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Schemes, reports & policies straight from the source — the highest-yield UPSC current affairs
Last updated: 20 September 2026
SEMICON India 2026, the fifth edition of India's flagship semiconductor conference, concluded at Yashobhoomi, New Delhi after a three-day run from 17 to 19 September 2026 on the theme 'Silicon to Systems: Building the Ecosystem'. The concluding session carried 15 announcements covering indigenous processors, sovereign computing, AI and quantum platforms, fab automation and skilling; across three days the event recorded 56 MoUs, announcements and strategic initiatives.
The Ministry of Finance concluded a two-day Conference on 'Financing India's Journey towards Viksit Bharat' in New Delhi, with Finance Ministers and Finance Secretaries of States and UTs with Legislature. Described as the first of its kind, it moved past the usual question of sharing Union tax revenue to how India's development over the next two decades will be financed.
The Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment released component-wise performance figures for the Pradhan Mantri Anusuchit Jaati Abhyuday Yojana (PM-AJAY), the merged Centrally Sponsored Scheme for Scheduled Caste development. Rs 11,186 crore has been released across the scheme's three components from FY 2014-15 to date, through the Adarsh Gram, Grant-in-Aid and Hostel routes.
From 1 October 2026, a domestic LPG consumer must have completed Biometric Aadhaar Authentication to book refills at the regulated Retail Selling Price with subsidy. As on 19 September 2026, 27.43 crore active domestic consumers — 89.9 per cent — had already completed the process and need do nothing further.
The Prime Minister extended his best wishes to the Indian contingent as the Asian Games commenced in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, on 19 September 2026. This is the 20th edition of the Games, hosted jointly by Aichi Prefecture and the city of Nagoya, and runs to 4 October 2026.
The Ministry of Ayush is extending Ayush Grid, the sector's digital health platform, from portals into artificial intelligence services for Ayurveda and the wider Ayush sector. Six AI assistants are named: the MAISP Chatbot, the ARP Research Assistant, the eLMS Chatbot, the e-CHARAK Chatbot, Yoga Saarthi and Nivesh Saarthi.
Indian Railways has approved Kavach Version 4.0 on 607.7 route kilometres of the Lucknow Division of North Eastern Railway at a cost of Rs 252 crore. The sanction covers the identified balance sections of the division, extending Kavach across its remaining routes.
The keel laying ceremony of the first ship of the Indian Navy's Next Generation Missile Vessel (NGMV) project was held at Cochin Shipyard Limited, Kochi, on 18 September 2026. Vice Admiral Sanjay Sadhu, Controller of Warship Production and Acquisition, was the Chief Guest.
The 21st Board meeting of the National Land Monetization Corporation Limited (NLMC) was held on 18 September 2026. The Board recommended monetisation proposals covering surplus land and building assets valued at over Rs 5,000 crore.
The Ministry of Rural Development will start DDU-GKY 2.0 training batches across most States and Union Territories from October 2026. In the first phase, 1,164 batches covering 34,920 rural youth begin training in 14 States/UTs, against a sanctioned target of 3,57,112 trainees by 31 December 2027.
The 20th National Rozgar Mela was held on 19 September 2026 at 45 locations, with the Prime Minister distributing over 51,000 appointment letters by video conferencing. The cumulative tally across 20 editions reached about 12.75 lakh appointment letters, against the original target of 10 lakh central government recruitments announced at launch.
The Prime Minister inaugurated the National Green Tribunal's two-day International Conference on 'The Future of Environment and Climate Dynamics' at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, on 19 September 2026, and launched the NGT Mobile Application. The conference brings together jurists, policymakers and scientists from 17 countries, along with the United Nations Environment Programme and the Asian Development Bank, across four technical sessions.
The Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment has released about Rs 1,089.58 crore under IPSrC and SAPSrC, the institutional-care components of the Atal Vayo Abhyuday Yojana (AVYAY). More than 10.76 lakh senior citizens benefited under IPSrC from FY 2014-15 to FY 2025-26, with about Rs 953.53 crore spent.
The 25th meeting of SCO ministers responsible for foreign economic and trade activities was held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on 17 September 2026. Ministers agreed an Action Plan for 2026-2030 on multilateral trade and economic cooperation, which now goes to the SCO Council of Heads of Government for approval.
Steel was cut for the second Next Generation Missile Vessel (NGMV) at Cochin Shipyard Limited, Kochi, on 17 September 2026. Cochin Shipyard is building six NGMVs under a contract signed in March 2023.
In Bengaluru on 18 September 2026, HAL handed over two LCA Tejas FOC twin-seat trainers and three HTT-40 basic trainers to the IAF, and four Dhruv NG civil helicopters to Pawan Hans Limited. The two Tejas trainers are the last aircraft due under the FOC contract.
A PIB Backgrounder of 18 September 2026 put Swachh Bharat Mission's rural progress, as of 17 September 2026, at over 5.69 lakh ODF Plus villages, of which more than 5.25 lakh are ODF Plus Model. 1,314 GOBARdhan biogas plants are operational in 585 districts; 12.22 crore household toilets have been built.
The Government on 18 September 2026 relaxed the sugar stockholding limit for bulk consumers from 15 to 30 days' consumption. Stock held beyond 15 days must come only from sugar imported under the Advance Authorisation Scheme (AAS) or the Tariff Rate Quota (TRQ); open-market purchases stay capped at 15 days.
TRAI notified the Telecom Commercial Communication Customer Preference (Third Amendment) Regulations, 2026 on 18 September 2026, amending TCCCPR 2018 to tighten action against spam. Operators must now use AI/ML to flag suspected spam numbers and share them; five or more flagged numbers of one sender within ten days trigger graded action up to disconnection.
The National Statistics Office (NSO) released 'Labour Market Snapshot of Selected Districts' on 18 September 2026 — the first district-level labour indicators ever published from the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS). District estimates became possible because the PLFS redesign of January 2025 made the district, not the NSS Region, the basic sampling stratum for most of the country.
World Patient Safety Day 2026 was observed on 17 September with the WHO theme 'Safe care for noncommunicable diseases' and the slogan 'Safe care for life!'. Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda addressed the national event at ABVIMS & Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, New Delhi, where the hospital's Quality & Safety Handbook was released.
The Department of Social Justice & Empowerment has appointed Narayan Dewasi and Swaroop Singh Banjara as Members of the Governing Body of the Development and Welfare Board for De-notified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Communities (DWBDNC). Their tenure is three years from the date of joining or until further orders, whichever is earlier; Swaroop Singh Banjara assumed charge on 17 September 2026.
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation jointly launched Swachhata Hi Seva 2026 with a plantation drive under 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' at Children's Park, India Gate, New Delhi. The campaign carries the theme 'Swachhata Mein Sahbhag; Swachh Bharat, Viksit Bharat' and runs to 2 October, on five pillars from Cleanliness Target Units to Swachhata se Samriddhi.
The Parliament of New Zealand passed legislation on 16 September 2026 to give effect to the India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement, signed in New Delhi on 27 April 2026. The Agreement gives duty-free access to 100 per cent of Indian exports to New Zealand from the date it enters into force, and preferential access in India for New Zealand wood, wool, sheep meat and leather raw hides.
The Department of Youth Affairs will open the 100 Weeks Nasha Mukt Yuva Abhiyan on 18 September 2026 with the Rashtriya Sankalp Samaroh, a nationwide youth pledge and signature campaign. It is delivered through Mera Yuva Bharat (MY Bharat) and the National Service Scheme: 300 NSS institutions from 18 September, and 485 MY Bharat units on 20 September.
India's textile exports rose 16.1% year-on-year in August 2026 to Rs 29,776 crore, against Rs 25,656 crore in August 2025. Cumulative textile exports during April-August 2026 reached Rs 1.43 lakh crore, a growth of 10.3% over the same period a year earlier.
The Ministry of Coal launched the 16th round of commercial coal mine auctions in New Delhi on 17 September 2026, offering 25 coal blocks across nine coal-bearing states. Coal Mine Development and Production Agreements were handed to the successful bidders of six mines auctioned in earlier rounds, together holding about 1,504 million tonnes of geological reserves.
'OneTag', a FASTag portability service, is now available on NHAI's Rajmargyatra app, letting users change their FASTag issuer bank without replacing the physical tag on the vehicle. The FASTag ID linked to the vehicle registration number stays unchanged after porting; the old issuer closes the wallet and refunds the balance after applicable adjustments.
The Prime Minister addressed the release of an instalment under West Bengal's Annapurna Yojana via video conferencing on 17 September 2026. The fourth instalment of Rs 3,000 is reaching the bank accounts of approximately 1.5 crore women in the state.
India's 51st Doppler Weather Radar was inaugurated virtually at Sambalpur, Odisha by Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Earth Sciences Dr Jitendra Singh, in the presence of Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi. The network has grown from 14 radars in 2014 to 51, and about 40 more are planned under Mission Mausam, which would take the total to roughly 81.
India's agricultural carbon market has reached the farm: more than 2,500 smallholders in Punjab and Haryana are receiving over Rs 2.9 crore in digital payments for adopting regenerative farming practices. The Direct Benefit Transfer to 2,550 farmers was initiated at Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana by Dr M. L. Jat, Secretary, Department of Agricultural Research and Education and Director General, ICAR.
Union Minister for Power and Housing and Urban Affairs Shri Manohar Lal led the Indian delegation to the G20 Energy Abundance Ministerial Meeting at Houston, USA from 14 to 16 September 2026, under the U.S. G20 Presidency. The meeting worked across three pillars: Energy Security and Affordable Baseload; Permitting and Regulatory Efficiency; and Critical Minerals and Resilient Supply Chains.
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has proposed amendments to the Drugs Rules, 1945 through Draft Gazette Notification G.S.R. 791(E) dated 8 September 2026. The amendment would make CCTV surveillance mandatory at medical stores, to curb unauthorised sale of Schedule H, H1 and X drugs without valid prescriptions.
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare issued an advisory dated 16 September 2026 to all States and Union Territories that have adopted the Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2010. It follows the Supreme Court judgment of 30 January 2026 in Yash Charitable Trust and Others v. Union of India and Others, W.P. (C) No. 369 of 2022, reported as 2026 INSC 96.
A PIB Backgrounder reviews the Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana, launched on 17 September 2015 to route a share of mining royalty into the welfare of mining-affected districts. The scheme is implemented by District Mineral Foundations, non-profit trusts created by the 2015 amendment to the MMDR Act, 1957, and now set up in 656 districts across 23 States.
A PIB Backgrounder sets out the status of the Electronics Components Manufacturing Scheme, notified on 8 April 2025 to move India from electronics assembly to component manufacturing. The Union Budget 2026-27 raised the scheme's outlay from Rs 22,919 crore to Rs 40,000 crore.
The Prime Minister inaugurated the fifth edition of SEMICON India at Yashobhoomi, New Delhi on 17 September 2026, themed 'Silicon to Systems: Building the Ecosystem' and running to 19 September. Semicon 2.0, approved by the Union Cabinet on 15 July 2026 with an outlay of Rs 1,27,500 crore, widens the mission from fabs and packaging to six pillars covering design, equipment and materials, advanced packaging, applied R&D and talent.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 Department of Justice held an officer-level Tele-Law awareness workshop at the Mini Secretariat, Nuh, Haryana, on 15 September 2026 under DISHA 2.0. About 150 participants attended, including CSC representatives, Village Level Entrepreneurs, panel lawyers and Nyaya Sahayaks.
NSTFDC and HPCL signed an MoU to set up integrated Computer Lab-cum-Smart Classroom facilities in 29 functional EMRSs across 11 districts of Rajasthan. HPCL's Board has approved ₹16.01 crore from CSR; the project is to be finished within six months of signing.
CSIR-NIScPR is using SARAL AI, an ANRF tool, to convert research published in its journals into short, accessible videos. The institute held a hands-on SARAL AI workshop for over 90 journal editors and researchers.
Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh leads India's delegation at the 69th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in Cape Town, 12-19 September 2026. 32 Presiding Officers and 18 Secretaries from State/UT legislatures, all CPA members, are also attending.
Railway Minister inaugurated Shivlakha GCT (Kachchh), dedicated Bhimasar, Devaliya and Chandisar GCTs, and laid the foundation stone for Linch GCT (Mahesana). A salt-loaded freight train from Shivlakha to Mithapur was flagged off, using new lightweight stainless steel salt containers.
In a special drive, the Defence Accounts Department (DAD) normalised all 1,45,182 discrepant Indian Air Force and Indian Navy pension cases on SPARSH. Air Force accounted for 1,12,638 cases and Navy for 32,544, both cleared in full.
NHRC took suo motu cognizance of a media report that a woman was beaten, had her hair cut and was paraded semi-nude by her husband and relatives in Banswara, Rajasthan, on 1 September 2026. Notices went to Rajasthan's Chief Secretary and the Banswara Superintendent of Police for a report within two weeks.
The Department of Consumer Affairs has recognised 51 Government Approved Test Centres (GATCs), with fresh applications under process. Amended GATC Rules cover 23 categories of weighing and measuring instruments, including fuel dispensers for petrol, diesel, CNG, LPG, LNG and hydrogen.
An NDSA team reviewed implementation of the Dam Safety Act, 2021 with Jharkhand's Water Resources Department on 8 September 2026. NDSA sought Comprehensive Dam Safety Evaluations, Emergency Action Plans on the DHARMA portal, and a plan to rehabilitate Category-II dams.
CAQM's Enforcement Task Force held its 139th meeting on 14 September 2026, reviewing 150 inspections made between 24 August and 7 September 2026. Proposed actions include closure of 3 C&D projects and 1 industrial unit and sealing of 25 DG sets.
The 22nd edition of India-US joint military exercise Yudh Abhyas opened on 15 September 2026 at the Auli Foreign Training Node, Uttarakhand. It runs simultaneously at Auli and the Mahajan Field Firing Range in Rajasthan, with 600 personnel from each side.
The fourth Hanle Dark Sky Reserve (HDSR) Star Party was held from 7 to 12 September 2026 at the Indian Astronomical Observatory, Hanle, Ladakh. It was organised by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics with Ladakh's Department of Wildlife Protection, BARC and TIFR; an Open Night drew over 1,200 visitors.
The 43.218-km, Rs 10,998-crore Varuna Elevated Corridor will connect NH-31 with the Varanasi Ring Road along the Varuna River. NHAI will build the predominantly elevated 6/4-lane corridor, including an iconic cable-stayed bridge.
The Department of Rural Development (DoRD) and the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) signed an MoU on 14 September 2026 to create community-level 'Pension Sakhis'. Pension Sakhis will be drawn from the DAY-NRLM network, including Banking Correspondent (BC) Sakhis and other trained community resource persons.
The Ministry of Coal set out Coal India Limited's move from conventional to technology-led 'smart' mining across exploration, open-cast and underground operations. CIL aims to raise underground output to around 100 MT using Continuous Miner, Longwall and Highwall technology.
The Union Environment Minister and the Chief Minister of Gujarat inaugurated the World Circular Economy Forum 2026 at Gandhinagar on 15 September 2026; it runs to 18 September. The theme is 'Circular Economy: Transition for People and Prosperity', and this is the first WCEF hosted in South Asia.
The Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Ministry of Jal Shakti, held the 12th District Collectors' Peyjal Samvad by video conference to speed up Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0 implementation. Six districts — Shahdol, Samba, Hooghly, Dhamtari, Fatehgarh Sahib and North and Middle Andaman — presented best practices on source sustainability, behaviour change, grievance redressal and convergence.
The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship held the send-off for India's WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 contingent at Kaushal Bhawan, New Delhi. Seventy competitors — India's largest-ever team — will contest 63 skill categories at the 48th WorldSkills Competition in Shanghai from 22 to 27 September 2026.
Cumulative expenditure under the four components of SHREYAS from 2014-15 to 2025-26 stands at about Rs 3,509.39 crore. The cumulative beneficiary count over the same period is 1,18,248 SC and OBC students.
The SPROUT facility - SpeedSeed Phenotyping and Resource Optimization for Unified Trait Analysis - was inaugurated at BRIC-National Institute of Plant Genome Research, New Delhi. It is a season-independent, controlled-environment facility for high-throughput phenotyping and precision stress screening, with chickpea as its major focus crop.
Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh unveiled a framework at VIMARSH 2026 to lower technical and financial entry barriers for MSMEs and deep-tech start-ups in defence R&D. A standardised, secure framework for sharing DRDO-developed software source codes with licensee industries was launched.
The Central Consumer Protection Authority has imposed a Rs 10 lakh penalty on Roppen Transportation Services Private Limited, which operates the ride-hailing platform Rapido. CCPA found two dark patterns: 'confirm shaming' in prompts urging riders to raise their fare, and 'interface interference' in a colour-coded pricing slider.
Total exports of merchandise and services in August 2026 are estimated at US$ 82.68 billion, a growth of 25.41 per cent over August 2025. The overall trade deficit for the month narrowed to US$ 9.41 billion from US$ 11.62 billion a year earlier.
The overall Labour Force Participation Rate for persons aged 15 and above rose to 55.6 per cent in August 2026 from 55.4 per cent in July. Worker Population Ratio reached 52.8 per cent, the highest since March 2026, driven by rural areas.
TAPAS, the online learning platform of the National Institute of Social Defence, recorded 6,866 enrolments from 2021 to 2026, including 733 in 2026. It offers five self-paced certificate courses with 48 modules on elderly care, social defence, drug-abuse prevention, transgender issues and dementia care.
Special Campaign 6.0 to institutionalise Swachhata and cut pendency runs 2–31 October 2026 across 84 Ministries/Departments, after a 16–30 September preparatory phase; its focus is collection, segregation and disposal of e-waste. Across five editions (2021–2025) and monthly Secretariat Reforms up to July 2026: 24.20 lakh sites covered, 180.48 lakh files weeded out/closed, over ₹5,102.91 crore earned from scrap.
The Prime Minister greeted the nation on Nuakhai, the new-rice harvest festival of western Odisha, with 'Nuakhai Juhar'. He also greeted Jains on Samvatsari, the day of forgiveness that closes Paryushana, with 'Michhami Dukkadam'.
The Prime Minister paid homage to Bengali novelist Saratchandra Chattopadhyay on his 150th birth anniversary (born 15 September 1876). He noted that Saratchandra's works, translated into every Indian language, depict rural Bengali society, and cited his commitment to social reform, women's rights and nationalism.
Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia released a Department of Posts commemorative stamp honouring Sant Malukdas at a Sant Samagam held in his memory. Malukdas (1574–1682) was a Bhakti poet-saint devoted to Lord Ram, born at Kara near Prayagraj.
The Culture Secretary opened a one-month induction programme for 53 newly recruited ASI Senior Conservation Assistants and Conservation Assistants at the Institute of Archaeology, Greater Noida. The revamped curriculum adds GFR, administrative law, establishment rules and departmental inquiries to core archaeology.
Vice-President C. P. Radhakrishnan, ex-officio President of ICWA, addressed its 25th anniversary as an Institution of National Importance at Sapru House, New Delhi. ICWA, founded in 1943, was declared an institution of national importance by the Indian Council of World Affairs Act, 2001.
The Ministry of Jal Shakti released an anthem for 'Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari – Catch the Rain', sung by Shankar Mahadevan. It carries the campaign slogan 'Catch the Rain – Where It Falls, When It Falls' and targets young people as water-conservation ambassadors.
All person-to-person UPI transactions remain free of Merchant Discount Rate, whatever the amount transferred. MDR applies only to person-to-merchant transactions above Rs 2,000, leaving about 96 per cent of merchant transactions unaffected.
The Chief Ministers of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi and Haryana signed the Kishau Multipurpose Project agreement on 15 September 2026. The project involves a 232.6-metre-high concrete gravity dam on the Tons River along the Uttarakhand-Himachal Pradesh border, storing 1,562 million cubic metres.
SEMICON India 2026 runs from 17 to 19 September 2026 at Yashobhoomi, Dwarka, on the theme 'Silicon to Systems: Building the Ecosystem'. Twelve semiconductor projects have been approved across six states with investment commitments above Rs 1.64 lakh crore; three units are already in commercial production.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), India, with the Ministry of External Affairs, began the fifth ITEC Executive Capacity Building Programme on Human Rights for NHRIs of the Global South in New Delhi on 14 September 2026. About 38 participants from the NHRIs of 14 countries are attending the six-day programme, which began in 2023.
Vice Chief of the Air Staff Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit inaugurated the first IAF Dronathon-2026 at the Pokhran Field Firing Range, Jaisalmer, on 14 September 2026 (event runs 14-16 September). He released the 'IAF UAS Roadmap', which sets out the IAF's unmanned capability priorities for industry, academia and research organisations.
Union Women and Child Development Minister Annpurna Devi met Nigeria's Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, in New Delhi on 14 September 2026. Talks covered women's economic collectives, financial inclusion, the care economy, clean energy, social protection, and child rights, protection and digital inclusion.
The Department of Social Justice and Empowerment reported central assistance of Rs 4,893.03 crore under Pre-Matric Scholarships and Rs 46,581.54 crore under Post-Matric Scholarships for Scheduled Caste students from FY 2014-15 to FY 2025-26. In FY 2025-26 alone, Rs 562.36 crore reached 26.79 lakh pre-matric students and Rs 6,186.95 crore reached 47.53 lakh post-matric students.
The Ministry of Social Justice And Empowerment reported that Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan (NMBA) has reached more than 34.54 crore citizens, including over 13.70 crore youth and 10.64 crore women, as the campaign completes six years. More than 1.67 lakh Nasha Mukti Mitras have joined, and over 1.67 lakh master volunteers, community leaders and personnel have been trained in addiction identification and caregiving.
Researchers at the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Bengaluru, reported an unusual wave-like heat transport regime in thallium copper selenide (TlCu5Se3), a copper chalcogenide. The material records a thermoelectric figure of merit (zT) of 1.7, among the highest for pristine ternary chalcogenides, making it a candidate for converting industrial waste heat into electricity.
India marks the 11th Ayurveda Day on 23 September 2026 with the theme 'Ayurveda for a Healthier Tomorrow'. The Ayush market grew from USD 2.85 billion in 2014 to USD 43.4 billion in 2023, with exports rising from USD 1.09 billion to USD 2.16 billion.
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar is on a three-day visit to Bhutan from 14 to 16 September 2026. He meets His Majesty the King of Bhutan in Thimphu on 14 September and calls on Prime Minister Dasho Tshering Tobgay on 16 September.
NHAI will upgrade the 1033 National Highway Helpline with AI, real-time caller location tracking, multilingual call handling and smart dispatch of ambulances, cranes and patrol vehicles. Introduced in 2018, 1033 runs round the clock, covers more than 1.46 lakh km of National Highways and receives about 15,000 calls a day.
Kerala's Student Green Brigade Scholarship - EcoSense pays school students for hands-on waste-management work under Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0. Against a target of 50,000 scholarships, 45,880 students across 986 Local Self Government Institutions are receiving Rs 1,500 and a certificate each this year.
India and MERCOSUR signed the First Additional Protocol to their Preferential Trade Agreement, giving electronic Certificates of Origin the same legal validity as paper ones. The Protocol amends Article 16 of Annex III (Rules of Origin) of the India-MERCOSUR PTA, which was signed on 25 January 2004 and took effect on 1 June 2009.
Special Campaign 6.0 for disposal of pending matters will run from 2 to 31 October 2026, with e-waste collection, segregation and disposal as its special theme. The Ministry of Coal reported its Campaign 5.0 record: over 1.13 crore sq ft cleared, 14,017 metric tonnes of scrap disposed and Rs 56.85 crore earned.
The Press Information Bureau (PIB) is the Government of India's official source for schemes, policies, reports and announcements — and it is the single highest-yield source for UPSC Prelims current affairs. On this page we turn the day's important PIB releases into exam-focused summaries, each with the key facts, the ministry involved, syllabus mapping and practice questions, plus downloadable monthly and weekly PIB compilation PDFs.
PIB (Press Information Bureau) is the nodal agency that disseminates the Government of India's policy decisions, schemes, reports and data to the media. Because UPSC, SSC and Banking exams draw heavily on authentic government sources, PIB is considered the most reliable and frequently-tested source of current affairs — a large share of Prelims questions can be traced back to government press releases.
Don't read the entire raw PIB feed — it is large and much of it is routine. Focus on schemes, policy decisions, reports and indices, MoUs, appointments and government data, and map each item to the GS syllabus. Our PIB summaries do this filtering for you and pair every item with the static facts — ministry, launch date, objective, governing body — that exams actually test. Revise using the monthly and weekly PIB PDFs before the exam.
The Press Information Bureau (PIB) is the Government of India's official communication agency under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. It publishes the government's policies, schemes, reports and announcements.
PIB is an authentic, government-verified source, and a significant share of UPSC Prelims questions on schemes, reports and policies can be traced to PIB press releases. It is equally useful for SSC, Banking, Railway and Defence current affairs.
Yes. You can download free monthly and weekly PIB current affairs compilation PDFs from the download section on this page.
It's not necessary. Reading curated, exam-focused PIB summaries saves time and ensures you cover only the syllabus-relevant schemes, reports and decisions.