DAILY PRELIMS CA — 25 SEPTEMBER 2026 ENG

Context: FSSAI proposed draft amendments to prohibit the marketing and sale of non-dairy analogue products under the name paneer.
Definition: An imitation product designed to mimic the taste, texture, and look of dairy paneer.
Composition: Replaces natural milk fats and proteins with vegetable oils (often palm oil) + starch + plant proteins.
Key Differences: Standard paneer requires milk solids | Analogue paneer is 50% to 70% cheaper to manufacture.
Regulatory Status: Categorised as a dairy analogue | Cannot legally be labelled, sold, or marketed as genuine paneer.

Context: BRICS and Global South nations accelerated efforts to bypass the SWIFT messaging network.
Nature: Standardized global financial messaging network | Does not settle funds or hold deposits.
Headquarters: Founded in 1973 + headquartered in La Hulpe, Belgium.
Governance: Member-owned cooperative under Belgian law | Collectively supervised by G10 central banks.
Legal Obligation: Governed by Belgian and European Union law | Must comply with EU-mandated sanctions.
Mechanism: Uses 8 or 11-character Business Identifier Codes (BIC) + ISO 20022 messaging protocol.
Settlement: Financial movement relies on bilateral correspondent banking via Nostro and Vostro accounts.
Alternatives: China's CIPS (2015) clears Yuan transactions | Russia's SPFS (2014) links Russian and foreign systems like Iran's SEPAM.
Project mBridge: Multi-CBDC blockchain platform | Allows direct cross-border settlement using Central Bank Digital Currencies.

Context: National leaders paid tribute to him on his 110th birth anniversary.
Political Leadership: Served as General Secretary of Bharatiya Jana Sangh from 1951 to 1967 | Became President in 1967.
Key Philosophies: Developed Integral Humanism as alternative to Western ideologies + championed Antyodaya for uplifting the poorest.
Literary Contributions: Formed Rashtra Dharma Prakashan | Edited Rashtra Dharma monthly, Panchjanya weekly, and Swadesh daily.
Organisational Role: Worked with Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee in 1951 to establish and expand the Bharatiya Jana Sangh.
Early Association: Joined RSS in 1937 | Functioned as a full-time pracharak in Uttar Pradesh.

Context: Battered Tokyo and eastern Japan with record-breaking rainfall and damaging winds.
What: A powerful tropical cyclone in the Northwestern Pacific | Name contributed by China meaning azalea flower.
Origin: Formed over warm waters of the Northwestern Pacific | Tracked northwest towards eastern Honshu.
Mechanism: Requires warm ocean waters of at least 26.5°C + intense atmospheric convection.
Coriolis Effect: Deflects winds to produce anticlockwise circulation in the Northern Hemisphere.
Interaction: Typhoon moisture interacted with Japan's stationary autumn rain front, the Akisame zensen.
Impact: Recorded peak rainfall of 832 mm within 48 hours over Izu Oshima island.
Physics: Warmer air holds approximately 7% more moisture per 1°C rise in temperature.

Context: Ethiopia's military repelled rebel attacks in Amhara and Afar regions, raising fears of renewed civil war.
Location: Sovereign nation in the Horn of Africa | World's most populous landlocked country.
Bordering Nations: Surrounded by Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia, Kenya, South Sudan, and Sudan | Six bordering neighbours.
Drainage: Source of the Blue Nile (originating from Lake Tana) + Tekeze, Omo, and Awash rivers.
Topography: Comprises the Great Rift Valley | Highest peak is Mount Ras Dejen (4,533 m).
Geology: Low-lying Danakil Depression | Afar Triple Junction features active Erta Ale volcano.
Regions: Major conflict-affected areas include Tigray (with Mekelle, Shire, Axum), Amhara, and Afar.
PYQ Link: Map-based matching of regions in news (e.g., Tigray, Anatolia) from UPSC Prelims 2022/2023.

PRELIMS CA 26 SEPT 2026