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Daily Current Affairs – 17 September, 2026

    India Sets Terms for WTO Plurilateral Agreements

    Context

  • After opposition to plurilateral pacts at the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO’s) Ministerial Conference this year, India offered its proposal on WTO reforms which could help insert plurilateral agreements within the WTO framework.

    • Background

  • India had blocked the insertion of China-backed Investment Facilitation for Development (IFD) plurilateral pact into the WTO rulebook.
  • The change in India’s position came after the BRICS summit and the bilateral talks with China.
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    India Rejects Pakistan-China Boundary Joint Commission

    Context

  • India rejected the Boundary Joint Commission set up by Pakistan and China, saying that the body has no legal basis to decide on arrangements related to Indian territory under illegal occupation.

    • Background

  • Pakistan and China signed a Boundary Agreement in 1963, under which Pakistan purportedly ceded around 5,800 sq km of territory in the Shaksgam Valley to China.
  • The first meeting of the newly constituted Pakistan-China Boundary Joint Commission was held in Islamabad.
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    Decongesting Railways to Unlock India’s Freight Potential

    Context

  • Indian Railways is seeking to increase its freight-carrying capacity by decongesting High Density Networks (HDNs) through multitracking and accelerating the development of additional Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFCs).

    • Importance of Freight Transportationnd

  • Freight earnings contribute over 65% of Indian Railways’ total earnings, helping subsidise passenger services.
  • Railways accounted for around 27% of India’s freight transport and carried 1,670 million tonnes of freight in 2025–26.
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    E20 Petrol in India

    Context

  • India’s accelerated adoption of E20 petrol has renewed debate over fuel economy, household costs, emissions, food security and the foreign-exchange benefits of ethanol blending.

    • What is E20?

  • E20 petrol contains 20% anhydrous ethanol and 80% motor gasoline. India started retailing E20 at selected outlets in 2023 under the Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme.
  • The policy is aimed at reducing dependence on imported crude oil, promoting domestic biofuel production, supporting farmers and reducing the carbon intensity of transport.
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    News In Short 17-09-2026

    Context

  • India has retained its 131st rank on the Global Gender Gap Index 2026 released by the World Economic Forum, with only 14 economies ranking below it.

    • About

  • Since its inception in 2006, the index benchmarks progress towards gender parity across four dimensions: Economic Participation and Opportunity, Educational Attainment, Health and Survival, and Political Empowerment.
  • The Index uses a 0 to 1 scale, where 1 represents full parity.
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