Daily Current Affairs — September 23, 2026

Entomologists have discovered a new species of parasitic wasp, named Oxyserphus narendrani, in Dibru-Saikhowa National Park in Assam. The discovery represents a rare find for the genus Oxyserphus, which is globally scarce and typically confined to temperate or high-altitude zones.

Belonging to the family Proctotrupidae, Oxyserphus narendrani is characterized by a black head, brownish-black body, distinct yellow legs, a unique single horizontal groove on the side of its thorax, and a modified ovipositor for parasitizing host insect larvae. Dibru-Saikhowa National Park is an internationally recognized Biosphere Reserve in the floodplains of the Brahmaputra and Dibru rivers, famed for feral horses and endangered white-winged wood ducks.

Parasitic wasps serve as natural biocontrol agents regulating insect populations in subtropical riparian ecosystems. The discovery underscores the micro-faunal richness of Assam's wetlands and emphasizes the need for flood-resilient habitat preservation.

Archaeological and paleoclimatological studies have shed new light on the decline of the ancient Garamantes civilization in the central Sahara Desert (modern-day Fezzan, south-western Libya), demonstrating how historical fossil groundwater over-extraction led to societal collapse.

Flourishing between 500 BCE and 500 CE, the Garamantes built a complex urban desert civilization sustained by an extensive network of subterranean canal galleries known as Foggaras (Qanats). These channels extracted fossil water stored in deep sandstone aquifers since the Holocene Humid Period without natural recharge. When the water table dropped below the qanat floors, the civilization collapsed.

The Garamantes case provides a critical historical analog for contemporary arid-zone groundwater governance, highlighting the perils of exploiting non-renewable fossil aquifers in North Africa and the Middle East.

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) under the Ministry of Communications has expanded the capabilities of the Sanchar Saathi portal and the Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) to curb counterfeit smartphone imports and combat cyber fraud.

The International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) is a unique 15-digit number assigned to every mobile device to identify it on cellular networks (GSM/LTE/5G). The CEIR system categorizes IMEIs into White (permitted), Grey (under observation), and Black (blocked/stolen) lists. Under the Telecommunications Act, 2023, tampering with or cloning IMEI numbers is a cognizable and non-bailable offense with severe financial and penal penalties.

Strengthening IMEI governance secures the national telecom ecosystem, neutralizes cloned handset networks used in financial phishing, and aids law enforcement in tracing stolen devices nationwide.

Wetland censuses across major Ramsar sites in northern and eastern India have recorded early autumn congregation flights of the Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo).

The Great Cormorant is a large, widespread waterbird belonging to the family Phalacrocoracidae. It features dark plumage, a yellow facial patch, webbed totipalmate feet, and non-waterproof feathers that reduce buoyancy, enabling deep pursuit-diving for fish. Because its plumage absorbs water, cormorants are characteristically seen perched with wings spread wide to dry.

As apex piscivorous predators in freshwater and estuarine food webs, cormorant populations serve as sensitive bioindicators of aquatic ecosystem health, fish biomass availability, and water quality in wetlands.

Geological research on planetary analogs in arid settings highlighted Emi Koussi, an extinct pyroclastic shield volcano in the Tibesti Mountains of northern Chad, as one of Earth's premier analogues for Martian volcanic calderas.

Rising to 3,415 meters, Emi Koussi is the highest peak in the Sahara Desert and the country of Chad. The volcanic edifice features a massive nested caldera and multiple Maars (broad, low-relief volcanic craters formed by explosive phreatomagmatic eruptions when magma encounters groundwater) and natron-rich salt lakes.

Studying the volcanic and geomorphological processes of the Tibesti massif advances understanding of intraplate volcanism, Saharan paleoclimate shifts, and planetary geology.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) commenced the operational phases of Exercise Tarang Shakti 2026, the largest multilateral air exercise hosted on Indian soil with air forces from over 30 countries.

Conducted across bases in western and southern India (including Jodhpur and Sulur), the exercise brings together 4.5 and 5th-generation fighter platforms including Rafale, Su-30MKI, LCA Tejas, Eurofighter Typhoon, and F-15s. Drills feature Beyond Visual Range (BVR) combat, complex Large Force Engagements (LFE), air-to-air refueling, and airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) integration.

Tarang Shakti solidifies India's position as a net security provider and defense manufacturing partner in the Indo-Pacific, demonstrating the operational capability of indigenous platforms like LCA Tejas and LCH Prachand.

On the occasion of World Rhino Day, the International Rhino Foundation (IRF) and wildlife authorities released the State of the Rhino 2026 report, celebrating steady population recovery of the Greater One-Horned Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) in India.

India is home to over 80% of the world's Greater One-Horned Rhinos, with major populations concentrated in Kaziranga National Park, Manas National Park, Orang National Park, and Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary in Assam, alongside Jaldapara in West Bengal and Dudhwa National Park in Uttar Pradesh. The species is protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and listed in CITES Appendix I.

Intensified anti-poaching measures, thermal drone surveillance, and the Indian Rhino Vision 2020/2030 (IRV) translocations have resulted in near-zero poaching across Indian reserves in recent years.

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) announced that the National Single Window System (NSWS) has crossed over 1 million regulatory clearance approvals across central ministries and state industrial departments.

Launched in 2021, the NSWS acts as a unified digital portal for investors to identify and apply for all central, state, and local body clearances required for setting up a business in India. Key features include the Know Your Approval (KYA) intelligent tool, single unified application forms, digital document repositories, and integrated grievance redressal.

NSWS eliminates bureaucratic friction, enhances transparency, and accelerates project commissioning under the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes, significantly boosting FDI inflows.

The Union Ministry of Jal Shakti reviewed the expedited completion of the remaining radial gates and canal distribution network of the North Koel Reservoir Project (Mandal Dam) located in Jharkhand and Bihar.

The project is situated on the North Koel River, a major right-bank tributary of the Son River (which in turn drains into the Ganga). The dam is located inside the Palamu Tiger Reserve in Jharkhand. Once completed, it will provide assured irrigation to over 1.11 lakh hectares in drought-prone districts of Palamu and Garhwa (Jharkhand) and Aurangabad and Gaya (Bihar).

Special wildlife mitigation structures and reduced reservoir water levels ensure zero submergence of the core breeding habitat in Palamu Tiger Reserve while drought-proofing parched agrarian districts in eastern India.

The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has enforced mandatory compliance with revised Schedule M of the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945, elevating national Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) to global WHO standards.

CDSCO is India's national regulatory authority for pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and clinical trials under the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), headed by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI). The upgraded Schedule M introduces strict pharmaceutical quality systems (PQS), computerized data integrity protocols, and mandatory stability testing.

Enforcing stringent GMP safeguards India's reputation as the 'Pharmacy of the World', ensuring export quality to over 200 nations and eliminating spurious drug risks domestically.