VidBodh
हिन्दी — Read in HindiLatest edition: September 2026. Covered from 1 June to 30 September 2026. Next edition, October 2026, publishes on 5 November 2026.
The monthly magazine
8 lead articles · 58 new articles · 11 updates
LeadPrelims and MainsForests, grasslands and mountain ecosystems
The Centre issued a seventh draft notification on the Western Ghats Ecologically Sensitive Area on 27 July 2026, after the sixth lapsed. It proposes 56,825.7 sq km across six States, and the States still do not agree on where the line should fall.
LeadPrelims and MainsElephants and other land mammals
The Supreme Court on 17 August 2026 ordered a fresh national survey of elephant corridors and held that no State may block a traditional elephant route. Five days earlier, on World Elephant Day, the government set out the result of India's first DNA based count: 22,446 wild elephants.
LeadPrelims and MainsLand degradation, desertification and drylands
The 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification met in Mongolia in August 2026, with drought at the centre. India presented its second Bonn Challenge progress report and launched its first guide to grasslands and other open natural ecosystems.
LeadPrelims and MainsGrid, power sector and energy policy
India's non fossil capacity crossed 300 GW on 31 July 2026, and renewables supplied a record 20 per cent of generation in July. In the same weeks solar plants were being told to switch off output, because the grid could not carry it.
LeadPrelims and MainsHydrogen and bioenergy
The Cabinet on 6 August 2026 approved GOBARdhan as the National Circular Bioenergy Scheme, to run to 2035 to 2036. It brings the compressed biogas programmes of four ministries under one, and requires city gas distributors to blend compressed biogas into the gas they sell.
LeadPrelims and MainsCritical minerals and rare earths
August 2026 brought three developments on one problem: twenty bids came in under India's scheme for rare earth magnets, two pilot plants in Odisha were set to recover rare earths from industrial waste, and fresh data showed how tightly the refining of critical minerals is held by a few countries.
LeadPrelims and MainsNuclear power programme
The Supreme Court on 17 August 2026 issued notice on a challenge to the liability caps in the SHANTI Act, 2025. It asked whether a cap written into a statute can stop a constitutional court from awarding fair compensation to the victims of a nuclear accident.
LeadPrelims and MainsAI governance, safety and ethics
The European Union's AI Act became applicable on 2 August 2026, two years after it came into force, and the European Union launched a team to enforce it. It is the first comprehensive law on artificial intelligence anywhere.
1.1.1The elephant in India: numbers, corridors and conflictLead
The Supreme Court on 17 August 2026 ordered a fresh national survey of elephant corridors and held that no State may block a traditional elephant route. Five days earlier, on World Elephant Day, the government set out the result of India's first DNA based count: 22,446 wild elephants.
2.1.1Western Ghats: the seventh draft and the question of the lineLead
The Centre issued a seventh draft notification on the Western Ghats Ecologically Sensitive Area on 27 July 2026, after the sixth lapsed. It proposes 56,825.7 sq km across six States, and the States still do not agree on where the line should fall.
3.1.1Land restoration and drought: UNCCD COP17Lead
The 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification met in Mongolia in August 2026, with drought at the centre. India presented its second Bonn Challenge progress report and launched its first guide to grasslands and other open natural ecosystems.
4.1.1The European Union's AI Act comes into applicationLead
The European Union's AI Act became applicable on 2 August 2026, two years after it came into force, and the European Union launched a team to enforce it. It is the first comprehensive law on artificial intelligence anywhere.
5.1.1GOBARdhan becomes the National Circular Bioenergy SchemeLead
The Cabinet on 6 August 2026 approved GOBARdhan as the National Circular Bioenergy Scheme, to run to 2035 to 2036. It brings the compressed biogas programmes of four ministries under one, and requires city gas distributors to blend compressed biogas into the gas they sell.
5.2.1The grid is the limit: 300 GW and curtailmentLead
India's non fossil capacity crossed 300 GW on 31 July 2026, and renewables supplied a record 20 per cent of generation in July. In the same weeks solar plants were being told to switch off output, because the grid could not carry it.
6.1.1Nuclear power: the liability cap before the Supreme CourtLead
The Supreme Court on 17 August 2026 issued notice on a challenge to the liability caps in the SHANTI Act, 2025. It asked whether a cap written into a statute can stop a constitutional court from awarding fair compensation to the victims of a nuclear accident.
7.1.1Critical minerals: the refinery problemLead
August 2026 brought three developments on one problem: twenty bids came in under India's scheme for rare earth magnets, two pilot plants in Odisha were set to recover rare earths from industrial waste, and fresh data showed how tightly the refining of critical minerals is held by a few countries.