UPSC Daily Current Affairs | One Liners 06-09-2026

One Liners 06-09-2026

History, Art and Culture

Rangpur-Sivasagar Historic Ensemble

Ahom’s capital Rangpur-Sivasagar ensemble proposed for UNESCO’s Tentative List of World Heritage Sites tag.

• Rangpur-Sivasagar Historic Ensemble of Assam – It is the political and ceremonial centre of the Ahom kingdom.
• Ahoms – Ruled the Brahmaputra Valley for six centuries, preserving its finest temples, palaces, tanks, and engineering marvels.
• It comprises several important remnants of the Ahom era, including the iconic Rang Ghar, Asia's oldest surviving amphitheatre, Talatal Ghar, and the large Joysagar, Gaurisagar and Sivasagar tanks.
• 2 Criterion
• (iii)-bearing a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilisation which is living or which has disappeared-and criterion
• (iv)-being an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates (a) significant stage(s) in human history.

Other Indian properties added to Tentative List  

• Colonial Penal Settlement of the Andaman Islands,
• Nicobarese Cultural Continuity in the Central Group of Nicobar Islands, and
• The Painted Haveli Towns of Shekhawati.

Moidams - the Mound-Burial System of the Ahom Dynasty – Inscribed in UNESCO’s World Heritage List, 2024 - Assam's first cultural property to receive the distinction.

Geography

High-hazard glacial lakes, Sikkim

The workshop on Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) Risk Mitigation was held recently in Sikkim.

• Aim – To bridge the gap between scientific research and public awareness while supporting Sikkim's development of India's first dedicated GLOF Risk Mitigation Protocol.
• Focus – Strengthening public understanding of GLOF risks and ensuring that verified, science-based information reaches the public.
• Findings – 40 high-hazard glacial lakes identified by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), in coordination with the Government of Sikkim.
• Of these 40, 16 are in Category A (highest risk), two in Category B (high risk) and nine in Category C (moderate to low risk), while 13 remain unclassified.
• Complex Glacial Lakes – Includes Shako Chho Lake, South Lhonak Lake, North Lhonak Lake, Changsang Lake, Khangchung Chho (Tso), Gurudongmar Lake Complex.
• Glacial lakes – These are formed by the melting of glaciers and accumulation of meltwater in depressions on or near the glacier's surface.
• GLOFs – They occur when these lakes suddenly burst open due to factors such as excessive water accumulation or triggers like earthquakes.

Polity & Governance

Lt Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands

BJP Rajya Sabha MP Dinesh Sharma was appointed Lt Governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the Rashtrapati Bhavan said.

• Article 239 – Every Union Territory (UT) is administered by the President through an administrator appointed by him/her, commonly designated as the Lieutenant Governor (Lt. Governor).
• Delhi – Special provisions under Article 239AA; the LG has a constitutionally significant role in relation to the elected government.
• Puducherry – Has an elected Legislative Assembly and Council of Ministers under Article 239A, while the LG represents the Union.

Zonal Council

Recently, the 28th meeting of the Western Zonal Council was held in Goa under the chairmanship of the Union Home Minister.

• Zonal Councils – These are statutory advisory bodies in India established under the sections 15 to 22 of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956.
• Objective – To promote regional cooperation, inter-state coordination, and cooperative federalism.

Composition

• Chairman – Union Home Minister - ex-officio Chairman of all five Zonal Councils.
• Vice-Chairman – Chief Ministers of the member states within the zone on a rotational basis, holding office for one year at a time.
• Members – Chief Minister and two other ministers nominated by the Governor from each state, along with two representatives from each Union Territory in the zone.
• Advisors – Representatives from NITI Aayog, Chief Secretaries and Development Commissioners of the participating states - specialised technical advisors.

International Relations and Issues

Anak Krakatoa

Anak Krakatau in Indonesia began erupting recently stayed seismically active.

• Anak Krakatau – It is a volcanic island in Indonesia, located 150km from Jakarta.
• Anak Krakatau means “Child of Krakatau”.
• Origin – Anak Krakatau first emerged in the late 1920s from the caldera formed by the explosive volcanic 1883 eruption.
• Major hazards – Lava flows, ashfall, incandescent rocks, pyroclastic hazards.

Vostok Oil ⁠project

Russian President Putin described the launch of the Vostok Oil ⁠project as a ‌major milestone.

• Vostok Oil project – It is Russia’s flagship Arctic oil development led by state-backed company Rosneft.
• Location – Taimyr Peninsula & Krasnoyarsk Territory, Arctic Russia.
• Production target – 7 billion tonnes of high-quality, low-sulphur crude oil.
• Pipeline Infrastructure – 770 km long, connects fields to Sever Bay terminal, a complex engineering feat buried 50m deep under the bed of the Yenisei River.
• Sever Bay Port (Bukhta Sever) – World’s northernmost oil port.

Kharg Island

Recently, the US military struck three Iranian tankers in retaliation for missile attacks.

• Location – It is located 28 km off Bushehr province of Iran in the northern Persian Gulf & northwest of the Strait of Hormuz.
• It is a strategic coral island in the northern Persian Gulf, located 28 km off Bushehr province of Iran & situated close to the Strait of Hormuz.
• It is known as the "beating heart" of Iran's energy empire.
• Geography – Kharg is a rocky limestone and coral island, roughly 8 km long and 4 km wide, unique in the Persian Gulf for having its own natural freshwater supply.
• Significance – Often described as Iran's "oil lifeline" or "crown jewel," it serves as the terminal for roughly 90% of Iran's crude oil exports.
• Historical Context – This island contains significant historical sites, including an Achaemenid-era cuneiform inscription, rock-cut tombs, and the ruins of a 7th-century Christian monastery.

Economy

Direct Tax Buoyancy

• Tax buoyancy – It measures the growth in tax revenue as compared to growth in GDP, showing responsiveness of tax revenues to changes in overall economic activity.
• Direct Tax Buoyancy – It is a fiscal ratio that measures how much direct tax revenue grows compared to the change in a country's nominal GDP.
• India’s Direct Tax Buoyancy Trend – In 2022–23 (1.27), 2023–24 (1.48 - peak) and 2024–25 (1.39 - still above 1), it shows sustained growth in collections despite moderation.
• Impact on Economy – The Gross tax-to-GDP ratio has improved from 10% (2019–20) to 11.2% (2026–27 Budget estimate).

Environment

Successful sites for Vulture reintroduction

In 2026, the vulture breeding programme in India completed 25 years.

• Conservation for 3 Gyps species
  • Oriental white-backed vulture (Gyps bengalensis),
  • Slender-billed vulture (Gyps tenuirostris), and
  • Long-billed vulture (Gyps indicus).
• Released by the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) since 2020 - so far, 128 vultures have been released in the last 6 years.

• JCBC Pinjore – 1^st vulture conservation centre, located in Pinjore, Haryana – became a role model of successful vulture conservation in entire Asia.

Science

Eight-Letter Genetic Alphabet

Researchers at the University of California San Diego have shown that RNA polymerase can accurately recognise DNA containing eight genetic letters instead of four.

• RNA polymerase – It is a core enzyme that builds RNA strands from a DNA template during the process of transcription.
• Natural DNA – Uses 4 bases of the genetic alphabet – adenine, thymine, cytosine and guanine.
• Synthetic DNA – Researchers added two extra base pairs, expanding the alphabet to 8.
• Example
• Hachimoji DNA – A system based on eight genetic letters; the name comes from Japanese words meaning “eight” and “letter”, introduces 4 synthetic nucleotide bases:
  • P (pairs with Z)
  • B (pairs with S)
• Unexpected discovery – Natural enzymes can handle synthetic DNA without major modifications, meaning life’s machinery is more flexible than previously thought.
• Potential applications – Include new medicines, diagnostics (precise disease detection), and synthetic biology.