1. National

·       India's first LNG-powered train: Union Home Minister Amit Shah flagged off India's first LNG-powered train from Sabarmati Railway Station, Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

·       Railway infrastructure projects: Projects worth ₹1,472 crore were launched in Gujarat.

·       WAG-12 maintenance shed: A dedicated shed costing ₹700 crore was inaugurated for maintaining 12,000 HP electric locomotives.

·       Kavach system: The indigenous automatic train protection system was commissioned on the Sabarmati–Kalol–Sabarmati section at a cost of ₹48 crore.

·       Railway electrification: Indian Railways has achieved 99.6% route electrification.

·       Diesel consumption: Indian Railways' diesel consumption declined from 293 crore litres in 2015–16 to 108 crore litres in 2024–25.

·       Exercise Tarang Shakti 2026: The Indian Air Force began the operational phase of the multilateral air exercise at Jodhpur, Rajasthan, with participation from seven foreign nations.

·       Livestock Insurance Portal: Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh launched a multilingual portal supporting 13 languages.

·       NMDC integrated project: NMDC commissioned an integrated mining and processing project in Bastar, Chhattisgarh, involving a 135-km slurry pipeline and a 2-million-tonne-per-annum pellet plant.

·       National Conference of Anti-Narcotics Task Force: Held in New Delhi on 22–23 September 2026, with representatives from 36 States and Union Territories. The target is a drug-free India by 31 December 2029.

·       Bureau of Indian Standards: Smartphone screen protectors were notified as the 66th product category under compulsory registration, effective 1 April 2027, under standard IS 19348:2025.

2. International

·       81st United Nations General Assembly: The 81st session of the UN General Assembly is being held in New York. India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar addressed the General Debate.

·       UNGA 81 theme: “Restoring trust, managing transformation: A United Nations that delivers for all.”

·       India–Liberia maritime cooperation: India and Liberia launched a joint maritime and shipping-safety initiative on the sidelines of the UN meetings in New York.

·       US–China AI dialogue: The United States and China agreed to establish an artificial intelligence incident communication channel and a dialogue framework.

·       ADMM-Plus maritime exercise: Indian Navy ships INS Sahyadri and INS Kulish participated in the 23rd ADMM-Plus maritime security activity at Subic Bay, Philippines.

·       ADMM-Plus: Stands for ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting-Plus. The maritime security activity was co-chaired by Japan and the Philippines.

·       India–New Zealand Free Trade Agreement: The agreement signed on 27 April 2026 is scheduled to come into force on 20 October 2026.

·       UCI Road World Championships 2032: Pune has been named as the host city for the 2032 UCI Road World Championships, marking the first time India is scheduled to host the event.

3. Economy

·       Fitch Ratings: Raised India's GDP growth forecast for FY 2026–27 to 6.9%, from 6.4%.

·       India's Q1 FY27 GDP growth: Recorded at 7.8% year-on-year.

·       RBI repo rate: The Reserve Bank of India maintained the policy repo rate at 5.25%, with a neutral stance, at its August 2026 Monetary Policy Committee meeting.

·       Foreign exchange reserves: India's forex reserves declined by $14.881 billion to $765.901 billion for the week ended 18 September 2026.

·       Foreign currency assets: Fell by $14.816 billion to $630.980 billion during the same week.

·       Gold reserves: Increased by $68 million to $111.292 billion.

·       Special Drawing Rights (SDRs): Declined by $106 million to $18.739 billion.

·       Premier Energies: Commissioned a 7 GW N-type TOPCon solar cell manufacturing line at Naidupeta, Andhra Pradesh, taking its total capacity to 10.6 GW. The project involved capital expenditure of ₹3,293 crore.

·       ICICI Prudential Life Insurance: The company was renamed ICICI Life Insurance Limited, effective 22 September 2026.

·       NMDC investment: The integrated project in Bastar includes a 135-km slurry pipeline and a 2 MTPA pellet plant, with a reported investment of ₹5,427 crore.

·       Global Gender Gap Index 2026: India ranked 131st out of 148 countries, while Iceland ranked first.

·       WIPO Global Innovation Index 2026: Scheduled for release on 29 September 2026. The 2026 theme is “Powering Entrepreneurs at the Frontier of Science.”

4. Date's Importance

·       28 September – World Rabies Day: Observed every year on 28 September to raise awareness about rabies prevention and control.

·       Louis Pasteur: The date commemorates the death anniversary of Louis Pasteur, who developed the first effective rabies vaccine.

·       2026 theme: Requires confirmation from the official annual observance announcement before memorisation.

·       International Day for Universal Access to Information: Observed on 28 September to promote access to public information and transparency.

·       International Safe Abortion Day: Observed on 28 September to raise awareness about access to safe abortion care and reproductive health.

·       Birth anniversary of Bhagat Singh: 28 September 1907 is widely recognised as the birth date of the Indian revolutionary freedom fighter.

5. Person of the Day

Bhagat Singh

·       Born: 28 September 1907

·       Birthplace: Banga, Punjab, British India (now in Pakistan)

·       Known for: Indian revolutionary and freedom fighter.

·       Organisation: Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA).

·       Important facts: Bhagat Singh was associated with the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA).

·       He was involved in the Lahore Conspiracy Case and the Central Legislative Assembly bombing case.

·       He, along with Rajguru and Sukhdev, was executed on 23 March 1931.

·       The day of their execution is observed in India as Shaheed Diwas (Martyrs' Day).

·       His famous slogan, “Inquilab Zindabad,” became a rallying cry of the Indian independence movement.

6. Sports

Asian Games 2026 – Aichi-Nagoya, Japan

·       Men's Kabaddi: India defeated Iran 40–34 in the final to win gold.

·       Women's Kabaddi: India defeated Iran 37–34 to secure gold.

·       Squash: Anahat Singh won silver in women's singles, while Abhay Singh won silver in men's singles.

·       Athletics: Ancy Sojan won silver in women's long jump.

·       Decathlon: Tejaswin Shankar secured bronze in the men's decathlon.

·       Men's Marathon: Sawan Barwal won silver with a time of 2:11:37, setting a new Indian national record.

·       Men's Shot Put: Tajinderpal Singh Toor won silver.

·       Women's Pole Vault: Baranica Elangovan won bronze after clearing 4.15 metres, India's first Asian Games medal in the event.

·       Archery: Dhiraj Bommadevara scored 698 out of 720 in men's recurve qualification, setting an Asian Games record.

·       Women's Shot Put: Manpreet Kaur won bronze with a throw of 17.17 metres.

·       Mixed Doubles Squash: Joshna Chinappa and Velavan Senthilkumar won bronze.

·       India's medal tally: At the close of Day 7, India had won 30 medals (4 gold, 12 silver and 14 bronze).

·       UCI Road World Championships 2032: Pune is scheduled to host the championships, marking India's first hosting of the event.

·       Asian Games 2026: The Games are being held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, and are scheduled to conclude on 4 October 2026.

7. Awards

·       65th National Exhibition of Art: Lalit Kala Akademi announced 20 award winners at the 65th National Exhibition of Art.

·       Lalit Kala Akademi: Established in 1954, it is India's National Academy of Art and functions under the Ministry of Culture.

·       Art exhibition participation: A total of 6,175 entries were submitted by 2,495 artists from 27 States and Union Territories.

·       Selected artworks: The jury selected 270 artworks for the national exhibition.

·       Chandra Shekhar Sen: Received recognition for the terracotta sculpture My Entire World – I.

·       Gopal Chandra Naskar: Recognised for The Tune of the Srimad Bhagavad Gita, an acrylic painting on canvas.

·       Pooja Rajput: Recognised for Prakriti Shoshan, a white marble sculpture.

·       Rajendra Prasad: Recognised for Sujata with Buddha, a watercolour wash painting.

·       Raviraj Ramakrishnan: Recognised for Fisherwoman, created using copper, oxidised and welded techniques.

8. Other Important Significance

·       Lalit Kala Akademi headquarters: Rabindra Bhavan, New Delhi.

·       Indian Railways' Kavach: An indigenous automatic train protection system designed to improve railway safety and reduce collision risks.

·       WAG-12 locomotive: A 12,000-horsepower (HP) electric locomotive used for heavy freight transportation.

·       MAHASAGAR vision: India's regional maritime cooperation vision, associated with Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions.

·       Act East Policy: India's policy to strengthen economic, strategic and cultural relations with Southeast Asian and Indo-Pacific countries.

·       World Rabies Day: Commemorates Louis Pasteur, who died on 28 September 1895.

·       International Day for Universal Access to Information: Recognised by UNESCO and observed annually on 28 September.

·       BIS headquarters: New Delhi. The Bureau of Indian Standards was established on 1 April 1987.

·       ASEAN headquarters: Jakarta, Indonesia.

·       WIPO headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.

·       UCI headquarters: Aigle, Switzerland. The Union Cycliste Internationale was founded in 1900.