Prelims Focus 21st September 2026

21/09/2026

34 3 minutes read

India Deep Tech Alliance

In News: Private investments in strategic technologies have increased with the India Deep Tech Alliance (IDTA) members investing in 56 Indian deep-tech companies during the last year for a total of ₹2,170 crore.

India Deep Tech Alliance was a launch in September 2025 and it has actively been in the business of bringing long-term capital and ecosystem support to the deep tech founders from India.
It’s a membership-led group of investors, corporations, tech partners and ecosystem players.
It include individual and corporate investors from India and abroad,
It is dedicated to supporting and fast-tracking the growth of deep tech startups in India in areas like AI, semiconductors, advanced computing, robotics, biotech and more.
It brings together everything needed for capital access, technical mentorship, market linkages and policy engagement to help the founders build globally competitive technology companies from India.

Boundary Joint Commission between India and China

In News: India has now turned down the so-called Boundary Joint Commission of Pakistan, holding it that Pakistan has no locus standi to enter into arrangements with regard to Indian territory under its illegal and forcible occupation.

India maintained that the so-called ‘China-Pakistan Boundary Agreement’ that was signed in 1963 to demarcate the border between Xinjiang and Pakistan-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan is “illegal” and “invalid”.
Pakistan-China Boundary Joint Commission: It was established in the wake of the Agreement on the Boundary Management System that was signed during the visit of then Chinese Premier Li Keqiang to Islamabad in 2013.
The agreement also stipulates for the creation of the joint commission in charge of the implementation of the border management arrangements.

Himalayan Monal

In News: It has been recently observed that the sound of Himalayan monal can change with respect to the ambient noise.

Himalayan monal is a striking landfowl bird, which is distributed throughout the Himalayan mountains and can be spotted in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Sikkim.
The state bird of Uttarakhand is this.
Least Concern – IUCN Red List.

Exercise SLINEX-26

In News: SLINEX-26 is the 13th edition of the annual bilateral maritime exercise between the Indian Navy and the Sri Lanka Navy, currently being held in Visakhapatnam from September 17 to 21, 2026.

Key Details of SLINEX-26

Participants:
- Indian Navy: INS Kavaratti (indigenous Anti-Submarine Warfare Corvette) and INS Jyoti (Fleet Tanker).
- Sri Lanka Navy: SLNS Sindurala.
Location: Visakhapatnam, under the aegis of the Eastern Naval Command.
Phases:
- Harbour Phase: Includes professional interactions, cross-deck visits, best-practice sharing, yoga, sports, and cultural activities.
- Sea Phase: Focuses on coordinated maritime operations, tactical maneuvers, and enhancing operational synergy and interoperability at sea.
Objective: Conceptualised in 2005, the exercise strengthens bilateral cooperation, mutual understanding, and interoperability between the two navies, aligning with India’s MAHASAGAR vision for a secure and stable region.

Official Status for Tulu Language

In News: The Karnataka Cabinet approved Tulu as an additional administrative (official) language for the Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts on September 18, 2026.

Key Details of the Decision

Administrative Status: Tulu will be used for official and administrative work in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts.
Financial Support: Karnataka has allocated ₹82 lakh annually for translation, training and promotion of Tulu.
Significance: The decision recognises and promotes Tulu, an ancient Dravidian language, and addresses a long-standing demand of coastal Karnataka communities.

About Tulu Language

Language Family: It is one of the oldest Dravidian languages, with a history spanning over 2,000 years.
Geographic Base: It is spoken primarily in coastal Karnataka (Dakshina Kannada and Udupi) and northern Kerala (Kasaragod), a region called Tulu Nadu.
Speaker Count: It has an estimated native speaker base of around 1.8 to 2 million people.
Writing System: Historically written in the Tulu-Tigalari script, it now predominantly uses the Kannada script for modern writing and printing.
Official Status: In September 2026, the Karnataka government declared it an additional official administrative language for Dakshina Kannada and Udupi.
Cultural Wealth: It features a rich oral tradition, including epic folk narratives called Paddanas and traditional art forms like Yakshagana.