PIB Current Affairs 16 September 2026

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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Current Affairs Pulse

PIB Current Affairs — 16 September 2026

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

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

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

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

DGFT waives RCMC for export consignments up to Rs 3 lakh

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

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

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

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

MHA Declares Shahzad Bhatti Network a Terrorist Organisation Under UAPA

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

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

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

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

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

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