Monthly current affairs for September 2026

Dhiraj Bommadevara, an Indian archer, has become the first Indian male recurve archer to win the men’s individual title at the Archery World Cup Final 2026 held in Saltillo, Mexico. He secured the victory by defeating Junya Nakanishi of Japan in the final match.

It is to be noted that he is the second Indian archer to win an individual World Cup Final title, following the victory of Dola Banerjee in the women’s recurve category at Dubai in 2007.

India finished fourth in the medal tally at the 4th edition of the Pickleball World Cup held in Da Nang, Vietnam. Led by the Indian Pickleball Association (IPA), the Indian contingent won 41 medals (7 gold, 17 silver, and 17 bronze) competing among 82 nations.

Vietnam topped the standings with 271 medals (116 gold), followed by South Korea and the USA. In the team events, the Indian kids team led by Veer Shah won a silver medal, and Shah received the “Best Captain” award.

In individual events, Bhushan Akut won three gold medals in the 60+ category. Purvansh Patel, Fayrouz Zaidi, and Vivek Reddy also won gold in their respective categories.

International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies

Day - September 7

Theme 2026 - “Clean Air for Climate Action”

Observed since - 2020

In India - Swachh Vayu Diwas

National Teachers’ Day

Day - September 5

Theme 2026 - “Teachers at the Heart of Education Recovery”

Observed since - 1962

Commemorating - Birth anniversary of Dr S Radhakrishnan, the first Vice-President and the second President of India

India and Vietnam have designated 2027 as the ‘Year of India-Vietnam Friendship’ to commemorate the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations. The announcement was made during the 19th India-Vietnam Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) held in New Delhi.

Both nations have committed to achieving a bilateral trade target of $25 billion by 2030.

According to the data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the total combined exports (merchandise and services) of India in the first five months of FY27 (April-August 2026) reached $399.27 billion, representing a growth of 15.5%.

Merchandise exports for the period stood at $215.91 billion, compared to $183.21 billion in the same period of the previous year. Total imports for the April-August 2026 period are estimated at $459.65 billion, showing a growth of 18.01%.

MoC&I further stated that in August 2026, the total combined exports of India were estimated at $82.68 billion, registering a growth of 25.41%. Total combined imports for the month are estimated at $92.09 billion, marking a growth of 18.75%.

Bharat Forge Ltd (BFL) has partnered with the US-based Pratt & Whitney Canada to assess the feasibility of incorporating advanced turboprop engines into the High-Altitude, Long-Endurance (HALE) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) programme. The HALE UAV is currently being developed by the DRDO.

The 13th edition of the bilateral maritime exercise between India and Sri Lanka named “SLINEX-26” is held in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.

INS Kavaratti (an indigenous Anti-Submarine Warfare Corvette) and INS Jyoti (a Fleet Tanker) of the Indian Navy (IN) and SLNS Sindurala of the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) participated in the exercise to enhance maritime cooperation and interoperability.

The Table Top Exercise (TTX) under the Colombo Security Conclave (CSC) has concluded at the Eastern Naval Command in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. The exercise focused on strengthening coordinated responses to illegal maritime activities in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).

Tata Steel Ltd (Tata Steel) has commissioned a “Coke Oven Gas (COG) Injection Project” at its Meramandali plant in Odisha. The project, implemented at Blast Furnace 1, is the first-ever initiative of its kind in the Indian steel industry.

NASA scientists have confirmed the discovery of the ‘McGetchin crater’ on the Moon using imagery from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). The crater, formed by an asteroid or comet impact in May 2024, is recognized as the largest known impact crater formed in recent times within the solar system.

It is to be noted that the crater is named in honor of the late Thomas McGetchin, the former Director of the Houston-based Lunar and Planetary Institute.

Eknath Shinde, the Deputy CM of Maharashtra, has been conferred with three international awards during his visit to London.

The honours include the ‘Commonwealth Public Leadership Recognition’, the ‘Statesmanship Award for Transformative Leadership’, and the ‘Global Pride of Maharashtra Award’.

Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has announced the formation of a 10-member Task Force to evaluate the challenges and feasibility of reviving Formula 1 (F1) in India.

The committee is chaired by Yugal Kishore Joshi (Programme Director and Adviser, NITI Aayog). The Task Force will explore the possibility of hosting an F1 Grand Prix in 2028 and prepare a roadmap for the sustainable growth of motorsports in the country.

James Rodriguez, a 35-year-old footballer from Colombia, has announced retirement from international football.

Alexander Zverev of Germany has won the men’s singles title, defeating Ben Shelton (USA) at the 146th edition of the US Open held at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York.

Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan has won the women’s singles title. Christian Harrison (USA) and Neal Skupski (UK) have won the men’s doubles title, Katerina Siniakova (Czech Republic) and Taylor Townsend (USA) have won the women’s doubles title, and Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik (Czech Republic) have won the mixed doubles title.

Alla Kali Krishna Srinivas, popularly known as ‘Alla Nani’ and the former Deputy CM of Andhra Pradesh, passed away at the age of 56.

N Purushothama Mallya, a renowned educationist, writer, and Konkani language activist, passed away at the age of 97. He was a recipient of Padma Shri in 2015.

India has hosted the 18th edition of the Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS) Summit at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, under the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”. The summit was organized around these four primary pillars.

The event witnessed the launch of the BRICS Integrated Early Warning System (EWS) for infectious diseases, a Logistics Supply Chain Cooperation framework, a Startup Innovation Fund, and the BRICS Incubator Network. Other initiatives include a MSME portal, a Digital Centre for Smart Grids and Energy Storage, the Urban Mobility Hub (UMH), and CoEs for Agro-Ecology and Regenerative Agriculture.

PM Narendra Modi released two commemorative postage stamps titled “BRICS: Two Decades of Cooperation, 2006-2026” to mark the 20th anniversary of the forum. President of China Xi Jinping proposed a “5-point action plan”, including the creation of an open-source AI community. The summit concluded with the unanimous adoption of the “New Delhi Declaration”.

The UPI and Services Committee, led by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), has introduced a revised Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) framework, effective from October 15, 2026. Under the new rules, a 0.4% charge will be applied to UPI transactions above ₹2,000.

A flat MDR of ₹5 per transaction will apply to payments exceeding ₹2,000 in specific sectors like railways, telecommunications, insurance, and fuel. For capital market transactions, including mutual funds and stockbroking, the MDR is set at 0.02% of the transaction value, capped at ₹300.

Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) has partnered with Titagarh Rail Systems Ltd (TRSL), a railway rolling stock manufacturer, to establish a 50:50 Joint Venture Company (JVC). The JVC will be responsible for the maintenance of Vande Bharat Sleeper trainsets for a period of 35 years.