Current affairs
News for UPSC, SSC and defence exams, with the reason it matters.
First international cargo voyage from Dibrugarh since Independence to sail to Dhaka via NW-2
- A methanol cargo was set to be flagged off from Bogibeel Terminal, Dibrugarh, on 5 October 2026.
- It will sail to Pangaon Port in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
- The route uses National Waterway-2 (the Brahmaputra) and the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol Route.
Why it matters
[First] Before Independence, the Brahmaputra was Upper Assam's main trade link to world markets. This voyage restores that link for the Northeast. NW-2 is the 891 km stretch of the Brahmaputra from the Bangladesh border to Sadiya. It was declared a National Waterway in 1988 (IWAI). Inland waterways are a cheaper, greener way to move freight. Waterway numbers and routes are asked often in SSC and UPSC Prelims.
2026 southwest monsoon ends 12.6% below normal, the weakest since 2015
- India got 759.4 mm of rain from June to September 2026, against a normal of 868.6 mm.
- That is 87% of the Long Period Average, the lowest seasonal total since 2015.
- East and northeast India were 25.6% short, their driest monsoon since 1901.
Why it matters
[Data] A weak monsoon hits kharif output, rural incomes and food prices. This one also confirms the El Niño warning IMD gave in spring. Know the LPA figure and which regions were hit hardest.
Asked before: CDS (I) 2022 asked which one is not a result of the El Niño effect.
Four Narmada states settle decades-old displacement and compensation dispute
- Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra reached an agreement on pending Narmada Project issues on 7 July 2026.
- The deal settles a decades-old dispute over people displaced from flood-affected areas and land compensation.
- It was reached in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, with the four Chief Ministers.
Why it matters
[Geography] The Narmada Project centres on the Sardar Sarovar Dam in Gujarat. Displacement of families was the core issue raised by the Narmada Bachao Andolan.