Current Affairs 16 September 2026

Science & TechMediumquizQuiz

Fungus Evolves Resistance to a Drug Meant for the Human Immune System

•A study published in Science Translational Medicine on 16 September 2026 reports that the fungus Pneumocystis jirovecii has evolved resistance to mycophenolic acid, a drug given to humans to suppress the immune system after an organ transplant.
•Researchers led by the Critical Care Medicine Department of the NIH Clinical Center analysed 163 samples from six countries across Asia, Europe and North America.
•Six mutations were found in the fungus's impdh gene, four of them never reported before, arising independently in 11 separate strains between 2005 and 2019.

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Polity & GovernanceMediumquizQuiz

Parliamentary Panel Adopts Report on Census Criteria for Defining Urban Areas

•The Standing Committee on Housing and Urban Affairs (2025-26), chaired by Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy, considered and adopted its draft report on 'Census Criteria for Defining Urban Areas' on 16 September 2026.
•The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs told the committee that the criteria the Registrar General of India uses to classify Census Towns are decades old and no longer capture India's real urban transformation.
•A Census Town must simultaneously have at least 5,000 people, a density of at least 400 persons per sq km, and at least 75% of male main workers in non-agricultural work.

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Science & TechMediumquizQuiz

Elias 2-24 b Confirmed as Youngest Known Planet, Less Than a Million Years Old

•Astronomers confirmed Elias 2-24 b, a Jupiter-mass planet less than 1 million years old, as the youngest planet ever found. The study was published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters on 16 September 2026.
•The planet orbits about 55 AU from Elias 2-24, a young star about 450 light-years away in the Rho Ophiuchi star-forming region. It is still accreting material inside a gap in its birth disk.
•Current models need about 5 million years to build a Jupiter at Jupiter's distance, so a planet this big, this far out and this young challenges giant-planet formation theory.

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BusinessLowquizQuiz

ByteDance Founder Zhang Yiming Overtakes Gautam Adani as Asia's Richest Person

•On 16 September 2026 the Bloomberg Billionaires Index put ByteDance founder Zhang Yiming at about $105 billion, making him Asia's richest person for the first time and moving him past India's Gautam Adani.
•Zhang ranked 18th in the world and Adani 20th. Elon Musk remains the world's richest at about $892 billion.
•His fortune has grown roughly eightfold since Bloomberg began tracking it at about $13 billion in March 2019, driven by ByteDance's AI businesses and its TikTok US joint venture with Oracle and Silver Lake.

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DefenceMediumquizQuiz

Iran's IRGC Claims It Shot Down a US MQ-9 Reaper Drone Over Qeshm Island

•On 16 September 2026 Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said its Aerospace Force air defences brought down a US MQ-9 Reaper over Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz.
•The IRGC called it the 52nd US MQ-9 it has destroyed in the ongoing conflict but gave no independent evidence; the US did not immediately comment.
•The MQ-9 Reaper is an armed medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) drone built by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, an upgrade of the MQ-1 Predator.

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DefenceMediumquizQuiz

PNS Hunain Collides with Indian Warship; India Cites Article 10 of 1991 Pact

•On the evening of 15 September 2026, the Pakistan Navy ship PNS Hunain collided with an Indian Navy warship in international waters in the North Arabian Sea. It had been moving at high speed close to the Indian ship.
•On 16 September the MEA summoned Pakistan's Chargé d'Affaires in New Delhi and lodged a strong protest over 'unacceptable and unprofessional conduct'.
•India said the collision directly breached Article 10 of the 6 April 1991 India-Pakistan Agreement on Advance Notice on Military Exercises, Manoeuvres and Troop Movements, which keeps naval ships and submarines at least three nautical miles (about 5.56 km) apart in international waters.

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InternationalMediumquizQuiz

India Rejects Pakistan-China Boundary Joint Commission as Having No Legal Basis

•On 16 September 2026 India rejected the Pakistan-China Boundary Joint Commission (BJC), whose first meeting was held in Islamabad on 16-17 September. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the commission has no legal basis.
•India says there is no Pakistan-China boundary at all, because Indian territory in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh lies between the two countries.
•The BJC comes from Article 45 of the 2013 China-Pakistan Agreement on the Boundary Management System. It will handle joint border surveys, boundary markers, the movement of goods and people, and cross-border facilities.

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Ranks & ReportsMediumquizQuiz

GFCI 40: GIFT City Climbs Nine Places to 37th, Mumbai Rises to 49th

•The 40th Global Financial Centres Index (GFCI 40), published on 16 September 2026, ranks GIFT City 37th - up nine places from 46th in GFCI 39.
•GIFT City is the only Indian centre in the Asia-Pacific top 15; Mumbai rose three places to 49th.
•In the FinTech ranking, GIFT City rose three places to 26th, from 29th.

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Science & TechMediumquizQuiz

Sambalpur Gets India's 51st Doppler Weather Radar, Odisha's Third

•India's 51st Doppler Weather Radar (DWR) was inaugurated at Jamadarpali, Sambalpur, Odisha on 16 September 2026, a Make in India installation under Mission Mausam.
•Union MoS (Independent Charge) for Earth Sciences Dr Jitendra Singh inaugurated it virtually, with Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi present.
•It watches a 250 km radius at 150 m resolution, refreshing every 10 minutes, covering 13 western Odisha districts and parts of Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand.

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Science & TechMediumquizQuiz

NASA's LRO Finds McGetchin, the Largest Newly Formed Impact Crater Seen in the Solar System

•On 16 September 2026 NASA announced that its Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) had found a new crater on the Moon's near side, formed between 11 April and 22 May 2024.
•Named McGetchin after Thomas McGetchin, a former director of the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston, it is about 222 m wide and up to 43 m deep. It is the largest newly formed crater found in the solar system.
•It is about three times the size of LRO's previous record. The impactor, an asteroid or comet the size of a 3-6 storey building, went unnoticed by telescopes.

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EnvironmentMediumquizQuiz

Ariosoma cmfriense: New Conger Eel Species from the Arabian Sea Named After CMFRI

•ICAR-CMFRI scientists have described a new conger eel species from the deep Arabian Sea and named it Ariosoma cmfriense. The name marks the institute's 80th anniversary year.
•The specimen was collected in January 2026 off Kollam, Kerala, at about 300 m depth, and confirmed as new by morphological and molecular analysis.
•It differs from the 12 recognised Ariosoma species known from Indian and neighbouring waters. For example, it has 135 vertebrae and 127-130 lateral-line pores.

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Polity & GovernanceMediumquizQuiz

Health Ministry Advisory: Stem Cell Therapy Only for Approved Uses; Autism Treatment Restricted to Trials

•On 16 September 2026 the Union Health Ministry issued an advisory to all States and UTs: stem cell treatment may be offered as standard care only for conditions the Ministry has specifically approved.
•For Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), any therapeutic use of stem cells is restricted to duly approved clinical trials.
•The advisory follows the Supreme Court's 30 January 2026 judgment in Yash Charitable Trust v. Union of India, which held such therapy outside approved trials unethical and professional misconduct.

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BusinessMediumquizQuiz

Lam Research to Invest ₹10,000 Crore, Set Up First Silicon Component Facility in India

•On 16 September 2026, US-based chip equipment maker Lam Research announced an investment of about ₹10,000 crore in India over several years.
•The plan includes Lam's first silicon component manufacturing facility in India, covering silicon ingot production and processing for leading-edge chip nodes and serving as an export base.
•It also expands R&D at Lam's India Center for Engineering in Bengaluru. With IISc and the India Semiconductor Mission, Lam aims to train up to 60,000 students on its Semiverse Solutions virtual platform.

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BusinessMediumquizQuiz

Fujifilm to Invest ₹800 Crore in Greenfield Semiconductor Materials Plant in India

•On 16 September 2026, just before SEMICON India 2026, Japan's Fujifilm announced a greenfield semiconductor materials plant in India worth about ₹800 crore (~US$83 million).
•Phase 1 will make front-end process chemicals, with investment starting in October 2026 and commercial production in FY2028. Phase 2 will add surface-conditioning materials and high-purity chemicals, timed to demand.
•The project is aligned with India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) 2.0, which the Union Cabinet approved in July 2026.

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SportsLowquizQuiz

WPL 2027 to Run January 14-February 7; Player Auction in Kochi on October 28

•On 16 September 2026 the BCCI announced that the fifth Women's Premier League (WPL) will run from 14 January to 7 February 2027.
•The player auction will be held in Kochi on 28 October 2026, and the five franchises must announce retentions by 28 September 2026.
•Royal Challengers Bengaluru are defending champions. They won the 2026 final against Delhi Capitals in Vadodara.

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EconomyMediumquizQuiz

DGFT Clears Import of 642 UK Cars under India-UK CETA Tariff Rate Quota

•On 16 September 2026 the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) approved applications from seven companies to import 642 cars from the UK at concessional duty.
•This was the first allocation under the 2026 tariff rate quota (TRQ) of the India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), in force since 15 July 2026.
•Eight companies applied for a 2026 quota of about 5,000 vehicles; seven were approved and one got a deficiency certificate.

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InternationalMediumquizQuiz

EU Chief von der Leyen Proposes Canada as the Bloc's First 'Associate Member'

•In her State of the Union address to the European Parliament in Strasbourg on 16 September 2026, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed opening the door for Canada to become the EU's first 'associate member'.
•Canadian PM Mark Carney attended the speech, the first foreign head of government to do so. He has said Canada wants a 'unique alliance', not full membership.
•EU treaties contain no category of associate membership. Any such status would have to be created and ratified by the member states.

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SportsLowquizQuiz

India Wins First-Ever Rifle Team Medals at Para Shooting Worlds in Changwon

•India won its first-ever rifle team medals at the World Shooting Para Sport (WSPS) World Championships in Changwon, South Korea, which concluded on 16 September 2026.
•Millie Shah, Mona Agarwal and Avani Lekhara won gold in the R2 women's 10m air rifle standing SH1 team event with 1878.6.
•Rakesh Nidagundi, Anandha Krishna and Swaroop Unhalkar took silver in the R1 men's 10m air rifle standing SH1 team event with 1856.3.

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State NewsLowquizQuiz

Coimbatore Airport's Rs 2,200-Crore Expansion Master Plan Gets NITI Aayog Nod

•NITI Aayog approved the Rs 2,200-crore expansion master plan of Coimbatore International Airport, Tamil Nadu, on 16 September 2026; it now awaits the Cabinet Committee on Expenditure.
•A new 75,000 sq m terminal will raise capacity from 3.63 million to 12 million passengers a year, and peak-hour capacity from 1,770 to 4,200.
•The runway will be extended from 2,990 m to 3,810 m to handle wide-body aircraft; 627 acres will be added to the existing 420 acres.

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EconomyMediumquizQuiz

India Weighs Cut in Vegetable Oil Import Duty as Edible Oil Prices Rise 20%

•India, the world's largest importer of vegetable oils, is considering cutting import duties to curb food inflation ahead of the September-November festive season, Reuters reported on 16 September 2026.
•Vegetable oil prices are up nearly 20% year-on-year; retail inflation rose to 4.82% in August 2026 with food inflation at 5.95%.
•Industry has suggested a 5-percentage-point cut in basic duty rather than a deeper one, to keep domestic soybean prices above support levels.

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Polity & GovernanceMediumquizQuiz

Centre Reconstitutes CBFC With 18 Members Under Cinematograph Act, 1952

•The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on 16 September 2026 notified a reconstituted 18-member Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), led by chairperson Shashi Shekhar Vempati.
•It was reconstituted under Section 3(1) of the Cinematograph Act, 1952 and Rule 3 of the Cinematograph (Certification) Rules, 2024, for three years or until further orders.
•Members include Preity Zinta, Pankaj Tripathi, Suniel Shetty, Priyadarshan and Ricky Kej; five of the 18 are women. Waman Kendre and Ramesh Patange were retained.

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EconomyHighquizQuiz

US Fed Raises Rates 25 bps to 3.75-4%, First Hike Since 2023; What It Means for RBI

•The US Federal Reserve raised the federal funds target range by 25 basis points to 3.75%-4% on 16 September 2026, in a unanimous 12-0 FOMC vote.
•It is the Fed's first hike since July 2023 and the first policy move under Chair Kevin Warsh, who took office in May 2026.
•16 of 18 officials projected another hike by end-2026; the Fed raised its 2026 PCE inflation projection to 3.7%, with a return to the 2% goal seen only in 2029.

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Ranks & ReportsMediumquizQuiz

QS Global MBA Rankings 2027: IIM Bangalore 64th, Three IIMs Stay in Top 100

•QS released its Global Full-Time MBA Rankings 2027 on 16 September 2026; MIT Sloan ranked 1st, followed by Harvard Business School and Stanford GSB.
•IIM Bangalore is India's best at joint 64th (52nd last year), its fourth straight year as India's top-ranked MBA; IIM Ahmedabad is joint 70th (58th) and IIM Calcutta 95th (64th).
•19 Indian programmes are ranked, including five new entrants, but only these three IIMs are in the global top 100.

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AppointmentsMediumquizQuiz

Nobel Laureate Michael Kremer Named World Bank Group Chief Economist

•The World Bank on 16 September 2026 named Nobel laureate Michael Kremer as World Bank Group Chief Economist and Senior Vice President for Development Economics.
•He takes charge on 1 October 2026, succeeding Indermit Gill, who retired in August 2026 after four years in the post.
•Kremer shared the 2019 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences with Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo for an experimental approach to alleviating global poverty.

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Ranks & ReportsMediumquizQuiz

India Electric Mobility Index 2025: Delhi Tops With 84, Maharashtra and Karnataka Follow

•NITI Aayog, with WRI India, released the second India Electric Mobility Index (IEMI 2025) on 16 September 2026; Delhi topped with 84 out of 100.
•Maharashtra (78), Karnataka (73), Chandigarh (71) and Goa (65) complete the 'Top Performers' group; Delhi's score rose from 77 in the 2024 edition.
•The index scores all 36 States/UTs on 16 indicators under three themes: transport electrification (50%), charging readiness (30%) and research & innovation (20%).

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Ranks & ReportsMediumquizQuiz

Global Gender Gap Index 2026: India Holds 131st of 145; Iceland Tops Again

•The WEF's Global Gender Gap Index 2026, released on 16 September 2026, ranks India 131st of 145 economies, the same rank as in 2025.
•India's parity score rose slightly, to 64.5% from 64.4%. Educational Attainment (96.6%) is its best subindex and Political Empowerment (24.5%) its weakest.
•Iceland is first for another year (93%), followed by Finland and Norway. Australia enters the top 10 for the first time. Chad, Iran and Pakistan are the bottom three.

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Schemes & CommitteesLowquizQuiz

Special Campaign 6.0 portal launched as Swachhata Hi Seva 2026 theme announced

•Dr Jitendra Singh launched the web portal for Special Campaign 6.0, run by DARPG from 2 to 31 October, with e-waste disposal as its new focus.
•Over five years the Special Campaign has earned Rs 5,000 crore from scrap, freed 1,000 lakh sq ft of office space and weeded out around 2 crore files.
•Swachhata Hi Seva 2026 begins on 17 September with the theme 'Swachhata Mein Sahbhag; Swachh Bharat, Viksit Bharat'.

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Awards & HonoursLowquizQuiz

Anant Nag to receive Dadasaheb Phalke Award 2024 at 72nd National Film Awards

•Veteran actor Anant Nag has been named for the Dadasaheb Phalke Award 2024, on the recommendation of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award Selection Committee.
•It will be presented at the 72nd National Film Awards ceremony on 22 September 2026 at Kevadia, Gujarat.
•Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated him for a mark left on Indian cinema and particularly on Kannada cinema over several decades.

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AppointmentsLowquizQuiz

Centre reconstitutes Central Board of Film Certification with 18 members for three years

•The Government has reconstituted the Central Board of Film Certification with 18 members, with immediate effect, for three years or until further orders.
•The order was made under Section 3(1) of the Cinematograph Act, 1952 read with Rule 3 of the Cinematograph (Certification) Rules, 2024, and notified by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on 16 September 2026.
•Members include Suniel Shetty, Preity Zinta, Pankaj Tripathi, Prosenjit Chatterjee, Ricky Kej and Pallavi Joshi.

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Ranks & ReportsLowquizQuiz

NITI Aayog's ninth Trade Watch Quarterly: India's trade at $506.9 billion in Q1 FY27

•NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Ashok Kumar Lahiri released the ninth edition of Trade Watch Quarterly, covering Q1 FY27 (April-June 2026), with metals and ores trade as its thematic focus.
•India's total trade reached $506.9 billion in the quarter, growing 15.5 per cent year-on-year, and exports to FTA partners rose 36.3 per cent against 10 per cent growth in imports from them.
•India moved from fifth to fourth-largest exporter of digitally delivered services, with exports rising from $277 billion in 2024 to $317 billion in 2025.

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EconomyLowquizQuiz

DGFT waives RCMC for export consignments up to Rs 3 lakh

•DGFT has amended Para 2.57 of the Foreign Trade Policy 2023 to exempt export consignments of FOB value up to Rs 3 lakh from the Registration-cum-Membership Certificate requirement.
•Consignments above Rs 3 lakh continue to need a valid RCMC or Certificate of Registration wherever the policy otherwise requires one.
•The rationale is de minimis: consignments up to USD 3,000 make up 43 per cent of shipping bills but only 0.86 per cent of India's merchandise export value.

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EconomyMediumquizQuiz

CBIC marks ten years of Authorised Economic Operator programme; 5,967 entities certified

•The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs held an event titled 'AEO@10: Accelerating Growth, Enhancing Trust, Optimizing Trade' in New Delhi to mark a decade of India's Authorised Economic Operator programme in its present form.
•5,967 entities - importers, exporters, manufacturers, customs brokers, logistics operators and warehouse operators - are certified across the AEO T1, T2, T3 and LO categories.
•CBIC Chairman Vivek Chaturvedi set out five priorities for the next decade, including radical inclusivity for MSMEs and expanded Mutual Recognition Arrangements with foreign customs administrations.

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Ranks & ReportsMediumquizQuiz

NITI Aayog releases second India Electric Mobility Index; top State score rises to 84

•NITI Aayog launched the second edition of the India Electric Mobility Index (IEMI) at its Workshop on State EV Policies, scoring every State and UT on EV adoption, charging infrastructure and EV research.
•The highest State score rose from 77 to 84 over the year and the median from 36 to 40; 29 of 36 States and UTs have now notified EV policies.
•NITI Aayog Member Rajiv Gauba put existing central support for electric mobility at over Rs 92,000 crore across FAME, PM E-DRIVE, PM e-Bus Sewa and two production-linked incentive schemes.

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Schemes & CommitteesMediumquizQuiz

Jan Aushadhi Basket Widens Beyond Medicines to Surgicals and Home-Care Devices

•A PIB Backgrounder set out how the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana is widening its basket beyond generic medicines into surgicals, consumables and home-care devices.
•As of August 2026 the PMBJP product basket has 2,110 medicines and 315 surgicals, medical consumables and devices, covering all major therapeutic groups.
•Over 20,000 Janaushadhi Kendras are operating; sales of Rs 7,873.85 crore across 2021-22 to 2025-26 produced savings of about Rs 37,200 crore for citizens.

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Schemes & CommitteesMediumquizQuiz

PM-YASASVI: Rs 15,555.53 Crore Released for OBC, EBC and DNT Students Since 2014-15

•Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment Dr Virendra Kumar said Rs 15,555.53 crore has been released under the components of PM-YASASVI from 2014-15 to 2025-26, supporting more than 1,069 lakh students and beneficiaries.
•Post-Matric Scholarship is the largest component at Rs 12,118.75 crore for 425.66 lakh students; Pre-Matric accounted for Rs 2,163.15 crore for 642.58 lakh beneficiaries.
•Rs 346.79 crore was released for hostel construction creating 28,865 seats for OBC boys and girls, including 3,700 seats in 2025-26.

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NationalMediumquizQuiz

MHA Declares Shahzad Bhatti Network a Terrorist Organisation Under UAPA

•The Ministry of Home Affairs declared the Shahzad Bhatti Network a terrorist organisation under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, announced by Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah on 16 September 2026.
•The Home Minister said the group smuggles arms, explosives and narcotics across borders and draws youths and petty criminals into terrorism.
•The syndicate was also accused of publishing hateful digital content aimed at India's democratic structure and communal harmony.

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Summits & ConferencesMediumquizQuiz

Third BIMSTEC Conference on Traditional Medicine, Genetic Resources and IPR Opens in Goa

•The Third BIMSTEC Conference on Traditional Medicine Knowledge, Genetic Resources and Intellectual Property Rights opened in Goa on 16 September 2026 and concludes on 17 September 2026.
•It is organised by the Ministry of Ayush with the All India Institute of Ayurveda, Goa as nodal institute, alongside the Second Meeting of the BIMSTEC Nodal Group on the same subject.
•Delegates from all seven BIMSTEC members - Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand - shared national policies and legal frameworks.

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Summits & ConferencesMediumquizQuiz

World Circular Economy Forum 2026 Concludes in Gandhinagar; Columbia University to Host 2027

•The World Circular Economy Forum 2026 concluded at Gandhinagar, Gujarat on 16 September 2026 after two days - the first time the forum has been held in South Asia.
•It drew around 2,700 delegates and 260 speakers from over 60 countries, with four plenary sessions, 16 parallel sessions and an exhibition of 135 national and international exhibitors.
•Sitra's Director of International Programmes, Kristo Lehtonen, handed the baton for WCEF 2027 to Columbia University, United States.

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EnvironmentMediumquizQuiz

India Launches Net Zero Portal and NAPCC Dashboard on 32nd World Ozone Day

•Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Kirti Vardhan Singh launched India's Net Zero Portal and the NAPCC Dashboard at Mumbai on 16 September 2026, at the national celebration of the 32nd World Ozone Day.
•The Net Zero Portal lets Indian entities voluntarily register net-zero targets and disclose greenhouse gas emissions; Scope 1 and Scope 2 reporting is encouraged and Scope 3 reporting is voluntary.
•The NAPCC Dashboard consolidates implementation and indicator data for the National Missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change for inter-ministerial monitoring.

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Schemes & CommitteesHighquizQuiz

PMAY-U Crosses 1.25 Crore Sanctioned Houses as PMAY-U 2.0 Runs Four Verticals

•PMAY-U, launched in June 2015, has sanctioned 1.25 crore houses across its two phases as on 9 August 2026, of which over 1 crore are completed.
•The mission period, originally up to March 2022, has been extended to 30 September 2026 to finish sanctioned projects.
•A restructured PMAY-U 2.0 was launched in September 2024 for 2024-2029, targeting 1 crore more urban families with up to Rs 2.50 lakh per unit.

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Schemes & CommitteesHighquizQuiz

PM Vishwakarma Completes Three Years, Meets 30 Lakh Artisan Registration Target

•PM Vishwakarma completes three years on 17 September 2026, having achieved its registration target of 30 lakh beneficiaries.
•A Central Sector Scheme with an outlay of Rs 13,000 crore for FY2023-24 to FY2027-28, covering 18 traditional family-based trades.
•It bundles recognition, skill training, a toolkit incentive, collateral-free credit, digital incentives and marketing support in a single framework.

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EconomyHighquizQuiz

Cabinet Enhances EPFO Wage Ceiling to Rs 25,000, Widening Mandatory Social Security Cover

•The Union Cabinet approved raising the wage ceiling for mandatory EPFO coverage from Rs 15,000 to Rs 25,000 a month, on a proposal of the Ministry of Labour & Employment.
•More than 51 lakh additional employees are expected to come within mandatory provident fund, pension and insurance cover.
•The revision takes effect on 17 September 2026; the ceiling had last been raised in September 2014 and stayed unchanged through 2004-2014.

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Agreements & MoUsHighquizQuiz

New Zealand Parliament Passes Bill to Implement India Free Trade Agreement

•New Zealand's Parliament passed the legislation to implement the India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement on 16 September 2026, by 93 votes to 29.
•The FTA was signed in New Delhi on 27 April 2026, after negotiations launched on 16 March 2025 were concluded on 22 December 2025 — about nine months.
•India gets duty-free access for 100% of its exports to New Zealand; tariffs on about 95% of New Zealand's exports to India are eliminated or reduced.

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EnvironmentMediumquizQuiz

Environment Ministry Launches India Net Zero Portal and NAPCC Dashboard on World Ozone Day

•Union Minister of State for Environment Kirti Vardhan Singh launched the India Net Zero Portal and the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) Dashboard in Mumbai on 16 September 2026, World Ozone Day.
•The Net Zero Portal lets Indian entities voluntarily register Net Zero targets, disclose emissions and file annual progress updates; declarations are public and acknowledged by the Ministry.
•Entities are encouraged to report Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions; Scope 3 reporting is voluntary.

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State NewsLowquizQuiz

Kerala Opens 'Reimagining Keralam' Roundtables to Plan 73 Budget Projects

•Kerala began a three-day 'Reimagining Keralam' roundtable conference in Thiruvananthapuram on 16 September 2026.
•It will draw up implementation roadmaps for 73 major projects announced in the state's 2026-27 Budget.
•More than 40 government departments and agencies are taking part, with priority to projects involving several departments.

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Important DaysMediumquizQuiz

World Ozone Day 2026 Marks 10 Years of the Kigali Amendment

•World Ozone Day, officially the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer, was observed on 16 September 2026.
•The 2026 theme is 'Global Action for a Cooler Planet - Celebrating 10 years of sustainable cooling under the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol'.
•16 September marks the signing of the Montreal Protocol in 1987; the UN General Assembly proclaimed the day on 19 December 1994.

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Schemes & CommitteesMediumquizQuiz

PM Vishwakarma Hits 30 Lakh Registration Target Ahead of Third Anniversary

•As of 16 September 2026, PM Vishwakarma had met its registration target of 30 lakh artisans and craftspeople, each registered after three-stage verification.
•The scheme completes three years on 17 September 2026; the anniversary event is being held in Kolkata.
•More than 6.19 lakh collateral-free loans worth about Rs 5,316 crore have been sanctioned at a concessional 5% interest rate.

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Awards & HonoursMediumquizQuiz

Kannada Actor Anant Nag Named for Dadasaheb Phalke Award 2024

•Veteran actor Anant Nag was named on 16 September 2026 as the recipient of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2024.
•He will receive it at the 72nd National Film Awards ceremony in Kevadia (Ekta Nagar), Gujarat, on 22 September 2026.
•He is only the second Kannada actor to win the award, after Dr Rajkumar.

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EconomyHighquizQuiz

Cabinet Raises Mandatory EPFO Wage Ceiling to Rs 25,000, First Revision Since 2014

•The Union Cabinet on 16 September 2026 raised the wage ceiling for mandatory EPFO coverage from Rs 15,000 to Rs 25,000 a month, effective 17 September 2026.
•It is the first revision in 12 years: the Rs 15,000 limit had applied since 1 September 2014, when it replaced Rs 6,500.
•Over 51 lakh more employees are expected to come under compulsory EPF, EPS and EDLI coverage.

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