UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS

The selection of India’s official entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 99th Academy Awards has renewed debate over India’s Oscar strategy. The discussion centres on whether selection should focus primarily on Indian cultural representation or give greater weight to cinematic merit, international visibility and effective campaigning.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi mentioned the nearly 1,000-year history of Gujarat’s Modhera Sun Temple and its modern transformation in the 138th episode of ‘Mann Ki Baat’.

The Lalit Kala Akademi has conferred the Lalit Kala Akademi Awards on 20 artists at the 65th National Exhibition of Art (NEA). 

Thousands of devotees gathered at the Sri Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple in Madurai on Thursday to witness the Kumbabhishekam (consecration) ceremony, held after a gap of 17 years. The previous Kumbabhishekam was conducted in April 2009.

The Department of Financial Services (DFS) has received the First Prize under the Rajbhasha Kirti Award for 2025–26 in the category of ministries/departments with fewer than 300 personnel. The award recognises its effective implementation and innovative use of Official Language Hindi in official work.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi gifted Russian President Vladimir Putin a Russian translation of the ancient Tamil text Thirukkural during their bilateral meeting in New Delhi on September 11, 2026, ahead of the BRICS Summit.

The “Painted Haveli Towns of Shekhawati” in Rajasthan have been added to the UNESCO Tentative List. India submitted the proposal to UNESCO on 1 June 2026. The proposed cultural heritage site covers historic haveli ensembles across 14 towns in the Shekhawati region. 

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has declared the historic Gollala Gudi Temple at Palampet village in Mulugu district, Telangana, a Monument of National Importance.

The Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) began the three-day National Conclave on Tribal Languages & Museums in Mysuru, Karnataka. It brought together policymakers, linguists, researchers, technologists and tribal community representatives.

The President of India will confer the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowships (Akademi Ratna) and Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards (Akademi Puraskar) for the years 2024 and 2025 on 13 August 2026 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.