CLAT 2027 Daily Current Affairs - September 17, 2026 | Mining Amendment, EPFO Wage Ceiling

1. MMDR Amendment Act raises Centre-State debate over mineral taxation

In the news: The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2026 has triggered a debate over the taxation powers of mineral-rich States. The focus is on Section 9D, which puts conditions on taxes, cesses and other levies that States can impose on mineral rights and mineral-bearing land.

States such as Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Karnataka have large mineral reserves. The Centre has defended the provision, saying it will provide more certainty for mining investments. It has also said that States will continue to receive 90% of the revenue from the mining sector.

The issue goes back to a 2024 Supreme Court ruling. A nine-judge Bench in Mineral Area Development Authority vs Steel Authority of India held that royalty paid on minerals is not a tax. The court also recognised the power of States to tax mineral-bearing land.

What CLAT 2027 aspirants should know

• Section 9D: Places conditions on State taxes, cesses and other levies on mineral rights and mineral-bearing land.

• Entry 50, State List: States can tax mineral rights, subject to limitations imposed by Parliament.

• Entry 49, State List: States can tax lands and buildings.

• MMDR Act: Central law dealing with the development and regulation of mines and minerals.

• Mineral Area Development Authority case, 2024: Nine-judge Bench ruling on States' power to tax mineral-bearing land.

• Fiscal federalism: Division of financial and taxation powers between the Centre and States.

MCQs

Q1. Which Entry of the State List deals with taxation of mineral rights?

A) Entry 45

B) Entry 49

C) Entry 50

D) Entry 54

Answer: C

Q2. How many judges were part of the Supreme Court Bench in the Mineral Area Development Authority case?

A) Five

B) Seven

C) Nine

D) Eleven

Answer: C

Q3. The Supreme Court held in 2024 that royalty on minerals is:

A) A tax

B) Not a tax

C) A cess

D) A State levy

Answer: B

2. Allahabad HC links choice of partner with Article 21 right to life

In the news: The Allahabad High Court has observed that an adult's decision to choose a person with whom they wish to establish a matrimonial relationship is part of the right to life and personal liberty under Article 21.

The observation came during the hearing of a habeas corpus petition filed by a 31-year-old man. He alleged that his father had confined him after he converted to Islam and entered into a relationship with a Muslim woman. The court also considered the protection available under Article 25, which guarantees freedom of conscience and the right to profess, practise and propagate religion, subject to constitutional restrictions.

What CLAT 2027 aspirants should know

• Article 21: Protects the right to life and personal liberty, including an individual's autonomy in personal matters.

• Article 25: Guarantees freedom of conscience and the right to profess, practise and propagate religion.

• Habeas corpus: A writ through which a court can order that a person who is allegedly being unlawfully detained be brought before it.

• Article 226: Empowers High Courts to issue writs, including habeas corpus.

• UP Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021: A state law dealing with unlawful religious conversion in Uttar Pradesh.

MCQs

Q1. Which Article protects the right to life and personal liberty?

A) Article 14

B) Article 19

C) Article 21

D) Article 25

Answer: C

Q2. Freedom of conscience and the right to practise and propagate religion are guaranteed under:

A) Article 21

B) Article 25

C) Article 32

D) Article 44

Answer: B

Q3. Which writ is used to challenge unlawful detention?

A) Mandamus

B) Habeas corpus

C) Certiorari

D) Quo warranto

Answer: B

3. EPFO wage ceiling raised to Rs 25,000

In the news: The Union Cabinet has raised the wage ceiling for mandatory EPFO coverage from Rs 15,000 to Rs 25,000 a month. The decision will bring more employees under EPFO's social security schemes. The new ceiling will apply from September 17.

The increase will cover employees earning up to the new limit and give them access to provident fund, pension and insurance benefits. The government expects more than 51 lakh additional employees to come under mandatory EPFO coverage.

The wage ceiling has been revised after 12 years. The Employees' Pension Scheme contribution will also increase with the new ceiling.

What CLAT 2027 aspirants should know

• EPFO: Employees' Provident Fund Organisation.

• EPS: Employees' Pension Scheme.

• EDLI: Employees' Deposit Linked Insurance Scheme.

• Wage ceiling: Monthly wage limit used to determine mandatory EPFO coverage.

• New ceiling: Rs 25,000, up from Rs 15,000.

MCQs

Q1. What is the new EPFO wage ceiling?

A) Rs 20,000

B) Rs 22,000

C) Rs 25,000

D) Rs 30,000

Answer: C

Q2. How many additional employees are expected to come under mandatory EPFO coverage?

A) More than 25 lakh

B) More than 51 lakh

C) More than 75 lakh

D) More than 1 crore

Answer: B

Q3. Which EPFO scheme provides insurance benefits?

A) EPS

B) EDLI

C) PPF

D) NPS

Answer: B

4. Pakistan Navy ship collides with Indian warship in Arabian Sea

In the news: A Pakistan Navy vessel, PNS Hunain, collided with an Indian Navy warship in the North Arabian Sea on September 15. The Indian vessel was on a surveillance mission when the two ships came into contact. PNS Hunain suffered damage and returned to harbour, while the Indian warship continued its mission. No casualties were reported.

The incident led to a diplomatic exchange between India and Pakistan. India summoned Pakistan's Chargé d'affaires and said the conduct of the Pakistani vessel violated Article 10 of the 1991 India-Pakistan agreement on advance notice of military exercises, manoeuvres and troop movements. Pakistan, in turn, lodged a protest over the presence of the Indian vessel in its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

What CLAT 2027 aspirants should know

• PNS Hunain: The Pakistan Navy vessel involved in the September 15 collision with an Indian Navy warship.

• Chargé d'affaires: A diplomat who heads a diplomatic mission, generally when an ambassador is not present.

• EEZ: An Exclusive Economic Zone can extend up to 200 nautical miles from a country's coast, giving the coastal state certain rights over resources in the zone.

• 1991 India-Pakistan agreement: Provides for advance notice of military exercises, manoeuvres and troop movements between the two countries.

MCQs

Q1. In which sea did the collision take place?

A) Bay of Bengal

B) Arabian Sea

C) Red Sea

D) South China Sea

Answer: B

Q2. Which Article of the 1991 agreement did India say was violated?

A) Article 5

B) Article 10

C) Article 14

D) Article 21

Answer: B

Q3. What does EEZ stand for?

A) Exclusive Economic Zone

B) External Economic Zone

C) Extended Energy Zone

D) Exclusive Environment Zone

Answer: A

5. Study Warns Lunar Water May Run Out Far Faster Than Space Plans Assume

In the news: As NASA and China speed up their lunar programmes toward more permanent human settlements near the moon's south pole, a new study by astronomers Martin Elvis (Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory) and Jonathan McDowell (Durham University), published in Frontiers in Space Technologies, estimates that even if the moon held a generous one billion tonnes of water, it would support a population of only one million people for roughly a century, and only if 98% of that water were recycled.

A 2022 study of 65 large permanently shadowed craters had estimated that eight of them together hold around 34 million tonnes of water. The new study found that without recycling, a billion tonnes of water would sustain a million people for only about two years, while at 98% recycling a million people would deplete it in a century, and a lakh people would take a millennium; only at 99.75% recycling could a million people be sustained for a millennium.

NASA has said it will set up a permanent outpost near the Moon's south pole from the 2030s under its "Moon Base" programme, while China's "International Lunar Research Station" plans a basic station by 2035, to be built out in the 2040s; India is itself planning a crewed lunar landing by 2040, and NASA invited the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in August to participate in the "Moon Base."

What CLAT 2027 aspirants should know

• Permanently shadowed craters: Lunar regions that receive no sunlight and can contain water ice.

• ISRO: India's space agency, invited by NASA to participate in its lunar Moon Base programme.

• Chandrayaan: India's lunar exploration programme.

• International Lunar Research Station: China-led programme for a lunar research base.

• Frontiers in Space Technologies: Journal in which the study on lunar water sustainability was published.

MCQs

Q1. According to the study, one billion tonnes of lunar water could support one million people for about how long with 98% recycling?

A) 10 years

B) 100 years

C) 1,000 years

D) Indefinitely

Answer: B

Q2. Which Indian organisation was invited by NASA to participate in its lunar Moon Base programme?

A) DRDO

B) ISRO

C) IN-SPACe

D) CSIR

Answer: B

Q3. Which lunar features are believed to contain water ice because they receive no sunlight?

A) Lunar maria

B) Permanently shadowed craters

C) Lunar highlands

D) Equatorial plains

Answer: B

CLAT 2027 September 17 Current Affairs Quick Revision

1. MMDR Amendment Act 2026: Section 9D deals with State taxes on mineral rights and mineral-bearing land.

2. 2024 Supreme Court ruling: Royalty on minerals is not a tax.

3. Article 21: Right to life and personal liberty.

4. Article 25: Freedom of conscience and religion.

5. Habeas corpus: Writ against unlawful detention.

6. EPFO wage ceiling: Increased from Rs 15,000 to Rs 25,000.

7. PNS Hunain: Pakistan Navy vessel involved in the collision with an Indian warship.

8. EEZ: Exclusive Economic Zone, extending up to 200 nautical miles.

9. Lunar water study: One billion tonnes of water could support one million people for about 100 years with 98% recycling.

10. Permanently shadowed craters: Moon regions that do not receive sunlight and may contain water ice.

11. ISRO: Invited by NASA to join its lunar Moon Base programme.

CLAT 2027 Daily Current Affairs: September 15, 2026 - September 16, 2026