024 in the fodzilla summit. It is a short-term for balance of payment crisis support and this is an alternative to IMF only support. So when the international montage fund you're not going to um you know abide by the rules the two rules or three rules that the IMF gives when they say that they're going to help you out of the crisis then this is a this contingent um reserve fund can actually help you. So what are the brick numbers that we're talking about? You see that there has been a GDP rise and in G7 also you see from uh 23% to 36.8% and uh the G7 slide is from 52% to 29%. So bricks has grown um in 2025 and 2026 there's almost only a 0.1 you know um difference there and the per capita is also um helped us to see that there is a prosperity. So here if you see that the G7 the share of the world GDP it is 52. Here if you see it is 23. Here if you see it is 37. Here if you see it is 29. So more than the G7 grouping the bricks grouping has uh so more than uh the bricks grouping. The bricks grouping has only like five important countries but here you have seven countries. So almost it is more or less equal in the share of the global GDP. So this is um a strategic autonomy that is present. So there are no blocks saying that US and Australia is a block or India and South Africa is a block. There are no blocks. Everybody has a equal voice here. So this uh has all platforms to address. It has the quad. It has the G20. It has the bricks. A lot of platforms are addressing all the issues. And India proposed NDB in the 2012 Delhi summit. And there's also a convergence that is present. the early phase in India it has a US strategic alignment and the multi- alignment is a hedge and it is not a compromise that is present so you see that uh western dominance in US privacy for that China in the east it is also giving a counter saying that we also have power right and there is economic lifeline after the exclusion and sanctions by Russia India is a anti not an anti-western block but it is a global south platform which helps out people and Brazil has pragmatic diplomacy and new members also have diverse motives that is energy finance and geopolitics. So the core tension is when a lot of people agree consensus and if one person like Trump says that I do not agree or if one person um in the brick uh union if he says that I don't agree with this. So what happens what happens with consensus and confrontation? How do you take the decision is something that is very very critical. So expansion is widening but the cohesion between everybody it is not deepened. Now you see that foreign ministers meet in May 2026. Members failed to agree on a joint declaration. So Iran and UAE on opposite sides of the West Asia conflict. India issued a chair statement instead as a host. It acknowledged the differing views among members. It did not say UAE you are right. It did not say Iran you are right. It just was a very diplomatic person and then it made a crisis time consensus far harder because of the um exposure and the vulnerability that was present. Now you see that um how it works the bricks pay how it works there is a launch that is to be unveiled in 2026 summit as a instant payment system. So it settles trade without dollar rails and it is by interoperable CBDC's and not by currency. So this is a uh there's a limit also there's no bricks currency as reserve. So it complements the system it does not replace the system by this we will actually tackle the dollar imposition that is present on us. So now if you see that uh India has 2026 host it prioritizes the consensus it um spoke about the rare optics um Ginping's visit or uh Putin's presence there is diversified and resident supply chain cooperation there is push reform of IMF world bank and global institutions there is health climate finance at critical minerals that is in the agenda and there's also making bricks more practical as a vision. Now consider the following statements with regarding to bricks and associated institutions. Bricks was formalized in 2006 when foreign ministers met on the sidelines of UNGA. Yes, the first brick summit was held in uh uh Yakartenberg, Russia in 2009. Yes. Indonesia became the 11th full member of bricks in January 2025. Yes. The new development bank is headquartered at Shanga. So the fourth statement should be wrong. The answer should be option A 1 2 and three only. Let's check. Yes, the answer is option A 1, 2 and 3 only. With this, let's move to the mains topic for the day. The main topic for the day is about how solar is helping communities in rural Adisha to cope with energy poverty. So energy poverty that is something that is very very important for us to discuss in the GS3 perspective because we are going to deal with energy specifically in GS3. So you see that rural communities in um um Odisha they have become they've overcome the unreliable electricity and dependence on diesel. So they have gone to renewable energy. How did they do that? What happened there? You see that solar power systems are used. So it is not just for the household electricity that are using they are using them. They are using them for irrigation or for agricultural processing. All their day-to-day activities they using this because of which women led enterprises have grown. So they have come from Kora and Kalhandi districts. So smallcale renewable energy systems generate and store power and it's at the point of use. So you see that there are rooftop panels, there are solar pumps that are present, there is biomass that that is used by organic and farm waste, there are small water flow generators and there is local energy networks that are present. So solar systems provide electricity and that is where the grid supply is um regular, irregular or unavailable. So there is frequent uh there was frequent power cuts now they are able to tackle with that and uh the solar power irrigation it reduces the dependence on diesel pumps because earlier using diesel pumps only they used to irrigate the fields now that is not necessary for them and the fuel expenditure for farmers have gone down which is beneficial for them. So energy is not just for lighting but for irrigation food processing drying and value addition. So farmers um have um you know increased access and um there is ginger and turmeric that are um processed and when they're processed a lot of times if they are not properly stored they will actually be perishable. So now there are solar dryers that are present. These solar dryers actually help us to convert surplus produ produce into higher value products. Even if you see tomato when they're dried and they're sold in a way um they fetch more money just like that the sundried tomatoes using solar panels also fetch more money for them. It is a value added product for them and the solar powered processing also help women's self-help groups to generate livelihoods and run their um you know self-help group more efficiently. And local processing means that they do not have to tra uh travel long distance to actually get something processed because the solar availability is present there itself. There is also a solar and battery storage. So there's degree of energy security during grid outrages especially that is present during the monsoon. So challenges are you see that grid electricity that remains unreliable. So solar systems have initial capital cost. So maintenance also even if maintenance takes lesser amount the initial cost that you're going to invest is going to be high and the equipment and battery storage that also requires high amount of maintenance. So it is dependent on sunlight. So access to technology and technical skills also can be limited and scaling such models it requires institutional support and financing. So initiatives you talk about mission shaky the self-help group ecosystem they're supporting each other in financial inclusion they're supporting in social empowerment and they're supporting in the livelihood generation of people and HDFC supported intervention so this is in uh byra giput so solar irrigation infrastructure it is given and praan scheme for self-help groups with technology they are used for agricultural processing and value addition so child development services for supplementary nutrition and anguadi schemes. These are some of the initiatives. So decentralized renewable energy can play a transformative role in addressing rural energy poverty in India. Discuss with suitable examples. You can write this whole answer with regard to the Odisha angle itself. So this is a 250word answer for 15 marks. Please send us across your answer copies. This answer should be written for three pages and we'll uh review it and help you along the way and aid you better in the preparation. With this we've come to the final part the prelims focus for the day. Dr. V Prakash Singh he is a Indian postal service officer. So he is reelected to a post. What is the post? The secretary general of Asian Pacific postal union. So this declared an unopposed acclamation in Bangkok. So the second consecutive four-year term he's going to there be there and 32 member countries have confidence in him that is the significance that he's being elected and he's held senior post in India post in UNDP in UPSC and in service corps so this is the person Vina Prakash Singh he's reelected as the secretary general uh in the Asian Pacific coastal union now world's first artificial energy island is also there the princess Elizabeth Island in the North Sea This is the artificial energy island. If you've seen the movie Jigra, you know that there is a fully artificially funded um you know artificial energy uh island that is present there. Just like that you have this Princess Elizabeth island. This is built by TM Edison and it has a switchboard to collect offshore wind power and transmit them via submarine cables. So seabirds roost for kitty wakeake and marine structures for European flat oyster. This is the design. It is nature inclusive for everybody. You see this is the world's first energy uh island. It just got its final piece built entirely in the middle of the sea. This is the island that is present. The final topic is the Himalayan Divas. It was observed in Uttarakand in September 9 with focus most focus on global warming and present Himalayan ecosystem. So it is global warming in the Himalayas. So concerns are unseasonal rainfall, flash floods, landslides due due to rising temperature, climate crisis. So it was officially declared in 2015 by the government of Uttraan to push for a ecoensitive hilltown planning and sustainable development. So consider the following statements regarding Princess Elizabeth Island recently seen in Belgium. It is an artificial energy island located in the North Sea is designed to collect transmit offshore wind power through submarine cables. It is uh it is a design that incorporates nature inclusive features such as seabird roots and marine structures for oysters. So there is all three statements that are right. Option D should be the answer. Yes, option D is the answer. So with this we have come to the end of today's video. Thank you for watching Shankara Academy. Thank you for watching me. Please like, comment, share and subscribe to our YouTube channel and share it with your friends again. And thank you for watching again.