UPSC Daily Current Affairs for 27 June 2026

CBSE Relaxes Three-Language Formula For Students

Context

Recently, the government has clarified that the students studying in Classes 7, 8 and 9 in CBSE affiliated schools can continue learning foreign languages under the three-language policy until they finish Class 10.

About the Three-Language Formula Policy

It aims to promote multilingualism, national integration, and linguistic diversity in India.

Historical Background:

The three language policy was first recommended by the Kothari Commission (1964-66).

Declining Fertility Rate in India and Concerns

Context

As per the latest Sample Registration System data India’s total fertility rate is at 1.9 children per woman, below both the global average of 2.2 and the replacement level of 2.1 needed to keep a population stable.

TFR as per the Sample Registration System (SRS) Statistical Report 2024

India’s Total Fertility Rate (TFR), the average number of children a woman would have in her lifetime assuming she lives through her reproductive years (15-49 years), has fallen below the replacement level of 2.1.

Replacement rate is the number of child births a woman must go through to keep the population constant from one generation to the next without migration.

India’s Gas-Based Power Push Amid Renewable Expansion

Context

The Grid Controller of India (Grid India) has advised gas-based power stations to plan fuel procurement arrangements, anticipating the need for additional gas-fired generation for coming days.

What is Gas-Based Power?

Gas-based power plants generate electricity using Natural Gas or Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG).

They primarily operate through Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) technology, which offers faster start-up than coal plants, higher operational flexibility, and lower carbon emissions than coal.

National Food Security (Amendment) Bill, 2026

Context

The Union Food and Public Distribution Department published a draft of the proposed amendments to the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013.

National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013

NFSA aims to supplement the food requirements of up to 75% of the rural and up to 50% of the urban population, which at Census 2011 comes to 81.35 crore persons.

It aims to ensure food and nutritional security by providing affordable foodgrains through the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS).

Narcotics Control Bureau Annual Report – 2025

Context

The Union Home Minister has released the ‘Narcotics Control Bureau Annual Report 2025’.

Major Highlights of the Report

Myanmar Emerged as Alternative Source: Following the 2022 Taliban-imposed ban on drugs in Afghanistan, Myanmar has emerged as an alternative source of global opium supply.

Myanmar’s illicit opium cultivation expanded by approximately 56% between 2021 and 2023 with the area under poppy cultivation reaching 45,200 hectares.

News In Short 27-06-2026

Context

The growing use of portable ultrasound devices has raised debate that the PCPNDT Act, 1994 needs to be updated to support better healthcare access while preventing the misuse of ultrasound for illegal sex determination.

What is the PCPNDT Act?

The PCPNDT Act was introduced in 1994 to curb prenatal sex determination and the selective abortion of female foetuses in response to a declining child sex ratio.

It was amended in 2003 to expand its scope from regulating prenatal diagnostic techniques to also prohibiting pre-conception sex selection through modern reproductive technologies.