18 Sep 2026 - "Daily Current Affairs" Updates

Hindi Diwas and the Official Language Framework

Why in News: Hindi Diwas is observed every year on September 14 to mark the Constituent Assembly's adoption of Hindi as an official language on September 14, 1949.

Key Facts

• On September 14, 1949, the Constituent Assembly adopted the language compromise commonly known as the Munshi-Ayyangar formula.

• The Constitution declares Hindi as an official language, not a national language.

• Hindi is not classified as a classical language in India.

• Matters related to Hindi are handled by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Eighth Schedule

• The Eighth Schedule contains 22 languages recognised by the Constitution.

• These are Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, Bodo, Santhali, Maithili and Dogri.

• The source links Eighth Schedule languages particularly with Articles 344(1) and 351.

Important Constitutional Provisions

• Article 343(1): Hindi in Devanagari script is the official language of the Union; numerals use the international form of Indian numerals.

• Article 343(2): English was to continue for Union official purposes for 15 years from commencement of the Constitution; the President could authorise Hindi in addition to English during this period.

• Article 344: Provides for an Official Language Commission constituted by the President and envisages recommendations on the progressive use of Hindi for Union purposes.

• Article 345: A State Legislature may adopt any language in use in the State, or Hindi, as the official language of the State.

• Article 346: Deals with the language used for communication between States and between a State and the Union.

• Article 347: Allows the President to direct recognition of a language for official use throughout a State or in part of it.

Language of Courts and Laws

• Article 348(1): Until Parliament provides otherwise, English is used in the Supreme Court, every High Court and for authoritative texts of Bills, Acts, Ordinances and related legal instruments.

• Article 348(2): A Governor, with the President's prior consent, may authorise Hindi or another official State language in High Court proceedings, but the constitutional proviso excludes judgments, decrees and orders.

• The source notes that Section 7 of the Official Languages Act, 1963 permits the Governor, with prior Presidential consent, to authorise Hindi or the State's official language in addition to English for High Court judgments, decrees and orders.

• If such a judgment, decree or order is issued in a language other than English, it must be accompanied by an authorised English translation.

• Article 348(3): State Legislatures may prescribe a language other than English for Bills, Acts and Ordinances, with an English translation also published.

• Article 351: Directs the Union to promote the development of Hindi.

Quick Recall

• Hindi -> official language of the Union, not national language.

• Hindi Diwas -> September 14.

• Article 343 -> official language of the Union.

• Article 348 -> language of higher courts and authoritative legal texts.

• Eighth Schedule -> 22 recognised languages.

ECONOMY & DIGITAL PAYMENTS

2. MDR on UPI

Why in News: The source states that NPCI has introduced a 0.4% fee on person-to-merchant UPI transactions above Rs 2,000, alongside a 2026 legal change empowering the Central Government to decide which electronic payment modes may attract MDR.

What is MDR?

• Merchant Discount Rate is a fee paid by merchants or businesses to payment-processing entities on debit or credit card transactions.

• It is generally charged as a percentage of the transaction value.

• The source clarifies that MDR is neither a tax nor a charge collected by the Government or NPCI.

UPI: Core Facts

• UPI was launched in 2016 by the National Payments Corporation of India.

• The source states that UPI accounts for 49% of all real-time payments worldwide and about 85% of digital transactions by volume within India.

• India made UPI and RuPay debit-card transactions zero-MDR from January 2020 to encourage digital adoption.

• The source identifies Bhutan and Singapore among the first countries associated with international UPI adoption, and notes Singapore as the first to launch a real-time P2P cross-border payment link with India's UPI.

NPCI

• NPCI was set up in 2008 as an umbrella organisation for retail payment and settlement systems in India.

• It is a joint initiative of the Reserve Bank of India and the Indian Banks' Association.

• It is incorporated as a not-for-profit Section 8 company.

Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007

• The Act covers major payment mechanisms used for fund transfers in India.

• These systems are regulated by the Reserve Bank of India.

• Covered systems include RTGS, NEFT, UPI, IMPS, debit and credit card networks, prepaid payment instruments, clearing houses and settlement systems.

What Remains Free?

• All person-to-person UPI transactions remain free irrespective of the amount transferred.

• The source states that individuals cannot be charged a transaction fee, platform fee or similar charge for sending or receiving money through UPI.

• P2M transactions up to Rs 2,000 remain free from MDR.

• Small merchants receiving up to Rs 1 lakh per month through UPI QR codes under the P2PM category continue to enjoy zero MDR on all transactions.

• The source states that GST registration is not required for a small vendor to qualify for zero MDR under the P2PM category.

What Attracts MDR?

• A 0.4% MDR applies only to P2M transactions above Rs 2,000.

• The MDR is shared among banks, payment-service providers and UPI application providers.

• For transactions of Rs 75,000 and above, MDR is capped at Rs 300 per transaction.

• Transactions above Rs 2,000 in essential and thin-margin sectors such as railways, telecommunications, insurance, fuel and agricultural inputs attract a flat MDR of Rs 5 per transaction.

• Payments related to mutual funds, securities, stockbrokers and dealers attract an MDR of 0.02%, capped at Rs 300 per transaction.

Will Customers Pay MDR?

• The source describes MDR as a charge within the merchant-payment ecosystem, not a direct charge on customers making UPI payments.

• Individuals continue to have free UPI usage, subject to transaction limits set by banks and NPCI.

• The source gives typical daily limits of Rs 1 lakh to Rs 5 lakh depending on the transaction category, and clarifies that these are security and risk-management limits rather than charging thresholds.

Support for Small Merchants

• A dedicated fund is proposed to promote UPI adoption among small merchants.

• The source states that an amount equal to 5% of total MDR collections will be contributed to this fund.

• The fund is intended to support wider UPI acceptance, sustained usage and inclusion of small businesses in the digital-payments ecosystem.

Quick Recall

• MDR -> merchant-side payment processing fee, not a tax.

• UPI launched -> 2016 by NPCI.

• P2P UPI -> remains free in the source.

• P2M up to Rs 2,000 -> zero MDR in the source.

• P2M above Rs 2,000 -> 0.4% MDR, subject to stated caps and sector-specific rates.

• NPCI -> RBI + IBA initiative; Section 8 not-for-profit company.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

3. Quantum Computing

Why in News: Scientists at the Quantum Information and Computing laboratory at Raman Research Institute, Bengaluru, demonstrated a new method to improve the stability of quantum states used in computation.

What is Quantum Computing?

• Quantum computing applies principles of quantum physics to solve highly complex problems at very high speeds.

• Classical computers use bits that take the value 0 or 1.

• Quantum computers use qubits.

• A qubit can exist as 0, 1 or a combination of both at the same time - a property called superposition.

• Superposition allows a quantum computer to explore multiple computational possibilities simultaneously.

Other Quantum Effects

• Quantum interference allows superposed quantum states to influence one another.

• Qubits can also be linked through entanglement.

• Entanglement connects the states of qubits and enables computational capacity to scale rapidly as more qubits are added.

How Quantum Computers Differ from Classical Computers

• In classical computing, a change in a variable generally requires a separate calculation leading to a single outcome.

• Quantum computers can evaluate many possibilities at once using superposition.

• The source illustrates exponential scaling by noting that two qubits correspond to four possible information states and three qubits to eight.

Hardware

• Quantum chips are the hardware used to store and manipulate qubits, broadly analogous to how microchips store bits in classical computers.

Potential Applications

• Finance.

• Transportation.

• Pharmaceuticals and drug discovery.

• Green technologies and climate-related solutions.

• The source describes quantum computing as one of three major emerging quantum technologies and estimates nearly US$1.3 trillion in value by 2035.

Major Qubit Technologies

• Photonic networks.

• Superconducting circuits.

• Spin qubits.

• Neutral atoms.

• Trapped ions.

Quick Recall

• Classical bit -> 0 or 1.

• Qubit -> can exist in superposition.

• Key ideas -> superposition, interference and entanglement.

• Main promise -> large computational gains for complex problems.

• Five approaches in source -> photonic, superconducting, spin, neutral atom and trapped ion.