Pollution (Environment & Ecology).
Syllabus: UPSC Pre GS1: Environmental Ecology, Biodiversity & Climate Change; Mains GS3
Plastic pollution for UPSC: India's plastic waste, microplastics, PWM Rules 2016, single-use plastic ban, EPR, the global treaty talks and PYQs.
Air pollution for UPSC: PM2.5, PM10, ozone and other pollutants, sources, AQI, WHO 2021 guidelines, NCAP, GRAP in Delhi, stubble burning and…
A CAQM team visited Amritsar and Tarn Taran, two Punjab hotspots of paddy stubble burning, on 9-10 October 2026 and reviewed crop residue machinery, baler supply chains and control rooms. CAQM flying squads are deployed in 18 Punjab districts from 1 October to 30 November 2026 to check burning during harvest.
UPSC angle: Prelims: CAQM, in-situ/ex-situ. · Mains GS-III: air pollution, crop residue.
10 Oct 2026
On 3 October 2026 four CAQM flying squads inspected 25 stretches, about 35 km, of Delhi's Inner and Outer Ring Road managed by PWD. They found 17 violations of heavy visible road dust and construction and demolition waste. CAQM directed agencies to clean roads regularly to stop traffic from lifting dust back into the air.
UPSC angle: Prelims: CAQM, pollution sources. · Mains GS-III: urban air pollution.
4 Oct 2026
On 2 October 2026 the Mumbai Port Authority declared its Jawahar Dweep Marine Oil Terminal plastic-free, making it India's first plastic-free oil terminal. The Union Ports Minister marked it at the port's Swachhata Abhiyan on Gandhi Jayanti, honoured sanitation workers and dedicated the port's Oil Spill Response facilities to the nation.
UPSC angle: Mains: Green port initiatives.
2 Oct 2026
On 1 October 2026 the Petroleum Minister launched GOBARdhan, a Central Sector Scheme for compressed biogas (CBG) approved by the Cabinet on 6 August 2026 with ₹23,731 crore. It runs from 2026-27 to 2035-36 and aims to raise domestic CBG output nearly 10-fold to about 5 MMSCMD through assured offtake, a fixed price, capital aid and pipeline support.
UPSC angle: Prelims: scheme type, outlay, target. · Mains: CBG as a circular-economy solution.
1 Oct 2026
On 30 September 2026 the Ministry of Power notified new Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) norms for passenger vehicles, in force from 1 April 2027 to 31 March 2032. The fuel-use benchmark tightens from 3.996 to 3.3273 litres per 100 km, an improvement of about 16.7 per cent, and the reference weight rises to 1,229 kg.
UPSC angle: Prelims: CAFE notifying ministry (Power, under the Energy Conservation Act). · Mains: Fleet-average standards as a nudge to EVs and hybrids.
30 Sep 2026
At its 30th Full Commission meeting on 28 September 2026, CAQM revised the Graded Response Action Plan for NCR. Curbs on DG sets and old buses now start at Stage I, and BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel car curbs extend to Sonipat. The schedule now has 48 actions across four stages.
UPSC angle: Prelims: GRAP stages; who enforces GRAP. · Mains: Reactive vs preventive air-quality governance.
29 Sep 2026