Today Current Affairs MCQ 18 September 2026 | UPSC, BPSC & UPPCS

September 18, 2026
Today Current Affairs MCQ 18 September 2026 for UPSC BPSC UPPCS with 15 exam-focused questions

Today Current Affairs MCQ – 18 September 2026

UPSC CSE • BPSC • UPPCS | 15 Exam-Focused Questions
Q1. With reference to labour-market indicators, consider the following statements:
  1. Labour Force Participation Rate includes both employed and unemployed persons seeking or available for work.
  2. Worker Population Ratio measures employed persons as a proportion of the population.
  3. Unemployment Rate is calculated as unemployed persons as a proportion of the total population.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

  1. 1 and 2 only
  2. 2 and 3 only
  3. 1 and 3 only
  4. 1, 2 and 3
Show Answer
Answer: A
LFPR covers persons working, seeking work or available for work. WPR measures employed persons as a share of population. Unemployment Rate, however, is calculated as unemployed persons as a percentage of the labour force, not total population.
Q2. With reference to the NSO's district-level labour-market snapshot, consider the following:
  1. Surat recorded the highest LFPR among the 100 most populous districts.
  2. Araria recorded one of the lowest unemployment rates among these districts.
  3. Darbhanga recorded the lowest LFPR and WPR among the 100 most populous districts.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

  1. 1 only
  2. 1 and 2 only
  3. 2 and 3 only
  4. 1, 2 and 3
Show Answer
Answer: D
Surat recorded LFPR of 68.6%, while Araria recorded 68.0% LFPR and 0.9% unemployment. Darbhanga recorded the lowest LFPR and WPR among the 100 most populous districts.
Q3. A region reports a very low unemployment rate but also a very low Labour Force Participation Rate. Which one of the following is the most appropriate inference?
  1. The region necessarily has full employment.
  2. Many persons may be outside the labour force and therefore not counted as unemployed.
  3. The Worker Population Ratio must necessarily be very high.
  4. The unemployment data must be statistically invalid.
Show Answer
Answer: B
A low unemployment rate alone does not indicate a strong labour market. People who are neither working nor seeking/available for work remain outside the labour force and are not counted as unemployed.
Q4. Consider the following statements regarding TRAI's 2026 anti-spam amendments:
  1. Telecom operators can use AI/ML-based systems to identify suspected unsolicited commercial communications.
  2. Entities making Application-to-Person calls must pre-declare their use to telecom service providers.
  3. Consumers have been provided an appeal mechanism against resolution of UCC complaints.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

  1. 1 and 2 only
  2. 2 and 3 only
  3. 1 and 3 only
  4. 1, 2 and 3
Show Answer
Answer: D
All three form part of the strengthened framework. The amendments combine technology-based enforcement, stronger sender accountability and additional consumer protection.
Q5. In telecom regulation, Application-to-Person (A2P) calls are best understood as:
  1. Calls made only between two individual mobile subscribers
  2. Automated calls initiated by software or applications towards users
  3. Satellite calls made by government agencies
  4. Internet calls made exclusively outside India
Show Answer
Answer: B
A2P calls include automated or application-generated calls such as robocalls and calls using pre-recorded or artificial voices.
Q6. Consider the following pairs regarding Delhi-NCR air-pollution control:
  1. ANPR systems — Support enforcement of “No PUCC, No Fuel”
  2. OCEMS — Continuous monitoring of industrial emissions
  3. Geo-tagging — Monitoring mechanical road-sweeping machines

How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?

  1. Only one
  2. Only two
  3. All three
  4. None
Show Answer
Answer: C
All three were highlighted in the Delhi-NCR air-pollution review. Technology-based monitoring is increasingly being integrated into pollution-control enforcement.
Q7. The term “airshed”, often used in pollution management, most appropriately refers to:
  1. An area sharing common air circulation and pollution characteristics
  2. A legally notified forest zone surrounding a city
  3. A geographical area where only vehicular pollution is measured
  4. A zone where industrial activity is completely prohibited
Show Answer
Answer: A
An airshed is a geographic region within which air pollutants can move under common atmospheric and topographic conditions. This is why NCR pollution requires inter-State coordination.
Q8. With reference to World Patient Safety Day, consider the following statements:
  1. It is observed annually on 17 September.
  2. The 2026 theme was “Safe Care for Noncommunicable Diseases”.
  3. It was established through the World Health Assembly.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

  1. 1 and 2 only
  2. 2 and 3 only
  3. 1 and 3 only
  4. 1, 2 and 3
Show Answer
Answer: D
World Patient Safety Day is observed annually on 17 September. The 2026 theme focused on safe care for NCDs.
Q9. Which of the following are commonly classified as major Noncommunicable Diseases?
  1. Cardiovascular diseases
  2. Cancers
  3. Chronic respiratory diseases
  4. Diabetes
  1. 1 and 2 only
  2. 1, 2 and 3 only
  3. 2, 3 and 4 only
  4. 1, 2, 3 and 4
Show Answer
Answer: D
Cardiovascular diseases, cancers, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes constitute the four major groups of NCDs commonly used in public-health classification.
Q10. Consider the following statements regarding the BIMSTEC Energy Centre:
  1. It is located in Bengaluru.
  2. It became operational in April 2025.
  3. It promotes regional energy cooperation and integration among BIMSTEC members.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

  1. 1 and 2 only
  2. 2 and 3 only
  3. 1 and 3 only
  4. 1, 2 and 3
Show Answer
Answer: D
The BIMSTEC Energy Centre became operational in Bengaluru on 1 April 2025 and functions as a Centre of Excellence for regional energy cooperation.
Q11. Which of the following countries is NOT a member of BIMSTEC?
  1. Myanmar
  2. Thailand
  3. Pakistan
  4. Bhutan
Show Answer
Answer: C
BIMSTEC members are Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Pakistan is not a member.
Q12. Consider the following pairs:
  1. BESS — Battery Energy Storage System
  2. SMR — Small Modular Reactor
  3. CCUS — Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage

How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?

  1. Only one
  2. Only two
  3. All three
  4. None
Show Answer
Answer: C
All three are correctly matched and were among the emerging power-sector technologies discussed in the BIMSTEC programme.
Q13. With reference to El Niño, consider the following statements:
  1. It is associated with abnormal warming of the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean.
  2. It can influence the Indian summer monsoon.
  3. Every El Niño event necessarily causes drought in India.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

  1. 1 only
  2. 1 and 2 only
  3. 2 and 3 only
  4. 1, 2 and 3
Show Answer
Answer: B
El Niño can weaken the Indian monsoon in some years, but the relationship is not deterministic. Other ocean-atmosphere systems also influence monsoon rainfall.
Q14. Under the revised sugar stockholding framework for eligible bulk consumers:
  1. The total stockholding limit has been relaxed from 15 days to 30 days.
  2. Stock beyond the original 15-day limit must come from sugar imported under specified schemes.
  3. Purchases from the domestic open market can now cover the entire 30-day stock.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

  1. 1 only
  2. 1 and 2 only
  3. 2 and 3 only
  4. 1, 2 and 3
Show Answer
Answer: B
The relaxation permits up to 30 days' stock, but the quantity beyond 15 days must be sourced from imported sugar under the Advance Authorisation Scheme or Tariff Rate Quota. Domestic open-market purchases remain limited to 15 days' consumption.
Q15. Consider the following statements:
  1. District-level labour data can improve geographically targeted employment policy.
  2. Regional electricity cooperation can improve renewable-energy integration and energy security.
  3. Air pollution management in Delhi-NCR requires coordination beyond the administrative boundaries of Delhi.
  4. Stockholding limits can be used as an instrument of supply and price management.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

  1. 1 and 2 only
  2. 1, 2 and 3 only
  3. 2, 3 and 4 only
  4. 1, 2, 3 and 4
Show Answer
Answer: D
All four are correct. They connect today's developments with wider themes of evidence-based governance, regional cooperation, environmental management and market regulation.
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Related reading: Today Current Affairs MCQ 17 September 2026 | UPSC, BPSC & UPPCS · Today Current Affairs MCQ 19 September 2026 | UPSC, BPSC & UPPCS

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