MP Current Affairs 26 July 2026

Welcome to the Ujiyari Madhya Pradesh Current Affairs notes for 26 July 2026, prepared for MPPSC and other State PCS aspirants. Today’s edition covers the start of free passenger trials of electric buses in Bhopal under the Centre’s PM-eBus Sewa scheme, the tribal protests against displacement under the Ken-Betwa Link Project in Chhatarpur and Panna districts, the rehabilitation package dispute and the state’s response, and the conservation concerns arising inside the Panna Tiger Reserve. Each item is paired with a Prelims fact table and a Mains angle, followed by five practice MCQs.

1. Bhopal Begins Free E-Bus Trials Under PM-eBus Sewa

Why in News: Bhopal began free passenger trials of 10 electric buses on two routes from 26 July 2026 under the Centre’s PM-eBus Sewa scheme, with the service to remain free until its official launch on 15 August.

Background: PM-eBus Sewa is a central scheme to deploy electric buses in cities on a public-private partnership basis, aimed at strengthening urban public transport while reducing tailpipe emissions and operating costs. Bhopal’s rollout is phased: 21 electric buses have already arrived in the city, and a dedicated depot has been established at Sant Hirdaram Nagar for parking and charging. The larger plan is to deploy 100 electric buses across 10 city routes by the end of 2026.

The buses carry CCTV cameras, AI-based passenger counting, and a wheelchair lift for accessibility, which places the deployment at the intersection of clean mobility, surveillance-enabled service management and universal design.

MP Relevance:

• Prelims: Free trials from 26 July 2026; 10 buses on two routes; free until the official launch on 15 August; 21 buses arrived; depot at Sant Hirdaram Nagar; target of 100 buses on 10 routes by end-2026; features include CCTV, AI passenger counting and a wheelchair lift.
• Mains: Assess electric bus deployment as an instrument of urban transport policy in Madhya Pradesh, weighing capital cost and charging infrastructure against emissions reduction and ridership recovery.

2. Ken-Betwa Displacement Protests in Chhatarpur and Panna

Why in News: Madhya Pradesh police cleared a protest site on the banks of the Barana stream at Kupi village in Chhatarpur district on 19 July 2026, where hundreds of mostly tribal villagers had demonstrated for a fortnight against displacement under the Ken-Betwa Link Project. Activist Amit Bhatnagar suspended an 18-day hunger strike on 23 July after an assurance that those excluded from rehabilitation would be included.

Background: The Ken-Betwa Link Project, costing Rs 44,000 crore, is India’s first river-linking project and the first of 30 links proposed under the National Perspective Plan formulated in 1980. Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid its foundation stone at Khajuraho in December 2024, along with that of the Daudhan Dam. The project transfers declared surplus water from the Ken to the Betwa through the Daudhan Dam and a 221 km canal including a 2 km tunnel, generating 103 MW of hydropower and 27 MW of solar power, and supplying drinking water to about 4.4 million people across 12 districts of Madhya Pradesh and more than 2 million across 10 districts of Uttar Pradesh in the drought-prone Bundelkhand region.

Around 150 protesters, mostly from Panna district, were taken by bus back to their villages. Amit Bhatnagar is the founder of the Jai Kisan Sangathan.

MP Relevance:

• Prelims: Protest site cleared 19 July 2026 at Kupi village, Chhatarpur; Barana stream; Amit Bhatnagar of Jai Kisan Sangathan suspended an 18-day fast on 23 July; about 150 protesters from Panna returned to their villages.
• Mains: Examine the tension between large water-transfer infrastructure and the rights of displaced tribal populations in Bundelkhand, with reference to statutory consent requirements.

3. The Rehabilitation Dispute: Family or Adult as the Unit

Why in News: The core demand of the protesters is that each adult, rather than each family, be treated as the beneficiary unit for the Rs 12.5 lakh rehabilitation package, and that the eligibility cut-off date be revised from 16 February 2024 to the present.

Background: According to the Union government, 7,193 families across 14 villages in Chhatarpur and eight villages in Panna face displacement. The demand was articulated by Divya Ahirwar of the Jai Kisan Sangathan. Because the package is fixed per unit, whether the unit is the household or the individual adult changes the total entitlement of a family several times over. A cut-off date frozen years before actual displacement excludes households formed in the interval.

MP Relevance:

• Prelims: 7,193 families affected; 14 villages in Chhatarpur and 8 in Panna; Rs 12.5 lakh package; existing eligibility cut-off 16 February 2024.
• Mains: Discuss the principles that should govern the choice of beneficiary unit in rehabilitation and resettlement, and the administrative consequences of static eligibility cut-off dates in multi-year projects.

4. State Response: Rs 300 Crore More for Majhgaon and Runjh

Why in News: The state government approved an additional Rs 300 crore for the rehabilitation packages of the Majhgaon and Runjh irrigation projects, raising compensation from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 12.5 lakh per eligible beneficiary.

Background: The protests also targeted these two state irrigation projects, where the demand was parity with the Ken-Betwa package. Chhatarpur Collector Parth Jaiswal said a fresh survey had identified around 750 additional families, now included in the rehabilitation plan, while describing the remaining demands as invalid. Protesters had alleged that surveys included persons with no connection to the villages while omitting genuine residents.

MP Relevance:

• Prelims: Additional Rs 300 crore sanctioned; compensation raised from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 12.5 lakh; about 750 additional families included after a fresh survey; Chhatarpur Collector Parth Jaiswal.
• Mains: Evaluate the role of independent social audit in resolving disputes over beneficiary identification in land acquisition and resettlement.

5. Conservation Concerns in the Panna Tiger Reserve

Why in News: A large part of the Ken-Betwa project falls inside the Panna Tiger Reserve, and the felling of trees for the Daudhan Dam and allied infrastructure has raised concerns about the reserve’s tiger reintroduction programme.

Background: As per the Ministry of Jal Shakti, approximately 17,101 trees were identified for felling to enable the Daudhan Dam and allied works up to July 2025, of which 12,404 have been felled within the Reserve Forest. Panna’s tiger population went locally extinct in 2009 and was rebuilt through a reintroduction programme that is regarded as one of India’s principal conservation successes. Beyond tigers, concerns extend to endangered vultures, mahseer fish, and gharials in the Ken Gharial Sanctuary. The Union government has not released the hydrological data of the two basins, citing sensitivity because they are subsets of the international Ganga basin.

MP Relevance:

• Prelims: Around 17,101 trees identified for felling up to July 2025; 12,404 felled within the Reserve Forest; Panna tigers went locally extinct in 2009; Ken Gharial Sanctuary; hydrological data not released.
• Mains: Assess whether the reintroduction success at Panna can survive large-scale infrastructure inside the reserve, and discuss the adequacy of compensatory afforestation as a mitigation instrument.

Practice MCQs

1. Bhopal began free passenger trials of electric buses on 26 July 2026 under which central scheme?

a) FAME India Phase II b) PM-eBus Sewa c) AMRUT 2.0 d) Smart Cities Mission

Answer: b

Explanation: The trials began under the Centre’s PM-eBus Sewa scheme, with 10 buses on two routes, free until the official launch on 15 August. A dedicated depot has been established at Sant Hirdaram Nagar, and the target is 100 buses across 10 routes by end-2026.

2. Under the Ken-Betwa Link Project, how many families does the Union government state are facing displacement?

a) 5,193 b) 6,193 c) 7,193 d) 8,193

Answer: c

Explanation: The Union government puts the figure at 7,193 families, across 14 villages in Chhatarpur district and eight villages in Panna district. The protesters’ core demand is that each adult, rather than each family, be treated as the unit for the Rs 12.5 lakh package.

3. The Daudhan Dam, central to the Ken-Betwa Link Project, is being constructed on which river?

a) Betwa b) Ken c) Sonar d) Dhasan

Answer: b

Explanation: The Daudhan Dam is being built on the Ken, from which declared surplus water is transferred to the Betwa through a 221 km canal that includes a 2 km tunnel. The project also generates 103 MW of hydropower and 27 MW of solar power.

4. Approximately how many trees had been felled within the Reserve Forest for the Daudhan Dam and allied works, of those identified up to July 2025?

a) 4,697 b) 8,204 c) 12,404 d) 17,101

Answer: c

Explanation: Of approximately 17,101 trees identified for felling, 12,404 had been felled within the Reserve Forest as per the Ministry of Jal Shakti. A large part of the project falls inside the Panna Tiger Reserve, where tigers went locally extinct in 2009 before being reintroduced.

5. The state government’s additional sanction for the Majhgaon and Runjh irrigation projects raised compensation to what level per eligible beneficiary?

a) Rs 5 lakh b) Rs 7.5 lakh c) Rs 10 lakh d) Rs 12.5 lakh

Answer: d

Explanation: An additional Rs 300 crore was approved, raising compensation from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 12.5 lakh per eligible beneficiary, bringing it to parity with the Ken-Betwa package. A fresh survey identified about 750 additional families for inclusion.