News In Short 25-09-2026

Removal of the Chief Election Commissioner

Syllabus: GS2/ Polity

Context

• The Opposition is going to move a motion in Parliament seeking the removal of the Chief Election Commissioner. 

About

• Article 324 establishes the Election Commission of India (ECI) and provides for the appointment, tenure and removal of the CEC and other Election Commissioners.
• The CEC and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023 provides the statutory framework governing their appointment and service conditions.

Constitutional Provisions for Removal of the CEC

• Article 324(5) of the Constitution of India provides that the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) can be removed in the same manner and on the same grounds as a judge of the Supreme Court.
  • However, an Election Commissioner or Regional Commissioner can be removed by the President only on the recommendation of the CEC.
• A motion seeking the removal of the CEC may be introduced in either House of Parliament and must specify the grounds for seeking removal.
• The motion must be supported by:
  • At least 100 members of the Lok Sabha, or
  • At least 50 members of the Rajya Sabha.
• Once the motion is admitted, the Speaker of the Lok Sabha or the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha constitutes an inquiry committee to investigate the allegations.
  • If the committee finds the charges proven, the motion is taken up for voting in Parliament.
• Both Houses must then pass the motion with a two‑thirds majority of those present and voting. After both Houses approve the motion, the President issues the final order for removal.
  • So far, no Chief Election Commissioner has ever been successfully removed or impeached by Parliament.

Source: IE

11th Ayurveda Day 2026

Syllabus: GS2/ Health

Context

• The 11th Ayurveda Day is observed on September 23, under the theme “Ayurveda for a Healthier Tomorrow”.

About Ayurveda Day

• The Government notified September 23 as Ayurveda Day every year on a permanent basis in 2025.
• The date coincides with the autumnal equinox, when day and night are approximately equal, symbolising the principle of balance associated with Ayurveda.

What is Ayurveda?

• The term Ayurveda denotes the “knowledge of life”. It is the ancient Indian school of medicine that focuses on holistic well-being. 

• The earliest references found in the four Vedas—Indian texts composed between 5000 and 1000 BCE.
  • These Vedas discuss treatments using plant-based remedies and natural techniques.
• Its focus is on maintaining health and treating illness through a balance of doshas, agni, dhatus and malas, along with physical and mental well-being.
• The ayurvedic references were later expanded into organized texts like the Charaka Samhita and Sushruta Samhita, which focused on areas such as internal medicine, surgery, and holistic lifestyle practices.

Growth of Ayurveda

• By 200 BCE, Ayurveda had gained international renown, drawing medical students from across the world to the Takshashila University in India.
• From the 2nd to the 7th centuries CE, Nalanda University also became a significant centre for Ayurvedic learning, especially for students from Japan, China, and other countries.
  • Ayurveda also spread eastward through Buddhism, deeply influencing Tibetan and Chinese medical systems.
• In 1827, India’s first formal Ayurveda course was launched at the Government Sanskrit College in Calcutta.
• Currently Ayush sector size in India is 6.5 lakh crore and is contributing 1.5 percent in Country’s GDP.
  • This sector is expected to grow over 200 billion by 2030.

Government Initiatives

• The National Ayush Mission (NAM) supports Ayush infrastructure and its integration with mainstream healthcare.
• Ayush Arogya Mandirs and Ayush services at public health facilities are expanding access.
• New All India Institutes of Ayurveda (AIIA) and Ayush colleges are being developed.
• eSanjeevani also enables online consultations with Ayush practitioners.
• The AYURGYAN Scheme supports research and development in Ayurveda.
• AYUR SWASTHYA Yojana promotes clinical research and institutional development.

Source: AIR

“Enemy State” Clause in UN Charter 

Syllabus: GS2/IR

In News

• Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi called on the UN to delete the archaic “enemy state” references from its Charter, which China and Russia have recently used to attack Japan’s rising defence spending.

“Enemy State” Clause in UN Charter 

• The “enemy state” provisions in the UN Charter, drafted after World War II and effective from October 24, 1945, were intended by the victorious Allied Powers to prevent the revival of militarism or fascism in former Axis Powers—Germany, Italy and Japan. 
• The term appears in Articles 53, 77 and 107 of the Charter.

Major Articles of the UN Charter 

• Article 53 allows for enforcement action to be taken against an ‘enemy state’ without prior permission from the UN Security Council under specific conditions.
  • Article 53(2) defines an enemy state as any country which was an enemy of a signatory of the Charter of the United Nations in the Second World War.
• Article 107 permits the former Allied Powers to take enforcement action against World War II enemy states (Axis Powers) without prior UN Security Council approval, creating an exception to the general rule requiring UN authorisation for the use of force.
• Article 77(1)(b) provides for applying the UN trusteeship system to territories detached from enemy states after World War II.
  • Under Articles 73 and 75, these territories were to be administered and supervised until their people achieved full self-government. There were 11 trust territories, mainly in Africa and the Pacific Islands.

Source: IE

Alternatives to the SWIFT Payment System

Syllabus: GS2/IR 

In News

• Wars and U.S. financial sanctions have prompted Global South countries to look for alternatives to the dollar-dominated, SWIFT-based payment system.

Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT)

• It is an international network for banks to facilitate smooth money transactions globally.
• It is a messaging network used by banks and financial institutions globally for quick and faultless exchange of information pertaining to financial transactions. 
• The Belgium-headquartered SWIFT connects more than 11,000 banking and securities organisations in over 200 countries and territories
• It is merely a platform that sends messages and does not hold any securities or money.
  • It provides standardised and reliable communication to facilitate the transaction.

Alternatives to the SWIFT payment system

• Project mBridge: It is a group comprising the Bank of Thailand, the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates, the Digital Currency Institute of the People’s Bank of China, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, and the Saudi Central Bank.
• Cross-Border Interbank Payment System (CIPS): It is backed by the People’s Bank of China. China launched the CIPS clearing and settlement services system in 2015 to internationalise yuan use.
  • It allows global banks to clear cross-border yuan transactions directly onshore, instead of through clearing banks in offshore yuan hubs
• System for Transfer of Financial Messages (SPFS):  It was developed by Russia in 2014 to bypass Western sanctions. In 2022, Russian banks were cut off from SWIFT, and the SPFS was of help.
• SEPAMA: It is Iran’s local interbank telecom system and has as many as 52 branches of Iranian banks and four unnamed foreign banks connecting with 106 banks using the SPFS, the Central Bank of Iran said in 2023.
• India’s Progress: India and Russia have set up a working framework for payments in rupees and rubles with the two currencies currently comprising 96% of trade between the two countries. The system is supported by 22 Russian companies, including Sberbank, and 17 Indian banks that offer an alternative mechanism for bilateral payments.
  • The New Delhi Declaration of BRICS  has advocated increasing intra-BRICS commerce and payments in national currencies. 

Source: TH

Eucalyptus Monoculture Plantation

Syllabus: GS3/Economy

In News

• A report by the Global Forest Coalition (GFC) has highlighted the environmental, social and economic impacts of large-scale eucalyptus plantations operated by Aperam BioEnergia in Brazil’s Jequitinhonha Valley. 

More About the News

• The plantations are associated with a 4.5-metre drop in the water table, drying out of 89% of the springs investigated, lower flows in rivers and a huge loss of native Cerrado flora. 

Eucalyptus (Genus Eucalyptus)

• It is a large genus of more than 660 species of shrubs and tall trees of the myrtle family (Myrtaceae), native to Australia, including Tasmania, and nearby islands.
• In Australia, the eucalypts are commonly known as gum trees or stringybark trees. 
• Many species are cultivated widely throughout the temperate regions of the world as shade trees or in forestry plantations.
• Economically, eucalyptus trees constitute one of the most valuable groups within the order Myrtales.

Source: DTE

Project Suncatcher

Syllabus: GS3/ Science & Technology

Context

• Google has announced Project Suncatcher, to test whether AI computing infrastructure can be deployed in space, beginning with an orbital test of Google’s Tensor Processing Units (TPUs).

What is Project Suncatcher?

• Project Suncatcher explores the possibility of building space-based AI computing infrastructure by placing specialised AI processors aboard satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO).
• Its first test mission will deploy a prototype satellite developed in partnership with Planet to assess whether Google’s TPUs can reliably operate under the physical and environmental conditions of space.
• The prototype is expected to launch aboard SpaceX’s Transporter-18 mission.
• In its long-term vision, Google envisages multiple AI-enabled satellites forming a computing constellation, with the satellites connected through high-bandwidth free-space optical links.
  • Free-space optical communication uses laser beams to transmit data through open space, instead of using physical cables or conventional radio-frequency signals.

What is a TPU?

• A Tensor Processing Unit (TPU) is a specialised application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) developed by Google to accelerate machine-learning and AI workloads.
• Unlike general-purpose CPUs, TPUs are specifically optimised for the mathematical operations commonly used in AI models, which enables high computational efficiency.

Source: DD News

First High-value Deep Tech Project Agreement Under TDF Scheme

Syllabus: GS3/Science and Technology

Context

• The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has signed the “first high-value deep tech project agreement” with a start-up under the Technology Development Fund (TDF) scheme.

About

• It is a collaborative effort for indigenous development of a 20 mK Dilution Refrigerator for Quantum Applications.
• Dilution refrigerators are specialised cryogenic systems capable of achieving extremely low temperatures in the millikelvin range.
  • Such an ultra-low-temperature environment is essential for the operation and testing of several quantum computing platforms and associated quantum technologies. 
• The indigenous development of 20 mK-class dilution refrigerator aligns with the National Quantum Mission and strengthens India’s capabilities in quantum technology, advanced cryogenics and strategic technologies.

Technology Development Fund (TDF) scheme

• It was established in 2016 to promote self-reliance in Defence Technology as a part of the ‘Make in India’ initiative. 
• It is a programme of MoD (Ministry of Defence) executed by DRDO to meet the requirements of Tri-Services, Defence Production and DRDO. 
• The scheme encourages participation of public/private industries especially MSMEs so as to create an eco-system for enhancing cutting edge technology capability for defence application by inculcating R&D culture in industry. 

Source: PIB

Mizoram Woman Farmer to Receive FAO Award

Syllabus: Miscellaneous

Context

• Z T Lalrithangi from Mizoram, has been selected for the “FAO 100 Women Heroes in Agrifood Systems and Rural Development” recognition by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). 

About

• She is among more than 600 women from 131 countries nominated and among 100 selected for the recognition, and one of two women from India.
• The recognition is part of the International Year of Women Farmers 2026. 
• The FAO selected her for her dedication to strawberry cultivation and sustained contribution to agriculture and rural development. 

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

• Founded in 1945, FAO is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger.
• It comprises 194 members, including 193 countries and one member organization, the European Union (EU). 
• It is headquartered in Rome, Italy.

Do you know?

• The World Food Programme (established in 1961) is a joint organ of the FAO and the United Nations and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020.

Source: DDNews