Daily Current Affairs 30 September 2026

Union Minister Bhupender Yadav has distributed the first PRAMAAN certificates under the Indian Forest and Wood Certification Scheme (IFWCS) in New Delhi.

The certificates were awarded to the Andhra Pradesh Forest Development Corporation (APFDC) for its plantations covering 33,000 hectares, and to Govind Mohapatra, a farmer associated with the Odisha Bamboo Development Agency (OBDA).

Union Minister Piyush Goyal has announced that the India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (FTA) will come into force on October 20, 2026, following the completion of ratification and domestic processes in both countries.

From the date of implementation, 100% of exports from India to New Zealand will receive duty-free access, benefiting key sectors such as textiles and apparel, leather and footwear, gems and jewellery, engineering goods, and processed foods.

Union Minister Piyush Goyal and Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the MD of Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), have co-chaired the 14th meeting of the India-UAE High Level Joint Task Force on Investments (HLJTFI) in Mumbai. It is to be noted that the HLJTFI was established in 2013.

Additionally, the second India-Fiji Bilateral Joint Working Group (JWG) meeting was held in New Delhi, with both nations discussing various areas of mutual interest.

The central government has approved a one-time, interest-free loan of ₹50,000 per barn for the Flue-Cured Virginia (FCV) tobacco growers in Andhra Pradesh. The assistance is provided under the “Interest-Free Working Capital Assistance Scheme” with a total financial outlay of ₹220 crore.

According to the “OECD Economic Outlook, Interim Report September 2026: Weathering Successive Shocks” released by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth of India for FY27 is revised upwards by 80 basis points (bps) to 7.1% from the earlier 6.3%.

The growth for FY28 is projected at 6.5%. The report also estimated the inflation of India for FY27 and FY28 at 4.7% and 4.2% respectively.

SBI Card has launched a digital facility on the YONO (You Only Need One) platform of SBI. It enables eligible customers to apply for the ‘Advantage SBI Card’, which is a FD-backed secured credit card, in about 10 minutes.

RBI has issued final directions titled ‘RBI (Commercial Banks - Minimum Capital Requirements for Market Risk) Directions, 2026’ outlining the minimum capital requirement for market risk under the Basel III framework for commercial banks. The new framework will come into effect on April 1, 2027.

Additionally, the RBI has eased KYC requirements for Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs), allowing them to submit original certified copies of specified documents certified by authorised authorities outside India. These directions came into force with immediate effect from September 18, 2026.

The Indian Institute of Technology (Banaras Hindu University) (IIT-BHU) has signed an MoU with the USA-based University of Michigan to strengthen research collaboration in electric mobility, focusing on electric vehicles (EVs) and sustainable mobility innovation.

The Ministry of Tribal Affairs has signed an MoU with the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), an autonomous trust under the Ministry of Culture, for the preservation, documentation, digitalisation, research, and promotion of the diverse tribal cultural heritage of India.

The Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) has signed an MoU with the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation to develop and strengthen the Statistical Business Register.

The agreement facilitates a framework for sharing information from the Udyam Registration ecosystem.

According to the “Electrification Special Report 2026” released by the International Energy Agency (IEA), the electrification rate of India is projected to rise from 19% to 32% by 2035.

Accelerated electrification could reduce global energy import bills by over $400 billion by 2035. The electrification rate of Southeast Asia is projected to increase from 25% to 37% by 2035.

The 2nd Joint Defence Cooperation meeting between India and Ethiopia was held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The meeting focused on areas of mutual interest such as military training, joint exercises, medical cooperation, peacekeeping, and defence industries.

Union Minister Manohar Lal has led the Indian delegation at the G20 Energy Abundance Ministerial Meeting held in Houston, USA, under the USA G20 Presidency.

The meeting focused on three key pillars: Energy Security & Affordable Baseload, Permitting & Regulatory Efficiency, and Critical Minerals & Resilient Supply Chains.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has signed a contract worth ₹586 crore with Accurate Industrial Controls Pvt Ltd (AICPL) for the procurement of 3,257 Auxiliary Power Units (APUs) for T-72 and T-90 tanks of the Indian Army.

In another contract, the MoD has signed an agreement valued at ₹810.79 crore with Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL) for the procurement of 160 Satellite Smart Anti-Airfield Weapons (SAT-SAAW) and associated equipment for the Indian Air Force (IAF).

Mastercard has exited the Pine Labs, a fintech company, by selling its entire 4.31% stake.

Meanwhile, the Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Bank has signed an escrow agreement with MetLife International Holdings and Barclays group companies to sell a 0.5% stake in PNB MetLife India Insurance, lowering its total stake to about 2.53%.

Premier Energies has commissioned a 7 Gigawatt (GW) N-type TOPCon (Tunnel Oxide Passivated Contact) G12R solar cell manufacturing facility in Naidupeta, Andhra Pradesh.

With this, the total solar cell manufacturing capacity of the company has increased from 3.6 GW to 10.6 GW, making it the largest solar cell manufacturing capacity in India.

The Uttar Pradesh government has launched ‘Bharat Taxi’ to support transport workers. The government has also introduced the ‘Mukhyamantri Krishak Samriddhi Yojana’ for farmers.

Under the scheme, agricultural loans are provided through the Cooperative Gramya Vikas Bank, with the interest rate reduced from 11% to 6%.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment of Mandeep K Bhandari as the Chairperson of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). He succeeds Lokhande Prashant Sitaram.

India is set to host the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) Road World Championships for the first time in 2032, in Pune, Maharashtra. The announcement was made during the 195th Congress of the UCI in Montreal, Canada.

It is to be noted that the historic bid was jointly spearheaded by the Maharashtra government and the Cycling Federation of India (CFI).